"The Switch"
Chapter 2
Soda's arm was the only thing to comfort me that night. I barley slept, I just looked at the Switchblade and cried. Both from hatred and love. I hated that Switchblade, if it weren't for it, Johnny would still be alive. But then, if it weren't for it, I wouldn't have had anything to remember Johnny by. When the sun finally rose, I had realized that I wasn't going to fall asleep no matter what. I walked tiptoed to the kitchen and drank some chocolate milk. I put the bottle back in the icebox and started walking back to my room.
"Oh hell," I thought. "It's a beautiful morning... Might as well run a little."
I went back to my room and put on my track pants. I then searched my closet for my running shoes and put them on. I walked passed Darry's room and stared at him for a few seconds. Gosh, people do look younger when they're sleeping, but then I realized that I had always thought of Darry as an adult, just recently I understood that he was only twenty.
I wrote Darry a little note saying I'll be back at around eight-ish. I walked out the door silently and stretched for a minute on the porch. I then started running, I passed the vacant lot, passed the Nightly Double, passed the school, passed Randy sleeping on the sidewalk. It hit me. Randy was sleeping on the sidewalk. What's the deal?
I ran across the street and examined him. He had a puddle near him that smelled oddly like alcohol. Randy was boozed. He was breathing, that was a good sign. Well, I wasn't gonna wake him up, it's his own damn fault he was still drinking. I was just about to leave when his eyes opened.
"Ponyboy!" He half-yelled, half-muttered.
He was gasping loudly. I took a few steps back, whether I was scared of him or because he smelled bad. A familiar smell. Alcohol and... Stale tobacco. I stared at him. He started to fade away and I dropped peacefully onto the solid ground.
When I woke up next I was, not to my surprise, in the hospital. I wondered vaguely what I was in for this time. Then I remembered, Randy. And the smell, which smelled just like Johnny's switchblade. I looked around the hospital room, only Soda was there.
"Hey Pony." He said, in a calmed tone.
"I passed out, huh?" I asked rhetorically.
"Yeah. The docs here know you by now." Soda said tiredly.
"I reckon." I said, giving Soda a hungry look. He understood it, and tossed me a pack of cigarettes. You gotta love Soda, without him, I don't know what I'll do.
"Doc said you'll be outta here soon, just a few more checkups." He explained, I didn't care. I lit my cigarette up and smoked it.
"Ah, hell." I said getting out of the bed. "I don't care."
I had better things to do then lay on a bed all day, like finding Randy.
Easier said than done.
Chapter 2
Soda's arm was the only thing to comfort me that night. I barley slept, I just looked at the Switchblade and cried. Both from hatred and love. I hated that Switchblade, if it weren't for it, Johnny would still be alive. But then, if it weren't for it, I wouldn't have had anything to remember Johnny by. When the sun finally rose, I had realized that I wasn't going to fall asleep no matter what. I walked tiptoed to the kitchen and drank some chocolate milk. I put the bottle back in the icebox and started walking back to my room.
"Oh hell," I thought. "It's a beautiful morning... Might as well run a little."
I went back to my room and put on my track pants. I then searched my closet for my running shoes and put them on. I walked passed Darry's room and stared at him for a few seconds. Gosh, people do look younger when they're sleeping, but then I realized that I had always thought of Darry as an adult, just recently I understood that he was only twenty.
I wrote Darry a little note saying I'll be back at around eight-ish. I walked out the door silently and stretched for a minute on the porch. I then started running, I passed the vacant lot, passed the Nightly Double, passed the school, passed Randy sleeping on the sidewalk. It hit me. Randy was sleeping on the sidewalk. What's the deal?
I ran across the street and examined him. He had a puddle near him that smelled oddly like alcohol. Randy was boozed. He was breathing, that was a good sign. Well, I wasn't gonna wake him up, it's his own damn fault he was still drinking. I was just about to leave when his eyes opened.
"Ponyboy!" He half-yelled, half-muttered.
He was gasping loudly. I took a few steps back, whether I was scared of him or because he smelled bad. A familiar smell. Alcohol and... Stale tobacco. I stared at him. He started to fade away and I dropped peacefully onto the solid ground.
When I woke up next I was, not to my surprise, in the hospital. I wondered vaguely what I was in for this time. Then I remembered, Randy. And the smell, which smelled just like Johnny's switchblade. I looked around the hospital room, only Soda was there.
"Hey Pony." He said, in a calmed tone.
"I passed out, huh?" I asked rhetorically.
"Yeah. The docs here know you by now." Soda said tiredly.
"I reckon." I said, giving Soda a hungry look. He understood it, and tossed me a pack of cigarettes. You gotta love Soda, without him, I don't know what I'll do.
"Doc said you'll be outta here soon, just a few more checkups." He explained, I didn't care. I lit my cigarette up and smoked it.
"Ah, hell." I said getting out of the bed. "I don't care."
I had better things to do then lay on a bed all day, like finding Randy.
Easier said than done.
