Chapter Text
I defy you, stars!
Ace sat on the front steps of the Curtis house, a cigarette hanging from her fingers. She didn’t usually smoke, but after saying goodbye to one of her best friends, she needed it. Her hand was shaking ever so slightly.
Two-Bit was gone. How was she supposed to stand that? He could be gone for months. She wouldn’t know if he was alright or what was happening to him. He could be killed and she would never know.
Who was she supposed to dance with?
Ace sniffed, quickly wiping her eyes. She didn’t like the other boys to see her cry. They wouldn’t make fun of her, but she didn’t need them thinking she was weaker than they already assumed. Steve was the exception. Ace sniffed and wiped her nose. She would put herself back together and then go inside. Soda wasn’t taking it well, but she couldn’t blame him. He didn’t even get to say goodbye.
The screen door behind her creaked as it opened. There was the sound of soft footsteps and Ponyboy sat down beside her on the steps.
“Hey, kid,” she greeted quietly, offering him her cigarette. “You okay?”
Ponyboy took her cigarette and inhaled deeply. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a soft sob. Ace sighed and wrapped her arms around the boy, putting her head on his shoulder as she embraced him. He was taller than her, but she would never see him as anything but the little boy with scraped knees and no front teeth that she met one rainy day in October.
“I know,” Ace told him gently, petting his hair. “Me too.” It felt like losing a limb. Two-Bit probably wasn’t even out of Tulsa, yet she missed him deeply. She knew the ache would remain until he was back. “It’s gonna be okay.”
Ponyboy shook his head against her shoulder, “No, it ain’t. It won’t be until he’s here.”
Ace pressed a kiss to the crown of Pony’s head. She loved this kid so much, but she didn’t know how to help him. She could hug him as hard as she could, but Ponyboy responded best to words of comfort. All she could offer was empty platitudes. So she told him, “Hey, didja get a chance to tell Soda about the movie yet?”
Ponyboy lit up just a little, the striking of a match in a dark room. “No. Do you think he’d mind?”
“He never minds when it’s you,” Ace assured him even though he already knew it. Pony took one more drag on the cigarette before passing it back to her. He scampered inside, this time letting the door bang behind him. Darry didn’t even tell him off.
Ace barely had a moment to herself before a Stingray pulled up the road.
She was on her feet immediately. It was a soc car deep on the wrong side of town. The top was down, allowing her to see the two figures inside. One was Cherry, her bright red hair pulled into a loose ponytail. In the passenger seat was a brunette. Marcia.
Ace was on her guard immediately. She stomped out her cigarette and stood between them and the house. Whatever this was about to be was definitely going to give her a headache. The girls got out of the car and approached. Ace’s eyes darted across their faces. Both had red eyes from crying. Marcia was holding herself. There was a bandage on her thumb. Strange.
“What do you want?” Ace demanded. She strode forward, stopping them before they could get any closer to the house. Her boys were inside, she wouldn’t let them see them upset as they were.
“Is Two-Bit here?” Marcia asked. Her voice was delicate, catching on the wind like a spider’s thread.
Ace put her hands on her hips. She couldn’t intimidate socs boys, but looking rough and talking rough was all it took to spook the girls. “What’s it to you?”
Cherry stepped forward, but Marcia held up a hand to stop her. The brunette swallowed thickly, “I need to talk to him. I…I fucked up and I know he probably doesn’t want to see me, but will you please just tell him I’m here and I need to talk to him?”
Something in her voice rocked Ace. It was thick with tears and she was pleading. Ace had never heard a soc beg before. She didn’t like it one bit. And then there was that bandage. Marcia was pressing her fingers against it hard. It had to be painful. She’d seen stuff like that before, from Darry especially. Using pain to ground himself.
Ace thought of Two-Bit. He’d been so upset and heart broken. Ace was the one who made him go and she knew it was the right thing, but it hurt all the same. If Marcia talked to him, there was no doubt that she’d be able to change his mind. Two-Bit was far gone for this girl. Ace couldn’t let her ruin his life even more.
“He’s not here,” she told them. “He’s skipping town.”
Marcia’s eyes widened, “What? Why?”
Ace scoffed, “Because he fucking killed someone. Either he runs or he gets the chair.” Marcia flinched. Ace felt a sick sense of pride at that.
Cherry put a hand on Marcia’s shoulder, “We have a plan. We’re going to the police; we saw all of the boys drink before the fight, they were off the handle. I’ll tell them that I knew Bob was planning to hurt someone, he told me as much. That should let Two-Bit claim self-defense. He might not get any time.”
For a second, Ace let her hope start to build. If she was telling the truth, then Two-Bit wouldn’t have to leave. Then she shook her head, “He ain’t got money for a lawyer-”
“I’ll take care of everything,” Marcia said, her voice growing more confident. “I have more money than I know what to do with.” Ace’s eyebrows raised. A soc girl was going to pay for the lawyer of a greaser who killed her best friend’s boyfriend? It didn’t make sense, but if she meant it, Two-Bit could come home.
“Do you mean that?” Ace demanded. “Because if you don’t-”
“I do,” Marcia cut her off. Her voice was strong and sure. For a second, Marcia saw something under her, something more than the slip of a girl she seemed like. “I love him.”
Ace nodded. “Okay. He’s by the tracks, jumping the 6:00 train.” Marcia thanked her and started to go back to the car, but Ace grabbed her arm, “Wait. If you’re going to give up on him, don’t even bother going.”
Marcia swallowed, “I love him, that’s all I can say.” Ace let her go and the two soc girls jumped into the car. Ace watched them drive off, waiting until they were out of sight before heading back into the house. Either things were about to get so much worse or a hell of a lot better.
The entire ride to the tracks, Marcia’s heart raced. Cherry was driving with one hand, the other held firmly in Marcia’s. Normally, this would be the perfect day for the two of them. Riding with the roof down, listening to the Beatles over the radio, maybe going for a swim in the lake. Instead, they were racing to the train tracks with the hope of reversing the biggest mistake Marcia ever made.
They pulled into a dirt parking lot, Marcia unclipping her seat belt as fast as she could. It was 5:30, the sun was starting to set. She needed to find him before the train came. Cherry moved to get out as well, but Marcia shook her head.
“Wait here,” Marcia said softly. “I need to do this alone.”
Cherry nodded, giving her hand one last squeeze, “I’m so proud of you.” Marcia smiled softly as she hopped out of the car.
With the sun setting, everything looked as though it was on fire. The dead grass and the trees with shoots of green leaves seemed to bend towards her like flames lapping at her heels. The tracks were starting to rust. Small plants grew between the gravel that lined the tracks. She looked up and down before her eyes settled on a figure.
Two-Bit sat in the dirt, scratching at the ground with a stick. He leaned against his pack, face pinched in a way she’d never seen before. He looked different, hardened. She didn’t like that one bit.
He must have heard her because his head snapped up and he looked at her with wide eyes. It took everything in her not to immediately start crying. She never thought she’d see him again. And there was no hate in his gaze, only surprise and awe.
“Marcia,” he said breathlessly, clambering to his feet. “What are you…”
Marcia jogged over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. He was frozen for a moment. She was terrified that he would push her away, but instead he held her tight, exhaling softly. He smelled like leather and sweat and smoke. Marcia squeezed her eyes closed, savoring the contact.
Two-Bit pulled back, looking at her in confusion. He didn’t let go, but held her at arm’s length, “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Marcia shook her head, “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I messed everything up.”
He took a step away from her, “What are you talking about?”
She wiped her eyes quickly, “Can we sit?” He nodded and the two of them sat in the dirt beside the railroad tracks. She blushed when he laid out his beat up jean jacket for her to sit on. Their knees touched, the point of contact grounding her enough to realize she’d started pressing on the cut again.
He reached out and touched her thumb, the one bandaged.
“What happened?”
Marcia hung her head in shame. She couldn’t tell him about the dark thoughts that tormented her mind, not yet at least. He deserved a real answer first. So she started the only place she could. “Keith, I don’t love Trip.” His breath caught in his chest. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life pretending to be someone I’m not. I was…I still am scared of how people see me, how they judge me. I was talking to Cherry and I realized that I don’t even know who I am apart from how I relate to other people. But when I’m with you, it doesn’t feel like it matters.”
He took her hand then, lifting it to his lips to kiss the back of it. She stopped herself from shuddering.
“When I’m with you, I can laugh without worrying how it sounds. And I can say whatever comes to mind because I know you won’t judge me.”
“Never,” he added softly. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her face, but she still couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
She went on, “Being with you made me realize how much I was closing myself off from. No one has ever looked at me and actually seen me. I think you do. I know you won’t laugh at me if I say something wrong or act strangely.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I know I hurt you and I don’t expect you to want anything to do with me, but if you’re leaving, then I need you to know that…” She took a deep breath, “That I’ll spend the rest of my life looking for someone who makes me feel like you do.”
Only when she was finished, could she bear to meet his eyes. He was staring at her in absolute wonder. There was a sparkle in his eyes. He lifted a hand to cradle her cheek. Two-Bit’s hand was calloused and rough, but she leaned into it as though it was a silk pillow.
“People will always look down on you,” he said, “for being with me.”
“I don’t care,” Marcia told him. She didn’t know if it was true yet, but she had faith that in time it would be. “I’ve spent too much time around people who don’t care about me.”
“I care about you, Marcia,” he told her softly. Then it was his turn to avoid her gaze. “But I can’t stay. Sooner or later, they’ll find me and I’ll go to jail.”
Marcia took his hand in hers and explained her and Cherry’s plan. The words tripped out of her mouth in her eagerness to explain that he could really stay, all he had to do was say yes.
Two-Bit watched in awe as this brilliant girl told him how she could fix everything. Her eyes were live with fire for the first time since the rumble. Her hands were so soft, he almost worried about ruining them with how rough his were. But she didn’t seem to mind.
As he listened, he was stunned to think that he had overlooked her for so long. She had always been there and he’d just never realized how miraculous she truly was. And it was clear that Marcia didn’t even know. She had no idea her worth. To him, she was the moon and the stars and the sun all at once. She was bright in a way he thought only Ponyboy would understand.
When she finished, she was looking at him slightly out of breath. There was a pink tinge to her cheeks. It took all his power not to kiss her right then. “I can stay?” He asked, each word filled with unfettered hope. She nodded. “And you-you want me?”
“I do.” Two simple words. That was all it took.
Two-Bit swallowed thickly, “Even though it’s not gonna be easy? And people will hate us, hate you?”
Marcia smiled, “Yeah, even then.”
Two-Bit was almost out of breath for how much his heart was racing. He kept thinking that there was no way this could be real, that it was all a joke or a dream and he’d wake up any second now. But no, he could smell her sweet perfume. This was real. He shifted towards her, unsure if his touch would be welcome.
She smirked, “Just ask.”
The words tumbled from his lips so suddenly it surprised him, “Can I kiss you?”
She laughed, a bright and airy sound. And she kissed him. Two’s hands fell to her waist and pulled her closer. It had only been a few days, but he had sorely missed the feeling of her against him. Her hands pushed into his thick hair, holding him in place for her. He would stay wherever she wanted, even if it was right here, for the rest of time.
Two-Bit pulled back just enough to breathe, “I love you, Miss Martian.” Before she could respond, he kissed her again. Marcia was smiling against his lips.
“I love you, Keith,” she told him. As they kissed, kneeling in the dirt, the train whizzed by. It kicked up dust and leaves and made them shriek and laugh as they tried to shield themselves from the wind.
And when the train had passed, they kissed again, the dirt of Tulsa between their lips.
The way these stories usually end is with grief or joy. This story ends with both. Yes, there is joy in love and there is grief in the loss of a life once planned. Yet there is also melancholy in knowing the future is not yet decided, that there are trials and tribulations still to come.
So, this story ends not with a wedding or a funeral, but with the hope that someday, things will change. Someday, they could walk proud and tall, hold hands without anyone giving them a sideways look. That day wouldn’t come for a while. But they were happy despite that. They were happy even in the hard times, when things seemed their most bleak. They were happy because they were not alone.
A glooming peace this morning with it brings.
The sun for sorrow will not show his head.
Go hence to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.