Killslay: Thanks for the awesome review! I'll keep ur advice in mind =D
Aaliyah-Charity: teeheehee~ I luv Singapore too!!! Go us!
Kurupt-emotions: glad u think it's sad in the 'poor pony' way, and not that the story sucks!! : )
MissLKid: Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for the ppl I mentioned in my past two disclaimers. . . can't be bothered to write all of them. The only new person I own is Mr. Robertson (yup, I know- extremely unoriginal name!)
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
When I first woke I thought I was still at home. I wondered why my bed felt so hard under me, and where the usual noises, shouts or yells of the gang were.
I only remembered where I was when my eyes opened again and I found myself in the small room, in the house I would have to live in for the next month.
Rolling off the bed, I checked the time. It was exactly six thirty. Dinner. I quickly brushed a hand through my hair and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I shivered at the thought of having to face Kevin Skinner again. He was just so cold and unfriendly. Why did he even volunteer for this foster family stuff?
I didn't have time to ponder on this, because it was dinnertime and I really didn't want to be late- the thought of those piercing gray eyes boring into mine just gave me the shivers. He really reminded me of those bad guys in movies. I frowned again, mentally scolding my imagination.
Dinner was uneventful. Kevin was unsurprisingly silent throughout it. He left as soon as he had finished, leaving me to do the dishes. I shrugged. Normally I resented this chore above all others, but here I was glad of something to occupy my hands with. Humming softly to myself, I started washing the dishes.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
The gang was sprawled in front of the TV, but I doubted anyone was actually watching it. I had been staring blankly at the screen for at least half an hour, and I still didn't know what was going on in the television. I looked around at everyone. They were all lost in their own thoughts.
I had never been separated from my baby brother, and spending a day without him was killing me. I wondered what he was doing now. I hoped he was enjoying himself. Suddenly, I remembered my last words to Pony. I jumped up, making the gang stare at me. I grinned at them.
"Let's write to him!"
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I finished doing the dishes and went back into my room. Feeling lonelier than I had ever felt, I switched off the lights, and jumped under the covers of the bed. It was pitch black, and the whole house was silent. Suddenly, I felt terrified. I buried my head under the covers, wanting the comfort of Soda's arms very much.
I was still too exhausted to stay awake for very long, and I fell into a troubled sleep.
I woke up early the next morning, and went into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Kevin was already sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a mug of steaming coffee. He barely looked up when I walked in.
"Eggs are in the fridge. Cook them yourself."
I nodded, and headed to the fridge.
"And you're supposed to start school today. It starts at seven thirty."
He gave me the address and walked out of the house, obviously expecting me to get to school by myself.
I stood there for a moment, absolutely shocked. Darry would never had told me to get to school by myself, especially if I didn't even know where the school was! I checked the time. It was six thirty. If I ate quickly, I'd have almost an hour to find my way.
I hard-boiled my egg. It was strange not cooking for three. I sighed, quickly eating it. I searched the fridge for any chocolate milk, but the only drink in it was beer. I wrinkled my nose. I'd have to settle with plain water. I didn't even bother checking for chocolate cake.
After breakfast, I started out to look for the school I was supposed to go to. There were a few other people walking around the place. I couldn't classify them as Greasers or Socs. They just looked like average, middle-class people. None of them paid me any attention as I walked by, something for which I was extremely grateful. I tried following road signs, but soon I got totally lost. I looked around for a relatively safe person to ask for directions. I settled on an old man in overalls reading the newspapers on a bench on the side of the road. I walked up to him, a little nervously. I hate having to talk to strangers.
"Can you tell me where Murray High School is?"
He looked up at me. "Huh?" His voice was low and coarse.
I repeated my question, and he looked at me calculatingly. I think he was trying to tell if I was joking or not. Finally, he answered.
"Go down ter the end of the road, turn right. Keep walkin'. Yer can't miss it."
I thanked him, and walked on.
As the man had said, you couldn't miss it. It was a large, old red- brick building with a huge white sign with "Murray High School" engraved in black block letters. There was a yard. A few kids older than I was were hanging out in it. they stopped talking and stared at me as I walked in. I put on the tough, expressionless face Greasers reserved for strangers, and they quickly averted their eyes. I ignored them and walked into the school. I looked around, not really knowing what to do. A woman in her late forties bustled up to me.
"What are you doing inside? No students allowed in the school before exactly seven thirty!"
She tried to shoo me out.
"I'm new here," I said. She stopped, and checked a chart she was holding.
"Your name is. . . Michael Curtis?"
"Ponyboy," I corrected. "Michael's my middle name."
She looked at me suspiciously, like most people do when I first tell them my name, but I guess she decided not to comment.
"Well, if you're new, I'll give you your schedule. You'd better wait in your classroom, or you'll be totally lost."
She led me to an empty classroom, and left. I looked around. There were small windows at the top of the room, opened so slightly that the room felt stuffy and warm, despite the chilly air outside. The wallpaper was yellowing, and peeling off the walls in some places. Trash was littered here and there, with scribbles and pieces of gum stuck on the tables.
I took a seat near the back of the class. Soon, people started filing in. they were all about Soda's age. They all looked at me curiously for a second. Some turned away and ignored me, and some glared at me. I ignored them too.
Finally, a man in oversize spectacles holding a file full of papers walked in. I guessed that he was the teacher.
"Hey, Mr. Robertson!" shouted one of the boys near the back. "We've got a runt in the wrong classroom here!"
Everyone turned around to look at me and I fought not to blush.
"Ah. That's the new student," said Mr. Robertson. He looked at me. "You look a little young to be in this class. are you sure you're in the right room?"
I nodded, and he shrugged. "We're on page 136." He handed me a worn textbook, and everyone flipped theirs to the right page. Well, some people. The others just stared into space, blowing bubbles with their gum.
I skimmed the page we were on. It was on BC Calculus. I shrugged. I had completed that course last year. (A/N: YAY! Smart Pony! LOL.)
The rest of the day passed quickly. The people at Murray High School just ignored me, which was fine with me.
The bell rang at half past three in the afternoon, and school was over. I walked back to the house slowly, dreading to see Kevin again.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I got back to the house. Nobody was home. I checked the mailbox, not really expecting a letter for me. I pulled out three white envelopes, scanning through them. Two were addressed to Kevin Skinner. They were both bills. The third one, however, was addressed to me. I grinned happily. Darry and Soda had remembered me!
I ran back int omy room, leaning back on my bed and opening the letter. I immedieatly recognized Soda's handwriting.
"Hey Pony," it read. "How's Murray? Bet it's great to be in the country again, huh? We're missin ya like crazy back here in Tulsa. How's the Kevin Skinner guy? Hope you get allong well together. Well, can't wait to s ee you again.
Sodapop Curtis.
Ps. Darry and the gang say hey too!"
I grinned again, cheered by the little reminder of home. I took out the picture of our family, examining each of our faces. Darry and dad had an arm around each other, and they both had huge identical grins on their faces. Darry's forehead didn't have the worry lines that had appeared after the car crash. Mom had an arm over Soda and I, and we all looked carefree and happy. I smiled sadly, closing my eyes, remembering the days with mom and dad.
I don't know how long I sat there, but when I opened my eyes again the sky was a dark inky blue. I jumped up. It was almost six, and I hadn't started any of my homework yet.
I spread all of my work on the small table in my room and got to work.
I jumped when I was distracted from my work by a loud crash. Somebody had slammed the front door hard. Just as I was wondering who it was, I recognized Kevin's voice.
"Kid! Get over here!" he sounded angry. Wondering what I had done wrong, I walked into the living room. Kevin was standing in the kitchen, and as I entered, I could feel anger radiating from him like heat waves.
"Do you have any idea what the time is?" his voice was dangerously soft.
"What's the fucking time, kid?" he shouted. I found my tongue.
"I don't know."
"It's eight p.m. I told you specifically to have my dinner on the table by six thirty!"
He took a step toward me and I instinctively stepped backwards.
"WELL?"
I swallowed. "I forgot. I'm sorry."
"You forgot? You fucking forgot?"
I started shaking. Kevin pushed me roughly backwards. I lost my balance, not expecting it, and fell heavily against the fridge on my injured shoulder. I fought back a painful yelp.
"You just going to stand there, or are you gonna make my fucking dinner?" Kevin shouted. I stood up shakily and walked over to the counter, trying to get as far away from him as possible while seeming to follow his orders. I could feel warm blood trickling down my arm and knew my wound had reopened.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard him storm out of the kitchen. I made him a quick dinner, and ran back into my room. I inspected my shoulder. There was a huge bruise on it, and it was, as I had known it would be, bleeding. I longed to go to the bathroom and clean it up, but I knew I would never dare to get out of my room while Kevin was outside.
I sank down on the bed, trembling. Something crinkled. I looked down, and saw Soda's letter. I had almost forgotten it. I picked it up slowly, and made my decision. I wouldn't make my brothers worry.
"Hey Soda," I wrote, making sure that no blood from my shoulder dripped onto the paper. "Everything's fine here. . ."
Pleaze review!!!!!!!
Aaliyah-Charity: teeheehee~ I luv Singapore too!!! Go us!
Kurupt-emotions: glad u think it's sad in the 'poor pony' way, and not that the story sucks!! : )
MissLKid: Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for the ppl I mentioned in my past two disclaimers. . . can't be bothered to write all of them. The only new person I own is Mr. Robertson (yup, I know- extremely unoriginal name!)
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
When I first woke I thought I was still at home. I wondered why my bed felt so hard under me, and where the usual noises, shouts or yells of the gang were.
I only remembered where I was when my eyes opened again and I found myself in the small room, in the house I would have to live in for the next month.
Rolling off the bed, I checked the time. It was exactly six thirty. Dinner. I quickly brushed a hand through my hair and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I shivered at the thought of having to face Kevin Skinner again. He was just so cold and unfriendly. Why did he even volunteer for this foster family stuff?
I didn't have time to ponder on this, because it was dinnertime and I really didn't want to be late- the thought of those piercing gray eyes boring into mine just gave me the shivers. He really reminded me of those bad guys in movies. I frowned again, mentally scolding my imagination.
Dinner was uneventful. Kevin was unsurprisingly silent throughout it. He left as soon as he had finished, leaving me to do the dishes. I shrugged. Normally I resented this chore above all others, but here I was glad of something to occupy my hands with. Humming softly to myself, I started washing the dishes.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
The gang was sprawled in front of the TV, but I doubted anyone was actually watching it. I had been staring blankly at the screen for at least half an hour, and I still didn't know what was going on in the television. I looked around at everyone. They were all lost in their own thoughts.
I had never been separated from my baby brother, and spending a day without him was killing me. I wondered what he was doing now. I hoped he was enjoying himself. Suddenly, I remembered my last words to Pony. I jumped up, making the gang stare at me. I grinned at them.
"Let's write to him!"
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I finished doing the dishes and went back into my room. Feeling lonelier than I had ever felt, I switched off the lights, and jumped under the covers of the bed. It was pitch black, and the whole house was silent. Suddenly, I felt terrified. I buried my head under the covers, wanting the comfort of Soda's arms very much.
I was still too exhausted to stay awake for very long, and I fell into a troubled sleep.
I woke up early the next morning, and went into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Kevin was already sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a mug of steaming coffee. He barely looked up when I walked in.
"Eggs are in the fridge. Cook them yourself."
I nodded, and headed to the fridge.
"And you're supposed to start school today. It starts at seven thirty."
He gave me the address and walked out of the house, obviously expecting me to get to school by myself.
I stood there for a moment, absolutely shocked. Darry would never had told me to get to school by myself, especially if I didn't even know where the school was! I checked the time. It was six thirty. If I ate quickly, I'd have almost an hour to find my way.
I hard-boiled my egg. It was strange not cooking for three. I sighed, quickly eating it. I searched the fridge for any chocolate milk, but the only drink in it was beer. I wrinkled my nose. I'd have to settle with plain water. I didn't even bother checking for chocolate cake.
After breakfast, I started out to look for the school I was supposed to go to. There were a few other people walking around the place. I couldn't classify them as Greasers or Socs. They just looked like average, middle-class people. None of them paid me any attention as I walked by, something for which I was extremely grateful. I tried following road signs, but soon I got totally lost. I looked around for a relatively safe person to ask for directions. I settled on an old man in overalls reading the newspapers on a bench on the side of the road. I walked up to him, a little nervously. I hate having to talk to strangers.
"Can you tell me where Murray High School is?"
He looked up at me. "Huh?" His voice was low and coarse.
I repeated my question, and he looked at me calculatingly. I think he was trying to tell if I was joking or not. Finally, he answered.
"Go down ter the end of the road, turn right. Keep walkin'. Yer can't miss it."
I thanked him, and walked on.
As the man had said, you couldn't miss it. It was a large, old red- brick building with a huge white sign with "Murray High School" engraved in black block letters. There was a yard. A few kids older than I was were hanging out in it. they stopped talking and stared at me as I walked in. I put on the tough, expressionless face Greasers reserved for strangers, and they quickly averted their eyes. I ignored them and walked into the school. I looked around, not really knowing what to do. A woman in her late forties bustled up to me.
"What are you doing inside? No students allowed in the school before exactly seven thirty!"
She tried to shoo me out.
"I'm new here," I said. She stopped, and checked a chart she was holding.
"Your name is. . . Michael Curtis?"
"Ponyboy," I corrected. "Michael's my middle name."
She looked at me suspiciously, like most people do when I first tell them my name, but I guess she decided not to comment.
"Well, if you're new, I'll give you your schedule. You'd better wait in your classroom, or you'll be totally lost."
She led me to an empty classroom, and left. I looked around. There were small windows at the top of the room, opened so slightly that the room felt stuffy and warm, despite the chilly air outside. The wallpaper was yellowing, and peeling off the walls in some places. Trash was littered here and there, with scribbles and pieces of gum stuck on the tables.
I took a seat near the back of the class. Soon, people started filing in. they were all about Soda's age. They all looked at me curiously for a second. Some turned away and ignored me, and some glared at me. I ignored them too.
Finally, a man in oversize spectacles holding a file full of papers walked in. I guessed that he was the teacher.
"Hey, Mr. Robertson!" shouted one of the boys near the back. "We've got a runt in the wrong classroom here!"
Everyone turned around to look at me and I fought not to blush.
"Ah. That's the new student," said Mr. Robertson. He looked at me. "You look a little young to be in this class. are you sure you're in the right room?"
I nodded, and he shrugged. "We're on page 136." He handed me a worn textbook, and everyone flipped theirs to the right page. Well, some people. The others just stared into space, blowing bubbles with their gum.
I skimmed the page we were on. It was on BC Calculus. I shrugged. I had completed that course last year. (A/N: YAY! Smart Pony! LOL.)
The rest of the day passed quickly. The people at Murray High School just ignored me, which was fine with me.
The bell rang at half past three in the afternoon, and school was over. I walked back to the house slowly, dreading to see Kevin again.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I got back to the house. Nobody was home. I checked the mailbox, not really expecting a letter for me. I pulled out three white envelopes, scanning through them. Two were addressed to Kevin Skinner. They were both bills. The third one, however, was addressed to me. I grinned happily. Darry and Soda had remembered me!
I ran back int omy room, leaning back on my bed and opening the letter. I immedieatly recognized Soda's handwriting.
"Hey Pony," it read. "How's Murray? Bet it's great to be in the country again, huh? We're missin ya like crazy back here in Tulsa. How's the Kevin Skinner guy? Hope you get allong well together. Well, can't wait to s ee you again.
Sodapop Curtis.
Ps. Darry and the gang say hey too!"
I grinned again, cheered by the little reminder of home. I took out the picture of our family, examining each of our faces. Darry and dad had an arm around each other, and they both had huge identical grins on their faces. Darry's forehead didn't have the worry lines that had appeared after the car crash. Mom had an arm over Soda and I, and we all looked carefree and happy. I smiled sadly, closing my eyes, remembering the days with mom and dad.
I don't know how long I sat there, but when I opened my eyes again the sky was a dark inky blue. I jumped up. It was almost six, and I hadn't started any of my homework yet.
I spread all of my work on the small table in my room and got to work.
I jumped when I was distracted from my work by a loud crash. Somebody had slammed the front door hard. Just as I was wondering who it was, I recognized Kevin's voice.
"Kid! Get over here!" he sounded angry. Wondering what I had done wrong, I walked into the living room. Kevin was standing in the kitchen, and as I entered, I could feel anger radiating from him like heat waves.
"Do you have any idea what the time is?" his voice was dangerously soft.
"What's the fucking time, kid?" he shouted. I found my tongue.
"I don't know."
"It's eight p.m. I told you specifically to have my dinner on the table by six thirty!"
He took a step toward me and I instinctively stepped backwards.
"WELL?"
I swallowed. "I forgot. I'm sorry."
"You forgot? You fucking forgot?"
I started shaking. Kevin pushed me roughly backwards. I lost my balance, not expecting it, and fell heavily against the fridge on my injured shoulder. I fought back a painful yelp.
"You just going to stand there, or are you gonna make my fucking dinner?" Kevin shouted. I stood up shakily and walked over to the counter, trying to get as far away from him as possible while seeming to follow his orders. I could feel warm blood trickling down my arm and knew my wound had reopened.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard him storm out of the kitchen. I made him a quick dinner, and ran back into my room. I inspected my shoulder. There was a huge bruise on it, and it was, as I had known it would be, bleeding. I longed to go to the bathroom and clean it up, but I knew I would never dare to get out of my room while Kevin was outside.
I sank down on the bed, trembling. Something crinkled. I looked down, and saw Soda's letter. I had almost forgotten it. I picked it up slowly, and made my decision. I wouldn't make my brothers worry.
"Hey Soda," I wrote, making sure that no blood from my shoulder dripped onto the paper. "Everything's fine here. . ."
Pleaze review!!!!!!!