Soda laid awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep. He had to much on his mind.
Thoughts of Sandy. Thoughts of Samantha. He sighed and rolled over on his
side. He shut his eyes and attempted to fall asleep again but AGAIN was
unsuccessful. He turned back over to his other side and looked at Pony.
"Hey, Ponyboy?" Soda said softly. "Pony, you asleep."
"Kinda." Ponyboy said muffled into his pillow.
Soda swallowed. He needed to talk to somebody about all this and he always told Ponyboy everything. "Pony, if I tell you something would you promise not to tell Darry?" "Yeah," Pony sighed and turned over slowly to face Soda. "What is it?" Soda looked into Pony's slightly open eyes and spoke
"You know that new girl I told you about?" Soda asked. Ponyboy nodded. "She's twenty-eight." Soda said quickly. Ponyboy's eyes were suddenly open wide. "Twenty-eight?" he asked softly. Soda nodded. "But Soda, isn't that awful old for you?" "Maybe, I guess." Soda said.
Soda sighed exasperated and lied down on his stomach. "What's wrong?" Ponyboy asked. "It's just…" Soda started. "It's so difficult. You know what I mean? And It doesn't make any sense either. I can't figure out what she wants with me. She's beautiful, Ponyboy. She's gorgeous and she could probably get any guy. Why'd she pick a seventeen year old high school drop out."
Pony smiled. "The ladies just love yah. You're the ladies man." Soda laughed at his little brothers remark. "Is that right?" "Yup, that's right." Ponyboy said.
"What's she like anyways?" He asked Soda. "She's really something." Soda said grinning. "Better than Sandy?" Pony asked. Soda immediately lost his grin. "No." He muttered. "I've never met anybody else like Sandy and I don't reckon I ever will." Pony placed a hand on Soda's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said. "Oh, you aint done nothing." Soda said giving Pony a friendly slug.
"Do you like this girl a lot. I mean the one you're seeing now?" Pony asked. "Yeah, I really do." Soda said. "She's sweet, gentle, funny…" Soda trailed off as he began to yawn. Pony yawned to at the sight of his brother doing it. Yawns are contagious you know?
"Anyways," Soda said rubbing his eyes. "I'm gonna take her out again on Saturday. Not to the club this time though. I wanna do something else. Something even more fun. Got any ideas?" Soda asked.
Ponyboy shrugged. "Not that I can think of at the moment but I'll tell you if I come up with any." They were quiet for a minute. There's just only so much you can do around here you know? There's movies, club, The Dingo, dinner… but that's about it."
Ponyboy nodded and pulled the covers up to his chin. He closed his eyes again. "You'll figure out something." He said as he drifted back to sleep.
*****************
Soda woke up early the next morning which was a surprise because he'd been real tired the night before. He was up even before Darry. Maybe it was because he had so much on his mind. He decided to go out and have a smoke. He rarely smoked. Only once and a while to relax himself and right then he needed to relax. He went out to the front porch and lit one up. The cool morning air was refreshing. It must've been like six a.m. still. He couldn't remember waking up this early in a long time.
He sat for a while just thinking. It was nice and he liked it. "Why don't I do this more often?" Soda asked himself. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice yelling, "Get on up you two." Soda smiled slightly. Darry was gonna be shocked to find that he was already up.
"Pony, go tell Soda to get out of bed." Darry instructed. "He aint in bed." Pony said. "Well were is he then?" Darry asked. Ponyboy shrugged. "Sodapop!" Darry yelled. "Out here!" Soda yelled back from the porch. The screen door opened and Darry stepped out.
"Hey, little buddy. Whatcha doing out here?" He asked. "Couldn't sleep." Soda replied as he threw the cigarette butt to the other side of the porch and rested his head on the railing. Darry looked at Sodapop unbelievingly. He couldn't remember once when he hadn't had to wake him up. "All-right, hurry and get ready and put that in the trash please." Darry said pointing to what was left of Soda's cigarette.
Soda sighed, got up, picked up the cigarette butt, and stumbled back into the house. He showered, got dressed, shaved, and then came out for breakfast. Steve and Two-Bit were sitting in front of the TV and Pony was gathering up his homework. "We're leaving, Soda. Hurry and get something to eat. You aint working on an empty stomach." Sodapop agreed with that completely.
"Listen, Soda." Darry began as he finished putting dirty dishes in the sink. "You feeling ok?" "Yeah, I'm ok." Soda said. "Why?" "First of all because you never smoke unless something's bugging you and second of all because you don't ever wake up on your own."
"No. I'm ok, Dar." "Are you sure?" Darry asked. Soda nodded and served himself a plateful of the leftover breakfast.
"That new girl you've been seeing… Is she a Junior or Senior?" Darry asked. Soda stopped chewing. Why did Darry want to know that? What was he gonna tell Darry? He'd never lied to Darry before. Not ever. He had to talk fast and what came out wasn't anything close to the truth but it came out anyways. "Senior." Soda said.
He took a bit of chocolate cake nervously. It felt weird to look Darry straight in the eyes and tell him something that was completely false. He finished his breakfast quickly and went to get his shoes. "Let's go!" Darry yelled from the living room. "Darry where's my grey sweatshirt?" Pony yelled from his room.
"I don't know but we don't have time. Wear your blue coat." "Fine." Ponyboy grumbled. Finally everyone was ready and they headed out and left. Darry dropped Steve and Sodapop off at work after dropping off Pony and Two-Bit at school. Two-Bit will often drive himself and Pony but his car was in the shop… again.
Soda hopped out with Steve and waved to Darry. He felt sick. He couldn't believe he had lied to Darry.
"Hey, Ponyboy?" Soda said softly. "Pony, you asleep."
"Kinda." Ponyboy said muffled into his pillow.
Soda swallowed. He needed to talk to somebody about all this and he always told Ponyboy everything. "Pony, if I tell you something would you promise not to tell Darry?" "Yeah," Pony sighed and turned over slowly to face Soda. "What is it?" Soda looked into Pony's slightly open eyes and spoke
"You know that new girl I told you about?" Soda asked. Ponyboy nodded. "She's twenty-eight." Soda said quickly. Ponyboy's eyes were suddenly open wide. "Twenty-eight?" he asked softly. Soda nodded. "But Soda, isn't that awful old for you?" "Maybe, I guess." Soda said.
Soda sighed exasperated and lied down on his stomach. "What's wrong?" Ponyboy asked. "It's just…" Soda started. "It's so difficult. You know what I mean? And It doesn't make any sense either. I can't figure out what she wants with me. She's beautiful, Ponyboy. She's gorgeous and she could probably get any guy. Why'd she pick a seventeen year old high school drop out."
Pony smiled. "The ladies just love yah. You're the ladies man." Soda laughed at his little brothers remark. "Is that right?" "Yup, that's right." Ponyboy said.
"What's she like anyways?" He asked Soda. "She's really something." Soda said grinning. "Better than Sandy?" Pony asked. Soda immediately lost his grin. "No." He muttered. "I've never met anybody else like Sandy and I don't reckon I ever will." Pony placed a hand on Soda's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said. "Oh, you aint done nothing." Soda said giving Pony a friendly slug.
"Do you like this girl a lot. I mean the one you're seeing now?" Pony asked. "Yeah, I really do." Soda said. "She's sweet, gentle, funny…" Soda trailed off as he began to yawn. Pony yawned to at the sight of his brother doing it. Yawns are contagious you know?
"Anyways," Soda said rubbing his eyes. "I'm gonna take her out again on Saturday. Not to the club this time though. I wanna do something else. Something even more fun. Got any ideas?" Soda asked.
Ponyboy shrugged. "Not that I can think of at the moment but I'll tell you if I come up with any." They were quiet for a minute. There's just only so much you can do around here you know? There's movies, club, The Dingo, dinner… but that's about it."
Ponyboy nodded and pulled the covers up to his chin. He closed his eyes again. "You'll figure out something." He said as he drifted back to sleep.
*****************
Soda woke up early the next morning which was a surprise because he'd been real tired the night before. He was up even before Darry. Maybe it was because he had so much on his mind. He decided to go out and have a smoke. He rarely smoked. Only once and a while to relax himself and right then he needed to relax. He went out to the front porch and lit one up. The cool morning air was refreshing. It must've been like six a.m. still. He couldn't remember waking up this early in a long time.
He sat for a while just thinking. It was nice and he liked it. "Why don't I do this more often?" Soda asked himself. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice yelling, "Get on up you two." Soda smiled slightly. Darry was gonna be shocked to find that he was already up.
"Pony, go tell Soda to get out of bed." Darry instructed. "He aint in bed." Pony said. "Well were is he then?" Darry asked. Ponyboy shrugged. "Sodapop!" Darry yelled. "Out here!" Soda yelled back from the porch. The screen door opened and Darry stepped out.
"Hey, little buddy. Whatcha doing out here?" He asked. "Couldn't sleep." Soda replied as he threw the cigarette butt to the other side of the porch and rested his head on the railing. Darry looked at Sodapop unbelievingly. He couldn't remember once when he hadn't had to wake him up. "All-right, hurry and get ready and put that in the trash please." Darry said pointing to what was left of Soda's cigarette.
Soda sighed, got up, picked up the cigarette butt, and stumbled back into the house. He showered, got dressed, shaved, and then came out for breakfast. Steve and Two-Bit were sitting in front of the TV and Pony was gathering up his homework. "We're leaving, Soda. Hurry and get something to eat. You aint working on an empty stomach." Sodapop agreed with that completely.
"Listen, Soda." Darry began as he finished putting dirty dishes in the sink. "You feeling ok?" "Yeah, I'm ok." Soda said. "Why?" "First of all because you never smoke unless something's bugging you and second of all because you don't ever wake up on your own."
"No. I'm ok, Dar." "Are you sure?" Darry asked. Soda nodded and served himself a plateful of the leftover breakfast.
"That new girl you've been seeing… Is she a Junior or Senior?" Darry asked. Soda stopped chewing. Why did Darry want to know that? What was he gonna tell Darry? He'd never lied to Darry before. Not ever. He had to talk fast and what came out wasn't anything close to the truth but it came out anyways. "Senior." Soda said.
He took a bit of chocolate cake nervously. It felt weird to look Darry straight in the eyes and tell him something that was completely false. He finished his breakfast quickly and went to get his shoes. "Let's go!" Darry yelled from the living room. "Darry where's my grey sweatshirt?" Pony yelled from his room.
"I don't know but we don't have time. Wear your blue coat." "Fine." Ponyboy grumbled. Finally everyone was ready and they headed out and left. Darry dropped Steve and Sodapop off at work after dropping off Pony and Two-Bit at school. Two-Bit will often drive himself and Pony but his car was in the shop… again.
Soda hopped out with Steve and waved to Darry. He felt sick. He couldn't believe he had lied to Darry.
