A/N: As promised, here's part 2 of the chapter.
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When Sodapop came home that evening, he was immediately confronted by Ponyboy. "Did you bet on that race against Tim?" he asked.
Soda blinked, taken off guard by the unexpectedness of the question. "Hello to you too, Ponyboy. No, I didn't bet on the race. I ain't that dumb."
Pony bit his lip and fidgeted awkwardly. Of all the sins Darry or Soda might have committed to get that money, that was probably the least. After all, if they had gotten it through legal means, why not tell people? Why keep it hidden in a bag? "Forget it," Pony mumbled, deciding to confront Darry about it later. He was probably more likely to keep it a secret than Sodapop.
Soda sat beside Pony and touched the side of his face where the cut was still healing. "How you feeling? You want me to get you anything?"
"Some dinner would be great. I'm starving."
Soda nodded and stood up. "I am too. Who else is gonna be here?"
"Everyone. Mrs Mathews is gonna be home early. Two-Bit and Rachel are both upstairs… I dunno what they're doing. Darry's getting a lift home from a coworker; he should be here soon…"
Sodapop nodded, more to himself than to Ponyboy. He was already in the kitchen searching for pots. He didn't find many; the majority of the pots were lying dirty in the sink from the night before; nobody had bothered to clean them. Soda grimaced; if there was one thing he hated, it was washing dishes. It made his hands smell all gross for several hours after the chore was done, and he was actually starting to resent doing it. He knew Pony couldn't do it, and Darry and Mrs Mathews were both busy, but surely Two-Bit and his sister could help out.
He swung open the door that led to the hall and the stairway. Feeling too lazy to go up and fetch them, he shouted, "Two-Bit! Rache –" But then he felt his breath catch in his throat. He let out a deep, involuntary cough before he was overcome by a series of short and shallow coughs. His heart, which had been behaving itself for most of that day, went suddenly into overdrive, and he felt himself sink down to the ground, though he couldn't remember making a conscious decision about sitting.
"Soda?" Pony questioned from the living room. Soda didn't answer him, and Pony pushed himself up as fast as he could with his injuries and walked as quickly as he could – which was not very quickly – to the hall.
The attack must have been particularly violent, because Soda was already lying on his side on the floor, still coughing his guts up. "TWO-BIT!" Pony bellowed, then regretted it as fiery pain shot up his side. Gripping his aching ribs with his good arm, he finally made it to Soda's side, where he immediately dropped to his knees and felt about Soda's pockets for the inhaler he had apparently forgotten about.
Pony wasn't strong enough to lift Soda from the ground, so he just held it to his mouth anyway. Soda tried to breathe it in, but he couldn't hold his breath long enough, and he just coughed everything he had consumed back up.
Two-Bit finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He swore and rushed over, pulling Soda into a sitting position. Ponyboy tried to give the inhaler to Sodapop, but his arm wasn't working properly and he ended up knocking it away from them. The change in position still wasn't doing him any good.
Two-Bit swore a second time. "His lips are turning blue," he observed. "We gotta take him in… Rachel! Get down here you lazy sack of lazy bones!"
Pony grimaced as he heard another series of short coughs, between which Soda didn't seem to get any air at all. Rachel finally came downstairs, and Two-Bit directed her to fetch the inhaler from the floor and his car keys from the kitchen so Pony wouldn't have to move further than necessary. "You sure you're alright to come? You know he wouldn't mind if you stayed here… you need the rest."
"I need the rest?" Pony snapped incredulously. "You said it yourself: he's turning blue. We need to go!"
Two-Bit didn't waste time arguing. He picked Soda up from the floor and headed out to his car.
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A/N: Theories? Reviews? Okay, this is like, part 2 of that last chapter, so I'm gonna turn back into Queen B!tch and start demanding them again. Please? Make a little girl smile?
