Title: Live, Love & Laugh
Chapter 1
Summary: When everyone is drifting apart, can they come together to help Soda deal with a life threatening illness?
Authors Note: I'm sure this story has been done a dozen times, but it's near and dear to my heart. This is my best friend's story, he was the Sodapop to my Ponyboy, he listened to me no matter what, even when he had bigger problems of his own.
This story is set before the events in the book, but after the boys' parents died. I know my time line isn't entirely accurate. Soda is 15 going on 16.
Enjoy...
Darry eyed Sodapop during dinner. Soda was playing with his food instead of eating it, something that had been happening a lot more regularly these days. 'These days' meaning, of course, this past month since their parents had died.
"What's the matter Kiddo? Taste okay?" Darry asked.
"It's great Darry, sorry I was just thinking." Soda replied. He meaningfully brought a fork full of Darry's baked chicken to his mouth.
"Uh-oh, don't hurt yourself." Darry teased. Soda and Ponyboy both laughed. Soda never took jokes or teasing the wrong way, but if Darry had made a comment like that to Ponyboy a fight would have broke out and would have likely ended with Ponyboy locking himself in his room and pouting for hours.
"Hey Darry can I go out with Johnny for a little while?" Ponyboy asked.
"Is your homework done?" Darry asked.
Soda looked heavenward, as if asking for divine intervention for the ensuing fight between his brothers. Fighting, arguing, yelling and bicker were all Darry and Ponyboy had been doing since their parents died.
"Not yet, but I can do it when I got home."
"Oh no you won't. I remember what happened last time, you kept me and Soda up til midnight. You can go once your homework is finished." Darry said firmly.
Soda pushed his, barely touched, plate away, he wasn't hungry anyway, he hadn't been since their parents had died. Besides both Darry and Ponyboy had that stubborn look on their faces that always meant trouble.
"I don't have that much, I can do it later." Ponyboy growled.
Soda started collecting all the dirty dishes and took them to the sink, he might as well do the dish now while Darry as preoccupied and wouldn't giving him any grief about how little he had actually eaten.
"If you don't have that much it shouldn't take you very long, huh?"
Soda could see that both of his brothers were about to blow and he didn't think he could stand anymore bickering.
"Hey Dar, how 'bout he does half now and half when he gets home. It's only 5:30, if he gets home at 8:00 he'll have plenty of time to finish his homework before bed." Soda suggested.
Both Darry and Ponyboy were silent for moment, staring harshly at each other. "Alright." Darry finally agreed. "But show me your homework before you go."
"Yes! Thanks Soda, thanks Darry!"
Soda just shook his head. How was it that the too smartest people he knew couldn't come up with such a simple solution?
After Ponyboy left with Johnny, Soda joined Darry in the living room. Darry was reading through the newspaper, that he hadn't finished that morning.
"What am I gonna do with that kid?" Darry asked. he said it jokingly, but Soda knew he was serious.
"You guys are like oil and water lately." Soda laughed as he sat down on the couch.
"Laugh it up!" Darry chuckled briefly and then quickly got serious. "I just don't understand why we can't have a civil conversation!"
"You two just need to learn how to compromise." Soda said. He didn't mention that they couldn't agree on anything. If one of them said the sky was blue the other would disagree. "Besides, he's just being a teenager."
"You're a teenager and you don't act like that, you were never like that." Darry said.
"Give him a break, your were a jerk to Pony and me when you were fourteen."
Darry chuckled softly, remembering his obstinate teenage years. "I guess your right."
"I know I'm right, you never had to live with yourself. You were moodier than a pregnant women! And Ponyboy is just as bad."
The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Darry was flipping through a sports magazine and Soda was watching a Bonanza rerun...gosh, but he loved Little Joe's gorgeous paint horse!
Darry glanced over at Soda, as a thought suddenly came to him. "No plans tonight, Little Buddy?"
"Nope." Soda replied with a long yawn attached. Honestly, Steve had asked him if he wanted to do something, but Soda had politely declined. Between working part time, going to school and taking extra shifts at work, he was exhausted. He was counting the days until he turned sixteen and could drop out. "Steve and Two-Bit might be coming by later though."
Steve and Soda hadn't been hanging out a lot lately. Steve had turned 16 and gotten a new girlfriend, Evie. She was nice enough, Soda thought, and she seemed to really like Steve. Soda was happy for Steve and, although Steve still invited him out with them, Soda didn't want to ruin their evenings by being a third wheel. He'd been spending most of his time with Two-Bit, they had become pretty close.
Soda stretched out on the couch, it only took a few seconds for him to fall fast asleep. Darry smiled and covered him with a blanket. He hated that Soda had to work, he wished Soda could just enjoy his time as a teenager, the way that Darry had and the way Ponyboy would. Both he and Soda were firm, that no matter what it took, Ponyboy would not get a job until after high school. Darry didn't know what he'd have done without Soda this past month, Soda was his best friend and confidant.
It was the loud bang of the screen door slamming that woke Soda over an hour later. Darry silently cursed Two-Bit and Steve for not being more quite. They were great friends, but damn they were the loudest people Darry knew.
"Hey there Sleeping Beauty." Darry greeted when Soda woke.
Soda smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fell asleep."
"That's okay Kiddo. You musta needed it."
Soda sat up slowly on the couch and he closed his eyes, waiting out the brief head rush that hit him. Fortunately, Darry didn't notice, he was distracted by Two-Bit and Steve coming through the door. Two-Bit led the way, laughing his head off. He was followed by Steve who looked thoroughly annoyed.
"Hey." Darry nodded towards them.
"Hey guys, what's with the long face Stevie?" Soda asked
Steve shot Two-Bit a glare. "Einstein, here got us kicked out of the movies."
Soda was already laughing, without even having to hear the story. He turned to Two-Bit "What'd you do?"
"Just being his normal obnoxious self." Steve snapped.
"Hey! How was I supposed to know she was spoken for?" Two-Bit asked with the most innocent look he could muster.
"The ring on her finger is usually a dead give away for me." Soda teased.
"Too bad he wasn't looking at her hands..." Steve growled.
"Blond?" Soda inquired.
"Don't get jealous, Handsome." Two-Bit said with a teasing wink. "Your still my favorite blond."
Two-Bit grunted when Soda's fist made contact with his stomach.
"Stop hitting on my baby brother Two-Bit. It's weird." Darry said dryly causing all the boys to burst out laugh. Soda felt his nose running and absently wiped it with the back of his hand.
"Aw, your no fun." Two-Bit whined jokingly.
Steve eyed Soda for a moment. "You're bleeding Buddy." He said.
"Huh?"
Darry looked up from his magazine. "Your nose, Kiddo."
Soda wiped his nose again and looked down at his hand as if it had turned red by magic. Two-Bit shot him a look, which Soda met and shook his head ever so slightly warning Two-Bit not to say a word.
Darry started to get up, but Soda put a hand up to stop him. "I got it." Soda said as he cupped his nose and hurried to the bathroom.
Soda came out a few minutes later without a trace of blood on his face or hands.
"You okay?" Darry asked.
"Fine." Soda said quickly and firmly, brushing Darry off.
It was nearly 9:30PM and Ponyboy still wasn't home. Darry looked furious, or at least to Two-Bit and Steve he did. Soda knew that, while Darry was mad, he was more worried than anything and was trying to cover it up with anger. Either way Darry was turning redder by the second.
Soda was worried also. "I'll go looking for him." Soda volunteered.
Darry nodded. He hated to send Soda out at this hour. It really wasn't that late and especially not for his wild and reckless brother, but Soda had been looking really tired lately. It seemed like every spare minute Soda had, his was stretched out on the couch fast asleep.
"I'll go with ya, we can take my car." Two-Bit said.
"I guess me and Steve'll wait here in case he comes home." Darry said as he picked up a sports magazine, Steve was still brooding about his ruined night. Darry was clutching the magazine so tightly in his clinched fists that his knuckles were turning white.
"You to be careful out there." Darry called out to them as they went out the front door.
Two-Bit popped his head back in the living room and with a cheeky grin replied. "I'll drive real slow Mama."
Two-Bit and Soda hopped in to the car, Two-Bit turned it on, but let it sit.
"We waitin' on somethin'?" Soda asked.
"That's the third one o' those you've had this week."
Soda looked out the window into the dark street to avoid Two-Bit's probing eyes. "Third one of what?"
"Don't play dumb with me Sodapop! You know what...bloody nose, that's your third one—least that I've seen. The only time I've seen that many blood noses in a week is when someones huffin'."
Soda laughed out loud. "I ain't huffin' nothin'."
Two-Bit looked Soda over. "I know you ain't. Maybe you should tell Darry about it though, it don't seem real healthy to me."
Soda waved him away. "It ain't nothin' to worry about. 'Sides Darry's got enough to worry about with Pony he doesn't need to be worrying about me too...Savvy?" Soda gave Two-Bit a look that clearly conveyed what the consequences for telling Darry would be. "Now lets get going, we gotta find Ponyboy before Darry has a stroke."
They had exhausted nearly every possible place that Ponyboy and Johnny could have gone, they made a last stitch effort and went to Buck Merril's place. They had no luck finding the boys, but they did run into Dally. Dally was as high as a kite and drunk to match, he said he hadn't seen them and he agreed to hitch a ride back with Two-Bit and Soda.
Two-Bit laughed hardily as he and Dally tried to rescue Soda from a pack of drunk girls who had congregated around him. One girl in particular clung to his arm, "You're not leaving yet are you, Soda? Can't you stay, just for a little while?"
"Sorry Ladies." Dally said, Two-Bit was laughing. "He's coming with us."
"Thanks." Soda said when they finally made it back outside to the car.
"Darry'll skin us both alive if finds out I took you in there." Two-Bit said.
"Yeah, a looker like you, we're lucky you didn't get kidnapped." Dally teased.
Soda laughed. He didn't see anything special about his looks, but the guys sure loved to tease him about it.
"I've been in there before." Soda replied.
"Better not tell Darry about it." Two-Bit warned.
"I wasn't planning on it." Soda dropped the subject there. Ponyboy and Johnny were still missing and the only place left to look was at home, he only hoped they made it back before Ponyboy did. He wasn't worried about Darry hurting Ponyboy or anything like that, but if he could get there before the argument started, maybe he could get them to go to bed so they would have the night to cool off. Everything looked brighter in the morning. "Let's get back to my place."
As they pulled up to the house they saw Ponyboy and Johnny walking towards them. Soda was leaning against the side of the car, arms folded across is chest. He gave the boys a tired smile.
He nodded at Johnny. "Hey Johnnycake." He then looked at Ponyboy. "You're in big trouble Kiddo." He said as he nodded towards the house.
"Geez Kid, we been all over Tulsa lookin' for you." Two-Bit said.
"Huntin' some action?" Dally asked as he stumbled out of the car.
"Naw." Ponyboy replied as Soda herded him in to the house.
"We'll wait out here for a bit." Two-Bit said.
Soda wasn't going to ask Ponyboy any questions, he figured that Darry would have that covered. He went in first and held the screen door open for Ponyboy, who was following more slowly. Both Steve and Darry looked up when the boys walked in.
Steve abandoned the game of solitaire that he had laid out on the coffee table. "Well look what the cat dragged in." He said as he got to his feet. He looked to Soda. "Two-Bit still here?"
Soda nodded. "And Dally."
"I'll be outside then." Steve patted Soda's shoulder as he made his way to the door.
The second the door shut behind Steve, Darry shot up and throw his magazine down on the table. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"At the drive-in, I just lost track of—"
"And do you remember what time I told you to be home?"
"8:00, but—"
"That's right...and do you know what time it is now?" Darry asked. Ponyboy looked around for a clock and both he and Soda jumped when Darry pounded the wall with his fist. "Almost 12:00. You and Soda both have school tomorrow and he's gotta work. Does that even matter to you?"
"Darry—" Soda started.
"Stay outta this Kid." Darry snapped. Soda winced, he hated for anyone to be mad at him. Darry looked back at Ponyboy. "And I don't suppose you finished your homework while you were watching that movie."
"You know I didn't." Ponyboy growled.
"Don't get that tone with me!" Darry shouted. "I'm sick of you acting like your decisions only effect you. Did you even spare a thought to me or Soda...how bad we'd be worried about you?" He pointed at Soda. "He's been out half the night looking for you. Your both gonna be half asleep at school tomorrow and thank God I have the day off or else I'd have to get up in four hours."
"You didn't have to send Soda out lookin' for me." Ponyboy hissed.
"Oh yeah? And what would you suggest?" Darry asked bitterly. "Call the cops?—Oh that's a great idea and while I'm at it I'll just call the social worker. That way, after they find you, they can just swing by here and pick Soda up too and take you both to the boy's home."
Soda could see that both his brothers were fuming, rage was seeping out of there pours, there faces were so red that they were nearly purple. He stepped between them, "Come on guys—"
"I said stay out of this Sodapop." Darry only meant to shove Soda aside, but as angry as he was, adrenaline pumping through his veins, he pushed Soda too hard. Soda stumbled back a few steps and Darry watched in horror as Soda's foot caught on the rug that lay under the coffee table. Soda's ankle twisted, which sent him felling back, into the coffee table. A resounding bang echoed through the living room as Soda slammed into the corner of the table.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I apologize for any and all spelling and grammar errors.