Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, The Outsiders. Full credit goes to S.E. Hinton. I am just borrowing her characters.
No matter how many time I replayed the words in my head, I still couldn't believe that Soda would be home in two weeks. Ponyboy darted out of the house to find Two Bit and Darry, leaving me alone in the Curtis home. I decided to head home to tell my mother the good news. I felt like I hadn't spent enough time with my mom as of late, but I knew she understood. Her work schedule often left her incredibly busy as well, so she understood my need to be around other people while Soda was gone.
My house was only a few streets down, and it was still light out. I felt safe walking around on my own, but it was still comforting to have someone looking out for me if it was late at night.
When I reached my house I pushed open the front door, calling out a greeting. I found my mother sitting at the kitchen table, a stack of mail in front of her that she had been leafing through absentmindedly. She looked up at my, removing her glasses and setting them on the table with a smile.
"Well, well. Look who's finally decided to grace me with her presence," she said, giving me a fond look. I was her only child, and we had always had a special bond. My father had left town when I was three, and she had done her best to play the role of both parents for me. I thought she had done an excellent job.
"Figured I should stop by," I said, taking a seat in the chair next to her. She patted my hand before turning to look back at the mail. She held up an envelope and waved it in front of me.
"I think this is for you," she commented, looking back at the mail. "It's from Soda."
I tore into the letter, and scanned it quickly. It contained the date and time that he was planning on arriving back in Tulsa.
"What does it say?" my mother asked inquisitively.
I felt the smile creeping back onto my face again. "Soda is coming home early," I told her.
"Ah," she said, giving my arm a squeeze. "I thought something seemed different about you. You were much too happy."
I rolled my eyes and gave her a kiss on the cheek before making my way to my bedroom, holding the letter close to my chest with a smile.
I spent a few days at home with my mom. It was nice to have time to catch up with her when she wasn't working at the hospital. I felt bad that we couldn't spend more time together, but she always reassured me that she wasn't upset. She led a busy life and so did I, but she would always be my mother and she would always be there for me when I needed her most.
My mother had to go back to work after a few days, so I decided to make an appearance at the Curtis household. I didn't bother knocking, because I knew no one would get up to let me in.
When I first entered the house, it seemed to be empty. A telltale shout came from the kitchen moments later, however, and I followed the noise to find Two Bit, Ponyboy and Darry standing around the phone. I approached Darry, giving him a smile. It was rare for me to see him on most weekdays, because he was always working, but I was glad to be able to catch up with him when he was off on the weekends.
"Hey guys, what are you-?" I began, my voice immediately silenced by Two Bit's.
"Give it to me!" Two Bit exclaimed, reaching up at an object that Darry was holding in his hand. Everyone was moving so fast that I barely had time to register what it was.
"I wanna talk first!" Pony proclaimed, reaching over with the same enthusiasm as Two Bit had. I raised my eyebrow at Darry, and he let out a sigh.
"Katie can talk first," He said, his tone final. I smiled, stuck my tongue out at the other two boys, and accepted the phone gladly.
"Hello?"
"Katie! I thought you woulda' been Pony or Two Bit. Could hear 'em fighting."
"I guess I'm more important" I said, holding the phone against my ear tightly to block out the sounds coming from the living room, where Two Bit and Pony had started to arm wrestle. "I can't wait to see you."
"I know," Soda answered, "I can't wait to see you either."
There was a shout from Pony telling me to hurry up. "I love you. Hang on, here's Pony." Pony approached the phone, holding his hand out, but Two Bit beat him to it. He snatched the phone from my hands, pressing it to his ear.
"Soda, my man! It's good to hear your beautiful voice again..." I looked at Pony, who frowned. I raised my hands in surrender, walking into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. Darry was sitting in his chair, reading the newspaper.
"Hey Darry," I said. "
"Hey, Katie. Gettin' excited?" he asked, looking up at me over his paper.
"Really excited," I answered, giving him a bright smile. He returned it before picking his paper back up and continuing to read. I enjoyed these peaceful moments in the Curtis household. Darry had been burdened with such responsibility at a young age, but it had made him more mature and wise in a way that most young men his age could never understand.
But as much as I enjoyed the peace and quiet, I was most excited for Steve and Soda to return, hopefully bringing a lot more chaos to the house again.
