The Outsiders: Randy's Little Sister

Chapter 12: Help me

Pony looked at the floor.

"Hey, Pone, I understand if ya don't want to tell me but I am always here." I smiled at him but he was still staring at the ground.

"It was kind of déjà vu, I guess."

I looked at him as he carried on.

"Hey, remember that time in maths, ya may not. It was a long time back. Like last year and we weren't sitting next to each other."

I mumbled something but it wasn't too loud as I wanted him to carry on.

"It was the day Michael made fun of me. Ya know how I'm the only Greaser in that class."

I nodded. It was true, I remember the day clearly that he made fun of Pony. I had been there; listening not doing anything and now Pony is my friend, there isn't a day I don't regret not standing up for him but I can't change the past.

"Well after the lesson, we all went our separate ways, except it didn't happen like that. He followed me, him, Phil and Tom and well jumped me. They cornered me in the back of the school where no one goes."

I sighed and shook my head. I knew where this was going.

"—and well." He showed me a scar on his arm that I hadn't noticed.

"God, Pony why didn't ya tell me when I found ya." I sighed. "I could have done somethin' 'bout them."

It hadn't been a great day for me either, the day I found Pony. My parents had argued all night and Randy hadn't come home to help me get through it. Things like that doesn't make ya a tougher, more aggressive person, it makes ya not able to understand other people as well because you've learnt to hide your emotions. Well that day, I hadn't been willing to sit with the cheerleader girls when I didn't belong with them. So, I went to the back of the school where I knew no one would be, but instead of being able to be alone, I saw a half dead boy, grumbling on the floor, half awake, half in a different world.

It shocked me at first, 'cause I never had seen anything that bad before and well it opened my eyes to reality, where nothing will ever be roses and perfection but there will be death and heartless people.

I got him to the school nurse, who fixed him up in bandages awfully well and said he was lucky. Both of us asked multiple times, who did that to him but every time he just said he wouldn't tell. I didn't give up, but after a while it just didn't cross my mind as much as it used to but I made sure I sat next to Pony in maths from then on, not to protect him, 'cause I was pretty sure he could do that himself, but to get to know him better.

I wasn't sure how long Pony was out there for, but it could have been more than two hours and every time I thought 'bout that it scared me.

"Pony ya know, ya can tell me anythin', right?"

He nodded.

"And Pony if someone jumps ya, and it is a Soc I know, don't be afraid to tell me. I can beat the crap out of them for ya."

He chuckled. "Thanks Zola. But I don't want to hurt anyone. I have seen what it does to people."

I nodded. "People like Dally."

"Yeah. It doesn't turn out great." He looked at me and made me swear that I wouldn't tell his story to anyone, even Johnny. I didn't, never did in fact. I was great at keeping secrets, well I had a lot of practice with keeping them but the problem with me is that if it a emotional secret, I will bottle it up 'till I explode.

*******

It got to the end of the day, and I had been asked, throughout, if I was a Greaser or Soc. I wasn't sure why it bothered people so much, but I ignored them anyway, and ended up going to see Grumpy. All I could do was moan and it at least killed time, but she didn't move Michael, 'cause she didn't want the hassle. HASSLE. WHAT HASSLE. All she has to say was move, but I didn't say that. She already hated me and I didn't want a death wish, so when the bell rang for forth period, I left. Silently.