tutor||ponyboy curtis ✓

10

Jacqueline

I mumbled 'My Guy' as I walked down towards Susan's house, the crisp fall soon turning winter air hit my face. Not like it gets cold in Tulsa though, I feel bad for my cousins up in Michigan. From what I've heard it's always winter up there, but I'd take sub zero weather everyday in return of not living in the south. I go up there for the summers sometime, it's not as racist as it is down here. It ain't paradise, but it's better. I knocked on her front door, her house was kind of cottage like. Short, brick, and had pretty sunflowers, daisies, and pink roses growing in the flowerbed. Susan opened it immediately after I knocked.

"Hey." she smiled letting me in, I could see a sneaky look in her eyes. Why, I wasn't sure, but I went inside anyways. Maybe she was just goofing around. We chit chatted as we went upstairs to her bedroom, talking about this that and the other.

"You excited for Halloween?" she asked me, I nodded. I'd always liked Halloween, not like I still dressed up, but it was a fun enough holiday. I got to hand out candy and used to go with Vanessa, but now she's 'too cool' to dress up. So my night would probably be filled with sitting around my house etching for something to do. We talked some more, nothing important or note worthy though. Sometimes we just talk to talk you know?

"So, Jacqueline do you like anybody." she interrogated me as she sat at her own desk. I shook my head out of habit, sitting on her bed.

"Course not." I responded, she arched an eyebrow, placing her heads onto her hands.

"You've had the same answer since 8th grade...oh! Are you like..." she whispered the next bit,

"a friend of Dorothy's? It's like totally cool if you are, my cousin is actually. Don't tell nobody though." she asked I nearly fell off her bed laughing.

"No Susan I like guys. Thanks for the support though." I giggled, regaining my composure.

"Oh," she mumbled. I could tell she was racking her brain for a guy that I could possibly like, she furrows her eyebrows together when she's thinking hard.

"Skipper?" she asked, he was a Vietnamese kid who went to our old school.

"Skipper liked me Susan, I didn't like Skipper." I scoffed. He was cute and all, but his brain was full of air. I bet if he shook his head hard enough it would sound like a rattle.

"Christopher?" he was super condescending, and wasn't as cute as he thought he was.

"No way." I pretended to gag, she laughed.

"It doesn't matter how much you guess, I don't have a crush." I told her with a hint of sass. She rolled her eyes,

"Oh! What about the kid...your tutor?" she asked, snapping her fingers to recall his name. I bit my bottom lip, he'd probably be the guy I'd like honestly. He's cute, smart, and nice, but I'm not a stupid girl. It'd never work, not in this lifetime anyways.

"Meh, he's alright." I lied, her eyebrows raised,

"Alright has been the best response so far...I bet you like him! I never would've thought of you as a race mixer, but-" I cut her off with a cough,

"Susan you're my best friend, I would've told you if I had a crush." I said, she sighed nodding,

"I guess." she huffed, but dropped the subject of my love life.

"Mary Martha's hosting a Halloween party. You wanna be my plus one?" she asked me, I arched an eyebrow. Mary Martha went to our old school, her parents are hardcore Catholics, not like she was though. She could hold her alcohol better than anybody in town.

"Sure, is it dress up?" I asked, Susan shook her head.

"Nah it's not even Halloween themed, it's like...remember my older sisters wedding?" Susan asked, which meant black tie optional.

"Yeah I still have my dress, I'll go." I shrugged, Susan smiled nodding.

Third Person

"Are you doin' anything for Halloween?" Ponyboy asked as they walked from school to her house, Jacqueline nodded, oblivious to the hint.

"Yeah I'm going to a friends party." she said to him, he nodded.

"Why?" she asked, he shook his head nonchalantly, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.

"No reason." he lied, he wanted to ask her if she wanted to do something that night. It'd been taking him the whole walk to work up the nerve, but now he was kind of relieved he didn't have to. It wasn't like he suddenly didn't want to spend the night with the girl, he was just nervous to ask. Ponyboy Curtis had zero knowledge on girls. Even if Steve and Two Bit liked to rave about their girls and if Sodapop used to talk about Sandy, he still was and felt totally clueless. He didn't care too much for girls until he met Jacqueline, (I mean sure he'd whistle when Two Bit would or acknowledge if one was good looking) but things surely changed after he did. He wouldn't know what to do anyway, he didn't want to hang out at his house, the gang would surely give him a hard time on a girl coming over and he didn't even know what their reaction would be to her being colored. Sodapop used to take Sandy to the movies a lot, but he doesn't really like watching movies with other people. Drag races were out of the question, he didn't even have a license and wasn't old enough anyways.

"Oh, alright." she smiled, up at him. Little did he know though that she would've loved to skip some party to hang out with him. Lately Jacqueline had been coming to terms that she had at least an ounce of more than friends feelings for the greaser. But, she tried to forget them. She wasn't oblivious to the difference they had. So, the pair went in her house without another word on Halloween.

authors note:
im debating between two plot lines for halloween and i can't decide tbh