Here is the first chapter of my new story. This will be a longer story, maybe even the longest I've ever posted here. I appreciate any reviews or feedback that you can give me.

Thank you,

Jem

The darkness around me is tight and suffocating. I try to slow my breathing through my nose but I can't breath out through this rancid piece of fabric. I long to stretch my legs and back but I can't move in this space.

I'm riding on the edge of panic and I know that any second now I'll lose the battle and succumb to it.

Cool tears drip out of my eyes and I send a silent plea out to the two people I love the most.

Please find me.

My back was aching by the time that I pulled into the driveway. I had worked a full day roofing followed by a few hours in the warehouse and man I was beat. It was hard work and I was exhausted but having the peace of mind of a little extra cash was worth the physical price.

I stepped out of the truck and groaned as I straightened my back. I hoped that Soda was home because my back was in need of his magic.

Pony looked up from his place on the couch when I entered the house. He was curled in the corner with a book propped up on his knees.

"Hey Darry. There's a plate in the oven for you." His eyes drifted back to the page he was reading.

"Thanks Pone." I said as I moved down the hall to put my tool belt away. "How was school today?"

"Fine," He called back absently. "I think I aced my math test."

"Good for you kiddo." I ruffled his hair on the way to the kitchen and he ducked his head letting out a huff. I smirked to myself, my brother sure took his hair seriously even when his evening was staying in with a book.

"Soda go out?" I asked as I took my plate out of the oven and pulled off the tin foil. I rolled my eyes at the green sauce on the chicken. I gave it a sniff hoping that it was gravy and not some concoction using brussel sprouts or spinach.

"Yeah" I paused at the tone in Pony's voice, my older brother instincts were immediately on alert.

Pony kept his eyes trained on the page of his book, but they didn't move. His shoulders tensed up.

"Ponyboy?" I turned in my chair to fix my gaze on him. "Anything I should know?"

"No, I don't think so." His voice was light and I almost believed him, except I knew my brother too well. He was worried.

"Pone," I said with clear warning.

He turned his head towards me and began biting his thumb nail. "Soda and Steve are gonna join a poker game tonight."

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah? Those two play all the time." It didn't seem like enough to make Pony concerned, he knew his brother was a tuff greaser.

Pony sighed and looked away. "The game's at Buck's." He muttered.

I gritted my teeth. Soda was almost 18 and I let him do whatever he pleased most of the time but he knew how I felt about Buck's. The people who hung out there were too rough, too hard and it wasn't unheard of the cops to be called there on any given night. I didn't want to think of what the state would do if Soda ever got picked up by the cops there. Soda was almost in the clear but they could take Ponyboy away. Just the thought of it made me sick.

We both agreed that Pony needed to stay as far away as possible from anything that went on down there and Pony obviously wasn't keen on the idea of Soda getting involved either. It bothered him enough to rat his brother out to me, which was saying something.

I groaned and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my hand over my face. "Soda's almost an adult and he has Steve with him, he'll be fine." I started but Pony shot a look. I sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let this go. "Can I at least eat my dinner first?"

Ponyboy smiled at me. "Of course, Dar. I ain't twisting your arm." He turned his attention back to his book, his shoulders now relaxed. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes.

The smell of stale smoke and beer soaked carpet hit me as I entered Buck's. I was assaulted by the deafening sound of Hank Williams. Lord, I hated it here. I was gonna skin Soda for making me come here, especially after working a double.

Some blonde with a toothy smile that was just too big to be sincere slid up to me. "Hey handsome, I haven't seen you here before."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm not planning on staying either." I said as I pushed by her. Part of me felt bad about being rude, that wasn't the man that my mom raised but I was too tired and aching to give it more than a passing thought.

The poker game was in the back corner. Soda was sitting at the table, leaning back as if he didn't have a care in the world, a smoke hanging out of his mouth. Soda always smoked when he wanted to look tuff.

Steve was behind him leaning against the wall, his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans. His eyes lazily swept over the table as he took a drag from his smoke. I wasn't fooled, I knew that he was ready to spring at the first sign of trouble.

He met my gaze as I made my way across the room. He said something to Soda who looked over his shoulder and sent me a smile that I didn't return. That didn't faze Soda for a moment, he just casually stamped out his cigarette in the ashtray. "I raise you 10." He said.

I stepped up beside Steve and leaned back, my arms crossing in front of my chest. All the players had folded except Soda and two other guys. One had a pot belly and a receding hairline. The other could best be described as a hippie cowboy with his flannel shirt and boots but with long stringy brown hair.

Pot Belly frowned as he looked at his cards, then cussed as he said. "I fold." He tossed his cards into the center.

The hippie cowboy shook his shaggy hair out of his face and eyed Soda across the table. Soda cocked an eyebrow back. The cowboy hippie smirked and pushed all his cash into the center. "All in." He drawled and took a long drink from his beer.

Soda drummed his fingers on the table and made a big show of scratching his chin. I had to fight myself from rolling my eyes at his theatrics.

He slowly pushed his cash into the pot. "Alright buddy, all in." Soda shot a grin at Steve and me before turning his attention back to the hippie cowboy. I watched the player clench his jaw and my hands pulled into fists so that my biceps would show against my shirt. Soda wasn't the only one who knew how to act tuff.

The hippie cowboy turned over his hand. A full house."What'cha got, kid?" He sneered at Soda, who didn't even blink. He casually flipped over his cards.

"Four ladies." Soda drawled as he pulled his winnings towards him. "Well fellows, it's been fun, but my ride's here so I gotta take off."

Most of the players waved him off but the hippie cowboy jumped to his feet. "You ain't leaving yet, kid." He spat. "Not with my money."

Soda didn't look up from folding the cash and tucking it into his shirt pocket, but I could see how his shoulder muscles rippled, ready to pounce. "It ain't your money anymore."

"My friends and I think overwise." Two lanky old cowboys stepped up behind the hippie and growled at Soda. I stepped forward, daring them to start something. My back was aching something awful and I wanted to go home before I had to hear anymore Hank Williams.

Soda looked over at Steve, his eyes were dancing with a wild light. "What'cha think Steve?"

"Sure man." He answered as he crushed his smoke out under his shoe.

Soda didn't pause, but whirled around and socked the hippie cowboy in the face. He reeled back for a second before sending his own shot which grazed Soda's side as he jumped outta the way.

One of the lanky sidekicks dived at Steve over the card table, upsetting it and causing the other players to curse and jump away. That left the other sidekick to me.

He sneered at me, showing off his yellow teeth. The aches, the exhaustion and the frustration at the ever present Hank Williams all combined into one clear thought. Bring it on.

Before he could even take a step towards me, I was swinging my fist at his face, followed by another shot to his gut. He doubled over with a whoosh of air, but quickly dove forward grabbing me by the waist knocking me backwards into the wall. My head banged off the wall and I quickly shook it to clear my mind.

I gritted my teeth as my back protested, sending my fist into his side to knock him off of me. He stumbled backwards and I punched him in the face.

He landed on his ass before scrambling up and taking off. I searched the area for Soda and Steve.

Steve had a bloody lip but he seemed to be doing fine as he tackled his guy to the ground. Soda was holding his own, though I could see that the cowboy was slowly backing him into a corner.

I had already started to move forward in case Soda needed me when I saw the flash of metal in the hippie cowboy's hand. I saw red. If this joker thought that he was gonna pull a knife on my little brother he had another thing coming.

His collar was in my hand and I was yanking him back to face me before I'd even finished the thought. His eyes widened as I drove my fist into his jaw. He dropped like a rock.

I leaned over him and pulled him up towards me by the front of his shirt so he was hanging helpless in my hand. I glared at him, my face impassive and set as stone. "You lost, best get over it."

He glared back at me but didn't argue so I let go of him and watched him drop with more than a little satisfaction.

Soda's eyes were laughing when they met mine and he was almost vibrating from the high of the fight. Pony would have felt embarrassed that his big brother had stepped in but not Soda. Soda never let anything like that bother him.

I tossed my head towards the door and stepped over the fallen cowboy without giving him another look. Soda lopped behind me, punching me in the shoulder a few times. Steve followed at a calmer pace, lighting a smoke as he smirked at my brother.

"How much you win, Soda?" Steve asked.

"Not sure exactly, but there's at least fifty bucks." Soda crowed, thumping me on the back a few more times for good measure.

Now that the adrenaline was seeping away, the primary emotion I was feeling was annoyance. Soda knew how seedy Buck's place was and he knew how often people were jumped there and he'd still decided to go. Sure, both he and Steve were good fighters, but you couldn't trust Buck's clientele to fight fair.

I set my jaw and forced myself to keep it in until we were at least in the truck. Soda trotted beside me, throwing an arm around Steve's neck and grinning madly. "That's how you end a night." He said.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, Soda always had a way of calming me even when he wasn't trying. I reached out and messed up his hair. He batted me away and gave me a light jab in the ribs.

"C'mon Dar. You love a good fight." He teased.

I grunted in return and climbed into the truck, letting a breath out as my back relaxed against the seat. I was gonna pay for this tomorrow at work that's for sure.

Soda called out to Steve as he jumped into the passenger seat. "Seeya! I'll give you your cut at work tomorrow man."

Steve just waved in return and made his way to his car.

"His cut?" I questioned as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"Gotta pay the guy for helping me cheat, don't cha think?" Soda stretched like a cat.

I rubbed my face. "Of course you two cheated."

Soda shot me a smile but it faded a bit as he watched me. "Ah Dar. You're not upset are yah?"

I kept my eyes on the road. No, I wasn't upset because he was almost 18 and soon I wouldn't be his guardian anymore. But I was still his big brother and I hated that he'd take risks without giving a care.

"Darry," Soda said in his gentle voice, putting his hand on my arm.

I sighed heavily. "I ain't mad, little buddy. I know that you can handle yourself, but I just can't help but worry. That fight could have gone bad so easily."

"It didn't though, cause you were there backing me up." Soda shook my arm a bit and I smiled back at him.

I thought back to the reason that I'd even showed up tonight. Pony had been worried.

"We need to be careful, Sodapop. You might almost be old enough to be out of the States hands but we could still lose Ponyboy." Soda sat back against the seat with a hiss. "We can't risk it."

Soda's eyes burned when they met mine. "I'd never risk losing him."

"Good." I patted his shoulder. "Then let's steer clear from Buck;s for now, huh?"

Soda nodded and leaned back against the seat, the high completely gone out of him. I felt a weight settle in my stomach. I hadn't meant to make him feel like he was failing Pony, I just needed to know that he'd be more careful in the future.

"So what's my cut for being the muscle, little buddy?"

Soda's laugh burst from him and rang through the truck. It lifted all the worries away.