6. A Curtis Wedding.

"Ponyboy are you almost ready? Geez how long does it take you in there?" Darry grumbled, banging on the bathroom door.

"Takes him awhile if he wants to look good-almost as long as it is gonna' take you!" Two-Bit told him, making me grin. It wouldn't take Darry long to look great, he was naturally handsome. As for Two-Bit-well he looked like your typical greaser!

"I wont be long Darry!" I called back.

A few minutes later I made my way into the kitchen. Soda was sitting at the table, looking nervous, but handsome in his shirt and tie.

"Hey is that Dad's tie?" I asked recognising it. Besides, Soda doesn't own any ties!

"Yeah." Soda said, fingering it thoughtfully. "I just thought with me wearing it, it would be almost like he was here, somehow."

None of us spoke for a moment, and then Steve, who had been out of hospital for a week or so by then, but still had his arm in a cast, said "We shoulda' thrown you one of those bucks turn things-bet Sandy had something!"

"A quiet party with a few friends." Soda replied.

Two-Bit snorted, and Darry smiled and disappeared to the bathroom. "Quiet party? Geez, if you believe that you'll believe anything. I bet they had a stripper at least!"

Soda shook his head. "I doubt it. Sandy's due in a few weeks-there is no way she would be gallivanting about with some naked man."

Two-Bit looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just shook his head.

Darry came back then, and looked at us all. "Ready to go boys? Ready Sodapop?"

We all nodded, and went out to our old Ford, and piled in. A thought occurred to me as we drove.

"Hey Soda, are Sandy's parents coming?" I asked.

"No." Soda said shortly.

"I thought they would-I mean I know they don't like it and all.." I trailed off catching Steve's glare.

"I coulda' put on a dress and been a bridesmaid if you two were doing this properly." Two-Bit lamented.

I snorted, but imagined that Two-Bit would have done that!

The last week or so had been pretty busy. We'd moved a lot of Sandy's things in, and Sandy and Soda had both been getting things they said they'd need for the baby. There were only three bedrooms in our place; one was our parents old room, one was Darry's and one was Soda's and mine. Darry decided that Soda and Sandy would have to have our parent's room. Since they'd died we hadn't really been in the room, although a few times in the early days I'd gone in there when I was the only one home. It had still smelt of my Mom's perfume and I'd sat in there quietly. But then I sort of stopped going in there, and nobody did. So when Darry made the decision part of me actually wanted to protest, but I didn't. Instead I helped him get rid of some of our parents old things. We took a load of clothes down to the op-shop, and other things we didn't think we needed. As for my own personal feelings the last week they'd been mixed. Part of me liked the idea of Sandy and the baby being there, but the other part wasn't so sure. I was used to it just being the three of us, and I thought we were closer than ever after everything that had happened earlier that year! As for Johnny-I hadn't thought about him like I had the week before, so I guessed that being in the hospital had just brought the whole terrible thing back to me! Although I had dug out my English theme from my drawer where I had shoved it the week before and read it again. As I read it was like reliving it all, but I managed not to be upset by it. I thought that maybe Johnny wouldn't want me to be upset too much-there was too much to live for he'd tell me! I debated getting rid of the theme, but decided that it was still part of me, no matter how much I hated it.

"Pony? You not coming in after all?" Two-Bit's voice broke into my thoughts. I saw Darry looking at me thoughtfully. I'd seen him doing that a few times that week. I wondered if Soda had blabbed about my weird behavior at the hospital?

"Course I am." I said, getting out of the car.

Soda and Sandy were getting married in a church-Sandy refused not to-but it wasn't a big wedding. There were only us, and maybe a few of her friends attending. When we got in Sandy was already there and she smiled at us all, especially Soda. I had to admit she was pretty even with her big stomach sticking out!

The wedding didn't go very long, and soon Soda and Sandy were husband and wife. Sandy's friends hugged them both, and congratulated them, and we all slapped Soda on the back. To me it didn't seem very real-it wasn't like what I'd imagined a wedding would be, but it didn't matter.

Back at home we all sat down to pizza as the wedding feast.

"Well it's not traditional, but I love it!" Two-Bit declared taking a huge bite, and almost choking.

"Pony?" I turned to see Darry.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You are alright about this aren't you?" He asked.

"Bit late to be asking that." I muttered, and then louder "Sure Darry it's fine!"

"It's just the last week or so you've been pretty quiet. I wondered whether it might have had something to do with this-with Soda and Sandy?" Darry questioned.

I sighed, and then shook my head. "No, I've been fine Darry." I said.

"I know that it's been a few months since everything that happened, and I did think you were coping with it better than was expected, but the last week or so I've been wondering-"

"Darry! I said I was fine, so just drop it!" I snapped.

His eyes grew colder, and he turned back to the celebrations leaving me feeling guilty. He was clearly concerned about me, and I had to go and act all tough, like there was nothing wrong! But, I reminded myself, nothing was wrong. Not now, now I was fine!