A/N: Hi guys!(: This is my first attempt at writing anything. This song came on my Pandora the other day and I started thinking about the whole Sodapop and Vietnam thing and I decided to give writing it a shot. I know I'm not that great of a writer, so yeahhh. Hahah. But of you do decide to read, enjoy!(:

This font is the actual writing

(And in the parentheses are the actual song lyrics)

(:

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Travelin Soldier by the Dixie Chicks, or The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. All ideas, characters, plots, etc., go to to their rightful owners!

-Sodapop's P.O.V-

Some great birthday present. I thought. Only 2 days ago I'd forgotten about all of this. It was just me, Pony, Darry, and the rest of the gang celebrating my 18th birthday. Two days ago I'd had no worries. Two days ago I'd cleared the fact out of my head that I'd be having to leave my brothers and my best-friends to go fight in Vietnam. Steve had been sent off yesterday, that was hard enough for me to deal with. And now the reality hits that it's me that has to do exactly what Steve did yesterday. It was so hard this morning. I got up at 6:00 to get ready, because I had barely been able to sleep and I knew it'd be harder to get out of bed the longer I would've waited. I went into the bathroom and showered, and when I came back, I took a good look at myself in the mirror. At least to me, you never really look like you've changed that much, like you're actually another year older on your birthday. I looked exactly the same to myself, and for a minute I wondered if you look any different to everyone else on your birthday, if they're the only ones who can see how much you changed. My thoughts were interrupted by my noticing of someone standing in the door frame of the bathroom. Ponyboy. I couldn't believe he was 16 years old. Gosh, he was pretty tall for a kid his age. "Hey Pony." I managed to say with a smile. He looked up at me with his sad green-gray eyes, and mumbled a , "Hi Sodapop." I knew Pony was gonna take it pretty hard, my being gone. He'd already had to deal with losing mom and dad, his best-friend, and Dally. I knew he was afraid of losing me too. To tell you the truth, I was afraid of the exact same thing. There were only a few times in my life I'd actually ever really been scared, but this was definitely on of those times. I got up off of the edge of the bathtub that I was sitting on, and walked over to Pony and wrapped my arms around his shoulders tightly. He wrapped his arms around me just as tight, and I could feel tears starting to drip on my shoulders. "Please Soda," I heard him whisper, "Please don't go. I can't go through every day without you." I felt myself start to tear up and whispered. "Pony, you know I gotta. Don't worry kiddo, I'll be fine. We'll be together again soon enough, I promise." He looked at me and nodded, and I started to wipe the tears off his face. We heard someone clear their throat and saw Darry standing in the doorway with a small smile. "Well why don't we try to eat some breakfast first before we let all the tears flow." We all laughed and followed him into the kitchen. After we'd finished eating, I went and got dressed in my uniform. I came out of the bathroom, and Darry and Pony instantly looked at me. Darry was the first to say something. He walked up to me, and I could see tears in his eyes. "You sure look more grown up little buddy. Listen here, if you and Steve do happen to get put together or at least see each other, try not to destroy the camps or the base, ya here?" He smiled and I laughed, "Can't promise ya nothin Darry, but I'll try." Then Pony came over to me. He didn't say anything, so I sighed and made him look at me. "Listen here kiddo, I'm gonna be fine, don't you worry about me. And please don't let this affect your grades Pony. You really are a smart kid who can make something out of himself, and I don't want you to let this get to that big ol' brain of yours, ya dig?" He smiled at me and said, "Sure Soda, sure." I looked at them for a second. I don't know what made me start to cry all of a sudden, I just did. "I love you guys, okay? I'll be home as soon as I can, don't you worry." Pony started to cry, and Darry even let a few silent tears roll down his cheeks. We all hugged tightly, not wanting to let each other go. Once we finally did, I walked over to the door. "I'll see you guys soon, I love you." I heard, "We love you too Sodapop, we love you too."

Just thinking about this morning made me upset again, and I had to stop and focus on something else. Like why they decided to schedule this darn bus to come pick me up at 6:00. I looked at my watch, "Only 5 more hours to go." I said to myself. I looked around and saw a small cafe and decided to go inside and sit, seeing as how I still had quite awhile before the bus came. I went inside and looked around. It was a nice cafe, it smelled like hazelnut coffee and freshly baked desserts in there. The walls were painted a nice reddish-brown color, and the tables were small and square with 4 chairs at each one. I look around and my eyes stopped when I saw the face of a girl who looked like she might be one of the waitresses. Gosh, she sure was pretty. She had long, soft, wavy dirty blonde hair, with a red bow tied in the back. Her eyes were the prettiest blue color I've ever seen. When she'd turned around, I saw the apron that was the same red color as her bow, and knew she was on of the waitresses. I went to go sit down, and picked up a menu, I had a couple of dollars with me, and I was getting kind of hungry. I suddenly looked up, when a figure came over to me and I heard, "Hi sir, would you like anything?" in a soft voice. I looked up and saw that it was the girl from earlier. "Yes um..." I was looking for her name tag. "Oh, I'm sorry, I left my name tag at home this morning, I'm Aly!" She smiled, it was an amazing smile. I smiled back at her, "Sodapop Curtis." She gave me sort of a shocked look, but then she just smirked. Finally, someone who didn't ask if that was my real name. "Well Sodapop, you sure do have a cute name. What'll ya have?" I told her what I'd like and she disappeared into the kitchen to tell them my order. She came back with my order about 15 minutes later, and set it down. I don't know why, but I was feeling kinda shy around her, maybe it's just cause I wasn't really the happy-go-lucky person I normally am. I guess she noticed, cause she looked at me with sad eyes, but smiled at me. I finally spoke up, "Aly, I know we kinda just met and everything, but I'm feeling a little bit down right now, would you mind sitting down for awhile so we could talk?" She looked at me and gave a small smile and said, "Well Soda, my shift ends in an hour and I know the perfect place we can talk." I gave her a smile and thanked her. She walked over to another table to take orders, and I ate, waiting for the hour to hurry and pass by.

Soon enough, we were walking down the sidewalk, side by side. I took the moment to grab her hand and she looked up at me smiled. She took me to a pier that was about a 5 minute walk from the cafe. It was a beautiful sight. We sat down and she said, "So, what's making you so upset Sodapop?" So I started to tell her, and also added, "Well, I bet a beautiful girl like you has a boyfriend, but I don't care. The only people I have letters to send to back here are my brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers, but would you mind if I also sent a couple back here to you?" She smiled and said, "I don't have a boyfriend Soda, and I wouldn't mind at all. I'd love if you'd keep in touch with me." We both smiled, and talked for awhile, before I looked down and realized that it was time for me to go back, because my bus would be coming soon. She walked back to the bus stop with me, and gave me a tight hug before it got their. And right before I got on the bus, I gave her a kiss. It was a soft, sweet kiss. She smiled at me and waved bye as I got on the bus to leave.

(Two days past eighteen

He was waiting for the bus in his army green

Sat down in a booth in a cafe there

Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair

He's a little shy so she gives him a smile

And he said would you mind sittin down for a while

And talking to me,

I'm feelin a little low

She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go

So they went down and they sat on the pier

He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care

I got no one to send a letter to

Would you mind if I sent one back here to you

Chorus:

I cried

Never gonna hold the hand of another guy

Too young for him they told her

Waitin for the love of a travelin soldier

Our love will never end

Waitin for the soldier to come back again

Never more to be alone when the letter said

A soldier's comin home)

Dear Aly,

Hi beautiful! How's everything going back home? I'm in Vietnam right now. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I know we only met in person once, but you're one of the best things that's come into my life. I'm so lucky I got the chance to meet you before I had to leave. I think I may even love you. And I'm not sure why, but I don't even feel scared telling you that. Well, to tell you the truth, right now, I'm really scared. Not just of being over here, but of my feelings. One thing I never told you is that the first girl I ever actually loved cheated on me and moved to Florida. It broke my heart. But I've gotten over her now. But I don't think I'd be afraid of that with you. You're just such a kind and amazing person. Anyways, it's been kind of rough with things over here. They cut a lot of my hair off. I know it seems silly, but I loved my hair, and now it's short and it feels weird. But you wanna know something? When things do get rough over here, I think of the day we met, sitting down on the pier and talking about everything under the sun. And I close my eyes for a minute and I can see your pretty smile in my head, and it makes me feel okay for just a couple minutes. Anyways, we've been doing a lot of training and we've been in battle a lot. I'm telling you this because I won't be able to write for a while. Don't worry though, I'll be fine. Talk to you later.

-Sodapop Curtis

(So the letters came from an army camp

In California then Vietnam

And he told her of his heart

It might be love and all the things he was so scared of

He said when it's getting kinda rough over here

I think of that day sittin down at the pier

And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile

Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile

Chorus)

-Random Third Person P.O.V-

It was a Friday night, and Aly had decided to go to the high school football game. Pony and the gang had decided to, since it was Pony's high school. They said the lord's prayer, and sang the national anthem, a tradition to happen before all of the football games. Aly was sitting in the stands by herself, the same red ribbon in her hair from the day she'd met Sodapop. The gang was all standing under the stands, waiting for the game to start. Suddenly, a man came up to a microphone and stood in the field. "Good evening folks. It is to my distress to read off this list, please be respectful and keep quiet and bow your heads as I read off a list of local Vietnam soldiers that have passed. As soon as he read the first name, the stands were, deadly quiet. "Soldier Sodapop Patrick Curtis." The gang looked up from having their heads bowed down. No. Pony thought. No, not Soda. This isn't happening. He told me, he promised me he'd come back home safe. He started to cry and moved away from the gang to a different part under the stands. Aly thought her heart had stopped for a split second when the man read off Soda's name. Why Sodapop? He was such a good person. He hadn't seemed like he'd ever done anything wrong. And now he's gone. She got up from her spot on the stands and hurried over to the restroom so she could cry without anyone seeing her and then get herself together. Right before she'd gotten to the women's restroom, she heard sniffling and whimpering. She looked over to see a boy crying underneath the stands by himself. Once she'd gotten a little closer, Aly realized this boy looked an awful lot like Sodapop. Tears started to well in her eyes. "Excuse me." Pony looked up to see a pretty girl with a red ribbon tied in a bow in her wavy hair. "What?" Pony shot back. He didn't mean for it to sound so mean. He just honestly hated everything right now. Still, the girl looked at him with sad eyes for a second, and Pony softened his look. He never could stand to see girls cry. "I'm sorry miss, I just really am not up for talking right now." Aly started, "No, no, I understand, it's just, I was wondering if you happened to be rela-" "Related to Sodapop? Yes. I'm his younger brother. How do you know that?" Pony asked. "I thought so, you look an awful lot like him." Aly gave him a small smile. Pony did the same. He honestly didn't think he looked like Sodapop at all, so he loved when people gave him compliments like that. "So how do you happen to know my brother?" Pony asked her."Well," Aly started. She told Pony everything. All about the day they met, and the letters. "So you're the girl?" Pony asked her. Aly was confused, "What girl?" "You're Aly. I'm Ponyboy by the way. When Sodapop wrote me and Darry letters, he would always talk about this one girl that he'd met before his bus had to leave. He'd go on for a paragraph or two about how pretty you were, how you're smile was amazing, how he loved that bow that you had in your hair, and how even though you guys had only met for that few hours, he loved everything about you." Aly couldn't take it anymore. Tears started to fall down her cheeks and she kept making those weird breathing noises people do when they cry. "Come 'ere, I can't stand to see girls cry, specially when they're pretty ones like you." Pony wrapped his arms around Aly, and she layed her head on his shoulder. They sat their like that for a good 20 minutes, just crying into each other. They didn't know what to do anymore. They didn't know how they'd manage. All Aly knew was that she needed someone. And if it couldn't be Sodapop, she figured she had the next best thing to him. Soda, if you're watching down on us right now, I'm sorry I never got to tell you this.

But I love you too.

(One Friday night at a football game

The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang

A man said folks would you bow your heads

For a list of local Vietnam dead

Crying all alone under the stands

Was a piccolo player in the marching band

And one name read, and nobody really cared

But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

Chorus x2)

"The soldier is the Army. No Army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country."

~George S. Patton Jr.

A/N: So I hoped y'all liked my first piece of writing! If I do decide to write more, I'll try not to make so many heart wrenching stories! Love you! (: