I drove home from work barley conscious. Of course the day I get no sleep is the day for rain and the foreman seemed to have a lack of patience with an under energized staff. After dragging up two bundles up the latter every time, everything seemed to hurt more than usual. I wanted to go home and drop but I figured that wasn't going to happen. I'd come home to a messy house and three loud guys and Pony who was probably confused or pissed. I pulled into the drive way and parked wondering why I didn't pick up more caffeine. I came home to a spotless house. The guys were no where to be seen except I could hear the radio coming lightly from the kitchen. I walked in to find Soda dancing around and making dinner or whether in his case performing a science experiment.
"What are you making over there?" I asked as he dumped blue food coloring into what ever it was that was in the mixing bowl.
"It's a surprise!" Soda grinned.
"It's awfully quite in here." I commented.
Soda shrugged. "I saw Steve at work today. I told him me and Pony are grounded. So unless they really needed a place to crash for the night. Coming over here to hang out was off limits. We are still grounded right?"
"Yes, you guys have a few more days then that's over but you're going to be in by eleven every night for two weeks." I told him resting my head on my fist and letting my eye lids slide shut.
I
"DARRY!" Soda cried suddenly
I looked up at him. "Yeah?"
He shook his head. "Jeeze Darry you look like a zombie."
I felt like one too. I rubbed my temples. "Yeah."
"You know I couldn't sit on my stool at work today! Steve kept hollering at me to stop moving so much."
"Whose fault is that one little buddy?" I grinned.
"YOURS! You're the one who whacked so hard!" He was teasing me. I knew he was by the way he was grinning.
"You're asking for it again. This time I'll make sure you'll never sit."
Soda stuck his tongue out at me. "I don't like sitting anyways.
I raised my eye brow. Now he called for this one. I walked right up behind him and picked him up. "Good. That makes me feel a lot better about beating you!" I raised him and flipped him over and then dropped him bottom down on the floor pulling every muscle in my back.
"You're evil" He would have gone on but he must have seen me wince. "Are you alright?"
"Pulled a muscle that's all." I responded. "It's been a long day. This house hasn't been this clean since Mom and Dad were around." I changed the subject not wanting him to worry.
"Pony did it. Why don't you lie down? I'll call you when dinner is ready."
"That's what I'm afraid." I mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Where's your brother." I smiled at him.
Soda shrugged. "Reading."
"Alright. Don't blow the kitchen up." I l left Soda to his experiments. The bed felt better than ever I didn't even bother kicking my shoes off. I was half way asleep. When I heard the voices in the next room.
"Ponyboy Michel Curtis! What are you doing?" Soda sounded so parental like. I had to laugh.
"Leaving I'll be back by twelve. I promise." Pony replied. Damn this kid I'm going to wring his neck I thought getting out of bed.
"Ponyboy we aren't allowed. We're grounded."
"Yeah well I'll take the blame you didn't do anything. I'm leaving!"
"You're going to get in trouble. He'll want to check on you. He's found out the last couple of times and if you get picked up by the cops again you're just going to get it again or worse we'll get split up."
"I'm not asking for trouble. I'm just going to the movies with a friend from school. Tell him I went to sleep."
"Ponyboy. You aren't leaving. I'm not lying for you Pony. Darry's trust might not mean nothin' to you but it does to me. You leave this house and I'll get Darry."
"Fine." Pony said.
I went back to bed. Until I felt something on my face. The roof must have leaked. I groaned and rolled over not bothering to open my eyes until I heard laughing. Soda, damn him. I felt the water against my face and more giggling but this time I reached up and grabbed Soda by the neck. It was all fun and games nothing that would hurt him.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
"Dinner's ready! I poised yours." He grinned.
I pushed him off the bed and sat down to a very unpleasant dinner.
"Hey kiddo. You really didn't have to clean this entire house like this." I said to Pony.
He shrugged. "I didn't have anything better to do." He then pushed his plate away. "I'm finished. He got up to leave.
"Ponyboy put you're plate in the sink." I said a little harshly but I was tired and I wasn't in the mood to deal with a rebellious teenager. He put his plate in the sink and went to his room.
"He's pretty mad." I stated.
Soda stabbed at his food. "He'll get over it. I'll talk to him tomorrow. He's just so sensitive Darry. I don't know. I don't think." Soda stopped.
"Don't think I should have punished him? Well I think something needs to be done again. I'm not tolerating disrespect from him. I don't care how pissed off he is. But you on the other hand. I'm pretty proud of." I said.
Soda smiled a little. "Why?"
"The way you handled you're brother today."
"You heard that?" Soda frowned.
I nodded. "I trust you now thou."
Soda grinned. "I'll do the dishes tonight!"
I guess he didn't poison me because after dinner. I sat down to my newspaper. I must have dozed off because I woke up around one thirty and saw him half hanging off the couch asleep. I lifted on the couch and threw a blanket over him. I began to wonder if I should wake him up and tell him to go bed so he could be with Pony but I figured Pony would be alright. I turned the TV. off and went toward my room. When I saw him pacing the hall floor frantically. He was sweating and breathing like crazy.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
He started at me his chest moving up and down. Then he dashed passed me into his room saying. "I hate you."
I felt my inside shift and suddenly my heart felt like it was in my throat.
"Ponyboy. We need to talk." The knob wouldn't turn, he locked me out.
