"Hey, Soda. Wake up." Sodapop felt someone shaking his shoulder and he
slowly opened his eyes and yawned. "Tired buddy?" someone said.
Soda looked up when he had opened his eyes fully and the figure standing above him came into focus. "Oh, hi Stevie." Soda said sitting up. "Why's it so quiet. Were is everybody? Are Pony and Two-Bit back yet?"
"I dunno." Steve shrugged.
"Where's Darry?" Soda asked. Steve shrugged again.
"He probably went to the market or something." Soda said forcing himself up and off of the couch. "What time is it?"
Steve poked his head into the kitchen and looked at the clock. "It's 7:30. Why?"
"You wanna catch a flick with me?" Soda asked as he grabbed his shoes from their position on the floor.
"Sure, I aint got nothing better to do." Steve said. "I thought Darry had you on restriction though?"
"He does, but he said I could go see a movie. He wants to get me out of the house. I guess I'd better take him up on the offer. I don't think he'll make it again. You got your truck with you?"
Steve nodded. "Yeah, how do you think I got here?
"Right." Soda said. "Lets go." They walked out, hopped in Steve's truck, and drove off.
"Do you wanna pick Samantha up?" Steve asked. Soda sighed and shook his head. "Is something up? You sure seemed upset yesterday and you said you'd tell me what was going on later."
"Yeah, I uh, had a little run in with her husband the other day."
"She's married?!" Steve said. "Man that little." Steve went on cursing Samantha out for what she'd done to his best friend.
"Steve!" Soda said. "Don't say that."
"What, you aint mad about this?" Steve asked.
"Course I'm mad, cept, I just can't help caring about her, and she ain't those things that you just called her."
Steve looked at Sodapop shocked. "Soda, man you are like in denial or something, buddy."
"Just shut up and let me tell you what happened." Sodapop said.
"Ok." Steve said.
"I went to her house and this guy answered the door. So obviously I thought something was up. He called her down and he asked her who I was and I asked her who he was. We both figured the situation out pretty quickly. Then he attacked me. I got out of there though. I haven't talked to her since but she stopped by earlier today. I didn't bother coming out to see her. She was arguing with Darry about the situation and she didn't get anywhere with him."
"Wait, back up." Steve said. "This was the other day when Darry was asking all of us where you were, right?" "Probably." Soda said. "How old was her husband?"
"I dunno. Maybe thirty or something." Soda sighed deeply. "I miss her something awful Steve. I don't know why this had to happen. I was thinking about eventually asking her to marry me."
Steve looked over at his friend surprised. "But you've known her for less than a month. How can you decide if you're in love with someone in a month?"
"You just can." Soda said.
Steve sighed, not really understanding but trying to. "I gotta get some gas." He made a right turn to go over to the DX then pulled in and jumped out to get a pump."
"Look who's here." A voice said from outside. Soda looked out the car window. Tom was walking over. Soda moaned and stepped out of the car. Could things get any worse? "What do you want?" Sodapop said.
"So you found out huh? Stupid kid. You didn't have any idea what you were getting yourself into."
"Who's this guy?" Steve asked walking over.
"What are you talking about?" Sodapop asked Tom, waving Steve off as if to tell him it was ok.
"I'm talking about the way Samantha used you and dumped you. Same thing she did to me. Of course I wasn't an idiot like you. I found out she was married first, not after. You were the perfect target for her. You really were. I'm surprised you didn't last longer without finding out. You're young, dumb, clueless. Of course she hadn't expected you to show up on the same day Jack returned."
Sodapop felt rage boiling inside him. He could feel himself turning red and he fought back the urge to smash Tom's face. He found it extremely difficult to control his anger when the next few words came out of Tom's mouth and Sodapop let loose.
"Don't sweat it though, kid. It's just another chick."
Soda threw a punch at Tom that sent him against Steve's truck. He couldn't believe this guy was telling him not to sweat it. Of course Tom fought back and Steve joined in after he had witnessed the first punch. They had Tom running in a matter of minutes. "I hate this!" Soda yelled as he turned back to his friend. "I hate it!" Soda started punching the door of Steve's car hard and repeatedly.
"Sodapop calm down buddy!" Steve yelled.
Soda continued to hit it until he could feel his knuckles crack open and blood dripping down his hand. Even then he could hardly feel it though. He was thinking to much about his anger and frustration to worry about the pain in his hand. Smashing something in was helping him release some of that anger.
"Hey, Soda! Calm down man!" Steve said yanking his friend away from the truck and shaking him. "Don' t listen to him. Just forget what he said. Forget it!" Soda let himself drop to the ground and for the a hundredth time that week he sobbed. Things just kept getting worse. What did Tom mean by all that? How did he know about him and Samantha and everything that had happened?
"Don't worry about him, man." Steve said squatting down beside Soda. He watched Sodapop concerned. Soda hardly ever cried. At least not in a public place. "You ok man?" Soda nodded. "Who was that anyways?" Steve asked.
"Remember that guy I told you about? Tom, her x-boyfriend."
"Oh yeah. I remember." Steve said. "Well, c'mon." Steve said lifting his friend up off the ground. "Lets go home." Soda nodded and got into the truck with his best friend.
*Please Review and give me thoughts, suggestions, and comments!*
Soda looked up when he had opened his eyes fully and the figure standing above him came into focus. "Oh, hi Stevie." Soda said sitting up. "Why's it so quiet. Were is everybody? Are Pony and Two-Bit back yet?"
"I dunno." Steve shrugged.
"Where's Darry?" Soda asked. Steve shrugged again.
"He probably went to the market or something." Soda said forcing himself up and off of the couch. "What time is it?"
Steve poked his head into the kitchen and looked at the clock. "It's 7:30. Why?"
"You wanna catch a flick with me?" Soda asked as he grabbed his shoes from their position on the floor.
"Sure, I aint got nothing better to do." Steve said. "I thought Darry had you on restriction though?"
"He does, but he said I could go see a movie. He wants to get me out of the house. I guess I'd better take him up on the offer. I don't think he'll make it again. You got your truck with you?"
Steve nodded. "Yeah, how do you think I got here?
"Right." Soda said. "Lets go." They walked out, hopped in Steve's truck, and drove off.
"Do you wanna pick Samantha up?" Steve asked. Soda sighed and shook his head. "Is something up? You sure seemed upset yesterday and you said you'd tell me what was going on later."
"Yeah, I uh, had a little run in with her husband the other day."
"She's married?!" Steve said. "Man that little." Steve went on cursing Samantha out for what she'd done to his best friend.
"Steve!" Soda said. "Don't say that."
"What, you aint mad about this?" Steve asked.
"Course I'm mad, cept, I just can't help caring about her, and she ain't those things that you just called her."
Steve looked at Sodapop shocked. "Soda, man you are like in denial or something, buddy."
"Just shut up and let me tell you what happened." Sodapop said.
"Ok." Steve said.
"I went to her house and this guy answered the door. So obviously I thought something was up. He called her down and he asked her who I was and I asked her who he was. We both figured the situation out pretty quickly. Then he attacked me. I got out of there though. I haven't talked to her since but she stopped by earlier today. I didn't bother coming out to see her. She was arguing with Darry about the situation and she didn't get anywhere with him."
"Wait, back up." Steve said. "This was the other day when Darry was asking all of us where you were, right?" "Probably." Soda said. "How old was her husband?"
"I dunno. Maybe thirty or something." Soda sighed deeply. "I miss her something awful Steve. I don't know why this had to happen. I was thinking about eventually asking her to marry me."
Steve looked over at his friend surprised. "But you've known her for less than a month. How can you decide if you're in love with someone in a month?"
"You just can." Soda said.
Steve sighed, not really understanding but trying to. "I gotta get some gas." He made a right turn to go over to the DX then pulled in and jumped out to get a pump."
"Look who's here." A voice said from outside. Soda looked out the car window. Tom was walking over. Soda moaned and stepped out of the car. Could things get any worse? "What do you want?" Sodapop said.
"So you found out huh? Stupid kid. You didn't have any idea what you were getting yourself into."
"Who's this guy?" Steve asked walking over.
"What are you talking about?" Sodapop asked Tom, waving Steve off as if to tell him it was ok.
"I'm talking about the way Samantha used you and dumped you. Same thing she did to me. Of course I wasn't an idiot like you. I found out she was married first, not after. You were the perfect target for her. You really were. I'm surprised you didn't last longer without finding out. You're young, dumb, clueless. Of course she hadn't expected you to show up on the same day Jack returned."
Sodapop felt rage boiling inside him. He could feel himself turning red and he fought back the urge to smash Tom's face. He found it extremely difficult to control his anger when the next few words came out of Tom's mouth and Sodapop let loose.
"Don't sweat it though, kid. It's just another chick."
Soda threw a punch at Tom that sent him against Steve's truck. He couldn't believe this guy was telling him not to sweat it. Of course Tom fought back and Steve joined in after he had witnessed the first punch. They had Tom running in a matter of minutes. "I hate this!" Soda yelled as he turned back to his friend. "I hate it!" Soda started punching the door of Steve's car hard and repeatedly.
"Sodapop calm down buddy!" Steve yelled.
Soda continued to hit it until he could feel his knuckles crack open and blood dripping down his hand. Even then he could hardly feel it though. He was thinking to much about his anger and frustration to worry about the pain in his hand. Smashing something in was helping him release some of that anger.
"Hey, Soda! Calm down man!" Steve said yanking his friend away from the truck and shaking him. "Don' t listen to him. Just forget what he said. Forget it!" Soda let himself drop to the ground and for the a hundredth time that week he sobbed. Things just kept getting worse. What did Tom mean by all that? How did he know about him and Samantha and everything that had happened?
"Don't worry about him, man." Steve said squatting down beside Soda. He watched Sodapop concerned. Soda hardly ever cried. At least not in a public place. "You ok man?" Soda nodded. "Who was that anyways?" Steve asked.
"Remember that guy I told you about? Tom, her x-boyfriend."
"Oh yeah. I remember." Steve said. "Well, c'mon." Steve said lifting his friend up off the ground. "Lets go home." Soda nodded and got into the truck with his best friend.
*Please Review and give me thoughts, suggestions, and comments!*
