Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. I'm here for fun, not profit.

Dedication: This one is for Jack and Will, who managed to entertain themselves for a lot longer than I expected without tearing the house apart so I could finish writing this chapter. Thanks guys, I'll show you this when you can read!


Chapter 6 Off the Beaten Path

Soda's POV

"Hey Dar, I'm heading back over to the garage to finish up something. Tell Pony I'll come over tomorrow. Oh, and to call if he needs something. Oh, and tell Liss I said hi. And I hope she feels better. And congratulations."

Darry nodded through my string of comments as he zipped up his pants and pulled his shirt over his head. "Do you want to write it all down in a book and have it published, or should I just remember it all?" He flashed me a half grin which I returned full force.

"You think anyone would pay to read somethin' like that?" I asked innocently.

Darry brushed past me, answering with a slap to my gut. "Didn't hurt!" I hollered, doubled over.

Pony was taking a shower. It was getting close to noon; Darry was taking him and Vic over to the hospital as soon as they were ready. Pony had been all set to pick up Liss first thing, but Darry convinced him to call the hospital first, and it turned out her doctor wouldn't be in to sign her release until early afternoon.

"Do you always wear greasy shirts?"

I turned around to see Vic leaning against the doorway of the dining room, where I was shuffling around for my keys. "Were you always so happy and friendly," I asked, grinning at him and raising my eyebrows, "or were you born evil, and being around me set you on the path to Heaven?"

Vic looked down at the floor, biting his lip, and I could see he was trying to blow me off. He didn't want me to notice that he didn't think I was so bad. I walked around the table to stand in front of him. "I'm replacing a fuel pump today." Vic tensed up, waiting for the inevitable question. I went on, though, "I'd let you help, but I think it's a little…how do they say…beyond your capacity."

Vic looked up at me quickly, surprised, and maybe a little hurt, before he realized that I was messing with him and reverted back to his neutral/slightly angry defensive front. I wished we could get through that. I know it's happening slowly, but standing there in front of me now, he looked so alone I wanted to put my arm around him. That would have been a big mistake, though – it would have been seen more as an invasion than a gesture of understanding. I couldn't imagine not having anyone, and being that lonely.

I tapped the bottom of my fist on the top of Vic's head as I walked by. Apparently that was acceptable, because he didn't react. "Later, chief." Vic nodded as I walked backwards across the living room a few steps, then turned and swung the door open.

It was a clear day, a real contrast to the day before, and I was feeling good knowing that Melissa was okay, insurance would cover their losses, and I was going to be an uncle. It wasn't until I thought of Melanie from the night before, and of the fact that I would be seeing her later today, that I sobered up a little. It bothered me that she was still getting to me.

(Later that day)

I had spent so much time in the garage the night before, there wasn't much left to do after I replaced that fuel pump. I was tempted to throw in a free oil change, just because I was bored and guessed that the car probably needed it, but something made me decide not to. I'm not usually spiteful, especially with girls, but her comment kept ringing through my head, and the more it did, the more irritated it made me.

I was getting even more annoyed that it was ten minutes after five and she still hadn't shown up to get her damn car. What did she think I was, one of her paid help? I was a little startled again at how much she had got to me.

It was quarter after five by the time I saw a dark blue Mercedes pull into the front parking lot. I sat up on the trunk of the BMW, feet on the bumper; Melanie walked in a couple minutes later with another rich-looking chick. I hoped they could see how bored I was, them wasting my precious time like it was as worthless as a damn bucket with a hole.

The chick who had brought Melanie looked me over with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk. I've seen the look before. I get two types of looks from rich girls – one, like they want me, as long as nobody ever sees us together; and two, like they want to take me home and show their parents how low they're willing to go to rebel against mommy and daddy's dreams.

The second ones always end up with a rich boy eventually, someone who can buy them what they want and keep them in the social graces of their clan. The first ones always end up with a rich boy, too, but they're fun while they're around if you've got the right attitude. The one standing in front of me looked like she would make for a pretty good time, too. I grinned at her.

Melanie looked embarrassed. "Sorry we're late," she apologized, not offering an explanation.

I hopped down off the car and tossed her the dirty rag I'd been holding. Without thinking, she caught it.

"I'll get the papers, be back in a sec," I said. I didn't bother being polite about her being late.

I ducked into the office and started writing out the diagnosis, parts cost, labor cost, etc. I could have done this before they'd come, but hell, if they were going to be late, they were going to wait, too.

After a minute I noticed that they had wandered over to my side of the garage and were apparently looking at Pony's car. I guess they didn't realize the door was ajar, and I could hear everything they were saying.

"Wow, I hope nobody was hurt in this," Melanie said. "It looks awful."

"Well, look what kind of car it is," her friend answered. "It was probably just some drunken street trash who couldn't drive straight."

Her evaluation went right through me; I felt my heart pound faster, my jaw clenched, my breathing got louder. If she had been a guy I would have walked right out there and knocked her out.

"Not everybody has pockets full of money to spend on an expensive car," Melanie pointed out.

"So Melanie, you didn't tell me what a hunk this car guy is," the friend said, ignoring the pockets full of money comment. "Are you going to ask him out?"

Melanie gave a weak laugh. "Are you kidding? Did you see him? A guy like him would never be interested in someone like me."

I was kind of stunned by the way she said that. It sounded a little backwards, compared to the night before.

"…are a bit plain," the friend was saying. "Maybe you should put on some makeup. You could probably drop a few pounds, too…"

Now that just made me mad. What is wrong with these girls? I thought Melanie was fine exactly how she was.

"I know," Melanie sighed. "It wouldn't matter, though. He still wouldn't notice me. They never do."

She was talking like it was a fact of life, something she had always known and thought would never change. This girl hadn't been appalled about the thought of going out with me, I realized – she had been shocked that I would find her appealing enough to ask out.

Coming to a decision, I stood up and walked over to the doorway, pulling it fully open. "Melanie, could you come in here for a minute?" I asked. She came over without question, probably thinking I had something for her to sign. I led her into the office and closed the door.

I was tired of all the games. There was one girl I had really cared about, and after she'd hurt me, it was all games. For a long time.

Now, today, without warning, I was tired of saying one thing and meaning something else, of hiding behind someone that I wasn't, of saying whatever I needed to say to get myself back in good with a chick. I don't know why it all hit me just then, but looking down at Melanie, standing a few inches shorter than me, it was like I was standing at a crossroads and the path I needed to take was suddenly marked differently, but better, than the one I'd been following. I was ready to be honest again. I wasn't ready to get hurt again, but I guess I was ready to feel again, so I took my chances and hoped for the best.

"Melanie?" She looked up at me, confused and maybe a little scared since I had closed us into a room together and wasn't exactly getting down to the business of the car. It bothered me that she seemed like a nice girl, and I had let her think that she was a waste of time. The way she had been talking, I wondered how many other idiots had brushed her off.

"I wasn't kidding when I asked about dinner last night," I admitted.

She looked surprised, then suspicious. She thought I was stringing her along, making fun of her.

"I thought you blew me off," I continued, "so I played it off like I hadn't really meant it. But I did. I'd like to take you out sometime, if you're interested."

Melanie took a breath and tried not to smile. I wished she would just go ahead and let herself smile.

"Really? You want me to go out with you?" I smiled at that, and she did too when she realized that was what had started the whole mess.

"Yeah, I do."

Melanie nodded her head. "Okay. I'd really like to go out with you sometime…Soda." She looked at me questioningly.

"I could show you my birth certificate," I suggested.

She shook her head, finally smiling. "No, I believe you. I'm not sure why, but I believe you."

(A little over two weeks later)

Vic's POV

I sat outside the bathroom door waiting for the shower. Melissa was curled over the toilet, dry-heaving. I felt bad for her. Why would anyone want to go through something like that just to have a screaming little kid? It was starting to make me feel like puking, so I got up and went to the kitchen.

Pony had the counter spread with bread, peanut butter jar, jelly, plastic wrap, apples, and all the rest of the makings of a brown bagged lunch. He had started making all of our lunches after the accident, and the way Melissa was feeling I guessed it wouldn't change any time soon. I sure as hell didn't want Melissa fixing my food anyway, with the way she would just start gagging and hacking out of nowhere in the middle of whatever she was doing.

Pony barely glanced back when I walked in the room. He was showered and mostly dressed, with his shirt tails hanging out and his shirt half buttoned over his white t-shirt. He hadn't smoked a cigarette since Melissa's accident, and was finally acting normal again.

"Hey, Vic. Did you want ham and cheese, or peanut butter?"

"Ham and cheese." I didn't tell him that it didn't make any difference, I wasn't going to eat it anyway. I always keep aside a little money from what he gives me for going out, so I don't have to look like a nerd walking into school with my lunch in a paper bag. Some of the guys and I go out to a corner store and pick up lunch. At least I don't throw away the lunches he gives me – there's a chick in my class who everyone makes fun of, real poor and wears nasty clothes, and she always looks hungry. I told her I'd give her the lunch Pony gives me, as long as no one sees us together and she doesn't talk to me in the halls. She likes ham and cheese better than peanut butter.

"Anything going on at school today?" Pony asked me. He's always trying to get conversations going. I don't see the point, I'll be out of the house before July anyway. That's when the baby is due – July twenty-fifth.

"No," I answered. The less said, the better. I wished I could talk to him, because there were some things I wanted to ask, but then I might start feeling like I had at the police station and the week-and-a-half after that. It was like being on a roller coaster, and I just wanted to grow up and get off. Or at least have the same person controlling the ride the whole time. Even better would be to have someone sit next to me until the ride was through. I glanced up at Pony. I wonder what it's like to have a brother?

Pony's POV

"Do you want an apple or a banana?" I asked Vic. It felt so stupid, trying to start conversations like that.

"Apple."

It had been like this for a couple of weeks now – Vic giving one-word answers, not following through with conversations, nipping them in the bud even. The strange thing was that most of the time these days he didn't have that defiant air to him. He was polite and helpful, and would do whatever I asked him to do. But that was it. It was like living with a nice robot, and it was driving me crazy. I don't know, maybe that was the point.

"How was your history test yesterday?" I tried again.

"Easy."

I slapped his sandwich together and ripped off a piece of plastic wrap.

"Was Melissa still in the bathroom?"

"Yes."

Just then Melissa stumbled into the kitchen, looking pale and tired. "Why don't I feel better after all that?" she asked rhetorically.

I don't know why they call it morning sickness. Liss felt sick all day long. How she managed to keep a class of second graders under control in the state she was in was beyond me.

"You can have the shower," she told Vic. He got up and left the kitchen without a word.

"What kind of crackers do you want?" It was almost all she could stomach, other than hot rice mixed with tuna and cheese. It made me want to barf, but it was almost all she ate for dinner these days.

"Just give me some of each," she answered. "And some pretzels, if there's any left." Suddenly Melissa made a sound like a cat choking up a hairball; hand over her mouth, she shot out of the kitchen toward the bedroom, where we keep a bucket by the side of the bed.

Thank God I'll never have to go through that. I'll tell you, based on me and the rest of the guys I know, there wouldn't be any problems with overpopulation if men were the ones who had to be pregnant.

I sat out in my car for several minutes flipping through the file before going up to knock on the door. I had just seen this girl a few months ago, and it made me sick to be checking on her again under these circumstances.

Her name is Linleigh. She had been taken away from her mother several months ago because her mother is a drug addict. At the time, she had been sent to live with her aunt and her aunt's boyfriend. That was when I had first been assigned to her.

Things had seemed normal on the surface, but something wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on it. Instinct, I guess. As it turned out, the boyfriend was slapping Linleigh around. I had pulled her out of the house, but a few months later a judge had decided she needed to be with family, as long as the boyfriend didn't come within two miles of the house. As far as I was concerned, in this case, the child needed to be with her family like she needed a hole in the head. They were all a bunch of self-involved trashy druggies who couldn't see that Linleigh was the brightest spot in their universe.

At ten years old, she was a quiet, friendly, sensitive girl who was way smaller than she should have been and who didn't have a rebellious bone in her body. Of all the kids I had seen over the year, Linleigh was the first who brought Johnny's memory back to me with vivid clarity. Instead of retreating inside of herself and putting up a rebellious, angry front, she was becoming lost and forgotten, slowly dissolving away to nothing because of the cruel acts of the people who should have loved her best. As unprofessional as I knew it was, I hated them for it.

I climbed out of the car, opened the front gate, and made my way up the creaking steps to the porch. Linleigh's aunt answered the door and pleasantly invited me in. From what I could see, the house seemed to be neat and in order.

"Hi, Linleigh," I greeted the child on the couch. She smiled.

"Hi, Pony." I've found that telling the kids my first name instead of making them call me Mr. Curtis makes me seem less threatening. Linleigh seemed to both like and trust me, though it was listed in her file that she was generally afraid of men. Made me wonder that the state had put me on her case, but as it turned out things were working fine. Dumb luck on their part.

I did the usual check through the house, the food supply, etc. It was almost disappointing that there was nothing to pick at. My desire to get that girl out of this house was so strong I could feel it in my bones.

It came time for my private talk with Linleigh. Her aunt led us to one of the bedrooms. She gave Lin a fake motherly smile. "You be good now," she said, then grinned at me through clenched teeth. She hated me as much as I hated her, and she knew I wanted to get Linleigh away from her.

I closed the door and turned to the girl. "Sit down, Lin," I invited, indicating the bed. She did as she was told. I got the chair from the desk in the corner and pulled it over, placing it backwards and straddling it to rest my arms on the chair back.

Linleigh sat nervously in front of me, clasping and unclasping her hands together. Her light brown hair hung limp and dull just below her shoulders, and she had the gaunt and tired look of someone who is years older than their body.

"How's it going?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Everything is going good. I like living here."

Her voice was oddly loud. She glanced behind me. The door was closed.

"Your aunt can't hear you, Lin. It's okay. Are you doing well in school?"

She thought for a moment before starting. "My teachers are nice and I do my homework every night before I go to sleep with Aunt Lisa's help." Now there was a rehearsed answer if I ever heard one.

"Are you eating well?" I continued, asking the standard questions.

Lin thought again for a second. "I eat breakfast in the morning, and lunch at school, and dinner every night. And milk," she added quickly, glancing nervously behind me again. "I get milk to drink. Always."

There was clearly something going on here. I jumped off the beaten path, eager to find something that would help me get her out of here.

"How often does he come over here?" I asked in the same tone as my previous questions. Lin's eyes got big, and she glanced past me again.

"Um…he…sometimes," she answered. This wasn't a question she had expected.

"Was he here recently?" I persisted.

Linleigh was looking a bit panicky, but I knew that her aunt couldn't hear us. This was an old house with good solid wood doors.

"He was here last night," she finally stammered, unable to ignore the question and afraid to lie to me.

"Did he hurt you?"

Lin looked down at the floor. "He gets mad at me," she whispered. I could see she was getting upset, so I dropped it. That was all I really needed, anyway.

"Okay, Lin, that's enough for now. You did a good job." I reached over and patted her on the shoulder. She looked up at me and gave a small smile. She had performed well, and hadn't made me angry. In her world, that alone raised her up a notch in her own eyes. I wanted to destroy the people who had made her like this.

Linleigh followed me back downstairs, where Lisa was sitting on the couch watching a late-afternoon soap opera.

I nodded to her. "I'll see you next month," I lied. I planned to get back to the office, fill out the paperwork for a full investigation, and get this girl out of this house by Wednesday morning.

Lisa smiled bitterly. "I can't wait."

On my way back to the office I started running through the week ahead in my mind. I was glad to be getting Lin back into the group home, as strange as that sounded. I relaxed on that front, and drifted off onto other things.

Thanksgiving was coming up on Thursday. Melissa and I had originally planned to have dinner at our house, since it was our first Thanksgiving together, but had changed the plan after Liss's accident, especially with her feeling so sick. Her parents had decided to go visit out-of-town relatives, and we were going to Darry's. He and Jenn were going to make the main dinner, while I brought over one side dish and Soda and Melanie supplied the cranberry sauce.

Melanie seemed like a really nice girl. She was friendly, and she and Soda seemed so different that they got along like…well, like he and I do. As far as I could think back, she was the first girl he seemed to really like since he was sixteen and Sandy…

I almost slammed on the brakes. You know how you're thinking about one thing, or sleeping even, and some other part of your brain that you aren't even aware of is off doing its own thing and suddenly draws a conclusion that forces its way right to the front of your brain with such abruptness that you either stop what you're doing, or sit up wide awake in bed, slapping your forehead?

It had just happened to me. I cursed quietly, then loudly, scanning frantically for a place to turn around. It's a wonder I didn't cause an accident. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! How could I have been so stupid! Darry always said I didn't use my head. I'd sure proven him right today, and at someone else's expense.

Somehow I managed to grasp enough free mental capacity to pick up my radio and call the police station. I needed Officer Franks. I needed backup.

Linleigh hadn't been looking at the bedroom door behind me. She had been looking at the closet door, right next to it - the one that had been slightly ajar.

I stepped on the gas, almost hoping a cop would spot me and follow as I uttered prayer after prayer that I wasn't too late.

God, Linleigh, I'm so sorry. Please don't let me be too late.


Yes, I'm being evil again. You know you love the suspense! To my reviewers:

goldengreaser: Yeah, I thought Pony would make a good dad, too. Hope you enjoyed chapter 6!

Skateboard101: Thanks for the compliment! Yes, Vic is coming back – a little in this chapter, more so in the next. I've actually got almost an entire chapter (one of my favorite ones) written that revolves around him. Keep an eye out!

Ale Curtis-Carter: Thanks, glad you're enjoying!

Tessie26: I've got a little hint of what's going on with Vic's reaction to the baby in this chapter, it comes out more a couple of chapters down the line. Hope you like what I did with Melanie, your idea was really good too. I'll also put in some more Pony/Darry conversations. So much I want to include, I wish I could get it all in at once! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for the suggestions, they always help. You never know, you might end up seeing one of them pop up in the story somewhere down the line!

FoxFyre33: Thanks, I'm glad you liked chapter 5. Don't worry, I never get tired of hearing what people think about my story! Glad you liked the bit about Melanie, hope it panned out well for you in this one. I'm trying to keep her as real as possible, none of that perfect-girl cheesy stuff. Hope it came through alright. A Darry POV is actually coming in soon, in the chapter after the next one. Hope you can wait, I just have to wrap up a few things before I can move on to that! (Darry is one of my favorites, too; I think you'll like his girl, for the irony if nothing else).

lil librada: Glad you liked chapter 5, and that you're enjoying the story overall; that's always good to hear, it keeps me motivated. Thanks!

Tensleep: Yeah, there's probably not too many profiles on the site that are quite like Jhon's, plus the fact that he's not actually the author of the story is amusing in itself. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, glad you liked chapter 5. Soda is a fun guy to write, but difficult at the same time, for me anyway. Vic is a funny kid, I'm looking forward to writing him in more and more as he warms up to everyone. As you could probably see from this chapter, things are going a little backwards on that front again! More to come on that…And the birth control thing, I always used to have to use "other methods" when I was on antibiotics, otherwise the idea in the story would never have occurred to me. Glad I made your day. This is getting long. One last thing – thanks for the compliments, I made sure to point out to Rich that I rock! (I don't get that too often, it was exciting!).

Keira: So glad you're enjoying this story, I love writing it. Hope Soda's new "friend" is meeting up to standards – I'm trying to portray her as your average…well,… "average" girl, even though she comes from a wealthy background. Vic is coming up more soon, I think you'll like the chapter I have that is almost entirely devoted to him. It's mostly written, but doesn't fit in quite yet. Sometimes I think this story is writing itself. I don't mind rambling reviews, so go ahead and babble on!

kaz456: Thanks, I like keeping everyone on their toes! I actually think ahead at least two or three chapters, plus a bit more that's skipped ahead farther than that. The chapters usually end up being longer than I'd originally anticipated, as certain details start coming to me while I'm typing up the main ideas. Then, some of those ideas unexpectedly generate more ideas…it goes on and on (and hopefully doesn't fizzle out!). Glad you enjoyed!