[a/n] Apologies for the delays. It's been a combination of lack of effort
and being busy with everything else. Full time working, part time school
(nights), attempts at keeping the house clean (failed), family time (did I
mention I'm having a baby?), court stuff (custody battle with my husband
for his younger son).. So, finally an update. This is not to be confused
with the previous chapter's track practice, this is supposed to be days or
weeks later.
I finally reached home after track practice and wearily stumbled up the front steps. Man, my legs were sore. I pushed through the front door and shoved it closed.
"Ponyboy!"
I groaned. "Sorry, Darry. I didn't mean to slam it. I'm just tired from practice"
"Maybe your coach should make you do pushups, so your arms'll be too sore to slam the door again."
I looked at him tiredly and turned towards the living room. I tossed my book bag on the couch and headed for the shower.
10 minutes later, I was out and finishing getting dressed again. I was feeling a lot better, but that hot water sure had made me sleepy. "Hey, Darry," I yawned, "You seen Soda today?"
Darry glanced up from the newspaper for a moment. "Yeah, I talked to him a while ago. He had just got off work and was going somewhere with Two-Bit. He should be home later. You needing something?"
"Oh. No, I was just wonderin'." I really had just wanted to talk to Soda. You can't talk to Darry the same way. He's too serious and only listens to try to find a problem, and then tries to fix that. You can't hardly ever just have a conversation with Darry. He doesn't like to wonder about things, he just understands cold, hard facts.
I grabbed my book bag and went to my room to work on my homework. Hours later, I finished and picked up Black Beauty. I had bought it a year or two ago for Soda's birthday. That was before I picked up on the fact that he just plain doesn't like to read.
I must've fallen asleep reading, because when I opened my eyes, sunlight was streaming in through my window. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I strolled into the kitchen where Darry was making breakfast. "Mornin', Darry," I said, struggling to stop yawning. "Soda not up yet?"
Darry's face was stone. "He ain't here. I would've called the cops last night, but I dropped off to sleep." He gave me a quick look-over. "You worried me pretty bad yourself, last night. I thought you had gone missing too, and then I found you asleep with that book in your hand."
My eyes widened. "Oh. Well, maybe he stayed over at Two-Bit's? You know they don't have a phone."
Darry gave me a scornful look. "I highly doubt he's at Two-Bit's. I gotta get ready for work. Make sure and do the dishes." He got up from his seat, put his plate and glass in the sink, and stormed out of the kitchen.
I had barely finished swallowing my last bite when the phone rang.
"Hey, answer that, Ponyboy!" Darry hollered from his bedroom.
"I got it, I got it," I muttered under my breath. "Hello?.....Heya Sodapop! Where you been?"
Darry was instantly at my side. "Let me talk to him," he ordered. I handed the receiver over. "Soda? Where are you?........You WHAT? Soda, if this is some kind of joke........ Dammit! I really don't have the patience right now......Alright, look, I'll be there in 20 minutes." He slammed the receiver down and turned to look at me. "Soda's in jail."
"What?" Soda in jail?
"You heard me. I've gotta go pick him up. I'm gonna be late to work, but there's nothing I can do about that. It's not like they've got phones on- site."
"Why's he in jail?"
"Look, we'll discuss it when I get back. Do the dishes."
It wasn't too much longer before I heard the rumble of our Ford's engine as Darry pulled up in the driveway. I pulled aside the curtains in the living room to watch them. Darry was talking a mile a minute, and Soda was trying his hardest to keep from bursting out laughing at him. They got out of the truck and started walking towards the front door. I watched Soda slung his arm around Darry's neck. He finally reached his breaking point – He was laughing his head off at Darry, and Darry was starting to go from looking like an angry bear to a little kid whose mom slapped his hand away when he tried to swipe a cookie before dinner. Soda was a lot braver than me. There's nothing you could do to get me to laugh at Darry when he starts off that angry.
Soda ran in the front door and kicked his shoes off. "Ponyboy!!!" he picked me up and swung me around.
"Hey, Soda! So how'd you get in jail?"
"Well, you see..." he started.
Darry broke in. "Two-Bit and our genius brother here decided it was a great idea to go walking on their hands in the middle of downtown! Apparently they scared a bunch of old ladies and were picked up for disturbing the peace." He gave Soda a withering glance.
Soda grinned at me. "Two-Bit kept trying to look up these good-lookin' girls' skirts. I've never heard broads scream so loud."
Darry rolled his eyes. "You cost us 80 bucks, you realize that kid? Not to mention the time off work I had to take just to pick you up."
Soda slung his arm around my shoulders. "Aw, c'mon, Darry, you could have had Pony drop you off at work and he could have picked me up."
"First of all, not a chance. He's only 14. Second of all, not a chance. I'm your guardian. I'm the only one that could get you out. Now, I've got to get to work and kiss up to my foreman before I lose my job and then we're really screwed. And then.."
Soda waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for getting me out. Go to work. You've got to go kiss up to your foreman before you lose your job and then we're really screwed."
Darry finally cracked a grin. "Look, just stay out of trouble, ok? I don't need to lose you two."
Comments? I know, the ending was a little weak, but... meh.
I finally reached home after track practice and wearily stumbled up the front steps. Man, my legs were sore. I pushed through the front door and shoved it closed.
"Ponyboy!"
I groaned. "Sorry, Darry. I didn't mean to slam it. I'm just tired from practice"
"Maybe your coach should make you do pushups, so your arms'll be too sore to slam the door again."
I looked at him tiredly and turned towards the living room. I tossed my book bag on the couch and headed for the shower.
10 minutes later, I was out and finishing getting dressed again. I was feeling a lot better, but that hot water sure had made me sleepy. "Hey, Darry," I yawned, "You seen Soda today?"
Darry glanced up from the newspaper for a moment. "Yeah, I talked to him a while ago. He had just got off work and was going somewhere with Two-Bit. He should be home later. You needing something?"
"Oh. No, I was just wonderin'." I really had just wanted to talk to Soda. You can't talk to Darry the same way. He's too serious and only listens to try to find a problem, and then tries to fix that. You can't hardly ever just have a conversation with Darry. He doesn't like to wonder about things, he just understands cold, hard facts.
I grabbed my book bag and went to my room to work on my homework. Hours later, I finished and picked up Black Beauty. I had bought it a year or two ago for Soda's birthday. That was before I picked up on the fact that he just plain doesn't like to read.
I must've fallen asleep reading, because when I opened my eyes, sunlight was streaming in through my window. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I strolled into the kitchen where Darry was making breakfast. "Mornin', Darry," I said, struggling to stop yawning. "Soda not up yet?"
Darry's face was stone. "He ain't here. I would've called the cops last night, but I dropped off to sleep." He gave me a quick look-over. "You worried me pretty bad yourself, last night. I thought you had gone missing too, and then I found you asleep with that book in your hand."
My eyes widened. "Oh. Well, maybe he stayed over at Two-Bit's? You know they don't have a phone."
Darry gave me a scornful look. "I highly doubt he's at Two-Bit's. I gotta get ready for work. Make sure and do the dishes." He got up from his seat, put his plate and glass in the sink, and stormed out of the kitchen.
I had barely finished swallowing my last bite when the phone rang.
"Hey, answer that, Ponyboy!" Darry hollered from his bedroom.
"I got it, I got it," I muttered under my breath. "Hello?.....Heya Sodapop! Where you been?"
Darry was instantly at my side. "Let me talk to him," he ordered. I handed the receiver over. "Soda? Where are you?........You WHAT? Soda, if this is some kind of joke........ Dammit! I really don't have the patience right now......Alright, look, I'll be there in 20 minutes." He slammed the receiver down and turned to look at me. "Soda's in jail."
"What?" Soda in jail?
"You heard me. I've gotta go pick him up. I'm gonna be late to work, but there's nothing I can do about that. It's not like they've got phones on- site."
"Why's he in jail?"
"Look, we'll discuss it when I get back. Do the dishes."
It wasn't too much longer before I heard the rumble of our Ford's engine as Darry pulled up in the driveway. I pulled aside the curtains in the living room to watch them. Darry was talking a mile a minute, and Soda was trying his hardest to keep from bursting out laughing at him. They got out of the truck and started walking towards the front door. I watched Soda slung his arm around Darry's neck. He finally reached his breaking point – He was laughing his head off at Darry, and Darry was starting to go from looking like an angry bear to a little kid whose mom slapped his hand away when he tried to swipe a cookie before dinner. Soda was a lot braver than me. There's nothing you could do to get me to laugh at Darry when he starts off that angry.
Soda ran in the front door and kicked his shoes off. "Ponyboy!!!" he picked me up and swung me around.
"Hey, Soda! So how'd you get in jail?"
"Well, you see..." he started.
Darry broke in. "Two-Bit and our genius brother here decided it was a great idea to go walking on their hands in the middle of downtown! Apparently they scared a bunch of old ladies and were picked up for disturbing the peace." He gave Soda a withering glance.
Soda grinned at me. "Two-Bit kept trying to look up these good-lookin' girls' skirts. I've never heard broads scream so loud."
Darry rolled his eyes. "You cost us 80 bucks, you realize that kid? Not to mention the time off work I had to take just to pick you up."
Soda slung his arm around my shoulders. "Aw, c'mon, Darry, you could have had Pony drop you off at work and he could have picked me up."
"First of all, not a chance. He's only 14. Second of all, not a chance. I'm your guardian. I'm the only one that could get you out. Now, I've got to get to work and kiss up to my foreman before I lose my job and then we're really screwed. And then.."
Soda waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for getting me out. Go to work. You've got to go kiss up to your foreman before you lose your job and then we're really screwed."
Darry finally cracked a grin. "Look, just stay out of trouble, ok? I don't need to lose you two."
Comments? I know, the ending was a little weak, but... meh.