Okay, now this chapter will have no one's POV. I'm just gonna write how
everyone is doing and handling the loss of Steve. Well enough of me
talking. Here's the story.
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The loss of Steve hit everyone hard. It was as the sky had fallen and ripped the world apart. It hurt Soda the most though. Ever since that night when he was in the hospital Soda had done all he could to get to his best friend. It was the worst night that could have come...maybe even worse then the day they left Tulsa. He dreamed every night about how it could have been possible to save him, but he knew now it was to late. He remembered the good old days when they were always together...getting into drag races, going on double dates, and all the rumbles they fought together. They had been a team and now it had all fallen apart.
As he sat on a rock near a little lake he thought. He sat there for hours just thinking about everything...why did it have to be Steve? He never had done anything wrong. It was all goddamn Darry's fault. Why Steve? Why not Darry? Why? He never did anything wrong. He started to cry and throw pebbles into the lake. He was going through a very rough time. He felt the part of his heart that his friendship with Steve took was empty. There was nothing he could do anymore. Absolutely nothing.
"Hey can I please talk to Ponyboy?"
"Yes, hold on a moment."
"Hello?" Ponyboy said.
"Hey Ponyboy," Two-Bit said.
"You don't sound so good. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Could be better. Look man...Steve died."
"What!? How!? What happened!? How's everyone? How's Soda!?"
"One question at a time, man. Yeah, yesterday remember I told you that I needed Soda's number?"
"Yeah?"
"Well he came and we took Steve to the hospital and then they told us that he had consumed too many drugs."
There was silence for a moment and then Ponyboy asked, "How's Soda?"
"Don't know. He ran, but I'm sure he's okay. I bet he's depressed though."
"You know what I'm going over there. I'll take the bus or something. I'll see you later."
"Uh...okay. See you."
"Bye."
Even though Ponyboy didn't really like Steve he still felt bad. I mean I guess anyone who knew him that long would.
"Mom, I'm going to Tulsa."
"But I'm taking you in two days."
"Yeah, but I really need to go now. You see there was this friend...Steve, and well he died."
She gasped and Ponyboy said, "They really need me over there now."
"Okay, I'll take you. I'll pick you up when I go there, Okay?"
"Thanks, mom."
"I'll tell your father."
Ponyboy nodded and they drove to Tulsa.
They finally got there and he found everyone sitting in the park bench.
"Hey you guys."
"Oh, hey Ponyboy."
"What's up?"
"Well what you already heard."
"Oh, so have you found Soda?"
"Yeah, he's by the lake."
"Is it safe to go talk to him?"
"I think so."
"Okay, thanks."
Ponyboy walked to the lake and saw Soda sitting there, throwing pebbles at the water. Ponyboy stood there a moment and just watched him. It was the fist time since he had been adopted that he saw Soda. He hadn't changed much. He did have a better build from all the exercise his father made him do.
He walked up to Soda and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Ponyboy said.
Soda looked up and said, "Hey."
"Haven't seen you in a while. How ya been?"
"Well at the moment...I could be better."
"Yeah? Well...it must be hard losing your best friend."
"Yeah, I mean that's why you shouldn't get attached to people. My dad keeps telling me that. I think he's right, but then it wouldn't be me."
"That's the truth. So how you feel about Steve."
"Well, I'm feeling depressed, but I mean it wasn't like it was the only bad thing that happened in the last few weeks. I mean come on with Darry leaving us. With us having to leave our friends. With me having to leave Sandy...and you. You know I thought about killing myself to tell you the truth, but I know something is still worth living for and I'm gonna find it."
"Then you'll be happy?"
"I was happy since I saw you again. You know Ponyboy, I had fun in life. You know it was the best thing with Steve. I felt free here in Tulsa, but now...I'm trapped in my house and now in my own world. I'm not free in spirit anymore. Without Tulsa, life has lost its joy. I feel trapped and the only thing keeping me from being completely trapped is the thought of being with you guys again. Yesterday my dreams were destroyed. When I saw the doctors face...I knew what it meant. I...I"
He couldn't talk anymore. The knot in his throat choked him from his words.
"Soda, you're gonna get through this. I'll help you. You know even if I'm younger than you I'm always gonna be there for you. All my life you have helped me and I just sort of stopped listening to you, but now you know I am here for you, and I always will be."
"Thanks Pony."
"Well what you need now is a shoulder to cry on, so...go ahead and cry."
Soda cried harder than he ever had. He was letting out all the emotions he had kept bottled up since Darry left them at the boys' home. His anger and sadness was finally coming out.
Back with the other greasers they were all at home. As each one lay in his own bed they thought of Steve. How was it possible that he did something so stupid? Two-Bit and Dally did not cry. They both felt too tough to cry. Johnny cried, but not too much. He wasn't that close to Steve.
The death of a friend had affected each and every one of them. What made it worse was that it could have been prevented if they had known sooner about the drugs. They never would've thought Steve could do something so stupid. Now because of drugs they lost a friend forever.
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The loss of Steve hit everyone hard. It was as the sky had fallen and ripped the world apart. It hurt Soda the most though. Ever since that night when he was in the hospital Soda had done all he could to get to his best friend. It was the worst night that could have come...maybe even worse then the day they left Tulsa. He dreamed every night about how it could have been possible to save him, but he knew now it was to late. He remembered the good old days when they were always together...getting into drag races, going on double dates, and all the rumbles they fought together. They had been a team and now it had all fallen apart.
As he sat on a rock near a little lake he thought. He sat there for hours just thinking about everything...why did it have to be Steve? He never had done anything wrong. It was all goddamn Darry's fault. Why Steve? Why not Darry? Why? He never did anything wrong. He started to cry and throw pebbles into the lake. He was going through a very rough time. He felt the part of his heart that his friendship with Steve took was empty. There was nothing he could do anymore. Absolutely nothing.
"Hey can I please talk to Ponyboy?"
"Yes, hold on a moment."
"Hello?" Ponyboy said.
"Hey Ponyboy," Two-Bit said.
"You don't sound so good. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Could be better. Look man...Steve died."
"What!? How!? What happened!? How's everyone? How's Soda!?"
"One question at a time, man. Yeah, yesterday remember I told you that I needed Soda's number?"
"Yeah?"
"Well he came and we took Steve to the hospital and then they told us that he had consumed too many drugs."
There was silence for a moment and then Ponyboy asked, "How's Soda?"
"Don't know. He ran, but I'm sure he's okay. I bet he's depressed though."
"You know what I'm going over there. I'll take the bus or something. I'll see you later."
"Uh...okay. See you."
"Bye."
Even though Ponyboy didn't really like Steve he still felt bad. I mean I guess anyone who knew him that long would.
"Mom, I'm going to Tulsa."
"But I'm taking you in two days."
"Yeah, but I really need to go now. You see there was this friend...Steve, and well he died."
She gasped and Ponyboy said, "They really need me over there now."
"Okay, I'll take you. I'll pick you up when I go there, Okay?"
"Thanks, mom."
"I'll tell your father."
Ponyboy nodded and they drove to Tulsa.
They finally got there and he found everyone sitting in the park bench.
"Hey you guys."
"Oh, hey Ponyboy."
"What's up?"
"Well what you already heard."
"Oh, so have you found Soda?"
"Yeah, he's by the lake."
"Is it safe to go talk to him?"
"I think so."
"Okay, thanks."
Ponyboy walked to the lake and saw Soda sitting there, throwing pebbles at the water. Ponyboy stood there a moment and just watched him. It was the fist time since he had been adopted that he saw Soda. He hadn't changed much. He did have a better build from all the exercise his father made him do.
He walked up to Soda and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Ponyboy said.
Soda looked up and said, "Hey."
"Haven't seen you in a while. How ya been?"
"Well at the moment...I could be better."
"Yeah? Well...it must be hard losing your best friend."
"Yeah, I mean that's why you shouldn't get attached to people. My dad keeps telling me that. I think he's right, but then it wouldn't be me."
"That's the truth. So how you feel about Steve."
"Well, I'm feeling depressed, but I mean it wasn't like it was the only bad thing that happened in the last few weeks. I mean come on with Darry leaving us. With us having to leave our friends. With me having to leave Sandy...and you. You know I thought about killing myself to tell you the truth, but I know something is still worth living for and I'm gonna find it."
"Then you'll be happy?"
"I was happy since I saw you again. You know Ponyboy, I had fun in life. You know it was the best thing with Steve. I felt free here in Tulsa, but now...I'm trapped in my house and now in my own world. I'm not free in spirit anymore. Without Tulsa, life has lost its joy. I feel trapped and the only thing keeping me from being completely trapped is the thought of being with you guys again. Yesterday my dreams were destroyed. When I saw the doctors face...I knew what it meant. I...I"
He couldn't talk anymore. The knot in his throat choked him from his words.
"Soda, you're gonna get through this. I'll help you. You know even if I'm younger than you I'm always gonna be there for you. All my life you have helped me and I just sort of stopped listening to you, but now you know I am here for you, and I always will be."
"Thanks Pony."
"Well what you need now is a shoulder to cry on, so...go ahead and cry."
Soda cried harder than he ever had. He was letting out all the emotions he had kept bottled up since Darry left them at the boys' home. His anger and sadness was finally coming out.
Back with the other greasers they were all at home. As each one lay in his own bed they thought of Steve. How was it possible that he did something so stupid? Two-Bit and Dally did not cry. They both felt too tough to cry. Johnny cried, but not too much. He wasn't that close to Steve.
The death of a friend had affected each and every one of them. What made it worse was that it could have been prevented if they had known sooner about the drugs. They never would've thought Steve could do something so stupid. Now because of drugs they lost a friend forever.