Bop-action/ Rumble scene and an unexpected twist on things... makes Charlie even more mad at Two-Bit...

“Remember, Soda, if the fuzz show, you better get out of here,” Darry was saying when they arrived. Charlie scanned the six kids and spotted his brother, sipping a beer can. Damn, he thought, drunk again. He noticed that Pony wasn’t there. He guessed that his brother made him stay home. Anyways, they lined themselves up with the Shepard gang and the Brumly Boys lined up symmetrical to them. Charlie, unfortunally, was in front of Two-Bit. He stepped out to Charlie and grabbed the collar of his black shirt.

“Kid, people DIE in these kinds of things!” he hissed. Charlie knocked his hand away. “Listen, people die and I don’t want you to die!”

“Shut up, you damn drunk.” Two-Bit growled before sliding back into the gang. Warren, Derick and Erick were out in front of Darrel and Tim.

“Same rules?”

“Only knives, pipes, and chains? Fists welcome?”

“Yeah...” Derick looked around, “Who wants to step up first?” No one made a move. Darrel stepped out with his hands resting under his armpits for warmth.

“I’ll take anyone on.” The Brumly side looked uneasy until Rock came out of the back and up to Darrel.

“Am I considered an anyone?” Someone in the Shepard gang hissed, ‘DAMN!’ making Rock snap his head to the voice. The guy instantly shut up, so Rock looked down at Darrel again. “I’ll take you, kid.”

“Sure.”

In one motion, Rock lunged at Darrel, starting the rest of us going at it. Rock was a fist-only kind of guy and apparently, so is Darrel. Charlie and Two-Bit went at it. Two-Bit flicked out his switch blade knife and Charlie flipped out the chain. But when Charlie was about to strike, he maneuvered around him and went to another kid. Instead, Steve jumped on Charlie and they began going at it. Steve was a punch or two away from knocking Charlie senseless, Hot-Rod got Steve off of him and flung him across the field, then he went back to Charlie. Once Charlie was standing, Hot-Rod told him to watch his back. Hot-Rod took on Tim while Curly, the little brother of Tim, grabbed Charlie. They rolled in the dirt for a moment. Charlie got Curly pinned before belting him with the chain. There was a thin layer of blood running down Curly’s arm and Charlie knew that arm wouldn’t move for the next week. Hot-Rod was on the ground, as was Charlie, when Ripped came tearing through, wailing like an Indian and using Charlie as a lift. He jumped on Charlie, then hopped onto Hot-Rod, then did a flip onto Dallas. The whole thing seemed like a dance or something, everyone moving in a rhythm. The Twins were ganging up on who looked like Soda, but Charlie wasn’t too sure.

Everyone was beating on each other and it smelled like stale blood. Two-Bit was beating the snot out of Victim when Charlie glanced at him. Ripper was resting next to Charlie.

“DAMN IT! RIPPER!” he wailed over the roar of greasers, and pointed at Victim.

“FUCK HIM!” Ripped screamed, jumping over Charlie and onto Two-Bit. Charlie stumbled over to Victim and helped him over to an area where no fighting was occurring. After leaning him on a tree, he raced back to Ripper. Two-Bit had Ripper on the ground and was kicking him. Charlie lunged for Two-Bit and caught him around the next and brought him down.

Two-Bit was stunned for a second before flipping out his blade. He jabbed at Charlie, but missed and hit the chain. Charlie twisted the chain, wrenching the knife from Two-Bit’s fist. Then, he belted Two-Bit with the chain and hard. It hit him on the lower arm. Two-Bit wailed in pain and rolled around, clutching to the injured arm. Charlie hopped up and leap on another boy. Ripper and Charlie were too occupied to notice Two-Bit getting up and it didn’t really matter to them.

The bop-action kept up for a while. Rock had gotten Darrel down and out, Soda was rolled off somewhere, Victim was against a tree, Tim was out, Erick was out also, a few more Brumly Boys and Shepard gang were out... it was just a whole mess. Charlie, Ripper, Rock, and Hot-Rod kept in a small group while Steve, Dally, and Johnny kept in a small group. The others were scattered around. No sirens were heard and no greaser gang dared to walk out. For a while, Charlie noticed, Hot-Rod was missing. They knew he could keep his head on good and could keep out of trouble, so none were worried. Finally, Two-Bit and Hot-Rod came back, stumbling in in their own little fight. Then Two-Bit took out his prized knife and lunged at Charlie. Hot-Rod stepped in and fell on top of Charlie, but he didn’t move. Finally, Tim and his gang tore out of there, whimpering and screaming and cursing as they went. The Curtis gang stayed, but admitted defeat since Darry was out and wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

“Hot-Rod, get offa me!” Charlie wailed. Hot-Rod didn’t move. Rock and Ripper came over to them and turned over Hot-Rod. His eyes were a blank stare and they weren’t blinking. His chest failed to move and his body felt oddly cold. “H-Hot-Rod?” Charlie stuttered. Two-Bit was staring at his red-stained knife before chucking it across the field. Then he dropped to his knees and covered his face with the bloody hands. Hot-Rod was... dead. Rock exploded.

“DAMN! TWO-BIT, YOU BASTARD!” he screamed at Two-Bit, who was breaking up right there in front of him. “YOU KILLED A KID!” he continued. Darrel somehow got up and was leaning on Steve as they stumbled over. Charlie remembered the voice, ‘Kid, people DIE in these kinds of things!’ and he knew what he meant now. Charlie tried to wake up Hot-Rod by shaking him hard.

“H-Hot-Rod...?” he murmured. He shook faster and harder, “H-HOT-ROD! WAKE THE FUCK UP!” Two-Bit was shaking and rocking in place, hugging himself.

“Shit... shit... shit... shit...” he was repeating over and over. Charlie stood up and went at Two-Bit, only to be caught by both Rock and Ripper. When he tried to break free from them, they picked him up and laid him across their out stretched arms.

“DAMN IT, KEITH! YOU KILLED HOT-ROD!!” he screamed. “YOU KILLED HIM!!” There was a dark puddle of blood surrounding Hot-Rod’s body. “GO DIE IN HELL, BASTARD!!” Two-Bit kept rocking and shaking.

“Shit... shit...”

“BURN IN HELL!” Then, Rock covered Charlie’s mouth and he and Ripper put him down. Charlie whimpered before burring his head into Rock’s blood stained shirt. Steve and Darrel were down at Two-Bit’s side, trying to get him to look up or something. Two-Bit had never killed a kid before.

“Charlie, calm down, things happen,” Ripper said. War-Kid and Derick came over, leaning on each other. War-Kid took one look at the red mess that was Hot-Rod and turned and emptied his stomach. Derick was patting him and cooing to him. But Two-Bit kept rocking. There was something wrong with him.

“Shit... shit... shit...” Ripper looked like he wanted to puke too. Everyone did. Dally finally came over, supporting Soda, and froze in place.

“What...?” he started.

“Two-Bit killed this guy,” Derick said.

–x-X-x–

The fuzz finally came and so did the ambulances. One took Hot-Rod’s body and another took Two-Bit in it. Darry and the others who were seriously hurt got treated right there. Charlie was wrapped in a large blanket after taking off his clothes that were stained with Hot-Rod’s blood. Rock came over and sat next to him.

“Rock... he’s really gone, ain’t he?”

“I’m afraid so, little man.” Victim was being patched up and was being filled in by War-Kid, who had gotten his tuff look back in him. Victim grew a little white when he told him about Hot-Rod.

“Charlie...?” asked Soda. Charlie looked up at the blonde greaser, “You gonna be okay? With your brother all shook up like that?”

“HE’S NOT MY BROTHER!” Charlie yelled. Soda jumped. Charlie’s fists were shaking and everyone’s eyes were on him. “H-he’s not my brother... we don’t have the same father, I’m not his brother!” he yelled.

“What?”

“My mother told me that... I’m not his real brother. Only half brother.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. So I don’t give even half a shit if he get’s put in jail or even the Happy House!” I screeched. Darrel was looking at us.

“We got to go see him, to check him out,” he finally said. His gang, Rock, Ripper, The Twins, War-Kid, and Victim all nodded. Then, they waited for approval from Charlie.

Uh-oh, Two-Bit's goin' crazy...

Review please