(Ponyboy's POV)

I thought Steve was driving me back to my house, but instead, when I opened my eyes and looked out the window, I saw the DX. At first, I was relieved because I didn't want to be stuck in my house by myself again– I had done that enough already for a week straight. After a wave of relief, I felt a small amount of dread. Soda's gonna find out what happened, and he's gonna be even more worried that he already was.

Sure enough, the moment the four of us walked into the store, Soda looked right at me and knew something was wrong. The smile he had on his face fell, and his eyes were filled with concern. "Pony?"

"Hey Soda," I said, trying to smile despite the pounding in my skull and my swirling vision.

Soda asked his coworker to man the counter as he ushered us towards the back near the garage. Two-Bit made me sit on a stool, and a few moments later, Steve appeared in front of me with an ice pack and a Pepsi. As much as I loved Pepsi, the thought of any food or drink made me feel sick, so after I thanked him, I set it down on the floor next to me.

"What happened, honey?" Soda asked softly.

"The Socs that jumped me found me at school," I said as I gingerly put the ice pack on the back of my head.

"You sure they're the same guys?" Soda asked as he was looking me over, probably checking for more injuries.

"Yeah, I remember more of it now. And they weren't shy 'bout letting me know it was them." I then gave the guys a short version of what happened in the alley the day I got jumped, followed by what happened in the hallway before the guys showed up.

When I was done talking, Soda looked distressed. "You didn't get hurt too bad, did you?" he asked, then he carefully moved my head so he could look at the back of it.

"Nah. Daniel got me in the jaw, and my head hit the wall," I replied while I stared at the floor. "That was all though, because the guys came runnin'."

Soda started talking with the guys, and I tuned their voices out. All I cared about was that I was safe with my brother, and that I needed someone to get my schoolwork for me again. And I really wanted to sleep.

Johnny's voice snapped me back into reality. "You alright, Ponyboy?"

I looked up at him, and I noticed everyone else was looking at me too. I ignored the others, and I lied easily. "Yeah, I'm fine." He didn't look convinced, but I knew he wouldn't say anything, especially not in front of the others. "Can you grab my schoolwork for me?"

Johnny nodded. "Sure."

The guys ate lunch inside the store, but I couldn't stomach anything that had a smell. Soda gave me some crackers to eat, but after just a few of them, I was feeling nauseous. I could feel four sets of eyes on me pretty much the whole time, but I kept looking at the ground, refusing to meet their gazes and trying to keep myself from falling off of the stool. When the ice pack started to thaw, Steve took it from me and handed me the Pepsi bottle, instructing me to hold it against my jaw.

Once everyone else was done eating, Soda talked softly to me, using the same tone he used with his horse years before. "I have to stay here, but Steve's gonna bring you home and Two-Bit'll stay with you 'til I get off. Savy?"

I wanted to say I didn't need a babysitter, but I was glad I wouldn't be alone once again. Plus, I knew Two-Bit didn't have a problem skipping school anyway; I just happened to give him a good excuse for once.

I nodded, then stood up. I could tell I was a little wobbly, but I managed to stay on my feet. Soda spoke with the guys again for a minute before I was being escorted back to Steve's car.

Time flew, and before I knew it, Two-Bit and I were in my living room. The pain in my head seemed to intensify, and I was starting to feel even more lousy than before. As soon as I physically could, I laid down on the couch with a pillow under my head that I hoped would alleviate some of the pain. I closed my eyes, and I was relieved that the reduction of light seemed to ease the pain a little. Even though I knew Two-Bit was saying something to me, I tuned him out and tried to asleep.

But I was with Two-Bit, so that wasn't going to happen.

"You ain't fallin' asleep on me, are ya Ponyboy?" Two-Bit asked incredulously. I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He brought half of a chocolate cake into the living room and set it on the coffee table.

"I was trying, but I guess that ain't happening," I mumbled.

"It sure ain't– you're with your buddy Two-Bit!" he said proudly. "You gotta eat cake before you take a nap! Man, you really don't know how to skip school properly, do you?"

I was about to reply, but I was interrupted by the phone ringing. Two-Bit and I shared a curious look before he went over and answered the phone. "Curtis residence, Two– oh hey Darry!" He looked over at me with a smirk and raised eyebrows.

I was a little anxious about my older brother calling. If Darry was calling the house in the middle of a school day, he must've known someone was home… which meant Soda talked to him and Darry must've known I was home.

"You know, I charge for being your secretary while you're away," Two-Bit joked, still smiling. "It's a dollar a min– yeah yeah okay," Two-Bit suddenly stopped talking, and I could practically hear Darry telling him to shut up and listen. He continued to listen to my brother, occasionally glancing at me. He responded shortly with "yeah" or "no" several times before saying "he's right here, Darry. Why don't you just ask him yourself?"

Two-Bit held the phone out in my direction, and I made myself get off the couch and walk over to Darry's recliner. I slumped down and grabbed the phone. "Hey Darry."

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Darry said immediately, skipping any typical form of greeting. "Soda called and said you ran into the same guys that jumped you at school."

"Yeah, but I'm alright," I said, trying not to sound pathetic or anything.

"How's your head?"

"Hurts, but I'll just take some aspirin."

"Soda said you weren't acting right and that you were zoning out when he tried talking to you." I was? Darry sounded a little worried, but I doubted he'd ever tell me that. "How bad did they get you?"

"Not bad. The guys showed up after a little bit," I said. I was feeling exhausted just from sitting there and talking to my older brother, so I knew my concussion must've gotten worse. And I was just starting to feel better too.

"You're going to stay home from school the rest of the week," Darry said, leaving no room for argument. That was fine, because at the moment, I had no desire to do anything but sleep. "Have one of the guys bring your schoolwork home again."

"Johnny's taking care of it," I said tiredly.

"Good." I could tell Darry was smiling a little when he said it. See? I used my head. Then he went back to sounding like his typical self. "Listen, if you start to feel worse, you get Two-Bit to call either me or Soda, you hear? You might need to go see a doctor."

"You know we can't afford it, Darry," I muttered. I knew my brothers didn't like the fact, but we didn't have money to spare. Darry had been real nice to me during the week I stayed home from school, so I didn't want to make his life harder than it already was. He deserved a break.

"Don't worry about that. We'll figure it out, Pone," Darry said sternly. When I didn't reply, he spoke again. "Promise me you'll say something if you start to feel worse."

"Yeah, alright," I grumbled.

"Okay kiddo, I have to get back to work." He didn't sound excited about going back to work, but he and I both knew he didn't have much of a choice. "Take it easy, and let me know if Two-Bit messes with you or gets you into any trouble."

I looked up at Two-Bit, who was watching me carefully from his spot on the floor. I grinned. "Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him… make sure he doesn't break anything."

"Hey!" Two-Bit shouted, trying to look offended, but the smile on his face gave him away.

Darry was chuckling. "Good. I'll see you later."

"Bye," I said before I hung up the phone. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back to rest on the chair.

"How ya feelin' Ponyboy?" Two-Bit asked softly.

I really had to think hard about that. I felt lousy; my head was pounding, I felt tired and nauseous, but besides that, was anything else wrong with me? I didn't think so. "Fine. Could you get me some aspirin?" I heard Two-Bit leave the room, and I took a mental inventory of how I felt. Along with my head aching, I realized there was a twinge of pain near my stomach. Without bothering to look, I pressed my hand down where it hurt, and I winced.

"What's wrong?" Two-Bit asked suddenly, his voice appearing right next to me.

My eyes flew open, and when I turned my head, I found Two-Bit standing next to me with the bottle of aspirin in one hand, a glass of water in the other, and a worried expression on his face. "Stomach hurts. I forgot I got hit there too." I took the bottle of aspirin from him. "I'll be fine."

He set the glass of water down on the end table next to me, and without bothering to ask, Two-Bit lifted the bottom of my shirt to reveal a large bruise that was starting to form. He pressed a couple fingers down, and I sucked in air as I tried not to smack him or shove him away.

"You might have a cracked rib or two," Two-Bit said somberly. He stopped prodding me and stood up straight, a sad smile on his face starting to form. "Glory Ponyboy, you really know how to make people angry."

I smirked. "I learned from the best," I said before I swallowed a couple aspirins without any water.

He shook his head. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll be here, probably just goin' through your fridge and watching your tv."

"Nothin' new for you," I said with a grin. Ignoring the fake look of shock he gave me, I closed my eyes and curled up in the recliner, not having the energy to move back to the couch. I had a feeling Two-Bit didn't want me to feel like I was being babysat, and I appreciated him for it. "Thanks Two-Bit."

"Don't mention it," he said before I drifted off.