Chapter One: Normal

Darry POV

It'd been two months since we'd lost two members of the gang, one month since the trial, and three weeks since we'd had the big fight that Soda had gotten so upset about. Ponyboy wasn't doing well. He had brought his grades back up, but he was still a zombie. He was still running into things and forgetful. At this point, I was just trying to make things as normal as possible.

I was sitting at the table late one night doing some bills, when Soda came in and sat in the chair across from me.

"You have to work in the morning. Why're you up?"

He cocked an eyebrow at me, a trick he'd learned from Two-bit.

"Why're you?"

I held up the bills. He nodded.

"Your turn."

"Pony had a nightmare. He just went back to sleep."

I nodded. He ran his hands through his hair and down his face. He mumbled into his hands.

"He won't talk, Darry. He won't tell me anything..."

He paused. I took a good look at him. He looked so broken.

"We don't even know what really went on in Windrixville, or if they were even there the whole time. It's killing me, Darry! It's been killing me because it's killing him! The whole thing is haunting him. At least when mom and dad died, he came to me. He won't talk to me about this at all!"

"Have you asked him why he won't talk?"

He nodded.

"Says I don't need to know."

I thought about it for a minute. I understood both sides. I got why Pony thought we didn't need to know, but it was driving me just as crazy as it was Soda that we didn't.

"He can't keep living like this. He ain't even living, just existing."

"I know, but we can't push him. That'll only make it worse."

The next day was a Saturday, and it was raining so I couldn't work. Soda went to work that morning, looking completely miserable. It was weird seeing him like that. The only time he didn't look like that anymore was when Ponyboy was in the room.

Soda POV

I didn't know why it was bothering me so much. I guess because he'd always trusted me enough to confide in me.

"Hey, Soda. Snap out of it!"

"Sorry, Steve."

He sighed.

"Kid still not talking?"

I gave him a look.

"Since when do you care about Ponyboy?"

He gave me a hard look.

"Sodapop, you're my best friend. He's your brother. I may not like the kid all that much, but I do care about him. He ain't acting right. And don't take your bad mood out on me when I'm trying to help."

My face softened.

"I'm sorry. It's just been hard."

He sighed.

"We lost them, too, Soda."

"Yeah, but he lived it. I just wanna know everything that happened."

"I know, and he lost Johnny. I don't know what it'd be like to lose your best friend... He'll eventually talk, and when he does, you know you'll be the one he talks to."

"I hope you're..."

We heard the bell ring, and saw Pony walking through the door. I put on my signature grin.

"Sup, Ponyboy?"

He gave a half smile.

"Nothing much."

Steve walked over to the big cooler.

"Wanna Pepsi?"

"Yeah."

He grabbed it from Steve and came around the counter and hopped up on a stool.

Darry POV

Pony went down to the DX, which made me happy. He hadn't done that in a long time, plus it gave me some much needed time to myself. I had just been getting comfortable when someone knocked on the door. I groaned and went to answer it. A woman was standing outside.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Darrel Curtis?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"I'm Gina Ford. I'm with the state. May I come in?"

Shit... I let her inside and she sat on the couch.

"Um, you're not our usual social worker."

She smiled.

"No, I'm not."

I started to get nervous.

"I thought everything with Ponyboy was settled."

I sat down in my recliner, bracing myself for the argument that I was a fit guardian.

"It is, I'm actually not here to talk about your brothers. Well, not Ponyboy, anyway."

"You wanna talk about Sodapop?"

"Sort of... It's kind of complicated."

"I'm sorry, I'm confused."

She smiled at me.

"It's nothing bad, I promise."

I relaxed a little.

"Then, what's this about?"

"Well, I'm sure you know that Sodapop was adopted."

I cocked my eyebrow at her.