*Lorelai, please write more of What Love is For! I loooooove it!*
"How you feeling?" Darry asked, walking into his brothers' room later that night. Darry was sincerely concerned. Sodapop hardly ever got sick. It ain't much of a surprise though. He was probably out the whole night when he was in Florida. Darry thought. Where else would he go?
"I'm swell." Soda said, sarcastically. His body was aching and he felt lightheaded but he wasn't about to tell Darry that.
Darry slipped the thermometer in Soda's mouth and waited for a minute, then took it out. "You're fevers getting higher. It's up to a hundred and four."
"Mmmmmm." Soda said, stuffing his head into the pillow. Great. He thought. He really hated having to stay in bed, just lying there like that all day.
"The doctors coming over early tomorrow morning."
"I dun wanna see him." Soda said. "I don't like doctors. They stick things in your ears and shine lights in your eyes and stuff."
Darry smiled. "Yeah, well you need to, little buddy." Soda rubbed his forehead, tiredly and tried sitting up but found that he couldn't. One, because his head was pounding and second, because Darry wouldn't let him get more than two inches away from the mattress. So he plopped back down.
"It's boring jus' laying here like this." He griped. Darry reached over to Pony's desk and picked up a book. "Read." He said, handing it to Soda. "Thanks, but it'd rather be bored." Soda said. Darry smiled and got up. "I'm gonna go make some chicken broth."
"Darry lemme go lie down on the couch and watch TV." Soda said, forcing himself to sit up. Owe, head rush. I havta quit trying to sit up. Soda said to himself.
"No, you're staying in bed." Darry said.
"Wwhhhhyyyy?" He whined and dropped his head back down on the pillow, sighing.
"Because I said so."
"That's not a reason." Soda mumbled as Darry left.
Darry ignored him and continued to the kitchen to fix the chicken broth. "Pon, what you want for dinner?" He asked his youngest brother who was stretched across the couch.
"I dunno." Pony said trying hard to get the expression right on the man he was drawing but the look he was having trouble getting the look that he was going for.
"Chicken, pasta-" Darry went on listing things.
"Chinese food." Pony said.
"What?" Darry asked, putting down the broth and coming out of the kitchen.
"Chinese." Pony repeated, not looking up.
"Since when do you like oriental stuff?" Darry asked.
"I dunno." Pony said. "I just feel like Chinese food."
"We don't got Chinese food and I dunno how to make that anyways. What else?"
"Crab." Pony said.
"What?" Darry asked.
"Crab." Pony repeated, exasperated. "Why can't you hear me the first time. I'm watching this cooking show and all the stuff they're making looks real good. Specially the Chinese food and the crab."
Darry chuckled, understanding now. "We don't got crabs either, obviously so 'less you tell me what you want besides the stuff on that cooking show than don't complain when I end up making something that you don't like."
"Fine, sushi. Do we have sushi? That's not on the cooking show."
Darry sighed. "Never mind, Ponyboy." He said and went back into the kitchen to finish Soda's dinner while he tried to figure out what to make for Pony and himself.
***The Next Day***
"Soda, you gonna be if I go to work?" Darry asked, after saying goodbye to the doctor the next morning.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Soda said.
"All-right. I'll go pick up your prescription on my way home. Stay in bed, y'here me?"
"But-" Soda began to protest, longing to get out of his bed and do something! Anything!
"I mean it." Darry said, firmly, making sure that he was understood. Soda sighed but nodded. "Get some rest." Darry walked out and towards the front door. "Pony, you and Two-Bit had better leave in the next five minutes or you'll be late."
"Yeah, I know." Pony said, going to get his jacket.
Darry went out and got in the truck, Steve close behind him. "So, what exactly is going on with you and Evie?" Darry asked him, getting in. They had told Steve that morning what she'd said the night before. "Stuff." Steve mumbled, staring out the window, making it obvious he didn't want to talk about it so Darry didn't ask him anything else. He dropped his friend off and then headed towards his own job. He rounded the corner and then slammed on his breaks. There was Ponyboy at the Frosty Freeze, sipping on a coke.
"I don't believe this." Darry muttered, angrily and gripped the steering wheel.
He parked and got out of the truck, heading towards the store. He walked in and stood there for a moment. Pony's back was turned to him. Darry made himself calm down a bit before going over there. He walked towards the table and tapped on his little brother's shoulder. Ponyboy looked up at Darry startled. He didn't say anything. He just sat there, wondering what Darry'd do.
"You are in HUGE trouble." Darry said. Pony gulped.
"Owe!" He hollered as Darry took him by the ear and dragged him out of there.
"Daaaaarrrrrryyyy."
"You are gonna be grounded until you're fifty years old, Ponyboy Curtis."
"I'm sorry." He pleaded. Darry opened up the door to the passengers seat and shoved Pony in, then got into his own side. "You're going to school and you're gonna STAY THERE!" Darry headed toward the school, angrily. "And YOU can explain to them why you're late and you will give them the truth. Don't ask by the way because you are most definitely not back on the track team and you can explain that to your coach as well!"
Pony sighed, rubbing his ear. "I'm sorry, Darry."
"Yeah, well sorry just ain't gonna cut it. Is this your first time doing this? Huh? Is it?" Pony didn't say anything. "Answer me Ponyboy!" Pony shook his head. "Words please." Darry said.
"No, it's not the first time." Pony said, softly.
Darry sighed. "Well how many times?" Pony shrugged. "If you don't tell me I'm just gonna call the school and ask your teachers when they saw you last so you might as well tell me and save several people some time."
"Since last Friday." Pony said.
"We are going to have a good long talk when I get home from work, understand me?" Darry asked. Pony nodded. Nobody said anything the rest of the way there. When they got in front of the building Darry looked back over at his brother. "Get!" He said. Ponyboy scurried out of the car and into the school. Darry shook his head and drove back onto the road.
"How you feeling?" Darry asked, walking into his brothers' room later that night. Darry was sincerely concerned. Sodapop hardly ever got sick. It ain't much of a surprise though. He was probably out the whole night when he was in Florida. Darry thought. Where else would he go?
"I'm swell." Soda said, sarcastically. His body was aching and he felt lightheaded but he wasn't about to tell Darry that.
Darry slipped the thermometer in Soda's mouth and waited for a minute, then took it out. "You're fevers getting higher. It's up to a hundred and four."
"Mmmmmm." Soda said, stuffing his head into the pillow. Great. He thought. He really hated having to stay in bed, just lying there like that all day.
"The doctors coming over early tomorrow morning."
"I dun wanna see him." Soda said. "I don't like doctors. They stick things in your ears and shine lights in your eyes and stuff."
Darry smiled. "Yeah, well you need to, little buddy." Soda rubbed his forehead, tiredly and tried sitting up but found that he couldn't. One, because his head was pounding and second, because Darry wouldn't let him get more than two inches away from the mattress. So he plopped back down.
"It's boring jus' laying here like this." He griped. Darry reached over to Pony's desk and picked up a book. "Read." He said, handing it to Soda. "Thanks, but it'd rather be bored." Soda said. Darry smiled and got up. "I'm gonna go make some chicken broth."
"Darry lemme go lie down on the couch and watch TV." Soda said, forcing himself to sit up. Owe, head rush. I havta quit trying to sit up. Soda said to himself.
"No, you're staying in bed." Darry said.
"Wwhhhhyyyy?" He whined and dropped his head back down on the pillow, sighing.
"Because I said so."
"That's not a reason." Soda mumbled as Darry left.
Darry ignored him and continued to the kitchen to fix the chicken broth. "Pon, what you want for dinner?" He asked his youngest brother who was stretched across the couch.
"I dunno." Pony said trying hard to get the expression right on the man he was drawing but the look he was having trouble getting the look that he was going for.
"Chicken, pasta-" Darry went on listing things.
"Chinese food." Pony said.
"What?" Darry asked, putting down the broth and coming out of the kitchen.
"Chinese." Pony repeated, not looking up.
"Since when do you like oriental stuff?" Darry asked.
"I dunno." Pony said. "I just feel like Chinese food."
"We don't got Chinese food and I dunno how to make that anyways. What else?"
"Crab." Pony said.
"What?" Darry asked.
"Crab." Pony repeated, exasperated. "Why can't you hear me the first time. I'm watching this cooking show and all the stuff they're making looks real good. Specially the Chinese food and the crab."
Darry chuckled, understanding now. "We don't got crabs either, obviously so 'less you tell me what you want besides the stuff on that cooking show than don't complain when I end up making something that you don't like."
"Fine, sushi. Do we have sushi? That's not on the cooking show."
Darry sighed. "Never mind, Ponyboy." He said and went back into the kitchen to finish Soda's dinner while he tried to figure out what to make for Pony and himself.
***The Next Day***
"Soda, you gonna be if I go to work?" Darry asked, after saying goodbye to the doctor the next morning.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Soda said.
"All-right. I'll go pick up your prescription on my way home. Stay in bed, y'here me?"
"But-" Soda began to protest, longing to get out of his bed and do something! Anything!
"I mean it." Darry said, firmly, making sure that he was understood. Soda sighed but nodded. "Get some rest." Darry walked out and towards the front door. "Pony, you and Two-Bit had better leave in the next five minutes or you'll be late."
"Yeah, I know." Pony said, going to get his jacket.
Darry went out and got in the truck, Steve close behind him. "So, what exactly is going on with you and Evie?" Darry asked him, getting in. They had told Steve that morning what she'd said the night before. "Stuff." Steve mumbled, staring out the window, making it obvious he didn't want to talk about it so Darry didn't ask him anything else. He dropped his friend off and then headed towards his own job. He rounded the corner and then slammed on his breaks. There was Ponyboy at the Frosty Freeze, sipping on a coke.
"I don't believe this." Darry muttered, angrily and gripped the steering wheel.
He parked and got out of the truck, heading towards the store. He walked in and stood there for a moment. Pony's back was turned to him. Darry made himself calm down a bit before going over there. He walked towards the table and tapped on his little brother's shoulder. Ponyboy looked up at Darry startled. He didn't say anything. He just sat there, wondering what Darry'd do.
"You are in HUGE trouble." Darry said. Pony gulped.
"Owe!" He hollered as Darry took him by the ear and dragged him out of there.
"Daaaaarrrrrryyyy."
"You are gonna be grounded until you're fifty years old, Ponyboy Curtis."
"I'm sorry." He pleaded. Darry opened up the door to the passengers seat and shoved Pony in, then got into his own side. "You're going to school and you're gonna STAY THERE!" Darry headed toward the school, angrily. "And YOU can explain to them why you're late and you will give them the truth. Don't ask by the way because you are most definitely not back on the track team and you can explain that to your coach as well!"
Pony sighed, rubbing his ear. "I'm sorry, Darry."
"Yeah, well sorry just ain't gonna cut it. Is this your first time doing this? Huh? Is it?" Pony didn't say anything. "Answer me Ponyboy!" Pony shook his head. "Words please." Darry said.
"No, it's not the first time." Pony said, softly.
Darry sighed. "Well how many times?" Pony shrugged. "If you don't tell me I'm just gonna call the school and ask your teachers when they saw you last so you might as well tell me and save several people some time."
"Since last Friday." Pony said.
"We are going to have a good long talk when I get home from work, understand me?" Darry asked. Pony nodded. Nobody said anything the rest of the way there. When they got in front of the building Darry looked back over at his brother. "Get!" He said. Ponyboy scurried out of the car and into the school. Darry shook his head and drove back onto the road.