Ripped at the seams
Summary: Ponyboy is only three when his parents die. Darry and Soda try their hardest to take good care of him, but is their hardest good enough?
Chapter 1:
Darry POV:
"Darry! Come meet my new friend." Pony said as I picked him up from daycare. "His name is Charlie and he's real tuff."
"That's great." I said as Pony led me to the back of the class to meet his friend. There were only a couple kids left, most of the kids' parents had already picked their kids up but everyone had been too busy today so I had to leave work early. Pony led me to a kid that was talking to his mom.
"That's him mom." The kid said pointing to Pony and smiling.
"Hi, I'm Charlie's mom, Veronica." The woman standing beside Charlie said. "You must be Pony's father. Aren't you kinda young to have a kid?"
"No, I'm his brother." I told her, leaving the part about our parents out.
"Oh, that sounds better." She laughed. "well it was nice meeting you…"
"Darry." I filled her in.
"Darry… why don't we set up a play date for the kids sometime? Charlie can get your number from Pony and we'll call each other." She said.
"Ya, sure." I told her. Pony was grinning from ear to ear.
"Great, well come on Charlie we have to go." She said and they walked out of the daycare.
"Darry, can I invite Charlie to my birthday party?" Pony asked as we drove home.
"Sorry kiddo, but the book is full." I told him.
"Ok." He replied, sadly. Pony's birthday was the day after tomorrow and Soda and Two-Bit just couldn't not throw him party. It was gonna be just the gang and Evie and Sandy, Steve's and Soda's girlfriends, but Pony was real excited. Soda had told him that turning three was a bit accomplishment, it meant he was becoming a big boy and he's not a baby anymore.
Two days later:
"Hey wake up birthday boy!" Two-Bit and Soda screamed as they ran into the room Soda and Pony shared. A few minutes later Pony came running into the kitchen, fully dressed.
"Guess what Darry!" he said standing by my feet.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm a big boy now!" he yelled and hugged my legs. I couldn't help but laugh at how excited he was.
"Come on Pone let's go get the cake for your party!" Soda said as he grabbed the car keys and walked out the door, Pony following close behind.
"Now Superman, it's time to wrap the presents and start the burgers before they get back." Two-Bit said as he walked into the kitchen.
I started on the burgers while Two-Bit wrapped the presents. Dally, Johnny, and Steve came about an hour after and then we just waited for Pony and Soda to return. Sandy and Evie came 20 minutes before Soda and Pony did and decorated the house.
"So that's why it's tuff to smoke." Soda said as he as Pony came in through the door.
The party kicked off pretty quick, everyone danced to Elvis for a while and then we ate. We were right in the middle of opening the presents when there was a knock at the door. Soda went to answer it and came back with his face paler than ever.
"Darry, there's someone at the door for you." He said and sat down on the couch bringing Pony to sit on his lap. Pony had just opened Soda's present to reveal a teddy bear he had wanted from the mall since he heard Elvis's song 'teddybear'. I walked to the door and stepped out onto the porch to find two police officers and a social services worker.
"How may I help you?" I asked, knots forming in my stomach.
"Darrel Shayne Curtis Junior?" the social worker asked. I simply nodded. "I'm Mrs. Wilkins and I'm here to take your younger brother, Ponyboy Michael Curtis, to an adoption home." Her words hit me like 20 bricks.
"What? Why?" I asked. The state had come to check on us last week and they had said everything looked good. Had they been lying?
"We feel that Ponyboy would be better off with a different family, one who can provide for him while still giving him everything he wants. We've had him up for a while and yesterday morning a family chose him. " Mrs. Wilkins told me.
"Well, thank you for you concern but Ponyboy is just fine where he is." I said.
"Darry! Darry! Look at what Johnny got me!" Pony came running out onto the porch with a photo album filled with pictures of our parents and the gang in his hands, but he came to a crashing halt as soon as he saw the police officers.
"Hi Ponyboy, I'm Mrs. Wilkins. How are you today?" she said.
"I dunno." He said leaning against me.
"Pony why don't you go inside and look at the pictures with Johnny and send Soda out here." I told him.
"Okay, Darry." he said and ran inside. Soda emerged a few seconds later, closing the door behind him.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"We're here to take Ponyboy Curtis to is adoption parents." A cop answered.
"What? Since when was he up for adoption?" Soda asked, looking at me, disappointment evident in his eyes.
"We've had him up since the death of your parents, without Darrel's consent." Mrs. Wilkins explained.
"Now boys we can do this the easy way where you give us the kid or we can do it the hard way, where we take him and put you two behind bars for kidnapping." An officer said. Soda had tears freely flowing down his cheeks, and I felt my own eyes beginning to water. I hadn't cried at my parent's funeral but I had promised my parents I'd take care of Pony no matter what and seeing him being ripped from me hurt.
"Soda, go pack Pony's stuff please." Mrs. Wilkins said. Soda ran into the house and I heard his bedroom door slam closed.
"Darry? What's wrong with Soda?" Pony asked as he came out onto the porch. I knelt down so I was roughly eye level and told him that the state was taking him from us. I had been trying my best to keep my tears from coming down but the look on Pony's face and the way he hugged me, like he never wanted to let go, just pushed me over the edge.
Soda came back with two bags packed with most of Pony's stuff and hugged him before Mrs. Wilkins ripped Pony out of Soda's grasp and drove off with him.
Well this is the first chapter, tell me what you think. This is going to be a short story, not longer than maybe 6 chapters. Please R&R:)
