At The End Of The Road: Chapter 9 Excerpt
Darrel
“Darry!” Pony yelped, doubling back.
“What- oh shit.”
I hadn’t even noticed the shiny gray sedan in the driveway. Unfortunately, I immediately recognized its owner, who was strolling up the walkway in a green tweed sweater and skirt set, her heels clicking dully on the concrete. Her ever-present clipboard was tucked under her arm, black briefcase dangling from her shoulder.
“It’s Janine the Social Worder,” Pony whispered to Johnny. They both tried to avoid eye contact, but it was in vain.
“Hello boys!” she chirped. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I won’t keep you long, just wanted to drop in real quick and have a little chat and see how Ponyboy’s settling in. So nice to see you, sweetheart!”
Glory, if only she’d been here five minutes earlier! I thanked my lucky stars she hadn’t shown up when Johnny and I were holding him down for his shot and he was carrying on like I was torturing him. I was still half-expected one of the neighbors to come nosing around to make sure we weren’t being robbed or something. Janine had a tendency to show up for surprise inspections at the absolute worst times. Like the time Soda had just gotten into a scuffle with some Socs and had a huge black eye, or when Pony and I had been trying to finish an algebra worksheet for over an hour and he was crying, or when Dally was launching himself over the fence to come hide inside when the fuzz were after him. Still, nothing compared to the time when Two-Bit, Dally, Steve, and Soda (till I banned him) were in a competition to swipe the most random items from around town unnoticed. The contraband ranged from a windshield wiper from a squad car to a display poster in the movie house to a chair from the outside patio of the ice-cream parlor. Janine had dropped in for a visit and was talking to Pony and Soda in my room when Two-Bit walked in unceremoniously dragging an entire speed limit sign, rusted metal pole and all, through the front door.
