''But you're so pretty!''

''No, I can't date you,'' said the attractive brunette.

''Why noooooot?'' I flashed her a smile.

''Because Sodapop you need to get up!'' she said in familiar, gruff voice.

Huh? When did Darry turn into a girl? Haha he looks mighty squished in that skirt.

''SODAPOP WAKE UP!'' I opened my eyes to see me face to face with my older brother staring at me with his ice blue eyes. Haha his face sure looks funny all mad like that. I wonder how he'll look with some eye shadow on...

''SODAPOP! Did you hear a word I just said?''

''Huh?'' was all I managed to say. I saw my brother roll his eyes. He does that a lot. I figure that one day those eyes of his will just roll around and around in his eye socket, never stopping. I started to laugh at the image my mind gave me of Darry like that. Darry gave me a funny look and shook his head, putting a finger to his lips while motioning over to Pony. I looked down at my sleeping baby brother. He was curled up in a fetal position, with everything except his head covered in the covers. His reddish hair fell perfectly on his forehead. He actually looked peaceful.

It'd be a shame if someone... woke him up.

I smiled mischievously. I looked over at Darry, who knew right away what I was thinking. He grinned evilly. We both quietly brought up our hands. Darry started whispering,

''One,''

''Two,''

''THREE!''

We both dived onto Ponyboy, who shrieked. We started mercilessly tickling him. He was laughing so hard he was starting to lose breath. But Darry and I didn't care. We kept tickling him until our fingers were tired. It was times like these that I loved the most. It was when Darry was more like a big brother, than a guardian. I treasured it.

After our little 'Curtis War,' Darry flipped back into 'Adult Mode.' One second he could be the brother we know and love, and the next he could be the guardian we love and annoy.

''Come on Pone, you gotta start getting ready for school. You have 15 minutes.'' he said while throwing a shirt over to Ponyboy. Pony was now up, and ready to protest.

''But Darry, I didn't sleep til 2 last night because I was doing my homework. Can't I at least skip school for today?'' he asked, while looking at Darry with puppy eyes. Oh little brother, you should have learned by now that those eyes don't work on him, I thought to myself while shaking my head. Just as I suspected, Darry wasn't breaking.

''And who's fault is that little buddy? I told you to be home by 10, but you didn't listen. So now you're going to have to face the consequences.'' he said matter-of-factly.

Ponyboy rolled his eyes as he went out the room, toward the bathroom, grumbling to himself.

I couldn't help but smile. Out of all three of us, he and Darry were surprisingly the most alike. Yeah, Pony and I might look alike by our features, but he and Darry think alike, even though they're both too stubborn to admit it. It's a little ironic how they both think they're so different from each other, but in reality, they're closer than they think.

My train of thought was interrupted by Darry.

''Soda, don't forget to make dinner tonight, I'm working late again, so don't bother waiting for me, alright?'' he said while going into the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

''Yeah, okay.'' I sighed. He was only 20 and working harder than anybody I knew. Guys his age were supposed to be out enjoying life, not stuck being a guardian. Sometimes I felt bad for him because he hasn't had a girlfriend in over 3 years. Maybe I can hook him up with the brunette I saw at the Dingo yesterday, I said to myself as I stumbled around in my room to look for my DX shirt. It took me about 10 minutes to find it, and by the time I went into the kitchen, Ponyboy was out of the bathroom, freshly showered. I sat down across from Ponyboy, who was sleepily picking at his eggs. He didn't look so hot. He had bags under his eyes from his nightmares, and he was pale. I stood up to check his forehead. Immediately he brushed my hand away.

''I'm fine Soda.'' he said annoyed. Well someone's being teenager-ish today.

''By the way Pone,'' I told Ponyboy, ''Puppy dog eyes don't work on Superman, believe me, I've tried.'' He smiled some and I grinned, ruffling his hair.

I sat back down and literally devoured my eggs. Hey, I couldn't help it. The Curtis men all have big appetites. As I put my put my plate in the sink, the front door slammed shut and an all too familiar voice called out, "Good morning Curtis'!'' followed by a, ''Shut up, I'm still hung-over from last night." Yep, those are my best friends, Steve Randle, and Two-Bit Matthews. They came into the kitchen and right away Two-Bit went into the fridge to look for a beer. Steve was staring at me amused though.

''What?'' I asked.

He shrugged and simply said, ''I think by law you're supposed to wear pants to work, but it's your call buddy.''

I immediately looked down, and found myself in my underwear. No wonder it felt a little breezy. I smiled sheepishly and made my way into my room to find a pair of jeans that didn't smell. Luckily the ones I wore yesterday weren't in bad shape so I put them on and headed back to the living room. Darry was already gone, and Pony was finishing tying his shoes. He got his book bag, and pulling Two-Bit off the couch, they both made their way toward Two-Bit's car. Steve and I were just behind them. Since it was a sunny day, we decided to walk. We got there 20 minutes later.

The day went by fast. I got a couple of girls' numbers, and even Steve flirted a little bit. Two-Bit came to pick us up, and before we knew it, I was by the stove cooking dinner. It was spaghetti and meatballs. Hmm, I wanted to make it a little fun. I looked through the cupboards until I found it; the red food coloring. I put a couple drops into the meatballs, and within seconds, they turned an apple red. Satisfied, I put the spaghetti and meatballs on the table and called the guys. I don't know if they were hungry, or just used to my ideas, but no one complained and immediately dug into the food. Smiling, I happily ate my spaghetti and red colored meatball.

When dinner was finished, we all went back into the living room to watch Mickey Mouse. Why it was on this late in the night, I didn't know, but it kept us all pretty entertained, especially Two-Bit. Steve was on the recliner, slowly dozing off. Me and Pone were on the couch, our feet on the table while his head was on my shoulder. Two-Bit was sprawled on the floor, his eyes drooping. I smiled as I looked around. It was one of the first times where it finally felt normal. I wrapped my arms around Pony, as I leaned my head next to his. Before I fell asleep I heard the door open and close. I opened my eyes to see Darry in a skirt. I widened my eyes as he looked sharply at me.

''I lost a bet okay. We will never speak of this again!'' he said as he stormed off into his room. I started snickering. Boy, did he look squished!

The End

A/N: Did y'all like it? Just a random one-shot that came into my head. Hope you enjoyed!