-Chapter 27 (Uh...yeah... this is the next chapter. Yep, right here.
Isn't that a surprise? AREN'T YOU SURPRISED??? I'll bet you didn't expect
to find the next chapter on this page labeled "Chapter 27," but here it is.
Now you can sleep tonight knowing that this IS INDEED the next chapter...
so enjoy and REVIEW!!!)
I walk home slowly, still not believing...Sodapop... the one who kept everyone smiling all the time, the one you can't go anywhere with without some girl hitting on him, the one who comforted me after my nightmares, and the only one who could help me calm down when mom and dad died. Soda's the only one who really knows me good... He's my best friend ever...
And now he's in prison for 12 years for something I DID! Soda never smoked Marijuana a day in his life, and he sure as hell didn't kill Kayla! So why was he willing to take the blame for it?
"Steve?" Darry calls when I walk in. He's in the kitchen cooking dinner. "What was the verdict on Soda?"
I walk in the kitchen slowly. "No, Dar, it's me." Darry turns around and glares at me with genuine hate in his eyes.
I say, "Darry, they think that Soda did it. I don't know why they think that! I didn't tell them that at all, though...I think Sandy told them so. I don't know how come she would, if anything he should be mad at her rather than her mad at him, but you know how she is..." At this point I'm just talking to fill the empty spaces in this house. There's so much hatred glaring from Darry's eyes. What's worse than that, though, is that I know why he's mad and I agree. I hate me, too.
"Darry... please Dar, I'm real sorry, but please PLEASE say something..."
Darry turns back to the stove and mumbles, "Ponyboy, you're going to have to get the hell away from me right now or I'm liable to kill you. And don't think I'm joking, I'm dead serious. Get. Out."
I turn to go, than stop. "Darry, I've been told everything I should've done differently. Can you tell me what do you want me to do now that I've messed up everything else? Is there anything I can do to make this better?"
Darry slams the pan against the stove, still refusing to look at me again. "Ponyboy... You just really don't get it. You've managed to ruin everything I pulled together! Do you have any idea how hard it was for a 20 year old to get custody of his 2 teenage brothers? Have you ever stopped to think about how much work I've done to keep us together? You always complain that I work too much; well that's what brings in the dough, little man. It puts food on the table, clothes on your back and a roof over your head. I didn't get here by apologies or trying to make my mistakes better. I just didn't make mistakes! PERIOD!" He stops and leans hard on the counter, his head down in attempt to keep me out of eyeshot. He breathes in deep.
"Just once something should go my way. Every day people win lotteries or get promotions, SOMETHING to show the world is on their side! Me? I get you." He shakes his head slowly. "Ponyboy, there's something you should know. When the agent said he didn't approve of the arrangement we had... when he said you had to go live in a children's home, at first I panicked. But after a while, I was kinda relieved. Soda, he's no trouble at all. He's working and...well... the guy's always smiling! But you..."
I don't let him finish. "With me it's harder, right? I'm always getting into trouble... I'm never perfect enough for you. Yeah, Dar, I know. You've given enough hints for me to know who you like best, and it sure ain't Mickey Mouse!" Darry closes his eyes tight, remembering Twobit's love for Mickey. Now he's dead, and that's my fault, too.
Darry looks up at me completely worn out, like a shirt with too many holes in it to ever be worn again. The hate drains from his eyes. "That's not it, Ponyboy. The fact is that every time something happened to you... like that night you stayed out so late..."
"And you hit me..."
Darry rolls his eyes, but says, "And I hit you. Whenever you mess up, I feel like I'm the reason, like I can't take care of you. You're so smart and have so much going for you. Truth is when I look at you now, I know it's my fault. I wasn't relieved because I was tiered of dealing with you, I was worn out from trying to push you to be all you can be. I know this may be hard for you to believe, but every now and than I'm just set on getting through the day. Sometimes that in itself is a miracle. I thought you needed someone to give you everything I can't..."
The screen door shots open, and Steve comes barreling in. "Darry, Ponyboy's out and Soda's in. It's all over the news! But what's even worse...Soda was on TV telling exactly how and why he killed her!"
A/N (sorry about the first part, I'm just tiered. Ignore me when I say stuff like that... =)
I walk home slowly, still not believing...Sodapop... the one who kept everyone smiling all the time, the one you can't go anywhere with without some girl hitting on him, the one who comforted me after my nightmares, and the only one who could help me calm down when mom and dad died. Soda's the only one who really knows me good... He's my best friend ever...
And now he's in prison for 12 years for something I DID! Soda never smoked Marijuana a day in his life, and he sure as hell didn't kill Kayla! So why was he willing to take the blame for it?
"Steve?" Darry calls when I walk in. He's in the kitchen cooking dinner. "What was the verdict on Soda?"
I walk in the kitchen slowly. "No, Dar, it's me." Darry turns around and glares at me with genuine hate in his eyes.
I say, "Darry, they think that Soda did it. I don't know why they think that! I didn't tell them that at all, though...I think Sandy told them so. I don't know how come she would, if anything he should be mad at her rather than her mad at him, but you know how she is..." At this point I'm just talking to fill the empty spaces in this house. There's so much hatred glaring from Darry's eyes. What's worse than that, though, is that I know why he's mad and I agree. I hate me, too.
"Darry... please Dar, I'm real sorry, but please PLEASE say something..."
Darry turns back to the stove and mumbles, "Ponyboy, you're going to have to get the hell away from me right now or I'm liable to kill you. And don't think I'm joking, I'm dead serious. Get. Out."
I turn to go, than stop. "Darry, I've been told everything I should've done differently. Can you tell me what do you want me to do now that I've messed up everything else? Is there anything I can do to make this better?"
Darry slams the pan against the stove, still refusing to look at me again. "Ponyboy... You just really don't get it. You've managed to ruin everything I pulled together! Do you have any idea how hard it was for a 20 year old to get custody of his 2 teenage brothers? Have you ever stopped to think about how much work I've done to keep us together? You always complain that I work too much; well that's what brings in the dough, little man. It puts food on the table, clothes on your back and a roof over your head. I didn't get here by apologies or trying to make my mistakes better. I just didn't make mistakes! PERIOD!" He stops and leans hard on the counter, his head down in attempt to keep me out of eyeshot. He breathes in deep.
"Just once something should go my way. Every day people win lotteries or get promotions, SOMETHING to show the world is on their side! Me? I get you." He shakes his head slowly. "Ponyboy, there's something you should know. When the agent said he didn't approve of the arrangement we had... when he said you had to go live in a children's home, at first I panicked. But after a while, I was kinda relieved. Soda, he's no trouble at all. He's working and...well... the guy's always smiling! But you..."
I don't let him finish. "With me it's harder, right? I'm always getting into trouble... I'm never perfect enough for you. Yeah, Dar, I know. You've given enough hints for me to know who you like best, and it sure ain't Mickey Mouse!" Darry closes his eyes tight, remembering Twobit's love for Mickey. Now he's dead, and that's my fault, too.
Darry looks up at me completely worn out, like a shirt with too many holes in it to ever be worn again. The hate drains from his eyes. "That's not it, Ponyboy. The fact is that every time something happened to you... like that night you stayed out so late..."
"And you hit me..."
Darry rolls his eyes, but says, "And I hit you. Whenever you mess up, I feel like I'm the reason, like I can't take care of you. You're so smart and have so much going for you. Truth is when I look at you now, I know it's my fault. I wasn't relieved because I was tiered of dealing with you, I was worn out from trying to push you to be all you can be. I know this may be hard for you to believe, but every now and than I'm just set on getting through the day. Sometimes that in itself is a miracle. I thought you needed someone to give you everything I can't..."
The screen door shots open, and Steve comes barreling in. "Darry, Ponyboy's out and Soda's in. It's all over the news! But what's even worse...Soda was on TV telling exactly how and why he killed her!"
A/N (sorry about the first part, I'm just tiered. Ignore me when I say stuff like that... =)