A/N: I came up with this after my friend sent me a link to S.E. Hinton's interview saying Soda died in Vietnam and Steve got into heavy drugs. I put some thought into the whole situation, and mixed with my history lessons on Vietnam in school POOF this came to be. I hope you guys like it better than my last one shot!!!! This takes place 2 years after the book!!!!! Please read and review!!

Chapter One: Life's Not Fair

I woke up to dead silence, only broken by the moans of the dying, cries from the living, and the shuffling of feet. It's scary to wake up not knowing where you are, or how you got there. But it's even scarier to have the sad reality come crashing down on you that you're in Vietnam fighting a battle you know you can't win, and that your best friend is dead…

I was delirious with pain. I was shaking from withdrawal. My leg throbbed along with my heart beat, and I was light headed from dizziness. I called out for the one person that was always there when I was hurt or needed help.

"Soda?" I sounded desperate and I knew it, I felt vulnerable but I didn't care. When I spoke it pained me but I needed my best friend, he would help me.

Fear was rising in my throat "Sodapop?" I called louder, looking around at the walls around me, franticly searching the faces of others in the makeshift hospital. None of them were Soda.

One nurse walked up to me. "I see your awake now. Are you feeling any better?" She asked smiling. Gosh she was a looker, even better when she smiled. But I didn't care about that now.

"I need to know where Sodapop is." I said bluntly not even answering her question.

Her smile faded and blue eyes showed sympathy. "I'm sorry, Sodapop Curtis died last night of gun shot wounds to the chest…"

After that I zoned her out, that's all I needed to know. The words hit me like the fucking bombs of Hiroshima. My vision went in and out of focus, and it took all of my control not to black out. All I could think was I should be the one dead, I was the one who got drafted, he volunteered………

A/N: Yeah, I know it's short!! This story was originally supposed to be a one shot but I was getting to be too long, and I know how I get if one shots are long I start getting ADD and X out saying I'll read it later (which never happens). And plus I think it would work better in chapters!! Please review cause I really enjoy creative criticism.