FicWad

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders
... ... ...

It was mid afternoon and for late May the sun in Tulsa, Oklahoma was scorching. People were walking the North side streets with sleeveless shirts and shorts fanning themselves to no avail. The air was still, the sun was beaming, and the temperatures were high; it was almost like an early spring heat wave. It made people cranky all over, grabbing their kids and yelling louder than usual when the little ones would run too far ahead. Horns were blaring and the sounds of the radio just made people groan. Of course, the heat and sun didn't bother everyone.

Sodapop Curtis tilted back on his chair and smiled to the sky; with all the chaos going on around him and the nice weather to top it off he was having a blast. He had a pair of black sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose and his work uniform sleeves rolled up past his shoulders. His golden hair spilled over his forehead and to top it off the grin of a Cheshire cat plastered over his face as an over weight, middle aged man blared on his car horn waiting for his gas to be pumped. Soda wouldn't have it any other way.

The DX gas bar was usually a little slow at this time of day; most people that could afford cars on the north side were working or attending classes, so Sodapop took it all in stride. It was a fairly small station so he could see and hear everything going on; actually getting up and doing his work was a whole other story. His best friend and co-worker Steve was usually hounding him about his lack of work as he would lay greasy, and hot underneath a car. However Steve never really got all that mad; Soda had a way of making him grin and laugh when he got flustered.

"Soda! Could you please serve that man before I have to pop him a new one?" Unfortunately, Steve was at school and Soda couldn't get away with his usual shits and giggles when his manager was in a bad mood. Maybe he was just one of those people who didn't like the heat. Soda looked over his shoulder and gave him a wide grin.

"Sure, sure, calm your nerves will ya? You can't tell me you don't find it funny that his head looks like it's gonna explode now can ya?"

Russ, the older and slightly built man just pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a low chuckle. "Maybe so, but he's a payin' customer and you don't wanna make the guy mad, ya hear?"

Soda nodded and grinned, giving ole Russ a mock salute on his way out. The older man just shook his head with a laugh and ran his thick hands through a mop of dark brown hair. "That kid'll be the death of me..."

Soda picked up a squeegee and approached the car cheerily. "How ya doin' today, sir?"

The over weight, middle aged man just glared. "I was fine and dandy son until I pulled up here...oh, FIFTEEN minutes ago waitin' for y'all!"

Soda bit his lip and suppressed the massive grin that wanted to stretch over his features, "Well sir, just hard away at work today; we're real busy ya see."

The frown on the man's face fell and was replaced with a furrowed brow and twists of confusion. "What're ya talkin' 'bout, boy? There ain't anyone here but me!"

Soda smiled again and leaned against the brown frame of the car. "Sir, there is much more involved in work then customers, ya see. I need to enjoy myself, catch some rays...hit up on the chicks. Ya know, I bet if ya just eased up a bit and enjoyed your life for all the good things its worth then ya'd be a hella lot happier, ya dig?"

The man raised his eyebrows skeptically. "What do ya mean, kid? You don't even know me! I have a lot of fun!"

Soda smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "Then why are ya so grumpy?"

The man opened up his mouth to reply but then just as quickly shut it again. Soda gave him a grin that said, 'I told ya so' and raised his eyebrows. "Just take it easy, sir. All will come in due time...no matter how long it takes."

The man gave him a glare. "What like my gas?"

Soda nodded briefly. "Like your gas."

The man and Soda locked eyes for a few moments; Soda with a wide grin on his face and the man a look of defeat. To the older man, his car just seemed to be getting hotter and hotter and he would love nothing more than this greasy kid to pump his gas so he could go home and sip on some lemonade with his TV Guide. Yes, he would love that a lot.

He finally sighed and dug into his sweat soaked business pants. "Listen kid, I'll give ya ten bucks to pump my gas and get your ass in gear, ya hear?"

Soda accepted the crumpled bill with a smile. "Sure thing sir. You just have to let up and stop bein' so anal, ya hear?"

The man let out a snort of laughter at Soda's choice of words. "Sure kid, whatever you say."

With those last words Sodapop pushed himself off the car and began to fill it up. He could see through the back windshield the man chuckling to himself. He loved making people cheer up a bit; hell he had to do at home quite a bit. His older brother Darry was always working too hard trying to take care of them and his younger brother Ponyboy...well Pony was another story. The two years had been hard on the kid; hell it had been hard on all the gang, but man, did it ever hit Pony like a ton of bricks. They had lost their parents; two good friends...Pony had been sick and depressed, barely making it through school. School was the big thing Pony was good at and it scared Soda to see him fall apart. He was just a little kid at the time and all the stress couldn't have been too good for him...hell it wasn't good for him. But Soda would do whatever he could to make his kid brother smile, even if the memories still bothered him as well.

The pump clank to a stop and Soda hung it back up on wall. "There you go, sir."

The man gave him a smile and a nod. "Sure thing, kid. You take it easy, ya hear?" Soda nodded in response and watched the car's retreating form as it exited the parking lot. He was about to turn around and head back into the station when he heard the familiar roar of an engine. He grinned and watched as the said car pulled up and out piled three familiar faces.

"Golly is it ever hot out here!"

"If I have to work out here all night I am quitin'!"

"Wimp!"

"I'll show you wimp, grease!"

"Anytime! Whoo!"

Soda laughed at the ongoing bantering and watched as Two-Bit Mathews and Steve Randle lightheartedly pushed each other around and wrestled; all in the midst of it his younger brother stood quietly watching the sky as if it had caught him in a trance. Soda stared at him quizzically for a second and then gave him a light punch to the arm. "Hey there kid."

Pony snapped out of his stupor and gave Soda a large grin. "Hey there Sodapop, how's work goin' today?"

Soda nodded and shrugged. "Good I guess work will be work."

Pony smiled at him admirably and nodded his head. Soda raised his eyebrows and turned back to his friends. "So what are you two hoods up to?"

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow - a comical habit he had - and grinned. "Just droppin' ole Stevie here off for his shift. We almost got ourselves into a bit of trouble after school so figured it'd be best to just come right on here afterwards."

Soda frowned. "What now?"

Steve just shrugged and dusted off his pants. "Just a bunch of socs startin' up junk again...same old."

Soda hesitated and then grinned. "Hey let's not worry about them, huh guys? We've shown them that we can handle our own."

Two-Bit let out a howl and laughed maniacally. "That we did! They should know better than to be messin' around with these hoods!"

Steve let out a snort and Soda looked back to Pony who was pretty much just waiting for someone to take him home. He frowned. "What's up with my kid brother?"

Two-Bit glanced back at him over his shoulder. "Oh hell, he's been like that all day. I don't even wonder about it anymore."

Sodapop rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Hell Two-Bit you don't think about nothin' too much anyways...aren't you gettin' outta school anytime anyways? Hell you're goin' on twenty..."

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow. "Now why would I want to be doin' that?"

Ponyboy let out a snort and wrinkled his nose, causing the other three boys to turn and look at him with surprise. It was pretty much the first sound he's made for quite some time. Two-Bit eyed him amusedly. "Now just what on Earth are you chucklin' about, kid?"

Pony turned to Soda and smiled. "I don' expect him outta high school anytime soon. They'll probably kick him out when he hits twenty five and offer him a job as head janitor so he can stick around and make himself some money."

Two-Bit shook his head with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Kid you got it all wrong! I ain't gonna be no janitor...I'll leave school once I find somethin' better to do."

Steve widened his eyes considerably and collapsed to his knees in mock shock. "Two-Bit Mathews? Find something better to do? Glory boys! This must be the end of the world here!"

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow and lit up a cigarette. "Just you wait and see, I'll show you guys..."

He was cut off by a round of laughter emanating from the three other boys. Two-Bit Mathews had never had a job and besides looking after his kid sister his idea of responsibility was getting liquored up and hitting on some trashy blonde for the night. Between getting in drunken brawls, being brought home by the fuzz, and choosing his female flavor of the week, Two-Bit was nothing more than shits and giggles.

"I'm sure you will..." Steve trailed off victoriously. "Look I'm gonna go get ready for my shift."

Two-Bit gave him a wave and turned to Soda. "How late you gonna be tonight?"

Soda shrugged. "Seven?"

Two-Bit nodded, "I'll come and pick you guys up around then..." He was about to continue when he stopped abruptly and frowned. "Well looky what the cat dragged in."

Soda turned to look behind him and saw nothing more than a mere car pulling up for gas; Soda raised his eyebrows not thinking anything of it. "What?"

He nodded towards the driver of the car. "Some hoods that hang around the school all the time; a bunch of no good sons of bitches if ya ask me. Heard they came here from Oklahoma City."

Soda nodded and shrugged; it was just another car full of greasers...just like him. Just like his family and all of his friends. Hell he'd been friends with the infamous Dallas Winston, what could possibly be so badass about these ones?

"Hey how you guys doin' tonight?" Soda asked with a friendly smile. There were five people in the old beat up Chevy; four tough looking guys and a broad. The smallest of the bunch must have been around Pony's size, and that's considering since the kid was growing like a weed. He wore a pair of tennis shoes with an old flannel jacket tied around his waist. His hair was light blonde that was short in the back and longer in the front. He had it greased into a pulled forward twist and his eyes were a soft blue. The kid looked like a softie. The other guys on either side of him on the other hand were a different story. They both were well over six feet tall and two hundred pounds. They appeared to be brothers in every sense from the arched eyebrows and crooked jaw line, to the dark shades of their hair. They didn't look like ones to be messed with. As for the driver he looked like the mean one out of the group, he could probably give Tim Shepard a run for his money. He had rusty colored hair greased in swirls around his entire head; he had the same rusty colored hair on his chin falling in a semi-long goatee. His eyes were brown and as hard as steel. He was probably only around 5'10" but he looked like he could break your nose in the blink of an eye. And the girl...well, Soda liked girls.

He gave her smile and leaned towards her passenger seat window. "Is there anything I can do for you tonight, darlin'?"

She had very dark hair that fell down around her face; she was on the short side and pretty thin. Despite her size, she looked like she was hanging around the heavy hitters for a reason. She glared coldly at him and he heard the distinct 'slinct' of a blade being drawn.

"Step away from her, ya damn pansy!"

Soda swallowed and grinned and looked up to lock glares with the driver who was holding a blade up; he looked to be more showing it off than pointing it at him, but at this point Soda wouldn't put it past him.

"Well, wouldya doin', go fill up the car!"

Soda furrowed his eyes and looked to the backseat to see one of the two brothers smacking his fist against his hand and the other two sending matching glares like the driver. He returned his gaze to the girl in the front seat and smirked. "Well I wish I could say it's been a pleasure but..."

"Just fill up the damn car, faggot!"

Soda looked up to see Ponyboy trying to march up to the car but Two-Bit held up his arm and backed the younger Curtis up. Two-Bit knew that Soda could usually handle himself and on top of that he had seen these thugs before and saw them stir up the same crap with other kids. Soda looked back down to the car and smiled. "Whatever you say."

He backed off and began to fill up the tank, locking eyes with Steve who just came out of the store with a monkey wrench and tool belt in hand. He looked at Sodapop questioningly but Soda just shrugged not knowing exactly what was up with the fellow greasers in the car himself. He held the pump loosely until he heard the indicating 'click' and with that the greasers sped off not paying a dime. Soda just stood still for a few moments with the pump handle in his hands and looked back at Steve who just shook his head.

"What in God's name was that?" Soda asked half-angrily, half completely confused.

Two-Bit snorted and took a drag from his cigarette. "That, my friend, was Ray Cutler and his gang."

Sodapop let out a low whistle and watched as Two-Bit and Ponyboy loaded themselves back into the car and waved as they pulled out of the parking lot.

To Be Continued.