Soda
It was a slow day, which made things worse. Too much time to think. I had smoked almost all of Steve's cigarettes. I don't think he's noticed yet, and if he had he hasn't let it be known to me. I set my chin on the counter, looking at the wall clock. It was only two o'clock.
"There's nothing to do." I said, and it sounded half whining, half pouting. "There's not even a car to fiddle with."
"What am I supposed to do about it?" Steve asked, looking at me. We had no customers at the moment, and no mechanics were needed.
"I dunno." I sighed, leaning my chair back against the wall. We were the only ones in the store, other than than Janet, who's the cashier. We all were behind the counter, waiting for someone to pull in for something. "I'm tired."
"You look it." Janet said, with a gentle smile. She wasn't a greaser, nor a soc. She didn't fit into either. She was one of those poor, artsy people who are in tune to others emotions and feel everyone is equal. Then the phone in the back room rang. She left to get it.
I looked at Steve again. He rolled his eyes at me, lighting up another cigarette.
"Hey, Soda, it's for you." Janet said.
"Me?" I pointed to myself.
"Any other Sodapop Curtis's in the joint?" She asked me sarcastically. I got up and took the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Soda, this is Mr. Dirk, your brother Darry's lawyer." A nasally voice stated. I made a face, closing the back room door.
"Yea?" I said, coldy.
"For the court case I need to talk to you and your brother a bit before the trial." He said. "You know, to get an idea about what will be going on and what will be said."
"Alright. When do you want to do it?" I asked. I wanted a cigarette badly. I drummed my fingers against the desk I was siting on.
"Um, well, let's see." I heard the ruffling of papers and voices. I grabbed a prescription pad from a drawer and found a pen. "I'm free Wednesday morning."
"My brother has school from nine till three." I said, my voice flat. I didn't really care if I wasn't being in the least bit helpful.
"Oh. Well. . . " Another pause, more paper movement. "Friday at seven alright? At the Lya home?"
"Alright." I squibbled it on the page. "Um. . . Mr. Dirk, how long is this trial thing gonna take?"
"Right now it seems it should take place on February fifteenth."
"It's only January eighth!" I said, my stomach lurching. "You said only a week."
"Yes, we'll talk about this at the meeting. Goodbye." A dial tone entered my ear. I slammed the receiver down, cursing. You're not supposed to do this to us. Not us. We're supposed to be okay. I looked at my watch. Nearly three. Pony should be getting out of school soon. I get off work at four.
I sighed, trying to calm myself down. Did this mean we couldn't see Darry till then? God, please no. I wanted to go home.
I looked the paper, crumbled it into a small ball, and shoved it into my pocket.
"You still alive in there?" Steve hollered to me. "You got a customer!"
"Yea." I said, keeping my voice steady. "Coming."
It was weird went we went back to the Lya's. First of all, the first thing Mrs. Lya did was bring us cookies and milk. I arrived home in time to meet the bus. Steve suggested that I and Pony get out of that place for a while. But that was immediately crushed because Mrs. Lya said homework must be done before any activities are to be participated. And Pony still had a lot of homework to catch up on.
We sat around the table, the little kids playing in the living room. I didn't have anything to do so I grabbed some of Pony's sketch paper and pencils and started doodling.
"How was your first day at Jenkins Academy?" Mrs. Lya asked. Pony looked up from the math homework he was looking over.
"Okay." He said quietly. She waited for more. "It's different." He added.
"It doesn't help that you don't talk." Clarrissa said, smiling and nudging his foot. I had a feeling she had a crush on him. He did look older then he was to begin with. I thought it was cute. Pony never showed much interest in many girls, other than Cherry and Marsha. "He's the quietest kid, I swear, Mrs. Lya." She laughed.
Pony's ears turned red.
"He can talk when he wants to. No doubt 'bout that." I said. Pony glared at me. "He just needs the right motivation." I cocked an eyebrow. They all laughed, all except the twelve year old. He probably didn't get what I was implying.
"I can believe that." Clarrisssa said. "He can't be as perfect as he seems." My brother turned crimson and I burst out laughing.
"Glory Soda, can't you shush up?" He mumbled. That made me laugh even more. I was still uncomfortable. I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare I can't get out of, dragging Ponyboy with me.
It made me feel even worse when I called Darry and he wasn't home. I called three times, and Ponyboy four times. We stood around the hall, where no one was near, staring at the phone.
"What if something happened?" He squeaked, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.
"You're worrying about nothing." I told him. He sighed and leaned on the wall heavier. I didn't like it when he worried. He did it too much. "He probably went out with Two-bit to get something to eat. Don't worry, Pony."
"I can't help it." He sniffled, ducking his head. I sighed and pulled him to me by setting my hand behind his neck and pulling him into a hug. He stood there, resting his head against me, sniffling. I rested my chin on his head. He was almost too tall. "God, what's going on with me?" He wiped at his face vainly.
"You're scared, that's all." I told him.
"I don't like it." He murmured. "I really don't."
"Neither do I." I sighed.
It was a slow day, which made things worse. Too much time to think. I had smoked almost all of Steve's cigarettes. I don't think he's noticed yet, and if he had he hasn't let it be known to me. I set my chin on the counter, looking at the wall clock. It was only two o'clock.
"There's nothing to do." I said, and it sounded half whining, half pouting. "There's not even a car to fiddle with."
"What am I supposed to do about it?" Steve asked, looking at me. We had no customers at the moment, and no mechanics were needed.
"I dunno." I sighed, leaning my chair back against the wall. We were the only ones in the store, other than than Janet, who's the cashier. We all were behind the counter, waiting for someone to pull in for something. "I'm tired."
"You look it." Janet said, with a gentle smile. She wasn't a greaser, nor a soc. She didn't fit into either. She was one of those poor, artsy people who are in tune to others emotions and feel everyone is equal. Then the phone in the back room rang. She left to get it.
I looked at Steve again. He rolled his eyes at me, lighting up another cigarette.
"Hey, Soda, it's for you." Janet said.
"Me?" I pointed to myself.
"Any other Sodapop Curtis's in the joint?" She asked me sarcastically. I got up and took the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Soda, this is Mr. Dirk, your brother Darry's lawyer." A nasally voice stated. I made a face, closing the back room door.
"Yea?" I said, coldy.
"For the court case I need to talk to you and your brother a bit before the trial." He said. "You know, to get an idea about what will be going on and what will be said."
"Alright. When do you want to do it?" I asked. I wanted a cigarette badly. I drummed my fingers against the desk I was siting on.
"Um, well, let's see." I heard the ruffling of papers and voices. I grabbed a prescription pad from a drawer and found a pen. "I'm free Wednesday morning."
"My brother has school from nine till three." I said, my voice flat. I didn't really care if I wasn't being in the least bit helpful.
"Oh. Well. . . " Another pause, more paper movement. "Friday at seven alright? At the Lya home?"
"Alright." I squibbled it on the page. "Um. . . Mr. Dirk, how long is this trial thing gonna take?"
"Right now it seems it should take place on February fifteenth."
"It's only January eighth!" I said, my stomach lurching. "You said only a week."
"Yes, we'll talk about this at the meeting. Goodbye." A dial tone entered my ear. I slammed the receiver down, cursing. You're not supposed to do this to us. Not us. We're supposed to be okay. I looked at my watch. Nearly three. Pony should be getting out of school soon. I get off work at four.
I sighed, trying to calm myself down. Did this mean we couldn't see Darry till then? God, please no. I wanted to go home.
I looked the paper, crumbled it into a small ball, and shoved it into my pocket.
"You still alive in there?" Steve hollered to me. "You got a customer!"
"Yea." I said, keeping my voice steady. "Coming."
It was weird went we went back to the Lya's. First of all, the first thing Mrs. Lya did was bring us cookies and milk. I arrived home in time to meet the bus. Steve suggested that I and Pony get out of that place for a while. But that was immediately crushed because Mrs. Lya said homework must be done before any activities are to be participated. And Pony still had a lot of homework to catch up on.
We sat around the table, the little kids playing in the living room. I didn't have anything to do so I grabbed some of Pony's sketch paper and pencils and started doodling.
"How was your first day at Jenkins Academy?" Mrs. Lya asked. Pony looked up from the math homework he was looking over.
"Okay." He said quietly. She waited for more. "It's different." He added.
"It doesn't help that you don't talk." Clarrissa said, smiling and nudging his foot. I had a feeling she had a crush on him. He did look older then he was to begin with. I thought it was cute. Pony never showed much interest in many girls, other than Cherry and Marsha. "He's the quietest kid, I swear, Mrs. Lya." She laughed.
Pony's ears turned red.
"He can talk when he wants to. No doubt 'bout that." I said. Pony glared at me. "He just needs the right motivation." I cocked an eyebrow. They all laughed, all except the twelve year old. He probably didn't get what I was implying.
"I can believe that." Clarrisssa said. "He can't be as perfect as he seems." My brother turned crimson and I burst out laughing.
"Glory Soda, can't you shush up?" He mumbled. That made me laugh even more. I was still uncomfortable. I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare I can't get out of, dragging Ponyboy with me.
It made me feel even worse when I called Darry and he wasn't home. I called three times, and Ponyboy four times. We stood around the hall, where no one was near, staring at the phone.
"What if something happened?" He squeaked, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.
"You're worrying about nothing." I told him. He sighed and leaned on the wall heavier. I didn't like it when he worried. He did it too much. "He probably went out with Two-bit to get something to eat. Don't worry, Pony."
"I can't help it." He sniffled, ducking his head. I sighed and pulled him to me by setting my hand behind his neck and pulling him into a hug. He stood there, resting his head against me, sniffling. I rested my chin on his head. He was almost too tall. "God, what's going on with me?" He wiped at his face vainly.
"You're scared, that's all." I told him.
"I don't like it." He murmured. "I really don't."
"Neither do I." I sighed.