Dally

Dan

I was supposed to meet Pony and Johnny under the street light at the corner of Pickett Sutton. So I was just standin’ there under the light when they came, they were early. They, being early, bought us some extra time so we went and messed around at the drugstore in the shopping center. We were just walkin’ around, starin’ at things that were layin’ out in the open and easy to take.
“Get the heck out of this store before I loose my job because of the likes of you filthy hoods!” an employee hastily yelled at us.
“Why’d he say that Dal?” Johnny said.
“He caught me stealing some magazines and a pack of weed” I replied.
So we walked out of the store as he so pleasantly told us to do. It was too late for him to kick us out though, well at least for his reasons. I had already hid a pack of smokes and two packs of Coke in my jacket. We were bored after that so we went down to sneak into the daily double at the Dingo.
We knew everybody there, they were all either hoods or greasers like us. We walked around, got in and out of cars, but mostly talked about random crap rather than watching the movie. When I was done talkin’ with everyone so I walked down along the aisle in the non-car section of the theater, screwin’ around with Pony and Johnny, when I saw a dang good lookin’ broad. She was just sittin’ there, with her friend tryin’ to watch the movie.
“Hey look Pony” I said, “see that red headed doll over there?”
“Yeah, what about her?”
“I dunno, I guess she’s just mighty fine, for a soc.”
We walked a little further and found three empty seats right behind that red head and her friend. “Aww! It’s a chick flick!” I thought to myself, “Well I better enjoy it while I can.”
“Hey babe, are you a real red head?” I romantically whispered in her ear, “Ya know one of those feisty hot headed broads?”
“First of all my name is Cherry, Cherry Valance and I don’t appreciate you trying to swing me like that” she scolded.
“Oh, so you are a normal hot headed little red head.”
“No, I’m just not interested” she snapped.
“Well at least in a hood” she mumbled.
Tryin’ to still impress her I dumbly thought “I’ll go get her some cola, to cool ‘er down”. So I stood up and told Johnny that I’ll be right back and if Tim Shepard comes by say that you haven’t seen me all day.
I walked up the aisle and into the snack shop. There were tons of popcorn stands, cola stands, and candy stands all over the place. I went straight to one of the cola stands and got three Cokes. I chugged mine as soon as I got it, and started out for the door. I found my way half to our seats when Tim Shepard came by.
“Why I oughtta…” he threatened.
“Why you oughtta what, look at me to death, I’m so scared!” I said.
“I oughtta call the fuzz on you, ya’ slashed my tires!”
“Prove it”
“Gggggrrrrrrrrrr” Tim mumbled. Tim silently ran off into the streets as I walked back to our seats.
“One for my lady and one for her lovely friend” I said handing a Coke to Cherry and one to her friend.
“The name’s Marcia.” Cherry’s friend giggled.
“I won’t accept this from you, you…you…you filthy hood!!!” said Cherry while she dumped her Coke in my face, Marcia sipped her Coke until it was bone dry.
After that I left, I figured that if she don’t like me, there’s no point in me staying, I’ve got better things to do.

Suhaas

Outsiders Alternate Intro (from the perspective of a middle class kid)

As I walked down the street in the bright daylight, I had two things on my mind: a ride home and a greaser kid across the street…being chased by a mustang. Kids in the middle class usually stay out of the Soc-greaser grudge, but I was curious, and I didn’t really have any place to be, so I followed cautiously. The car was really fast, but that didn’t really help it because all of the streets that the kid ran down had lots of curves. It had to stop or crash at every single corner. Usually they crashed...

The car finally cornered him, and a bunch of Socs got out. They looked really drunk. All of the kids were from my school. I think the greaser’s name was Pony or something. He’s on my track team at school and the coach would probably throw a fit if he lost his star.
“Get off of him,” said a voice as they took out a blade. I looked around to see who it was until I realized that all of the Socs were looking straight at me. I was already stuck in the dark corner that I had been watching from, so it was pretty easy for the Socs to grab me and shove me against a wall.
“I think he needs a haircut, too,” a kid with lots of rings said. I had no idea what he was talking about until he stuck his blade up to my head. That’s when Pony tackled the kid with the rings from behind. The knife slipped out of Ring Kid’s hands and landed on my unlucky forehead. Pony had called for reinforcements as every Soc was escorted back to the car with giant sticks, poles, and many bruises.
“Thanks,” I gasped. My response was pretty sympathetic for my pain,
“What’s your name?” a rough, angry voice answered.
“Cool it Dally,” defended Pony. “This kid probably saved my life, but what is your name?”
“Brian,” I responded as calmly as I could.
“Well Brian, you’ve gotten yourself into a whole lot of trouble messing with Socs like that. You’re gonna be one o’ their targets from now on. Good thing we came by to help you two out or they would’ve beaten the tar outta you. Maybe even given you both ‘haircuts,’ ” grunted Dally.
“You shouldn’t have gone off by yourself like that. You could’ve at least carried a switch!” yelled one of them
“Yeah Darry, that would have been a perfect reason for them to let their knife ‘slip’ a little more,” yelled another as I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who had been cut.
“Guys, all of you, cool it!” I exclaimed to my surprise “ How about all of you start being glad that he’s alive.”
“Thanks,” Pony whispered in my ear, “Darry and Soda were about to blow up at each other.”
“So far it’s Pony, Darry, and Dally…” I thought to myself
“So, Where do you live?” asked one of the gang, “East or West Side?”
“Neither really,” I replied “I’m kinda in between…in every sense.”
“Whaddya mean?”
“Well, I bet you guys think that it’s great being in the middle. You’re not a Soc without any feelings, or a Greaser who’s all the way at the bottom. Well, sorry to break it to you, but it’s rough all over. With my kind, the problem isn’t emotional or money-related. It’s that no one notices you. Everyone’s heard about the rich Socs and the hoody, well actually not so much, greasers. Who am I though? What kind of gang do I get to be in? I’m part of the Nobodies.”

Johnny at the Fountain

By Bryan

“Hey look,” Bob said, “It’s those little greasers that picked up our girls.”
“You better watch it Soc,” I warned, “Your outta your territory.”
“No,” Bob said, slightly swaying, “you’re the ones that are in trouble.”
They started to move in.
“You know what a “greaser” is,” Bob taunted, “White trash with long hair.”
Of all the things people have said to me, nothing struck me as hard as that. I almost winced. Ponyboy looked like he was about to explode with anger. I was scared to death, but in a fight, you never show fear. If the Socs senses that you’re scared, they’ll be even more reckless.
“Okay, I understand now. You need five big, strong, rich Socs just to beat up two so called pieces of trash?” I taunted back, “Man, I guess Socs are weaklings after all.”
“Yeah, I guess so Johnny,” Pony said, “the Socs probably ain’t nothin’ more than white trash with mustangs and madras.”
“You two shut up, or before you know it, you guys ain’t gonna have a throat to talk with,” Randy shot back. I inwardly shivered at the thought of the gang finding us lying on the ground with our throats slit.
“Man, are you two dirty,” said Bob smiling, “Could bathe now and then you know. Hey Dave, lets help out these little greasers for once. Give him a bath in the fountain.”
When Pony and I heard him, we started to run. Even though they were mostly drunk, the Socs soon had us cornered. We were outnumbered 5:2, but we tried to fight anyway. I got loose and started to run, but I tripped. When I looked behind me I discovered that no Socs were chasing me, but instead were “bathing” Ponyboy. From the sound, it seemed like he was being drowned! I didn’t know what to do, but then my hand brushed across my switchblade in my back pocket. Well, what was I supposed to do with that? I took it out anyway and ran towards the Socs. I tried threatening them with my knife, but they didn’t even respond. At that point, Pony’s body was limp. I knew he would be dead in a couple minutes if I didn’t do anything, so out of sheer desperation, I stabbed Bob. Bob immediately collapsed. Even though the death was quiet, it seemed to draw everyone’s attention to it. The scene before me seemed unreal, as if it were some old movie. The sound of running footsteps quickly brought me back to real life. The Socs were running to their car. I quickly pulled Ponyboy out, who sputtered for a minute, and then lay still, breathing silently. As I put him down, I convinced myself that I probably didn’t kill the Soc. Then I turned around. The body was still lying there with my blade stuck in there. When I took the knife out, it was red to the hilt with blood. There was a pool of darkness slowly spreading from Bob’s wound. I sat down next to Pony and tried to calm down. I was shivering, from the cold or the murder I really don’t know.
My mind was undergoing a mental rumble. Did Bob deserve this, or did he not? A couple months back, he had jumped me and almost killed me. I still remember the glint of his rings reflecting the bright moonlight. And today, he almost killed someone else. Was it good that there was one less potential murderer, or was it better to let him live and maybe kill someone? The side that was against the death had a large advantage over the other side: guilt. When this was introduced into the rumble, it was as if one side suddenly had a couple heaters. This gave the side a big advantage. Soon, the side against death had won. This didn’t do anything to help the guilt, it just made it worse. Made it worse to the point where I knew it would stay with me forever, like a deep, ugly scar.
At this point, Ponyboy was stirring. He sat up and shook his head as if he was trying to clear his head. I don’t really blame him, considering the fact he almost got drowned. He was just sitting there shivering in his soaked sweatshirt, looking around. It was only then that he noticed me. I must have not been lookin’ so good, cause he seemed startled.
“Hey Johnny, what happened?”
“I killed him. I killed that boy,” I said slowly. Pony then looked and saw Bob doubled up on the cement, a large pool of dark blood still slowly spreading. He then looked at my hand. I looked down too, and saw my hand still clutching the switchblade that had claimed the handsome Soc’s life. At the thought of that, I dropped the switchblade. It dropped with a clatter that echoed around the deathly silence of the park.
“Oh Johnny, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Ponyboy said, looking a little green.
“Go ahead, I won’t look.” With that, Pony turned around and threw up quietly.

The Outsiders, from Darry's perspective

Andrew Lehr

March 12, 2008

Period: 3+4

The Outsiders, from Darry’s perspective

It was Monday morning and I had nothing much to do. Mom and Dad wouldn’t like that though, even if they were dead. I had to do something for them or Pony or Soda. Ponyboy was walking home alone today. He rarely uses his head. I don’t know why.

Out of the blue, Sodapop runs in screaming, “Ponyboy got jumped, we gotta go see him.”

I sprang from my feet and ran out the house as fast as my legs would churn. A block away, I saw him and sat him upright because he couldn’t hold himself up. Ponyboy was an average sized person, but he never uses his head. He had long hair like most greasers. I don’t, I like mine short and nice.

I said, “Are you all right Ponyboy?” I was shaking him to see if he could talk.

He said, “I’m okay. Quit shaking me Darry I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry” I replied.

Pony may not think I’m sorry, but I was. I didn’t know if he was hurt severely or not. I’m always extra hard on him because Mom and Dad died so I have look out for him.

I jammed my fists into my pockets. “They didn’t hurt you too bad, did they?” I said.

Pony said, “I’m okay”.

Ponyboy was bleeding like crazy and until Soda told him, he was clueless.

Sodapop was a crazy kid who just loved life and everything in it. He would always stand up for Pony, except that I was trying to teach Ponyboy responsibility and how to be strong. Soda was a beauty. He was handsome and slick and everyone loved him. He dropped out of school because he was dumb. His mind is mainly set on girls and fights.

Ponyboy was a great kid and everyone can love him. But sometimes he doesn’t know what to do in tight situations. Like today, Pony walked home alone without anyone from the gang. Not Two-Bit or Soda or Steve. He just didn’t think of what the consequences were of walking home alone.

If Two-Bit was walking by himself, it would be fine. Heck, one time he fended off five Socs with one busted bottle. I wasn’t joking, he scared all of them away. Ponyboy probably could maybe take out one or two, but not five. Not until he was older and stronger. Ponyboy would grow up. I just have to make him grow up quicker.

Johnny was the smallest of the gang. He always followed Dally and he was the only person that could disagree with Dal. Johnny was a nice kid and all, but he didn’t have the guts like Soda and me, and someday Pony.

Dallas Winston, what couldn’t you say about him? Dally could easily take out every Soc at anytime. That hood was crazy. He only has the gang, no one else. He doesn’t mind though. He actually likes being himself. Dally was an amazing fighter, and maybe even could take me. Dally was a hoodlum at heart and nothing else. He would never take “no” for an answer. The only thing he likes in the world is Johnny and rumbles and fights. Pony seems afraid of him, but who isn’t?

Steve was Soda’s best bud. They were always getting in friendly fights and contests, always making up at the end. Steve was a pretty okay kid. He does like Ponyboy, and helped me hit the Soc that put the blade to him. Soda loves him, but who couldn’t? You can’t take that boy serious.

About me, I am 24 and I love the gang and I have two jobs, one as a roof builder. I love to show off my muscles. I get it from my dad. Boy was he strong. He could lift me, Soda, and Pony with two hands. He was amazing. He will always be my role model forever. Everyone loved him and mom. They were Socs I think. But, they loved everything. Like Soda. Mom was deep person and couldn’t use her head sometimes. That’s were Pony gets his complexity and doesn’t get his brain. Mom always was running in to something or forgetting an egg was in the pan. She was a wonder. I can see why Dad chose her.

Alternate Perspective: First Morning in the Church

By Julia B.

I fell asleep immediately on the cold, stone floor. I suddenly woke up once a moment had passed, and after that, I didn’t sleep a wink. It seemed as if every time I started to drift off, I would get a vivid image of the blood spreading on the pavement or the knife driven into his back. I kept checking on Ponyboy because he was sleeping so soundly that it looked like he was dead. This was not helping to ease my mind at all. I couldn’t believe that I had actually killed someone. Was I a murderer? No. I was quiet Johnny, sullen Johnny.
I put my head back down only to find that the stone was still there and I would have a bump on the back of my head when the sun rose. Maybe the sun wouldn’t rise. Perhaps I would be stuck in this unbearable and impossible state for the rest of my miserable life. It was so easy to take a life. Is my pathetic life even worth taking? Put yourself together Jonny. Snap out of it. Ponyboy needs you.
My head now had a decent lump on it and the sun peeked over the horizon. I wished more than anything that my eyes would close and I could fall into a deep and wonderful sleep, but I couldn’t close my eyes without the fear of seeing the knife or the blood. My eyelids felt as if they had weights on them. I glanced at Ponyboy only to find him gripping his stomach in his sleep. Suddenly overcome with a new mission, the weights were removed from my eyes and I managed to put myself into a sitting position. The paper wouldn’t be out yet. No one would know about what happened last night. I peered out the dirty window and managed to make out a few small lights that must have been town. My stomach grumbled and I set out on my journey.
Every step down the steep hill sent a sharp pain into my ankle. The trip on the train had made me twist my ankle into an uncomfortable position and lying on the stone floor hadn’t helped. I had to take frequent breaks that made my trip much longer. Once I reached the edge of town, the store for food and supplies was not far off. This was a relief because I didn’t think I could walk much longer. The fluorescent lights in the shop gave everything an unusual hue. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach as if someone was watching me. Then again, I always got that feeling in public. I tried to hurry as I gathered food and basic supplies. I passed the counter and saw that the newspaper hadn’t come yet. I then realized that once it did, people would start to recognize us. I shot back into the aisle to find things for a disguise. There was a bottle of peroxide. My mind went through how Ponyboy would feel if I tried to dye his hair. The scene wasn’t playing out too well, but I had to take a chance. I wandered around for another minute thinking of anything else we might need. I already had playing cards, peroxide, bread, and more than enough bologna. Out of the corner of my eye I got a glimpse of the book shelf. I remembered Ponyboy saying a long time ago how he had always wanted a copy of a book. What was it called, Come with the Breeze? It was something like that. I skimmed the book covers until I found Gone with the Wind. That was it. I felt so accomplished to have found it for him. I paid up with a grin and set out the door.
The hike back up the hill was worse that the walk down, if that was possible. I tried not to take so many breaks because Pony might start worrying. I wondered if Ponyboy liked bologna. I sure hoped so. I always liked that particular meat. A strange noise that sounded like a rusty crank brought me out of my train of thought. I let out a long whistle to let Ponyboy know I was back. A head popped out from the back of the church and it smiled at me.
He didn’t look like he usually did. He was dusty and his hair was mangled. I almost didn’t recognize him, but his grin was unmistakable. Ponyboy hurried me inside and took the bag from my arms. He immediately started emptying the contents of the bag onto the altar very quickly until he came across the copy of Gone with the Wind. His head turned towards me in awe.
“Johnny, how did you know I always wanted one?”
“I dunno, I saw it and I just sorta remembered you talking about it one time.”
Then he started flipping through it. I felt good about making him feel happy. He really needed it.
Once I had finished emptying out all of the bologna, I rubbed my hand over the handle of my blade. I never liked having to stand up to people or make them feel bad. I had to do it though.
“Hey Ponyboy?”
“What is it Johnny?”
“Umm…well,” My hands started sweating and it was suddenly very hot. “I think…”
“Just say it Johnny.”
“We need to go into disguise. I’m gonna cut my hair and I got some peroxide for your hair.” He started to back away from me. I knew he wouldn’t like to ruin that tuff hair. I couldn’t blame him, but it had to be done.

Johnny's perspective of the Murder Scene

Emily Lu

We were standing in the park when the Blue Mustang pulled up. It stopped on the road right beside us and five Socs came out, including Randy and Bob. I stared at Bob’s many rings and I remembered who the Soc was that jumped me.
“Hey guys, look, it’s the same White Trash that tried to steal our girls,” Bob spit out, a little loudly, unable to control his voice. He was swooning and his words was slurred. They were all drunk.
I knew that they wouldn’t back off without a fight, even with a good bluff. I looked at Ponyboy and saw that his face was red with rage. He knew it too.
Pony made the first move. He spat at the Socs, a large ball of saliva, in response to Bob’s verbal blow. It landed on Bob’s newly polished, fancy, black shoes. His lip curled in disgust when he saw what had just happened and suddenly, he made his move. The fight was on.
I was tackled to the ground as I attempted to bolt but Bob and two other Socs pinned me to the ground with ease. They slugged me a few times and then went to help the other Socs. Two of them grabbed Pony’s hand and pulled them back, holding him captive. Then, Randy and one other Soc began pushing him towards the fountain and I caught a few of Randy’s words, “Hey, Greaser! Need a bath?”
I stood up carefully and saw that they were dunking his head in the park fountain, attempting to drown him. Already, there was blood spreading in the water and Pony seemed on the verge of passing out. Permanently.
I slowly reached my hand into my back pocket and pulled my switchblade out, so filled with anger that I was ready to do anything. I knew that any second, Pony would die and so as I advanced on Bob, I knew what I had to do. I took the blade and stabbed the Soc in the back, digging deep into his flesh. The feel of pushing the knife into his back made me sick, like someone had just beat me bad.
Bob was still for a moment, and then, he collapsed beside the fountain. All of the other Socs seemed dazed; when they realized what had happened, they all bolted out of the park. In only a few seconds, it was just Ponyboy and me. I was still on top of Bob, with my hand gripping the knife, my knuckles pure white. And then suddenly, I realized I had killed someone. I knew that it had been just self-defense, but I would still be charged with murder. Just the thought of killing anyone chilled me.
I sat next to the dead Soc for a while, thinking about what would happen to me. Would I be charged with manslaughter? Would I be found guilty and be sent to jail and end up as a JD like Dally? Would my parents even care? These thoughts filled my mind and sent shivers down my spine. I had killed Bob. I actually killed him. And now, I was wanted. Not wanted by my parents, or wanted by my friends, but wanted, as in ‘Dally’ wanted.
I knew I had to get away, or else the fuzz would lock me up in the cooler. I stood up, and carefully picked my way around the pool of blood surrounding Bob, heading towards Ponyboy’s still body. I kneeled down next to him. He was breathing regularly and his eyes were open.
I took a slow, deep breath, “I killed him Pony, I killed that Soc.”
Ponyboy didn’t answer. Everything was still for a moment and I realized Pony’s shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
“I had to Pony, it was either you or him,” I said, my voice high, almost a whine.
Ponyboy jumped up, his face shiny with tears, his eyes wild.
“I don’t care! You killed someone Johnny. You stabbed him and you think it’s ok? Johnny, you and I’ll be wanted for life and I’m scared, Johnny, I’m scared!” screamed Pony.
I stood up now, too. I began shouting back at him, “Shoot Pony, I saved your dang life! But I guess it wasn’t worth saving because you seem as if you’d rather be dead than alive right now! Anyways, if I hadn’t saved you by killing him, I wouldn’t be wanted either, and you’d be dead. You hear that? Dang dead, ”
A silent moment followed, and I slowly sat myself down. Now, it was my turn to start crying. I broke down the way I did when Bob’s rings scratched my face, and I was embarrassed about it too. Ponyboy sat down on the curb beside me and put his face in his hands.
“What are we gonna do now Johnny? We can’t go home, the fuzz will be on us the second we knock on the front door,” asked Pony.
“We go find Dally, that’s what we’re gonna do,” I replied. “There’s a party at Buck’s place tonight. He’ll be over there.
And so we set off to find Dally, with the weight of murder on my shoulders.

The Newsman

As soon as I saw the two boys running from the park, one with a bloody knife, I knew I had just found the story of the century…
They were running to a place that they knew well, or seemed to. Then, they started to talk to a teenager at the door and, a moment later, they were inside. A few hours later, they ran outside and I ended up following them to the train tracks. They snuck on board without paying the fare, and the train left before I could follow them, so I ran to my car and continued their pursuit.
The train eventually stopped at a scenic town, and the two jumped off. Instead of following them immediately, I decided to have breakfast. After that, I lost their trail. But, after a few days, when I saw the smoke coming from an old, secluded church, I knew that they were there.
Unfortunately, by the time I got there, an ambulance had carried off one of them, and the other was in another ambulance accompanied by, it seemed, a schoolteacher. I just had to get this news. I saw a woman standing around some schoolchildren, so I asked her for her view on the incident.
“It seemed like the perfect day for my assistant and I to hold a school picnic. A scenic countryside, filled with rolling hills and lustrous mountains, also with a rustic church on its peak. So, we decided to eat there. This moment seemed heavenly. Heavenly, that is, until I saw the smoke. ” The woman said.

“The smoke seemed to be rising from the abandoned church, so I immediately took roll. I found that everybody was here except for Kyle, James, Kirkland, and Brett. At that precise moment, a car, driven by a cold looking teen (I later found out that he was Dally), and two others (I also found out that they were Johnny and Ponyboy), drove up. Ponyboy and Johnny jumped out of the car and ran towards me, seemingly against Dally’s will.”

“I told them the situation that I was in, and that I couldn’t fit into the church, and Ponyboy, accompanied by Johnny, RAN INSIDE! I tried to follow them, but, as I said before, I couldn’t fit inside. Then, all of a sudden, Kyle and James flew out of the church window, closely followed by Kirkland and Brett! But, Ponyboy and Johnny were still inside the church while it was starting to fall! Ponyboy came out of the church with his coat on fire, and Dally put out the fire on Pony’s coat. Then, just like the hero he is, he ran back inside to get Johnny. A few moments after that I heard a HUGE ‘CRASH!’ and smoke enveloped the church, blocking my view. When the haze cleared, I saw Dally dragging Johnny out from the church, but something was wrong. Johnny wasn’t moving! During that commotion, I guess an ambulance pulled up, because they picked up Johnny and Ponyboy and placed them into the vehicle. My assistant decided to tag along with Ponyboy, while Dally was in a separate ambulance with Johnny, to ask him a few questions. As it turned out, he was actually a greaser, not a brave Soc that I thought he was. And get this; he is actually the accomplice of Johnny in the murder of a Soc! There’s no way that that could’ve happened! They are heroes and deserved to be treated as such!”
“Okay ma’am. Thank you for your time” I replied.
“You’re welcome.” the teacher replied.
Then we both turned around, and we never saw each other again…