True to his word, Darry made us all go to sleep when we got back to the house. I didn't really see the big deal since we were all gonna be wiped out after he'd dealt with us anyway and I'd rather just get things over and done with but I wasn't about to start arguin' the point. He let us brush our teeth and Two-Bit have a quick shave before usherin' us all off to bed; Steve on the pull-out in the box room, Keith takin' the couch and Pony and me in our room.
I'd been worried he might take Ponyboy off to sleep with him since I'd not proven myself the best of care-takers just recently but he didn't, just emphasised that he wanted us to sleep, not stay up gabbin' like ol' church ladies and closed our door firmly behind him. I immediately cuddled close to Pony despite the heat and the way his bony little knees jabbed into my stomach, knowin' he wasn't gonna like what I was about to say to him.
"Pone, you know I'm gonna tell Darry everything, right?" I whispered into his hair, feelin' it tickle my chin as he nodded against me.
"Uh huh," he mumbled back, clearly not gettin' what I was tryna tell him.
"That means I gotta tell him about you and Curly, bud," I explained patiently, keepin' him tucked into me as he tensed up in my arms.
"Soda, no!" He whined, just like I knew he would.
"Shhh, you'll get us in trouble!" I hushed, glad I'd had the foresight to hug him so his protests were at least a bit muffled. "I have to, babe, it's the only way we'll be able to put last night behind us and have a clean slate. And that's what we want, isn't it?"
Ponyboy sniffled and wiped his nose on my shirt as he thought things over. "Can't you just spank me? Then Darry don't even have to know!"
"No, kiddo, I'm sorry. It's too big for me, it has to be Darry that takes care of serious stuff like that. It'll be ok though, he's gonna be so busy bein' mad at me there ain't gonna be much left for you!" And lord weren't that the truth. Darry'd hardly looked my way since we left the diner and I knew that, much as it was good of Two-Bit and Steve to own up to their own roles in last night's shenanigans, it was me who he was really pissed at.
Ponyboy whined again but settled down pretty quick so I knew he wasn't really that surprised at my decision. He knew that drinkin' was a Big Deal and not the kind of rule-breakin' he'd be able to wriggle out of. "Ok, but I want you to tell Darry, Soda. NOT STEVE, ok?"
"Sure, kid, whatever you want," I replied, glad he couldn't see me smilin'. Steve and Pony's longtime 'feud' was actually pretty funny to me, not that'd I'd ever let either of them know. "Come on, let's try and get some shut eye so we can keep our strength up for later."
"I'm gonna be real happy when this day is over and done with," Pony grumbled, scootin' back a little so he could lean his head on my arm. "Can I have Hoppy?"
"You and me both, kid," I agreed, twistin' around to grab his stuffed rabbit down off the shelf above my head. I handed it to him and watched as he tucked Hoppy into the tiny space between us before layin' his head back down. His breathin' soon evened out so I knew he'd dropped off, leavin' me to stare up at the ceiling and think about how badly I'd wished to be layin' in this bed just last night. Life sure was wild, man.
I woke up to Darry shakin' me and the sun shinin' bright through our small window. My eyes felt gummy and I knew if he'd let me I would've likely slept straight through 'til tomorrow mornin'. But my brother was never one to shirk his responsibilities and I could tell by the serious set of his mouth that he was ready to get things goin'.
"Soda, wake up. Come on, everyone's waitin' on you," he grumbled, tuggin' the sheet back from where someone, I guess Ponyboy since he was no longer sleepin' beside me, had pulled it up over my shoulders. I saw his face break into a grin before he could check himself and he sounded more like his usual annoyin' self when he next spoke. "Shucks, Soda, if you wanted a stuffed animal that bad we coulda got you one! You don't have to steal Ponykid's! In fact I reckon we still have Larry Lion somewhere in the basement…"
I followed his gaze down and realised that I'd been huggin' Hoppy in my sleep! Pony musta 'gifted' him to me when he tucked me in! He used to do it all the time when he was little and one of us was hurtin' or havin' a tough time; cuddling Hoopy always made him feel better so he figured the toy would do the same for everyone else too. Gosh, I loved my kid brother somethin' fierce.
"Hardy-Har," I muttered in response to Darry's shit-eating grin, grabbin' Hoppy and chucking it at him. I chose to ignore the jab about Larry Lion for now. I knew my brother kept his ol' plushie Blue Bear in a box in his closest but I'd keep that nugget to myself until I could get maximum mileage out of it. Mr Football Captain caught Hoppy with one hand and held him up to the light.
"I gotta remember to wash this thing," he said, more to himself than to me, before setting him down on top of our dresser. "Pony's probably gonna want him later so remember he's up here ok?"
"Yeah," I agreed, knowin' Ponyboy usually needed Hoppy's comfort after a spankin' and not likin' the idea of him gettin' more distressed if he couldn't find him in his usual spot. "I'll make sure he knows."
"Good. Come on then, kid, your brothers are waitin' and you still need to shower." Darry held out his hand and I grabbed it, lettin' him pull me to my feet. "Two-Bit did you a solid and hopped in Pony's bath water so there should be enough hot left but make it snappy, ok? I wanna get this show on the road. You listenin', Soda? No stallin' or messin' around, you get me?"
"Sure, Darry, I hear you," I groaned, not feelin' completely awake yet but stumblin' after my brother anyway. "Did you sleep, Dar?"
While he hadn't been up all night like I had, I knew he would've been up early to fish and he'd had to do a tonne of drivin' these last couple days.
"No, Sodapop, I didn't. I had to go to the grocery so I'd have somethin' to feed y'all for supper, since that was on the list of chores I asked you and Pony to do this weekend. Did you even read the note I left for you?!" Shit. I shoulda just kept my mouth shut.
"Oh yeah, the grocery," I mumbled, wishin' the ground would swallow me up. Needless to say, I'd forgotten all about Darry's list approximately two seconds after he'd told me he'd stuck it on the refrigerator and now I felt like crap. Guess I knew how I'd be spending my day tomorrow…
"Uh huh," Darry replied sarcastically, clearly not buying my bullshit for a second. We'd reached the bathroom by this point and he stood back to usher me inside. "I'm gonna fetch you some fresh clothes. And I mean it, Soda, just a quick rinse to get the grime off. We'll be waitin' on you in the kitchen."
I took the speediest shower of my life and stepped out to find a pair of sweats and a clean sleep shirt folded and left on top of the toilet for me. I quickly dried off and got dressed, decidin' at the last minute to run a comb through my hair so it looked at least a little presentable. I felt like I was about to go meet with the Principal or somethin'.
Four sets of eyes swivelled my way as I slunk into the kitchen. Darry was leanin' back against the counter, another cup of coffee in his hands, while the boys were all sat at the table. Steve and Two-Bit were passin' a box of cornflakes back and forth, takin' it in turns to reach in and grab a handful. Pony had a glass of milk in front of him but I could he'd hardly touched it and I really hoped Darry wasn't gonna make a big song and dance about it. The kid already ate at the diner after all! The radio had been switched off and no one was talkin' which never happened in our house and just added to the overall sense of wrongness I was feelin'. A really big part of me wanted to turn on my heal and walk straight back out again but I knew that wasn't an option. As if he could read my mind Darry nodded to the empty chair next to Ponyboy and I quickly sat my ass down.
"Nice of you to join us, Soda," he dead-panned and I quickly busied myself with reachin' over to grab the cereal box from Steve. "Now that we're all here you guys can finish up then we'll meet in the living room so we can talk. Ponyboy, I want you to take at least two sips of that milk, kiddo."
Pony chewed on his lip for a second like he was sizin' up the task before him, then suddenly darted his hand out and took two big gulps. He placed the glass back down with a bang and turned to look at Darry to check if he'd passed muster. If it had been anyone else our brother might've taken such a display as a show of disrespect, but Ponyboy has this air of completely genuine innocence about him that means he's able to pull it off. I don't begrudge it him, heck I know my movie-star grin has saved my butt more times that I'd care to say, but it drove Steve nuts that the kid could still play the cute card and get away with stuff we'd get called out on. He was an only child too, which I guess made it harder for him to understand how our positions in the family hierarchy effected things. Not that Darry gave Pony an easy ride, far far from it, but as expected I saw his eyes go soft as he smiled fondly at him, reachin' out to ruffle his hair before wipin' the milk moustache from his upper lip.
"Good boy," he praised, then twisted around to place his mug back on the counter. "Come on, let's me and you head on through since the big boys seem to be mighty keen on takin' their sweet time today."
I knew a veiled Darry threat when I heard one, so quickly grabbed another handful of cornflakes and shoved it into my mouth before gettin' to my feet to follow my brothers.
"Let's move, fellas!" I tried to tell Steve and Keith but ended up just spraying a bunch of cereal mush across the table. Steve shoved me away from him as he pushed his chair back in disgust.
"Gross, Soda," he bitched, then rolled his eyes so hard I'm surprised they didn't wind up stuck in his head as Two-Bit reached across the table and chugged the rest of Pony's milk. He let out a huge belch once he was done and I bust out laughin' which of course just sent more crumbs flyin' outta my mouth. "Eugh I hate you both!" He declared, throwin' his hands up in despair and stalkin' off into the living room.
Instinctively Keith and I high-fived and then I was laughin' so hard I almost chocked and Two-Bit had to thump me on the back a few times before I was able to swallow my mouthful. When I could finally breath again I shook my head and sighed.
"Lordy, Two, I think I'm losin' my mind over here," I said because seriously, why the heck was I jokin' around right before I was about to get what was probably gonna be one of the worst ass whuppin's of my life?!
"Welcome to the dark side, Sodapop! And you better believe we got snacks!" Keith informed me gleefully, crammin' another fistful of cereal into his already full mouth. Before I could reply Darry's voice came boomin' through so loud the house practically shook.
"SODAPOP!" Fuck.