Hey, everyone! It's SoulBeat again with another fanfic! It's been awhile since I've made one; sorry about that! School sure is time consuming… well, I hope you enjoy!

Ponyboy's POV

"Soda, come on. Please come out and eat," Darry begs Soda from outside of his room. There is no answer, making Darry sigh. "Alright, well I'll have a plate out on the table if you decide to join us." Darry walks back into the kitchen and sits down at the table for dinner.

Darry and I have been trying non stop to get Soda to get out of his room and get over Sandy. He's been in the gloom lately, and it's been a month! I don't know that much about girls like the gang does, but I can get why Soda is so depressed lately. He wanted to marry Sandy, and for their relationship to go down the drain must be very tough on him.

Darry says I should give him some space, so I had to move back into my old room. However, I mostly sleep there until early morning when I have a nightmare about Johnny and Dally, and then Darry brings me into his room. I'm still sad over the past events, but I've been getting better… sort of. I still have nightmares like I said, and I sometimes drift off in class thinking about it resulting in me not getting the best scores in my classes. When I mean 'not getting the best scores,' I mean getting C's and even a D in one class. I'm looking at you, Biology.

Darry has gotten better on not yelling at me for it though, since that would break our promise with Sodapop to not fight, which could make him even more depressed than he already is.

Darry lays down his fork on the table, "Well since Soda isn't coming out of his room, I guess I should tell you the news."

This grabs my attention. I also lay down my fork and look at Darry waiting for him to speak. I wonder what the news is about? Maybe he finally found himself a girlfriend?

Darry smiles, "Ponyboy, I got a promotion today."

Nope. No girlfriend, but I'm still happy for him. I smile a huge smile, and I jump from my chair and wrap my arms around Darry. "That's great, Dar!" This was especially good news since Soda has not been going to the DX lately.

Steve has been covering for him, but his boss has not been too happy about it, but is still letting Soda keep his job, taking Steve's word that he'll get back on his feet soon. Steve also has been trying to get Soda to move on, but it hasn't been too much since, like I said, he's been covering for Soda. It's certainly been more of help than Two-Bit's, since he tries to cheer Soda up with his "funny" jokes.

It's the thought that counts, I guess?

From what it is looking like right now, it might be a while till Soda gets back on his feet. Like I said, this has been going on for a month, but hopefully it doesn't continue any longer.

"I won't be working on houses anymore; I'll actually be getting a job as the supervisor for Charles' Construction," Darry informs me. Charles' Construction is the company he's a worker for. It's actually a well-known company here in Oklahoma, but even so, it doesn't pay too much to it's workers.

"I'm glad; you don't have to come home with a sore back anymore! You're also very good at telling people what to do" I say happily with a grin.

Darry playfully glares at me, "Haha, very funny, Two-Bit."

I roll my eyes. "Yup. Want to hear a story of how I met two blonde twins at a Dairy Queen?"

Darry chuckles, "Anyway, I'll be leaving this Thursday."

I look at him confusedly, "Leaving?"

Darry nods, "Yeah, I have to go to Oklahoma City for some business about the company that I have to attend."

"I see… how long will you be gone?" I ask him.

"I'll only be gone till Sunday. Ponyboy, can you please take care of Sodapop?" Darry asks me.

I'm a bit surprised at Darry's request? Me watch Sodapop? "Wait, what?"

Darry sighs, "I know it's a bit odd for you to be looking after him, but when you're home, can you try to help him get back on his feet. I talked to Two-Bit and Steve, and they said they would come over and help out as well. I don't want anything to happen to Soda while I'm gone."

I nod, "Sure, Dar. I'll make sure of it." I

Darry smiles, "Thank you, Pone." Darry picks back up his fork, and continues to eat his dinner. We continue to eat dinner for a couple of more minutes until we were finished. We washed the dishes, put Soda's plate in the refrigerator as leftovers, and went straight to bed.

A few days with only me and Sodapop, and I have to watch over him for the first and probably last time. Even though Two-Bit and Steve are going to be coming to help out as well, it'll still be hard. Steve will probably be working a lot, and since Darry is gone, Two-Bit will probably come over with a twelve-pack of beer, watch Mickey Mouse, crash on our couch, and have a hangover the next morning. He still will probably be help, but who knows? It's Two-Bit. He hasn't done much of anything before, and if I try to get him back on his feet, maybe he'll move on from Sandy.

What could go wrong?

Hey, so that is my first chapter! Yeah, yeah, I know it was short, but I at least wanted to give you guys something since I haven't been making fanfics in a while. This is my first non one-shot, and I'm really excited! I hope you enjoyed, and make sure to review! I'll try to update soon!