A/n: I hope you like it. If there's still some outsiders out there...3 :

Love Won't Kill Me

One Shot Ponyboys sick day.

Darry's Pov

Soda and I stood in the kitchen making dinner. He chopped up some onions while I mixed the meatloaf. I looked up at the clock and realized it was 8:37. Pony was supposed to be home half an hour ago. It was a Friday night and Pony should've been home hours ago. Then the phone ringing from the living room interrupted my thoughts. I let in ring once then I washed the meat off my hands and answered the phone,

"Hello?" I said. Without even starting small talk he started,

"I was with Johnny the whole time. I know I should've called earlier.."

He continued. I sighed at the already threaded young teen. I wasn't in the mood to fight,

"Ponyboy?" I said trying to get him to stop talking. But he kept going. "Ponyboy?" I said a little louder. He paused,

"What?" He said listening now.

"When will you be home?" I asked determining what his punishment would be. It didn't bother me much because he was with Johnny and Johnny was a good kid. I guess if Pony wasn't the youngest of all of us I would care more about his safety while with Two-Bit, Dallas, maybe Johnny. But everybody even the rougher boys of the gang treated him like glass. But I had to punish him so he wouldn't think I'm a push-over.

"Um.. About ten minutes." He said probably guessing from his surroundings sense he was at a pay phone.

"Ok, when you get home you go straight to your room. And tomorrow you don't leave the house. Got it?" I said loud enough to get into his brain.

"Yea, ok." he said kinda bummed. But he didn't talk back because he knew better.

"You got ten minutes!" I warned.

"Ok, ok." He said a little irritated.

Then he hung up.

So ten minutes maybe eleven and Pony came in the door,

"Hey, Ponyboy." Soda said with a smile on his face. That unique smile he always got when he saw Ponyboy,

"Hey, Sodapop." He said grinning.

"Room." I said as he hesitated to head that way. He sighed and walked slowly to his room,

"Come on Darry." Soda said pathetically while placing a guilt trip on me,

"He was supposed to be home a long time ago, Soda. He knows better." I said not giving in.

"Ah-Huh, so stop wasting your breath and tell me why you really sent him to his room over something so little like that." He said acting smart. I sighed and looked to the sealing,

"Do you ever see him get away with anything?" I asked. He nodded his head no. "I gotta keep it like that. One little let off and he might think he can get away with anything." I said.

"Yea 'cause Ponyboy's such a badass." Soda said sarcastically.

I paused for a minute and stared at him. I couldn't help but crack a grin at his 'wisdom'. He smiled and continued what he was doing.

"I should send you up there too but you gotta help me." I said handing him something else to do,

"At least you're honest." He said.