*Thank you Sabrina for your idea about Samantha stopping by!*



Sodapop laid in his bed the next afternoon after work. He couldn't sleep but there wasn't anything else to do. He wasn't aloud out and he wasn't aloud to watch TV. Even if he had been aloud though he probably wouldn't have. He was to depressed to do anything. He didn't want to eat, or talk, or play cards, or anything so he just laid there. He had finally gotten everybody to go away and stop asking him if he was all-right. He just wanted to be left alone. Away from anyone who would try to make conversation with him. He heard someone knock on the front door and listened to Darry open it.

"What do you want?" He heard Darry ask whoever it was. Sodapop laid still but listened intently. He was pretty sure who the visitor was.

"Is Sodapop home?" Samantha's voice asked. Soda considered weather or not to go out there. He decided not to. What good could come of it?

"Ponyboy." Darry said. "This is one of those conversation that you go out of the room for." Ponyboy got up and went outside past Samantha. He would have gone to his room but Soda was in there trying to sleep.

"He's here," Darry continued, once Ponyboy was out of hearing reach. "but he isn't to see you and even if I'd let him I doubt he would want to after what you did to him not to mention what you did to your husband. I don't imagine he took it to well."

"Please?" Samantha asked. "I just want to speak with him. I didn't get a chance to talk to him after what happened. I just need a few minutes."

"He won't talk to you." Darry said. "I'm lucky if I can get a nod out of him. He hasn't hardly been talking at all. Not to anyone. He's miserable and seeing you would make his misery worse. Go on home to your husband. You don't have no place here."

"Why are you being so rude? I only want to speak with him. Just for a moment."

Sodapop sighed and rolled over onto his stomach. How long would this go on? He wondered if Samantha might win. He didn't think he really wanted to talk to her. Not yet.

"I'm being rude because this is my home and your unwelcome. You've been messing with my little brothers head. You broke his heart and his spirit and he's had enough hardships in his seventeen years. The trauma your causing certainly doesn't help.

Soda got out of his bed and walked into the hallway peeking out into the living room to see them.

Samantha cocked her head to the side slightly and looked at Darry in the eyes. This was getting frustrating. Why did Sodapop have to have such a stubborn big brother? "I have every right to speak to him." She said. "I've been seeing him for the past three weeks and I care about him."

"I bet you do." Darry said sarcastically. "That's why you lied to him and dragged him down with you in your mistake. Not anymore." Darry said. "I catch you near him and I'll call the police."

"There's no law that would prevent me from seeing him." Samantha said.

"There's a law about minors and adults sleeping with each other!" Darry bellowed. "Sodapop's a minor and you're an adult."

Samantha sighed deeply. "I've told you before and so has Sodapop, that didn't happen."

"Do you expect me to believe you?" Darry said. "I can't think of many people I know that would be able to believe you easily if they walked in and saw you two.

Soda moaned inwardly as he watched and listened them. This could get bad. Apparently Samantha had a temper too and she didn't wanna let a twenty-one year old tell her off. As Soda listened to them though he thought about how much older Darry sounded than Samantha. He sounded responsible and reasonable. It made Soda feel secure knowing he had Darry looking after him.

"Don't come back here again." Darry said. "If I have to I'll file a restraining order."

"I believe that threatening is a sign of weakness." Samantha said.

"What you think about threats isn't what I'm worried about." Darry said. "I'm worried about the people I love. People that you're affecting in a negative way."

Samantha left and Ponyboy came running back in. He had been kicking dirt around on the sidewalk waiting for them to finish.

Darry slammed the door shut after Pony had come in and walked towards the hallway. Soda went back into his room quickly so Darry didn't know he'd been eavesdropping.

He knocked on Sodapop's door a moment of two later. "Come in." Soda said glumly.

"How you doing?" Darry asked.

"The same as I was when you asked me an hour ago." Soda said in an annoyed tone.

Darry continued anyways. "You want something to eat? You haven't eaten all day. Aren't you hungry?"

Soda shook his head.

"All-right, if you change your mind just say so. I can't imagine how you can't be hungry after such a long period of time."

"It's ok, Darry. I don't feel like eating. I don't think I'd be able to swallow."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Darry asked.

"Yeah." Sodapop said. "Shoot me."

"Sodapop!" Darry said sternly. "I want you to quit talking like that right now and I mean it! Do you understand?

Soda looked over at Darry. He had expected Darry to be unhappy about that comment but he hadn't expected him to be that mad. It made sense when he thought about it though. He didn't have any right saying he wanted to die. He knew John "I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "You know I didn't mean it."

"Of course you didn't." Darry said. "All the same though, I don't wanna hear you ever talk like that."

"Ok, fine." Sodapop said.

"Thank you." Darry stood and looked at Soda just lying there, breathing lightly. He looked relaxed but he didn't look happy. Soda had gone through several weeks of depression after Sandy left but Darry didn't recall him like this. He looked even worse off. Sandy had meant more to him, he thought. That probably wasn't it though. At least Sandy hadn't been cheating on him. It must be hard to find out someone that you trusted so much was really someone you shouldn't have trusted at all.

"Darry, I just wanna be alone for a while. Ok?" Soda asked as he stared at the wall.

"Yeah, ok little buddy." Darry said walking back to the living room.

Soda turned and stuffed his head into his pillow, letting the tears come out that he had been fighting back. He didn't want Darry to see him cry again. Then he'd have to answer more questions. Questions like are you ok, what exactly is wrong, and what can we do to help, and all sorts of things like that. Soda had no luck falling asleep. He laid on his bed for another hour of two before Darry came in and dragged him out of there, rambling on about how Sodapop needed to get outside.

"That's enough moping for today. It's not good for you to stay locked up in a dark room. You need some fresh air."

"I do not." Sodapop moaned.

"C'mon now kiddo." Darry said. "Cheer up a bit." Soda plopped down on the living room couch and stretched out across it.

Darry sighed. "Ok, fine. I surrender. You can go ahead and mope all you want."

Darry sat down in the arm chair and picked up a magazine.

"Oh, c'mon." Soda said. "Don't do that Darry thing."

"What?" Darry asked confused.

"You know." Sodapop said. "You got a look on your face that means your upset but you won't say anything."

"I'm not upset." Darry said. "I'm worried."

"You can even go out to the movies if you want. Even though your grounded. I want you to go do something. It scares me when you act so depressed."

"I'm not acting." Sodapop said. "I don't want to go anywhere."

Now Darry was really worried. He got up and put the back of his hand on Sodapop's forehead.

"I'm ok. I'm not sick." Soda said

"You're right. You're not." Darry said drawing his hand back.

"Where's Ponyboy?" Soda asked once Darry had sat back down.

"I told him he could go to the Dingo with Two-Bit."

"Well, when's he coming back?" Soda asked.

"He's supposed to be back by eight." Darry answered looking at Soda again who staring at one of the pictures on the wall. It was a family portrait from a couple years ago. Their parents and all three brothers were in it. It was their mom's favorite picture. Darry studied the picture for a few moments too. It was one of his favorite pictures as well. He looked at it a lot. So did Sodapop and Ponyboy.

Soda looked away eventually and closed his eyes. He fell to sleep in a little while. He had been trying to all day.

Darry picked up a blanket from the edge of the couch and put it over him. He wondered what was going on in his little brothers head.