Summer Break

There had been a time, not too long ago, that Sodapop had wondered if his brother would ever be okay again. If Richard and living in that house hadn't broken him beyond repair. If his little brother was gone forever. Hell, it had been a little less than a year ago. He'd looked at the terrified, angry guy that lived in their house and had wondered if he'd ever become Ponyboy again. In some ways, he thought, Ponyboy was never going to be the same. That scar on his face would probably never completely go away, even if it did fade some, and he still hesitated a little before he put on a shirt with short sleeves. He rarely let anyone see him without a shirt, although he was getting better.

But just a few days ago the sight of Darry holding a belt had made him freeze up, his breath catching, eyes going distant as he'd taken an unconscious step back, then stopping, seeming to remember where he was, but not before Darry had dropped the belt onto the sofa, reaching out and clasping his shoulder.

"Pony? " Darry hadn't asked what was wrong…they'd both know.

He was sixteen now, and so nonchalant about Bob Sheldon, the guy who'd actually stabbed him, that it drove Darry insane. But at the sight of his big brother, who'd never in a million years hurt him, holding a belt to put on, he'd seemed to shrink back into a little kid again, wide-eyed and terrified.

But then he'd nodded, taking a breath and laughing a little, making himself smile and apologize as though it was his fault.

Soda slept in his own bed now. It had started slow, with him not wanting to wake Pony when he got home real late, especially if Pony had school the next morning. Then one night when the two of them had been heading to bed, Darry long since asleep, Pony had turned to him with a grin.

"You can sleep in your own bed, Soda. I'm alright."

Soda had fought back every question…was he sure? What if he had nightmares? What if he woke up and didn't remember that he was home and Soda wasn't there for him? But he'd just nodded, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, alright kiddo." He didn't mind too much, to be honest. Pony had always hogged the blankets. But he'd never minded sharing the bed either…had never resented Pony for needing him close, and he even felt a little sad that his little brother didn't seem to need him so much anymore. Sure, he came over to the DX when he wasn't working or out with the guys or his friends from the track team, but he was growing up. They could all see it. Hell, Steve seemed to actually like his little brother now, which was definitely a step up from barely tolerating him on a good day. He'd grinned the Friday before when he saw the kid come into the garage behind the DX, rolling his eyes and leaning on the truck he was working on.

"Ain't you got nothing better to do?"

"Nah. Figured you'd be bored with just Soda to keep you company." Then he'd leaned on the truck beside Steve. "What are you doing?"

So Steve had showed him, walking him through what was wrong with the engine, and Pony had done his best to keep up, grinning when Soda had come over to throw an arm around him. Even if he was different now, Soda loved that kid more than just about anyone. Darry was real proud of him these days since he'd finished his junior year with all A's despite being behind for a lot of his first semester, and had told Soda that he'd try to take off more for his track competitions. Soda had agreed, especially since him and Pony had cheered for Darry's at football games plenty of times. It was Pony's last year, and he'd be going for scholarships now. It was hard to believe it…that his baby brother was only one year away from graduating high school.

Or that Two-Bit might actually graduate with him…or hell, that Two-Bit had actually gotten a job.

Darry had just stared at him when he'd told him the news, eyes narrow like this might be some kind of trick. "He's passing all his classes and he got a job," he'd muttered to himself, disbelieving.

"Yeah. I think Pony's a good influence."

His big brother had gotten that proud smile on his face then, nodding. "Yeah. I think you're right."

Ponyboy's summer vacation was half done, and Soda kind of felt bad that everybody but Pony was working so much, leaving him on his own a lot of the time. Pony insisted he didn't mind, but Soda knew there was only so much time the kid could spend on his own before he got bored. Not to mention the fact that Steve had asked if he wanted to room together in that apartment he'd moved into.

Sodapop had lots of reasons to hold off. He still gave a big chunk of his paycheck to Darry every week so they could pay the bills, and he didn't want to leave his brother in the lurch, especially since Pony would be going to college soon, and even if he went to the University of Tulsa, Soda had a feeling that Johnny would ask if he wanted to room together.

But there was another reason. What if those nightmares came back? What if Pony needed him and Darry couldn't help and Soda wasn't there?

"What's going on with the kid?" Steve asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What? Nothing," Soda told him, wiping a dirty rag over his face in vain, trying to get rid of the grease he knew was there. "Why?"

"You got that look on your face."

"What look?"

"That look like you're worrying about the kid."

Soda snorted and threw the rag at Steve's face, rolling his eyes when he caught it. "I ain't worried about him. He's fine."

"He still goes to that doctor, right?"

"Just once a month since he started working."

"He doing alright?"

"You just saw him two days ago."

This time Steve rolled his eyes, and Soda gave in.

"I'm just worried he's spending too much time alone, you know? With Johnny working more and even Two-Bit…"

"Never thought I'd see the day," Steve muttered.

"I mean, he goes out with those guys from the track team sometimes but…he's on his own most of the time if he ain't at work." Soda tried to make up for it by hanging out with him on the weekends if he wasn't with Alice, and once or twice, even if he was. Pony had been pretty reluctant to come on what he'd called their date, but Alice had been happy to have him, and she'd gotten him to tell her about school and his job, artfully avoiding any mention of Bob Sheldon or how rough things had been when he'd first come back from New York.

Soda kind of loved her for that. She was real good with his brother, and she never minded having him come along places. Hell, she'd even suggested it once or twice.

"Darry still won't let him work more?"

"He let him pick up one extra shift a week, so he usually gets 24 or 25 hours in a week. Darry won't take the extra money either. Makes Pony keep it."

Steve shook his head. He'd just stared at Soda when he'd told him how Pony had handed over most of his paycheck to Darry right after getting paid the first time, looking almost impressed. "Jesus…that kid's something else," he'd muttered before going back to his work.

"He's saving up for a car, ain't he?" Steve asked as Soda got down on his knees to get under the car up on the lift. Oil changes weren't exciting but they paid the bills, he supposed.

"Yeah. That's what he said."

"Dal can probably hook him up with a deal. Nothing illegal," he clarified when Soda gave him a look. "I'll look at it before he buys it…make sure it's not a dud."

"Thanks, man."

They worked together in silence for a little while, and right when Soda was about to suggest they take a break, wondering if Pony would show up to say hello, there were footsteps that stopped right beside him.

"Hey there, soft drink."

Soda pushed himself out from under the car, grinning. "Hey, James. We thought you were coming next week."

"Gotta keep the kid on his toes."

He chuckled, jumping to his feet, Steve right behind as they both shook his hand. Soda looked around him, searching for Pony, but his little brother was nowhere to be found. "You see Pony yet? I thought you were bringing Marcus and Sue?"

"Yeah, I went to the house first. Marcus crashed at the hotel. I took Sue to see the kid…figured I'd give them some time alone."

Steve snorted. "You sure that's a good idea? Those two alone in a house together?"

"Jesus, Steve," Soda muttered, giving him a look.

"What? He ain't even got that condom I gave him."

Soda wiped a hand over his face. "Yeah, I'm going to need you to stop giving my little brother condoms for his birthday."

James laughed outright at that, and Steve did too. But Soda couldn't help feeling kind of strange at the thought of his little brother alone in the house with a girl. He knew Pony wasn't stupid…but Steve was right. If that girl got in trouble…"

"I was just messing around, man. That girl ain't dumb, and neither is the kid. I wouldn't have left them alone if I'd thought they were going to jump into bed or something. He's gonna show her around the town. Probably bring her here. Then he'll walk her back to her hotel. He's a good kid."

"Yeah…I know." Soda nodded. It was true. Pony was smart…way smarter than him. He sure wouldn't chance his future, or Sue's.

Sure enough, a little while after James went off to find Dally, Pony showed up with Sue Williams, the two of them walking together into the garage. Soda spotted them right off, and Steve stood up a second after, the two of them watching Pony approach. And Soda didn't know if Steve could tell, but he sure could. Pony liked this girl. He'd suspected, from the way he'd drawn her, and from the way he acted when she came up. They wrote letters and talked on the phone when they could. So Soda had been pretty sure. Soda had wondered sometimes at the fact that Pony didn't seem to like any girls in his school much. He'd figured that Pony would tell him if he liked a girl, or if he went on a date or something, but Pony never had…had never really mentioned any girls other than Sue.

As Pony stepped into the garage, he realized that he'd never seen his brother look at any girl the way he looked at Sue.

And that Sue looked at him the same way.

Well, he thought, that answered that.

"Hey, Soda. This is Sue Williams. Sue, my brother, Sodapop"

The girl grinned at him, holding out her hand and shaking his, not even looking to see if he'd gotten all the grease off. She didn't seem to mind being in a garage either, with a bag full of dirty rags in the corner and bottles of oil and engine parts everywhere. "Hi. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Hey, Sue. It's good to meet you too."

"And Steve, right?" she asked, turning to his buddy. Steve shot Pony a look before shaking her hand, trying to clean it off on a rag first but not having much luck.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Pony told me all about you," she told him with a little smile.

"What'd you tell her kid?" Steve asked, crossing his arms and trying to look serious. Pony just laughed.

"Nothing that wasn't true."

Steve cracked, grinning and shaking his head, and Soda couldn't help being glad that they got along now. It sure made his life easier.

"You guys want something to drink?" Soda asked, and Pony nodded.

"Sure. I can get it."

"I got it. Find her a clean crate, would you?" He asked, ruffling Pony's hair as he passed and grinning when Pony shoved him away. When he came back with the bottles and a couple of bags of chips, Pony had apparently gotten her the cleanest crate he could find, and him and Steve and Sue all sat in a semicircle, waiting for him to take the fourth one.

Sue seemed perfectly at ease, thanking him for the drink and answering his questions about her dad and her trip down with James and Marcus. She told them that Marcus had probably crashed since he couldn't sleep on the bus, and he told her that Pony had had the same problem after coming back from New York. "Poor kid was dead on his feet when we found him in the park." For a moment, he regretted his words, wondering what all Pony had told her about what had gone down when he'd come home, but she just nodded, and Pony didn't look upset with him. He just kept glancing over at Sue like she might disappear.

The thing was, she would. Her and Marcus were only in Tulsa for a week, and Soda had a feeling it was going to be hard for Pony to say goodbye. He didn't want to bring that up, though. So they all just drank their sodas and ate the chips he'd brought out until they had to get back to work, and Ponyboy and Sue left. Soda watched them go, leaning against the car Steve had been working on, arms crossed, while Steve kicked the crates back out of the way.

"Your kid brother just couldn't pick a girl in this state, could he?"

Soda laughed. "Guess not. He picked a good one though." It was true. Sue seemed like a real good girl, and he could tell why Pony liked her so much. She was smart, just like him, and he knew she liked books and movies and stuff like Pony did. But she was sweet too, and real pretty.

"Yeah, I guess so." Steve crossed his arms too. "She's going to look at the college down here, ain't she?"

"That's what Pony said. She might move down here for school."

"There's going to be people that don't like it," Steve warned him softly.

"Yeah…I know."

"Ain't nobody around here going to mess with him, though. They know better." Steve said it like a threat, and Soda grinned at him, clasping his shoulder.

"Thanks, man."

Darry didn't get to officially meet Sue that day, but he did listen with open interest as Soda questioned Pony all about what they'd done that night when Pony got home. Pony told them that he'd taken her to see Johnny at the grocery store where they worked, and to meet Rita at her store too. Then he'd walked her back to her hotel and had come home.

The next morning, Pony left home early to hang out with her since he had to work that afternoon, and after work, her and Marcus and James all came by for dinner.

She was just as charming and at ease with Darry as she had been with him and Steve, offering to help cook dinner and sitting next to Pony on the couch, and he could tell Darry liked her. Soda joined them and Marcus, who'd apparently spent the day with James and Dally as they all seemed to be trying to give the kids time to hang out together. "So what did you two do this morning? Did you get to see all the sights," Soda asked her, leaning back in Darry's recliner.

Sue laughed. "Yeah, we went to a movie and got lunch, and then we went to the library."

"Well, Pony, you've showed her the DX and the movie house and the library…that's about all there is around here."

James snorted, pulling out a deck of cards that he started dealing out, and to Soda's surprise, Sue scooted forward and nodded when he asked if she wanted to play.

"Tomorrow we're going to see the University," she told him. "My daddy said I had to at least bring back a brochure to prove I actually went to the school."

"They do campus tours," Pony put in. "We can see Langston University and University of Tulsa both."

"Yeah? That sounds fun." Soda wanted to ask how Pony was doing…how serious things were with this girl and if he was going to be alright when she left, but there were a bunch of people around and then they were all eating dinner. There was no way they could talk about it with everybody around. So Soda just ate and listened to Marcus and James talk about New York and wondered if he'd ever get to see it.

Soon, Marcus and James headed out, Sue going with them back to the hotel, and for the first time that day, him and Pony were alone as they did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, Darry heading to the living room to watch the news.

"You having fun?" Soda asked, keeping his voice low.

Pony glanced up at him from where he was scrubbing a spoon and lifted an eyebrow, his expression so similar to Two-Bit's it was funny. "Doing the dishes? I mean…I wouldn't call it fun…"

Sodapop splashed him with the soapy dishwater and made him laugh as he wiped a hand over his bare arm to clean it off, the round scars on his skin faded but not completely gone. He couldn't help being sad when he saw them, but he was proud too. Proud that Pony wore short sleeves all the time now when he couldn't even roll his sleeves up at first. Proud that after everything that had happened, he was still Soda's little brother. A good kid. A smart kid.

"I meant with Sue."

"Oh. Yeah."

He sighed when Pony just left it at that. "So…you guys are going to those colleges tomorrow?"

"Yeah. We're gonna do that tour."

"Think she'll come down here for school?"

Pony hesitated at that, looking suddenly solemn as he stared down at the water in the sink, and Soda stopped drying the plate he'd been holding, turning to watch him. "I hope so," he told Soda simply, voice soft and wistful, and Soda put an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him real quick.

"I'll bet she will. She sure seems to like you."

"You think so?" Pony asked, looking up at him, hope in his eyes, and Soda couldn't help smiling.

"Yeah, kiddo, I know so."

The next evening, Pony came home just in time for dinner with a couple of brochures from the University, and Soda could tell Darry was glad to see him thinking about college. He'd been real serious about making sure Pony got to go, and now it seemed like he was actually excited about it. He told them all about the campus, and the tours him and Sue had gone on, talking more than he usually did at dinner, and Soda remembered when he'd first come home…how getting him to talk had been like pulling teeth. How getting him to eat had been just about impossible. And now he was sixteen and about to start his last year of high school, thinking about a girl he liked and about going to college as he scarfed his dinner down.

"I got you one too…if you want it," Pony told Darry kind of shyly, holding out a folded brochure he must have been carrying in his pocket for the University of Tulsa, and Darry took it with a grin.

"Thanks, kiddo."

Ponyboy never said anything about dating Sue officially, and he didn't tell Soda or Darry too much about what they did all day when he wasn't working, but Soda knew that he was taking her to the movies and to lunch, and to places around town. On Friday after he got off work, they even came out with Soda and Alice to the drag races, Sue looking around like an excited kid at all the people and cars, and Ponyboy looking at her with a grin he couldn't seem to contain. Darry was out with Mary somewhere, and Steve and Evie were doing something, so it was just the four of them. And Ponyboy might not have called it a date, but he bought her a soda from a guy selling them out of a cooler on the back of his truck and the two of them stood real close together the whole night.

Towards the end of the night, Alice nudged him, and he tore his eyes away from the race to look down at her, only to find her staring up at him wide-eyed, jerking her head slightly towards his brother and Sue. He followed her gaze, blinking in surprise when he saw Sue resting her head on Pony's shoulder, and instead of watching the race, he was smiling down at her, his expression softer than Soda had ever seen it.

Alice gripped his hand, still wide-eyed, and he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "She really likes him," she whispered, sounding just as excited as he was to see his brother happy.

"Yeah. Looks like it."

"She has to come back here for school. She has to!"

Soda glanced back over at them and nodded. "Yeah…I really hope so."

The night before it was time for their friends to go home, they had them all over to the house again for dinner. Marcus and Sus brought a pie they must have bought at a store that day, and James brought a case of beer, handing Pony one and laughing aloud when Darry snatched it from him, rolling his eyes. Ponyboy laughed too, taking a long drink of the Pepsi he handed him instead.

Soda didn't miss how he handed it to Sue right after, letting her have a drink too.

They all crowded into the living room since they didn't have enough chairs. Darry had made fried chicken, and the others had pitched in to make the sides. Rita made coleslaw while Pony and Soda made green beans and biscuits. Johnny brought cans of baked beans from the grocery and even Steve brought a bag of chips.

Pony and Sue weren't real obvious about sticking close together or nothing. They sat a normal distance away from each other on the couch and he carried her plate into the kitchen when he was done, but he carried Rita's too, half climbing over everybody crammed in their living room to get to the kitchen. Sue made conversation with Rita, the two of them comparing their jobs and Sue telling her about life in New York where she'd apparently lived her whole life. Still, Pony always kept pretty close to her, glancing over her every once in a while like he was checking to make sure she was okay, and she did the same, like checking he was still there.

Later, after dinner and after the dishes were piled in the sink, Marcus and Dally talking football with Darry and James chatting with Rita, Soda glimpsed the two of them out of the porch, talking real soft and serious with their faces close together, and he knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping or watching them like this, but he couldn't help being curious. Still, after a minute, he was going to leave them in peace, but right before he turned, she leaned forward, a hand pressed to Pony's cheek as she kissed him.

Pony didn't seem surprised, instead wrapping an arm around her and resting his hand on her back, and for a moment, Soda wondered exactly what those two had gotten up to with all that free time together, then promptly turned away and left the kitchen before he got caught spying. No way Pony would be willing to talk to him about any of this if he thought Soda was watching him.

Soda knew that his brother would be pretty down when Sue and James and Marcus headed home. He was always kind of sad when James left…Pony had told him once or twice that he wished James would just stay instead of going back to New York. And Soda kind of wished he would too. He was a good guy, and anyone that looked after his brother was okay in Soda's books. Still, it was a Sunday morning and Soda found his little brother still in bed at almost eleven, staring out the window the morning after they left.

The night before, James had thrown an arm around his brother, ruffling his hair and telling him that he'd see him around. Marcus had patted him on the back, grinning, before turning to the others, shaking their hands and telling them to take it easy. And Sue had thrown her arm around him, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Call me when you get back?" he'd asked, voice soft, and she'd nodded, looking like she'd like nothing more than to stay.

"Yeah. I will."

Now, jumping onto the bed beside him, Soda shook him, grinning when Pony pulled the blankets up over his head. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go do something."

He couldn't make Sue stay, and he couldn't make her come back to Tulsa for school. He couldn't make it hurt any less that his little brother liked a girl that lived halfway across the country. But he could at least try and distract him.

Pony did cheer up some as the days of that summer passed. He ran around the high school track almost every day, and worked at the store as much as he was allowed. He helped Johnny apartment hunt and hung around the DX some, learning about the cars when their boss wasn't around. He went to the library and read books and bummed around town with Dally when he wasn't with his girl…not that Soda thought he was officially seeing her in the first place.

When Johnny finally saved up enough and found a place, Pony spent the whole weekend helping him move in and helping him move a sofa they found someone giving away on the sidewalk up three flights of stairs and into the living room. He crashed there that night, calling Soda and Darry to let them know that he was alright. When they got there the next morning to help, they found Pony asleep on a nest of blankets on the floor and Johnny asleep on the sofa.

Pony said it was only fair after New York.

He was on time for dinner most nights, although he still tended to get caught up reading or watching movies. But Darry didn't get irritated with him as often as he used to…just shook his head and told him he was going to buy him a watch one of these days, sounding more amused than anything. Their house was pretty peaceful, which was nice. The days of him playing middleman were long gone, and Pony and Darry got along just fine.

The only time Pony even really came close to getting in trouble that summer wasn't even his fault. One of the guys on the track team, who Pony had been hanging out with on and off, had invited him to another party. Ponyboy wasn't big into parties from what he'd told Soda, but he asked Darry if he could go after work on a Friday night, and since it was summer and since Ponyboy was sixteen and pretty responsible these days, Darry agreed.

"Yeah, that's fine. Where is it?"

"Over by Tim Shephard's side of town. Dal mentioned stopping by so I might get a ride from him."

Sodapop doubted Dal would actually go since their friend was spending most of his time either working or with that girl. Still, Soda knew if it came to it, he could just pick Ponyboy up.

"Alright. Call if it gets late and you need a ride though. Be home by midnight."

Soda didn't think much of it…not until midnight came and went, and it was nearly one in the morning. The later it got, the quieter Darry got, and Soda watched his jaw go tight as he messed with the newspaper he was holding. He wouldn't go to bed until Pony got home, Soda knew, so he didn't bother trying to convince him. Still, he turned the TV down, leaning in.

"Come on, Dar. He's been real good. So he's a little late. He'll be home soon."

Darry just nodded, looking agitated, and Soda knew he was worried, probably thinking about Bob Sheldon and socs and car accidents and everything else that could go wrong…about that night that had started everything.

"The party probably went late. He might have lost track of time." He was just hoping that Darry didn't blow up at Pony when he did come home and reminding himself to buy his kid brother a watch for his next birthday when the phone rang. Darry grabbed it before the first ring was even finished, pressing it hard to his ear, and Soda leaned in, feeling kind of anxious despite himself. It wasn't like Pony to be late for his curfew. Not this late. Hell, the only time it had ever happened had been that night.

It wouldn't happen again. Soda wouldn't let it. Even if a fight made Pony run out of the house, Soda would chase him down. He'd follow him clear across town if it meant keeping him safe.

"Hello?" Darry barked.

There was a pause, and Darry clenched his jaw as he listened to the person on the other line that Soda hoped was their brother.

"Pony? You're late. Where are you?"

If he was trying not to sound mad, he sure was doing a shitty job, Soda thought with a sigh.

Another pause, and Soda watched Darry's eyes widen, his jaw dropping, the irritation dropping from his voice, replaced by fear. "What? Why? Are you okay? What happened?"

Soda jumped up then, crowding in beside Darry to try and hear as he grabbed his arm "What's going on? Where is he?"

Darry ignored him, shaking his head as he listened, his shoulders relaxing some. "No, I'll come get you. Stay put, alright?"

He turned to Soda once he'd hung up. "He's at the hospital. Some guy went after him at the party and a guy stepped in to help…got hurt pretty bad. So Pony drove his girlfriend to the hospital or something." Darry shook his head, looking as confused as Soda felt.

"With what car?" Soda asked with a shaky grin, a rush of relief replacing the fear he'd felt at the word 'hospital.'

"Hell if I know. You coming?"

"Yeah."

They didn't even have to go inside, as it turned out. Pony came out of the double doors as soon as they parked like he'd been watching for them, hands in his pockets, the overhead lights revealing the beginnings of a black eye and busted lip. When he pulled his hands out of his pockets as Darry jumped out of the truck, Soda right behind him, he saw that his knuckles were torn up too.

"You alright?" Darry asked first thing, dropping a hand onto his shoulder like he was making sure he was really there, and Pony nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry…I should have called you from the party. He was hurt pretty bad though."

"Who did that?" Soda demanded jerking his chin towards his black eye, but Ponyboy just shrugged.

"I've never even seen the guy," he told them, bewildered.

"Alright, let's get you home," Darry urged, putting an arm around him and leading him back to the truck. Pony went quietly, climbing into the truck between them.

"What happened?" Soda asked as Darry pulled out of the parking lot, gripping Pony's chin and turning his face so he could see the black eye. He let him, not complaining, but he got that smile on his face like Soda was being ridiculous.

"He just came after me." He shrugged, finally brushing Soda off when he went to press a rag against his bleeding lip. "Quit. I'm fine." Then, continuing, "Angela Shephard was there. Seemed pissed at me about something. I don't know what, though. That guy came out of nowhere. Grabbed a busted bottle and everything."

Soda narrowed his eyes. "You think she had something to do with it?"

"I don't know. Don't, Soda."

"Don't what?"

"Go after the Shephards. I don't want you fighting with them over me."

Soda punched him in the arm. "Don't go telling me what to do. Somebody hurts my little brother, they ought to pay for it." But he got what Pony was saying. His brother had gone through enough in the last year, and Tim Shephard was a dangerous enemy to have. He couldn't blame him for being sick of all the fighting, so he figured he'd wait to see what Darry said about it later. "How's you get a car to drive that girl to the hospital anyway?"

Pony gave him a sheepish smile, lowering his voice like he was trying to keep Darry from hearing. "Hot wired one."

He fought a grin. "And how the hell did you know how to do that?"

"Steve taught me."

Darry huffed out a laugh beside him, finally relaxing a little. "Don't go making a habit of that, you hear?"

"I won't," Pony assured him, grinning when Soda did.

Soda asked whatever greasers dropped into the station the next week what they knew, eventually putting together the story so he could give it to Darry. Angela Shephard had been trying to flirt with Pony who had either rejected her advances or, more likely, just hadn't noticed. So she'd gotten a guy to go after him. Darry shook his head, rolling his eyes when he told him the story he'd managed to piece together.

"I'll talk to Tim."

"Pony don't want a fight over this."

"If Angela Shephard is sending people after our brother and Tim won't put a stop to it, then there's going to be a fight alright."

Soda got it. Darry never had taken well to people threatening his family, especially not Pony, and especially not now, after everything. He felt the same…that didn't mean they had to tell Pony about it. "Just tell him that Pony's already got a girl."

"Does he?" Darry asked, lifting an eyebrow.

He looked around like Pony might overhear, even though he was at work. "Yeah. He ain't said much, but they sure were acting pretty cozy at the races."

His brother smiled, looking his age for a minute. Like he was just his big brother, the two of them talking about Pony and his first girlfriend. "I'll ask Tim to get Angela to lay off…move on to someone else. Pony probably didn't even notice she was interested. Kid's always got his head in the clouds." Now it was said with fondness, and Soda grinned too.

"Yeah, probably."

They dropped the subject when Pony home from work, yawning as he sat down to eat dinner, and the three of them talked about work and avoided the subject of Angela Shephard. She'd get married after not too much longer, and she wouldn't cause any more trouble for Ponyboy, but he didn't go to any more parties that summer. Then again, parties had never really been Pony's thing.

Soda didn't care. He was just grateful to have his little brother back. They could figure out the rest as it came.

Thank you for reading!