Chapter 3
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, we do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. The real owner, of "The Outsiders" is the fabulous S.E. Hinton, and we do not make a profit from the stories that we write here on this site.
Ponyboy's POV
My nose seemed to have stopped running just in time for my track meet, but I was still having the on and off headaches. Most of the time several aspirins did the trick, but I couldn't understand why I kept having them.
Maybe Darry is right, go figure. He always says that I smoke too much. Maybe I was having some side effects or something like that. I sure do need to cut down for sure.
"Ponyboy hurry up!" I heard Darry yell.
"I'm coming Darry!" I called back and raced out from the bathroom after taking my regular dose of aspirin.
"You excited about your track meet today Pony?" Soda asked.
"Am I ever?!" I exclaimed.
Darry shooed me out to the truck with Soda following. Darry was giving me a lift to school today because Two-Bit still hadn't gotten his car fixed; in workable order anyway.
"See ya Ponyboy and good luck!" Soda yelled out to me.
I said goodbye to my brothers and headed into the main building of the school.
When it was time for the track meet, the painful dull ache appeared again. I tried to forget about it and focus on my task ahead
"Alright Curtis you're up!"
As I ran on the track the pounding of my headache worsened and started becoming unbearable. I couldn't focus on where I was going or what my feet were doing it was all just thump, thump, thump, in my head over the right side. I felt like I was going to collapse from the intense pain.
Finally I'd reached the end of the track, it seemed like it went on forever. I leaned down with my hands on my knees, breathing through the pain.
Coach came over to me with his stopwatch. "Not your best time, Curtis. Seven minutes."
I didn't know what was wrong with me but I didn't want to tell Darry or Soda about my headaches and cause them worry about me.
"Time for another lap and this time try and pick up your game. We can't have the best player on the team slacking off with the chance of the big regional track meet coming up in a month."
I slowly nodded. I didn't feel like running anymore.
"Coach, can I just have a quick break please?" I asked meekly.
Coach nodded. "You got five minutes, Curtis."
"Thank you Sir."
I walked back to the bench and held my pounding head in my hands. I felt shaky and just wanted the throbbing pain to stop.
"Curtis, get back on the track!"
The coach's order rang through my head but I wanted this, track was my passion and I wasn't about to let a stupid headache get in the way of that.
"I gulped a large drink of water and rubbed my nose on my shirt sleeve before pushed my way back onto the track.
"Get ready Curtis...and go!"
I sped off at the Coach's call running as fast as I could, pushing my feet against the ground. My head was in an immense amount of pain, but I kept pushing.
"Come on Curtis, almost there!"
I slowed down as I saw the finish line. I felt my legs go weak when I stopped and barely noticed coach walk over to me.
"Well done, you beat the time and got just over six minutes."
I couldn't take the pain anymore, it was too much.
"Arg!" I yelled as I collapsed to the ground.
"Ponyboy, are you alright?" Coach rested his hand on my shoulder.
"Um, yeah... My head just hurts." I gasped out.
"Well I think that's enough for today, Curtis. You can go on home now."
I slowly made my way home and grabbed more aspirin as I reached inside, only this time the pain didn't subside.
Soda's POV
"Ponyboy dinner!" Darry called out.
I was at the table in a flash, but Ponyboy hadn't even left our room. I hope he wasn't getting sick again.
"Ponyboy!" Darry yelled again.
Pony walked into the room with a pale look on his face.
"Hey, Pony, you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. Darry, I'm not feeling very hungry can I just stay in my room?" Pony mumbled.
Darry went to Pony's side and felt his forehead. "You don't feel warm, but if that's what you would prefer go ahead."
I watched as Pony stumbled back into our bedroom.
Pony's POV
I expected to sleep good after having ran so much in track, and plus when I didn't feel good I always slept easy, but I didn't. I lied down in the bed, and not even a few minutes into trying to close my eyes did I feel the pressure increase over the right side of my head. It wasn't a pounding feeling like before but more of a sharp pain behind my eye.
I sat up in the dark and looked at Soda asleep next to me. I couldn't help but let out a whine as I held my throbbing head, it wouldn't stop, and I was beginning to feel sweaty and hot.
Before I realized what was about to happen I quickly switched on the light and raced out to the bathroom, where I vomited the contents of my empty stomach. There wasn't much in it and I started to dry heave before my stomach calmed down a little and let me breathe.
I didn't even realize someone was behind me until I felt a soft hand rub my back.
"Ponyboy are you alright? What's wrong?"
I turned to see Soda standing behind me. I wiped my mouth and shivered. I was feeling really cold now.
"Ponyboy?"
"I've been having these headaches that keep coming and going for about a few weeks now. It was okay at first but now even when I take aspirin it doesn't go away." I mumbled, still shivering.
Soda gently rubbed my back and helped me up off the floor.
"Why didn't you say anything, Ponyboy?"
"I didn't want anyone to worry and besides I thought it was nothing," I admitted honestly.
Soda's POV
I couldn't believe Pony has been sick for a while now and didn't tell us.
"This doesn't sound like nothing Pony. You have to tell Darry first thing in the morning." I said firmly and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder.
"Let's go back to bed."
"Soda it hurts worse when I try to lay down." Pony whispered.
"Just try and rest and if you need to get up to be sick, you can just wake me, alright?"
Pony nodded in response and I watched him slowly shut his eyes before curling my arm around his small frame and going back to sleep myself.