tutor||ponyboy curtis ✓

18

Jacqueline

I was painting my nails white, trying to not get any paint on my fingers when I heard the phone ring. I was home alone, so I was the only one who could answer. I sighed getting up from my spot on the floor, blowing on my nails as I made my way to the hallway to answer the phone. 

"Hello?" I asked, setting the phone on my shoulder and pushing it up to my ear so that my paint wouldn't chip.

"You wanna come over today?" I recognized Susan's voice immediately,

"No I can't." I said, she sighed.

"Why not?" she whined, I bit my bottom lip.

"Uhm I gotta clean all day." I lied, she groaned.

"Whatever I'll ask Dustin, bye girl."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and smiled to myself, thinking about the real reason I couldn't hang out with Susan. There was a lantern release going on at the park at dusk, Ponyboy and I are going to sit just at the edge of the park and watch them go off. We get to see the show without being seen together, a win win. Only socs were allowed to be there though, sponsored by some country club so it's not like we could've actually gone even if we weren't oh so different in the melanin department.

***

"I'll get it!" I yelled running downstairs as I heard the door bell, I opened it up quickly, already knowing who would stand behind it. 

"Hey," I smile to Ponyboy, he grins right back. 

"I'm out mom!" I yell up the stairs, 

"Alright hon!" she yells right back. I quickly make my way out of my house and Ponyboy and I are out on my porch. 

"You look real pretty doll." he tells me as we walk down my street. The way he said it makes him sound like the most southern hill billy in the world. I grin, looking over to him,

"Not too bad yourself there cowboy." I tease, making my voice just as southern. He chuckles, stuffing his hands into his pockets. We spend the rest of the walk talking, he tells me about something Dallas Winston said to some socs girl, repeating it verbatim.

"Shit, if I were her Dallas Winston would've gotten one cold slap in the face." I say jokingly and Ponyboy chuckles, we finally made it to the edge of the park. Well, to the fence between the tree farm and the park. 

"What're you doin'?" I giggle watching Ponyboy get his footing on the fence. 

"What does it look like?" he teases over his shoulder. I roll my eyes smiling, 

"What's the point of that Ponyboy? Tree farm ain't no different than the park." I say, he makes it to the other side and does something with the metal, having the fence revealed to be a gate. 

"Holy shit," I mutter as he walks through, back to me.

"How'd you know that?" I ask him, he shrugs sitting up against the gate.

"My buddy, Two Bit showed me one time. He said he was fightin' one of the Shepherds kids, heard police sirens and when he was jumpin' over the fence he saw the latch from the other side." he tells me. I nod sitting down next to him. 

"Who're the Shepherds?" I ask turning to him, I could see a big group of people in the distance on the hill of the park, probably getting ready for the lantern release.

"Well...they're greasers." he starts off, I arch an eyebrow.

"Then why's your buddy fightin' him? I thought greasers stuck together?" I ask, he nods and shrugs at the same time.

"Well yeah you're right," he begins to tell me about the Shepherds gang. How his friends and the Shepherds gang don't always get along, but if there was a rumble the next day how they'd fight on the same side. That him and Curly, the ring leaders little brother and him were cool with each other. It falls a bit quiet after he explains it all and I ask him what I've always wondered.

"Why do socs and greasers hate each other so much anyways? You're both white, I've always thought y'all would be fighting on the same side." I say, he shrugs.

"I've always wondered the same thing too Jacqueline, probably from jealousy and hate. Us greasers are jealous of how much they have to be perfectly honest with ya." I nod as he pauses,

"And they've got their heads inflated so big by daddy's money that they think they're royalty or somethin'." he tells me, I take in his words and was about to respond, until I saw a light float up into the sky. It was gorgeous, first it was a few and then soon enough the sky was full. Full of paper lanterns, yellow and magnificent, filling the park with light. 

"Woah," I mutter seeing the sky so full of light when just a minute ago it was dark as, well the night sky. It was enchanting. I looked at the sky for a good 3 minutes, until the lanterns floated out of view into the opposite direction.

"That was beautiful." I say to Ponyboy, finally breaking my gaze from the sky and the stars to my boyfriend. My boyfriend. I felt my ears get hot at just the thought that he was my boyfriend now.

"You seemed mesmerized." he said to me, I giggle nodding.

"I kinda was." I laugh and he smiles getting up. I follow his lead and get up too. We talk with each other as we walk out of the park and towards my neighborhood.

"You don't have to walk me home ya know? I can handle myself." I say, he shakes his head.

"I don't want ya walkin' alone though, too risky." he says as we approach my door step. I roll my eyes playfully and he smiles right back. I stand up on my tip toes and kiss him chastely and quickly, placing a hand on his cheek. 

"Bye Ponyboy." I smile, stepping back flat footed and he nods,

"Bye doll." I chuckle and go inside, shutting the door behind me.

"That your boyfriend droppin' you off?" I glance up to see my mother walking down the steps. 

"I don't have a boyfriend ma'am." I lie, she arches an eyebrow, squinting at me.

"So you and this weird named white boy just hang out a lot as friends?" she asks, I nod.

"Mhm," I hum and she rolls her eyes, but drops the subject.

"Whatever, just go to bed soon." she says,

"Goodnight Momma," I say,

"Yeah yeah, goodnight child." 

authors note:
obviously, this is a filler chapter, i know. im sorry, im coming up with a new plot point for the rest of the story i swear. ok bye yall goodnight/morning/day.