Ponyboy sat slouching at the kitchen table. He hated Darry. What was the
big deal anyways? He hadn't even done anything. Why'd Darry have to make
such a big deal out of everything? He bit into his apple angrily and then
sat back on the chair hard so it made a bang against the counter.
Darry looked up from the paper. "You'd better cut that out." He warned.
Ponyboy rolled his eyes. He didn't want to cut it out. He was mad and frustrated and he didn't car if he was acting like a brat.
"You've been stomping around all day and I'm sick and tired of it." Darry said very crossly and just as frustrated as Ponyboy but for different reasons.
Pony sat up and attempted to mimic his brother. "You've been stomping around all day and I'm sick and tired of it."
Darry threw down the paper. "Ponyboy!" he yelled.
"Ponyboy!" Pony yelled back trying not to laugh.
"That's enough!" Darry said getting real frustrated.
"That's enough!" Pony mimicked Darry's exact words again. Ponyboy smiled. This was fun…
Darry let out an exasperated sigh followed by one from Pony. This was getting ridiculous. Why was Pony acting like this? "Ponyboy Curtis, if you do that one more time you'll be doing breakfast and dinner dishes for the rest of the week."
Pony fell silent. He hates dishes and as much as he tries not to let Darry's yelling scare him it always does. They then noticed Soda who had come in time to see the little show and he was laughing.
"Don't encourage him." Darry said.
"I should've video taped that and showed it to you guys in like ten years from now." Sodapop said.
"Well, It isn't gonna be as funny if he keeps doing that. He's getting way to cocky for his own good." Darry said looking directly at Ponyboy with dangerous eyes. Pony scrunched down in his seat miserably. Why did Darry always get to win? He always wins.
"Hurry up and eat your breakfast, Pony. You'll be late for school." Darry said.
"I'm not going to school." Pony said just to annoy Darry. When Pony saw the look on his brothers face he stifled a giggle.
"What do you mean you aren't going to school? Of course you are." Darry said.
"No I ain't." Ponyboy said. "I don't want to."
Darry looked at Ponyboy surprised. "Well I don't want to go to work." he said. "That doesn't mean that I'm not going."
"Well I don't wanna go to school so I aint going." Pony said and stormed off.
Darry looked at Soda. "What in the world has been up with that kid lately? Why is he so impossible?"
"It's called rebellion, Darry." Soda said.
"Great." Darry said. "Just what I need… a rebellious teenager." He sighed and studied the newspaper. He wondered if he was that impossible when he was Ponyboy's age. He didn't remember being like that. "Will you go in there and talk to him please?" Darry asked Soda.
"Me?" Soda asked. "What am I supposed to say to him?"
"I don't know." Darry said getting up from the table and clearing the plates. "Figure something out. He always listens to you."
"Not ALWAYS." Soda argued. "Yes, always." Darry insisted thinking of all those times Soda had been able to reason with Pony. He looked back up at Soda and said, "When I talk to him It's like I'm talking to the wind. Whenever you talk to him he gets whatever message you're giving him through that thick head of his."
Soda sighed and turned to go and find Ponyboy. "Pony?" He said walking into his room to find his little brother sitting on the bed.
"Yeah?" Pony answered.
"What's going on kiddo? You ok?" Soda spoke gently.
"I'm fine." Pony said. "I just don't wanna go to school, that's all."
"Why not? You love school."
"I don't love it right now." Pony said.
"Darry's gonna lose it if you don't cut this out Pon."
"What!? Now you're on his side?" Pony yelled.
"No." Soda said. "I'm not on anybody's side. I'm just trying to make peace. That's all. Besides," Soda laughed. "he's gonna make you somehow, anyway. He always does."
"That doesn't mean I have to make it easy for him." Pony crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.
Soda sighed. "All-right. "Have it your way, but I gotta get to work."
"Ponyboy!" Darry yelled. "You'd better be ready in one minute!" Pony looked over at Soda and groaned.
"Just go." Soda laughed. "Save yourself another lecture. Go."
Pony new that Soda was right. "Ok, fine." he said and got up, grabbing his stuff and heading out to the living room. Soda smiled and followed.
"Thank you." Darry mouthed to Sodapop as they headed out the door.
Darry looked up from the paper. "You'd better cut that out." He warned.
Ponyboy rolled his eyes. He didn't want to cut it out. He was mad and frustrated and he didn't car if he was acting like a brat.
"You've been stomping around all day and I'm sick and tired of it." Darry said very crossly and just as frustrated as Ponyboy but for different reasons.
Pony sat up and attempted to mimic his brother. "You've been stomping around all day and I'm sick and tired of it."
Darry threw down the paper. "Ponyboy!" he yelled.
"Ponyboy!" Pony yelled back trying not to laugh.
"That's enough!" Darry said getting real frustrated.
"That's enough!" Pony mimicked Darry's exact words again. Ponyboy smiled. This was fun…
Darry let out an exasperated sigh followed by one from Pony. This was getting ridiculous. Why was Pony acting like this? "Ponyboy Curtis, if you do that one more time you'll be doing breakfast and dinner dishes for the rest of the week."
Pony fell silent. He hates dishes and as much as he tries not to let Darry's yelling scare him it always does. They then noticed Soda who had come in time to see the little show and he was laughing.
"Don't encourage him." Darry said.
"I should've video taped that and showed it to you guys in like ten years from now." Sodapop said.
"Well, It isn't gonna be as funny if he keeps doing that. He's getting way to cocky for his own good." Darry said looking directly at Ponyboy with dangerous eyes. Pony scrunched down in his seat miserably. Why did Darry always get to win? He always wins.
"Hurry up and eat your breakfast, Pony. You'll be late for school." Darry said.
"I'm not going to school." Pony said just to annoy Darry. When Pony saw the look on his brothers face he stifled a giggle.
"What do you mean you aren't going to school? Of course you are." Darry said.
"No I ain't." Ponyboy said. "I don't want to."
Darry looked at Ponyboy surprised. "Well I don't want to go to work." he said. "That doesn't mean that I'm not going."
"Well I don't wanna go to school so I aint going." Pony said and stormed off.
Darry looked at Soda. "What in the world has been up with that kid lately? Why is he so impossible?"
"It's called rebellion, Darry." Soda said.
"Great." Darry said. "Just what I need… a rebellious teenager." He sighed and studied the newspaper. He wondered if he was that impossible when he was Ponyboy's age. He didn't remember being like that. "Will you go in there and talk to him please?" Darry asked Soda.
"Me?" Soda asked. "What am I supposed to say to him?"
"I don't know." Darry said getting up from the table and clearing the plates. "Figure something out. He always listens to you."
"Not ALWAYS." Soda argued. "Yes, always." Darry insisted thinking of all those times Soda had been able to reason with Pony. He looked back up at Soda and said, "When I talk to him It's like I'm talking to the wind. Whenever you talk to him he gets whatever message you're giving him through that thick head of his."
Soda sighed and turned to go and find Ponyboy. "Pony?" He said walking into his room to find his little brother sitting on the bed.
"Yeah?" Pony answered.
"What's going on kiddo? You ok?" Soda spoke gently.
"I'm fine." Pony said. "I just don't wanna go to school, that's all."
"Why not? You love school."
"I don't love it right now." Pony said.
"Darry's gonna lose it if you don't cut this out Pon."
"What!? Now you're on his side?" Pony yelled.
"No." Soda said. "I'm not on anybody's side. I'm just trying to make peace. That's all. Besides," Soda laughed. "he's gonna make you somehow, anyway. He always does."
"That doesn't mean I have to make it easy for him." Pony crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.
Soda sighed. "All-right. "Have it your way, but I gotta get to work."
"Ponyboy!" Darry yelled. "You'd better be ready in one minute!" Pony looked over at Soda and groaned.
"Just go." Soda laughed. "Save yourself another lecture. Go."
Pony new that Soda was right. "Ok, fine." he said and got up, grabbing his stuff and heading out to the living room. Soda smiled and followed.
"Thank you." Darry mouthed to Sodapop as they headed out the door.