"Hey Pony, it's a nice night out. Do you want to come down to the lot with Soda and me and throw the football around for a while?" I looked up from my homework and saw Darry leaning in the doorway.
"What about my homework?" I asked.
"How much do you have left?" He asked in return.
I looked. "Just math and what I have left here." I motioned toward the book I had the desk.
"You can finish when we get back." Darry told me and I nearly fell off my chair. "Come on, when was the last time we all did something together, just the three of us?"
I grinned. "Okay, I could use a break, anyway. I just read the same paragraph five times in a row and still have no idea what I just read."
"Well, let's go." Darry said. He left the room and I followed. Soda was already outside, tossing the football in the air and catching it.
We walked down to the vacant lot. It was a peaceful night and the weather was perfect. Not too hot or cold. And the breeze was just right. I also noticed that the sky was clear and I could see the stars.
"Remember when dad used to take us here when we were little?" Soda asked suddenly.
Darry and I both nodded. We had reached the lot, and Soda was still playing catch with himself.
"Yeah, we remember, little buddy." Darry said. "Toss the ball to one of us."
"Okay," Soda sighed. "Go long, Darry."
Darry ran, and caught the ball after Soda threw it. Then, he threw it at me. We continued to toss the ball to each other and even kicked it for a while before Darry decided to sit down.
"Darry, you're not tired already, are you?" Soda asked.
Darry shook his head. "No, I was just remembering how the two of us used to play 'Monkey in the Middle' with Ponyboy when he was little. And how dad used to scold us for not playing nice."
"Don't remind me." I grumbled. But I grinned at the memory. I think I was around five, and Darry used to hold the ball above his head because he knew I couldn't reach it. I would jump and even try climbing up Darry like he was a tree to try to get that ball from him.
"I played nice." Soda said. "You're the one who held the ball out of reach."
"I guess I can't do that anymore, can I?" Darry asked.
"Nope." I said, sitting down next to him. Soda eventually joined us. "And I remember how mom used to yell at you and Paul for not letting me play with you."
"Yeah, you two used to lock him out of your room and he would scream until mom had to do something about it." Soda recalled.
"Hey, why didn't you go play with Soda then?" Darry asked me.
I shrugged.
"Maybe he wanted to play with the big boys." Soda suggested. "Or, maybe he felt left out. I had Steve and you had Paul, but Pony didn't really have any friends until Johnny started coming over."
"I guess you're right." Darry said. He stood up. "Should we head back? Or do you two want to throw the football around some more?"
"I should finish my homework." I said.
"I told Steve I'd call him when he got home from work." Soda said. "He should be home soon."
"Okay, we'll go home." Darry said. He handed me the football and we all walked home together in silence, even though I was sure we were all still remembering things we used to do with our parents. I know I was.