Chapter 2 Darrys POV

Me and the gang were walking up to meet Soda and Steve at the DXs station when it happened. Steve was walking towards us.

"Wheres Soda?" I asked as I saw he wasn't with him.

Steve looked around dimly.

"He was on his way home," he said still looking around.

I felt Ponyboy tense beside me.

"We haven't passed him" Two-bits face was deadly serious. I felt a horrible feeling in the pit fo my stomach. Not happy go lucky Soda, Not him. Suddenly we heard a shout coming from the alley. It sure did sound like Soda.

All of us powered down the alley and sure enough we found soc's crowded round. We crept upon them and I felt Ponyboy let out a moan of sadness. I knew how much he loved Sodapop, hell we all did. There was a soc infront of us with Soda's arms pinned above his head. I could see Soda's hands curled into tight fists. I felt a wave of fury. How dare he even touch my brother let alone hold him down. But I felt even worse when I saw the soc sat on his chest, (his bare chest I noticed) slowly kissing him moving down. Soda's trousers were getting unfastened. I felt sick watching them do this to my younger brother. Pony had his eyes closed. Soda struggled some more but he looked physically and mentally worn out. I leapt forward and the Soc's ran so fast it was unnatural. We all chased them to their and Steve and Two-bit started throwing stones at them. Dally was punching the hell out of a guy in the fornt seat and Ponyboy and Johnny had their arm around some guys neck. I realised the guy Dally was punching was the one who was sat on Soda, who was kissing Soda. I glanced back into the alley. Soda's shirt was unfastened and his bare toned chest was revealed and his jeans were half- unbuttoned. I prayed that they hadn't done anything to him. Please don't let them have done anything. "Soda!" I called out. The soc's drove off in the car leaving the gang swearing and cussing after them. They all ran back to where I was still staring at Soda. Steve reached him first, closely followed by Ponyboy. Steve carefully took Soda's head and placed it in his lap and he softly stroked his hair. Ponyboy glared at him and took Soda's hand tightly. Soda moaned but didn't wake up. I couldn't believe I had let this happen to him. Soda who I loved so much I had failed. Well t wouldn't happen again, Soda would never be let out of my sight, and I'll not let them hurt him again. I walked towards them and Soda.

"We should get him home," I mumbled.

The gang looked extremely pale. I think it was the shock of this happening to Soda. Everybody loved Soda, and he was always so happy, nothing bad ever happened to him. But to see him lying here unconscious and helpless like this… I walked forward and Steve and Ponyboy jumped out of them way. Even bleeding, brusied and unconscious Soda was still ridiculously good-looking. I wondered how he could cope looking like this. I sighed, it must have been the reason they chose him. I sat next to him and slowly put my arm around his neck and around his legs. I picked him up easily, I forgot how light he was. His arm fell motionless down by his side, and his head fell sideways onto my chest. He still wasn't moving. I slowly stood up and with the rest of the gang following me, I lead them back home.

Ponyboy hurried infront and pushed open the door to our house. Carefully I stepped inside and headed towards the sofa. I gingerly lay Soda down on the sofa. He just lay there motionless, his head tilted towards me, his eyes closed, one arm hanging off the side. He looked so young. I stroked his head softly, keeping, for Pony's sake, the tears at bay. ;Ponyboy wasn't though, the tears were streaing down his face as he sat on the floor next to him. Daly, two bit and Johnny all piled together on one seat and Steve walked over to Soda and sat beside Ponyboy too. He rubbed Soda's hand.

"It'll be alright Soda, we're here now,"

Pony's red eyes glared at him with jealously. I went into the kitchen and came back with a flannel, some band aids and some alchohol to rub on the various cuts around him. I sat next to him and glanced down at his still half-unbuttoned trousers. I carefully began to fasten them back. Soda moaned and shook his head for a minute. I took my hands away hastily and he calmed, and flopped back down almost as if he had never moved. I caugh Steve's eye. With his help we managed to pull his shirt over his shoulders. I threw it in the corner, I didn't want to see that shirt again. He had a gash across his stomach and a cut across one cheek. A bruise covered his jaw, and he had a cut lip. His whole stomach was almost completely covered in bruises and scratches. Ponyboy gazed at him, his eyes glazed over. I hated to know what he was thinking.

With the rest of the lads sat watching me, I carefully began to pour alchohol onto the large gash on his stomach. He groaned and scrunched his face up in pain. I hate hurting him even more. Ponyboy let out a squeak and Steves grip on Soda's hand tightened. I continued pouring the alchohol trying to block out the sound of him groaning in pain., I#m doing this for his good, I kept telling myself. Finally, I began dabbing it with some tissues until it was completely cleared. I lifted him up as a wrapped a bandage around his slim figure. I never knew how he stayed to thin, he ate like a horse. I cleared up the rest of him and finally I was satisfied that it was all that I could do to help him.

"When he wakes up, he's gonna hurt like hell," Dally pointed out. He had his arm around Johnny who looked like he was about to collapse.

I nodded in agreement. Walking into the kitchen I pulled out some sleeping tablet I knew me and Pony both used when we couldn't sleep. I nodded. He needed to sleep through the pain, no matter how much I wanted to talk to him. I walked back into the living room.

"Will these work?" I asked Ponyboy.

Ponyboy looked up. "Yeah , they'll knock him right out," he mumbled, " I remember once," he looked back at Soda as though frightened that he would vanish if he took his eyes off him, "I knew I was going to have abad night and that he and Steve were going to be busy the next day. So I brought him a drink and slipped one of them in it, just to make sure that if I did wake up he wouldn't be disturbed. As soon as he drank it it knocked him out,"

I nodded, it would seem to have the effect of Soda, they were powerful pills.

For the next hour or so, we sat around talking. Finally to break the silence, Dally put the tv on and they croweded around that. I couldn't leave him though. Then suddenly, his hand tightened around mine and he let out a moan. His eyes were flickering.

"Shh you guys! He's waking up," I called out to the rest of them.

They all turned round hurriedly, Ponyboy by his side.

Soda's eye's flickered some more before slowly opening to look at us all. He let out a scream.