Ponyboy is sitting on the couch with a book open on his lap and a cigarette burning down between his fingers when Betty arrives. He looks up at her, and she notices his eyes are red. He's been crying.

"I broke up with Cathy," he says.

She feels bad for being happy. Betty never liked Cathy, and she knew she wasn't good for Ponyboy. But she still hates seeing him sad. She feels like he's her little brother, too. She sits down next to him and gives him a hug.

"You're better off without her. Ya'll weren't right for each other. And besides, you didn't love her. You need to be with someone you love."

He nods. "Still hurts."

She notices the book he's reading, tightens her hug, and kisses the top of his head.

"Someday, you'll meet a girl, and it'll be worth it to build a mansion across the river just so you can be close," she says.

"That's how you feel about Darry?" Pony asks.

"Just call me Gatsby. But I hope no one kills me in my swimming pool."

Ponyboy smiles. "Thanks, Betty."

"Je vous en prie."

There's a sound of brakes squealing in the driveway. Betty jumps up and touches her index finger to her lips.

"I was never here," she says. She darts into Darry's bedroom and closes the door behind her.

Ponyboy rolls his eyes and tries to go back to his book. But he knows what they're going to do, and he's blushing something fierce.

XXX

Darry is exhausted from his day at work, and after taking a shower, all he wants is to nap for a while. With any luck, he'll be woken up by Betty snuggling up to him and kissing on his back. He could use some fun.

He almost jumps out of his skin when he hears someone say, "hey there, handsome," from the direction of his bed.

He turns around to see that Betty is already naked in his bed and motioning seductively for him to join her. Any fear he felt is forgotten, and he suddenly finds more energy. He's under the covers next to her before she can blink.

"What'd I do to deserve you?" he breathes into her neck.

"What didn't you do?" she whispers in his ear and then gives it a playful nip.

She pushes him onto his back, and then she's on top of him, kissing and nipping along his collarbone. He loves it when she's on top, with her breasts in the perfect place for him to play with and kiss on, and her taking charge and kissing him all over. She knows what he likes, and she has a way of doing everything just right, being quick about getting him there and pushing him over the edge so he can get some much needed sleep. This time is no different, and it's not long until that familiar warm, tingly feeling takes over. She kisses him deeply, and he moans against her lips.

She smiles down at him, gives him another kiss, and cuddles up next to him.

"I love you," he mumbles sleepily as he pulls her close. "I love you so much."

Betty kisses his neck and whispers, "I love you too."

But her words fall on deaf ears. Darry is already asleep. All she can do is bury her face in his chest and give him kisses until she's asleep herself.

XXX

He's fighting hard to stay awake long enough to pay their bills and balance the checkbook, but he can't make sense of the numbers, his vision is swimming, and he can feel his eyes rolling back in his head. The air conditioner is fighting a losing battle against the late August heat, and the warm house is making him sleepier. He rubs his eyes and shakes his head, trying to wake himself up. But as soon as he looks down at the papers in his lap, he starts to nod off again. He's regretting drinking so much last night, and he's having second thoughts about the glass of bourbon he had before he sat down to work. He should know better by now.

He'll just close his eyes for a few minutes. Ponyboy will be home soon, and he'll wake him up. If nothing else, Betty will wake him up when she comes over, and he'll just stay up late working.

He's starting to drift when he's startled awake by a scream. His blood runs cold. It's Ponyboy. Something's happened to Sodapop, he just knows it.

But when Ponyboy throws the door open, he has a big smile on his face.

"We got a letter from Sodapop!"

He's relieved, but his heart is still beating a mile a minute. He needs a drink.

The brothers devour the letter. Sodapop says it's rainy and hot, but things are fine other than that. He's honestly a little bored. He likes everyone in his platoon, though, and they get along well. They go on patrols every day, but he still hasn't seen combat. One guy went swimming in a pond and came out with leeches, and the medic had to cut them off of him with a Swiss Army Knife.

He's included a few 3x5s of himself and Steve and some of their army buddies. There's one of them posing with guns and trying to look tough, one of Sodapop sitting on a tank, one of Steve sitting in a tent and smoking a cigarette, and one of a bunch of guys holding a huge snake.

"He looks happy," Ponyboy says softly.

Darry nods. "Glad he's OK. Just hope he stays that way."

"Me too."

It's quiet for a minute, and then Ponyboy sighs a long, shaking sigh.

"I miss him," he says. He sounds like he's about to cry.

Darry puts an arm around his shoulders. "Me too, buddy. But at least now we know he's OK, right? He'll be back before we know it."

He nods. "I guess."

They sit in silence for a few minutes, and then Ponyboy sighs, shrugs out of Darry's hug and stands up.

"I've got homework. But do you wanna write him back later tonight?"

"Yeah. Ok."

Ponyboy disappears into his bedroom, and Darry buries his head in his hands.

He's glad to hear from his brother, and he's relieved that he's alive. But at the same time, getting the letter and seeing the pictures makes everything more real. He'd been trying his best to pretend that Sodapop is just at work or on a date or out with friends. Of course he knows the truth, but it's easier to put it out of mind. He finally gets why Ponyboy is always reading books and going to the movies. It's an escape. And lately, he's been needing an escape himself.

Darry misses Sodapop with a pain that's like a knife through his chest. He forces himself up off the couch and into the kitchen. He grabs the bourbon from the small, awkward cabinet above the stove and takes a big gulp straight from the bottle.

Ponyboy was reading The Great Gatsby, which is property of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

"Je vous en prie" is a French way of saying you're welcome. You use it after someone has thanked you, and it basically means "no, thank you."

I'd love some reviews! :D