I thought Soda had been listening to us talking to Two-Bit but purposely stayed away until he left. Two-Bit is generally not anyone you'd want to avoid, but seeing him as somber as he was after we broke the news had been strange, almost scary. I couldn't ever remember seeing him so pained, not even a few years back when he had broken his arm jumping over a fence.

Soda appeared in the doorway just after Two-Bit left, looked at us sitting on the couch, and came over and lay on us. Soda is not subtle with his affection in any way, he just covers you with himself.

"This so sucks." He said, his face buried in the couch cushion.

"Yeah."

"I know." Scout and I responded at the same time.

"Who was here?" Then again, maybe he hadn't been listening.

"Two-Bit. He's gonna tell the gang." I tried not to sound happy about that but the truth was, I was enormously relieved. Two-Bit was a good friend, and I truly appreciated him taking some of the burden off me.

Soda picked up his head and looked at me. "Good," he said. I guess maybe he knew I had been dreading telling everyone. For being three years younger, Soda usually understood me pretty well. Actually, Soda pretty much understands everybody. It's a gift that none of the rest of us have.

"Pony still sleeping?" I asked. I couldn't believe it- he is the worst sleeper and here he was outsleeping us all on the night we had a real live nightmare.

"Yeah. I didn't wanna wake him," Soda said. He and Pony were real close. Sometimes I envied that closeness.

"Good. I have to go to the funeral home at two," I looked at Soda, hoping he would get the fact that I really wanted him to come, just so I wouldn't be alone.

"I'll come with…" Soda said. I knew he didn't want to come, and I felt bad for making him feel like he had to, but God, I didn't want to go alone. And I couldn't exactly ask one of the kids to come with me. Scout seemed like she was about an inch shy of a total breakdown.

"What do we have to do there? Soda asked me. I had no good answer. I had wanted to ask more questions on the phone but I didn't want to sound like an idiot.

"I'm not really sure. Obviously, I've never done this before." I hadn't meant to make Soda feel dumb but after I said it I realized I sounded kind of like a jerk.

"Right." Soda didn't seem to notice. I could see Scout's mind running a mile a minute- it was clear from her expression that she was thinking about the funeral home too.

"I have to call Uncle Pat." My mom's brother Patrick was our only relative. Our grandparents on both sides had passed, and I was a little thankful for that at the moment, because as much as it was gonna suck to call Pat, breaking this kind of news to my grandparents would have been worse. Though I guess they could have helped out with the kids. I briefly wondered whether Pat would expect to get custody of Scout and Pony… with four kids of his own though, it seemed doubtful.

I broke myself out of my trance and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed my mom's address book from the kitchen drawer and looked up his number. I held the phone in my hand for a minute before I dialed, until I realized there was really no way to prepare for this kind of phone call.

So I just dialed. It rang three times before my aunt answered.

"Hello?" she sounded breathless. I realized it was probably a bad time to call, the kids would be getting ready for school.

"Hello… Aunt Carrie? This is Darry. Sorry to be so short, but is Uncle Pat there?"

"Darry? Sure, hon. Is everything OK?"

"Well, not really. I really need to talk to Uncle Patrick." It was his sister, after all, I felt he should hear it first.

"Just a minute," she said, and although she covered the receiver, I heard her yelling. "Patrick, pick up the phone. It's Darry. Junior. I think something is wrong."

There was general commotion in the background and I heard another receiver pick up.

"I've got it, Carrie," I heard my uncle say.

"OK," she said, yelling at her boys in the background, and I heard the other receiver hang up.

Soda wandered into the kitchen and sat at the table. I knew he had come in so I wouldn't have to be alone, doing this. Soda just usually knows what everyone needs.

"Darry? What's the matter?" Pat sounded pretty concerned.

I could already feel my voice becoming unsteady. I was thinking of how I would feel if someone called to tell me Scout was dead. My mom had been his kid sister.

"I have some bad news," I cringed as I remembered the cop saying that to me the night before.

"What is it, Darry? Is everyone OK?"

"No," I couldn't really manage any more. It was so strange for me to be calling him, he must have been starting to put things together.

"Your Mom and Dad?"

I couldn't talk. Soda was looking at me like he wanted to help but he was full-on crying.

"Darry?" He was waiting for me to answer.

"They were in a car wreck, Pat," I said. "They died. Both of them." There. I said it.

He was silent for a second. I felt like maybe I should say something but had no idea what I could say.

"Oh my God, Darry. When?"

"Last night… this morning." I realized that I actually didn't know which day it had been. I actually hoped it had been in the early morning, not on the night of Scout's birthday.

"I'll come up there," he said. "As soon as I can. How are the boys doing? And Scout… How's she doing, Darry?"

"Not that good." I wasn't going to lie to him. There was really no point.

"Hold on, Darry." I could hear him cover the receiver and talk to my Aunt in the background. I heard her react to the news and my uncle came back on.

"Have you made the arrangements yet? I can come up and help you with that."

"I have to go today. I don't know yet when the funeral will be. There is no need for you to come today, Pat. We're OK." Alright, so I did lie, a little. I actually didn't want him around, yet. We needed to just be with each other, first.

"Will you call me back after you go, then? To let me know what's happening? God, Darry, I can't believe this."

"Me neither." My voice was cracking again.

"You hang in there Darry," Pat said. "I'll get there as soon as I can to help out. You shouldn't have to take care of all of this on your own."

"I appreciate that," said. "And I'm so sorry to have to tell you about this."

"It's breaking my heart that you have to deal with this," he said. "Both of them. God."

I had no reply. It was breaking my heart, too.

"You take care of the kids, OK, Darry? You call me back anytime. For anything. I'm going to get a flight as soon as I can."

"OK. Thanks Pat."

"Bye Darry. I love you, buddy."

Dad and Pat always called all their boys "buddy."

"You too," I said. "Bye."

I hung up and collapsed into a chair at the table, completely drained. Soda got up and stood behind me, rubbing my back and shoulders. He could normally relax me in a second, but it was going to take a hell of a lot more than a backrub this time.

"You did good, Darry," he said.

"Thanks. Where did Scout go?"

"I don't know."

"Well you need to go check on her, I don't want her feeling alone right now." Soda kept rubbing my shoulders for another minute.

While I sat there, Soda behind me, Pony wandered into the kitchen like a zombie.

"You OK?" I asked, looking up at him. Stupid question, I realized immediately.

He looked at me like I was a complete ass.

"No," he said. "Are you?"

"No," I admitted. Soda let go of me and went to Pony. Soda and Pony were like natural extensions of each other. I could not even begin to understand their bond, as different as they were.

"I have to take a shower. Soda, go check on Scout." He did. Pony walked over to the refrigerator and took out a Pepsi. Normally that was not something Mom allowed for breakfast, but I didn't say anything.

I felt like I should say something to him, but I didn't know what, so I just went off into the bathroom for my shower.

I was surprised at how quickly the tears came, once I knew I was alone and knew nobody would walk in on me. The tears just poured from my eyes, mixing with the flow from the shower and running down the drain. I knew then what people meant about crying a river of tears. I guess I felt the pressure to get it all over with since I knew once I went back out to my brothers and Scout I would have to be strong again.

I got dressed and walked into Soda and Pony's room to find the two of them, plus Scout, laying in bed. They all looked like hell.

"Soda, we're gonna have to leave in a half hour. Get a shower." I hated to make him move. There was something touching about how they were comforting each other. Again, I was a little envious.

"Where you going?" Pony asked.

"We have to take care of the funeral home stuff."

"I wanna go." Pony always felt like he was being left out.

"No Pony," I said. "I need you to stay here with Scout." He looked like he was thinking about arguing but changed his mind. I knew he would like feeling like he was responsible for her. "Also, we want you to write the obituary. You'll do the best job."

"OK," he finally said quietly. I knew that would get him to agree to stay. He'd probably have it done by tonight.

"I know you don't want to get up, Soda, but you can't come with me looking like that," I said. He slowly got up, got some clean clothes and shuffled off to the bathroom.

I sat down on the bed with Pony and Scout, still in Dad's jacket. I was asking myself how in the hell I could ever take my parents' place. I knew I couldn't, so I just said it.

"This is going to be hard on all of us, but hardest on you two," I said quietly. "I can't possibly take their place. I'm gonna do the best I can."

Pony shocked me, saying. "We know, Darry. We trust you."

I stood up, though really I just wanted to lay there with the two of them. "Two-Bit's coming back over while me and Soda are gone. They'll probably want that obituary tomorrow, Pone."

"OK." I went out into the living room to find Two-Bit and Steve.

"Just keep an eye on them," I said. "They're a mess."

"We will, Darry," Two-Bit said. I hoped it was true.

A/N: I was trying to keep the chapters parallel with the original epiphany, but this one was going to run too long. I'm finding out that Darry is a very complicated young man! Hope you like it!