11. The end.
"Darry?" I asked, as we drove home. "What do we do if Steve's right?"
Darry didn't reply for a moment. "I don't know Pony, the same thing as we've always done I guess-we go on."
I sighed, and leant against the car window. If there was one thing I had only recently realised about our family it was that we did manage to go on, no matter what happened. It also occurred to me that it was because of the family. It had taken the problems earlier for me to see that we were actually closer than perhaps even we realised.
"What are you thinking Pony?" Darry asked, glancing at me.
I told him, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah you're right Pony. Without each other, well.if I didn't have you and Soda I don't think I could go on sometimes."
"I didn't think you liked me all that much Darry." I blurted out before I realised what I had actually said.
"Pony, I know sometimes I give you a hard time. It's only because I feel responsible for you." Darry said, sighing. "I don't mean to hurt you or anything. I thought you realised how much I cared about you?"
"I did." I replied. "But I sometimes think that Soda is more important to you than me!"
"I don't have favorites Pony. You're both my brothers." Darry said.
When we pulled up out the front of our place we both hesitated before getting out. The dread in Darry's eyes was echoed in mine as we walked inside.
Soda was sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space and I felt sick seeing him.
"Sodapop? Little buddy?" Darry asked.
Soda turned around to face us and his eyes were red. "Steve was right!" He choked out. "Sandy admitted that she thought Dallas Winston might be the father of the baby. She assured me she didn't know for sure though, and that I could be the dad!"
I didn't know what to say. Was there anything I could say to stem my brother's pain?
"Is she here?" Darry asked.
Soda shook her head. "She's gone to her folks place." He said. Then he banged his fist on the table so hard it made me wince. "Damnit all. Why does this always happen? Why can't things just work out?"
"Soda, it's not your fault. Sandy's the one who's in the wrong." Darry said, and he moved over to put his hand on Soda's shoulder.
Glory that was right! I thought angrily. I couldn't believe I had felt sorry for her that day only a few weeks back. If I could have gone back in time I'd have told her to get lost!
"I know it's not my fault!" Soda said. "But I just don't know how much more I can take of all this..."
Darry glanced at me, and then he sat down next to Soda. "Soda let me tell you something Pony was telling me not long ago. He said that our family is stronger, and closer than we realise. Without each other we couldn't go on. And buddy, no matter how much this is hurting you right now, we're here for you. We'll always be here for you."
Soda nodded slowly. "I still feel like someone's died." He said. "I feel like Sandy kicked me in the guts and then did it again, and again. I can't believe she did this to me!"
"I know." Darry said slowly. "I am shocked at it too actually."
For my part, I was thinking about how much had happened in the last few months, and how much more would happen before things might actually begin to go right for us?
"Soda," I said, moving over to him also. "I'm convinced something good is going to happen to us soon. We can't go through all this and not have something good happen to us."
Soda smiled grimly. "Well Ponyboy I sure hope you're right."
I sure hoped he was right too. There had been some good things which had happened since Johnny and Dally died-I'd come to terms with it all better than had been expected, albeit somewhat strangely, and I'd also come to realise that being a Curtis meant being part of the family through bad times and good times. It just seemed unfair that Soda had been hurt so bad at the same time. We deserved happiness now! We really did!
THE END!
[A/N I know this is a hurried ending and I am sorry. I think I just sort of ran out of ideas on what to write now. And I knew I wanted the baby to not be Soda's, although I didn't know why? I am thinking, however, of writing a sequel to this story where something good happens to the family to make up for all the pain and suffering they have had to endure through the original book, and also my story. Anyway, regardless of the ending, I hope you liked it, and I hope you'll also like the next one?]
"Darry?" I asked, as we drove home. "What do we do if Steve's right?"
Darry didn't reply for a moment. "I don't know Pony, the same thing as we've always done I guess-we go on."
I sighed, and leant against the car window. If there was one thing I had only recently realised about our family it was that we did manage to go on, no matter what happened. It also occurred to me that it was because of the family. It had taken the problems earlier for me to see that we were actually closer than perhaps even we realised.
"What are you thinking Pony?" Darry asked, glancing at me.
I told him, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah you're right Pony. Without each other, well.if I didn't have you and Soda I don't think I could go on sometimes."
"I didn't think you liked me all that much Darry." I blurted out before I realised what I had actually said.
"Pony, I know sometimes I give you a hard time. It's only because I feel responsible for you." Darry said, sighing. "I don't mean to hurt you or anything. I thought you realised how much I cared about you?"
"I did." I replied. "But I sometimes think that Soda is more important to you than me!"
"I don't have favorites Pony. You're both my brothers." Darry said.
When we pulled up out the front of our place we both hesitated before getting out. The dread in Darry's eyes was echoed in mine as we walked inside.
Soda was sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space and I felt sick seeing him.
"Sodapop? Little buddy?" Darry asked.
Soda turned around to face us and his eyes were red. "Steve was right!" He choked out. "Sandy admitted that she thought Dallas Winston might be the father of the baby. She assured me she didn't know for sure though, and that I could be the dad!"
I didn't know what to say. Was there anything I could say to stem my brother's pain?
"Is she here?" Darry asked.
Soda shook her head. "She's gone to her folks place." He said. Then he banged his fist on the table so hard it made me wince. "Damnit all. Why does this always happen? Why can't things just work out?"
"Soda, it's not your fault. Sandy's the one who's in the wrong." Darry said, and he moved over to put his hand on Soda's shoulder.
Glory that was right! I thought angrily. I couldn't believe I had felt sorry for her that day only a few weeks back. If I could have gone back in time I'd have told her to get lost!
"I know it's not my fault!" Soda said. "But I just don't know how much more I can take of all this..."
Darry glanced at me, and then he sat down next to Soda. "Soda let me tell you something Pony was telling me not long ago. He said that our family is stronger, and closer than we realise. Without each other we couldn't go on. And buddy, no matter how much this is hurting you right now, we're here for you. We'll always be here for you."
Soda nodded slowly. "I still feel like someone's died." He said. "I feel like Sandy kicked me in the guts and then did it again, and again. I can't believe she did this to me!"
"I know." Darry said slowly. "I am shocked at it too actually."
For my part, I was thinking about how much had happened in the last few months, and how much more would happen before things might actually begin to go right for us?
"Soda," I said, moving over to him also. "I'm convinced something good is going to happen to us soon. We can't go through all this and not have something good happen to us."
Soda smiled grimly. "Well Ponyboy I sure hope you're right."
I sure hoped he was right too. There had been some good things which had happened since Johnny and Dally died-I'd come to terms with it all better than had been expected, albeit somewhat strangely, and I'd also come to realise that being a Curtis meant being part of the family through bad times and good times. It just seemed unfair that Soda had been hurt so bad at the same time. We deserved happiness now! We really did!
THE END!
[A/N I know this is a hurried ending and I am sorry. I think I just sort of ran out of ideas on what to write now. And I knew I wanted the baby to not be Soda's, although I didn't know why? I am thinking, however, of writing a sequel to this story where something good happens to the family to make up for all the pain and suffering they have had to endure through the original book, and also my story. Anyway, regardless of the ending, I hope you liked it, and I hope you'll also like the next one?]
