Angels From Heaven - Chap 7 (The Outsiders)

Author’s note: The Outsiders are owned by S.E. Hinton.

“Girls are angels from heaven.”

“You’re dead, bitch!”

“I need to get outta here.”

“I thought she was with you two.”

“Sugar!”

8:32 am. No, no! How did Darry expect me to stay home and get some sleep? I can’t get it out of my head. She’s lying there in that hospital bed. I’m not sitting in this house alone, but I’m not ready to go back to the hospital either. I guess I could hang with Soda at the DX. I know he didn’t get much sleep last night. I throw on some clothes and head out the door.

I know I shouldn’t walk alone. It isn’t dark out and well, right now, I don’t really care if I get jumped. It would serve me right, but of course, no luck. The DX comes into view and I can see Steve pumping gas for some old, grey haired guy.

“Hey Pony. You look like hell.” I look around but no Soda in sight.

“Thanks Steve.” I reply sarcastically, “Where’s Sodapop?”

“He’s inside getting some water. He doesn’t look much better than you.” The old man drives away as I take a seat on the steps outside the main door. I look around and notice how dirty the DX really is. The outside walls are covered in grime and the red gas pump doesn’t look like it has been washed off in years. Can’t really expect much cleaning from a greaser run gas station. “Dirt gives it character,” I recall Soda saying as I realize the steps I’m sitting on aren’t much cleaner than the rest of the station. Oh well, doesn’t really matter right now.

I hear the door open behind me to reveal a zombie-like Sodapop exiting from them. I try to think of something to say but the only thing that comes out is “Hi.” Soda just nods and starts walking toward Steve. In the distance I can see a long black Ford coming up the street. Oh no! Dallas doesn’t know.

Soda and Steve also must have recognized the car because they give each other an almost frightened look. None of us thought about Dally last night. It never even dawned on us to try to find him and tell him what happened. Now he’s going to drive up here and someone’s going to have to break the news.

I never did understand Sugar’s and his relationship. Neither one of them would ever admit that they were a couple. I know why Dally wouldn’t, he had a rep to protect and admitting feelings for any girl would make him look soft. Dallas Winston would never allow anyone to think that. Sugar, on the other hand, I never could figure out.

She knew Dally was hers. He would have done anything for her, even though he loved to pretend otherwise. Johnny told me Dallas once drove 20 minutes out of his way to pick her up from a party when she got really drunk, let her wear his coat all the way home and even held her hair when they pulled off the road for her to get sick. Now if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Sugar never let on, though. She never referred to him as her boyfriend. She never tried to hold hands or even complain when he would ignore her some nights, but she was ready to take on any girl that made a move for him. She even gave Sylvia Brown a black eye for putting her hand on his at the Dingo about 3 months ago. And, we all knew what would happen to someone if they made a move on Sugar. John Brite put his arm around her once as a joke at the Drive In. He was in a cast for the next month and a half. No, Dally and Sugar were definitely a couple and a dangerous one at that, but they never just came out and said it.

I shifted up from the stairs. It would serve me right if Dallas beat my head in, so I figured I’d be the one to tell him. Let him kill me. As the car pulls up I try to get up to the window, but Soda pulls me back. As I open my mouth, Steve cuts me off “Hey Dally.” Soda turns away from the car, pushing me back toward the stairs. “Soda, I need to tell him,” I say. Soda just shakes his head and pushes me back to the stairs.

“Hey Steve, fill ‘er up. I owe Buck a tank full.” Soda stares at the wall beside me as I see Dally turn to look in our direction. “Hey Soda, sorry about your face, man. Your sister’s really a nutcase,” he touches his cheek, “I guess I deserved it. Dolores wouldn’t come near me for the rest of the night,” he laughs, “I should have known, though. She still mad at me?”

Soda refuses to look up. He seems to become more distant with every word Dally utters. I turn my attention from Dally to my shoes. I should tell him, but I can’t get the words out. Suddenly I hear Steve clear his throat as he fills the tank up.

“Dallas, something happened last night. Sugar’s in the hospital.” Dally quickly loses his smile. “What?”

I look up as his attention turns back to me and Soda. “Sodapop?” He questions. I notice Soda is still staring at the wall, but now there are small tears escaping both of his eyes. Dally goes stiff in front of us and looks down at the ground. His voice is stern, “Ponyboy, take me to her.”

I get up again from the stairs and Soda makes no move to stop me. Steve finishes pumping as I get into the passenger side. Steve says “Just go” go to Dallas as he gets in the driver’s side. Dally puts the car in gear and we’re gone.

On the drive Dallas starts to question me. “What happened, Ponyboy?” I wanted to tell him, but I just didn’t know how to get out the words. I can hear the anger in his voice grow with every word. “Pony, you tell me what the hell happened or so help me God!” He grabs my shirt and starts shaking me in the seat as his driving becomes erratic.

I don’t know if it was my feelings about that night suddenly creeping up on me or the fear that Dallas might actually kill me, but I couldn’t control it anymore. My eyes welled up and the tears began pouring freely. All I could get out was “We found her on the playground. I tried to stop her. I told her not to leave. I told her.” After that nothing I could get out was coherent and I guess he gave up because within a few seconds of my crying he had let me go. After that I could just make out heavy breathing coming from the driver’s side and my own soft sobs.

We reached the hospital and Dallas jumped at as soon as the car was parked. He didn’t bother to take the keys with him. I just sat there trying to contain myself. I was scared, I couldn’t face Dallas, and I couldn’t face Sugar. I sat there for an eternity as I tried to overcome the tears. I finally opened the passenger door and stepped out. I spotted the glass sliding doors in front of me and headed in keeping my eyes to the floor. I was half way to Sugar’s rooms when someone angrily brushed past me almost pushing me into the wall. I looked to see who it was.

Dallas? What happened? Had he seen her or talked to her? As I continued down the hall I could make out a very hoarse voice coming from that direction. As I approached the door to her room I realized it was Sugar’s faint voice.

“I couldn’t see their faces. It was really dark and I think the tree was blocking the street light, but I heard their voices.” I could tell she was having a hard time getting the words out, “I tried to fight back, but they threw me on the ground and things got really blurry and my head just started hurting. I remember trying to fight back, but…”

Is this what Dallas heard? Did he see her face? I don’t blame him for running out of here like that. I don’t want to hear this. There was more than one bastard who brutally attacked my sister? Who put their hands all over her, used her and left her to die. I don’t want to hear this.

“Ponyboy?” Darry’s staring right at me. “How did you get here?”

“Dallas” I said practically in a whisper. Darry just stared at me with those focused eyes. “He came in and then ran out. I’m not sure what he saw.” He nodded, put his arm on my shoulder and guided me into the room.