And don't be so bugged over being a greaser. Hundreds of boys who maybe watched sunsets and looked at stars and ached for something better. He advises Ponyboy to stay gold. Darry and Ponyboy decide to go after Soda, and chase him into the park; Ponyboy tackles him, knocking them both over. The teacher lets Ponyboy choose his topic and asks that the essay be based not on research but on Ponyboy's own experiences and thoughts.
Keep that way, it's a good way to be. He is not an outsider — he is right in the middle of everything. Oh, you guys, why can't you. I mean like he was before. It knocked the wind out of both of us. Darry comes in and suggests that Randy leave, saying in a low voice that Ponyboy is still having difficulty coping with his concussion and Johnny's death.
Finally, he tells Ponyboy to pass these ideas on to Dally, who needs to understand them. Then I drew horses all over it. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in a trash can. The judge asks about the boys' association with Dally and they all say he was their friend, which makes Ponyboy proud of his brothers. Summary Chapter 12 begins with the hearing.
I didn't feel like talking anyway. I really did, mostly because Darry told me to or else. I suddenly realized that Darry was only twenty, that he wasn't so much older that he couldn't feel scared or hurt and as lost as the rest of us. They want him to go to college and make something of himself. Someone should tell their side of the story, from their perspective, and then maybe other people wouldn't be so quick to judge. Syme, says that although Ponyboy is failing, he can raise his grade to a C by writing an outstanding autobiographical theme.
At this point, he has totally convinced himself that he was the one who committed the murder. He looked a little nervous, and I wished they'd let him have a cigarette. He has a vision of the countless boys, boys like Johnny, who are dying in the streets. Not thinking of what Ponyboy has suffered, Randy says he is worried about being associated with the violence. But when Ponyboy asks him if something is wrong, he shakes his head. Flipping through one of Sodapop's old yearbooks one day, he comes across Bob's picture. But after supper, Darry and Ponyboy get into a spat about Ponyboy's grades, which have dropped significantly.
. When a group of Socs accosts him, he threatens them with a broken bottle, saying he refuses to take any more of their intimidation. He came in and flopped down on the bed and started smoking a cigarette. Look, I'm happy working in a gas station with cars. He also writes that Pony still has plenty of time to make something of himself. I didn't see what Two-Bit was sweating about--- anyone else could have done the same thing and Two-Bit wouldn't have thought about it twice. He explains to Darry the only place he can smoke is in bed, because he won't let him get out of bed.
Still, he wanted to marry her. His face was white, and when he looked at me his eyes were wide with a pained expression. I mean, I know I don't talk good English Have you ever seen a hood that did? His grades suffer, he loses his coordination, memory, and appetite, and he resumes fighting with Darry. Neither Darry nor Pony had ever thought about how their fighting was impacting Soda. As he attempts to fend off his attackers, Ponyboy hears the pounding of footsteps and the attack turns into an all-out fight as his gang arrives to rescue him from the Socs' attack. He also hopes Bob's parents hate him and Johnny, instead of pitying them for being poor. I can't stand to hear y'all fight.
From then on Darry and Ponyboy promise to get along better. Instead they only question him about living with Soda and Darry and ask him if he would like to go on continue living that way. But Ponyboy is the one who finds the strength to step into the light from the darkness. His English grade which normally is an A goes down to a D, so his English teacher talks to him about the decline in his work. I don't think he knows.
Randy, Bob's best friend, stops by to see Ponyboy. I knew I was flunking out in that class, but golly, I couldn't help it. It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. He is disturbed, and his grades begin to drop. The letter reminds Ponyboy to remember that he has a lot to live for, and adds that saving the lives of the children in the church was worth his own life.