The Outsiders: Chapters 7–12

On the front page of the second section was the headline: JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES.

On the front page of the second section was the headline: JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES.

His buddy Randy Adderson, who had helped jump us, also said it was their fault and that we’d only fought back in self-defense. But they were charging Johnny with manslaughter.

We all call Darry “Superman” or “Muscles” at one time or another; but one time Steve made the mistake of referring to him as “all brawn and no brain,” and Darry almost shattered Steve’s jaw.

It scared Sodapop and Darry almost as bad as it scared me; for night after night, for weeks on end, I would dream this dream and wake up in a cold sweat or screaming. And I never could remember exactly what happened in it. Soda began sleeping with me, and it stopped recurring so often, but it happened often enough for Darry to take me to a doctor.

“Ever consider working for a living?”
“Work?” Two-Bit was aghast.

“...anyway, I was walking around downtown and started to take this short cut through an alley” — Two-Bit was telling me about one of his many exploits while we did the dishes.

It was the reward of two hours of walking aimlessly around a hardware store to divert suspicion.

We had stood there, clenching our teeth and grimacing, with sweat pouring down our faces and the smell of burning flesh making us sick, each refusing to holler, until Tim happened to stroll by.

Soda fought for fun, Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity.

His boys ranged from fifteen to nineteen, hard-looking characters who were used to the strict discipline Tim gave out.

One of the Brumly guys waved me over. We mostly stuck with our own outfits, so I was a little leery of going over to him, but I shrugged.

Did he have a kid brother who idolized him?

Then he said I was acquitted and the whole case was closed.

“Taking into consideration the circumstances” — brother, was that ever a way to tell me he knew I was goofing up because I’d been in a lot of trouble.