Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nothing is adding up anymore. Either I'm going crazy or something's really wrong with me. I've been throwing up everyday for a couple weeks now. I must be going through something. I don't even know anymore.

On a somewhat bright side, school's going okay. Socs still bug me. I guess it doesn't matter because I've always got someone around sticking up for me. That's what we do for each other. We're all close so why not?

Speaking of close... Man, me and Ponyboy are inseparable. Everyone's always finding us together. Since my birthday, we've been basically attached to the hip. A couple of the boys called us out on it before, but we're afraid to admit that we like each other so much. What would the others say?

"I'm hunting some action tonight," Dally says as we come home from school. He's talking to the rest of the boys. "Any of you wanna go?" he asks.

"What exactly are you wanting to do?" Steve asks him.

"I don't know, man. Go to the movies or something down there at the, uh, the Nightly Double."

"I'll go," I offer. Dally kinda smiles and nods.

"Sure. I'll go too. What about you Johnny?" Pony says.

"Eh, I don't know. I guess," Johnny answers with a shrug.

"I swear. You three are always doing something," Darry says, pointing to Johnny, Ponyboy, and me.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask. He shakes his head and laughs a little. I then randomly remember that it's a Friday night so Darry's real cool about letting us go out. He'll probably give us a curfew anyway. Typical.

"I'll probably catch up with y'all there," Two-Bit says.

"Cool. Alright, we better get going," Dally tells us.

"We're gonna take our books in, and then we'll meet you out here," Ponyboy explains. He and I quickly jog inside. Since I've got all his school stuff in my room, he follows me in the door. Since we're real close now, I feel like I can tell him something I'm about to without feeling weird.

"Why am I getting so fat?" I ask, poking my slow-growing abdomen.

"You ain't getting fat," he says. I look at him.

"Then what is this?" I poke myself again.

"Will you cut it out? You're gonna hurt yourself."

"Not with all this in the way." He laughs.

"It's nothing. I think you're seeing stuff. Now c'mon. Dal's waiting on us," he says.

"Yup. It's fat," I confirm.

"JT!" he scolds as we walk out my door.

"What?"

"Quit saying that." We walk out the front door, but not before I grab his jacket since he forgets a lot.

"Then it's... Nope. Fat." He smiles widely.

"Shut your trap," he says playfully. I giggle a little. Jeez. I think I'm bipolar. I'm bored one second and then bubbly the next. Must be because I was around Ponyboy. Oh how cute. I got myself a little admiring for him.

My back begins to hurt as I walk down the steps. That's weird for even me. I never have troubles with my back. I wonder what's causing it to hurt so bad.

"You ready to go?" Dal asks, clapping his hands together.

"Yeah. Let's go," I answer. We begin walking down the back ways to get there.

"I been hearing stuff about the socs leaving you alone, JT," Johnny says.

"Well yeah. That guy that kept messing with me said he ain't gonna bother me or any of our gang no more."

"About time," Ponyboy mumbles.

"Yeah," I agree. "I wish he'd tell some of his buddies that."

"It's cool. Give what we get, right?" Dally says. I shrug. I guess he's right, but if we keep doing that, we'll all still be nowhere. It's kinda useless. It all is.

We get to the fence as the sky's already dark. Cars are parked everywhere as the movies play on the giant screens. The boys crawl through the hole in the bottom. Man, I wish Dallas would just do something the legal way for once. I get on my back and slip through the fence. Ponyboy helps me up.

This kinda reminds me of last time I came. Last time, the boys jumped into a fight to defend fellow greasers. Then me, Johnny, and Ponyboy, being the ones that stayed back, got jumped too. It was an awful night. I shudder at the reminders.

"You okay?" Ponyboy asks. I nod.

"Yeah... I- I'm fine."

"You look cold." He starts to take off his jacket I previously handed him after we left.

"No it's okay. Keep it," I insist. He rolls his eyes and gives the oversized jacket to me anyway. "Hey, Ponyboy?"

"Yeah?"

"What movie are we watching anyway?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Looks like 'Rosemary's Baby'?" he answers in more of a question as he reads the title on the screen.

"You're gonna sit by me right?" He nods and smiles as we sit down in the chairs. Johnny sits between me and Dally.

The movie begins to play as I cuddle into Ponyboy's jacket. I take a good look at what's going on around us. I've started doing this just in case we've gotta make a quick escape. I guess being here long enough can teach you that you need to always be on your toes even if you don't want to.

I feel someone's fingers touch mine. Then a hand takes a tight grip on my hand. I look down at my small hand wrapped in Ponyboy's. I look at him with a scared look on my face. What if Dal sees? He'll rat us out for sure. Johnny can keep a secret. He's good at it. But is Ponyboy thinking straight?

"It'll be alright," he mouths. I smile and turn back to the movie. I begin to get into it. This movie is pretty strange and creepy.

Something thumps me in the back of the head. I hear laughter and turn around. Ponyboy turns his head as he sees me doing the same. I glare at five socs a couple rows behind us. I turn straight ahead again and angrily sigh.

"Great. Looks like trouble's looking for us," I mumble.

After a few minutes, something cold and hard hits the back of my head again. I feel the collar of the jacket and feel ice. I throw it disgustedly back at them. It hits one of them in the eye.

"Nice shot," Johnny says amused. I laugh to myself. It was a nice shot.

I begin to wonder how long we'll stay. They're gonna play two movies tonight. I'm assuming it'll be until midnight. Darry told us to be home around then, but I bet we'll stay as late as we can. I guess I'll have to put up with those socs until we leave or until me or one of the others kick their faces in. They're starting to get on my nerves.

I think about the movie instead of the socs. Apparently this girl named Rosemary and her husband move into like this haunted apartment. She starts having these weird dreams, and one is where she's being, well, forced to do "things" by something inhuman. She figured out she's pregnant. Her neighbors give her a potion, and her friend admits their neighbors are in a coven of witches. She realizes she's been victimized, and she then has a healthy baby that turns out to be satan...

This is just too weird.

"Ponyboy, wanna go get a coke or something with me?" I ask. He nods.

"Sure. Y'all want something?" he asks Johnny and Dally.

"I want a coke," Johnny says.

"Alright," I tell him. We go to the concessions. We walk through the lines.

"That movie sure was weird," he says.

"You're telling me. How does that even work?"

"I wouldn't be asking me." He grabs two cokes, and I grab a third. He pulls the money out of his pocket and pays.

"I wonder how they came up with such a weird idea..." I tell him.

"Maybe a 'disturbing dream,'" he answers, referring to the strange nightmares Rosemary was having in the movie.

Something hits me in the back of my head again. I turn around furiously. The five socs are right there in front of us. Do I dare get in their faces?

I do. I do dare.

"Will you cut it out already?!" I yell in one's face. I'm just glad it's not Bob- the one I made the deal with.

"Ooh. Fiery," he comments. "Who's gonna make me?" He pulls a switchblade and points it at my back. "Why don't we just go outside? Nice and quiet. Bring your friend with you."

"P- Ponyboy. C'mon," I say nervously. He sets the cups down and follows beside me. The seven of us go outside in the quiet away from the viewers. I'll have to admit, I'm scared. Even with Ponyboy beside me, I'm terrified. We're so outnumbered.

The five circle us two. The odds are definitely against us. The one puts the cold metal of the blade to my jaw.

"We ain't looking for trouble," Pony says cooly.

"Maybe trouble's looking for you, pal," the soc says.

"Why d-don't we put that away?" I ask. "W-what do you want?"

"Alright, pretty girl. I'll put it away," he says, flipping it in and putting the blade in his back pocket. "I want you," he continues, pushing me into Ponyboy. "Grab them!" he says loudly.

Two hold me back as the other three grab onto Ponyboy. They pin him on the ground and begin hitting him as hard as they can. I kick and scream for them to stop. Ponyboy struggles to get away.

"Shut her up!" the obvious leader calls. One of the two covers my mouth. I wildly look for a source of help. I spot two familiar figures on a confused search. I bite the guy's thumb. He takes it away and shakes his hand.

"Dally!" I scream shrilly. "Dally! Help!" I see him turn and run angrily towards us. He tackles a soc off Ponyboy and punches him. Pony finally gets on his feet and overtakes one. I've still got to get away though!

I stomp my heal onto one's foot. He lets me go and curses. I elbow his stomach and push him backwards. The other lets me go in surprise. He comes at me, but I block his arms, grab his head, and pull down. I bring my knee to his stomach, and he stays down.

The first I knocked down grabs my ankles and pulls me down. "Johnny!" I call. He runs over and steps on the soc's wrist, allowing me to escape. He pulls me to my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asks. I nod.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"I take it back about the socs not bothering you anymore."

"Stop!" someone yells. "Stop already!" Everyone freezes. I look wildly for the source of the voice. It's... Bob?

"What are you doing sticking up for this trash?" a soc asks.

"None of your business, alright? You better leave them alone," he tells them.

"C'mon, Bob. Why can't we-"

"No! Get out of here!" Ponyboy and Dally run towards me and Johnny. They begin to run, but not before Dallas turns back and flips them off. I feel frozen in my spot. I stare at Bob as he stands there, angry that we're still getting beat up on.

"JT, c'mon! Let's go!" Johnny says, pulling on my arm. Bob glances at me with sympathy. He nods as I turn my head. It was a split second, but when I looked at him, it felt like we were frozen, waiting for that moment for him to say he's sorry again.

"S-stop. I'm gonna... be sick..." I mumble. We stop running down the road. I dizzily clench onto Dally's arm since he's closest to me.

"JT, are you sick?" Ponyboy asks. I shake my head. I feel delirious. I'm not sure. I'm having a spell of some sort.

"N-no."

"Sit down alright, will ya?" Dally asks. I sit on the curb and hold my head. My stomach churns, and I accidentally throw up between my feet.

"We gotta get her home," Johnny suggests. I hope they ain't suggesting I walk. I'm too zoned out.

"I'll carry her. It ain't that far," Ponyboy says.

"Are you sure?" Dal asks. He must've nodded, but I'm still looking at my shaking hands. Ponyboy lifts me, and my head leans against his shoulder. I hear a door squeak open and a million questions. I'm placed on a soft surface, my bed. Thank goodness. Sheets fall over me.

I don't know what happened back there, but I sure am scared. A panic attack maybe? I don't know. I've been so confused lately. My mind and heart is all mixed up. I have no idea what's wrong with me. I'm not going crazy, am I?

"Ponyboy, what happened? Why are you bleeding?" Darry asks.

"Me and JT went to go get drinks, and a soc put a blade to her and made us go outside. Then five of them jumped me and her," Ponyboy explains.

"Yeah and me and Johnny thought they ditched us or something. I heard her screaming for me. I went over there and beat them good," Dal adds.

"Then some soc JT knows made them go away," Johnny finishes.

"Since when does she know a soc?" Steve asks.

"Since he told her he was sorry for jumping her all the time," Pony says.

"Are y'all alright though?" Soda asks.

"Yeah. We're good," Dally answers.

"I bet they were drunk outta their minds," Two-Bit assumes.

"Look. Just be more careful. I don't want that girl hurt," Darry says. "What're they gonna say if she does?"

"Who cares?" Steve asks.

"I do."

"Darry, we were careful. They had a blade, and we were outnumbered," Ponyboy explains.

"I guess you used your head... For once," Darry says.

They continue their conversation as I try to go to sleep. I lie on my bed, confused and still shaking. What's happening to me?

I think about the movie rather than myself. It was strange. I wonder how she figured out she was pregnant so quickly. How would most people? I'm pretty sure my mom used to tell me that she could smell things when no one else could. That's funny because... Wait. I did that... No. It's just a coincidence. It's because that had a strong smell. But... I've also been having some backaches. My aunt had those before she had my cousin. Maybe I did something... I thought I was getting chubbier or something too. That may not be it though... Another thing, I've been super moody, and I've been throwing up every morning. Morning sickness? It can't be though. It's impossible!

Oh wait. It is possible. My birthday... Me and Ponyboy... Oh my gosh. What... Is this true or not? What would they say? I have to tell. I can't hide this forever... What am I going to say? What will happen?

I can't believe this, but... I think I'm pregnant.