4. Phone Calls

I'd talked to my little brother three times since they took him away...every time at the DX. I guess he figured they wouldn't think to check the phone records there…or maybe that they couldn't prove it was him if he called a service station. I never asked him to explain it…never had time. Every time he'd called, I'd been too worried to ask him anything like that. They hadn't exactly been long conversations anyway.

The first call had been two weeks after he'd disappeared in that car. Steve had answered the phone at the DX, leaning on the counter as he'd asked if he could help whoever it was. It had been early…probably around ten am, and Steve had listened for a second, his eyes going wide. Then he'd looked up at me, and gripping the phone, he'd gestured me over. "Kid? Ponyboy? Are you alright?" Apparently, there had been no answer and I'd sprinted over, practically knocking a display of chips onto the floor. "Hang on, Pony, okay? Here's Soda."

"Ponyboy!" I'd called, snatching the phone away from Steve who'd been in the process of handing it to me. My brother had been crying, and I'd almost started bawling too, leaning on the wall of the DX, hoping my boss didn't come by as Steve had hovered, keeping one eye on the front door in case a customer came in. "Hey, it's me, Pone. It's okay. Are you alright?"

"I ain't supposed to be calling...I ain't allowed to use the phone," he'd whispered, his voice catching. "They don't let us…I mean...I ain't allowed to...until you get a court date."

I'd nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "I know. We're gonna get a court date as soon as we can, Pony, I swear. Darry's calling every day. We're doing everything we can. You just sit tight, kiddo. How are you? Are you okay?"

"I wanna come home, Soda," he'd all but whimpered it, sounding like he was ten again, and my heart had just about broke. I'd wanted to tell him it would be okay. I'd wanted to tell him that we were going to take care of it, but honestly, Darry hadn't even been able to talk to anyone important since he'd started calling the day they'd taken him.

"I know, honey. I know...we're doing the best we can. Are you okay, though?" I'd needed to hear him say it...that he was okay. Even if it was a lie.

"I gotta go," he'd told me suddenly after a pause. "A guard's coming."

A guard, I'd thought, feeling sick. My little brother lived in a place with guards. "Okay. I love you Pony. We…" Then he'd been gone. Dropping the phone on the receiver, I'd leaned against the wall, sinking down to sit on the floor, my hand covering my mouth as I'd fought to keep from crying, a losing battle if ever there was one. Steve had joined me on the floor, putting an arm around my shoulder silently until our boss had come by, reminding us that he didn't pay me to sit on the floor with my boyfriend. The rest of the day I'd been a wreck, useless at the register and unable to even fill up a car with gas. Then I'd gotten home and found Darry on the phone with the state, demanding to talk to our old social worker…or our new one. It was like all the social workers in the state had gone on vacation all at once.

He'd slammed the phone down, biting out a curse as I'd dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. "No luck?" I'd asked wryly, my voice all but hoarse from the crying I'd done on and off all day. Real tough hood, that was me.

"Useless idiots! Why give me a phone number if they never answer it!?" he had snapped, slamming his hand down on the table. "We can't even call him! We have no idea where our little brother is, if he's okay…they won't let us talk to him…" He'd sighed, dropping his face in his hands.

"He called the DX today," I had whispered then. Darry had done a double take, dropping his hands and staring at me. "I guess he snuck and did it…he had to get off when a guard came," I'd choked out.

"How…is he…"

"He wants to come home. That's all he said." Then, "He was crying." Collapsing into a chair beside me, he'd placed a hand on my shoulder, closing his eyes and dropping his chin to his chest.

"This is my fault."

I hadn't argued. Not that time. I couldn't even bring myself to try. At that moment, I'd agreed with him. He'd lost his temper and then they'd taken our little brother.

The next time I'd talked to him had been two and a half months later. This time, I'd answered the DX's phone with the usual spiel, ending with 'How can I help you?' My elbow had been propped on the counter, my bloodshot eyes on the back wall. Thankfully the store had been empty. Steve had taken over most of the repairs since they'd taken Pony…I couldn't focus on a car for longer than a few minutes. Heck, I couldn't focus on anything. I'd been up all night, my arms around the pillow beside me. I'd never been one for nightmares, but since they'd taken my little brother…well apparently I was prone to them too. Darry hadn't been sleeping too good either…I guess it ran in the family.

"Sodapop?" the hoarse voice had asked, sounding almost frightened.

"Yeah," I'd answered the strange sounding voice on the phone, confused as to who would be calling the DX to talk to me...then it had clicked, my heart clenching. "Pony? Ponyboy! Is that you?" It hadn't sounded like him. Not at all.

"Yeah." He'd sounded like he hadn't slept in days, voice dull and disconnected. I hadn't been able to tell if he was crying or sick. Both possibilities worried me.

"Golly, Pony! Are you alright! I haven't heard from you…"

"I ain't allowed to call," he'd reminded me in the same tone. "I'm going to a foster home tomorrow."

Suddenly I'd worried that I was gonna throw up right there in the DX. They couldn't do this. Not now. Bad enough they'd locked him up in a boy's home...now they were going to send him away!

"Where?" I'd asked desperately. I'd kidnap him. We'd go on the road...anything but this. They weren't doing this to us! We could run away! I'd do anything if I could just see him again.

"Don't know," he'd answered, sounding listless.

How could they do this? How could they take my little brother away, not even let us talk to him? Something was wrong with him! He wasn't okay.

"Pony, listen...the judge won't give us a court date...not for a few more months, but as soon as the six months is over we're…"

He'd cut in. "I gotta get off. I love you, Sodapop." For just a minute, he'd sounded like my little brother again...albeit, scared and worried...he'd sounded like he was saying goodbye.

"I love you too honey. We're gonna get you home, okay? Soon as we can. I promise."

"Tell Darry I love him too." And then he'd been gone. I'd been bawling so hard I'd had to leave the counter, dropping onto the floor and putting my head between my knees right in the stockroom, boxes of cigarette cartons digging into my back.

That's where Steve had found me.

"Glory what's the matter!" he'd cried, crouching down in front of me. "Sodapop!"

"Pony called," I'd managed to tell Steve who'd paled a little.

"He okay?" he'd demanded, dropping to his knees. Things weren't the same with the gang...not without Pony. Even Steve knew it. "He ain't hurt or nothing, is he? Shit, Soda, say something!"

I had shaken my head. "They're putting him in a foster home, Steve," I'd whispered to my own shoes, not even able to look him in the eye.

"Shit," he'd mumbled, dropping to my side and patting my back.

At home, Darry had jumped from his recliner when he'd seen me, home early and too pale after Steve had ordered me to go home. It had been a Saturday so he'd been off. "Hey, what's wrong, Pepsi cola?" he'd asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. Steve had stayed at the DX, covering for me, so we'd been alone in that too-quiet house.

"Pony called...they're putting him in a foster home, Dar."

He'd gone sheet white, jaw clenched and eyes desperate and narrow. He'd reminded me of Pony, how my little brother had looked when they'd taken him. Like an animal caught in a trap.

"Said to tell you he loved you."

Closing his eyes and pinching his nose, Darry had looked close to imploding. They hadn't even told us...just sent him off like...like he didn't have any family or anyone that loved him. Before I had been able to ask anything about the court date, he'd spun around, his fist going straight through the drywall beside our front door.

The fist-sized hole was still there. No one ever bothered asking what had happened, especially after we'd given the gang the news. Asking Darry about our brother was dangerous these days. Once, about a month after Pony had been taken, Steve had tried to lighten the mood with a joke about Pony tagging along…I'd thought we'd have to take Steve to the dentist after the punch Darry had given him, not that I'd spoken to him for about a week either.

The last call had come six months to the day after they'd taken him. Darry had taken the day off, going down to the social services office in person to yell at those incompetent idiots. Six months. We were supposed to get a hearing after six months. I couldn't take off though…it was a Monday and Steve was in school, so I had been the only one manning the counter. The phone had rung, and I'd jumped to answer, hoping it was Darry with some good news.

It hadn't been.

"Sodapop?"

I'd known immediately that it was Ponyboy, despite the fact that he had sounded like a stranger. He'd been whispering, sounding so different than I'd ever heard him. He had been scared. I'd known it, and I hadn't done anything, and now he was gone.

"Yeah, Pony. It's me," I'd whispered back, unsure why I was whispering too. Whatever was going on, he needed me. I'd known it...known it for a while. Something was going on, and I needed to find him...at least visit him! I hadn't seen my little brother in six months! We'd never been apart for so long. "Where are you, Pony? I'm gonna come find you, okay? I'm gonna…"

"It's been six months."

"I know, honey. Darry's at the social services office now, okay? He's gonna get this worked out. He's called them every day, Pony."

"Please hurry, Soda."

My blood had run cold, and I'd almost dropped the phone. "Pony? Where are you? Is…how's that house? Are you in the same foster home?"

"Yeah," he'd mumbled.

"How are they treating you, kiddo? Is something going on?"

He'd given a shuddering sigh, and I'd known he was crying on the other end of that phone. It had hurt…more than anything, it had hurt to know my little brother was crying somewhere and there was nothing I could do.

"Honey? Hey, you can tell me." The promise had sounded empty even to me. Even if something had happened, what could I do about it?

I'd find him. I'd beat the shit out of whoever had dared hurt my little brother. I'd get him home. Somehow.

He'd taken a deep breath, seeming to collect himself. When he'd spoken again, his voice had gone flat. "No…everything's okay here, Soda," he'd whispered, and even as he had said it I'd known he was lying. "Just…I miss you guys a whole lot. Can you tell Darry…just…tell him hello for me? The guys too."

"Course I will, kiddo. He misses you an awful lot too, you know that, right? We all do."

"Yeah…"

"We're gonna get this sorted out as soon as we can, Pony." My little brother had been silent, and I'd continued haltingly. "Are you sure they're treating you alright, kiddo?"

He'd hesitated for just a second too long. "Yeah, Soda…they're alright. Just…I wanna come home."

"Tell me about them," I'd urged, desperate for information. "Where do…"

"Shit," he'd hissed suddenly, cutting me off. "I gotta go. I love you Soda."

"I lo…" And then the line had gone dead.

Now I stood outside Two-Bit's place, trying to manage a smile for his little sister who answered the door. "Hey Susie," I greeted the girl. She was about a year younger than Ponyboy…my little brother had turned fifteen without me. We hadn't celebrated my birthday or Darry's…it would just make it hurt more. Heck, neither of us had even really acknowledged our birthdays and the gang hadn't either. Then there had been Ponyboy's birthday...Steve had taken me out and for the first time ever I'd drank until I couldn't stand anymore, outdoing Two-Bit for once. Two-Bit and Steve had apparently carried me home, and the next morning, I'd woken to find a bottle of aspirin on the table beside the bed, and a glass of water. When I'd finally managed to get out of bed despite the pounding headache, I'd found Darry in the kitchen, cooking eggs that he'd sat in front of me.

"Did it help?" he'd asked, and I'd known he hadn't been talking about the aspirin.

"No." And that had been that. I hadn't touched a drop since.

"Hey, Sodapop," Two-Bit's sister smiled a little, but she felt bad for me...I could see it in her eyes. She and Ponyboy had been friendly enough, from what I'd been able to tell. Sometimes Two-Bit would joke that she had a crush on him, but I couldn't tell for sure, and Pony had never said anything about her. I didn't want to think about that...about when everything had been fine and our biggest worry had been when my little brother would finally discover girls. It hurt too much.

"Your brother here?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" Two-Bit called, dropping a hand on his little sister's shoulder. But as soon as he caught sight of me, his smile dropped. "Sodapop? You alright?"

"I gotta talk to you," I mumbled, shoving my hands in my pockets. Steve was at school that day, and I needed to get some backup just in case I started bawling in public. I'd turned into a real baby these last few months, that was for sure. Honestly, I'd thought Two-Bit might be at school, but apparently, he was skipping. "You mind?" I asked my buddy, my fingers making tight fists in my pockets.

"Come on in, Soda," he told me, steering Susan away from the door. The girl watched me quietly, her eyes wide and worried. "You alright?" he asked. I shook my head. "Come on." He steered me to his room off the kitchen, and I let him push me down to sit on his unmade bed, the door shutting firmly behind him. "You look like shit, man. What happened?"

"A cop came by," I told him quietly, wiping at my eyes and trying not to cry. I had to explain it so he could tell everyone else…and then I'd just go back to bed and cry for my little brother. That sounded like a plan to me. "Pony's missing."

"The hell you mean, missing?" he demanded, sitting beside me, gray eyes wide and serious.

"His foster family…they reported him missing yesterday…last night. But he wasn't in school at all on Monday…no one's seen him since that morning."

"Did he know about the hearing? Do they think he ran off?"

"The cop said he might have." I remembered the last conversation I'd had with my little brother…how he'd hesitated every time I asked if he was okay. How he still wasn't allowed to call us. It wasn't right. Something wasn't right. "Said he should have been told about the hearing." We'd been planning on some kind of homecoming…now he was gone. "Why would he run off if he knew there was a hearing, Two-Bit?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Why? What would make him run off like that?"

"Maybe he didn't know about the hearing," Two-Bit suggested, voice soft and reasonable.

I shook my head. "Why run away, though? On the phone…" I'd rehashed our phone call for Darry the day it had happened. When I'd told him that Ponyboy said hello…how he'd refused to tell me anything about himself or how he was really doing, Darry had almost put another

hole in the wall. Instead, he'd stormed out, slamming the door behind him and dropping onto the porch where he'd sat, face in his hands, for almost an hour until Steve and Dally had dropped by. I hadn't told the gang what Pony had said during that last phone call, though, just that he'd called. They'd probably figured it hadn't been a good call since Darry hadn't spoken to anyone that night. "He sounded real bad, Two-Bit. Scared. I think…I think those people…"

"Man, you don't know anything for sure," my friend reminded me. "Maybe he just wanted to see you two…heck, maybe he's hiding out around here now."

"That's what the cop said," I admitted, wiping my eyes again and laughing shakily. "Darry's calling Tim…hopefully him and his gang can help us look."

"You know they will. We can talk to Dally too. You know he's connected. I'll bet he's missing the kid too."

I nodded. I knew he was. These days he was almost always with Johnny or off on his own…rarely did he come to our house anymore.

"Let's get the others. We'll talk to Steve and Dal…Johnny too. We'll start looking around and asking if anyone's seen him." He put a hand on my shoulder, grinning. "Heck, we'll start under my house. You know the kid could fit under there. Have you looked in your attic?"

I snorted, wiping my eyes one last time. "Thanks, Two-Bit."

"Come on. We're gonna find the kid. Let's go wake Dally up and see if he's up for helping us. I ain't seen him in a few days, and you know what that means."

I did. Either he was beat up or he'd found himself a girl to shack up with.

We found Dally wandering the streets on our way to Bucks. It wasn't a huge town, and we knew where he liked to hang out. Two-Bit waved to get his attention, and I could have swore Dally flinched when he saw me. Still, he crossed the road and slouched in front of us, hands in his pockets. "Hey man. How's it hanging?" he asked Two-Bit around the cigarette in his mouth, shaking his hand, and I knew Two-Bit was tempted to give a smart answer, but he restrained himself…just barely, if the way he twitched was anything to go by.

"I need your help, Dal," I cut in, not able to wait for the pleasantries to be out of the way. He turned to me, eyebrow lifted.

"Yeah?" he asked, sounding almost resigned. Like people came to him with the same line every day. Heck, for all I knew, they did.

"Ponyboy's missing."

He nodded slowly, his face displaying some mild interest. "Yeah?"

I thought I might slug him…instead, I jammed my hands into my pocket. "Dally, his foster family reported him missing…no one's seen him since Monday morning. The police came by…they think he might have run away."

Dally grunted, nodding thoughtfully, and I felt myself lean in, ready to break his jaw. I hadn't gotten into a good fight lately. He seemed to sense it and lifted an eyebrow, channeling Two-Bit apparently. Said friend put a hand on my shoulder.

"You seen the kid, Dal?" Two-Bit asked, all kidding long forgotten.

"Not since they took him, man. You know those foster places are kept top secret. Tim and I looked around for a bit but…" He trailed off, shrugging. "They think the kid ran off?" he confirmed, looking at me, softening just a bit.

"That's what the cop said."

"Huh. Things musta been pretty bad for him to run," he commented idly, and my hands twitched.

"Can you stop being an ass and help me?" I snapped, feeling my eyes get hot again as my voice cracked a little. Just what I needed…to cry in front of Dallas Winston.

He and Two-Bit exchanged a look, and when Dal spoke, it was a lot quieter. "I'll talk to Tim. See if he can keep an eye out."

"Darry's already on it," Two-Bit told him. "Just ask around here, you dig? Keep your eyes open. If you see him…"

"I'll keep an eye out for the kid. I'm sure he's fine, Soda," he told me in what was almost a comforting tone, running a hand through his hair. "You shouldn't worry. He's a smart kid. Not street smart…but he can take care of himself."

"Dal..." I trailed off, my voice catching. I didn't know what it would help to have him reassure me. Dally didn't know what was happening any better than I did. Still, he dropped a hand on my shoulder, suddenly real serious.

"I'll keep an eye out, Soda, and I'll ask around. Don't worry, alright? If I see the kid, I'll bring him right to you or Darry."

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Thank you, Dal."

"Yeah," he mumbled, dropping his hand and pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, letting it fall to his feet and putting it out with the heel of his old tennis shoe. "You talk to Steve yet?"

"That's where we're headed…we'll try to catch him at lunch. Johnny too. "

"Alright. I'm gonna head over to Bucks…see if anyone's heard anything."

"Thanks again, Dal." He lifted a hand in a lazy backward wave as he headed down the street, and Two-Bit and I watched him for a second before heading to the high school. As we made our way over, I glanced at my friend. "How come you're not in school today?" I asked, trying to grin.

He shrugged. "Shoot, I think I'm still half drunk from last night," he admitted with a smirk.

"How you ever gonna get out of high school if you never show up to class?" I asked with a snort.

"I figure I've got another few years before they decide to kick me out," Two-Bit said with a shrug as we reached the high school. We were early for lunch but if I knew Steve it was about time for his smoke break. So we headed around the side of the building, keeping an eye out, and low and behold, about twenty minutes later, my buddy stepped out of the building using a side door, patting his pockets and pulling out a smoke. Just two years ago, I'd been sneaking out with him. For a moment, the action reminded me so much of Ponyboy that I couldn't even talk. My little brother, the weed fiend. I wondered if they let him smoke in that place. I wondered where he got his smokes without Two-Bit around to swipe them for him, or me or even Steve to grab him a pack.

"Hey, Stevie!" Two-Bit called, heading over to where our friend was now taking a drag of his cigarette. He glanced up, grinning when he saw us and pushing off the wall to meet us halfway.

"If you're counting on me to pick up your homework, you're out of luck, you lazy greaser," Steve called with a smirk for Two-Bit. Then he seemed to get a good look at me, frowning and dropping his barely smoked cigarette, stepping on it as it hit the asphalt. "Sodapop? You alright?" I knew I wasn't looking great at the moment, and I was sure my eyes were bloodshot, so it was nice to know Steve could see immediately that something was wrong. Made me look real tough.

"Ponyboy's missing." I said it for the third time that day, barely recognizing my own voice.

"Missing?" Steve repeated, crossing his arms and glancing at Two-Bit.

"They reported him missing yesterday…last night," Two-Bit put in, probably knowing that I wouldn't want to keep telling the story. "But he wasn't in school yesterday. No one's seen him since yesterday morning, according to the fuzz. Some cop came to their house this morning asking about Ponyboy…if they'd seen him."

"Shit, Sodapop," he mumbled, reaching out and touching my shoulder.

"I knew something was wrong," I admitted. "When he called…the last time…it was three months ago at least. He sounded scared…real scared. And now…"

"Hey, we'll find him."

"What if someone…what if they…"

"Hey! Don't even start with that shit!" Steve snapped, shaking my shoulder. "The kid's fine. He probably just ran off, you know? Maybe he's hiding out around here…maybe he wanted to see you."

"We got a court date! Why would he run off and risk that?" I hated to keep having this conversation over and over, but man, no one could explain that one to me. Steve didn't even bother trying. Instead, he glanced around, squeezing my shoulder.

"Let me grab my stuff. Meet me by my car. I'm gonna try and find Johnny real quick. You know those two are close...maybe he got in contact with him. You talk to Dal?"

"Yeah. Just came from talking to him," Two-Bit told him.

"Alright. You know he's asking all around town by now. What about Darry?"

"He's talking to Tim."

"Good. Let's drive around…keep an eye out. Go places the kid might hide out. Sound good?"

It sounded better than sitting at home all day crying in bed, that was for sure. At least this was doing something...getting something done. Sort of. "Yeah, Steve. Thanks a lot," I told him quietly, fighting back the urge to start crying again. Pony would be shocked to see my buddy working so hard to find him…I wasn't. I was just grateful.

"Meet me at my car," he repeated, hurrying back to the building, and Two-Bit and I headed to the parking lot, ready to start the search for my little brother.