Thank you for reading, reviewing and following. I hope that you like the chapter.

-jem

There's just something about the rhythm of the pedals of a bike that allows my mind to wander.

The muscles in my legs were starting to burn as I turned the bike onto the Donovans' street. It had been a long time since I'd rode a bike and my legs weren't used to the work. You'd think that a runner wouldn't have trouble riding a bike, but I was coming to the realization that it was a whole other muscle group involved here.

I'd need to ask Darry next time I saw him, he usually knew about stuff like that.

It had been a full month since he'd started working for Canfield Construction. He'd been exhausted for the first two weeks, a combination of working as a labourer all day and at the grocery store as well as the sheer stress that he put upon himself. Darry's mantra in life had always been to shoulder any obstacles that he ever found in his way. I think if the world came tumbling down I wouldn't be surprised to see Darry standing tall among the wreckage simply because he refused to fall.

Soda said that Darry loved his new job, though he hasn't said as much to me. All I know is that since he's closed the door on the bag boy gig a few weeks ago, he's been walking around with his head held high.

I hopped off the bike as I turned into the driveway and dropped it onto the grass. I hadn't rode a bike since I was 10. I got Darry's old one after Soda was done with it. That's just the way it is when you're the youngest, all your hand me downs have been handed down twice. I used to love that bike, I'd ride it up and down our street until the streetlights came on and mom would call me back in.

Then I hit my growth spurt and I was just too big to ride. My parents couldn't afford to get me a new one. My dad's shoulders had been hunched when he'd sat down on my bed one night and told me that he didn't know when he'd have enough saved to buy me another bike. I remember the wrinkles on his forehead standing out and how they smoothed out when I told him that I didn't need a bike since Johnny didn't have one and I wanted to hang out with him. I can still always feel the strength in my dad's arms as he wrapped them around me with a small smile.

I hadn't really thought too much about having a bike since then but as the weather started to get colder here I was finding that hoofing it all the way to the library and back was mighty cold. I never mentioned it or nothing, but just this last week Mrs. Donovan had called me over to the garage.

I entered just as she was pulling an almost brand new bike from behind a large pile of boxes.

"Here it is!" She called out, beaming at me with a smile that was about to crack her face.

I rubbed the back of my neck, waiting for her to continue. After a moment of her simply smiling back at me, I started to bite my thumb nail. "Uhh, it's a bike…?"

The laugh that broke out of her echoed around the tight space. "Of course it is, silly. This old bike has just been sitting around and I thought that you could use it to get you to the library quicker."

I stepped forward and took the handle bars from her grasp. It was the right height for me and it looked so new that it couldn't possibly not be in good riding condition. "Are you sure Daniel doesn't want it still?"

Daniel hadn't warmed up to me any and if I was being honest things between us were getting more glacial by the minute. I'd hate to think of how he'd react if he thought I was trying to take something of his.

Mrs. Donovan waved her hand dismissively. "No, no this isn't Daniel's old bike." She stepped forward and placed one hand gently on my shoulder. "I just thought that since it's getting colder it might help some."

I nodded and sent her a small smile, causing her smile to widen which I hadn't thought was possible. "Thanks, I think it'll work just fine." I took a step away from her and rolled the bike closer to the garage door.

She was always being thoughtful like that and though I appreciated it, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was somehow betraying my mom by accepting her kindness. I couldn't explain why I felt that way, it just was the way It was.

I hadn't had a chance to use the bike until today, but it glided down the street like it was on ice.

I couldn't stop the smile from growing on my face as I climbed up the front steps and collapsed onto the swing, my backpack in hand. I'd forgotten about the exhilaration of having the crisp wind in your face.

I dug around in the bag until I pulled out the books I checked up today. Leafing through the pages of the top book, I pulled my pack of smokes from my pocket and lit a match against my shoe.

I sighed in contentment, I was only five days away from Darry's court date. We'd all had hoped that the hearing would be earlier than this, but Mrs. Wilson had advised Darry that it would be better if he had at least a month of solid work under his belt and that he'd need to have paid off all outstanding bills. She said that this and her recommendation would make it very likely that I would be allowed to come home that day.

Soda had been game for ignoring her completely and applying for custody as soon as possible, after all she was the one who'd started this whole mess in the first place so he wasn't jumping to listen to anything she had to offer. Darry, ever level headed, shook his head sadly and told Soda that he wasn't gonna risk losing me forever in order to not wait one little month, especially since I got to come home every Saturday.

Soda huffed, "I just want Pony home now." Then, he stormed out onto the porch. The accusation that Darry didn't want the same thing hung in the silence and I watched Darry's shoulders hunch at the slam of the door.

I wanted to follow Soda and share a smoke in the dark but I moved to Darry's side and patted his shoulder, sensing his need in a way I had never noticed before. "I get it, Darry." He turned his head to watch me, his icy eyes boring into mine. "You'll get me home. I can wait a month." He smiled at me in thanks.

"This is our best chance kiddo. I'd rather you come home today, but if waiting a month gives us a better case then I'm gonna take it." He hooked me around the neck and pulled me into a headlock. "Soon enough you'll be begging to get away from me."

I struggled but it was useless against Darry's brute strength. I felt Darry's laugh boom against my ear pressed into his side and I couldn't help but laugh in return. "Uncle?" Darry asked in a voice that was too smug for my liking.

I grunted and squirmed a few more times before tapping his arm and sighed. "Alright, uncle."

Darry abruptly let me go and I would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't steadied me. Darry cocked his head towards the front door. "You better go check on that brother of ours."

I punched him in the shoulder and danced away before he could grab me, chuckling the whole way towards Soda.

Soda had come around eventually, he just wasn't one for patience. My brother was always on the move so having to sit back and wait was against his very nature.

It hadn't been easy but we'd toughed it out and the end was finally in sight. I had been wavering between excitement and dread all week, I wanted to be hopeful that everything would work out well but there was a pit in my stomach that I just couldn't shake.

Daniel's scuffling footsteps pulled me out of my day dream. I turned my head to watch him step onto the porch. He glowered at me as he spared me less than a quick glance.

I rolled my eyes back at him. Living with Daniel Donovan had been getting progressively worse and my ability to ignore his jabs was now almost non-existent. Much to Darry's annoyance, I had a mouth on me and I was more likely to shoot back a smart remark before really thinking through the consequences. I'd done my best since getting dropped in Stillwater to tramp down on that inclination but Daniel had been slowly pushing me to the edge of reason.

It wasn't just the thinly veiled comments that he spouted off at any opportunity, but he and his buddies had started messing with me at school. They'd started small, a shove here or knocking my books out of my hand there. They were small potatoes compared to the Socs back home, so I gritted my teeth and kept it to myself.

That was until last week when Daniel had conveniently shoved me at the top of the stairs. It was only by dumb luck that I'd been able to grab the railing and only slammed my elbow into the step as I stopped my downward momentum. The assignments I'd been holding had sailed through the air and floated down like ash. Picking them all up had made me late for my next class. Just another reason to dislike Daniel.

"My dad and Philip get here yet?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the road, purposely refusing to look at me.

"Nope," I said, my eyes fixed on the words of my novel. He grunted in return and was about to reenter the house when he paused. I could feel the way his body tensed up from across the porch and I clenched my hands into fists in anticipation. What now?

Slowly, Daniel stepped out the front door and moved across the front yard. He stopped beside the discarded bike and looked down at it. I could only see the edge of his face and the expressions that danced across his face made my brow furrow. He paled, then his eyes flashed and his face became red as if he'd been slapped.

"Did you touch this?" His voice was empty and barely above a whisper.

I lowered the book into my lap, watching him. "Touch what?" My gut was telling me to get out of there as fast as I could, unfortunately I don't always listen to it.

He whipped around. "Did you touch this bike?!" He snapped. His lip was curled up in a snarl that made his look like a rabid dog.

I stood up and moved towards the bike. Geez, I'd only left it there for a couple of minutes, I was gonna put it away before I went inside. Remember, hold it together for one more week. "Yeah, your mom said I could use it. I didn't know it was your bike. Here, I'll put it away." I reached down to grab the handlebars.

Daniel growled "Don't touch it!" and yanked my arm back. I stumbled and without thinking snapped back.

"What's your problem? It's just a stupid bike."

The hate that filled Daniel's eyes was crazed and before I could move he reeled back and decked me in the face. I hit the ground hard enough to force the air out of my lungs and the world spun for a moment. Giving my head a shake I was barely able to prop myself up on my elbows before he came at me swinging.

I tried to scramble out from under him but he was bigger than me and his fists were coming at me like a windmill. I twisted and gave him a jab in the ribs that forced him to back off for a second. My feet dug into the ground and I tried to get some traction to get myself out from under him. I was a good man in a fight but I was still small and there wasn't much I could do if I wasn't on my feet.

I kicked Daniel off me and was able to stagger to my feet before he dove at me, locking his arms around my waist. We both hit the ground, my head whipping back making my teeth rattle as it collided with the ground. Daniel hit me another few times as I tried to push him off of me, but his unexplainable fire was too consuming.

Suddenly, I heard voices shouting and Daniel's weight vanished from above me. I blinked up against the sunlight to see Philip hauling Daniel off of me and shove him towards the house. Daniel turned back at me to continue where he left off when Mr. Donovan's voice cracked through the air.

"Daniel! In the house now!" Daniel froze and his eyes wildly swung towards his father's red face. "Now!" Mr. Donovan barked when his son didn't immediately obey his order.

Daniel stormed into the house, sending a look of clear warning back at me. This wasn't finished.

Philip eyed his father for a moment before he turned and followed his brother into the house. I'd only met Philip a few times but he seemed to like me only a tad more than his brother did. He at least was willing to leave me be and just pretend I didn't exist, which I liked just fine.

Mr. Donovan heaved a deep sigh and rubbed his hands down his face. He looked down at me still sprawled out on the grass.

"Can you tell me what that was about, Ponyboy?" He sounded bone tired.

I pulled myself to my feet, gingerly touching my lip. It was swollen and I could taste the metallic tang of my blood, he must have split it. I was probably going to have a shiner if the hot aching around my eye was anything to go by. I shrugged. "I don't know. He saw the bike and just lost it."

Mr. Donovan blinked down at the bike as if he was only just seeing it now. His mouth twisted up into a grimace then fell blank. He gently almost reverently picked it up. "I'm gonna put this in the garage. Go on into the house, I'll get you some ice for that eye."

I trudged up the front steps, my sides protesting weakly to the movement. I sat down heavily on the sofa in the living room and waited for Mr. Donovan to come with the ice.

Maybe I'd be able to get the swelling down enough so it wouldn't look too bad on Friday when I saw Darry and Soda again. I didn't fully trust Soda to hold it together if he thought that Daniel was fighting me. I'd sure like to see him fall all over my foster brother but it might hurt our case and I wanted to go home more than anything. Hell, Darry would probably take a swing at him if he saw me now, then we'd really be a lost cause.

I leaned my head back and stared ahead. My eyes focused on a photograph on the wall. It was the photo that Darry had noticed the first time they'd visited. The one of the Donovans and that third kid at a lakeside cabin. I pulled myself to my feet with a groan and moved to take a closer look.

Now that I really looked at it, I could see that the boy looked like Mr. Donovan, he had the same round face.

"That's our cabin at Gold Lake in Colorado. It's a bit of a hike from here but we used to make it at least once a year." I jumped at Mr. Donovan's voice, I hadn't heard him enter the room.

"You own a cabin?" I asked. Maybe the Donovans were more socy than I'd thought?

Mr. Donovan shook his head with a smile. "No, my parents do, but they're pretty good at letting us go whenever I have time off." He stepped up beside me and again sighed as if the weight of the world was settling on his shoulders. He passed me a dish towel that contained ice. He gestured towards my eye and I covered it with the towel. The cool damp fabric eased the pulsing around my eye some.

"That's my son Peter," Mr. Donovan continued softly. My head twisted towards him. His eyes held a deep sorrow that I remember seeing in the mirror last year. I knew what he was going to say before he began again. "He died last year…..car accident…." He trailed off, his eyes fixed on the photo. He gulped. "He was fourteen."

Johnny's voice echoed in my head. Sixteen years ain't long enough.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, knowing from experience that it just wasn't enough to take away that kind of pain.

He nodded his head in thanks. His eyes remained firmly fixed on the image of his family when it was still whole. "The bike was his. He saved for a whole year to buy it." He chuckled though it came out hollow. "He loved that bike."

I clenched my teeth, understanding Daniel's reaction a little better, though I was nowhere near forgiving him for taking his grief out on me. I could get a guy and still dislike him.

Mr. Donovan shook his head sadly. "It doesn't excuse his behaviour and I'll be having a word with my son." His mouth settled into a firm line. "I just thought you should know."

I nodded my head, my eyes drifting back to the photo of the cabin. Gold lake was a real tuff name, it reminded me of Johnny. I'd need to tell Soda about it when I called him tomorrow evening. He would get a real kick outta my foster family having a home on a lake. Who knew that some people lived that way?

Mr. Donovan reached out and patted my shoulder. "You looking forward to going home this weekend?" He asked with a grin.

A returning grin spread across my face at the thought. "Glory, am I ever." I clenched my hands. "I hope everything goes okay on Friday…" I muttered, almost guilty to express my fears to my foster father. Why couldn't I shake this feeling of a dark cloud hovering overhead?

"I don't see any reason why it won't," Mr. Donovan answered. "From where I stand, it's clear that you belong with your brothers."

I smiled back at him, not sure how to tell him how much it meant to hear him say that.

"Go on and rest, dinner should be ready in an hour." Mr. Donovan pushed me gently towards the door.

I scooped up my backpack and climbed the stairs, still holding the towel against my eye.

Heated voices drifted down the hall from Daniel's room. "I hate him so much!" Daniel wasn't shouting but the underlying anger rang clear through his words. Philip's softer voice sounded in return but it was too quiet to carry.

"I wanna get rid of him now, I can't stand him staying in Peter's room another day!" Daniel barked in return. Philip's replay was also lost as I stomped down the hall into my room, no….Peter's room.

I shuddered as I shut the door. I didn't want to be here at all and I definitely didn't want to sleep in the room of a boy who'd died. It made my skin crawl. I'd have never touched the damned bike if I knew. Why hadn't Mrs. Donovan told me who it belonged to? She'd acted like the bike wasn't important. I pictured the gentle way that Mr. Donovan had touched it after the fight. It wasn't just a bike, it meant something.

I ground my teeth together as I scooped Soda's DX shirt from under my pillow. I buried my face in it and breathed in the still present whiff of oil and cologne. "I just wanna go home." I whispered into the fabric, my heart reaching out in a silent prayer to please let me go home soon.

It was only a matter of time before the walls closed in.