Chapter 2

When I got home from my shift that night, Ponyboy and Darry were jumping down each other's throats again. They had been having arguments like this a lot lately. Pony would get home late, he would get a lower grade on a test than usual, he wouldn't do the dishes, he would forget to do his homework and Darry would scream his head off at him. The kid was just trying to have fun I understand, but he doesn't need to be shrugging off his responsibilities. The both of them are just too tense for their own good. I thought they would be done with the fighting after our scene in the park last year. It had stopped for a while, but then Pony started rebelling. A little rebellion is good, like coming home late on a Friday or Saturday night, not do the dishes one or two times, not doing your homework like once or twice a month. But coming home late almost every night during the week, never doing his chores, only doing his homework once or twice a month like Ponyboy was is too much. It's not like him at all. Darry's yelling wasn't work so I decided that I'll talk to him.

I walked in to see Pony's green-grey eyes dilated with anger. His brown almost-red hair with blonde at the tips since it hasn't grown out completely from last year was matted and wet. He was clad only in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans. Darry's pale blue-green eyes were icy as ever. His muscular shoulders looked tense, just as his jaw was. He was yelling at Pony for a B- on a test. Pony said that he was trying his best, but Dar was convinced that was bull.

I hung my jacket up next to the brown leather woolen jacket Dallas had given to Pony before him and Johnny ran away to Windrixville. I stepped between the two, cutting off whatever they were yelling at each other. I pulled Pony away to our room and left Darry in the living room mid-shout.

"Stay here, Pone, I'll go calm him down," I said after I got the kid to sit on the bed. I shut the door and sat Dar on the couch. "Darry, Pony really is trying his best. This is hard on him." He opened his mouth to speak and I cut him off, "And don't go giving me the 'it's been a year, he should be over it' speech because we both know that it's bullshit. He lost his best friend; they were best friends for years. This is his way of coping and recovering, you can't yell it outta him, Dar. It won't work." I immediately got up without giving Darry a chance to say anything. I entered Pony's room and sat on the bed next to him.

'Soda, am I causin' a lot of trouble?" Pony asked quietly, tremendously calmed down from a minute ago. I looked him in his eyes which the pupils are back to their regular size and decided to tell him the truth.

"Not a lot, honey, but a little, yes. We're just worried about you. We remember just what happened when you ran off, you didn't come home for a while," I said immediately wanting to take it back. I felt like a major ass bringing that up, but I did. "Pone, we love you. Darry does love you, I know it may not seem like it a lot of the time but he does. His yelling is like showing that he cares." I knew that it sounded like bullshit as soon as it came out of my mouth, but there was no going back. I told him about rebellion and how a little was alright, but he's been doing too much. "You don't wanna end up like me, okay? A dropout. I know that sometimes you think that is best, but it's not. You are too smart for that." I didn't want to ask him, but I had to. "Pony, is this rebellion stuff your way of dealing?" I asked tenderly as if I was walking around a sleeping baby.

"No. Yes. Maybe. I dunno, Soda. I just miss him. He was like my only real friend. I could always count on him, he was always there for me and he's gone. He's never coming back. I just… I…" He started crying so I pulled him into me and let him cry on my shoulder. Once he's all cried out I led him into the living room where Darry was still sitting, probably mulling over what I said. I sat on the couch between the two. I looked back and forth between them.

"Now, Darry, you gotta stop yelling at Pony all the time. And Pony you gotta stop all this. I don't wanna come home to fighting all the time. I love you both and I hate it when y'all fight. Please." Darry was the first to do anything. He reached around me and gave me a hug. I returned it. I could feel Ponyboy sitting there awkwardly so I said, "Get over here, kid." He threw his arms around both of us and buried his head in my neck. We sat like this for a few minutes before we heard the door open. Pony looked up and gasped. I followed his gaze, it landed on two girls. Well more like women, two drop dead gorgeous women, one being my girlfriend and the other being an almost unrecognizable Ever Ann.

Pony has always had a little crush on Ever, but never said anything about it because Dallas would kill him. But it was always written all over his face. Ever didn't look like an emotional wreck like earlier that day, but pulled together, calm, like she was before the incident. I don't know how Hannah did it, but she did. I'm glad that she did.

I got up, went over to Hannah, picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her. When I put her down I whispered in her ear, "You are a miracle worker." She whispered back, "I know."

Pony hadn't seen Ever in a while so the prolonged hug had an excuse. While Pony, Darry, and Ever caught up me and Hannah went into mine and Pony's room to talk.

"What was all that that me and Evs walked into, hun?" she asked.

"Dar and Pone were fighting again," I said exasperated. She had a look of bewilderment, but tried to erase it quickly.

"Again?" she asked matching my tone. I took her hands and looked her in the eyes, but didn't say anything. I love how they were blue when you looked at them straight on, but when she looked away they were a light gray. I love the freckles that dotted her face. She scrunched her nose, knowing that I'm holding something back and said, "Pepsi-Cola, please tell me what's bothering you." I took one look in her eyes and folded.

"I'm just sick and tired of being the mediator between those two. They're brothers, goddamn it! What makes them fight so much? They're always at each other's throats just waiting for the other one to throw the first punch. They… they just… they worry me sometimes… I'm afraid they're gonna get into a fight and they're never going to forgive each other. Neither of them willing to forgive the other first. I… I'm always in the middle… they always want me to pick a side… I can't do it… I can't…" Hannah pulled me to her chest, like I had done to Pony mere minutes and many times before.

"Shhh, baby, it's okay. We're all gonna be okay." When I had calmed down and I was back to my happy self, we joined the others. Ever and Pony were sitting on the couch talking about some book. I bent down and whispered in Hannah's ear, "Nerds." We both laughed at this. Darry was getting ready for a date with a girl whose name slipped my mind. Hannah had to leave soon because her mom needed her home, she was taking Ever with her and dropping her here in the morning so I can take her to work with me. Hann decided that she doesn't need to be alone, and I agree completely. This is as close to happy as I've seen her.

"Sodapop, we haven't gone out in a while," Hannah crooned into my ear. I love the feeling of her hot breath on my neck.

"Well then I'm taking you out tomorrow!" I said with my crooked, reckless grin. I gave her a peck on the lips as she left. I looked over at Pony to see him giving Ever one on her forehead. Once they both left I looked over at Pony and said, "Keep it in your pants, okay?"