Disclaimer: ya know I wish I owned S.E. Hinton's masterpiece but I really, really don't and I'm just playing on Hinton's playground.

PG-13 rateing for mild language use and child abuse (tis rhymes oh joy I'm a poet)

Better summary: a Sandy had a child and it turned out that Soda was the father when Sandy dies guess who turns up on sodas doorstep…

Ok time to start the story you came here to read (unless of course you came here by mistake then I'm sorry. You have the wrong story.)

XXX

Seven years had passed since sandy had left. Seven long years. It can change a guy I guess.

But not me not the now twenty four Soda pop Curtis.

Pony, Darry, Steve and even Jonny had kids Dally was all to cold hearted to take care of kids though he'd softened up a bit over the years. I had two nieces and five nephews. Two of 'em were twins.

I hadn't married I didn't have any kids. But the way that those kids hung off me you'd think that I was their daddy.

But sometimes I wondered.. what It would be like for me to have a kid of my own. I hate wondering sometimes. Because god hears our thoughts.

XXX

I was scared to say the least Mommy was gone. She'd been dead about a year. In that year daddy had changed. He'd always been rough with me. But I thought he didn't mean it.

But when mommy was gone it was like daddy had never loved me

He called me a bitch and he hit me told me that I never should have been born. He called mommy a slut…..

Ever since she'd died my room had been a beautiful place for me. I had started to read a lot more and I got real quiet.

Then one night daddy came home late. I was asleep on the couch and my book had slipped knocking over the last of his drink. Daddy got really mad at me and he beat me something good. Well I ran off all I had with me was a book. And a note mommy had left me explaining everything.

So here I was at my fathers.. Could I call him my father? Well anyways I was in Tulsa Oklahoma and I was eight and I was cut up and bruised. Boy was I a sight to see…

I knocked once softly then twice again until the door opened. There he was standing there just like in the picture mommy had. I gulped as my voice stuck in my throat.

"um 'scuse me is this where Soda pop Curtis lives?"

My voice was quiet and hoarse and I probably sounded like I'd been crying. My daddy. I guess I could call him daddy for now dropped down to my level.

"can I help ya kid?"

He asked with a grin. I liked his smile It was real nice. I nodded some I was real afraid that he wouldn't believe me but I guessed I could show him mommies letter

"uhm.. This should explain it."

I said quickly opening up my book and handing him the letter. He took it in his hands and then looked up at me he looked surprised. And kept muttering things to himself

"the baby was mine….she got married…"

I just sorta stood there holding the book I'd left with in my hands a picture of him and mommy was in it. The only thing left of her.

He looked up at me and I looked down at the ground cause I knew he could see what daddy had done I must've looked real scared cause he tilted up my face some and smiled at me

"hey you're safe here kiddo, I'll bet you're tired it takes a long time to get from Florida to here. We can talk about this when you've had some sleep ok?"

I nodded some and followed him into the house. It was a little small but not so much as the apartment daddy and me shared. He brought me up a flight of stairs and down a hallway to what looked like a spare room.

"do you have any clothes with ya hun?"

He asked looking down at me.

I shook my head and smiled at him some. He was real nice and he was treating me like I was family right away.

"no I don't have anything.. I can sleep in the clothes I have on though"

I said still quietly as I looked around the room.

It wasn't yucky or anything it was actually kinda nice. The walls were plain white and there was a bed pushed into the corner. A small dresser was under a window that looked out over a vacant lot.

"nah I have a niece sleeps over all the time she's got some PJ's here you can borrow I'm sure she wont mind."

He said he was still smiling as he handed me a pair and showed me where the bathroom was so I could get changed. I quietly changed into the silky pink PJ's.

And looked at myself in the mirror. I really looked like a homeless kid. My hair was all messy and my eyes were red rimmed from crying. Cuts ran along my face along with a lota bruises. And I couldn't help but wonder

What was gonna happen to me?