#mr. curtis

[frxstbyt]

jane (mrs. curtis): why are there little handprints all over the house?

darrel (mr. curtis), turning to ponyboy: pony, why are there little handprints all over the house?

ponyboy, three years old: because i have little hands.

darrel, turning back to jane: because he has little hands.

[theysayalltheworldsastage]

…the world got light all of a sudden, but it wasn’t because the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. No. It’s because when the world is spinning you feel like you’re floating. And when you can’t get enough air in and out of your lungs, the world spins. 

And all of a sudden, I find myself thinking like I thought when I was nine years old. Lying in bed. Lying there in a position i’d never laid before, hoping my leg would be broken when I woke up. stupid soda. that’s not how it works. Wishing I got jumped by some soc’s just like id seen Two before. Because I just wanted someone to know I was there. Someone to pay attention to me. Someone to care for me like they cared for Pony. Someone to hope and dream for me like they did for Darry. 

But Pony’s at the hospital and Darry’s ripping his hair out. Ace is sitting with my big brother. Steve and Two are, god knows where. Dally pushes me away and Johnny tells Pony to Stay Gold. Johnny and Dally are dead. And oh my god this is so much worse than a broken leg or getting jumped by any number of soc’s. 

And i’m sitting in a hospital chair opposite of Darry and the world is spinning and i don’t know if I’m crying and the world is spinning and everything is so light and I can’t breath. When did Two-Bit and Steve get here? Where did Johnny and Dally go? Do they not know that my kid brother is hurt? He needs them. 

“Soda?”

“Yeah, honey? I’m right here baby.”

“Where’s Johnny?” 

And I can’t answer him. My head hurts so terribly and my chest hurts so so terribly. Why can’t I remember.Johnny should be here. Why isn’t Johnny here? 

Where is my shirt? Was it too tight again? Was it choking me? So instead of gripping my shirt i’m scratching at my chest and Two-Bits hands are grabbing my arms and I know that they are his hands because he doesn’t work on cars or houses and they are soft. 

“Two. Where are they? Where are they? Two-Bit. I can’t. I can’t. Two-Bit. Help me. I don’t know.” 

And Steve is sitting with Ponyboy, running his fingers through my kid brothers hair. And Darrys still staring off into the distance, Ace trying to help. And Two is now sitting right by me. And we are both crying. And his arms are around me. And i’ve never had someone to comfort me like this before. Not since my parents died. They were my parents too. I swear. He was my daddy too. My mamma was my mamma.  I swear. 

And i’m nine years old again and I’m sitting by myself at recess because Steve and Johnny didn’t show up. And a boy with a nice shirt and pants that aren’t ripped comes to sit with me. He asks me to play with him. He likes baseball and toy cars. He doesn’t like police because his daddy’s a police officer and his daddy’s mean sometimes. And eventually he accepts my invite to eat dinner with my Mamma and Daddy. And later on, some months and years later we find ourselves in an open field laying on the grass. And I don’t feel the desperate need to get up and move my legs. I feel content. Laying there with the boy who came up to measking me to play. The boy who holds a thousand galaxy’s in his eyes. 

And then I’m sixteen and my Mamma and Daddy just died. And I’m not on my side of the city. And I knock at his door and he knows something is wrong so he drives us to our spot. And I keep wondering what would happen if I took the wheel from him. If it was just me in the car. And I could step on the gas and run the car off the road. The car would flip and the doors wouldn’t open and… and. 

And Chet lets me cry. He lets me sob into his arms. He doesn’t tell me that everything will be okay. He doesn’t say anything. Just holds me. Presses a kiss to the top of my head. 

And I haven’t talked to the boy with a thousand galaxy’s in his eyes for months. But I stand up and my pace quickens and quickens as I leave the hospital and my legs don’t stop picking up speed until i’m at his house. 

And I knock at his door and he knows something is wrong so he drives us to our spot. And we spend hours sitting. Laying. Looking at the stars. Crying. We cry. He doesn’t tell me that everything will be okay. He doesn’t say anything. Just holds me. Presses a kiss to the top of my head. 

“They are dead, Chet. I’ve lost so many people, Chet. I can’t loose you again. Please.”

“Okay, Pepsi. You won’t loose me again. I swear on it.”

“They were my friends, too. They were my parents, too. What did I do to deserve this? I try. I try and I try and I’ve done so good at keeping everything together. I thought I was doing so good.” He lets me talk about the horse I lost when I was real little. All the toys that some rich kids stole from me. Mickey Mouse. Mamma and Daddy. Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade. He listens. And he holds me. And he cry’s with me. 

“Life is real shitty. And It’s not fair, baby. Not fair at all.”

“Where do you think they go, Chet?”

“I think they become stars. They light up this life when it gets real dark. But I think their souls-or something of the sort-go somewhere where they can watch us. And talk to each other. Like, I bet my Mamma and yours will make real good friends. And I bet Johnny Cade is looking down at us right now. Smiling.” 

[chaotic-starlight24]

Dallas Winston Backstory Headcanons Part 3

Part 1, Part 2, General Headcanons

Here is my last part of his backstory headcanons :)

Warnings: None I think

Making it to Tulsa

Eventually he made it to Tulsa, OK at the age of 13 ¾. He had no plan to stay there very long. He had made it to the south so now he just planned to travel around. That was until he went to swipe something from a corner store. Suddenly the manager was right behind him.

“Hey buddy, ya can’t be doin that here.”

Dally just gave him a look, “I was, uh, going to pay Mr…Curtis?”

Did Darrel Curtis Sr. believe him? Nope. Not at all. But he could tell this kid was not from here. With that new yorker accent he was out of place. He saw that this kid hadn’t just moved here. He was alone and afraid no matter how tough he pretended to be. So he let him go and told his wife to look out for him in case she saw him.

Mrs. Curtis did eventually see him when he wandered into the diner and offered him a free meal. He hadn’t eaten in a couple days so he accepted, but was still very skeptical. She tried to ask him what he was doing in Tulsa, where he was from, yada yada. But he was of course very defensive. 

Eventually one of her kids named Sodapop came in with some of his friends. These guys named Two-Bit and Steve. Dally tried to steer himself away from them. But they welcomed him over and soon enough Dally found himself cracking a grin at their stupid jokes. He was still very untrusting, he expected that he would have to disappear soon anyways. But he found himself meeting more people.

Soon enough he met the rest of their “gang”. It was very different from any gang he had ever been in. Not that he included himself in their group. He found himself becoming very drawn to one of the younger boys. Johnny Cade. He saw himself in him, a young and more sensitive version. Dally found himself worried about him. If he was as sensitive as Johnny was he wouldn’t have survived. Johnny also took a shine to him and Dally found himself being followed around. He learned more about him and found out just how tough he really was.

He met Buck through rodeos and became sorta friends with him. He found out Buck had an extra room and bullied him into giving it to him. A 14 year old bullying a 21 year old is quite the sight.

He also met Tim Shephard, in a fight. They beat each other to a pulp after one pickpocketed the other. Afterwards they were like “Hey! I like your style!” They've been frenemies ever since.

He very quickly learned the greaser way from the gang and grew out his hair. But he never cared to grease it. He thought it made it off-color.

He was very close to the Mrs. Curtis and would help her out no matter what the task was. Her and her husband were what made Dally believe that maybe he could stay there. Though he would occasionally have mood swings and not want to talk to her or look at her because he saw his bio mom in her. He truly wished that his bio mom had stood up for herself and not fallen to addiction. 

He was close to Mr. Curtis as well. Not as close but he still trusted him. Mr. Curtis was also a big fan of movies and everything, especially James Dean. So sometimes they would sit on the porch and ramble a bit about him and his movies.

He sort of scared Pony and also just had some dislike for him. He would be rude to him or just flat out ignore him. Usually the gang would get onto him for it but the main reason was that he would be reminded of his own younger siblings. The ones he left behind and now didn’t even know if they were alive. One of his sisters was the exact same age as Pony as well. So Pony grew up believing Dally really was just this delinquent who hated little kids and showed little care. Which was somewhat true…

He was influenced by Shephard’s gang and other more “hood-like” greasers and though the gang didn’t like it, definitely returned to his illegal pastimes. 

[frxstbyt]

...is it weird that i want to write this?

Mrs Curtis: no, no, Soda sweetie. We're having a boy.

Soda: Pony!

Mrs Curtis: Boy.

Soda: Pony!!

Mrs Curtis: Boy.

Mr Curtis: Now hang on-

[your-unfriendlyghost]

some weird punk from ny

How I think Steve and Dally became sworn enemies (and then later friends, bc Dally met Tim Shepard and hated him twice as much as he disliked Steve)

ref pic under the cut lol

[stew-skys-husband]

I KNOW PONY SAID "OUR FATHER WAS AN ORIGINAL GUY" BUT REALLY?? SODA AND PONYBOY. NO ONE NAMES THEIR KIDS LIKE THAT (NO ONE SHOULD)

YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE NAMES SOUND LIKE? THE KIND OF NAMES A 3 YEAR OLD WOULD CHOSE.

NOW IMAGINE, 3 YEAR OLD DARREL, HOLDING HIS FATHER'S HAND AS THEY WALK INSIDE OF THE HOSPITAL ROOM. HIS FATHER HOLDS HIM UP SO HE CAN SEE HIS MOTHER IN THE BED. HE HAD BEEN EXPECTING THE BABY FOR SO LONG NOW. AND HE SEES HIM, HIS LITTLE BROTHER, ALL RED AND SMALL IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS. HIS FATHER ASKS HIM: "THIS IS YOUR LITTLE BROTHER, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO NAME HIM?"

AND HE SAYS SODA. AND WHEN IT'S PONY'S BIRTH, IT'S SODA'S TURN TO CHOSE AND THAT KID IS SO HORSE OBSESSED HE COMES UP WITH PONYBOY.

[brat-pack-it-up-boys]

If your ever having a bad day just remember your not Darrel Curtis having to read his younger brothers theme where he’s called heartless and a bitch a hundred times per page while his other brother is being called hot and perfect every time he’s mentioned

[specific-dreamer]

idk if i said this already but darry is a daddy’s boy and soda is a mamas boy and ponyboy is right in the middle.

like when soda was born darry was scared he’d have to share his dad and only got over it because most times soda refused to let anyone but karen (mrs c) hold him. so everything was smooth sailing him and soda got on well.

but then comes ponyboy. and darry is six years old now, he knows how the world works but he cannot fathom it. he had his dad and soda has mama. but who is ponyboy gonna have? when pony gets here either him or soda will be replaced. pony’s gonna be a mamas or daddy’s boy and all darry can do is hope it won’t be him who gets replaced.

(spoiler alert he’s both. only his mama is allowed to feed him and only his dad is allowed to carry him. once he starts crawling though he kicks both parents to the curb and is all over darry. he’s a darry’s boy (tm). like darry’s follows his dad everywhere pony follows darry)

[dallasgallant]

POV you’re Mrs. Curtis 1950s-mid 60s. This is a regular occurrence

Imagine just having a gang of little boys bring critters into your home constantly and you don’t even know how they manage or where they’re even finding them. Darrel sr. Is not helping. He is encouraging this.

Possum, raccoon, rabbits, armadillo, squirrel somehow, stray dogs, coyote they thought was a dog, probably would do a deer or a mountain lion if they could

Just converted and mud holding some poor creature like it’s a caught fish way too proud of themselves.

Johnny’s best with rabbits. Dallas would fight a bear given a chance . Steve can and will wiggle himself under a house after something .Twobit would jump in a river. Pony is good at climbing and fast. Soda does good calls. Darry tracks and knows basic animal facts.

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

Mrs. C watching Dallas wrestle Pony to the ground, grab Darry by the hair, pin Steve to the wall, n sweep Two-Bit's legs out from under him bc they weren't listening to her

shout out to @thedeitywhoplayedwithbricks for never being wrong ever😭

[frxstbyt]

darrel (mr. curtis): *to ponyboy* do you know what tomorrow is?

ponyboy, nine-years-old: it's presidents day!

darrel, smiling: what does presidents day mean?

ponyboy: presidents day is when the president steps out of the white house, and if he sees his shadow, we have another year of bullshit.

jane (mrs. curtis) in the background: *whips her head around* PONYBOY MICHAEL CURTIS, DID YOU JUST SWEAR?!

ponyboy: *runs to his room*

darrel: *dying laughing*

[skycadexx]

Johnny and Mrs. Curtis on mothers day <3

Rip my art quality :,) better quality and more art sky_cade_xx on tiktok and instagram!xx

[theblack-dog]

Darry with Ponyboy when he was a teenager:

[alaskan-wallflower]

mama curtis so got cuteness aggression with her kids. pinching cheeks, randomly tight hugs, hair ruffling, you name it. it could be something as simple as watching her kids play in the rain, you bet when they come inside she’s first gushing over “you’re going to get sick playing in the cold and rain!” but then she’s back to cheek pinches and gushing about how much she loves them.

mama curtis was a good parent you cannot tell me otherwise.

[frxstbyt]

oh my god.......

I LOVE IT

i am LIVING off angst rn

Hated by Life Itself 🧸

Aka a fic I was SUPPOSED to finish and post after The Calm Before the Storm 😭 Plans changed yall. But I still wanted to put out the first chapter here at least so that I can be reminded that this fic exists :3

This fic mentions self harm and covers sensitive subjects. It gets graphic in this small excerpt, so if you are weary about those kinds of subjects, please scroll. I don’t want anyone to get hurt by anything I write :(

Ponyboy was only five when he first saw his dad doing it. He had needed to use the bathroom, and being five, he didn’t have the best patience skills. So, instead of knocking and waiting, he threw open the door. Mr.Curtis was on the toilet seat, except, he wasn’t using the bathroom.

He came face to face with Mr.Curtis, who seemed to have been crying. Eyes wide, Mr.Curtis grabbed Ponyboy's arm and shoved him in. He slammed the door shut, looking at Ponyboy as if Ponyboy was a threat to him. Ponyboy's eyes were also wide and his breathing stopped. On the toilet seat, Mr.Curtis had a razor to his thigh as blood dripped from a straight line. The blood beaded before gently falling to the side, almost sickening Ponyboy.

Ponyboy tried to avert his eyes from the grotesque scene in front of him. The sight of Mr.Curtis’s blood falling to the floor seemed to embed itself in his head. But, he couldn’t deny his need to use the bathroom any longer. “Daddy… potty,” Ponyboy said, kicking his legs a bit. Mr.Curtis still looked shell-shocked, but nodded, picking himself up and letting Ponyboy use the bathroom.

“Now you don’t tell anyone ‘bout this, okay little colt?” Mr.Curtis said as he ruffled Ponyboy's hair. The tears had seemed to magically disappear on Mr.Curtis’s face, but the blood on the floor hadn't disappeared. Ponyboy nodded, more so happy that he was able to use the restroom. Still, even when he had finished, he looked at his dad.

“Why do you do that?” His voice was barely audible and squeaky. Mr.Curtis felt a pang of regret as he tried to explain. Knowing that if he kept it a secret from Ponyboy, then Pony would tell his mom about it. And Mr.Curtis had already lied to her and told her that he quit…

“Sometimes daddy gets real stressed,” Mr.Curtis explained. “It’s something that only adults do, okay?” Ponyboy nodded, starting to fear the day that he got older and real stressed. Mr.Curtis drilled it into his head to never tell anyone about it. And Ponyboy knew what would happen if he did tell anyone… Still, he promised to Mr.Curtis that he would never do anything like that, and was sent on his way.

Ponyboy would’ve never said it was a main memory of his childhood. He would prefer to say that the main thing he remembered was spending time with the gang and trying to be older than what he was. Still, the memory hung in the back of his mind, and he still remembered the other times he had caught his dad.

It didn't help when Ponyboy thought to act older. He would catch himself thinking about doing the same thing Mr.Curtis would do when he was stressed. After all, only adults did it- right? But every time he thought that he would remember the blood and having to help his dad. Not to mention the constant secretary that he had to keep up. Something that he was only barely able to hide from the gang and even his own mother.

He couldn’t forget the amount of times he saw his dad run out of the bathroom, without even flushing the toilet. Ponyboy knew that every time he had done that, it was because he was real stressed. But, he also knew that what Mr.Curtis was doing wasn’t okay for him.

It carried on for what felt like forever, up until Ponyboy was 12 when something else had happened. Ponyboy tried to sit on the couch to forget what he had seen. This time his dad messed up badly and had to use an unusual amount of gauze. The sight had sickened Ponyboy to the core, just about every time he had tried to forget and close his eyes, the images would pop up. Knowing that he couldn’t do anything about it, he just looked at the ceiling.

Sodapop and Steve came into the house, calling a greeting as the door slammed behind them. Ponyboy's mind was still in a daze, confused as to why his dad would do that. Mrs.Curtis followed in behind Steve, carrying many bags. She dropped them off before going over to Ponyboy.

“Where’s your father?” Mrs.Curtis asked. Ponyboy swallowed thickly, unsure if he should even answer. Yet, he found his mouth speaking before he could think. “In the bathroom.”

Mrs.Curtis nodded, her face making a weird expression as she walked to the bathroom. A twisting feeling came to Ponyboy, causing him to start to feel anxious. His dad had drilled it into him that he couldn’t tell anyone, not even his mom, about what he had saw. Ponyboy listened as his mom knocked on the bathroom door, and how his dad answered.

“Hey Pony,” Sodapop greeted as he walked to the couch. Ponyboy nodded a reply, his ears straining to hear the rest of his parents’ conversation. Yet, Sodapop was adamant about talking to Ponyboy. “Do anything fun?” Soda asked. Ponyboy shrugged, “No.”

Before Sodapop could ask anything else, Steve called out. “Soda, we goin’ to the races or what?” Soda looked at Ponyboy worriedly. “Go Soda,” Ponyboy encouraged, still trying to listen to his parents. All he could make out was that his mom was now angry. A sick feeling came to Ponyboy’s throat as he listened.

Sodapop walked out with Steve, not before ruffling Ponyboy's hair. As he left, he watched as Ponyboy continued to stare at the ceiling, as if listening for something.

“Ya good Soda?” Steve asked as they started walking to Bucks. Sodapop looked back at his house, watching as Darry drove by in their father's truck. “Didya think that there's somethin’ botherin’ Pony?” Sodapop asked. Before he could get an answer, Darry slowed down near the duo, rolling down a window.

“Need a ride?” Darry asked. Steve nodded for both Sodapop and himself. They got into the truck, with Sodapop beating his own record for the longest he’d been silent. Steve and Darry shared worried looks as Darry drove. “Is there somethin’ wrong little buddy?” Darry asked, finally breaking Sodapop out of his trance.

“There was somethin’ botherin’ Pony when I and Steve went home…” Sodapop finally admitted. Darry's eyebrows furrowed, “Did he tell ya what it was?” Sodapop shook his head, glancing over to Steve. Steve shrugged.

“He was quiet but more quiet than usual,” Sodapop added. He looked out to the road, “It ain't like him to be that quiet.” Darry set a firm hand on Sodapops shoulders, trying to reassure him. “Maybe his head just got lost in a good book?”

Sodapop nodded, knowing that it wasn't the reason. But, he knew Steve wasn't going to like it if the reason he couldn't enjoy watching the races all because of his worry for Ponyboy. Pushing the fear aside, Sodapop plastered on a smile, pretending to think that Ponyboy was okay. After all- what did he have to be so worried about?

~

Ponyboy continued to sit on the couch until his mom and dad rushed past him. He stood up expectantly as his mom ushered his dad out of the house. Mr.Curtis seemed to be losing his balance, something that Ponyboy had never seen before.

He looked up to Mr.Curtis in an idolistic way. Seeing him weak sent an unknown pang of fear through Ponyboy. Mrs.Curtis tried to give him a reassuring smile but it fell short. Ponyboy watched as they both left the house leaving in their other car. The silence afterward felt like needles prickling under Ponyboy's skin as he sat back down on the couch.

For a moment he tried to understand what he saw. Did his mom know now? Was Mr.Curtis angry with the fact that she knew now? Or was he okay with it, thinking that maybe it was what was best? The thoughts swirled in Ponyboy's head as he shakily made his way to the kitchen. Before he could fully make it, he tripped on the bags.

With a “plan,” Ponyboy started to distract himself. He didn't want to think about his dad or anything in general. The earlier sight had still stuck with Ponyboy, embedding itself in his head to the point that he couldn't think of anything else. In easier terms, he was stressed.

And what do self-proclaimed adults do when stressed?

Ponyboy found himself in the same position his dad was in. The razor was pressed to his skin, something that he’d never thought he’d do. He felt his breath start to fasten as the razor slowly dragged-

“Is anyone home?” A voice yelled out through the house. Ponyboy froze, flinching at the pain and the sound of the voice. He heard as the voice kept calling out, but kept getting closer to the bathroom. A simple knock on the door was all he needed to quickly hide the evidence and open the bathroom door.

Two-Bit just looked at Ponyboy shocked when he came out. “Well I’ll be, I ain't never think ya to hide in the bathroom when your buddy comes!” Two-Bit exclaimed as he followed Ponyboy. Ponyboy made his way to the living room again, almost ashamed of what he did. The stinging pain in part of his thigh burned along his jeans as he walked.

He almost wanted to call himself weak for not being able to handle the small bout of pain. A part of him was surprised that his dad was able to do it easily without even flinching when his mom touched his thigh. But, he knew that he had to ignore it for now, at least until Two-Bit left. Yet, as time went on, it seemed as if Two-Bit was never going to leave.

“Kid?” Two-Bit's voice finally cut through Ponyboy's thoughts. He looked up, watching as Two-Bit walked up to him. “Wheres your mom and dad?” Two-Bit finally asked. Time felt as if it slowed down right then. All Ponyboy could think about was the sight he saw before with Mr.Curtis and the one that included Mrs.Curtis ushering Mr.Curtis out of the house. All because Ponyboy didn't tell anyone.

Ponyboy bit his lip, he didn't want to tell Two-Bit, mostly because of his loyalty to his dad. So, he found himself shrugging and getting up to make dinner. Two-Bit watched him carefully, almost as if Ponyboy was going to simply pass out on the floor. Ponyboy couldn't deny that he did feel like that. But, there was something else weighing on him to make him feel like that…

~

The familiar cheer of the crowd excited Sodapop. He loved every moment of it, the sounds, the conversations, and even the random fights that would happen. Darry and Steve stood nearby him, with Johnny making an appearance. Sodapop felt a pang of worry hit him as Johnny settled with the other three.

Dallas was racing, something that he was excellent at. Steve joked around, talking about how Dally probably rigged his horse on coke or something. It was enough to make the small group laugh for a moment before the gun went off. When it did, they watched in anticipation until finally, Dally's horse went through first.

Yells erupted in the crowd as people passed over lost money. The excitement should've been enough to push Sodapops mind off of his baby brother but it wasn't. He found himself starting to panic, thinking about what Ponyboy was stressed about. When the time finally came to go home, Sodapop never felt better.

“Two-Bit’s here?” Darry asked as he parked the truck. Everyone was in there, even Dally and Johnny. Sodapop felt a pang of relief go through him as he thought about Two-Bit watching over Ponyboy. However, he also noticed that his parents weren't there.

Quickly Sodapop ran into the house. He looked around and quickly saw Two-Bit and Ponyboy just having dinner. Relief washed over him as he walked up to Ponyboy. Ponyboy seemed different still, almost as if he wasn't fully there in the moment. Darry gave Sodapop a concerned look as Sodapop tried to talk to Ponyboy.

After a few futile attempts at conversation, Sodapop just decided to eat some dinner with Ponyboy. Darry looked around for a moment, catching the sight of their parents being gone. “Wheres mom and dad?” Darry asked, settling down with his own serving of food. Once again the fear seemed to build up in Ponyboy as he looked to Two-Bit for help.

Two-Bit just shrugged, “They were gone ‘fore I got ‘ere.” Darry nodded, catching a look as Ponyboy put his head lower. He refused to meet anyones eyes, something not too peculiar…

Once they were finished with dinner, they all started to mess around in the living room. Somehow Steve had gotten Ponyboy to talk, mostly to give rude retorts. Darry found himself feeling relieved as his baby brother seemed to start acting more and more like himself. Then, the front door opened.

Mr and Mrs.Curtis walked in, with Mrs.Curtis carefully holding up Mr.Curtis. Instantly Darry and Sodapop were trying to help them, careful with how they spoke. Ponyboy followed along, trying to see what had happened with his dad. Yet, Mrs.Curtis ushred them away, only asking for Ponyboy to stay.

Mr.Curtis sat on his bed as Mrs.Curtis went to make sure no one broke anything in her living room. Ponyboy shifted his weight on his feet as he looked at his dad. His dad looked tired, but also the familiar glint in his eyes stayed. It made Ponyboy feel uneasy though.

Usually, Ponyboy never got in trouble. And if he did, it was usually petty crimes. Yet, he felt as if he had just committed the worst crime. In a way- he did. He had betrayed his father's trust. Before Ponyboy could get any words out, Mr.Curtis just shook his head.

“Remember what I said Ponyboy,” Mr.Curtis said as he patted his lap. Ponyboy knew what was coming and so he put his head down and walked over. “You know what happens when you betray someone's trust?” Mr.Curtis asked, his voice booming in a way that only Ponyboy could hear. It scared Ponyboy to his very bone as he nodded…

It wasn't fun for Ponyboy but- he did learn something. Never to tell anyone what happened, or what he saw. Another thing he learned: was how to “deal” with stress, the Curtis way.

But he’d never do it.

Right?

[skyguygeneraltano]

Random headcanon

Like imagine Darry being like 15 or so was assigned reading Romeo and Juliet for English

One day the book was just gone. Darry is just freaking out and tearing the place apart

But then he goes to Pony’s room and there is nine year old Ponyboy with the book in his hands

Darry is just so annoyed and confused because surely a 4th grader couldn’t understand Shakespeare? Why would Ponyboy take it?

But no he opens it to see the book was filled with Pony’s 4th grade writing in the margins

Darry is just infuriated because not only Ponyboy stole his book but wrote in it…

Time to bring in the parents

Mr. Curtis gave Ponyboy the lecture of not touching your older siblings belongings blah blah

But Mrs. Curtis looked closer at the book and realized Ponyboy wasn’t just writing random stuff, that boy was annotating it

Pointing out literary devices most fourth graders wouldn’t know like motifs, anaphoras, symbolism, epistrophes

The themes of the novel and motivation of the characters

That was the moment she realized that perhaps she should talk to Ponyboy’s teachers about putting him in some of the higher level classes