Soda's POV
It had been a week since Ponyboy had run off after Darry had hit him. A whole week. Only Dally knew where he was and he kept his trap shut good. There was no way he would tell where Pony and Johnny were. Not since it could get them in trouble since Johnny killed that soc.
I had cried every night. Not only had Pony disappeared, but Sandy, my girlfriend moved to Florida. I had wanted to marry her, but she didn't feel the same way. The week hadn't been easy for me.
Of course, Darry was taking it really hard. He didn't mean to hit Ponyboy. And every little sound caused him to jump up out of his chair in hopes that it was Pony returning home.
"Are you hungry Soda?" Darry asked me.
I shook my head. "No, not really."
"Me neither." Darry said.
All we did was wait and wonder where Pony was. Neither of us ate or slept much. Wewere too worried about our brother. Hoping that he would return home and things would all be okay.
I sighed and started to lay down on the couch to take a nap, but someone knocked on the door, and I sat back up hoping that it was Ponyboy.
Darry's POV
I answered the door, praying that to see Ponyboy on the other side. I wanted to hug him and tell him how sorry I was for hitting him. But, Ponyboy wasn't there. Instead, it was a cop, looking very grim.
"Are you Darrel Curtis Jr. ?" He asked
"Yes, sir." I replied.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, showing me a picture inside of it. "Is this your brother?"
It was Pony's picture. And it was his wallet. I knew because Soda and I each had wallets just like it. They had been a gift from our father for Christmas. And the picture was Pony's school picture. I remembered how we had argued on whether or not he could grease his hair that day. For some reason, I wished that I could relive that moment.
"Yes, that's my brother. Why, is everything alright?" I asked as I felt my heart beating faster.
The cop shook his head. "There was a fire in a church up in Windrixville. Your brother and another young man ran in and got some kids out of the building. The kids are all scared, but safe."
"And my brother and friends?" I interrupted getting a lump in my throat. Somehow, I knew what was coming.
The cop placed a hand on my shoulder. "A third young man went in after your brother and the other one. But, the roof collapsed before any of them could get out. By the time the fire department got to them, it was too late. I'm sorry."
"No." I whispered.
"We need you to come to the hospital to identify the body." The cop said carefully.
I nodded and turned towards Soda who was sitting on the couch looking like someone had slapped him. He looked at me with tear filled eyes, then got up and ran to the room he and Pony shared, slamming the door behind him.
"I guess I should follow you, huh?" I asked looking back at the cop.
The cop nodded somberly and we left for the hospital. The entire way there, as I drove my truck, I hoped that it wasn't Ponyboy. That it was really someone else and not my brother.
Soda's POV
I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I didn't want to believe what I had just heard. After all, didn't Dally say that Pony and Johnny took off for Texas? There had to be some sort of mistake.
Standing in the room I shared with Pony, I looked at his stuff. Everything was exactly where he had left it. Then, I sat down at his desk and looked outside. The sun was setting, causing the sky to become orange, violet and pink. Pony always loved watching sunsets.
As I watched this sunset, I started to sob, "Please, don't be Ponyboy! Let it be anyone but Ponyboy! He's too young to die!"