Ponyboy sat down at the table between Sodapop and Bexley. He was picking at his eggs rather than eating them. He was feeling a bit nauseous but not enough to where he'd vomit. His head was resting in his hand, his eyes staring blankly at the eggs in front of him.
Darry noticed this and he looked at his kid brother. "What's the matter, Pone? Not hungry?" he asked. Just as Ponyboy was about to answer, he let out a moan of pain. Darry's grin dropped by the sound.
"You okay?" he asked. Ponyboy exchanged glances with Sodapop and Bexley. Bexley was unsure, but she didn't utter a word and took another bite of her bacon. Soda shrugged and focused on his food. Neither would snitch on Ponyboy.
"I'm alright, Dar. Just a bit of a headache is all. I already took some aspirin." Ponyboy said. Darry stared at Pony for a moment, before sighing. "Alright. But if you feel worse throughout the day, you call me. I mean it." Darry said, finishing his plate before putting it in the sink. He then turns towards Bexley, giving her a serious look.
"Bexley, the minute you notice anything off, you call me too." Darry firmly tells her. Bexley looked at her twin brother for a moment before nodding. Bexley would keep an eye out for him even if he didn't want that. Ponyboy didn't like to be babied by his siblings, but it was different when he was sick. And he remembered how worried they were the last time he was sick.
Before anyone could speak, the sound of the screen door being slammed shut accompanied by Two-Bit's obnoxiously loud voice. Those sounds made Ponyboy's head hurt even more. "Don't worry! Two-Bit is here!" Two-Bit announced at the top of his lungs with Steve behind him.
Bexley groaned at the loud sound of the screen door slamming. "Man, Two-Bit, you keep doing that, we're gonna be deaf before we get any older." Soda commented, getting up from the table to take his empty plate to the sink. Bexley got after him and left her plate in the sink.
Two-Bit laughed loudly at Soda's response to the slamming door. "Yeah, I don't want to get a headache before going to school," Bexley grumbled, going to the bedroom to get her denim jacket and backpack. "Well, morning to you guys too," Two-Bit said, raising his voice for Bexley to hear and patting Soda on the shoulder hard.
"Hurry it up, Bexley! You and Pony got to get to school." Darry called, getting his working boots on his feet. Bexley came out of the bedroom, backpack draped over her right shoulder. "You need help with the dishes, Soda?" Bexley asked, seeing him at the sink.
"Nah, I got it." Sodapop said, "Now you guys get to school." Ponyboy got up from the table and threw what's left of his food into the garbage can before putting his plate in the sink. He only ate a quarter of his plate.
Afterward, he grabbed his backpack and started following Bexley out of the front door. He tried suppressing a few coughs, his throat throbbing. "Pony, you gonna be alright?" Soda asked in concern, keeping his voice low.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Ponyboy wheezed, trying to keep himself from coughing. "Okay, as Darry said, you call him or me if you're feeling worse. Bex, you do the same if you see anything off." Soda said to us. "We will." Pony answered. Bexley threw an arm over Pony's shoulders. "Don't worry, Soda. I'll keep my eyes on him," she says assuringly. Bex would be their pair of eyes along with Two-Bit; they didn't have to ask him.
"Alright, kids! Enough with the chit-chat. Daylight's a-wastin'!" Two-Bit said, his voice a bit too loud for Ponyboy. Bexley noticed the uncomfortable look on her brother's face and stepped forward. "You might wanna lower your voice a bit," Bexley grumbled. She saw that the sound was hurting his head and she didn't want Two-Bit to make it worse for Ponyboy.
Ponyboy grabbed his backpack that was sitting on the couch, slung it over his left shoulder and he followed his sister and two friends. He was still dizzy and it was hard to fight against it. Even the weather matched how he was feeling. The sky was cloudy and gloomy.
"You guys think it's gonna rain today?" Bexley asked, glancing up at the sky. "Maybe. It does look like it. Hopefully, it'll cool down this desert of a town!" Two-Bit jokes. Tulsa had been going through a heatwave for the last few days, making it unbearable for the citizens.