2. Sandy.

Darry didn't answer straight away, and Soda frowned. "Come on Darry-out with it!" He said. "It can't be that bad, can it?" But there was a strange tone in his voice, maybe it was fear? I used to think that Soda and Darry didn't know the meaning of the word fear, but during the last few weeks I had seen differently.

"Well, its like this little buddy," Darry said. "Sandy's back in town, Two- Bit saw her, and unless she's been eating a hell of a lot, she's pregnant." From the way that he looked at Two-Bit when he had first given us the news I knew Darry thought it was more than likely that the kid was Soda's. And I remembered something Steve had said just after I got back from running away, and asked why Sandy had gone to live with her Grandmother: "Look, does he have to draw you a picture? It was either that or get married, and her parents hit the roof at the idea of her marryin' a sixteen year old kid."

Two-Bit grinned wryly at Darry's poor attempt at a joke. "It's true Soda- she's bigger than the side of a house!" He offered, cocking his eyebrow in that way he had which always made us smile. Only this time we weren't smiling.

Soda's face paled, and he seemed to slump against the side of the car he had been polishing. He looked like someone had knocked the wind out of him. Steve, who had been working on something under the bonnet of another car, stood up straighter and glanced at Darry for confirmation before looking back at Soda. I wondered whether he had known this or not, surely Soda would have had to of said something to someone, and no matter how I felt about Steve personally he and Soda had been best friends since grade school, but his face was expressionless and told me nothing. Maybe if I had been there instead of hiding out in that old church I would have known about it?

Soda swallowed. "Yeah…she is pregnant. As soon as I heard I offered to marry her, I offered to do the right thing Darry, but she didn't want to, and she said….well she said no…." All the time he had been speaking he had avoided looking at us, however now his eyes locked with Darry's. For my part, I had been looking at Darry during Soda's confession, wondering whether he would be furious and berate Soda for not using his brain, but there was something in Darry's usually cold pale blue-green eyes I'd never seen before, and even now I can't describe it, unless it was understanding, but I really don't know.

"Of course you offered to do the right thing Pepsi-Cola- you wouldn't be a Curtis otherwise…do you think you should go round and see her?" Darry asked. Darry didn't call Soda by Dad's nickname for him very often, but when he did it was usually because he knew Soda was upset.

Soda looked as though it was the last thing on earth he wanted to do, but he knew Darry was right, and he nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Yeah, I might go round there as soon as I get finished here- although she probably wont want to see me. She made a few things clear when she left for Florida."

"I can finish up here if you want to go now." Steve offered.

Soda looked at him gratefully. "Would you? I guess getting it over and done with is the best plan…" He looked at us, as though he were hoping we would stop him, but nobody did.

Back at home I turned the oven on and threw the frozen pizza in. My mind was in turmoil; images of Soda when he was with Sandy, when he talked about her and how much he liked her, and then when she left and wanted nothing to do with him were flitting through my mind. I had actually liked Sandy just fine. Her hair was natural blonde and she had a nice laugh. She was our kind- a greaser- but she was a real nice girl. Or so I had thought anyway, now I wasn't so sure. Darry was sitting in the lounge room, not doing anything, just sitting there, staring into space. Two-Bit had gone home and we'd left Steve at the garage doing Soda's work with the promise to come over later on.

I leant against the doorframe. "Darry?"

"What Ponyboy?" Darry asked, not lifting his head to look at me.

"Why do you think Sandy came back? I mean, after she wouldn't marry Soda and all, why did she come back?" I asked.

Darry shook his head. "I don't know…." He said.

"Are you mad?" I asked.

"Why all the questions Pony? Aren't you keeping an eye on the pizza?"

"Yeah, fine…" I muttered, and I went back into the kitchen sensing Darry didn't want to talk. I wondered about that look in his eyes earlier-was there something about Darry we didn't know? I didn't have time to wonder any further, as the pizza was ready and just as we sat to eat it Soda returned.

I looked into his eyes, trying to see some clue as to how he was feeling, or what happened, but there was none.

"Are you alright little buddy?" Darry asked, his voice unusually gentle.

Soda sighed, and then dropped into a chair. "At first she didn't want to speak to me- her parents were out and I think she was paranoid they would come back and see me there and hit the roof…then she relented- anyone want that slice?" He asked. Darry and I both shook our heads, and Soda reached for it and took a big bite. "Anyway, she couldn't live with her Grandmother, they just didn't get on. She says she loves me, but she says she doesn't know if she can marry me- sometimes, she says, love isn't enough, but doesn't love conquer everything?" My brother, the hopeless romantic. "She says her parents are furious at her being back, showing and all, but that she had to come back, this is her home, and no matter how she feels about me it's my kid."

"So, what are you going to do then?" I asked, my mouth full of pizza.

Soda looked at me, and slowly shook his head. "I have no idea Pony…no idea…." He looked so lost then, and I wanted to go over to Sandy's place myself and tell her off, tell her she had no right to play with my brothers emotions like she had been doing. But our conversation, and my thoughts, were interrupted as Two-Bit burst through the door, panting hard.

"Quick, socs, got Steve…" He said.

We all jumped up, and for a moment the way Darry was looking at me I thought he was going to order me to stay behind, instead he just said "Be careful Ponyboy." I nodded, and we all ran out the house.

…………….