My first One-Shot. Go easy one me.
XxX
Sodapop Curtis walked into the dimly lit tent in exhaustion. The freezing weather was enough to get to any of them, but being in the constant battle mode tired him most of all. He walked to his bed, running a calloused hand through his grease-less hair, and tried not to laugh at his bunkmate. Steve had walked into the room seconds before Sodapop, but had already sprawled across his bed in sleep.
Soda nearly moaned in relief as he sat on the edge of his bed. He had been here a year and a half, but he never quite got used to the throbbing in his feet, or the stinging of his eyes. His only comfort was knowing that he only had to be here for six more months before he could high-tail it out of here, with his best friend in tow.
"Got any smokes?" A deep voice asked from behind. Soda wearily turned to see his other room mate, Pete.
"Yeah." Soda said, grabbing a pack and tossing it over to him.
"You know… I had quit smokin for awhile." Pete said before taking a deep drag from his cigarette. "They told me the kind of shit that happened here would make me pick it right back up. I didn't believe them."
Soda shrugs, pulling out a cigarette for himself. "You can quit when you leave here."
"If I leave here that is." Pete said bleakly.
Soda didn't respond. He was thinking of when he first arrived, how bothered he used to get when people would talk so callously about dying. But now, facing the fact every day, he started to understand why they spoke without emotion. Because they all knew that if they cared, they would be too terrified to wake up the next morning.
"Mail's here! Get your asses over here and get it." James called as he entered the tent. Soda's ears perked in interest. The highlight of his day was the thought of getting a letter back from one of his brothers. Maybe even one from Two-Bit, or another friend back home. Anything to keep his mind off of what was going on here.
"Just pass em out like we do when we get mail." Jimmy called from his bed.
"Do I look like your momma?" James snapped as he sifted around the room, tossing letters to the eager face that awaited them.
"No, but you kind of look like Tim's momma." Jimmy teased, trying to avoid a punch from his bunkmate. When James finally came to Soda, he tossed a pack of letters at his expecting hands.
"Mail from all of your ladies?" Pete teased.
"Shut up." Soda laughed weakly, adjusting his bed to get comfortable. Soda read through his pack of letters with a smile. As always, Darry's letter was short and to the point. Darry tried to write as much as he could, but could never fill more than a page, if that. Soda laughed as Darry described Two-Bit's antics, and laughed more as Two-Bit tried to explain everything in his own letter. Soda smiled fondly as he stumbled across a letter from a friend from high school who decided to write.
Soda thought about what his life would have been like if he had stayed in high school. Maybe Sandy wouldn't have left him, maybe he wouldn't have been drafted. He might be home right now, married, instead of fighting for his life killing gooks. Soda shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought he knew only would hurt him later, and pulled out Pony's letter, which he had saved for last.
Ponyboy wrote as often as possible. He used to write as often as once a week, but he soon couldn't scrounge up the money for anymore stamps. Not to mention Soda's overload on letters at one time, so he wrote three of four times a month. But they still came in floods. Some times, Soda didn't get anything from Pony for months. But then they would all come pouring in, eight at a time. But Ponyboy's letters always made the soldier feel better.
Dear Sodapop,
To say that I miss you sounds redundant at this point, but I feel like I can never say it as much as I mean it. Things are going pretty good around here, for Tulsa anyways. There was a Soc jumping a couple of weeks ago, but ever since then things have been really quiet. Soc's aren't just as into it anymore. I think everybody just got real tired, and realized that this was a waste of everyone's time.
I made the basketball team. I told you in the last letter, but I though I might put it in this one, just in case you get letters at different times. I really like it. Not more than track, but enough that I make sure I never miss practice. It's a good competitive sport. Much more physical than track, but I like it all the same. If we win our next two games, were going to go to state. Can you believe it?
The only downside to basketball is that I don't really get to see Julie all that much. Darry says otherwise, telling me that we spend too much time together. I think he's being really stupid. I'm 16, and I don't need anyone to hold my hand. I personally think that Darry should just find his own girlfriend and stop managing my life… but don't tell him that I said that.
Two-Bit decided that he wanted to learn how to make his food look colorful like you do. Something about cheering everybody up. He blew up our stove. The house smelled like shit for weeks. Darry was so mad, he wouldn't let Two-Bit back for a real long time. Truthfully, it cheered me up even more than he had originally set out to do. He's such an idiot, it kind of makes me feel better.
Thanksgivings next week. We got out yesterday from school early. Thanksgiving break. Do you remember Thanksgiving break? I know it's been so long since you've been in school an all…(small joke). Wish you were here to make blue mashed potatoes. Can't wait till you come home.
Please stay safe Soda. Don't do anything stupid. Write back soon,
Ponyboy.
Soda set down his letter, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his chest. Man did he miss his brother. He thought idly about Julie Mendoza, a girl that he himself set up for Pony before he left last summer, when he got to come back and visit with Steve. She was pretty and smart, neither Greaser or Soc, and it seem to fit together well.
But they ended up staying together, seeing more and more of each other. They were soon going to be going on a year, something that shocked and scared Soda. He was afraid that his brother was going to get too involved with this girl. Soda sighed, holding the letter tight to his chest, desperately trying to imagine himself home with his brothers.
XxXxX
"Steve, if you get ashes on my letters before I get to read them, I swear I'm gonna shove that smoke so far down your throat your gonna be-"
"Chill Soda, I aint gonna smoke near your precious letters. I just had to piss."
Soda rolled his eyes as his best friend walked outside. Steve had gotten a few letters himself, one from each of Sodapop's brothers, one from his father, and some picture Two-Bit drew. Steve got pissed, but Soda kept his picture, along with all his other letters. It was as if the idiot was here, making him laugh.
Soda bent down, running my hands over his letters. Some were open, due to him having time earlier. He had a few boxes, most likely due from Christmas a few weeks ago. He read through his brother's exploits, pride steeping through him as he read about Darry's promotion. He's finally done working at the sites, having been promoted to manager. He's got his own desk.
"Come on Soda." Steve said, reappearing in the tent. "Let's go grab something to eat."
"I got one more letter." Soda said, motioning to the latest one by his youngest brother.
"It'll be here when you get back." Steve griped, but laid on his bed in defeat. Soda smiled at his friend, before opening his letter.
Dear Sodapop,
Christmas came and went, but it wasn't the same without you here. I miss you, so much right now that it kind of hurts. I wish you were here to make chocolate cake, or tease me about something. I had a nightmare last night. It wasn't too bad, just another of those I couldn't remember. But it bothered me enough to where I couldn't go back to sleep. I miss being able to talk to you, face to face.
I laughed when I read about you and Steve getting caught pouring dirt into your friend's canteen. I'm sure he didn't think it was so funny, but it makes me kind of relieved that your having a bit of a goof while your there. Don't get in trouble, but… listening to the radio makes me scared for you… the both of you.
I'm not sure how cold it is there, but I sent a coat in the mail. Its one of those really nice ones that we looked at in that Soc shop a few weeks before you left last year. You remember? It was too expensive to buy last Christmas, but with me working at Bob's ranch, I can afford it.
We won state. It felt real nice, standing up there holding the trophy like that. We wore our medals to school the next day, and everyone thought it was pretty tuff. I thought Julie would be real impressed, but she just teases me about it. A collage scout came up to me at the championship, and talked to me about playing for Oklahoma State. I didn't say no, but I don't think I want to go. Julie wants to go to Texas, and I'm thinking about going with her. Don't tell Darry.
Nothing new has really happened since my last letter. Tulsa is pretty much the same as you left it. There's a new kid in our class, who travels around with his parents. He's got real long hair and dye's all of his clothes bright colors. People give him a real hard time, callin him hippie. But I guess it's better than bein called Greaser. He's real nice. He comes over every once in awhile, and we talk about stuff. He's pretty much like every other guy. Kinda like how Greasers and Soc's aren't that different.
Me and Julie are going with her parents to a lake house in Carlton. Sounds real fun, and it'll be nice for me to get away. Were just goin for the weekend, so it aint as big of a deal as it sounds. Julies parents are gonna be there for most of the time anyways. I doubt there will be enough time for either of us to get into trouble. But the way Darry goes on about it, you'd think we were getting a hotel room by ourselves.
Don't do anything stupid, just stick with the group, and run like hell if shit hits the fan. Come back to us in one piece.
Pony
Soda sighed, looking down at his letter. Like all of Ponyboy's letters, they made Soda wish he was home more than anything in the whole world. Soda leaned down and opened the package from Ponyboy. True to his word, Soda was the new owner of a real nice brown hunting jacket.
"Don't know when your gonna get to wear that." Steve mumbled.
Soda glared, looking fondly down at the jacket. "I'll wear it whenever I want. All the time."
"It's too nice of a jacket to be rollin around in the dirt with." Steve said as he pushed himself off of his bed.
"I'll wear it when I'm allowed to wear civilian's clothes." Soda said, neatly placing the coat on his bed. "You still hungry or what?"
Steve smirked. "I'm always hungry."
Soda rolled his eyes, following Steve out of the tent into the bright sunlight. Steam rose from the grills near the tent line, and the smell made Soda's stomach growl. "Wonder what there making out there?"
Steve shrugged. "Who cares, as long as it's edible."
"Hopefully some meat." Soda says, patting his stomach.
"Me too." He grumbled.
Suddenly, people started to scream. Brent Largent came running past Soda and Steve, screaming. "Get your asses down!"
Soda and Steve ran to the sounds of the ambush, grabbing guns as they ran along. But it wasn't long before Soda lost Steve in the crowd, and almost lost an arm when a ricochet bullet grazed the side of his arm. He screamed, aiming his gun at the gook that shot him.
XxX
Soda didn't get another letter from Ponyboy for another two months. He had gotten some from Darry, who told him about how scared he and Ponyboy was when they heard about the ambush. He got a letter from Steve, who had been injured in the ambush. Steve was beyond pissed to have had to go home without Sodapop. Steve had bitched to every doctor that would stay still long enough to listen, but they said the damage to his knee would disable him from being out on the field. He was discharged a month ago.
Soda took his letter as far away as he could get from everyone. He didn't want anyone around him. He just wanted to spend time with his brothers. And if this was all he could get at the moment… then so be it.
"Cutris, you want to play?"
Sodapop turned around to see Stanley, a tall gangly red head hold out a basketball. Sodapop shook his head. "No thanks. I'm just gonna read for a little while. Got some letters in from my family."
Stanley nodded, spinning the ball on his fingers. "I remember when I got those. My girl used to send them to me. I stopped reading them after awhile. Got too sad." Stanley sighed, before walking in the other direction.
Dear Sodapop,
When I heard about the ambush…Soda, I got so scared. I need to tell you something, and I've been too scared to do it. And when I thought you had died before I could tell you, to explain to you… I couldn't breathe.
Before I tell you this, I want you to know that I would have told you this sooner, but I kept thinking I was wrong. Nobody knows. And I don't think anyone will know by the time you get this letter. I want to keep this as quiet as possible, at least until it becomes inevitable.
Soda, Julie's pregnant. It's taken me a real long to tell you this, because I didn't know what to say. My hands shaking as I'm writing you this letter. But to tell you the truth, I'm not really that upset anymore. I was really scared when I first found out. I mean, I haven't even started my senior year of high school. I want to go to collage, to go do some things with my life.
But I think I'm happy. I love Julie. Me and her have been talking about getting married. Once you get home of course. I need you to be here for my best man. Please don't be too upset. Julie is for sure pregnant. We went to the doctor last week to make sure. She's almost two months. I'm really nervous about this Sodapop. Scared about how I'm going to raise this kid. But I know if you're going to be here with me, things will be alright. Please stay safe.
I really am sorry.
Love Pony
Sodapop sat there staring at the letter in his hand. 'Not Pony. No, he's the good kid. The one who makes the right decisions. The one who was going to go to collage, the one who was going to get away from Tulsa.' Soda couldn't fathom it. He kept thinking it was a dream, a mind twisting dream after all of the shit going on here. But as he laid in bed that night, he would pull out my letter a few times, seeing if it was really the horrible dream he had thought.
The next day, in their free time, Soda went out for a run. He was never really the running type. That was always Ponyboy. Pony would run when he needed to think, or get away from something. Soda never understood why his brother felt the need to run, but as his feet hit the ground in a steady rhythm, it was all that Sodapop needed.
"What kind of example must Ponyboy have seen in me?" Soda thought. "Neither Darry or I had ever shown Pony how to really treat a girl. What to do. Because we assumed two things. One, Pony was going to stay single for a really long time, and Two, that if he did date, he wouldn't have sex."
He didn't know why he made that assumption, thinking back on it now. He's a Curtis boy, just like his brothers. Sodapop had always been proud of being a natural charmer. He never questioned his actions.
But Pony seemed… happy. He wasn't freaking out about this. He was ok with the thought of having a baby. He was going to be 17 this summer, and he was going to have a baby. And he was fine with it. After a day of mulling over the letter, Soda finally made himself go in his room and write his brother back.
XxX
"Two days. Two days and you're getting out of here." Stubbs said scathingly, looking at Soda from the corner of his eye. "I hate you right now."
Soda laughed, his spirits truly lifting. Soda had been feeling great in the past few days, knowing he was closer and closer to going home. He could nearly taste the Tulsa air. "Yeah well, I did my time. It's time for this Greaser to go home to his brothers. Maybe sleep for a year and a half." Stubbs laughed. "Gonna miss you guys though."
"Aw hell Curtis. Don't worry about us. Just write, like everyone else. I might drop in after I get out of here. See if your big brother is as scary as he sounds."
Soda laughed. "Who knows? I haven't seen him in two years. He could look completely different.
"Yeah, like the guy shrunk six inches in two years." Stubbs said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, taking a deep drag from my cigarette.
"Curtis!" a voice boomed from a distance. I look up to see James walking over to us. "I'm tired of being your mail man for the past two years. Get your ass to the front desk and get them yourself."
I laughed, a loud sound. "Aw hell James, in two days I don't care what you do." James rolled his eyes, tossing two letters my way. I read one from Darry, who sent a very short letter explaining where to meet him at the airport.
"Is the other one from your kid brother?" Stubbs asked, pulling a deep drag from his cigarette.
I nodded, opening the final letter from my brother."
Dear Sodapop,
Soda, the baby's gone. Died last weekend. We went to the doctor last week, and he said things like this happen sometimes. How can a baby just die? I don't understand anything that's going on. Julie won't have anything to do with me. She just cries and cries. When we do talk, she starts yelling. Tells me to leave her alone. She won't come back to school, won't answer my phone calls. I don't think she knows that it's hurting me just as bad. To know that my kids… dead.
I feel empty. When I found out the baby was dead, I just hurt. My heart, my head hurt and all I do is lay in bed and stared at the wall. Darry thinks I'm depressed about you being in the war, so he doesn't ask about it. I never got around to telling him. I miss you Soda. I don't know what to do with myself. I think I hate myself.
I should never have let us get in this position. I should have been extra careful about this, thought before I did something stupid. Before we did something stupid. I wish Julie would talk to me. After we went to the hospital to… get the baby out, Julie said she didn't want to see her. But I had to see her Soda. She was so tiny. No bigger than the palm of my hand. I buried her alone. Out where mom and dad are buried. I got her a little grave stone with her name written on it. Julie won't come and see her. And when I told her I buried her, she got real mad. I don't know what to do or say around her. Julie hates me. She hates everything. I wish you were home. I wish mom and dad were here. I wish Johnny and Dallas were alive. I wish my daughter had the chance to live. We found out the baby was a girl. A little baby girl. We were going to name her Elizabeth, after mom. Just... please come home safe.
Pony
I stared at the letter in horror. It was short, short as they have ever been. "Pony." I whispered.
"What happened?" Stubbs asked, his face concerned.
"My brother."
"Is he ok?" Stubbs asked.
"No. Life's just finally knocked him to his knees."
XxX
Soda stepped off of the plane, smiling at the pretty hostess in the short dress. She would wink at him when she passed, entertaining the returning soldier. She waggled her fingers at him as he left, making him laugh out loud. America… how he loved to be back.
Soda walked into the waiting room slowly. He was nervous. He hadn't seen his brothers in two years. Life was different. He was different. Sodapop was nervous, wondering if he would find his brothers. But when he glanced around, he found them in seconds. It was as if they were setting off a scent of home, making his body ache for them.
Darry and Pony were sitting next to each other in plastic chairs. Darry was barking at Two-Bit, who was juggling cigarette boxes in the air. Steve was casually leant up against a wall, staring at the ceiling. Ponyboy looked different enough to where Soda had to do a bit of a double take. He was definitely taller. By the way his legs were stretched out Soda could tell that his kid brother had grown, maybe as tall as himself. His hair was a tousled brown, spilling onto his handsome, tired face. Pony looked tired. He looked just like Darry.
Soda froze for a few minutes. He stared at the people, his family, his home. But Soda was afraid to take the first step towards them. They weren't his normal everyday anymore. His life was changing again. But he didn't have to worry about taking the first step. Two-Bit took care of that.
"There he is!" Two-Bit shouted, jostling Darry. Everybody looked up, before scrambling out of their seats to run over. The first person to wrap their arms around his was Darry.
"You here." His older brother chocked out as he hugged him tightly. "You're here in one piece."
"That I am Darry." He whispered back to his brother is a playful town, hugging him back. When he released his brother, he promptly slapped Two-Bit and Steve on the back and turned and wrapped his arms around his kid brother.
Ponyboy stiffened at first, but soon melted into the embrace. Soda was right; Pony was a couple of inches away from being taller than him. But Soda ignored the fact and held Pony just like he used to.
"I am so sorry." Soda murmered into his brothers neck, his eyes watering. Ponyboy slightly trembled under him.
Pony sniffed loudly, his voice breaking as he whispered "I missed you."
Soda stayed like that a long time, holding his kid brother in his arms, before both pulled away and wiped their eyes. Soda threw an arm around both of his brother's and smiled. "It's good to be home."
Ending was a bit abrupt, I know. I couldn't end it as smoothly as I wanted. Thanks for reading, and please review.
I am continuing with my other Outsiders fic, for all of you who were wondering. Just waiting for my Beta to finish. Love you guys:)
Leira