Chapter Ten: That's what brothers are for
Ponyboy let his brother hold him, fearing that this would be the last time that he saw his brothers. Though the young boy didn't speak, Darry could feel the fear running through his youngest brother's body.
"You're going to be okay" Darry whispered into his hair, "Me and Soda won't let anyone harm you. You are perfectly safe with us."
Ponyboy wanted despretely to believe his brother, but knowing that the killer could get into the house without their knowing, Ponyboy doubted that he was as safe as his brother claimed he was. Finally Ponyboy stopped crying and looked up at his brother, who frowned down at him.
"Are you going to tell me what's got you so upset?" Darry asked gently, somehow knowing that Ponyboy had any intention of ever telling them what was really going on with him.
Ponyboy shook his head no, he didn't want his brothers to be hurt he loved them too much, and as Ponyboy stood there, he realized there was only one way to keep his brothers from harm, and that was to remove himself from the situation. Ponyboy pulled out of Darry's arms and backed against the wall, staring at the floor. He would find a way to keep his brothers safe from the same fate that happened to their parents.
Soda frowned at Darry as Ponyboy pulled away from Darry, something was going on in his little brothers head. Soda could tell he was thinking hard about something. About what he didn't know. He didn't want to wait to find out, and so he asked Ponyboy what was on his mind.
"Nothing" Ponyboy muttered as he turned and walked back to his bedroom, a steady breeze was blowing in from the broken window. As he entered his room, he shut the door and locked it behind him. He would leave. He wasn't going to stay around so that his brothers could be hurt by him. He wouldn't have their blood on his hands like he had his parents blood on his hands.
Ponyboy walked over to his closest and started pulling clothes out and tossing them out onto the bed. Finishing quickly with the closet because he really didn't have a whole in there, Ponyboy began taking the clothes and stuffing them into his track bag.
When he had finished he sat down on his bed and stared at the floor, he didn't know where he would go, he just knew he had to leave to keep his brothers safe. Sighing Ponyboy was still staring at the ground when he heard knocking on his door. Getting up Ponyboy walked slowly to the door, kicking his bag under his bed so that neither of his brothers would see it.
Opening the door slowly, Ponyboy found himself face to face with Soda, Ponyboy frowned at him, not really wanting to be bothered. Ponyboy stood away from the door and Soda walked in. going to the bed Soda sat down on it. Ponyboy turned to face him but refused to look Soda in the eyes.
"Ponyboy, what's going on with you? And why is it so cold in here?" Soda asked frowning, then he saw the broken window. "what happened to your window?"
Ponyboy looked quickly about his room, he didn't want Soda to know what had really happened. Finally his eyes found his baseball lying on the table beside his bed. Ponyboy went over and grabbed the ball then dropped it into Soda's lap.
"You're baseball broke the window?" Soda asked, frowning, he knew that Ponyboy was lying, could see it in his eyes. Whatever it was Ponyboy obviously didn't want to talk about it. So, Soda decided he wasn't going to bug him, standing up Soda reached out and placed his fingers under Ponyboy's chin and forced him to look into Soda's eyes.
"Whenever you want to talk you know where to find me" Soda said before walking out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Ponyboy was glad that Soda had left, though he knew he would miss his brothers a lot, he knew he had to leave. Bending down Ponyboy reached down and grabbed his bag out from under the bed and as quietly as he could, he slipping out the broken window and into the dark cold air.
He had barely made it fifty feet away from his house, when he felt a hand slap across his mouth and a voice hiss.
"You better not make a sound."