stay ~ dallas winston

nine

DJ sat at the dining room table with Soda and Steve, as everyone was getting ready for the rumble. Ponyboy looked real sick, but he had made DJ and Two-Bit swear not to say anything to Darry. DJ obliged, only because she knew Darry would notice on his own. On the way home, the three of them had met up with Cherry, who let them know there wouldn't be any weapons in the rumble, which was a big relief.

"Soda, when did you start shaving?" they heard Ponyboy call from the bathroom.

"When I was fifteen," he replied, as Steve threw his cards down at him cockily. 

"When did Darry?" Ponyboy asked.

"When he was thirteen," Soda said.

"Why, you figuring on growing a beard for the rumble?" DJ asked as she ate the warm oatmeal Darry made for her. She wasn't feeling too great either, but she knew it was nerves.

"Oh, you're funny. We oughta send you to the Reader's Digest, I heard they pay a lot of money for funny things," Pony said, entering the dining room.

"Yeah, and you're sassy," DJ said, chuckling at his words.

"Let's go, then, forget it!" Soda exclaimed, throwing all the cards that Steve had put down to the floor, and sticking out his hand for an arm wrestle.

"Come on, Soda, come on!" Steve said, grabbing his hand and starting the wrestle. DJ quickly picked her bowl up from the table and sat down on the couch in the living room, with Darry and Two-Bit.

"You like the fights, huh, Soda?" Ponyboy asked his brother.

"Yeah, I like the fights, man," Soda said as he struggled against Steve's arm.

"Oh, you like the fights?" Steve mocked him, and Soda rolled his eyes.

"How come?" Pony asked genuinely.

"It's a contest. It's like a drag race, or a dance, or something like that." he responded. "We gone beat those socs' heads in, ain't we?"

"When I get into a fight, I wanna stomp! I like it, too," Steve said, face squished in concentration and exhaustion, before finally winning.

"Congrats, drama king," DJ remarked, and he frowned at her.

"Why do you like fights, Darry?" Ponyboy asked his brother, who was changing his shirt.

"He likes to show off his muscles," Soda chuckled.

"Hey, I'm gonna show 'em off on you little buddy, if you get any mouthier," Darry warned him. "Hey, Pony, uh...I don't know if you oughta be in this rumble," Darry said, concerned for Ponyboy like DJ knew he would be.

"How come? I've always come through before, ain't I?" Ponyboy asked. Darry sighed.

"Yeah, but, you know, you was in shape before, and...you know, you ain't lookin' so good, you're tensed up all the time, you know?" Darry said. Pony shot DJ and Two-Bit a death glare, and they both shrugged their shoulders.

"Come on, Darry, let him fight, man. Everyone's tensed up before a rumble. It's skin against skin, he ain't gonna get hurt," Sodapop interjected, patting Ponyboy's shoulder.

"Come on, I'll grab hold of a little one," Ponyboy promised.

"Well, we will need every man we can get, but...I don't know," Darry sighed. DJ frowned, it seemed like Darry was going to give in.

"Dar, you do need every man you can get, maybe...maybe I should tag along, too," DJ suggested hoping it would keep Pony out. Two-Bit immediately stood up and hit her shoulder.