*SODA'S POV*
I bounded into the bedroom, planning to pounce on my little brother and tickle him awake.
"Hey Pony!" I shouted. He didn't stir. I looked closely at him. He looked tired out. Two-bit wasn't joking when he said the Coach had made Pony do extra laps. I sat next to him for a while, my hand unconsciously stroking his hair. This was the first time he had actually slept since 9th grade had ended.
I looked up as the door opened. Darry came in.
"Pony okay?"
"Yeah- he's pretty tired out though," I replied. Dar sat down next to me, looking down at Ponyboy.
"I've really gotta yell at that Coach. It was pouring. I can't believe an adult would let kids run around a field in that kind of weather."
"Actually, he ended practice an hour early," commented Two-bit, leaning at the door. "And the chicken's burning, I think."
Darry jumped up. "WHAT?"
"Well, you left the chicken on the stove and ran into Pony and Soda's room. And the chicken's on fire now."
"Two-bit! Why didn't you do something?" shouted Darry. Two-bit shrugged.
"I dunno how to cook."
Darry ran out of the room to save the chicken. Two-bit and I started laughing.
I was scared that Pony would get a nightmare if I left, so I stayed with him until Darry called for dinner.
"Is Pony awake yet?" asked Darry as I came into the kitchen alone. I shook my head.
"Sleeping like a log."
Darry smiled. "That's good. He's gonna be hungry when he wakes up."
We ate a dinner of slightly burned chicken and mashed potatoes. Ponyboy's favorite. Well, except for the burned part. After shoveling down my food and watching a little TV, I went back to check on Pony. He was still fast asleep. I smiled as I watched his chest rise and fall. He looked about twelve when he was sleeping. I yawned. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep either. Not bothering to change my clothes, I jumped into bed next to Pony and threw an arm over him. Before I knew it, we were both fast asleep.
*DARRY'S POV*
Both my brothers had fallen asleep early in the evening. I went to bed myself after the rest of the boys had left.
My internal alarm clock woke me up at exactly 6:30 the next morning. I got out of bed, yawning, and walked into the other bedroom.
"Wake up everyone. School day," I announced. Soda bounced up immediately, because of the amount of sleep he'd had the night before. He turned to Pony, who was still fast asleep.
"Come on Pony, wake up," said Soda, shaking Pony's shoulder gently. I watched as Pony's green eyes opened slowly. He looked confused.
"Wuh."
"You've been asleep since yesterday afternoon," I told him. "Those extra laps for track really tired you out."
He looked even more confused. "What? Track? Oh! Yeah." He got out of bed slowly, as if his legs were hurting him, and grabbed onto Soda's shirtsleeve as he stood up.
"You okay?" asked Soda, looking down at him worriedly. Pony swatted at him playfully.
"Yeah," he walked away quickly, shouting, "I GOT THE BATHROOM FIRST!"
Soda and I looked at each other. Soda chuckled. "Yeah. He's okay Dar."
*PONYBOY'S POV*
I don't know how I made it through the rest of the day, but somehow I managed to keep from passing out. What was wrong with me? It was only a couple of miles from Windrixville to Tulsa. I couldn't stop sneezing too, and I had a runny nose. I felt lousy.
"Hey! Earth to Ponyboy!"
I heard someone shouting at me, and jumped.
"Huh?"
Two-bit cocked an eyebrow. "I've been shouting at you for like, five minutes Pony. You okay?"
"Yeah." Why did I keep saying that?
"Well, I was asking if you wanted to go over to the gas station with me to see Soda and Steve," continued Two-bit.
"Uh . . . that's okay, Two-bit. I got a lot of homework so I'll go home first."
Two-bit grinned and messed up my hair. "I swear kid, you spend too much time doing schoolwork. You want a drive back?"
"Yeah. Thanks," I said gratefully; my legs felt ready to collapse under me.
The second I got home I started working. I hadn't been kidding about having a lot of homework. You would think that at the start of term, teachers would lay off. Well, mine certainly didn't. I lay stomach-down on the bed and opened my science book to the chapter on human genetics, taking occasional notes.
As the hours ticked by I was having more of a hard time concentrating. Just one more page . . . I kept telling myself. I had to finish this by tomorrow . . . my head drooped lower and lower and the small typed words became unrecognizable blurs. My headache had returned and, despite the cold, I felt uncomfortably hot and dizzy. I closed my eyes, surrendering to much needed sleep.
I bounded into the bedroom, planning to pounce on my little brother and tickle him awake.
"Hey Pony!" I shouted. He didn't stir. I looked closely at him. He looked tired out. Two-bit wasn't joking when he said the Coach had made Pony do extra laps. I sat next to him for a while, my hand unconsciously stroking his hair. This was the first time he had actually slept since 9th grade had ended.
I looked up as the door opened. Darry came in.
"Pony okay?"
"Yeah- he's pretty tired out though," I replied. Dar sat down next to me, looking down at Ponyboy.
"I've really gotta yell at that Coach. It was pouring. I can't believe an adult would let kids run around a field in that kind of weather."
"Actually, he ended practice an hour early," commented Two-bit, leaning at the door. "And the chicken's burning, I think."
Darry jumped up. "WHAT?"
"Well, you left the chicken on the stove and ran into Pony and Soda's room. And the chicken's on fire now."
"Two-bit! Why didn't you do something?" shouted Darry. Two-bit shrugged.
"I dunno how to cook."
Darry ran out of the room to save the chicken. Two-bit and I started laughing.
I was scared that Pony would get a nightmare if I left, so I stayed with him until Darry called for dinner.
"Is Pony awake yet?" asked Darry as I came into the kitchen alone. I shook my head.
"Sleeping like a log."
Darry smiled. "That's good. He's gonna be hungry when he wakes up."
We ate a dinner of slightly burned chicken and mashed potatoes. Ponyboy's favorite. Well, except for the burned part. After shoveling down my food and watching a little TV, I went back to check on Pony. He was still fast asleep. I smiled as I watched his chest rise and fall. He looked about twelve when he was sleeping. I yawned. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep either. Not bothering to change my clothes, I jumped into bed next to Pony and threw an arm over him. Before I knew it, we were both fast asleep.
*DARRY'S POV*
Both my brothers had fallen asleep early in the evening. I went to bed myself after the rest of the boys had left.
My internal alarm clock woke me up at exactly 6:30 the next morning. I got out of bed, yawning, and walked into the other bedroom.
"Wake up everyone. School day," I announced. Soda bounced up immediately, because of the amount of sleep he'd had the night before. He turned to Pony, who was still fast asleep.
"Come on Pony, wake up," said Soda, shaking Pony's shoulder gently. I watched as Pony's green eyes opened slowly. He looked confused.
"Wuh."
"You've been asleep since yesterday afternoon," I told him. "Those extra laps for track really tired you out."
He looked even more confused. "What? Track? Oh! Yeah." He got out of bed slowly, as if his legs were hurting him, and grabbed onto Soda's shirtsleeve as he stood up.
"You okay?" asked Soda, looking down at him worriedly. Pony swatted at him playfully.
"Yeah," he walked away quickly, shouting, "I GOT THE BATHROOM FIRST!"
Soda and I looked at each other. Soda chuckled. "Yeah. He's okay Dar."
*PONYBOY'S POV*
I don't know how I made it through the rest of the day, but somehow I managed to keep from passing out. What was wrong with me? It was only a couple of miles from Windrixville to Tulsa. I couldn't stop sneezing too, and I had a runny nose. I felt lousy.
"Hey! Earth to Ponyboy!"
I heard someone shouting at me, and jumped.
"Huh?"
Two-bit cocked an eyebrow. "I've been shouting at you for like, five minutes Pony. You okay?"
"Yeah." Why did I keep saying that?
"Well, I was asking if you wanted to go over to the gas station with me to see Soda and Steve," continued Two-bit.
"Uh . . . that's okay, Two-bit. I got a lot of homework so I'll go home first."
Two-bit grinned and messed up my hair. "I swear kid, you spend too much time doing schoolwork. You want a drive back?"
"Yeah. Thanks," I said gratefully; my legs felt ready to collapse under me.
The second I got home I started working. I hadn't been kidding about having a lot of homework. You would think that at the start of term, teachers would lay off. Well, mine certainly didn't. I lay stomach-down on the bed and opened my science book to the chapter on human genetics, taking occasional notes.
As the hours ticked by I was having more of a hard time concentrating. Just one more page . . . I kept telling myself. I had to finish this by tomorrow . . . my head drooped lower and lower and the small typed words became unrecognizable blurs. My headache had returned and, despite the cold, I felt uncomfortably hot and dizzy. I closed my eyes, surrendering to much needed sleep.
