DARRY CURTIS-

I shoved my foot into my boot and called Sodapop into the living room. "Soda, I gotta meet someone. I need you to watch the twins. Just make sure they do their homework and dinner's in the oven." He nodded. "who ya' meetin'?" he asked with a smile. I couldn't help but grin at him. " It ain't like that little Buddy." "Yeah, okay." He said, acting as if he wasn't convinced with my answer. I ruffled his hair and walked out to the truck.

I drove down the highway until I found the bar. I got out and made my way to the door, almost being trampled by a couple that clearly had way too much to drink. I walked in the door and I looked around until I spotted the only guy sitting alone. I slowly approached the booth he was sitting in and slapped my palms against my pockets. He looked up at me. " Hi, you must be Darrel." He said with a smile and got up to shake my hand. I took his hand in mine and sat down. "Darry. Everybody calls me Darry." I corrected him. He nodded and smiled again. "Buddy," He said "My real name's James, but everybody's called me Buddy since I was a kid." Just then, a waitress came to take my order.

"Just water, thanks." I said. Buddy gave me a funny look, and for the first time that night, I studied his face. It was square with distinct features. He had clear, blue eyes with a ring of gold around the middle and dark blonde hair just a shade for two lighter than Soda's. He was tall and pretty thin, with a good build for a guy his size.

"Ain't you gonna get a beer or somethin' ?" he asked.

"No, I'm only twenty." I said, he nodded understandingly.

"So, how did you know my mom?" I asked, getting right to the point.

He sighed. "It's a pretty long story."

"I got all night." I told him, encouraging him on with his story, I had never heard mom talk about a guy she knew named Buddy before.

"Well, when your mom was in high school, about sixteen, she had a boyfriend named Jason. And, well, one night things went too far. She got pregnant, but her parents wouldn't let her keep the baby. She had to give it up and she decided to give it to some friends of her parents who were trying to have another baby at the time. Well, anyway she had a boy and she gave it up like her parents wanted her to." I was completely absorbed in the story. Our mother had never said anything about having another son. "She filled out the birth certificate and a few days after she gave him up she ran away to Tulsa." He paused and my head was spinning. I had a million questions.

"I don't understand, how do you fit into all this?" I asked.

He looked at me. "I was your, our mother's son, the one she gave away." He said and I was stunned. I must've been a real sight. My eyes were wide and my back was stiff. Finally, to my relief, Buddy spoke again. "I was surprised as you were when I found out I have four siblings I didn't know about. I would've come sooner, but my mom back home was having health problems at the same time of the funeral and my family needed help. She's been healthy for a while now and I wanted to meet y'all."

"Well, now that I know I have another brother, I want to know you better too. How long are you in town?"

"As long as I can afford to stay, I'd like to meet the others, what were their names again?"

"Sodapop is seventeen and the twins, Ponyboy and Ponygirl are fourteen. You know, if you need a place to stay, you can stay with us." I said.

"Oh, no, I couldn't."

"C'mon, we're family. You can sleep in my bedroom until you leave. Sides, what better way to get to know us then to stay with us?"

he thought for a moment, then caved in. "All right, so tell me about my brothers and sister." He said, and for the next three hours, we talked in that booth about our families and told each other stories about when we were kids. At ten, I got up and stretched.

"I left Soda to watch the twins, I really need to get back before they burn the house down." I said with a smile.

"Sure." He said, leaving a tip on the table before putting his jacket on. We got into our trucks and I lead the way back to the house were all three of them were wide awake and wrestling in the living room.

They all stopped and sat up on their places on the floor and looked at me and Buddy as we stood in the doorway.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in bed?" I asked, looking at the twins and then at Sodapop, who turned his gaze to the floor. "That's what I thought now both of you go get ready for bed." I said sternly.

"Aren't you gonna introduce us Darry?" Ponygirl asked with a grin on her face. I looked back at Buddy who stood behind me, silent. I had completely forgotten he was there. I sighed.

"Sit Down." I told them and gestured to the couch. I watched as all three of them sat in a row on the sofa and stared silently at us while I let Buddy in and sat down. We told them the whole story and by the end they all sat, stunned. Soda was the first to speak. "So, you're our brother?" he asked and I watched as he nodded. I was at a loss of words. Finally, after a few minutes, I guess when it all sunk in, they couldn't stop talking. They were firing question after question at him. Some of them were questions I wanted to know too. He said he worked as a contractor where he used to live in Virginia but he was looking for a job as an artist. He went to college and everything to learn to draw. He also said he had two little sisters and a little brother back at home. He also played guitar in his high school's band and made straight A's all four years.

"Alright, both of you," I said looking at the twins. "Bed. You have school in the morning."

"Alright, I'm goin' I'm goin'." Ponygirl said as she slouched down the hall. "Pretty energetic kids." Buddy said watching them go to their separate rooms down the hall.

"Yeah, I always gotta pull teeth to get them in bed." I told him. I helped him get his stuff in the door before the kids fell asleep. He only had two suitcases and a guitar case, so it wasn't too hard.

"You can sleep in my room for tonight. I'll take the couch." I said and set his stuff on the floor.

"Thanks." He said, setting his suitcase down.

"The bathroom's down the hall and Soda and Ponyboy are next door." I said walking back to the living room with a pillow.

SODAPOP CURTIS-

Darry woke me up early the next morning. I looked up at him and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Hey, Soda, I got to go to work and the twins have school. Could you show Buddy around town while we're gone?"

"Yeah, sure." I said over a yawn. He nodded and I watched him disappear down the hall. It wasn't long before I heard the truck pull out of the driveway and I pulled a shirt over my head.

I slouched down the hall to the kitchen and reached into the fridge to pull out the cake. I turned to see Buddy sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. He turned his gaze up at me as I put about half the cake on my plate.

"Your brother okay with you eatin' half a cake for breakfast?" he asked as he watched me shovel it into my mouth.

"Yeah." I said, shrugging. I had never given it much thought. He smiled and turned back to his paper.

"You go to school?" he asked.

"No." I said "I work at the DX station a couple blocks up the road." I said proudly.

That day, I took Buddy into town and showed him around. We went to the DX and some other places until we stopped at the Dingo to eat. We sat in a booth and ordered our food. I tried to make conversation.

"So, you know how to play guitar and the piano?" I asked as I stirred at my soda.

"Yeah," he said and looked up at me. "I played un my school's band all four years." I smiled. "My dad used to play guitar all the time." I watched as he smiled at me. "So did mine. He taught me." It didn't take long before we were talking like we had known each other for years.

PONYGIRL CURTIS-

I sighed and stared out the window as I sat in class. It was beautiful outside and I couldn't wait to get outside and feel the sun on my face and the wind blow my hair. The class was talking about a book I had finished a week the teacher assigned it. I was bored out of my mind and could only imagine what fun Soda must be having right now.

Finally, the bell rang and I ran for the door to get Pony, Steve, Two-Bit and Debbie and beat it out of there. I met Pony at his locker and the rest of our gang met up with us outside. We all walked home and chattered on and on about teachers and homework and socs until we came to the DX.

"Hey, I'm going for a Pepsi." Ponyboy said and I watched as Two-bit and Debbie followed.

"I'll take you home. Sides, I gotta see Soda." I nodded and walked on with Steve at my side.

So, I hear you got stuck with another brother." He said casually, as if we taking about the weather.

"Yeah." I said, looking at him strangely.

He almost seemed nervous. I couldn't put my finger on it. Why should he be nervous? We had been friends for ever why all of a sudden did he not feel comfortable talking to me? I turned the corner to our house and went on inside, Steve right behind me, probably for Soda. I walked in and seen Soda and Buddy playing cards at the table. I walked past them to the kitchen.

"Careful, Soda cheats." I told him and proceeded to the kitchen to get what it was I was looking for.

"Where's Ponyboy?" Buddy inquired, looking up at me.

"He stopped at the DX with Two-Bit." I said and went to my room, happy that both of them seemed satisfied with that explanation.

I went down the hall to my room and decided to read a book before Darry got home and made me do my homework. I layed on my bed for about an hour, reading my book until I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. I sat my book off to the side and as fast as I could close my eyes, I was asleep. I woke up a while later and I found the house empty. I stumbled into the kitchen and no one was there. I walked down the hall when I heard crash and found Ponyboy alone in his and Soda's room.

"Where is everybody?" I asked as I watched him pick up a book which I guessed was the sound I had heard.

"Darry and Buddy went to the grocery store and Soda's out with Steve. They were gonna ask you to go, but you were asleep."

I was doing my homework in my room and few minutes later when a strange smell had found its way to my room. Ten minutes later it was still there. Finally, I hopped off my bed and went to Ponyboy's room, where the smell seemed to be coming from. I opened the door and seen him next to the window, smoking what looked like a cigarette. He snapped his head towards me, who stood in the doorway. He hurriedly put it out in an ashtray and waved his hand around in an effort to get the cloud of smoke that hovered in his face out of the room. At that point, I was sure it wasn't a cigarette for him to hide it from me.

"What are you doing?" I asked him. He looked around the room in a panic.

"Is Darry home?" he asked, frantic.

"No. What is that?" I asked. He looked as if he was struggling to find the right words.

"It, its marijuana." He said quickly.

I almost gasped. I knew what it was, and I didn't have a problem with it. Until I found out my twin brother was smoking it. My confusion and surprise quickly turned into anger.

"Why do you have it?" I asked, angrily.

"I got it from a guy across town. Look, it relaxes me. Please don't tell Darry, Buddy, or Soda. Don't tell anyone." I looked at him into his pleading eyes. He had been more relaxed these past few weeks. Ever since Johnny and Dally he had been high strung and nervous a lot.

"Okay," I caved in. "Just be careful where you do it." I told him before leaving.

That night at dinner, we were pretty quiet. I hadn't been listening to the conversation or eating my food. I felt Darry shake me out of my daze.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up at him for the first time that night.

"Do you want to go to the lake this weekend? You guys have three days."

"Oh, yeah that sounds fun." I agreed.

SODAPOP CURTIS-

The twins were acting weird. I couldn't put my finger on it. They were quiet and didn't eat much. I thought of asking Ponyboy what was wrong but he went to bed as soon as he got up from the table. It was mine and Ponygirl's turn to do the dishes. I peered into the living room as I scrubbed a plate. Darry was reading the paper and Buddy was out on the porch smoking.

"Hey, what's the matter with you an' Ponyboy tonight?" I asked my little sister. She looked startled for a second, then stiffened.

"Nothing." She answered quickly as I handed her a bowl to dry.

"Uh huh." I said, looking at her skeptically. "You're a terrible liar Ponygirl Curtis. Now tell me what's wrong fore I tickle it outta you." I said with a wicked grin. "Nothing is wrong Soda. Just let it go." I said, trying to sound convincing.

"What's going on in here?" Darry asked, with Buddy right behind him.

I looked at my sister, who, with a clenched jaw replied, "Nothing." And pushed past me to her room. Darry looked at me for an answer.

"Nothing." I said quietly.

He shifted on his feet and I could tell he didn't believe either of us.

(i apologize for this awful chapter, please review some constructive criticism to tell me how to improve.)