Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, The Outsiders. Full credit goes to S.E. Hinton. I am just borrowing her characters.
I felt my throat getting thick with emotion. I hadn't heard Soda's voice in so long. It sounded exactly the time, warm and excited, just like he always was.
"Katie? Hello? You there?"
I was pulled back to reality by the voice acknowledging me on the other end of the line. "I'm here," I said. "I can't believe it's you."
"Better believe it, baby," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "How are you?"
I heard footsteps in the hall. Ponyboy emerged, wearing only a towel. He gave me a quizzical look, noticing that my eyes were uncharacteristically glassy.
"What is it?" he asked, the water from his hair dripping onto the floor. I handed him the phone quickly, needing a few seconds to compose myself.
"Hello? Soda!"
I heard Pony's excited voice as I walked into the bathroom, blowing my nose gently and taking a deep breath. I knew Soda couldn't talk for long, so I hurried back out. Pony's face was full of excitement, and I knew it had absolutely made his day to be able to talk to his brother.
"Soda, Katie's back. Yeah, I'll put her on. See you soon."
Pony handed me the phone and I took it with a smile, placing it against my ear.
"Hey," I said, "sorry, I was just caught off guard." I could hear his laugh coming through the line loud and clear.
"It's okay," he said, "I would be surprised too."
"How are you? I mean, you aren't calling because you're hurt, right?" I felt my heart clench. It hadn't even occurred to me that this call could hold bad news.
"Nah, I'm alright. Better than alright now I've talked to you," he replied, his voice laced with affection. I blushed.
"I miss you so much, Soda. I can't wait for you to come home."
"Me too, Katie. It's kind of boring out here. The rush is kind of gone, you dig?" I could imagine. War was a terrifying experience, and while I was sure Soda had enjoyed the initial rush I knew he was itching to get back to Tulsa.
"Are you still coming home on the third?" He had mentioned the date in a letter a few weeks back, and I was anxious to know if anything had changed.
"Well, see, that's why I called..." His voice lingered, and my heart stopped feeling warm and fuzzy. "I'm coming back on the twentieth, now."
"Well... it isn't too much longer. Just a couple of weeks," I said, completely discouraged. More silence. I thought the connection had been lost, or that someone had forcefully hung up the phone for him. "You still there?"
"Yeah, I am. See, that's just it. I'm not coming next month. I'm coming the twentieth of this month." My mouth hung open and I felt excitement bubbling in my veins.
"Are you serious?" I exclaimed. I glanced hastily at the calendar on the wall. It was the sixth, which meant that Soda would be home in a short two weeks. I didn't think it was possible for me to feel any more elated.
"I'm real serious," he drawled. I let out an excited shriek, causing Pony, who had reentered the room dressed and dry, to look at me quizzically. Soda's happy laughter echoed from the phone. "I gotta go babe, there's a line for the phone. I'll see you real soon, okay?"
"I love you, Sodapop Curtis." My heart was so full of love it could burst.
"You too, Katie. See you when I get back." There was a click, and the line went dead on both ends. I looked at Ponyboy, still beaming and practically glowing.
"What the hell was that all about?" I couldn't contain myself any longer, and nearly exploded when I exclaimed,
"Soda's coming home! In two weeks!"
If Ponyboy had look confused before, all traces of it were now replaced with a wide grin that mirrored Two Bit's. He let out a whoop and I sank onto the couch, a smile on my face so wide that it was starting to hurt.