I stepped out of the school building on a cloudy Friday afternoon after detention reading a note from my science teacher that Darry was gonna have to sign. I was undoubtedly going to get hollered at when I got home. The same way I always did whenever I got into trouble at school. The stupid note was just explaining how I was all zoned out during a lecture, and how the teacher worried about me, blah blah blah. It ain't my fault. I hate science enough as it is. Throw in the fact that I sit next to a window and the sky always looks so pretty and I never stood a chance. Especially since whenever I think about the sky I tend to think about Johnny. And then I think about Dallas. It's always down hill from there.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about those two, and it's the same with everyone else in the gang. We all think about them, but we never talk about them. Nobody's spoken a word of Dally or Johnny since their funeral. Not as a whole gang at least. Sometimes Darry, Sodapop and I talk about them, but I usually end up crying so we avoid the subject like the plague.

Part of me wanted to walk by the cemetery and visit those two. They were buried side by side with matching headstones it took the gang nearly a year to afford. I wanted to talk to them about everything that had been going on since they died. Which is nothing new. Not since the last time I'd talked to them the week before.

I decided against it, though, since I'm already late because of detention and also walking home alone. Darry's already gonna lose his head with me, I might as well not push my luck.

Things had been better with me and Darry since I got back from the church after Johnny killed that Soc, but Darry is still the closest thing to a parental figure I got left in this world, so he has to be a jerk at times.

It suits him, to be fair. Just sucks on my part.

The last time I actually got into trouble is when I decided it'd be a good idea to smoke grass with Curly and a few girls. Soda found out. Soda told Darry. Darry took a strap to my backside. Never again.

After it happened, I didn't talk to either of my brothers for a solid week until I had a dream that they let me and woke up screaming my head off at 3 in the morning. I spent the rest of that night crying in Darry's lap like a 4 year old.

That sure made me feel tough.

That was (somehow) the first time I'd ever been spanked, and at that moment I planned for it to be the last. Yet for some reason when I walked through the front door and seen Darry's pissed off face, I realized those plans might just be ruined.

"Where in the hell have you been?! You were 'spose to of been home 3 hours ago, Pony!" he shouted at me, throwing the towel he was drying his hands off with down on the living room coffee table. He must've been doing dishes.

"I got detention." I said quietly, dropping my eyes to the floor. I really hoped he wasn't going to yell.

"For?" He pushed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Not paying attention in science class." I muttered, shoving my cold hands in the pockets of my hoodie and pulling the note my teacher had given me and holding it out for him.

He snatched it out of my hands and scanned over it. He didn't need to genuinely read it; the notes always said the same thing for the most part, "Ponyboy's a smart kid, he does good work. He just needs to focus more."

Whatever.

"I'm sick of these notes, Ponyboy Curtis." He said, reaching for a pen to sign it with. He was obviously unhappy, but he wasn't yelling, so that's a plus. "At least once a week I get one of these notes or a call telling me you aren't paying attention. At least."

"Sorry," I muttered, taking the note back from him. "It's not like I'm failin'. Just not always on the same page as everyone else in the class is. I still do my work."

"I know you ain't failing," Darry stated like it was the most obvious thing as he walked back into the kitchen, "You're way too smart to be failing. You're also way too smart to have your head everywhere but where it's supposed to be when you're at school."

I followed him into the kitchen. I was still desperate to plead my case but I really didn't want to get into any more trouble. "I'll try harder now. Sorry."

"You always are," Darry said, turning the sink back on. "I'm not letting it go this easy next time."

"I know, Dar," I said quietly, "Won't happen again."

He nodded. He obviously didn't believe me. Honestly, I didn't believe me.

I was headed back towards the living room when I heard him speak again. "How did you get home?"

Stopping dead in my tracks, I began to go over my options.

I could just tell the truth and tell him I walked home alone. I'd get yelled at, but Dar would probably be over it by bedtime with minimal punishment.

Or I could lie, and say I walked with a couple of friends. I would undoubtedly get caught at some point and time, though, and then that would just land me in even deeper hot water.

I made a decision. "Walked."

Darry turned the sink off again and turned around. He gave me an incredulous look, "You walked?"

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"With who?" He already knew the answer to that question. I could tell by the tone of his voice, and if I'd had the guts to look him in the eye I'm sure I could tell by his face, too.

"Nobody," I sighed, picking at the carpet with my toes. "Didn't have anybody to walk with."

Darry opened his mouth to yell but snapped it shut just as quick. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

I cringed, waiting for what was to come. If he took the time to breathe first he wasn't going to yell, but that doesn't mean he isn't still scary as hell.

"Ponyboy," he started, "Why didn't you call here? Or Soda's job for somebody to come get you?"

His voice was low and as scary him yelling was. All I could do was shrug.

"Because you don't use your head!" He answered his own question. He was louder now. "You can bring home straight 'A' report cards every quarter and read books most of us couldn't read the damn title of, but when it comes to your own safety you act like a box of rocks."

"Sorry to be a disappointment," I muttered. I really just wanted him to send me off to my room by then.

"Don't start that shit," He walked towards me and I took a step back out of instinct. "Nobody said you were a disappointment. You just don't fucking listen. Every Soc within a 10 mile radius wants you dead, Ponyboy. You know that! It's a death wish walking around by yourself."

"I know," I was going to try and find an excuse but he stopped me before I could get that far.

He held a hand up to shut me up."I don't want to hear it. I really don't. You're grounded for the weekend."

I finally looked up at him. I had plans this weekend! He couldn't do that! "But-"

"Nope," He cut me off, "Nothings changing that. Go to your room until dinners done. And you better lose the attitude before then or you'll be goin' to bed hungry."

I knew that was an empty threat. Darry worried about me way too much to send me to bed without dinner, but that didn't mean he wouldn't whoop my ass before we ate instead, so I did as I was told and sulked off into my room.

I was supposed to go to a movie with a friend of mine, Kathy, since it was a Friday night, but my punishment put a pretty big damper on it. I liked her too much to tell her that I couldn't go because my big brother grounded me, but I was starting to think I didn't have another choice.

Until I realized that Darry was on an odd job after dinner that night fixing someone's roof. And considering it was a Friday night, Soda sure as hell wouldn't be anywhere to be found. The only thing that would be keeping me there would be my own self control and the imminent threat of Darry finding out.

But as long as I kept up with the time and wasn't seen, Darry wouldn't be finding out.

Fuck yeah.

I was able to sneak out exactly as planned. Darry was already gone to work and as I had expected, Steve and Soda were over at the Sheperd's house. Darry isn't a big fan of either me or Sodapop being over there, but what Darry doesn't know won't hurt him. Well, what Darry doesn't know won't hurt us.

I met Kathy at the Drive-In at 5, and I left at 7, so I had time to get home using alleyways and backstreets, to avoid accidentally running to Darry while we were both on our ways home. I didn't even think about Soc's until I seen a mustang full of 6 of them come to a quick stop right next to me.

My big brother's are right. I never use my head.

(It's been almost two years since I touched this story lmao, but i'm back! My writing skills have improved by a billion so I'm going through and revising all 16 finished chapters to make them longer and make the storyline/dialogue better, then I will be continuing the story! This is the first revise!)