Both Steve and Two-Bit looked up as we came back into the living room and I wondered how much they'd overheard. Probably more than I wanted them to. I tried to move towards the couch so I could sit back down and pretend my little breakdown hadn't happened but Darry had other ideas. He looped one strong arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, tuckin' me tight against his side like he does with Ponyboy sometimes and it took everythin' in me to stop my face bloomin' three shades of red.
"Thanks for bein' patient, boys. Soda and I had some things we needed to straighten out but we're all good now so, I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready to get this done. You know why you're gettin' whupped so I ain't gonna drag it out but I wanna make this clear; Soda has more responsibilities than a regular kid his age. And I get it, sometimes that sucks, but it's the way it is and part of bein' his buddy is acceptin' that and not makin' him feel crumby when he can't do some of the stuff y'all can because he has to stay home to help me out. It ain't his fault and it sure ain't Ponyboy's fault either, we're all just tryna do the best we can with the hand we've been dealt." It was weird watchin' a dressin' down from this angle, since usually I was on the receivin' end of Darry's tongue-lashings. Both Steve and Keith had dropped their heads and I knew my brother was hittin' nerves all over the place. I felt kinda bad since if it hadn't been for my outburst I woulda been sat right there with 'em and maybe I shoulda been.
"Y'all are always welcome at our house, but with that comes an understandin' that when y'all are here you do right by my brothers and this weekend you guys didn't live up to your end of the bargain. It might've been Soda who called the play but you two were right there eggin' him on and that is somethin' I won't stand for. You know our situation better than most and if it throws a spanner in y'all's social lives then maybe you need to work on gettin' your priorities straight. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Darry," Two-Bit mumbled, draggin' his eyes up to meet my brother's. "We're really sorry."
"Yes Sir." Steve never ever called anyone Sir, even when it really woulda saved his bacon, so Darry accepted it even though he didn't look up from his lap as he said it.
"Good. I want all three of you over the back of the couch, pants down. Let's go." Darry's always been able to switch gears at the drop of a hat, I think he learnt it havin' to act all soccy at school then come home and be with us. It's done us well of late as it meant he always put on a good show in lawyer's offices and alike, but to tell the truth sometimes it freaked me out, like I couldn't be sure which Darry I was gonna get at any given time. Heck he could change moods so fast sometimes it damn near gave me whiplash and it was one of the things about him that I struggled most to explain to Ponyboy. Either way, when it happens all you can do is buckle in and try to keep up so I hoped Steve and Keith were up for the ride.
Darry's friendly arm across my shoulder quickly became a vice-like grip as he steered me round to the back of the sofa, lining me up with the middle cushion as my buddies fell into place either side of me. This wasn't the first time we'd been whipped side by side but it had been a good long while and there was a lot of awkward shufflin' goin' on. It made absolutely no sense since we'd literally been sharin' a bucket as a toilet not five hours ago, but somethin' about standin' so close together with Dar's loomin' presence right behind made us all hesitate with our hands on the waistbands of our jeans.
Maybe we were hopin' Darry would take pity on us and let us keep 'em up, or even better that he'd suddenly change his mind and realise a night in jail was punishment enough and we'd learnt our lesson without him havin' to burn it into our asses too. None of that happened, of course. Darry had absolutely no time for our stallin' and let us know it by tuggin' his belt off with a loud flourish.
"Come on now, y'all know how this goes! You need me to take your pants down for you like I do with Pony? I'm bein' nice and lettin' y'all keep your underwear up but that can change real quick…"
Two-Bit was the first to step up, flickin' open the button of his jeans and tuggin' them down in one swift motion before bending over the sofa back. Steve and I quickly followed suit, not wantin' to call Darry's bluff and lose our shorts. To tell the truth Dar more often than not took my pants down when he was gonna spank me since it was the way our Daddy had always done things but I sure appreciated him keepin' up appearances in front of my buddies.
Once we were all leanin' over and settled in position, Darry cleared his throat. "Alright, no one moves until I say so and try and keep the noise down unless you want Ponyboy runnin' in here and seein' you gettin' your asses beat."
"You said he wouldn't hear!" Steve cried indignantly but his protest was drowned out by the sound of Darry's belt connecting with Two-Bit's ass and the loud yelp that followed. I'd been wondering if Dar was gonna dish out each punishment in turn, finishin' up with one of us before he moved onto the next, but as I felt the sting of the belt on my own backside not five seconds later, that pretty much answered my question.
My brother was unusually pretty methodical when it came to kickin' ass but he musta decided to tear up the rulebook this time since he made sure we had no idea where or who the belt was gonna hit next. I was clenchin' my jaw so tight I thought my teeth might crack, not wantin' to give Steve or Keith anymore reason to see my as a bawl baby after my performance earlier. When he finally stopped swingin' we were all breathin' hard but no one had broken position or embarrassed themselves too much so that was somethin'. I waited for Darry to tap me on the shoulder to signal I could get up, but it didn't come. Instead after a few moments I felt Two-Bit's weight shift beside me.
"Ok tough guy, you did real good. Gimme a hug real quick then you can go and lay down for a while." Dar's soft post-spanking voice is always the same no matter who he's comforting and I head the rustle of clothes so I knew he'd pulled Keith in for a hug.
"I'm real sorry, Dar. I knew Soda was watchin' the kid, I never shoulda called from that party - it was stupid. I'll do better."
"I know, it's ok, Keith. Go on and rest, you can take my bed or bunk down with Pony ok?" Hearin' my brother mention Ponyboy suddenly reminded me and I straightened up before I could stop myself.
"Two, if you go in to Pone and he's awake Hoppy's on the dresser, not the shelf above our bed like usual. Y'know, just in case." Two-Bit had pulled back from Darry as I spoke and now nodded his head in understanding. His face was kinda red but he seemed pretty much ok, which was a relief.
"Sure thing, Soda. Don't sweat it." He smiled at me quick before turnin' back to my brother. "Always a pleasure, Superman!" He was outta the room before Darry could even think about poppin' him, which is no mean feat given the pace Two-Bit usually moves at!
"That kid's a nut," Darry mumbled, tryin' hard to keep his serious face on but shakin' his head fondly none the less. With a sigh he reached for my shoulder and gently turnin' me back towards the couch. "Come on, Soda, let's keep things movin'."
Now it was just me and Stevie there was no more waitin' to see where the belt would land next, if it weren't hittin' me it were hittin' him and there was less time to catch a breath between licks. Darry doesn't hold back when he's dishin' out consequences and, despite all his talk about wantin' to get this done, he was takin' his time to make sure we felt every one. My legs had started to shift back and forth on their own accord and, if I glanced right, I could see Steve was grippin' his couch cushion so tight his fingers had turned white. I started off tryna keep count but that lasted about all of ten seconds before I realised it weren't helpin' squat and I just had to trust that Darry knew what he was doin' and would dole out exactly what I deserved. In other words, it sucked.
Eventually he stopped again and when I peeked over my shoulder to see what was happening I caught him rollin' his shoulders back with a grimace. Well, shit, as if I didn't feel bad enough! Steve was like a statue next to me and it took him several long seconds to straighten himself up after Dar tapped his shoulder. I'd kinda figured that was comin' but it still felt real lonely to be the last one left - not to mention my ass was on fire!
Steve cleared his throat a few times and I knew he woulda tugged him jeans up as soon as he could. I really hoped he'd let Darry comfort him a little but I didn't wanna make it obvious that I was listenin' in. Steve hated anything that even veered towards emotions and would go out of his way to avoid dealin' with stuff like that, but Darry wasn't one for backin' down or leavin' a job half-finished so I had a strong feelin' Steve was gonna lose this battle.
"Look at me, please. I know you find it hard when Soda has to stay home to take care of Ponyboy or bring him along when y'all are hangin' out. I also know that you wanted to leave him here when y'all went to that party. Do you see how bad that could've been, if you guys had gotten hauled in and he was here all night by himself? He would've woken up in the house alone, with me three hundred miles away and no idea where Sodapop was." I felt my stomach turn to ice at his words and suddenly, despite all the trouble that had come from it, I was mighty glad I'd decided to bring the kid with us last night. The idea of him alone and afraid, unable to get ahold of anyone, gutted me, especially after what happened with Mom and Dad.
"Ponyboy's non-negotiable, Steve. He's part and parcel of bein' buddies with Sodapop and it would be nice if you could step up once in a while and help him with Pony rather than makin' things harder! We've got enough on our plate as it is and you either need to get on board with that or move along because this is how things are now. And you know what, if you give him a chance you'll see he's a pretty great kid, so I want you to just think about that, ok?"
"I will, and I hear what you're sayin', Darry. I don't like…hate the kid or nothin', it's just easier when he ain't hangin' around us, askin' questions or buggin' Soda about stuff." To give him credit, Steve did sound genuinely apologetic. I guess he was entitled to his (wrong) opinion but what Darry said was absolutely true - Pony was a really awesome kid and it blew chunks that Stevie flat-out refused to give him a chance. It was pretty much the only thing we ever fought about as friends.
"I get it, Steve, I really do. But you should know by now that life ain't always easy, we just gotta suck it up, carry on and stick together. You might see Pony as a weak link but all that means is you gotta pull him in closer, not leave him behind. He needs a lot from us, and I ain't sayin' it's a cakewalk, but we're pretty damn blessed to have him and if you can't see that then quite frankly it's your loss!" Darry's voice had gotten progressively sterner as he talked and from past experience I could tell he was havin' to hold himself back from givin' Steve some more home truths. My buddy, wisely, seemed to have nothin' more to say for himself and after a minute I heard Dar pat his shoulder. "Go on and lay down in my room while Soda and I finish up here, ok? We can talk some more later if you need to."
Steve's footsteps shuffled down the hallway a second later and then it was just me and my big brother.