Wish you were here...

I'm not sure if the comma use of the story is always right.
I've got quite a few problems with it...
And I guess with the grammar, as well. Let alone the language.
So, if you find any mistakes, please let me know :)
I'm sorry for my probably bad english, it isn't my native language...

This story is set after the events in the book.
That's my first story I've written in POV's

The whole story's in Pony's POV (2 exceptions)
Sorry, if they're perhaps OOC

I don't own 'The Outsiders', they belong to S. E. Hinton; everyone else you don't recognize
belongs to me :)

Johnny and Dally lost their lives nearly one year ago.
The gang mourned for their both good friends, but it had hit Ponyboy the most since his best buddy Johnny died.
So most of the time Pony wandered alone through the neighborhood or sometimes he did something with Curly Shepard, who was discharged again from the reformatory in the meantime - much to Darry's annoyance.
But Darry knew that Pony only searched for a (new) grip in his life, that's why he tolerated it although he would have wanted by far a safer company for Pony.

1. Your happiness means a lot to me…

Soda's POV

It was already a quite cool evening in the late summer on a Friday.
I had finished my shift at the gas station half an hour ago and was now sitting in front of the TV and switched through the channels.
There wasn't nothing interesting on though.
I was bored but it was just half past 6, so I still had to wait a bit until Steve would drop in and we're gonna go out.

Suddenly I heard as a door slammed.
That ain't a rare sound in this house, also even not after... the accident.
I turned around and saw Ponyboy.

"Hey Pony! Where ya wanna go to?" I asked my younger brother, who was coming from our common bedroom with a brown leather jacket.

Dally's jacket..., came to my mind when I looked at my brother interrogatively.

"I don't know exactly yet. Maybe I'm gonna go to the movies. I shall see..." Ponyboy answered with a shrug.

I nodded.

I don't like it very much when my brother's away all by himself.
It can happen so much to him.
The Socs ain't become reasonable since the events by any means.
They still like to jump us greasers like in former times.
And they're especially after such apparently weak greaser like Pony.

In former times Johnny was very often with him at least, but Johnny ain't here any longer.
And since that time Pony often hangs around with Curly; a not very harmless company.
Darry doesn't like that at all and tries to talk Pony out of the friendship with Curly.
But there he didn't expect Pony's stubbornness!

The two get along with each other a bit better though - what they maybe do for my sake, I don't know - but they still clash quite often.
One of the problematical topics is and remains Pony's grades - which ain't bad of course - but Darry only wishes that Ponyboy's gonna be something.
Pony's supposed to come out of that neighborhood one day and that's why Darry's behind like that that Pony studies good and that his tests always turn out well. Pony's supposed to have it better some day than we – than Darry.

And Darry wanna that Pony stays out of trouble.
But exactly there's the problem, because with Curly Pony can get into great trouble, which maybe could be even worse than the one he and Johnny got into, and which cost Johnny's life in the end. Damn it, also Dally's life...

That's why I meant to Pony, "Ya really wanna go alone? Shall I perhaps come along with ya?"

Pony smiled.
It was one of the warm smiles that became rare more and more in the meantime.
I miss that sort of smile.
They suit my brother so well and they make him to a really sweet person.
But since Dally's and Johnny's death they became rare more and more.
There was a time, where he didn't smile at all.

There his face was only a mask that he put on; a mask of defiance, bitterness, rage and hate. There he had a frightened resemblance to Dally, which face had reflected so much hate.
But that mask served also as protection.
It was a protection that should protect from the hidden grief, guilt, pain, fear and despair.
No one should get what was about Pony; how he really was feeling.

But when he finished his essay he gave it to us, so that we should read it.
And there we realized that he only pretended he was fine; that he actually nearly broke at the loss of his best buddy. And from that moment on he knew that we understood him or at least tried to understand him.
We helped him to cope with the grief and also our grief seemed to go down at the same time.
We need each other and we also wanna stick together.
We're brothers and very good friends after all.

Pony replied, "Nah, Soda, ya don't need to. I know that ya wanna go out with Steve and you're probably gonna meet there a few nice girls. There ya don't need me with that. But it was nice of ya, thanks…"

As I said, Ponyboy's stubborn...

"Ya know I would like to do it when..."
And promptly I was interrupted by Pony, "Never mind, Soda. Steve definitely would mind when ya go with me to the movies and he has to come along, too. He can't stand me!"

Why does he actually always think that Steve couldn't stand him, yeah, even something like hating him?
I just don't get that.
Ok, Steve behaves himself a bit reserved towards Pony, but do you already have to talk about hate there?
Steve's just like that.
He doesn't show his feelings.
That's just the way he is.
He's a greaser through and through and a greaser simply doesn't show his feelings.
There he's so completely different from Ponyboy.

"Aw, Pony, this ain't right at all. Steve likes ya; you're my brother." I tried to make that understandable to Ponyboy.

Pony snorted contemptuously and meant, "Yeah, of course, and that's why he regards me as a tag-along! But there he only accepts me, 'cause I'm ya brother. Only for that reason! He doesn't like me..."
And Pony gave me a meaningful glance.

"Pony, I..."

"No, Soda, it's all right! Go out with Steve and have fun. I'm gonna go alone. I don't wanna spoil ya fun. And if I'm goin' alone I have time to think at least."

But ya already think alone far too much and that worries me, I thought, but I didn't say it.
I suggested instead, "Shall I perhaps ask Two-Bit if he wanna go with ya? Ya know he likes ya."

I simply wouldn't that he goes somewhere by himself.
He shouldn't get into trouble again.
And as I know that Two-Bit really likes Pony and also worries about him and cares for him, I thought that he probably would have came along with him for that reason.
He also wanna prevent that something happens to Pony or we're gonna lose another member of our gang.

"Soda! Yeah, I know he likes me and I like him, too, but please... don't worry so much 'bout me, I'm doin' ok. I'm used to it in the meantime to go out alone..." Pony replied and for a short moment that hurt and mourned expression turned up on his face again, but it disappeared short time later again.

Yeah, and we all know very well how this ended at the last time when ya were out alone: ya were jumped by the Socs. Great! Ya perhaps wanna risk that again?
Why don't ya understand that I worry about ya? I don't wanna lose ya, too...

I sighed.
How should I make it clear to Pony that it would be better to have someone with himself?
Someone, who is a better company than Shepard.

But before I could say something Pony cut me short, "I'm gonna go now. Goodbye, Soda. See ya later."

And Pony already turned towards the front door and walked outside.

"Pony..."

I was left behind.