I had spoken my peace in court. Pony was even called up to the stand. Soda was up there and he seemed to be doing more destruction than before. It was like he was accidently digging his own grave. I could already see the tears in his eyes threatening to fall. I felt something wrap around my fingers. I looked down to see Pony's frail hand wrapped around mine. I don't think he even realized he did it. I yanked my hand away and put my arm around him, pulling Pony close to me. I caught a faint smile from him. I felt bad for him; he looked horrible and was freezing in a court room that was burning up. I felt his head with my other hand. He felt warm. It was hard to image that by the end of today there could be someone else taking care of him. I pulled myself away from my thoughts in time to hear the judge ask,

"If you knew you were disobeying, your brother, the law and you knew it was wrong. Why did you do it? Why did you choose to illegally race cars, and fight?"

Soda looked at his hands. He brought is face up filled with tears. "It just made me forget about all the bad things that have happened. It took my mind off of my parents and friends that died. And the girlfriend that cheated on me. The kid and I got into a fight, not with fists just words over, he called my parents less than respectable, and my brothers. I stood up; I wanted to earn respect for my family." He looked down again. I could tell he was trying to suck in air to stop crying. "I didn't think it'd turn into everything that it did. When it did it was about proving myself"

I watched the judge take his gavel and slam it down. "The court will now take a fifteen minute recess." My brothers followed me out in the hall. I sat on a bench next to Pony. He leaned heavily on me. I pushed back his hair. It was soft with out the grease in it.

"You sick again, Pony?" Soda asked.

"Again? I never stopped." Pony answered. "Darry, if we lose the case do they take us away right away?"

I looked down. "I don't know, baby."

"How come it always rains when bad things happen?" Pony asked randomly. I wasn't even sure if he meant to ask that out loud. It was raining out.

"I think you watch too many movies."

"Didn't rain on Mom and Dad's funeral." Soda added to the conversation. "Or Johnny and Dally's. I'm with Darry; you watch too many movies." He slowly paced back and forth, almost hoping.

I shook my head. "Soda, you are making me nervous. Sit down."

"I can't sit. I'm nervous." He stopped and looked at Pony. "Can't we just leave now, and hide out on a reservation? Or better yet go to Mexico. "

I shook my head and scooted down with one arm still around Pony. "Come on, Soda just sit down with us."



Soda sat down leaning his head on my shoulder. I wondered if we looked strange to others. Three young greaser looking kids show affection in public. I didn't care what we looked like. For all I knew this could be the last few minutes we had with each other. I rubbed the back of Soda's head. His head hair was fuzzy. The kid was lucky though, even with out his hair he still had his looks.

I watched the rain beat against the windows. Rain always made me want to sleep, especially thunderstorms. I was never one of those kids who were afraid of storms. Soda used to be, and if you asked me he still was. He just wouldn't admit it. He always wanted to stay home when they were going on. He'd roam the hallways at night. Pony used to so fascinated with lightening, the colors and the sound thunder made, he'd stand outside and watch storms. My parents used to be afraid he would be stuck by lightening. A loud clap of thunder made us all jump. Pony groaned, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I wish we could just be home." Soda said. "With pizza and the TV. I hate storms."

It was scary, what were they going to do if they didn't go home with me? I pulled them both closer.

I wasn't ready for the judge to have his decision, but before I knew it we were all standing up. The judge looked anything but merciful. "Sodapop Michel Curtis, do realized you can be jailed for drag racing?" He sounded more like a father reprimanding his child than a judge.

"Yes, sir."

"You spent a night in jail already, how was that?"

I closed my eyes. "Not good, sir. " Soda answered honestly.

I jammed my hands in my pockets. My throat was starting to close up.

"With the events from just a short while ago, you should have realized that violence leads to more violence."

I wanted to tell this judge to state his decision. He didn't need to be torturing us. Soda didn't respond. He just nodded, trying so hard not to ball his eyes out at the moment. He was holding his breath, we all were.

"Sodapop, drag racing, fighting, and I believe there is more to the story. The fact that you were looking for a way to escape reality does not condone you actions. In some ways it makes what you did worse. I think in your case removing you from your home would not do you any good. In the case of Sodapop Curtis, you are released to the custody of Darrel Curtis."

I breathed for the first time since the judge started talking. I put my arm around Pony and pulled him in. Soda brushed his hand over his face and smiled.


I hated the last week of a month. I was always up until the late night filling out bills. I always was a procrastinator. Even in high school, I'd always wait last minute to study and do my projects. Now, I couldn't procrastinate. Everything had to be on time. I rubbed my eyes with my fist in an attempt to wake myself up more. I looked around the room, everything was a mess. I haven't gotten a lot of time to clean. That was going to be Soda's job now. He got his licenses taken away for ninety days.

"What are you doing up?"

I jumped out of my chair and turned around. Soda grinned with bemusement. I folded my arms over my chest. "I should be asking you that."

"I can't sleep." He said eyeing the window. The storm was still going on.

"What's the matter? Scared?"

Soda glared at me. "It's just, I can't sleep."

"Sit down, kid. I'm just doing the bills for this month."

"We owe a lot of money?" He asked.

"The regular bills are no more than last month. Now, with your court fines and your tickets up to seventy five dollars more; our budget is about to get really tight."

"I have fifty dollars." He said getting up. Soda disappeared down the hall. I could hear him digging around in his room, and Pony's faint voice telling him to shut up.

Soda put an old shoe box on the table. "I got it from poker and drag racing Nick."

"That's great. We can pay your court fines with the money you got from doing things that brought you into court." I took the stack of bills. "You still owe twenty-five dollars."

Soda sighed. He put his head on the table. "Great, I lost my licenses for ninety days, and I'm going to be broke fro ninety days."

"Don't forget grounded."

"I've been through all this, and you are still grounding me?"

"You lied to me. You snuck out. Drag raced, gambled and got In over your head in trouble. You expect me to let that go? Let me tell you something, I give you a hell of a lot of lee way. You turn around and abuse it. Sodapop, you actions could have jeopardized this family. I'm going to have this state breathing down my neck."

"I don't know what you want me to do. I can't say I'm sorry enough!"

"I don't want to hear, sorry. I'm sick of it. I just want you to go back to being Soda."



Soda rolled his eyes. "Go back, go back to what Darry?" He kicked the table making my pen shake. "Forget it."

"Sit your ass in the chair, now Sodapop Patrick." This was weird. I hated laying down the law on Soda, because it was still weird for me. He was only a three years younger than me. "You need to tell me what the hell is going on."

"You act like this is no big deal. Darry I like ridding, and I like racing cars. It gives me a rush. It's not fair that Nick can do it, and go back to his house. I do it, and I have my family being held above my head. I'm seventeen. I want to act seventeen. Nick, Brian and Frankie deserve what ever is coming to him. If I don't get them, Tim will."

Nick White was the kid who Soda was competing against. I wasn't exactly enlightened Tim was involved as well. "Frankie?" I questioned. "Frankie White?"

"Yeah, his brother." Soda was looking at me like I had grown another head. "Nick took a friendly card game and drag race, and turned it into war when he brought his brother in. They harass me at the DX. They even tried to destroyed Tim's car and tried to make it look like Steve and I did it."

My blood started to boil. I beat Frankie White out when I was a junior for Captain of the football team. "Damn it," I said for the lack of anything else to say.

Soda glared at me. "You don't understand, Darry. You just don't get what it's like to be me." He was gripping the edge of the table. Soda rarely got this pist off. The last time I saw him this pist was when I smacked Pony. "You act like you don't understand what it's like to be seventeen. I'll tell you something. It stinks. I hate the fact I have to put up with socs, I hate that my girlfriend left me, I hate that I wasn't good enough for her. I hate coming home and having to play the fucking peacemaker and there is still no peace! I'm not fucking good for anything!" He stood up so fast that he knocked the chair to the floor, and then ran off pushing Pony, who must of woken up when he heard us talking. I heard the door to his room slam.

A/N Not my best, but here you go. I'm going to try to get a another chapter up this week….maybe