Chapter Four: Disappeared

Pony POV

It had been two months since Georgie had talked to Sodapop, but she wasn't mad. She was hurt. Soda wasn't much better. The house was out of whack. No one said anything. Georgie stopped going out other than school, and both of them ate in their rooms.

She was throwing herself into school and had got a part time as a waitress at the Dingo. Mostly at night. I honestly don't know when she slept. Soda could handle himself, but she couldn't. I knew that, so I was watching her as closely as I could.

Soda POV

I had just pulled into the driveway. My last class was cancelled, so I came home to get ready for work. I wasn't expecting to see Georgie on the floor in the middle of the living room. She looked up at me.

"Soda, h-help me!"

She was having a panic attack. I ran to the bathroom to get her sedative and some water. She took it and clinched onto my shirt. This was the first time she had touched me since Christmas Eve when we told each other to have fun at our parties.

I put my arms around her. About five minutes later, Ponyboy walked in and ran to us. She immediately reached for him. I started to get up, but she grabbed my arm, so I sat down beside her again and rubbed her back while Ponyboy held her. She eventually reached for my hand and I held it. She started to drift off, so we helped her to Pony's and her room.

"Will you g-guys lay with me?"

I looked at Ponyboy. He nodded and we climbed in on either side of her. When we knew she was good and asleep, he patted my arm signaling me to get up.

"That was her last pill, Pony. You guys need to refill it."

"You'll have to do it on your way home from work. I've got a project I have to do. What happened?"

He gave me a look like it had to be my fault. I wanted to get mad, but stayed calm.

"I walked in and she was already having it. I got home about five minutes before you did."

He looked confused.

"I don't know why she was home. She always gets home after me on Tuesdays."

On my way home from work I picked up her refills. I pulled up, and she was sitting on the steps smoking.

"Hey."

"Hey, Soda..."

It was awkward.

"You feeling better?"

"Not really."

I got a good look at her and felt her head.

"You're a little warm."

"My throat hurts..."

"Come on, I'll make you some soup."

"You don't have to."

I held my hand out to help her up.

"I want to."

She took my hand and got up. She sat at the table while I made her soup. Ponyboy walked out of his room.

"How's your project going?"

He gave me a look. We hadn't talked since Christmas Eve, either. Other than the short conversation earlier today.

"I finally finished."

He sat down next to her and felt her forehead. I finished making her soup and put it in front of her. She motioned for me to sit down. Darry came in while she was eating. He looked surprised.

"Hey guys."

We all waved. It was awkward. Darry sat down.

"So, I see you're all in the same room."

We stayed silent. He sighed. Georgie spoke up next.

"I had a panic attack today..."

"You did?"

"Yeah.. If Soda hadn't come home early, I think I would've passed out. I had already been having it for ten minutes."

"Wait. Why were you both home early?"

We both spoke at the same time.

"My last class was cancelled."

We looked at each other.

"What caused it?"

"I have no idea, Darry. I was just walking through the living room when it happened. I had just walked in the door..."

"She's sick. Maybe that has something to do with it."

"Maybe. Okay, kiddo. Go get some sleep. We'll see how you feel in the morning."

She nodded and got up and went to Pony's room.

"Well, you were in the same room."

"We had a conversation earlier, too."

Ponyboy spoke up next.

"She wanted both of us during it."

"She always does, Pony. That's not a surprise."

"Wait, what?"

She wanted me when she had panic attacks?

"She always says your name when she has one, but you're never here..."

I went to bed that night confused. She wanted me when she had panic attacks...

Pony POV

The next few days, they went back to avoiding each other. One day, I got home late. Soda was in his room and Darry was in the kitchen.

"Hey, Pony. Where've you been?"

"I went to the movies. I didn't have homework today. Where's Georgie?"

"I guess in your room. I haven't seen her."

I walked in my room, but Georgie wasn't there. I went and knocked on Soda's door.

"Yeah?"

I opened it. It looked like he was doing his homework. He didn't look up when I came in. He was writing...

"Have you seen Georgie?"

He looked up at me.

"No. I came straight in my room. You can't find her?"

"Dammit!"

I walked to the kitchen, Soda followed me.

"Darry, Georgie's not here."

"She's probably at work."

"She quit her job. She didn't wanna have panic attacks at work."

Darry looked a little worried.

"Call Steve and Two-bit. Ask them if they've seen her. If not, let's wait a couple of hours and then we'll start looking..."

Steve POV

It was 2:00 in the morning, and we'd all been searching for four hours meeting up at the house every hour to see if anyone had found her. I decided to check out the park. That's where I found her last time.

Sure enough. I pulled up, and there she was sitting by the fountain.

"Georgie?"

"Hey, Steve..."

I sat beside her.

"What's up? You haven't ran off in a long time..."

"I couldn't find my bookmark today. I hadn't seen it since before Christmas, so I went to look in Soda's room and found this..."

She pulled out the ring box from her hoodie pocket.

"Aw, shit..."

"It's engraved, too..."

"What does it say?"

"It says 'Georgie, Forever Mine'..."

"He was gonna ask you to marry him on Christmas Day..."

"That's not all I found... Why is he taking business classes? I thought you guys were studying mechanics?"

I told her about what Mr. Rivers had offered us. And how Soda had mentioned giving her a better life.

"Yeah, well... That worked out..."

"Do you want it to?"

She didn't answer the question.

"I just don't understand... If he wanted to make sure that we had a stable life and bought a ring, why did he do it? Why did he cheat with Tracy?"

"That's something you'll have to find out for yourself..."

Soda POV

Everyone had made it back for the hour check-up except Steve. We finally heard his car coming up the driveway, and he walked in with Georgie trailing behind him. Ponyboy jumped up and hugged her.

"Where the hell have you been? You had me scared to death!"

"I'm fine, Ponyboy..."

She sat down on the couch. She looked exhausted.

"How long were you gone?"

"Since my last class ended..."

No one asked any more questions and everyone went to bed. I couldn't sleep. Some time during the night, I heard someone go outside. I decided to go, too. I needed a smoke.

"Hey."

She fell of the railing. It reminded me of that one time we fought, and we weren't even dating then.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

I helped her up.

"Ow..."

"What is it?"

"I landed on my cigarette. I had just lit it."

I looked at her hand. It was a little burn. I pulled out my pack and handed her one.

"Since when do you carry your own pack?"

"Since I started smoking everyday."

She looked at me funny.

"You smoke everyday?"

"Don't you?"

She rolled her eyes. Good. She was annoyed. That's better than her being numb.

"I've always smoked like that. You, on the other hand, don't smoke unless you're really upset."

"I guess you could say I have been for a couple months..."

She started to tear up and turned away from me.

"Why did you run off?"

"Because I found this..."

She reached in her hoodie pocket and pulled out a box.

"Oh, shit..."

"Yeah... Oh, shit. That's what Steve said, too..."

She handed it to me. She started crying. She still wouldn't look at me.

"Knowing that you planned to propose makes it that much worse. I don't understand... If you've been planning this and going to school for business, why would you do that?"

"How'd you know about that? And how'd you find this?"

She turned to me, now angry.

"I was looking for my bookmark! You had your homework spread across your bed and I looked in the drawer!"

"Don't get mad..."

"I don't have a right to be?"

"No, you have every right. I just don't want you to be..."

"What do you expect?! Sodapop Curtis, I was in love with you! Hell, I'm still in love with you and you did this to me!"

She slapped me across the face, then put her hand over her mouth.

"I.. I didn't mean to... I'm sorry..."

"I deserve it. At least you didn't knock me out this time."

"The floor knocked you out. Not me..."

"But, your fist helped me meet the floor. We needed to get better acquainted, anyway."

She sighed.

"Don't do that..."

"Do what?"

"Be adorable when I'm mad at you... I had totally forgotten about that conversation..."

"I haven't... I remember everything about my life with you..."

She was silent for a minute.

"Why did you do it?"

I sighed.

"There's no real excuse for it... It was a moment of weakness..."

"So, you liked her..."

"No. I never liked Tracy. It was a weakness because she turned me on... She just walked up to me and started doing things to... You know... It was a stupid mistake. I'm nineteen, and I haven't done anything with anyone other than Sandy. It had been so long and I just lost control of my hormones..."

She was silent. I looked down at the ground. I was ashamed of what I'd done.

"So, it's my fault that you cheated..."

I popped my head up.

"No. It wasn't. You have every right to wait as long as you want, and I should've respected that... I lost control of myself, but that will never happen again..."

"How do I know that...?"

"Because these two months without you have been pure torture. I couldn't ever be with someone else... You're the only one for me..."

She was crying again.

"Hey, hey, come here. It's okay..."

I wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me back. It felt so good to be in her arms again...

"I forgive you..."

"Does that mean you'll give me another chance...?"

"Yeah... I will, but only if you're serious about us..."

I pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life..."

She smiled. I leaned down and kissed her. It was chaste, and it was perfect. I pulled back.

"I don't think we should get engaged yet. I need to prove myself to you."

"I agree."

"I'm going to bed. You staying with Ponyboy or coming with me?"

She thought about it for a minute.

"Let's go."

When we opened the door, Ponyboy was standing there.

"Soda, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah..."

"Georgie."

She looked scared. Pony rolled his eyes.

"I'm not gonna hurt him or anything. Just wanna talk."

She nodded wide eyed and walked into Pony's room. He looked at me.

"I don't want you to feel like I love Georgie more than you. You're my brother, Sodapop. If she had done it to you, I would've reacted the same way..."

"I know that..."

"This is your second chance with her. Please don't screw it up. I can't go through that again without beating your face in..."

He smiled. I smiled back.

"You're not mad?"

"I am. I think she should have waited to get back together with you, but I can't change her mind. Just promise to try harder..."

"I promise..."

We hugged and he walked in his room and she walked out.

We went to my room and climbed into bed. I put my arm around her and she cuddled into me.

"I missed this..."

"I had this, just with Ponyboy. In a brotherly way, of course."

We fell asleep in each other's arms...