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Look at this I made a nice long chapter for you guys
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"You've got exactly 5 seconds to get out of bed. We've got a meeting with the principal in a forty-five minutes."
"I wanna ride the horse to school Darry." Soda sat up sleepily.
"You can tomorrow. You don't have any time today. I've been in here to wake you three times."
"Where's Pony?" Soda yawned.
"He's showered and dressed already. Git outta bed."
Darry turned and stomped out of the bedroom down the hallway and into the kitchen. "He's gonna make us both late." Darry grumbled, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "Where's your bookbag?"
"By the door. Are you gonna pick us up after school?"
"No, your gonna have to take the bus today. Tomorrow if Soda gets his butt out of bed in time ya'll can ride the horse there and back."
"Do they got a place to keep a horse at the school?" Pony asked.
"I guess so. Apparently there's several students who ride a horse both ways. Pony, eat your food." Darry sighed, watching his youngest brother push his eggs around on his plate.
"I aint so hungry this mornin'."
"If your gonna try out for track today, you need to eat." Darry finished his coffee off. "Sodapop Patrick Curtis, if you aint out of bed I'm gonna skin you and then I'm gonna sell that horse!"
"M' up." Soda groaned and they heard the shower turn on.
Forty-five minutes later by some miracle they were at the school. "Do me a favor and don't have him call me today for some nonsense you're pulling." Darry said, stepping out of the headmaster's office once both brothers were registered and handed a class schedule.
"Nah, I'll wait until tomorrow to get kicked out of school." Soda quipped. Darry gave him a look. "I'm just joking Darry. Don't go breaking your back at work neither."
Darry gave him a rare smile. "All-right little buddy, you two catch the bus home and I'll see you around 5:30." He gave Soda an affectionate punch in the shoulder and messed up Pony's hair which earned him a dirty look. "Stay out of trouble."
"The principal looked at us funny." Ponyboy said, watching Darry drive off.
"It's because we're the only ones within 200 miles of this place that have grease in our hair." Soda said bitterly.
"Do you reckon he thinks we're hoods?" Pony asked.
Soda shrugged. "Maybe. He seemed nice enough though."
"Betcha it's only because Darry's so big." Pony laughed and Soda had to grin. The boys looked around. The school was small, maybe a third of the size of Tulsa High and there sure wasn't anybody wearing grease in their hair. But there weren't any socs either. Old trucks and beat up bicycles dominated the small parking lot. "Don't see any Mustangs or Madras." Pony quipped.
"Nope just hick kids. Maybe thery'll be some cute hick broads." Soda laughed. "All-right lets get this school thing over with. I wanna get home and ride."
Soda regrettably headed off to class. Not long after Pony found himself trying out for track which he passed with flying colors.
"All-right Curtis practice is every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. I need you to have your brother sign this permission slip by tomorrow."
"All-right." Pony grinned. "See you tomorrow coach." He washed up and went to class.
Soda groaned. Just two more minutes, he told himself. It was almost 12:30 which meant a lunch break. This teacher had to be speaking German or some other foreign language. He was processing absolutely none of it. Screw algebra, who needs it? He massages his temples back and forth. He can't believe he's sitting in this classroom instead of looking under the hood of a Chevy at the DX.
He felt like he was being watched and looked over. Sure enough there was a cute brunette staring straight at him. She turned away bashfully when she was discovered. Soda easily caught her eye again and gave her a little wink. There were some cute girls, and they seemed like nice girls too, not greasy like Evie.
Finally that darn bell rang and he was the first one out of his seat.
At lunch Pony found Soda easily surrounded by several girls next to the lockers. "Do you see a lot of bad crimes in the city?" One girl asked in amazement.
Soda grinned, "Every now and then I've seen things get out of hand."
"Have you ever had to fight off a bad guy?" Another one asked.
"Far to many times." Soda offered truthfully. Socs were plenty bad in his book.
Apparently this town was smaller than it seemed. Everybody seemed to be entirely aware that both Soda and Pony weren't from anywhere nearby.
"Soda." Pony shyly interrupted.
"Hey!" Soda greeted him with a hug. "This here's my brother." He introduced Ponyboy.
"Is his name just as interesting as yours?" Another girl asked. It took a good nother five minutes until Pony was able to pry his brother away from them. He couldn't help but grin at him. No matter where they went Soda would always be followed around by a pack of girls.
"How was your first half?" Pony asked.
"Long." Soda sighed. "You?"
"Not bad. You like any of those girls?"
Soda was surprised by the forward question. He recovered and shrugged. "They're all-right. I don't know why they're so awestruck by Tulsa. It's kind of cute though, don't you think?"
"I guess so." Pony says, his ears turning red.
Soda laughed. "C'mon kid lets go eat."
-
Darry arrived at work just barely on time and met his new boss who seemed nice enough. Bob, a portly man greeted him with a large smile, welcoming him to the work site. "I hear you're a hard worker Darrel. You reckon you can lead this bunch here?"
"I reckon I can sir." Darry assured him, pleased with his new title of supervisor.
"All-right well lets get to it then."
"Hey city boy." An older man walked up to Darry looking amused. "We don't get to many of your kind around here." The way the man drawled out the words 'your kind' was unsettling.
Darry suppressed the annoyance of being called a boy. "Are you on a break?" He asked steadily. It was half past eight in the morning which obviously meant that nobody would be on a break yet.
"No." The man said confused.
"Well then get back to work." Darry said.
The man looked taken aback but shut-up and made his way back to the ladder.
Bob smiled and slapped Darry on the back. "I need the whole right side completed by this afternoon if we're gonna stay on schedule. I have to take off to another site."
Darry nodded. "All-right, don't worry. It'll get done."
-
Darry pulled up to the house dirty and tired but pleased. It had been a successful day and he got to spend a bit more time assigning the work than he spent doing it. They'd finished well over half of the project under his instruction and though he thought perhaps a good percentage of the men hated him, he knew they respected him.
Darry spotted Soda galloping on over to greet him and rolled down the truck window. "Hey Dar." Soda smiled widely.
"Hey, you have a good day, little buddy?" Darry said.
"It's good now that schools over." Soda said, petting the long mane.
Darry rolled his eyes. "Did you do your homework?" He cut to the chase.
"Yeah." Soda said his smile falling. Then his face lit up again. "Darry I jumped him. He flew straight over the broken fence. He's so fast."
"Just be careful, okay little buddy."
"I'm always careful." Soda said indignantly.
Darry decided that was an argument he wasn't going to have. "All-right, where's Ponyboy?"
"He's inside reading."
"Why isn't he making supper?" Darry asked annoyed. It was Pony's turn and he was hungry.
"He don't need to. Not with all the food we found left on our porch with welcome notes. I say we have the brownies for dinner, or at least what's left of them…" Soda smiled slyly.
Darry smiled. "Did you happen to see anything besides dessert delivered?"
"Spinach casserole." Soda scrunched his nose up. "That came just an hour ago with some old biddy. I'd rather her welcome us empty handed."
"Sodapop Curtis, if you were rude to her…"
"Of course not Darry. I gave her some tall tail about how it was my favorite dish."
Darry rolled his eyes. "Come inside and wash up in half an hour for supper." He pulled up to the house and parked.
"Pon-" Darry was cut off as he immediately tripped when walking through the front door. He caught himself with his hands before he fell flat down onto the hardwood floor and looked back at the offending object. Several welcome gifts of food were still where their deliverers had left them. Darry sighed and picked himself up, placing the food on the counter next to five other packaged goodies. Sure enough a large plate with four brownies sat there, with enough crumbs to provide evidence that there were many more before his brothers got to them.
"Ponyboy!" Darry called.
"I'm in my room." Pony called back.
"Come here please."
"What?" Pony came walking out still staring at his book.
Darry removed the foil curiously away from each item wondering what had been delivered. He also discovered half of a mud pie was gone as well as a piece of lemon cake.
"Ponyboy Michael, how many brownies were on this plate?"
"Don't look at me. I only had three."
"Uh huh." Darry said wiping crumbs off his brothers face.
"Well, maybe four but the rest is all Soda's doing."
"Yeah? And how about this pie?"
"That's him too." Pony still stared at his book. Darry reached over and pushed it down out of his face.
"Did you do your homework?"
"Yeah it's done."
"How was school?"
Pony shrugged as he stared at his book. Darry sighed. "Did you make any friends?"
"No, it was just the first day Darry. All the girls took to Soda though." Pony stared back down at his book. Darry smiled. "I reckon they did. Pony, put that book down for five minutes and talk to me." He said exasperated.
"I ain't got nothin' to talk about." Pony said surprised. Darry didn't usually make such an effort to hold a conversation.
"No? Not a single interesting thing happened today? How do you like your teachers?"
"They're fine." Pony hopped up onto the counter to sit. "Darry, how come Soda gets a horse for going to school and I been at school all along and I don't get nothin?"
Darry looked at Ponyboy surprised. The idea hadn't even occurred to him. "Ponyboy, aren't you just happy with Soda being back at school with you? You hated it when he left."
"Yeah, but that isn't the point." Pony said forcefully. "Darry, you really get a big enough raise to buy that horse?" He was unconvinced.
"Ponyboy, never mind how I got the horse. It doesn't matter. Now you and Soda are different. You know that. School just comes naturally to you. It ain't like that for all people and that's why I get on you about your schoolwork all the time, because that's something that you need to take advantage of. That oughta be enough motivation for you do well."
"Still ain't fair." Pony said unconvinced.
Darry sighed. "Ponyboy, what exactly is it that you're getting at?" he asked knowing there had to be some motive to this conversation.
"Can I have a dog?" Darry raised his eyebrows at that, surprised. "Please, Darry. I always wanted one just like Soda always wanted a horse."
Darry smiled at the memory of Pony hiding that stray in his room when he was six. "Ponyboy, a dog-"
"Is way less expensive than a horse." Pony finished for him.
"I will think about it." Darry decided.
"C'mon Darry, please please please please please please please please."
"Ponyboy." Darry sighed.
"We have so much room for a dog now Darry and I'd take care of it. You wouldn't even know it was here."
"I said I'll think about it and I will."
"That means no."
"No, it doesn't. It means I'll think about it." Darry said. Pony looked doubtful. "Look heat up some bread and the casserole and set the table, I'm gonna clean up."
"I say we eat the cake for dinner." Pony said.
"And I say that if Soda eats anymore sugar he's bound to explode." Darry headed towards the shower.
"Soda, Darry says to come in for supper!" Pony yelled out the kitchen window. Soda was leaning over the horse pen petting the thick mane.
"Tell him I ain't hungry." Soda hollered back. Pony stuck his head back into the house for a moment and Soda looked back at the animal. "We gotta think of a name for you huh buddy? A real noble name for a real noble horse." Soda stroked his nose gently.
"Soda!" Pony called out from the window again. "Darry says you best come inside now or else."
Soda gave his brother a look. "Don't look at me, I'm just the messenger." Pony defended. Soda reluctantly hopped down off the fence and made his way back into the house.
"Wash up." Darry ordered when he walked inside, setting drinks on the table. Soda complied "How was school?" He asked when they all sat down.
"School was school." Soda said. "Just as boring here as it is in Tulsa." He looked at the casserole that Darry put on his plate with distaste.
"Okay well what was the least boring class?" Darry tried.
"Gym."
"Gym doesn't count. Besides that."
Soda shrugged. "History, cause we didn't talk about history we talked about the news."
"And?" Darry said.
"We talked about the war. He says they dropped B-52 bombs on nam troops last week for the first time. He showed us these pictures. They were crazy."
"Yeah, I read about that." Darry sighed.
"He says people are getting killed, people that didn't do nothin' wrong, even kids sometimes."
"That the truth, Darry?" Ponyboy asked. Darry looked up at both of his brothers eyes searching him for answers.
"Yeah, little buddy, that's what happens in wars." He said studying Pony's face. He looked sad.
"It ain't worth killing someone for what they done wrong if you end up killing people that ain't done nothin'. How come they aint more careful not to hit innocent people. Why don't they just watch out better? Man, if I was gonna shoot a gun I'd be sure to aim it right." Pony said with bravado.
Darry smiled fondly at him. "Its easier than it sounds I'm sure. What else happened today?" He questioned wanting to change the morbid subject.
"You made your mind up about that dog yet?" Pony questioned eagerly.
"No Ponyboy. It's been a half an hour since you asked me now drop it for tonight."
"What dog?" Soda questioned.
"I want a dog cause you got a horse and Darry says he'll think on it."
Soda laughed. "Sounds fair enough."
"That's what I say." Pony insisted. Darry rolled his eyes and finished his food.
Soda was surprised after dinner when he was stopped from returning outside to the horse because Darry wanted to see his homework. "Whatdya need to see it for? You never checked it before."
"Well, I wanna check it now. Pony, your math as well."
Soda reluctantly went to get his bookbag. "Here." He handed Darry his history homework.
"Where's the rest of it?"
"Well, I aint entirely through with the rest of it." Soda said quietly.
Darry looked at him crossly. "Sodapop, I asked you if you'd done it when I got home and you said you had."
Soda hurried to defend himself. "Well, that was the truth Darry. I did my history. You didn't ask me if I'd finished it you just asked me if I'd done it."
"Soda." The look on Darry's face immediately made him regret that explanation. His elder brother had never been one to tolerate lying and he wasn't about to get out of it on a technicality.
"We talked about this." Darry crossed his arms over his chest in full parental mode. "The deal is you get your schoolwork done before you go out riding that horse. You knew what I meant when I asked you if you'd done it and you know perfectly well that you looked me in the eye and outright lied." Darry berated himself for not figuring as much. It had been eight months since Soda had last been in school and he never did his homework then either. He should've expected such a battle.
"Look I'm sorry okay? I'll do it before I go back out."
"No, you'll do it period. You're not riding again tonight. That's it kiddo, you lost that privilege."
Soda looked horrified. "C'mon Darry please?" He reduced himself to pleading. "School was shit today and…" Darry gave him a look. "I mean it stunk okay?" Soda continued. "…and I sat through the whole thing just so I could come back here and rid im'" Soda said sounding desperate. "I won't do it again Dar, honest. Please? It's only seven, curfew aint for hours."
Darry eyed him seriously. "If you pull something like that again then that's it, kiddo. You hear me?"
Soda nodded quickly. Darry sighed. "Sit down and finish it and try, don't just rush through it." Soda obeyed, hurriedly and Darry sat down to look over Pony's math.
Pony leaned over Darry's shoulder causing a shadow to fall over the equation he was staring at. "What is it?" Darry asked, not looking up from the boys homework.
"When do you reckon you'll have made up your mind about the dog?"
"Ponyboy!"
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Okay that's what I got for now. The horse still doesn't have a name only because I can't think of one that Soda would give him. Any ideas? Please review, it inspires me to write more!
