Whumptober Day 23: Forced Choice
Ponyboy fought against the strong arms of his captor that restrained him, but it was pointless. The Soc that had Pony's arms pinned to his side was much stronger than he was, and he stood no chance. As soon as he stopped fighting, the Soc pushed him backward against the counter, grinning at him.
Of all of the places he thought he would've been jumped, the DX station was low on the list. He should've realized that if the Socs were blood-thirsty enough, they'd go anywhere.
The Soc, sporting a letterman jacket and a malicious grin, stood in front of him, twirling a switchblade around his fingers. "You look scared, grease," he commented, smirking.
He scoffed, eyes fixed on the Soc before him with a hint of annoyance. Scared? The Soc had punched him square in the nose only a few minutes ago! He was always going to be a bit fearful of the Socs, especially one's twice his size, but he'd never admit to it. "Scared? Of what? Not you, that's for sure."
The Soc's eyes narrowed, his hand shooting out to grab Ponyboy by the hair and tilt his head back. He resisted the urge to yelp, and only stared, jaw clenched, up at him. "Why don't we play a game, greaseball? You look like you like playing games."
Ponyboy couldn't say "No" if he tried, so he only ended up glaring at the Soc mutely. Taking this as an invitation, the Soc continued.
"I'll let you make your own decision, since I'm generous," he laughed and spun around, pointing the knife toward where his other friend was standing, a stiff Johnny being held in his arms. Ponyboy's heart raced at the helpless expression on Johnny's face as he too was unable to overpower his attacker. "Either I stab him--"
"No!" Ponyboy shouted, eyes widening.
He responded with a wide grin and a suppressed snicker. "Either I stab him, or I stab him," The Soc then pointed the knife a few feet to the left, where Sodapop was being restrained by two Socs. He squirmed to escape, his lip bleeding from where he'd been hit.
Sensing Ponyboy's eyes on him, Soda glanced up, forcing a reassuring smile, and mouthing "It's gonna be okay." Pony couldn't bring himself to believe his words.
"So, what'll it be?" The Soc pressed, turning back to him.
"Neither," Ponyboy murmured dryly, looking around the station for a way out.
"That wasn't a choice," he huffed. "Either pick one of them or they'll both get the knife."
Ponyboy stared at him, horrified by the easy way he spoke. "You won't do that."
"You want to call my bluff?"
Sodapop piped up, looking from Johnny to Ponyboy. "Pick me, kid."
"What?"
"Pick me, I can take it," Soda said, a slight grin on his face. "Trust me, I ain't gonna get hurt."
"Shut up, blondie." The Soc scowled at Sodapop's nonchalant words. "Now pick one, kid, or I'm choosing for you."
Ponyboy stood there, looking between his best friend and his brother. How could he pick which one to stab? Which one to essentially save? There had to be a way out of making this choice, surely, but Pony couldn't figure it out. He stood there, hands clenched into fists, and unable to make up his mind.
The Soc spotted the indecisive look in his eyes and scoffed, spinning on his heels. "Fine, guess I'll pick." He took a few steps toward Johnny, causing Soda and Ponyboy's eyes to widen.
"Leave him alone!" Ponyboy hollered.
"Do it to me, not him!" Sodapop pleaded, going pale as the Soc stood in front of Johnny and sized him up.
"Got nothin' to say for yourself?" he hummed, chuckling as Johnny remained quiet. "Not even putting up a fight. It's almost too easy."
He raised the blade, preparing to strike, when a blur of movement lunged forward, hitting the Soc and causing him to fall to the floor. Steve stood above the Soc, a baseball bat in his hands, and a tight expression on his face.
Steve turned to the Soc holding Johnny, who instantly let go of him and started backing away toward the entrance. The Socs restraining Sodapop followed suit, until the three of them scurried away, leaving only the ringleader.
"Stay the hell away from us, got that?" Steve spat, raising the baseball bat threateningly. The Soc nodded quickly, and Steve stepped back, allowing him to escape. He ran off quickly, humiliated and with a headache.
"I was real worried for a moment there," Soda huffed, leaning back against the counter and wiping the blood from his chin. "Thought that maniac was gonna stab us."
Johnny nodded, still a bit shaken up. Ponyboy stays situated beside him, trying to calm his own nerves. Steve only hummed and swung the bat around, before placing it behind the counter. "You're lucky I heard all that commotion 'round back."
Soda nodded, then looked at Ponyboy. "You okay kid? Soc struck you pretty hard."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Johnny, you okay?" Pony asked, as Johnny nodded, not wanting to speak. Pony turned to Steve, chewing at his lip hesitantly. "Thanks for saving us."
Steve's eyes flashed with amusement at Ponyboy's gratitude towards him, but quickly pushed it down and nodded, patting his shoulder easily. "Of course."