Keep On Trying by Another Illusion

Summary: Dealing with the deaths of two friends, Two-Bit uses all his wit to try and keep his remaining friends together, and on meeting someone within detention realises the importance of family and friendship to get through these difficult times. Two-Bit, OMC, OFC 3rd person POV

A.N-I’m British so use British spelling and terminology, which you may know by now! Thanks as ever to my betas and all my reviewers.

Disclaimer:I do not own Two-Bit or any of the characters created by S E Hinton. Neither do I own the song All Along The Watchtower by the awesome Jimi Hendrix

Three: Adrenalin Rush.

“The thief he kindly spoke/There are many here among us/ Who feel that life is but a joke ..."

Leaning against the wall slightly, Two-Bit exhaled slowly. The shop opened at nine and Two-Bit had already missed Homeroom by waking up too late, so now wanted to get something from his impromptu morning off.

In the corner of his eyes he could see that the door had opened to the shop on the opposite side of the street, but Two-Bit didn’t move. It was too early, too risky, he had to wait for at least three customers.

He lit a cigarette, mentally preparing himself for what he needed to do. Before he could go back to school he would need to forge the letter, he could fake a doctor’s appointment or something like that, but more importantly he wanted to get this particular task out of the way. In fact, he remembered that there could still be a forged dentist’s note floating in his glove compartment, he was certain there was one the last time he had looked.

He had been thinking about it for weeks, ever since it had happened. It wasn’t as if it would make everything normal again, Two-Bit wasn’t sure how that was even possible, but it would provide a story, a couple of laughs at lunch, and most of all it would replace what he had lost.

Two customers walked in and Two-Bit carefully weighed up his chances. No, it was best to play it safe, the owner did know who he was, and Two-Bit wasn’t itching for a repeat of the conversation he had had with his mother the last time he had been arrested. That time Soda and he had goofed around by walking down the streets on their hand and utilising what Darry had taught them from some class. Why would someone learn something they could never put into practice? Two-Bit fondly remembered the satisfaction in seeing that one of the officers who had arrested them was fighting laughter, not at them, but more at the ridiculous situation.

Two more customers walked in, and Two-Bit thanked Fortune for her good grace and luck. He dropped the cigarette to the floor and stamped it out before he made his move and walked towards the store.

There was an old woman talking to the shop owner and Two-Bit found he felt great resentment towards this. He had wanted a challenge in some way and now it was going to be too easy.

He made his way to the appropriate aisle and looked around for a moment. Everyone was contained in their own lives, with no concern for anything else around them, it was the perfect time to strike.

The knives were kept in a glass case that the careless shop owner nearly always left open. Swiftly and skilfully Two-Bit opened the case, pulled out the blade and slipped it into his pocket.

He looked around the aisles idly for a moment to evade suspicion before walking out in silence. As soon as he was on the other side of the street he grinned wildly and chuckled to himself. There was an exhilaration and complete sense of adrenalin from stealing something. It was carefully executed and something that needed skill. You could not be a reckless hood and due to that a good thief, you needed smarts to take something and he wished people could understand and appreciate that.

“It’s too easy, man,” he mumbled as he walked down the road.

Two-Bit made his way to where he had parked his car. Once he was inside he exhaled as he reached into his pocket to regard his loot.

The switchblade was cool in his hands, a near replica of what he had once had, but he was glad to notice that if he looked at it from the right angle it looked completely different. An exact representation of his lost knife might have bought back ghosts he didn’t want to resurrect. Damn Dally, damn him to hell, screwing everything up like that.

He wasn’t even sure why he had needed a replacement blade, he had his other one for every day stuff but that switchblade had always been something others remembered him because of. Perhaps it was what it represented, which was his apt ability to take something, and now also a memory of what had once been.

Leaning back into his chair, Two-Bit deliberated his options for a moment, before starting the car engine and reversing out of the spot.

School was a great distraction, if nothing more. He could still get a few good kicks out of today. If he hurried he would probably get there by lunchtime.

Two-Bit did arrive just before lunch, which he felt was perhaps the most perfect timing he could ever have thought of.

As he locked his car, he could see Steve in the corner of his eye, walking towards his own car. He began to make his way over to meet him.

“Finally turning up?” Steve called as he saw him approaching the car.

“I overslept,” he casually explained. “Luckily I had some notes ready for this exact situation, so as far as the little ol’ receptionist is concerned I was at the dentists, all morning.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you had to go, after all that shit you ate yesterday,” he said, shaking his head with an expression of disgust at the memory of the bet. Two-Bit wondered if he was disgusted at the bet itself, or the fact that Steve had lost.

“Shoot, Steve that was nothing,” he lied. Steve dubiously grunted in reply.

"Sure didn't look like nothin' when your face turned green," he pleasantly replied with a slight sneer on his face.

“My face did not turn green!” Two-Bit protested. "Anyway, what did I miss?"

"Not much. Some guy started on Andy Evans, something to do with Andy dating his sister. It was a pretty good fight. Andy lost," he gleefully said. Steve had hated Andy ever since he tried it on with Evie one night at the bowling alley; Steve had broken his jaw on that occasion. Two-Bit remembed how Evie had tried to calm Steve down, and when she wasn’t looking Steve had asked Two-Bit to back him up. He had kept watch while Steve broke Andy's jaw in the men’s room. The result was Two-Bit had realised how impulsive Steve was and made a silent vow never to purposely get his on his bad side.

"So, what did you do this mornin'?"

"The usual," he paused, unsure of whether he wanted Steve to know what he had stolen. "I used my 'special discount' a bit."

"Get anything good?" Two-Bit’s mouth became dry. He knew that if he bought it up then it would undoubtedly bring up the Dally situation as well.

"Not really," he said, digging his hands into his pocket where the blade quietly rested. Steve shrugged and the conversation died.

"You gonna get in the car?" Steve suddenly asked. "We ain't got long to get the store and back, y'know, and some of us have jobs so we can't get detention tonight!" Steve was always rubbing it in that Two-Bit didn’t have a job, he simply didn’t have time for a job with all the detention and girls he had been seeing.

"Ah hell, you're missing out there, Steve," he brightly said, getting into the car. "Where's Pony?"

"He said he had to see his Biology teacher, or someone like that, 'bout some work." Steve paused as he put his seat-belt on. "That sure ain't like him," he muttered.

"Yeah, well, he's had a lot to deal with," Two-Bit simply said. "First his folks, then the whole mess recently."

"Still, it isn't like him," Steve said flatly. He swallowed and Two-Bit realised that Steve knew something he really felt uncomfortable about."You know, I took him to the DX after school while you were in detention yesterday, an' the kid had forgotten his shoes!"

Two-Bit whistled in a low tone. "We getting outta here or what?" he asked suddenly.

"Sure." Steve started the engine and began to reverse out of the parking space.

With Steve's heavy use of the accelerator, they made it to the store with plenty of time to spare. Two-Bit knew that Steve would never want to miss a chance to get out of school for as near to an hour as possible at lunchtime, but his approach when driving in that situation often led to Two-Bit feeling as if he had been on a plane with particularly violent turbulence.

"We're here," Steve gleefully announced as he smoothly parked the car. “I think that’s a record, Two-Bit. Don’t you?”

The last lesson Two-Bit had in the afternoon was Biology, and after a tense History lesson, where he had not prepared for a quiz, Two-Bit was glad of the short break to change his books.

Just as he closed his locker he heard a bright feminine voice.

"Hey Two-Bit."

Two-Bit turned to face the speaker and smiled briefly. The girl was Annette French, an optimistic blonde who on learning him and Kathy had broken up four days ago had almost instantly eagerly asked him to a movie. She was pretty and blonde, so Two-Bit had said yes. The fact she lived on the same street of Kathy sweetened the deal a bit for him, if he was honest, as he wanted to show Kathy just what she had passed up on.

"Hi," he said casually. "You alright there, Annette?"

"Yes," she brightly said, before hesitating. "I was just wondering if we were still going to go see that movie tonight?" She wanted to cancel, Two-Bit could sense it.

"Um ... I guess so," he shrugged noncommittally.

"Oh, good," she said with a beam, and Two-Bit breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "So, pick me up at seven? Do you know where I live?"

"Yeah, sure. I know your street, so I’ll see you then."

She nodded. “It’s the house with the blue door,” Annette said brightly and began to walk away. Two-Bit grinned to himself, pleased that clearly someone found him attractive.

"Man, is Annette French is besotted with you!" someone said from behind him, and Two-Bit began to think this was some special day where the sole aim was to sneak up on him. He turned around to see Ponyboy calmly looking at Annette retreat down the corridor.

"Hey Pony," he said casually, suddenly remembering Steve's concern about Pony earlier. "Where were you at lunch?"

"I had to see Mr Richards about some homework-"

"Did you forget it?" he asked.

"No," Pony sheepishly replied, looking at the floor. Two-Bit was suddenly struck by how young he was. The kid was only fourteen, he shouldn't even be in high school, let alone experience what he had. "I messed it up a bit. He just wanted to check I was alright, that's all." Ponyboy's ears had turned red, the sure-fire way to see he was embarrassed by what he was telling Two-Bit.

"Oh." Two-Bit froze, stuck for words. "You need a ride home, tonight?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah, that would be great," he said flatly.

"Don't be late gettin' out, I gotta ready for my hot date," he joked.

"Yeah, well, I can see why that would take a while," Pony grinned.

"You oughta watch your mouth, kid," Two-Bit said, shaking his head. "What happened to respecting your elders?" he called, barely stifling a loud laugh.

Pony turned around and shook his head. “I’m just sayin’,” he replied, shrugging innocently. Two-Bit could have sworn he saw him smile when he began to walk down the hall once more. Somehow that made things feel less strained, if Pony could smile, surely there was nothing that wrong with him.

The one thing he had to offer his friends was his humour, his wit and that small skill of being able to lighten up situations. It wasn't much to offer at all, in fact, it wasn't enough when he considered what his friends were going through. This was why he couldn't think about it, he felt useless when he did. What good was humour? Then again, often the best way to get through life was to laugh about whatever had happened, however hard it was. Two-Bit often thought that it was his family's motto: crap happens, laugh about it. It often seemed his family, particularly his kind-hearted mother, believed laughter was more effective than any drug, or band-aid, and generally Two-Bit agreed with this. Still, there was a time and place for laughing, and perhaps his friends wouldn’t see it this way.

He sighed and nodded, resolute that his talent would help his friends stick together. It had to, he’d already made a start with Pony. It was not impossible and he could do it if the situation arose when it was necessary.

The bell rang again and Two-Bit made his way to his final class, trying to stop the dark clouds being to cover his mind and fill his thoughts instead with blondes, girls in general, he would think about the less meaningful stuff at any rate.