"Steve I'm getting blood on your car." Soda said as they drove towards
home. "There's some tissues in the back." Steve said. Soda reached back and
got them, then wrapped his hands up as best he could. He was beginning to
realize how much they hurt now. They got home a few minutes later. Darry
was back and in the kitchen making dinner.
He poked his head out when he heard the door slam. "Hey, guys. Short movie?"
"Not exactly." Soda said, kind of holding his hands behind his back. "Dinner almost ready?"
Darry nodded. "She keeps on calling by the way. It's getting on my nerves. I finally just unplugged the phone line." Sodapop sighed and plopped down on the living room couch. He didn't want to hear, talk, or think about Samantha. It just made him feel worse. "What happened to your hands?" Darry said coming out of the kitchen and leaning against the wall. "Nothin, I'm fine." Sodapop mumbled. "Well something happened because the blood is soaking through that Kleenex pretty quickly." Soda rolled his eyes and lied down on the couch. Darry came over and lifted one of his hands up and looked. "You're knuckles are busted open, you're gonna need stitches. You wanna tell me what happened please?" Soda shook his head. "Fine, but get in the truck. I'm taking you to the ER."
"Man, Darry. I'm all-right. It aint nothin. I'll just keep them bandaged for a few days. It aint a big deal."
"It's a big deal." Darry said. "Get up, you're getting stitches." Soda sighed, standing up and followed Darry out to the car. "Steve, do me a favor and get the food out of the oven when the timer rings. Oh, and tell Ponyboy where we are when he gets back."
"Yeah, sure thing." Steve said, staring at the TV screen.
Soda slouched into the car and stared out the window. Darry pulled onto the street.
***
"Shitty bandages." Soda mumbled, tugging on the one on his left hand as they walked out of the hospital.
"Watch your mouth." Darry said. "And quit pulling on those." Darry reached over and forced Soda's arm down. "The doc says they gotta stay on for at least forty eight hours."
"I can't do anything with my hands like this." Soda whined.
"It's not my fault. I still wanna know how that happened and you're gonna tell me." Darry said firmly, as they walked down the sidewalk towards the truck. "Why's it matter how?" Soda said. "It's not a big deal." "How?" Darry asked again.
"I got upset so I was hitting Steve's car a bunch of times to let out the frustration." Soda mumbled. "I guess I got a little carried away." Darry looked over at Sodapop concerned. "What were you upset about that time?" "Forget it." Soda said. "Just don't worry about it. I don't wanna talk right now." Darry sighed. "Fine, but next time punch a pillow, not steel. Ok?" Soda nodded and got into the truck.
"I gotta stop at the hardware store real quick." Darry said.
"Fine." Soda mumbled. "I don't care."
They pulled up to the store a few minutes later and Darry parked. "You wanna come in or wait in the car?" Darry asked. "I'll come." Soda got out and walked inside with Darry. "I'm gonna go walk around." He said. Darry nodded as he studied his list. Soda walked down isle after isle, looking at walls of all sorts of things. He was hardly paying attention though. His mind was somewhere else. He woke up when he saw who was standing further down the fifth isle. Jack was examining long boards of wood just a few feet away. Soda couldn't help but go over there. What could Jack do to him in a public place. "Hi." He said walking up.
Jack looked up startled and his face grew solemn when he saw Sodapop. "What you want, kid? Don't you think you've messed up enough?"
"I had no idea she was married." Soda said.
Jack gave him a lopsided grin. It wouldn't have stopped you if you did know. That's the way it always works with her. dirty tramp. I won't be leaving town on business for a while. Next time I'll kill her rather than break her arm."
Soda's eyes widened at what Jack had just said. "If you lay a hand on her I'll."
"You'll what?" Jack challenged. "You gonna come after me you little punk? It's actually a little to late. Her arms already broken. I did it five minutes after you left. It was a mistake. I threw her against the wall pretty hard. Samantha's so small and frail though so her arm broke because of the impact on it." Soda looked shocked and felt enraged. "You best stay away from her kid or I'll break both of your arms and your legs."
Sodapop soon found that his bandaged hands were wrapped around Jacks neck. Jack punched Soda's in the jaw hard and he let go, breathing heavily and staring up at Jack with angry eyes. "Don't ever ever touch her again!" Soda screamed, drawing the attention of several other customers. Jack grabbed for him and was about to smash his face in but a big fist suddenly sent him flying into a shelf of tools and the whole thing collapsed with him.
Darry went over and lifted Jack up by the shirt. "Touch my little brother again and I'll break both your arms, legs, and your back." He threw him back down onto the ground and yanked Soda out of the store quickly. "Get in!" He yelled running to the truck. Soda did and Darry drove off.
"Thanks." Soda said softly. Darry glared at him. "What?" Soda asked. "What'd I do?!"
"Why were you talking to him? Are you just looking to get into a fight or something?"
"Darry he told me he hurt Samantha. He said he broke her arm and that next time he'd kill her. I gotta help her!"
"You don't gotta do anything." Darry said angrily.
"But Dar-"
"It aint your problem, hear me? Forget you ever met her or him. Just forget about them." Darry sighed. "I doubt I can ever go back to that hardware store. I'll have to go further downtown to another after that lovely scene."
Soda continued, despite his big brothers grumbling. "But, Darry we gotta do something! Can't we at least report it?"
"Have you ever seen him hit her?" Darry asked. Soda shook his head. "Well you can't report something unless you've actually witnessed it. He might just be saying that to upset you. I want you to just forget about it, hear me? You're gonna get yourself hurt if you don't stay out of it. It's not your problem and there's nothing you can do about it. Just like there was nothing we could do about Johnny's dad beating him."
"That was just because if we told someone he'd get taken away from his parents and we'd never see him again. Samantha's not gonna get taken away and it wouldn't be bad if she was because you won't let me see her anyways. And he said he'd kill her if she did it again!" Soda yelled.
"I doubt he met it literally." Darry said.
Soda sighed. "I'm still worried."
"You know what you need to do is quit trying to make conversation with her or anybody related to her in any way. She used you, she tricked you. why would you want anything to do with her?"
"I dunno." Soda mumbled. "I don't anymore. It just hurts, that's all. I thought she really cared about me. She seemed so perfect."
"People aren't always what they seem to be." Darry said.
He poked his head out when he heard the door slam. "Hey, guys. Short movie?"
"Not exactly." Soda said, kind of holding his hands behind his back. "Dinner almost ready?"
Darry nodded. "She keeps on calling by the way. It's getting on my nerves. I finally just unplugged the phone line." Sodapop sighed and plopped down on the living room couch. He didn't want to hear, talk, or think about Samantha. It just made him feel worse. "What happened to your hands?" Darry said coming out of the kitchen and leaning against the wall. "Nothin, I'm fine." Sodapop mumbled. "Well something happened because the blood is soaking through that Kleenex pretty quickly." Soda rolled his eyes and lied down on the couch. Darry came over and lifted one of his hands up and looked. "You're knuckles are busted open, you're gonna need stitches. You wanna tell me what happened please?" Soda shook his head. "Fine, but get in the truck. I'm taking you to the ER."
"Man, Darry. I'm all-right. It aint nothin. I'll just keep them bandaged for a few days. It aint a big deal."
"It's a big deal." Darry said. "Get up, you're getting stitches." Soda sighed, standing up and followed Darry out to the car. "Steve, do me a favor and get the food out of the oven when the timer rings. Oh, and tell Ponyboy where we are when he gets back."
"Yeah, sure thing." Steve said, staring at the TV screen.
Soda slouched into the car and stared out the window. Darry pulled onto the street.
***
"Shitty bandages." Soda mumbled, tugging on the one on his left hand as they walked out of the hospital.
"Watch your mouth." Darry said. "And quit pulling on those." Darry reached over and forced Soda's arm down. "The doc says they gotta stay on for at least forty eight hours."
"I can't do anything with my hands like this." Soda whined.
"It's not my fault. I still wanna know how that happened and you're gonna tell me." Darry said firmly, as they walked down the sidewalk towards the truck. "Why's it matter how?" Soda said. "It's not a big deal." "How?" Darry asked again.
"I got upset so I was hitting Steve's car a bunch of times to let out the frustration." Soda mumbled. "I guess I got a little carried away." Darry looked over at Sodapop concerned. "What were you upset about that time?" "Forget it." Soda said. "Just don't worry about it. I don't wanna talk right now." Darry sighed. "Fine, but next time punch a pillow, not steel. Ok?" Soda nodded and got into the truck.
"I gotta stop at the hardware store real quick." Darry said.
"Fine." Soda mumbled. "I don't care."
They pulled up to the store a few minutes later and Darry parked. "You wanna come in or wait in the car?" Darry asked. "I'll come." Soda got out and walked inside with Darry. "I'm gonna go walk around." He said. Darry nodded as he studied his list. Soda walked down isle after isle, looking at walls of all sorts of things. He was hardly paying attention though. His mind was somewhere else. He woke up when he saw who was standing further down the fifth isle. Jack was examining long boards of wood just a few feet away. Soda couldn't help but go over there. What could Jack do to him in a public place. "Hi." He said walking up.
Jack looked up startled and his face grew solemn when he saw Sodapop. "What you want, kid? Don't you think you've messed up enough?"
"I had no idea she was married." Soda said.
Jack gave him a lopsided grin. It wouldn't have stopped you if you did know. That's the way it always works with her. dirty tramp. I won't be leaving town on business for a while. Next time I'll kill her rather than break her arm."
Soda's eyes widened at what Jack had just said. "If you lay a hand on her I'll."
"You'll what?" Jack challenged. "You gonna come after me you little punk? It's actually a little to late. Her arms already broken. I did it five minutes after you left. It was a mistake. I threw her against the wall pretty hard. Samantha's so small and frail though so her arm broke because of the impact on it." Soda looked shocked and felt enraged. "You best stay away from her kid or I'll break both of your arms and your legs."
Sodapop soon found that his bandaged hands were wrapped around Jacks neck. Jack punched Soda's in the jaw hard and he let go, breathing heavily and staring up at Jack with angry eyes. "Don't ever ever touch her again!" Soda screamed, drawing the attention of several other customers. Jack grabbed for him and was about to smash his face in but a big fist suddenly sent him flying into a shelf of tools and the whole thing collapsed with him.
Darry went over and lifted Jack up by the shirt. "Touch my little brother again and I'll break both your arms, legs, and your back." He threw him back down onto the ground and yanked Soda out of the store quickly. "Get in!" He yelled running to the truck. Soda did and Darry drove off.
"Thanks." Soda said softly. Darry glared at him. "What?" Soda asked. "What'd I do?!"
"Why were you talking to him? Are you just looking to get into a fight or something?"
"Darry he told me he hurt Samantha. He said he broke her arm and that next time he'd kill her. I gotta help her!"
"You don't gotta do anything." Darry said angrily.
"But Dar-"
"It aint your problem, hear me? Forget you ever met her or him. Just forget about them." Darry sighed. "I doubt I can ever go back to that hardware store. I'll have to go further downtown to another after that lovely scene."
Soda continued, despite his big brothers grumbling. "But, Darry we gotta do something! Can't we at least report it?"
"Have you ever seen him hit her?" Darry asked. Soda shook his head. "Well you can't report something unless you've actually witnessed it. He might just be saying that to upset you. I want you to just forget about it, hear me? You're gonna get yourself hurt if you don't stay out of it. It's not your problem and there's nothing you can do about it. Just like there was nothing we could do about Johnny's dad beating him."
"That was just because if we told someone he'd get taken away from his parents and we'd never see him again. Samantha's not gonna get taken away and it wouldn't be bad if she was because you won't let me see her anyways. And he said he'd kill her if she did it again!" Soda yelled.
"I doubt he met it literally." Darry said.
Soda sighed. "I'm still worried."
"You know what you need to do is quit trying to make conversation with her or anybody related to her in any way. She used you, she tricked you. why would you want anything to do with her?"
"I dunno." Soda mumbled. "I don't anymore. It just hurts, that's all. I thought she really cared about me. She seemed so perfect."
"People aren't always what they seem to be." Darry said.
