Soda's POV

I waited in the jail cell for Darry to come get me. Steve said he'd call him for me. I just wish he had explained to him what really happened.

Steve, Two-Bit, and I were all at the movies when some guys came over to us. They looked like the middle-class, neither Soc nor Greaser. They slipped something into my hand and I looked down and saw something that looked like powdered sugar in my hand. I realized it was drugs, and I shook it out of my hand.

"I'm not a druggy!" I screamed at the guy.

"You could've fooled me!" The high guy said.

I punched the guy in the face and before I knew it, a siren was blaring in my ear and some guy came up to me and shoved me into a police car and was placing cuffs around my wrists.

I was scared. I knew they were thinking we were buying drugs off the guy, but I wasn't. I noticed that Steve and Two-Bit weren't being arrested and I wondered why.

I was shoved into the car.

"Call Darry!" I screamed to Steve, though I didn't want to think about Darry's reaction to me being jailed.

"I will." Steve called back.

And that's how I got here.

The door of the jail swung open and Darry came running inside. He was madder than hell. You could tell by the way his eyes were flaring red.

"Officer, I'm here to pick up my brother, Sodapop Curtis." He said to the man behind the desk.

About fifteen minutes later, I was being dragged into the truck.

Darry was gripping the wheel as hard as he could. I felt bad for Pony who was sitting in between us. I knew the tension was probably unbearable.

When we got home, Darry stopped the car in the drive way. I stepped down and reached over for Pony.

"Can you put your arms around me?" I asked timidly.

Pony made a move to do so, but then Darry came around the truck with Pony's wheel chair. He pushed me aside with a hard shove and told me to go inside. I was pushed into the side of the truck. I was hurt because of it, but not so much physically.

Tears filled my eyes, but I didn't let them spill over.

I walked into the house and held the door open for Darry and Pony.

"Go to your room. I'll be in there in a minute." I heard the anger in Darry's voice and the annoyance too.

I nodded, and quickly moved my head so he couldn't see the tears in my eyes.

Darry's POV

Damn it! That kid is going to get Pony and he sent to a boys' home if he keeps doing stupid stuff like this. And drugs? That was the stupidest one yet!

I was about to go down the hall when Pony stopped me.

"Darry...don't yell at him." He said quietly.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Don't yell at him, Darry. He didn't do it. I'm sure of it."

"Well, from what I can tell, he did. And I sure as hell will yell over something like drugs." I barked. But when I saw the pain in Pony's eyes, I calmed myself.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. You didn't do anything."

Pony nodded, and then wheeled himself into the kitchen.

I went into Soda and Pony's room to talk (or yell) at Soda.

"What were you thinking?" I barked as I went into their room. Soda sat up on the bed, his eyes red and watery.

"Darry...I can explain." He started.

"Well I'm glad someone can! What were you thinking? Do you want to be put in a boys' home? Do you want to be taken away?" I demanded to know.

"No! It's not like that! It was an accident. This guy came up to me and slipped me some drugs and..." He didn't get to finish.

"Exactly! Whatwere you thinking taking drugs? I thought I had taught you better than that. I thought Mom and Dad had taught you better than that!"

"They did! I didn't take them, Darry! I swear!"

"Well, that's not what the cops think, now is it?"

"Listen to me, Darry! I didn't do anything! I punched the guy in the face for even suggesting I was some druggie, and that's how the cops found us. He thought he was selling me drugs and I was unhappy with them or something, but I was unhappy because he acted like I wanted the drugs. I don't want drugs. I don't do drugs and I never will. Please, believe me, Darry." The pleading in his face made me want to believe him. But this was serious.

"Darry!" Steve exclaimed as he came running in the house.

"We'll talk about this more later." I barked as I walked into the living room to figure out what Steve was screaming about.

"What?" I asked, fearing something was wrong.

"Don't! It wasn't Soda! He didn't do anything wrong." Two-Bit said, coming in behind Steve.

"What are you talking about?"

They explained what happened with Soda and how it wasn't his fault. I felt sick with shame for assuming it was Soda. I had just yelled at him for something he didn't even do.

"I think you'd better go." I said to Steve and Two-Bit. A look of shock went through their faces, but then they consented and left.

I made my way to Soda and Pony's room. I hated knowing how harsh I had been. And instead of yelling at him now, I was going to apologize.

I stepped into the room to find Soda laying on the bed, his back to me. And judging by the way his shoulders heaved, he was crying.

"Soda?" I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and shook me off.

"Soda, little buddy, I...I'm so sorry."

Soda looked up briefly at me with a confused look.

"Steve and Two-Bit told me what happened. I'm sorry I didn't wait to hear your side of the story first."

I hated the way he was crying. Soda, laughing, happy-go-lucky Soda never cried. Sure, I'd seen him cry when Pony was gone, and when Pony was hurt and he was scared because of it. But this was different. He was openly sobbing. He was sad. He was upset. And it was all because of me.

"Pepsi-Cola, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry for not trusting you. I should know by now that you'd never get into something like that. I wish I had trusted you in the first place. Please, forgive me, little buddy." I begged.

Soda turned around to face me. The miserable, depressed look he wore broke my heart. Gone was his laughing, reckless smile. And in its place was sadness...and I had put it there.

"You really believe me now?" He asked timidly.

"Yes, honey. I know you didn't do it. I wish I had from the start." I replied.

"I love you, Darry." Soda said, throwing himself in my arms.

I hugged him tightly and rocked him back and forth as he cried. I cried, too, because I was a miserable, untrusting brother who should have listened to his brother in the first place.

Dallas' POV

I pounded my fist against the wall for the twelfth time. I still couldn't believe Johnny had been taken to prison. What was I thinking, letting him come back with us? I should have taken him some where. I should have protected him! Hidden him! I should have done something!

I winced when my arm began to pound. I hadn't let the doctors see my arm. I wore my jacket the whole time I was waiting on Pony at the hospital. I didn't need to see no damn doctors. They don't know anything.

I rolled up my sleeve to look at it. It wasn't bad. It was just red and splotchy. No cause for alarm.I went into Buck's bathroom to find some gauze to wrap around it. I couldn't afford to get it infected.

When I got back from wrapping my arm, I thought long and hard about what to do for Johnny. It'd kill the kid to be sent to jail. What must he be thinking?

The same things you were thinking when you first got jailed. A voice inside my head said.

And it was probably true.

I banged my fist against the wall again, and the leaned my back on it. I closed my eyes and slowly slumped to the floor. I then buried my face in my hands and cried.