"Dar!" Soda yelled, jumping up from the couch later that evening as his brother walked through the front door. "You get the job Dar? Did you get it?"

Darry grinned widely. "Yah I got it kiddo."

"All-right! I knew you would! I made supper. There's a plate for you in the kitchen."

"Thanks, I'm starving." Darry said, going to get it.

Soda stayed close behind. "So, what exactly is this job anyways? You sell radios?"

"It's some store a ways past town that sells radios and televisions and such and just about everything else you can plug in. I work the cash register and I answer questions. That is if I know the answer to the questions." Darry said. "After my shoulder heals my old boss says I'm welcome back so I'm hoping it heals quickly."

Soda laughed. "Do you get discounts on the stuff there? We need a bigger TV."

"I didn't ask about discounts. I'm just happy I found a job. How's Pony doing? Did he get any sleep today?" Darry asked.

"I'm fine." Pony said, answering for Soda as he walked out of his room and went to find Soda and Darry.

"Guess what little buddy. I got the job." Darry announced.

"That's great!" Pony said but then frowned. That means all be all alone during the day. I don't wanna be all alone.
"But who's gonna stay with me?" He asked.

Darry sighed. He had been waiting for that question to come up. "Pony." He said said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You've got to quit being so skittish. All-right? We can't stay with you twenty-four seven. It just ain't possible honey. Besides you're going back to school in a few more days."

"I told you I'm never going outside again!" Pony screamed.

"Pony, you can't stay in the house for the rest of your life."

"I can too! There was a man on the news that lived in his attic for twenty four years." Pony said. Soda rolled his eyes and got a coke out of the fridge. "And I can't go outside! If I do that guy'll find me and come after me. He's trying to kill me! He's gonna shoot me. Then he'll cut me up and throw the pieces into a lake and nobody will ever know what happened to me and it'll be all over the newspapers and on TV and-"

"What movies have you been seeing lately?" Darry demanded, ready to ban his little brother from the theater.

"I haven't been to the movies for weeks." Pony said.

"Well that imagination of yours is getting the best of you. You're going back to school on Thursday and you're gonna stop worrying so much about somebody that you claim is trying to kill you."

"But he is!" Pony protested. He couldn't deny the fact that he had a big imagination and he'd put several frightening ideas into his head but he still thought that guy was for sure trying to kill him.

"All-right, Ponyboy! That's it! You're going to a shrink!"

"NO!" Pony yelled.

"Well then quit talking like this." Darry said. Pony's eyes widened and he looked fearful. "What now?" Darry asked.

"What if he goes to my same school!?"

Darry sighed exasperated. "Ponyboy, I've seen that social that you're so afraid of before and he's my age. He ain't in high school anymore and he is not going to kill you! For the last time Ponyboy! I've told you a thousand times, the police found him!"

"So what? He's out on bail."

"We've got a restraining order against him."

"Like that makes any difference to him. He'll come after me anyways!

"He won't and we've been over this as well."

"How do you know?"

"Pony you're being paranoid." Soda broke in.

"I AM NOT!"

"Pony, c'mere." Darry grabbed his arm and started tugging him towards the front door.

"I'm not going outside!"

"Yes you are! Just out to the front porch. Nothing is going to happen. I promise."

"No!" Pony squealed.

"Dar, don't force it." Soda said, following.

"Soda make him stop!" Pony yelled.

"C'mon Darry. You'll only scare him."

"He has nothing to be scared of. Ponyboy, we're going outside and you're going to be fine." Darry walked out the door, holding onto a furious and frightened Ponyboy who was desperately trying to get away.

"I wanna go inside. I wanna go inside." Pony begged the second they stepped out. He sobbed, grabbing his brother around the waist and hiding in his shirt. "Please take me inside. I'm sorry I made you mad but please take me inside. Please." At this point he didn't care if he was bawling and acting half his age.

His little brothers reaction frightened Darry. "Ponyboy, I'm not mad at you." Darry returned the hug. "That's the last thing I am. I'm just trying to show you that you don't have anything to worry about, now open your eyes, would you?"

"No, if I do I'll see him."

"Pony, that was just a dream." Darry said in utter frustration but forced himself to hold back his anger once again, knowing it wouldn't help anything.

"But it was so real."

"But it wasn't!" Darry said. "Open your eyes and look around. I'm not taking you back inside until you do. C'mon now, kiddo. Everything's fine. I'm right here." Pony whimpered and slowly opened his eyes, surveying the dark neighborhood block. "See there is nothing to be afraid of." Darry said.

"Can we go inside now?" He pleaded.

"Yeah." Darry sighed and brought him back inside. Pony ran to Soda, fleeing from the one that had made him leave his walls of safety. Darry sighed, feeling a bit guilty for forcing him out of the house but he couldn't let him hide inside forever. "Pony, I was only trying to show you that there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Relax Pon." Soda said, rubbing his back. "You're fine."

"I'm not going back to school." He insisted, glaring at his oldest brother.

"Pony, if you miss any more school you'll be in the 9th grade two years in a row."

"That's an exaggeration and I'm already a grade ahead and if I have to redo a year I'll only be back in the grade that I'm supposed to be in." Pony said.

Darry sighed. "Well you've got detention come Saturday and you sure ain't missing that."

"I'm not going outside!" Pony said, for the one hundredth time that week.

Darry sighed. "Ponyboy if you'll just come out of the house we'll all go get some shakes and go see a movie. Now how often does someone get that treatment when they've been suspended?"

"I ain't going. Not even to the movies." Pony said.

"All-right, what's something you would come out and do?" Soda asked, worrying more with every word that was spoken.

"Nothing." Pony said. "I told you I wanna stay here and I don't wanna go anywhere. Why can't I stay here? Why do you guys want me to go out?"

"Because it's not healthy for you to hide away from the world like this. It worries me. Gosh, Ponyboy. Don't you trust me kiddo? I won't let nothing happen to you. Your as safe as you'll ever be. I took a bullet for you once and If I have to I'd do it again in a second." Darry said. This just made Pony cry harder. Darry sighed and decided that he'd tried enough that night and he wasn't going to get any further.

"All-right, fine but we ain't through talking about this, understand?" Darry said. Pony nodded. "Hey, did you sleep at all today like I told you to?"

"I would've but-"

"Ponyboy, how longs it been now since you've slept? Hmm? Twenty-Four hours? Forty-eight hours? You didn't take that pill I gave you this morning, did you?"

"I don't need um."

"You do need um. You ain't slept for a long time and you've got exhaustion written all over yourself. You take this prescription I picked up for you." Darry picked up the medicine bottle which sat on the kitchen counter.

"I told you I don't want any stupid sedatives."

"I don't care weather you want them or not. The doctor says you need them. You're to antsy to fall asleep on your own and if you don't get some sleep you'll get sick. You're to tired to dream anything anyways."

"Fine, I'll take it but I ain't going to sleep. I'll go take an ice cold shower to keep me awake if I have to."