A/N: Hey!! This is my 5th story on fanfiction and my 3rd one for 'The Outsiders'. Just for the record, 'The Outsiders' is by and belongs to S.E. Hinton, NOT me! I wish I was her, but we all know I'm not. (Darn…)

If you've read 'Gang Wars' by me before, you know that I like to put songs for all my chapters in stories… okay, fine it's a new thing for me. Anyway, let's list out the song for this chapter!!

Song for this chapter: 'Ice' by LIGHTS

Ponyboy was gone. That's right, gone; he ran away. Darry hit him. He's awful sorry he did, but he did. He was just mad… or worried.

"I don't know where he'll go…" Darry said to himself after Pony left. "Soda… Soda, you'd better go to bed, it's late," he told me.

"Or is it early?" I asked seriously, but trying to make things funny. He grinned at me. "You get go bed, too," I told him.

"Yeah, I will…" he started. "when you will," I grinned and ran upstairs to the empty bed. I turned to put my arm around Ponyboy, then remembered he wasn't there. I sighed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't sleep at all that night.

*****

Since neither Darry nor I could sleep that night, we watched T.V. and wrestled, etc. But, I wanted to go see Sandy, so I went to her house in the morning at 8:30. When I got there, she was getting into her car. I wondered why, so I asked her.

"Sandy, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just going shopping…" she replied nervously.

"But you said you've been too tired lately pretty much to do anything," I said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Then I'm going to the doctor's…" she started before her Mom interrupted her.

"To get an ultrasound!" her Mom said casually.

"What?" I asked Sandy, more confused than ever.

"Soda, I've been meaning to tell you... I'm pregnant," Sandy said. I nearly gasped. She was my girlfriend! I should at least know if she's pregnant or not!

"But…" I began, unable to say anything else.

"I know," she said. "Soda, I met this guy, and we sorta… clicked," she explained. "We met at this party a few months ago. It was at Buck Merrill's place,"

"So you were in the bedroom?" I asked her, hoping she wouldn't answer.

"Yeah," she said as she got into her car and drove off. I was broken hearted. How could she do this to me? I thought that Dally might know something about it; he occasionally goes to Buck's parties. I figured he would be at Bucks right then, too, since there was a party there the other night. I got into my car and started driving.

*****

I got to Buck's in five minutes since I was speeding like crazy. I ran up Buck's steps so fast that I nearly tripped. I knocked on his door loudly and he answered.

"Whadyawant?" he asked half awake, his words tumbling onto each other.

"Dallas, I want to see Dally," I said quickly while I was panting in panic. I was still a little shaken up from the night before.

"He's busy," Buck said, a little more in control of his words, but still drowsily.

"He'll come if you tell him it's me, Soda!" I said between clenched teeth. All that Hank Williams must mess up his mind or something, I thought to myself. He left and I just stood there like an idiot.

"Come on, I'm taking you to him!" Buck said impatiently. I sure felt stupid as I walked up his staircase to the bedroom where Dally was sleeping. "Dally! Soda's here to see you!" Buck nearly shouted to him as he started walking out the door. As Dally was waking up, I absentmindedly looked at a soaked sweatshirt lying on the floor. It looked so familiar…

"Whadyawant, Soda?" Dally asked me as he rubbed his eyes. I was suddenly snapped back into the real world.

"Do you remember anyone being in the bedroom with Sandy a few months ago at one of the parties?" I asked him.

"No, this is the first of Buck's parties I've been to for at least five months," he told me. "Hank Williams, how lame!" he added. I didn't respond because I could only stare at the floor. Then I recognised it. It was the sweatshirt Ponyboy was wearing the other night.

"Dallas, why is Ponyboy's sweatshirt here, and why is it wet?" I asked him out of thin air while pointing to the sweatshirt.

"Oh, that…" he said as he chuckled and shook his head. "I don't really know,"

"Dallas, I know it's tradition for you to lie, but don't ever, EVER lie to me about my brother!" I told him angrily.

"Fine, I know what's up with it, but I'm not tellin'! You'll find out about it in the paper…" he started, then trailed off.

"What do ya mean I'll find out about it in the paper?" I asked him, nearly yelling.

"IT'S ABOUT THE DEAD KID!" he exploded.

"WHAT DEAD KID?" I yelled back. If I wasn't so tired, I wouldn't have responded that way. I know better.

"Look, keep it quiet about this, okay?" Dally said, suddenly whispering. "Johnny killed a Soc," he told me as I leaned in. I nearly gasped. Lil' ol' Johnny killed a Soc? My eyes got wide as I heard this.

"Ponyboy was with him?" I guessed. It wasn't exactly Rocket Science, you know.

"Yeah," he replied. "The story'll be out soon, so you can read all about it in the paper," he added. I gulped.

"I'll tell Darry. So the cops already know about it?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they came over here and took me down to the station this morning. I kept my mouth shut good, though," he answered. "You'd better go and tell Darry before he freaks out or somethin'. At least he won't beat the tar outta you if you tell him," I nodded and ran out the door. I nearly stumbled on the steps again. It was probably because I was tired.

*****

"WHAT?" Darry nearly shouted into the phone so loudly it made my ear hurt.

"Keep it down," I whispered, trying to get him to be quiet, otherwise I would go deaf.

"Okay, I will," he gave in. "We'll discuss this later, at lunch,"

"Sure. Meet me here, okay?" I told him.

"Where is 'here' exactly?" Darry asked.

"The DX, of course!" I told him impatiently and playfully at the same time.

"Right!" Darry said in an 'I forgot' voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I gotta get back to work," I told him.

"Okay, see ya later," Darry said as he hung up. I hung up and then walked outside, where Steve was being crowded, not by girls like I usually am, but by reporters and policemen.

"Steve, what's going on?" I called out to him. Then the reporters and the fuzz came over to me and piled me with questions.

"Do you know what happened last night?"

"Were you there?"

"If you were, what was it like?"

"Who else was there if there was anyone else?"

I got tired of this. I didn't do anything, though. I was just too confused to do a thing. I got a little dizzy.

"Guys, leave him alone!" Steve suddenly shouted from outside the crowd.

"Look, let's talk about this at my house after work, at six o'clock, alright?" I said as I finally got the courage to talk… and breathe.

"Soda, do you think I can't take them?" Steve asked angrily, nostril slightly flaring.

"Steve, just… uh…" I stammered, my mind fogging up. "Look, can y'all just leave us alone now?" I asked the reporters and policemen. They all left, Steve threatening them.

"What was that all about?" Steve asked, turning to me.

"Steve, I'm just not in the mood for a fight right now," I explained to him.

"Shoot, I never thought I'd see the day when you'd say something like that!" Steve said, turning back to his work. A few minutes later, my life came back; I was surrounded by girls.

*****

"Soda, let's go for lunch!" Darry called from the door.

"I'm coming!" I called to him from crouching behind the counter. He looked from above and as I looked up and saw his face inches from mine, I jumped a little. "Darry, nice way to scare me!" I said in a slightly panicked voice as I got up.

"Sorry, little man!" he said as he got out of my way. "Ready to go?"

"Yup!" I said as I followed him to the car.

He drove me, which bothered me a little bit. He doesn't go fast enough for my liking. So anyway, we talked a bit on the way to The Dingo about Ponyboy.

"Are you sure?" he asked for about the millionth time.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I told him for the millionth time.

"I just can't believe that Johnny could kill a Soc!" he said, again for the millionth time.

As we parked at The Dingo, we saw a copy of the paper. Its headline was 'JUVINILLE DELINQUENT KILLS LOCAL BOY'

"My word…" Darry said under his breath. All I could do was stare. There was a picture of the dead kid and Johnny's and Ponyboy's descriptions were in the paper. My eyes got wider and wider as I stared at that paper.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked Darry out of nowhere. I was all messed up.

"I don't know. I don't even know where my little brother is," Darry said in response. Suddenly, he exploded right then and there. "I'm not a good guardian! I don't deserve to live with my brothers! How is this happening?" then, he bawled. I'll bet he was just as much shaken up as I was.

"Darry, don't you talk like that, you're scarin' me," I told him as I hugged him. Well, hugged his back anyway. He had placed his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he told me, chocking on his tears. "I'm messed up is all,"

"Let's just to inside then, alright?" I asked Darry, partially chocking on my own tears.

"Alright," Darry said as he opened the door. I followed him as he walked in. We had our usual; Darry had a Coke with a Hamburger and I had a Sprite with a Cheeseburger. We sat down and talked some more. I saw something outside after a while. It was a Blue Mustang, and the Socs in it were jumping people!

"Uh… Darry?" I said.

"Yeah?" he asked. His back was turned to the window.

"You might want to look behind you," I said, my voice shaking ever so slightly. He looked and muttered under his breath.

"Great!" he said, sarcasm in his voice. "Just great!"

"I'll bet that dead Soc had plenty of friends," I commented.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Darry muttered. We went back to eating in silence. I was white as a ghost, I was pretty sure. After we were done eating, I just sat there. "Come on, Soda, let's go," Darry said, but I just sat. Darry finally got me to stand up but I couldn't move. I was scared stiff… literally. Darry put his arm around me and helped me walk out. We drove and didn't talk. All I could do was shake like a leaf. "Y'all be careful now," Darry told me as I walked out of the car when we got to the DX.

"Yeah… you, too," I called back to him when he drove off. I was not in the mood to go to work at that moment, but unfortunately, I had to. That was one of the rare times in life that I was in a bad mood.

A/N: So I hope you liked this first chapter!! Please remember to R&R and put on faves lists if you liked! :D :D