Crazy Stupid Love 1 | Page 22

Alternate Ending to the Outsiders

They ran like the reincarnation of the devil himself was coming after them. I stood there calmly as Darry and Soda walked out. Soda said first “Pony, don’t get tough. You’re so much better than that.” Darry started to freak and said” What were you thinking? If the judge hears, what will he do?” I yelled back “Doesn’t matter. I have had one hell of a ride thus far and I am freaking sick of them. If you had been in my position this last week you wouldn’t feel a bit different. Isn’t that right, Soda?”

I looked at Soda and gaped. He was close to tears “Why do you have to… How can I… What can I…? Then he bolted, sobbing hysterically all the way. We ran after him, I was still the best runner so I caught him first.

Soda said” you guys got to stop fighting. Disagreements don’t bother me but you two are all I got. We have to stick together.” We both knew he was right so we promised him. We would do that much for Soda. Darry said next” I suppose that we should get home so that Pony can finish the semester theme.”

We were home and I was thinking of what I could write. This was so difficult! How was I going to come up with a theme? I let my mind wander to what I’d been through this last week. Running away, almost drowning, Bob dying, living in the church, Johnny dying, Dally being killed, me fainting- the list seemed endless. But then I had a thought. What if that’s what I need to write? What if that pain is what I should use?

In a way we are all outsiders. We all go through tough stuff, some obviously more than others. We all have heartaches and headaches and Greaser life seems to grant that. Maybe, just maybe, the Soc have those too. I know Cherry does, but what about everyone else?

I couldn’t help but think about everyone and how they have taken so much pain. Darry and Soda powered through it compared to me. Darry was always so dignified. Soda showed feeling but has always been the more upbeat one; always trying to make sure everyone was happy. I was a wreck. Johnny died a proud death. He was brave, he was a hero. Dally was a completely different story. I’m not sure how I would say he died. Not nesicarily proud, but he only loved one person on this Earth, Johnny, and Johnny died. He was alone, so he ended it all.

Maybe it’s not just about sadness though. Maybe there is a silver lining after all. All this has shown that we won’t just give when the fate pushes. We will push back. So I started “As I walked out of the movie theater I had two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home….

I was studying like crazy. My grades were slipping and I wasn’t going to fail, so I kept studying. I knew I was in trouble with my grades when my English teacher pulled me aside after class one day. He said “Ponyboy, to be honest your failing. If you will come up with a semester theme, you may pass with a C.” There it was. Darry was on me constantly to finish it.

Then came the hearing.

The hearing wasn’t near as scary as I had thought. The judge asked the Socs, including Randy, what had happened that night. They were lying saying Johnny had killed Bob. They asked Darry and Soda the same questions. They answered the same as those dang Socs! Then came my turn.

The judge asked me what I thought happened, I answered truthfully. I said I killed Bob. He kind of gave me a funny look. In fact, everyone did. He asked me how I was doing in school, how I liked living at home. I said “School I am having some problems now, only because I can’t get on track since Johnny and Dally died.” The Judge asked, confused “Dally, as in Dallas Winston?” I said” Yes.” I said it with confidence and was unaltered; I looked over at Soda and Darry. They looked rather nervous.

I was completely calm about it. Big deal who my friends are. Then the judge said” I see. Well under what I have heard and so far what I have seen before me is actually what I would expect from your experience, not that I have ever seen something like this. You are a unique boy in a unique position. I know you have done only good things, and that is exactly where you were headed before this whole ordeal.”

Everyone was shocked, and on the ends of their seats, watching and waiting for the verdict. I was confident I wasn’t going anywhere. Darry and Soda looked nerve-wrecked.

“Because of this, Ponyboy Curtis, you will stay with your brothers. I expect you to keep up the good work and stay out of trouble’s way.”

That was it. Then we went to a convenient store and while Darry and Soda were inside, I was sitting on the bumper drinking a Pepsi and smoking. Then some Socs pulled up in a Mercedes and came up to me and said “You the one who killed Bob. We don’t like no scum-bag Greasers killing our friends.” I didn’t even flinch. I got up, broke the end off the Pepsi bottle and said” I’d back-off if I was you. I am so sick of you freaking Socs. Now get back in your crappy beer bottle filled car and leave me alone!”