I had showed Soda the empty drawers; at first he didn't believe that Sunny was gone but when day five rolled around and still no phone call he believed me. Soda popped his head in the door of our room.

"Hey, Maria is here, Darry says we need to use manors." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes; that was a whole other thing. Darry had a new girlfriend, Maria. I wasn't sure why but I didn't like her. She was nice; she was pretty even thou when Darry asked me I said no, I really did think she was. Two-Bit said the only pretty about her was her chest. I don't want to check out Darry's girlfriend's chest. Two-Bit commented one time and Darry whacked him a good one. I sat down at the table next to Soda; I figured if I kept, quite no one would really notice.

"Hi, Pony! How are you sweetie?" She asked talking to me like I was four again.

"Fine"

"What are you two doing tonight?" Darry asked eyeing me and Soda. "I want you both home by twelve."

"There's a big party tonight at the James' house."

"Big huh?" Darry asked uneasily.

Soda nodded. "Every girl who came into the DX today said they were going."

"I don't want any drinking and drugs, I swear I'll

"We know skin us." Soda mimicked Darry. Maria giggled.

"Keep an eye on you're brother." Darry said, great now he was treating me like a four year old.

(Darry's P.O.V)

I watched the boys run off until they were out of sight. I turned around to my girlfriend. She was one of those girls who refused to believe she had physical beauty, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. I wasn't "allowed" to tell her that she was either but yet she could tell me I was gorgeous any time she damn well pleased. Maria tackled me on to the couch and sat on me.

"Tell me if I get to heavy." She said rubbing her hands lightly over my chest.

"Like that'll happen." I muttered taking her hands into mine.

"I don't think your brother likes me."

"Nah, they do we talked about this; Pony's just a little shy sometimes, and they are both a little mad that Sunny is gone."

Maria smiled she grabbed hold on my hair running her hands through it. "God you're gorgeous"

I laughed. "So can I tell you it with getting slapped upside the head?"

"Never. Why don't you grow you're hair?" She changed the subject.

"Because unlike you I don't enjoy waste length hair." I removed a strand from her eyes. "What are you some kind of hippie."

Maria held up a peace sign. "Peace and love baby."

I threw my head back and laughed. "Come here." I pulled her down toward me kissing her.

(Sunny's P.O.V)

"Sunny!" Grace pushed me at the door. We were standing at the door of my parent's house. I guess you could say I was getting cold feet. Grace rang the doorbell and held me there. I could hear the pounding of feet.

Holly answered the door. "Shay!" She hugged me hard. "You're back? Mom Shay's back!"

My Mom came running to the door. "Shay, since when do you ring the door bell?" She hugged me and kissed my cheeks. "Come inside." It was when we stepped inside that they both realized that Grace was standing behind me.

"I'm Sunny's Mother, Betty." She stuck her hand out.

"Grace, you have a beautiful house."

We sat down in a living room. Mom of course doing all the Mom things saying how the house was a wreck even thou it was spotless. They loved Grace but then again, what parents couldn't. I told her about my job and why I was here.

"Oh." Mom said. Holly sunk back in her chair. "I didn't know it was just business. I thought maybe it was for good."

I shook my head. "I live in Tulsa now; I love my job and I miss and love you guys but I need to be with my brothers."

"I see." Mom said drawing her lips in a thin line. That was never a good sign but she didn't say anything. "You two should stay for dinner. You're father should be home soon."

We agreed to stay, and dinner went well. They loved Grace, it was around eight when I told them we had to catch a late train to Seattle but I needed to get my stuff that.

"So you're leaving again?" He asked. "Did you come here to see you're family or get your stuff?"

"Nick please, we have company here." My Mom stopped him.

My room was exactly how I left it. Blue walls posters on it my shelf organize devoted to nothing but sports trophies that had collected a lot of dust. My desk was a mess. My guitar in the corner I picked up the black case and opened it to find it smashed to pieces and I mean pieces. I breathed out tossing the cased aside.

"Sunny, you alright?" Grace put her hand on my arm. "Let's just get everything and get the hell out."

I threw my clothes into my bags cleared off my desk leaving nothing but the furniture, posters and those trophies. I didn't say anything until the train to Seattle.

We were sitting there listening to the radio announce how the president was going to start up a draft in less than a month.

"This was is useless; we aren't fighting for a cause." Grace said.

I switched it off. "I doubt he'll call up a draft."

If I could describe Seattle to one, it would be a hell whole, it was cold it rained and I rarely slept and when I did it wasn't good. It was the third day when I told Grace to stay in the hotel room because the place was dirty; I told her it was too rainy for cameras anyway. I came in soaking wet and pissed off.

"Sorry!" I jumped back Grace was standing in there in nothing but a towel.

She blushed. "I didn't think you would be back for a while. I'm trying to dry all my clothes out.

"Here." I dug through my bags and gave her a shirt. It might be pretty big. She disappeared into the bathroom and came back out; sure enough, it was big on her.

"Thanks." She sat down next to me. "Are you alright? You didn't even bother to say bye to you're family face to face, you screamed it and have been out of it ever since."

I turned to look at her. I forgot she is actually pretty. Her hair was curly and fell a little past her shoulders. I never saw it down before. It's always pulled back into a bun.

"They just don't understand." I murmured. "I love my family; hell I should be happy I have two, but no matter where I go I hurt someone. I don't know what to do."

Grace hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her it was nice to have someone neutral for the support. "Where do you feel like you belong?"

I lifted my head up to look at her. "Right here." It wasn't supposed to come out but I did. I whispered it and slowly drew my lips to here and kissed her. She deepened it falling back on the bed. I hovered over her hands were on my neck mine on the sheets. I almost took the kissing to another step but the phone rang. We both stopped. I grabbed the phone.

"Yes?" My voice came out raspy.

"Sunny?" It was the boss suddenly I felt embarrassed. The position we were in, the face that I was vulnerable and Grace probably was too, this probably wasn't right with her type of life style.

"Yeah?" I was out of breath. I wanted a cigarette but those had gotten wet today.

"You guys can come home."

We left and left immediately. She was still wearing my shirt. We got back to the Tulsa at night. The only thing I wanted was a hot shower and my own bed.

I smiled and pulled onto my street. It was good to finally be home. The truck was nowhere in sight, I tried to remember what day it was because well, Darry could be working late. The boy's were home though. I could see the glow from the TV when I pulled up.

I got out of my car. When a figured stepped on the porch.

"What are you doing here? This is our turf." Pony lit a cigarette.

"Yeah," I answered "and it's my house. Turn the porch light on smarty pants."

Pony reached his hand inside and flipped the light on. "Sunny?" His face lit up but he was trying hard to show no emotion. "You went back to L.A."

"For work." I answered."

Pony looked confused as all could be. Darry's truck pulled up I could hear the engine being shut off. He stepped out looking like hell hit him side ways then ran him over with a bus.

"Working you're ass off again?" I asked as he threw his tool belt off.

He grunted. "That's putting it lightly. You were gone for a while."

"Ponyboy!" Darry yelled I watched fear spread across his face. I turned around to seemingly have Pony fly at me with Soda now standing in his place. I caught him before he face planted into the cement. He held his arms tight around my neck.

"Oh, you mean you actually missed me?" I asked sarcastically. "Because I thought you hated me."

"Shut up I thought you left for good; so did Soda!" Pony muffled from my neck.

"Nope, you're really stuck with me." I patted the back of his head.

"Come on, Pony, you aren't seven, Sunny looks how I feel."

I shook my head at Darry. "He's fine." I picked up one my bags; Soda and Darry both grabbed a couple and stuck them in my room.

"How was it?" Soda asked sitting over Darry who was stretched out on the floor.

"L.A was fun, music was great, visited a couple of people. Seattle was terrible." I answered.

"Did you meet anyone famous?" Pony asked.

I grinned. "Jimi Hendrix."

"Who's that? Soda asked. "Oh, believe me kid, you'll know soon.

He just shrugged. "I think Darry is asleep."

"No." He called from the floor. "So, don't you dare try to draw anything on me?"

I got the hot shower I wanted, even some purple spaghetti. I couldn't figure out where I wanted to put things. I put them somewhere and move it.

"You want him out of here?" Darry appeared in the doorway.

I looked back at the sleeping figure in my bed, "Nah, he's fine."

"This place looks like a bomb exploded." Darry commented his eyes darted around the disaster on my floor.

"Don't try to Daddy me it'll kill you."

Darry laughed. "Believe me I wasn't." He rubbed his eyes.

"Long week." I asked

"Yeah" Darry answered. "So, what happened in L.A with your family?"

I shrugged. "Nothing, I visited and got my shit."

"You suck at lying."

"Look I'm home, okay this is where I want to be. I just have to figure out where I want to put everything!" I nearly shouted at him.

"You sure about that?" Darry cocked his eyebrow at me.

"I'm sure" I threw another sweater on the ground.

"My Mom would have killed me if she ever saw me throwing my nice clothes on the floor"

I tried to smile. "So would mine."

"You sure you want this move to be permanent." He nodded to Pony. "It's a lot to take on."

"Believe me it's what I want." I picked up the sweater I threw on the ground and folded it. Darry just stood there watching my every move as I tacked a couple pictures up on the wall, folded laundry threw shoes in the closet. "He broke my guitar." I finally said as I dropped my notebooks into my desk.

"That's what you're mad about?" He asked.

"It's a little deeper than that but yeah."

Darry walked in I watched as he gently played with Pony's hair. "You know; I never understood this one, I get Soda most of the time but this kid and the arts and stuff was something I'll never understand. Soda doesn't get it either. My Dad used to take Pony to the movies all the time. He's come watch the game with me and then do something with soda. One time he took us all to the art museum want to know what Soda and I did?"

"What?"

"Soda knocked over a stuffed bear and I said out loud how is that scribble worth money and pissed of an art study group."

I laughed. "I guess it's something people don't understand."

"This family is a real work of art."

"What that supposed to mean."

Darry looked at me. "It means that I've had a lot of time to think about this, the situation both families. He's you're Dad; you need to stop referring to him as him. You're pretty damn lucky that he's still around because, right now I wish the only problem I could have was my Dad broke my guitar."

"Do you want me to stay because I can easily leave here too? This isn't something you would understand."

"You have no idea how bad I wish that my only problem with my Dad was that he smashed my guitar." Darry set his jaw; he was using a tone that I hadn't heard before. It was a mixture or being pissed off and depressed.

"He's not my blood. You need to just drop it alright I'll figure it out!" I yelled. I shut my mouth immediately. I didn't yell I didn't want to just go off and ruin all my hard work and therapy.

Darry never glance away. He jaw line was set firm and stared at me. I swear the way his eyes were they were close to being transparent and he could look right through you. "You know, I had four family members die in less than a year, not all of them were my blood."