Chapter Eight

Soda POV

I'd been trying to wrap my head around everything going on. Finding out Darry had a kid, why he wouldn't have told us. It was bugging me. I still thought about when he left, certain times I've talked to him over the years. He never gave me anything... Or did he...

*flashbacks*

It was Sunday, the day we all had dinner at Darry's. As I was striding up with my new girl, Lydia, the first girl I'd allowed to get really close to me since Sandy, Steve nudged me.

"Uh, Soda...?"

He pointed to the front of the yard. I sped up my pace and walked up the steps to the porch and through the screen door.

"Darry, you moving?"

"Yeah, little buddy. I am."

He had a strange look on his face.

"Where to? Moving downtown like we did?"

"No... I'm..."

We heard the back door shut and June walked in, eyes glossy and looking sleepy.

"Hey, sweetie!"

She pecked Darry on the mouth.

"Hey, Soda, how're you, honey?"

I inwardly winced as her eyes kept shutting, looking like she would fall asleep any second.

"Why don't you go lie down. Okay?"

Darry was embarrassed. She giggled.

"You're so silly, Dar, but I will even though I'm not sleepy."

He waited two minutes and went to check on her.

"She's out."

I nodded. Wasn't sleepy my ass...

We had dinner, and all through it Darry stayed quiet.

"Say, where's Pony? I thought he was coming back from campus this weekend?"

He looked down, playing with his fork.

"Let's just say, I'm not his favorite person right now."

"Why?"

"Yeah, Superman. Why's the kid mad at you this time?"

"Shut up, Two-bit."

"He's mad because I... We're moving. Me and June."

"He upset you're selling the house? I'll calm him down. It'll..."

"We're moving to South Carolina..."

It was quiet for a minute, all of us shocked. Surprisingly, Two-bit beat me to yelling.

"You're what?! Why in the hell are you moving there?!"

Darry winced. Two-bit didn't usually yell.

"June knows some friends there. They got us some jobs. She wants to get away from here after everything that happened. She..."

I couldn't listen anymore.

"That was her own damn fault, Darry! She got herself into that mess!"

I got up from the table.

"This is shit, Dar."

"I know, but it's partly my fault. You know that."

"You didn't... Forget it! You wanna move for some bitch who can't get herself straight instead of staying here with your family, then go."

Rage flashed through his eyes. Before either of us could say anything else, Steve was pulling me outside with Lydia and Two-but following close behind.

OoO

"Hello?"

"Hey, Soda."

"Hey, Dar."

"How's Matt?"

I chuckled.

"As good as a two year old can be, I guess... You know, it'd be nice for you to meet him."

"I know, I will one day... What about Steve's boy, Mikey?"

"He's finally walking. Took him long enough, we were starting to worry about the little guy."

There's a long beat before...

"How're you doing, Dar?"

"I'm... Ugh, I'm doing lousy, Sodapop. Real lousy."

He sighed.

"I can't help her. I've tried everything, I can't get her to stop. She just won't... Won't even try."

I swallowed thickly.

"Come on home, Dar. Just come home. If you can't help her, then there's no use... You're not married or anything, and you know you're always welcome back. I gotta couch with your name on it as long as you need it."

"I don't... I can't just leave her..."

I kept my voice low and calm. We didn't need to fight right now.

"This is killing you. Hell, it's killing me. I haven't seen you in almost four years. We talk almost everyday, but it's not the same."

"Give me some time, I'll think about it."

OoO

"How was Matt's 4th birthday?"

"It was good. Real good. How're you doing?"

"I'm okay, Sodapop."

I narrowed my eyes, even though he couldn't see, and lowered my voice.

"Something's going on. I can hear it in your voice."

"We got married... Last week..."

I just about dropped the phone. Pony was pissed when I told him.

"We were so close. He said he'd leave soon her last week! What the hell happened in a week to make him marry her?!"

"I don't know, Pony. I just don't know... She must be a damn witch or something."

June could always change Darry's mind. We just thought we had him this time...

OoO

"Where've you been? I couldn't get a hold of you!"

"I've just... Been real busy the last few days."

"You sound... Different..."

He didn't sound tired or defeated like he had been the last five years. He sounded... Happy.

"June getting better?"

The voice changed again.

"No. It's just, I have a good thing going here, you know? I like it here."

"But, you don't love her."

"I do love her, Soda. Especially now... You know that doesn't stop just because someone hurts you. You should know that more than anybody..."

My blood boiled, knowing he was talking about Sandy.

"That's a low blow, even for you. I'm happy, now. And you're wrong. I don't love that bitch and I never really did. You should know that!"

I hung up on him.

OoO

"Keegan, huh? So, it's a boy. I'm happy for you, Sodapop. Two boys."

I was smiling in the phone booth at the hospital.

"Yeah. I guess the Curtis gene only makes boys."

"Yeah, I guess so... Speaking of boys, how's James?"

"He's good. Haven't talked to Pony lately?"

"I've missed a couple of his calls, but I never know where he is, so I can't get a hold of him myself. I'm proud of him, though. His first tour..."

"I'm proud of him, too. Sydney's got James. They come over a lot. She'd like to meet you..."

"Maybe one day..."

OoO

"Matt's terrible two's weren't this bad. I feel like Keegan's literally kicking my ass."

He chuckled.

"Just wait. Terrible three's are even worse if they have terrible two's."

I chuckled.

"How would you know?"

He cleared his throat.

"I remember you and Pony at that age. Plus, some of my coworkers have youngins."

"You ever gonna have one?"

I didn't want him to with June, but I knew he probably wanted to.

"Are you kidding? You and Pony were enough for me. June doesn't want kids, anyway."

OoO

"How did you deal with me when I was 16? I feel like I wanna hug and choke Matt all at the same time."

He laughed long and hard.

"What goes around, comes around!"

"Yeah, yeah... Keegan's so easy right now..."

"That's because he's 10. The most you have to worry about is a broken bone from falling off a bike."

"Yeah, and with Matt I'm worried that he'll come in one day telling me he's got a girl pregnant..."

Darry really laughed at that one.

OoO

"Hello?!"

June's lit, and I could tell.

"Can I talk to Darry? I've been trying to..."

All of the sudden, she started crying.

"June? What's going on?"

"Stop calling here! Just stop, Soda! Doesn't matter anymore, Darry's dead!"

She hung up on me, but I called her back later. I was stung, hurt, crushed. I was crying when I called her back.

"What happened? Dammit, June tell me!"

I was tired and just wanted to know what happened. Her silence was pissing me off.

"He fell off a roof..."

I started really crying. Darry had been so damn good at his job, I never thought that would happen.

"The idiot that had done work on it the day before did a half-assed job! I'm suing the shit out of him!"

"When's the funeral? We'll come."

"Last week."

Anger filled in the sadness that I had.

"You're a damn bitch."

That was the last time I'd ever talked to June. I'd heard later that she'd moved back to town, but I didn't care. Two-bit had ran into her and said she looked like a shit show. Even though he would've wanted me to check on her, I couldn't do it. She deserved to suffer.

*end flashbacks*

I kept thinking to that time last year, when I almost did check on her. I wish I had, now... Darry would hate me...

Scar POV

Me and James avoided each other. No one really noticed except for Keegan. He kept asking me what was going on, but I just kept my mouth shut. On Christmas Eve I was smoking on the porch when Keegan came out, looking really pissed off.

"That son of a bitch!"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, I gave him a black eye."

My eyes widened.

"Who?!"

"James. I finally got him to spill about what's going on between you guys."

I groaned.

"I didn't want you to know..."

He wouldn't look at me. He just stood there, staring at the new fallen snow with his hands balled into fists by his sides.

"That was a shitty thing to say to you. It was..."

"I'm okay, forget it."

He breathed deep. I decided to change the subject.

"So, I get to meet your big brother today."

His jaw tightened.

"I'm glad he's only here for two days..."

I'd heard stories about Matt. How he was. How college had changed him.

Later that night, he arrived. Keegan whispered to me.

"He's sober. For now."

"Keegan, relax."

We were introduced, but that was it. Later that night, I was sitting in the living room reading a book.

"Thought I saw a light in here."

I jumped. He smirked and sat down in a chair.

"So, you're the only girl Curtis everyone's been talking about. Well, the only girl by blood, anyway."

"What do you want, Matt?"

My voice came out harsher than I meant. He frowned.

"I just wanted to talk. You know, learn about my new cousin?"

I sighed and sat my book aside.

"Alright, what do you wanna know?"

He looked like he was trying to figure out how to say whatever he was gonna say.

"Dad and Uncle Pony, they looked up to your dad. A lot. I guess I'm wondering if you know why he never told them about you."

I feel myself stiffen.

"No. I don't.."

"Did you know they didn't know?"

"Look, I thought you were wanting to get to know me, not my dad."

He nodded and leaned back.

"Alright, then."

We talked for a long time. I found him easy to talk to.

"Aw, shit!"

"What?"

My eyes drifted to where his was. The clock. It was 2:30 in the morning.

"If I wanna take care of this, I gotta do it now."

He got up and I heard him walk on the back porch. I followed, and he was lighting up, except it wasn't a cigarette. I lit up one and eyed him.

"Why do that? Why get high?"

"Kid, college ain't no joke. I almost lost my mind until I started this. Helps with the nerves."

He takes a drag and holds it out towards me.

"Wanna try?"

I'm not gonna lie, it was tempting, but I didn't move.

"It ain't addictive or anything. Just good."

I shrugged.

"What the hell."

I was hit with a feeling. A strange, but... Good feeling.

"Good feeling, huh?"

We did it again the next night. When he left, he gave me some. The weed itself might not be addictive, but the feeling it gave was. It made me relax, calm down. By the time school started back, I was doing it every day.