"Let me call her." Soda said, when they got home a few minutes later. "I
wanna see if she's all-right."
"No. She's probably fine. If she wasn't she wouldn't be calling here twenty- four seven. She's a grown women. She doesn't need you to protect her."
"But Darry, can't I just call and see if she's ok?" Soda pleaded. He was awful worried about her and he didn't understand why Darry was so calm about this. Didn't he care at all?
"No, if Jack's there it's only going to cause more problems and we've had plenty of those already."
"Oh, c'mon. What's he gonna do to me over the phone?"
"Be quiet and go play cards or something." Darry said, annoyed.
"Fine." Soda mumbled walking away from Darry angrily. "You don't even care what happens to her!" He yelled. "I bet you want her to get hurt!"
"Soda! That's not true!" Darry yelled after him but Soda just slammed his bedroom door. "And don't you go sneaking out the window again." Darry said.
"I'm not! I just wanna be alone." Soda said.
"What happened?" Steve sat up on the couch and looked at Darry. "Why don't you go ask him yourself." Darry mumbled. Steve got up and walked to Soda's room, knocking softly. "Hey, Sody. Can I come in?" "Yeah." Soda mumbled. "As long as Darry aint with you." "He aint." Steve said poking his head in and then opening the door fully and entering. "What's going on buddy? What happened? You seem worked about something."
Soda went on to tell Steve exactly what had happened and Steve listened with concern.
******The Next Day******
"Man, Darry. If I gotta spend one more day in this house I'm gonna go out of my mind!" Soda yelled.
"Well you didn't listen, kiddo. It's not my fault you're grounded."
Soda groaned and plopped down on the couch. "Can't you cut me slack? You prolly would've done the same thing if you were in my position."
"No, I don't think so." Darry said. "I wouldn't have gotten myself involved in a girl that age anyways. Not at seventeen."
"Whatever." Soda mumbled. "I'm sick of this. I wanna go to the rodeo. I ain't been down there in ages. There ain't nothing to do around here. You won't even let me go and play football with Pony in the lot. How am I gonna live like this for the next two weeks?"
Darry shrugged. "Get used to it. You ain't going anywhere for a while."
"Why? I won't do it again. Can't you just trust me? What's keeping me in the house twenty-four, seven gonna do besides make me more depressed? Can't I at least watch TV? There is absolutely nothing for me to do."
"How about laundry?" Darry suggested.
"Jack ass." Soda mumbled grimly.
Darry looked at him sharply. "Don't get mouthy. I don't wanna hear any more of your complaining and getting smart certainly isn't gonna help you get out of trouble. If you wanna get out of the house though you can go to the store for me and pick up some groceries.
Soda jumped up. "I'm there." Darry handed him a list and some money. Soda grabbed the keys and ran out the door. "This is to perfect." Soda said as he drove down the street. He pulled over next to the first payphone he saw and got out. He was calling Samantha. He didn't wanna risk getting caught calling her and he probably would at home. To his relief she picked up. "Samantha?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, who's calling?" She asked.
"It's Soda. I wanted to talk to you and."
"Soda I can't talk right now. Don't bother calling again. I won't be here. I'm leaving Oklahoma" She spoke softly.
"What? Why?" Soda asked.
"Don't worry about why." Samantha said.
"I talked to Jack today." Soda said quickly. "Is he hurting you?"
"I can't talk, now. Bye." She said quickly.
"Samantha wait!" Soda yelled.
"What?" She asked impatiently.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yes, but I can't talk long."
"Why? Is Jack there." Soda asked, interested. Why was it that she was in such a hurry. Would he hurt her again if he found out she was on the phone with Soda. He hoped he wasn't endangering her.
"No, but he'll be back soon and I need to leave before then. What is it that you want?"
"He said he hurt you. I wanted to make sure you're ok."
"I'm fine, ok? I can't talk. I've been trying to call you but your brother won't even give me a chance. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that I made you believe I loved you. I didn't know it would be this difficult or that you'd even care I was married."
"Not care!?" Soda shrieked. "Samantha you made me fall in love with you. I thought you were amazing. I've never met anybody like you. How can you be so insensitive?"
"Soda, I've been with lots of guys. Some younger than me and some much older. I guess I kind of let myself get to involved with you. I didn't mean to. It just happened. It wasn't supposed to."
Soda felt like someone had punched him in the gut and knocked the air out of him. He fought back the urge to scream at her and tell her she wasn't worth it anyways. He wanted to tell her he never wanted to see her again either and that she didn't really mean anything to him, but that would've been a lie. "So all that stuff you said to me about why you cared and why you were with me. that was all a bunch of talk?" He asked.
Samantha simply sighed. "I have to go. Thank you for all the good times." She said and hung up the phone.
"Samantha?!" Soda shouted but there was only a dial tone. He turned and walked back to the truck angrily and drove back home. He had gotten the truth and boy did it hurt.
"No. She's probably fine. If she wasn't she wouldn't be calling here twenty- four seven. She's a grown women. She doesn't need you to protect her."
"But Darry, can't I just call and see if she's ok?" Soda pleaded. He was awful worried about her and he didn't understand why Darry was so calm about this. Didn't he care at all?
"No, if Jack's there it's only going to cause more problems and we've had plenty of those already."
"Oh, c'mon. What's he gonna do to me over the phone?"
"Be quiet and go play cards or something." Darry said, annoyed.
"Fine." Soda mumbled walking away from Darry angrily. "You don't even care what happens to her!" He yelled. "I bet you want her to get hurt!"
"Soda! That's not true!" Darry yelled after him but Soda just slammed his bedroom door. "And don't you go sneaking out the window again." Darry said.
"I'm not! I just wanna be alone." Soda said.
"What happened?" Steve sat up on the couch and looked at Darry. "Why don't you go ask him yourself." Darry mumbled. Steve got up and walked to Soda's room, knocking softly. "Hey, Sody. Can I come in?" "Yeah." Soda mumbled. "As long as Darry aint with you." "He aint." Steve said poking his head in and then opening the door fully and entering. "What's going on buddy? What happened? You seem worked about something."
Soda went on to tell Steve exactly what had happened and Steve listened with concern.
******The Next Day******
"Man, Darry. If I gotta spend one more day in this house I'm gonna go out of my mind!" Soda yelled.
"Well you didn't listen, kiddo. It's not my fault you're grounded."
Soda groaned and plopped down on the couch. "Can't you cut me slack? You prolly would've done the same thing if you were in my position."
"No, I don't think so." Darry said. "I wouldn't have gotten myself involved in a girl that age anyways. Not at seventeen."
"Whatever." Soda mumbled. "I'm sick of this. I wanna go to the rodeo. I ain't been down there in ages. There ain't nothing to do around here. You won't even let me go and play football with Pony in the lot. How am I gonna live like this for the next two weeks?"
Darry shrugged. "Get used to it. You ain't going anywhere for a while."
"Why? I won't do it again. Can't you just trust me? What's keeping me in the house twenty-four, seven gonna do besides make me more depressed? Can't I at least watch TV? There is absolutely nothing for me to do."
"How about laundry?" Darry suggested.
"Jack ass." Soda mumbled grimly.
Darry looked at him sharply. "Don't get mouthy. I don't wanna hear any more of your complaining and getting smart certainly isn't gonna help you get out of trouble. If you wanna get out of the house though you can go to the store for me and pick up some groceries.
Soda jumped up. "I'm there." Darry handed him a list and some money. Soda grabbed the keys and ran out the door. "This is to perfect." Soda said as he drove down the street. He pulled over next to the first payphone he saw and got out. He was calling Samantha. He didn't wanna risk getting caught calling her and he probably would at home. To his relief she picked up. "Samantha?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, who's calling?" She asked.
"It's Soda. I wanted to talk to you and."
"Soda I can't talk right now. Don't bother calling again. I won't be here. I'm leaving Oklahoma" She spoke softly.
"What? Why?" Soda asked.
"Don't worry about why." Samantha said.
"I talked to Jack today." Soda said quickly. "Is he hurting you?"
"I can't talk, now. Bye." She said quickly.
"Samantha wait!" Soda yelled.
"What?" She asked impatiently.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yes, but I can't talk long."
"Why? Is Jack there." Soda asked, interested. Why was it that she was in such a hurry. Would he hurt her again if he found out she was on the phone with Soda. He hoped he wasn't endangering her.
"No, but he'll be back soon and I need to leave before then. What is it that you want?"
"He said he hurt you. I wanted to make sure you're ok."
"I'm fine, ok? I can't talk. I've been trying to call you but your brother won't even give me a chance. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that I made you believe I loved you. I didn't know it would be this difficult or that you'd even care I was married."
"Not care!?" Soda shrieked. "Samantha you made me fall in love with you. I thought you were amazing. I've never met anybody like you. How can you be so insensitive?"
"Soda, I've been with lots of guys. Some younger than me and some much older. I guess I kind of let myself get to involved with you. I didn't mean to. It just happened. It wasn't supposed to."
Soda felt like someone had punched him in the gut and knocked the air out of him. He fought back the urge to scream at her and tell her she wasn't worth it anyways. He wanted to tell her he never wanted to see her again either and that she didn't really mean anything to him, but that would've been a lie. "So all that stuff you said to me about why you cared and why you were with me. that was all a bunch of talk?" He asked.
Samantha simply sighed. "I have to go. Thank you for all the good times." She said and hung up the phone.
"Samantha?!" Soda shouted but there was only a dial tone. He turned and walked back to the truck angrily and drove back home. He had gotten the truth and boy did it hurt.
