Darry turned over and looked at Soda, before he yawned and stretched. His brother was still sleeping, so he curled back into his sleeping bag, hoping to catch a few more minutes of shuteye. Darry had stayed awake long after Soda had gone to sleep the night before. He had been worried Soda would be drawn from his much needed rest by a nightmare, but as Darry watched him sleep, he'd had a calm look about his features. Now, morning light had arrived, and Soda had hardly moved. Darry wasn't even sure how long it had been since Soda made it all night without startling awake from a nightmare or the painful tangle of emotions that had made his spirit so weary that he'd resorted to physical pain to try to defeat it. Darry knew one conversation couldn't solve everything for Soda, but it was a start.

Darry couldn't help but think of how dark his life would be now if they had also lost Soda when their parents died. Soda's revelation about the accident had made his entire being ache with sympathy for his brother. He thought back to the week of his parents' deaths, and it seemed to be a blur, but he did remember how much Soda had been dedicated to helping both him and Pony through it. He had seemed to cope as well as could be expected, but now, Darry suspected that was because he'd been lost in building walls to guard the secret he'd kept and the resulting guilt. Darry's mind skipped ahead to the time Pony was in Windrixville and how Soda had been so devastated. Given what he had said about going after Pony not long after he'd run away, it was no wonder. Darry could hardly stand to think about the fact that he'd actually had two brothers out in the middle of the night! He was certain that night was when the walls Soda had built started to crumble. In fact, Soda had seemed calmer and more composed right after their parents' deaths than he did when Pony was gone. He'd been able to pull all that pain and guilt over the accident under wraps until more trauma and loss began to unravel it. Soda had been there all the time for Darry, but he had also cried every night, hardly sleeping. After Johnny and Dallas' deaths, he'd barely left Pony's side. He had been so caught up in trying to bury the pain and take care of his little brother, he had forgotten himself. Perhaps that had been what Soda wanted to do because then, all of the grief, guilt, and fear couldn't get to him.

Soda stirred and opened his eyes, seeing Darry watching him.

"Morning, little buddy," Darry greeted.

"Did I sleep all night?" Soda asked, noticing the sunshine.

"Looks like it. You needed it." Darry smiled.

"Come on. Let's get up and go fishing. I don't want to waste any time," Soda said, as he stood and rolled up his sleeping bag.

"Okay. You got it."

"I remember the first time you fished out here. You caught one and cried," Darry said, grinning.

"Huh?" Soda asked.

"Yeah. You wanted to keep the fish as a pet. You didn't want it to be food." Darry chuckled.

"I was a goofy kid," Soda said, rolling his eyes and smiling too, as he cast his line into the water.

"Oh, you're still goofy. But I wouldn't have you any other way." Darry drew his pole back, casting his line several feet farther out than Soda's.

"I bet I can get mine to go farther," Soda challenged, as he reeled his line back in to cast out again.

Now, Darry remembered why that fish Soda had wanted to keep was the first and only one he had ever caught.

"Bring it on, little buddy!"

Darry watched Soda cast the line out again, and it landed right next to his. Before Soda could try yet again, there was a pull on the line.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Darry said, both stunned and amused.

"I think I've got a bite!" Soda said, beginning to reel.

"Hang on. Slow down a bit and don't pull too hard."

Soda slowed down and relaxed a little, gently pulling and reeling in the line. He could still feel the weight of the fish.

"There you go," Darry encouraged, as the end of the line got closer.

"Not a big one, but I got it!" Soda finished reeling the fish in and held it up. "Hey, Darry, meet Chester!"

Darry burst out laughing, glad to see that goofy little kid still lived inside his brother.

Steve and TwoBit sat on the floor in the Mathews' living room, the Monopoly game board in between them. Steve moved his piece to pass "Go" and collected 200 dollars, then added three more houses to his collection of property. TwoBit hung his head in mock despair, realizing Steve was about to win the game. He rolled the dice and moved his piece, then drew a card from the Chance deck. He'd just been sent to jail.

Steve laughed at TwoBit's misfortune. "Glory, TwoBit! That's what you get for stealing money from the bank!" he said.

"Hey! I gave it back!" TwoBit replied, laughing too.

"Only cause I caught you! This game is over. You have what? Forty bucks?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll get you next time. We'll have to make Soda play with us."

"Oh, man! We'd have to get Pony to guard the bank then. Both of you would be grabbing extra money!"

Steve actually hoped that's what Soda would be doing. The silliness with which he usually approached board games always made them laugh. He'd been missing that side of Soda, and he knew he was still in there somewhere. Steve realized nothing could be totally solved on an overnight trip, but he still hoped that whatever Soda had planned on telling Darry at the lake would bring him closer to the peace he had been chasing. He wondered if Soda remembered Steve's own experience at Lake Spavinaw, but Mr. Curtis had driven him out there once too. The only thing they had done was talk, and Steve had needed that at the time.

"Can I ask you something, Steve?" TwoBit asked.

"You just did, but sure," Steve replied.

"The other day, when you were crying, it was cause of Sodapop, wasn't it?"

I should've known that was coming, Steve thought. Soda had told him that Pony ran over to TwoBit's house after overhearing Soda's telling words to Darry. "Yeah, it was." He sighed.

"Man, the way you looked, I'm afraid to know what happened." TwoBit shook his head.

"I've hardly stopped thinking about it."

Steve hadn't relayed the story of how he'd caught Soda cutting to anyone else, and truthfully, he didn't feel like he could. Sure, he liked to think he was tough. Greasers always did, but when it came to Sodapop, a guy would have to be made of steel not to hurt at just the mere thought of him being in any kind of pain.

"You think he's going to be okay?" TwoBit asked, looking unsure.

"Eventually. He has to be, man."

"I think I'm going to head over and check on Pony."

"I'll come too," Steve said, as he put the Monopoly pieces in the box.

"Hey, you home, Pony?" TwoBit yelled.

"In here!" Pony shouted.

Steve and TwoBit followed the sound of his voice to his and Soda's room. Pony was at his desk, marker in hand, writing on a poster board.

"What's that for, Pone?" TwoBit asked.

"History project. World War One," Pony answered, focused on forming letters.

"Doing all right, kid?" Steve wondered.

"I'm fine, Steve. Since when do you care anyway?" Pony asked.

"I think I'll go fetch a beer," TwoBit declared, walking away quickly.

"Cut it out, kid. You're Soda's brother, so I ain't got a choice," Steve retorted.

Pony put the marker down and met Steve's eyes briefly before looking away again and rubbing his head tiredly. "Sorry, Steve. I'm just worried," he said.

Steve's face softened. "Look, Pony, I know we don't always see eye to eye, but I also know when it comes to Soda, we're both on the same page."

"I know." Pony nodded at Steve.

They may have competed for Soda's time in the past, but after everything their group had been through, they'd reached a sort of truce. Steve and Pony would never be the best of friends, but the only thing that mattered was that each of them knew the other had Soda's back.

"Hey, me and TwoBit were thinking of going to the drive-in. Why don't you come with us? We'll be back before Soda and Darry get home," Steve offered.

"Sure, why not? I could use a break," Pony answered, shrugging.

Steve knew Pony was trying to sound like he only needed a break from his project, but he was actually referring to much more than that.

"I'm glad we came here, Dar. Thank you," Soda said, as Darry drove the truck onto the highway, heading in the direction of Tulsa.

"Me too, little buddy, and you're welcome," Darry replied, as he rolled his window down.

"I was thinking. The last time I was at the lake before this, it wasn't with dad."

"Really? Who then?" Darry was curious.

"Mom. She drove me out there, and we mostly talked on the way. When we got over by the water, we just sat. It was real nice." Soda smiled at the memory.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that now."

"I was having such a hard time with school. My teachers, and even other kids, expected me to be like you. No offense."

"None taken. I know what you mean, Sodapop. And listen, don't tell Pony I said this, but school ain't everything."

Soda chuckled. That was a good thing because he had never been good at school. His teachers had always enjoyed having him, but he wasn't the student type when it came to classes and books. "Yeah. Well, I told mom how I couldn't be like you with your good grades and football and everything. I was feeling a lot of pressure."

"So what'd she say?"

"That I didn't need to be you. I could just be me. I mean, I didn't do much better, but I felt better after that, and I tried more."

"She was good at encouraging all of us. I think that's why even Dallas calmed down around her. She made him feeling like he was still worth something."

"Mom always made me feel that way too." Soda stared out the window.

"That's cause you are worth more than you know." Darry grinned at his brother.

Darry knew he'd have to keep a watchful eye on Soda for a long time. His brother had such a loving and sensitive spirit, making it easy to see why his intense emotions had rattled him so completely. Darry suddenly had the sad thought that it made sense for Soda to want to create physical scars to cope with the emotional ones. At least he could control the physical scars, or he'd thought he could anyway. Maybe, in his subconscious mind, Soda had thought he could actually cut all that pain and guilt out of himself. Darry honestly wasn't sure if having everything out in the open now would make Soda more or less likely to want to hurt himself again. He figured it could go either way, but he also hoped that the insight Soda seemed to have now would help him deal, even if the desire to cut reared its ugly head. Darry would have to make sure Soda didn't internalize those emotions he'd finally let out again, thinking their one talk would erase them. He believed that conversation was absolutely crucial, but Soda still needed to find his way back to himself.

"Hey, Pone!" Soda greeted, bounding into the house and hugging Pony.

"Hey, Soda! How'd it go?" Pony said, as he smiled at him.

"It was good. Just what I needed. What'd you do today?"

"We all just got back from the drive-in. Steve invited me to go with him and TwoBit."

Soda smiled at that.

"Yeah, kid here was trying to pick up a girl!" TwoBit said, laughing, as he slung an arm around a blushing Pony.

"Hey, Soda!" Steve greeted, coming in from the back porch and clasping Soda on the back.

"Hey, man." Soda grinned at his best friend.

"You good?" Steve asked, already seeing the answer in Soda's eyes.

"Better than I have been for a while," Soda said.

"I'm glad, buddy. Real glad."

Darry started to come in then, carrying both of their duffel bags, the sleeping bags, and the tent in his arms. Soda rushed to hold the door open and took his own bag from Darry.

"Geez, Dar. You don't have to do it all at one time. Our stuff ain't like those bundles of roofing you always try to carry all at once!" Soda exclaimed, amused.

"Yeah, yeah. I just like to be efficient," Darry said dismissively, as he set their things down on the floor in the living room.

"Shoot, you just like to show off!" Pony said, as he hugged Darry and whispered something in his ear.

"Yeah, Pone, he really is. It's all going to be okay. I promise," Darry whispered back to Pony before letting go.