Headaches. The worst thing in the world is to wake up after a restless night's sleep with a killer headache. That's what I did the next morning. Soda had to roll me out of bed and force me to get moving so I wasn't late. I didn't say anything about my head because I knew why it hurt and I knew there was nothing I could do. Besides, tough greasers don't get headaches.

School was a drag. I tried to avoid people and look for Sarah at the same time. Trust me, it wasn't easy. I finally just gave up on everything and shut off my thinking. Everything was foggy anyway, because my head wouldn't quit pounding. After lunch I thought I saw a familiar flash of brown, but if it was her, she was avoiding me, so it didn't matter. Feeling miserable, I flopped onto the couch when I got home face-first, and wished when I got up that everything would be over.

"Pony?" Someone was calling me. "Pony, come on kid, get up."

I groggily forced open my eyes. Instant pain shot through my entire head and down my neck. This stress stuff wasn't fun, especially when it caused these blasted headaches. Soda was in the room looking like he felt just as bad as I did.

"Hey, Soda," I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got up. As soon as there was space he collapsed next to me. "Rough day?"

"Boy howdy, yeah. Lots of cars needed worked on, and the girls wouldn't leave me alone even when I stopped talking to them. Then Steve accidentally punched me in the ribs, messing around. Man, could I ever use some chocolate milk."

"Hmm," I sighed, not sure what to say.

"Hey, did the mail come in yet?" Soda's feet were bare, like always, and I knew then he was absolutely fine because his daily routine hadn't been altered.

"Yeah, it's on the counter." I rubbed my temples subconsciously, and then tried to think up something for dinner. I felt groggy and out of it, but I still knew that it was my night to cook, and unless you're half-dead, in this house you don't get out of cooking.

The room spun a little when I stood up, and I grabbed the armrest of the couch to steady myself. Shaking the dizziness off, I headed for the kitchen to hunt for food. Darry needed to go shopping, so there wasn't much to choose from. One week old frozen hamburgers and micro waved potatoes was the best I could do. It wasn't the greatest meal, but it was food, and it was better than starving. Though, I wasn't hungry, so going without dinner didn't sound horrible. I swallowed some aspirin when everything was cooking, hoping to get rid of my headache. With any luck, it would stop pounding in my ears, and I could think straight enough to call Sarah, and then get some real sleep.

Soda was ravenous that night at dinner. He ate both his burgers in 4 minutes flat, then my second one when I forfeited it to him. Even after three hamburgers and two potatoes, he still raided the ice box an hour later for something to eat. I barely finished a half of a potato. My first hamburger was hard enough to finish, and Darry ended up eating the last quarter of it that I couldn't manage to swallow. Both my brothers asked me if something was wrong, but I told them I was fine. Lying isn't the best thing to have a talent for, but I did, and I used it.

When the dishes were washed and my homework finished, I collapsed on my bed, my head throbbing in a rhythmic motion. Soda came in a little while later, blinding me by turning on the light. I cussed under my breath. He ignored my words and got ready for bed in his normal fashion. Instead of climbing into his bed when the lights were out, I heard him walk over to mine. Without a word, he pulled back the blanket, shoved me over, and climbed in. Soda always knew what I needed.

"You know, Pony, you're a tough kid. But even the toughest grease in the world hurts every now and again. I like to think that if you can't be honest to yourself and your brothers in your own house, then you can't be honest anywhere... You dig?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, only half listening.

He propped himself up on one elbow. "Then why aren't you looking at me and telling me what's wrong?"

"Go to sleep, Sodapop. I'm tired."

"Well I ain't." Right then I wanted to roll over and smack him so hard he'd forget what he was saying. I didn't, though, because I knew that number one, I couldn't, and number two, it would kill my head to try. Soda stopped trying to lure it out of me with sarcasm. After a while he said, "It's about a girl, isn't it?"

"So what if it is?" My head thumped extra hard with every word. "Look, Soda, I'm dizzy and exhausted and my head is killing me. I'll tell you it all later. Just please lay off." I was begging, and it wasn't my way, but everything was spinning, and I was afraid I'd puke if he didn't let up.

"Okay," his voice eased up. "Okay." He lied back down and threw his arm across me. Everything pounded in my ears for hours and hours. I figured Soda would fall asleep eventually, but his breathing never got lighter, and his body never completely relaxed.

There was silence. I tried to shake the fuzzy feeling from my head and open my eyes, but part of me was still dozing. Finally, enough of me came back to reality. There was no pounding in my ears. The alarm clock said it was 3:30. I listened intently for a few minutes, but Soda's breathing wasn't light.

"Soda?"

"Hmm?" He tried to sound like he was just waking up, but I knew he hadn't been sleeping.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"Why aren't you?"

I wasn't sure how to answer at first. "Because, I couldn't fall asleep."

He rolled over on to his side. "That's why I wasn't sleeping."

I knitted my eyebrows, trying to figure out what he meant. Eventually I just decided it didn't matter and snuggled down deeper under the blanket. The house sure was getting cold.

"Are you okay, now?" Soda's voice was a hushed whisper.

"Uh," I wasn't sure what to say. I had always been okay. Everything else wasn't okay. "Yeah, I am."

"Good."

I don't know who fell asleep first, because I don't remember hearing Soda's breathing get light, but when I woke up the next morning, he was still out cold.

Sarah kept a steady gaze at the ground all day, even when I tried to talk to her. She seemed to be in her own world. Whenever I tried to walk up to her, she'd walk in the opposite direction, like I wasn't there. It bugged me, but I tried not to take it personally. Soda had given me that tip once. He told me, "Never take anything a girl does personally. Even if she calls you a jerk, don't bat an eye. She ain't gonna bite you, so hold your head high." Soda added a few more things that are unprintable after that.

Even though Sarah avoided me (and everyone else), Brie was acting pretty normal. I ran into her at the end of the day, when I was heading to my locker.

"Hey, Brie," I caught up to her.

"Hey,"

"Um, I was wondering, how's Olivia doing?" I asked sheepishly.

"Well, she's alright. They still have her in the ICU, but she seems to be alright. I guess she's on some kind of medication right now that makes her sleepy, so she's kind of lethargic and non-responsive, but it's expected."

"Whew," I let out a sigh of relief. "When do they think she'll go home?" I hoped it was soon.

"No one has said anything to me about it. If I understand what they're doing, then it'll be at least another three days, so they can test her brain waves. But before they do that, they have to run other tests to make sure that there wasn't any brain damage. They still haven't finished running those, I think. So, yeah, I really don't know."

"Oh." There wasn't really much to say to that. Another question was forming in my mind, but I was afraid of the answer. Actually, there were a few questions that scared me with the possibilities of their answers, but this one topped it all.

"Ponyboy? Earth to Ponyboy." I guess my face said what I was thinking.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, zoned out there for a minute thinking."

She smirked. "No wonder you and Sarah get along so well." I chuckled a little at that. This was a perfect opportunity to ask.

"Hey, um, how is she doing, by the way?" I tried to sound casual, but my voice squeaked at the very end. I cleared my throat, hoping to regain some dignity. It didn't work. Brie laughed at me for a minute before putting on a straight face and answering.

"Well, uh, I dunno. She's Sarah," I searched for a meaning to that statement in her face. When I didn't seem to understand, Brie continued. "She's been pretty quiet since all this stuff happened. I haven't really talked to her. I just kind of assume that she's fine, because I can never tell anymore." She shrugged.

"I see," I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. There was something nagging at me, deep in my gut. I guess some might call it a premonition. I just call it a gut feeling and a reason to run. So that's what I did.

It was a great day to run, which I hadn't noticed earlier. The sky was cloudy, but the sun was peeking through. The wind was a gentle whisper, caressing my long hair and brushing it into my eyes. I ran and ran, until I finally decided where to go. I wasn't sure if he was busy or working, but if he wasn't I knew where he most likely would be.

The little red Chevy was sitting in its normal spot, so I knew Justin was around somewhere. The only matter was to find him, which could be a task, because I never knew if he was at Sarah's or his own house.

I decided to try his house first. If he wasn't there, I'd go over to Sarah's and look there. The front walk was short and narrow, made of cracked cement. I cautiously made my way forward, feeling somewhat awkward, but proceeding nonetheless. Right before I reached the door, I thought I heard a twig snap behind me. I swiveled around quickly to find that no one was there. Shrugging, I turned back forward. There, I stood eye to eye with the creepy look of normal malice.

"Glory!" I cried, jumping back almost six feet. I shook with a nervous tension as his smile grew, almost grinch-like.

"Looking for something?" the malice-filled eyes said.

"Uh," I swallowed, trying to catch my voice. Come on Ponyboy, I said to myself, you're a tough greaser. He's just a lucky middle classer. You shouldn't be afraid of him. I didn't convince myself. I should never be a motivational speaker.

"You got a minute, Justin?" I finally regained some of my composure and gotten over some shock, though my heart was still pounding.

He looked at his watch. "I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I don't have a minute, at least, not one I can give you. See, there's this thing about time. You can't give it away. But I'd be happy to give you some insight on how to use your minutes wisely."

I stared at him with a blank expression. "What in the almighty universe are you talking about!?"

The look was getting to me. I tried to control my frustration, but this wasn't a time to mess with my head. Though, I probably should have expected it, since I had purposely come to talk to Justin.

"Come on, kid," he waved me to follow him. "Let's take a walk."

"So you mean that all I have to do is ask?"

"Yep. Just ask."

"And I'll get it? Just like that?"

"Well, if you're supposed to get it, you will. But you have to ask with complete faith that He will do what you ask. That's not an easy thing to do."

The walk with Justin had already lasted over forty minutes, but I was really engulfed in the conversation.

"Wait, how do I know if I'm asking with complete faith?"

"Ah," he grinned to himself. "That's the thing. It takes time to develop the faith. Do you ever talk to God, Pony?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. I mean like, sometimes I'll just think something and say, 'please, God'. Does that count?"

"It's not about things counting. It's about a friendship, of a sort. Just say whatever's on your mind; things that are bothering you, or things that you're happy about. Give it all over. You'll see what I mean."

"Alright." I had to chew on this more fully. If anything else entered my brain, I knew it would explode. Justin looked at his watch.

"I need to be going. I have a class tonight." Justin worked during the day and went to a local college in the evenings. From what I understood, he was trying to start his own business. With a nod in my direction, he headed off.

I was so relieved when Friday came. The week couldn't have been any slower or stressful, and I sure needed a weekend. I didn't see Sarah all day in school, but I figured it was just as well. She probably wouldn't have wanted to talk to me. When I got home from school, I kicked my shoes off, poured some chocolate milk, and had some down time to myself. The weekend had officially started, and finally I could take a breather. At least, that's what I thought.

Soda, Steve, and Two-bit were all down at the DX. Steve and Soda were fixing cars, and Two-bit was flirting with the many blondes that came to the station. I chose cars over girls.

"Hey," I said, kind of quietly.

"Hi, Pony!" Soda was in one of his crazy moods, which meant he had lots and lots of energy. I wished I could have some. Mine seemed to be in short supply.

The guys had me grinning and laughing before long, with Two-bits many jokes, and Steve's rendition of a Beatles song. When they got off work, the four of us went to town for a little bit to catch some action. There was a fight going on at the Dingo, like normal, and Soda wanted to get caught up in it to. Steve and I just steered him away and dragged him to get something to eat instead. Early on in the night, Two-bit ran into Tim Shepherd, and the two of them ran off somewhere to get a beer. None of us knew where they were going, and we didn't really want to. We caught sight of an impromptu drag race, and Soda and Steve had to watch it. I willingly obliged. I liked drag races almost as much as they did.

We finally headed back home when the drag race lost our interest. Darry was reading his newspaper in the armchair calmly. He merely glanced up and nodded when we walked in. It was only 9:30, and I was with Soda, so I didn't get any heat for being out. Besides, I had left a note, in case he got home before me and Soda did.

They took out a deck of cards, and I attempted to head to my room to hide in a book, because the look on Steve's face said it was Mao time, and I wasn't doing that again.

Soda caught me and stated tickling me, though, so I was forced into it. I didn't really mind all that much, but the game was so dang hard that I felt like an idiot, even though I was the smart one. Steve left around 11, and things quieted down. Darry went to bed, and Soda picked up the cards and random items thrown around the house. I sat on the couch and zoned, waiting for Soda to go to bed.

Spontaneously, the phone rang. No one was getting it, so I gruntingly raised myself and answered it.

"Yeah?" I sounded half-asleep.

"Ponyboy? Is that you?" The voice on the other line was frantic.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Pony, it's Brie. Is Sarah over there?"

"Uh, no, I haven't seen her all day."

I heard a hushed curse on the other end.

"Brie, is everything okay?" I rubbed my eyes, trying to stay awake.

"No, I don't think so. No, everything is definitely not okay. Sarah's missing, mom and dad aren't home, the boys won't go to sleep, and yeah. AHH!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sarah's missing?" You'd better believe that woke me up.

"Yeah, she left at 5:30, saying she was taking a walk, and then maybe meeting a friend somewhere. She's not back yet, she's not at your house, she's not with Justin, she's not anywhere!"

I let loose a stream of cuss words. "Brie," I said, controlling my voice, "Hang in there." I hung up without saying goodbye. Determinedly, I headed to the closet. Soda's old coat. Darry's letterman jacket. An army jacket from one of our uncles. None of them would work. After wasting precious time searching, I went to the highest shelf in my bedroom closet, grabbing the one item up there. The back was burned black, but the inside was still lamb's wool, and it was warm.

"Soda, I need to go. Cover for me, please?"

"What?" He looked perplexed. "What's going on, kid?" Soda saw the jacket and stopped cold.

I took a deep breath to explain it, but then thought better. "There's no time to explain. I will be back, I just don't know when. Hopefully before dawn. When I do, you'll get a full explanation, I promise. Please, Soda."

He nodded solemnly, and I knew I had my brother's word. He was going to cover for me the best that he could. With a nod, I headed off into the darkness.