Here's chapter two! And the title comes from the song with the same name by The Doors, if you have never listened to it you really should!

2 – Riders on the storm

I think I'm going to fall…either that or…drop everything… I was trying to open the front door and at the same time I was carrying tons of bags. I walked into the living room to get to the kitchen and saw Ponyboy and Lauren, his girlfriend, kissing. "Hi Pony, Lauren!" I said, quickly reaching the kitchen and dropping the bags on the counter. I really hated going shopping on Friday on my own. Especially because it always looked like I was shopping for a family of nine people. "Hey, Sibyl!" Ponyboy entered the kitchen and started helping me with the groceries. "Sorry about that…" He obviously meant the kissing I had witnessed.

"That's ok…you two were alone…where's Lauren?" I asked.

"She just left 'cause she noticed she was late for dinner at her house. You know her parents…"

I nodded. Lauren's parents were quite strict when it came down to rules, it was a miracle they let her date Ponyboy. She was pretty much like me, a middle-class girl, and she was Ponyboy's age: they had met during Pony's second year of college (which was Lauren's first, since Pony had started one year earlier) and they had been going out together for several months. Lauren had wavy, auburn hair, and hazel eyes, and she and Ponyboy really made a cute couple. Soda told me Pony had a thing for red-heads.

"What would you like to eat, Pony? We have almost everything…" I said, pointing to the stuff on the counter.

"I see that! If you needed help, you could have called me, you know."

"Maybe next time." I glanced at the clock. "I wonder why Soda isn't home yet."

"I guess he got stuck in a traffic jam or something like that."

Once we had finished putting every single thing where it belonged, Ponyboy said he'd be in his room studying if I needed him. I sat at the kitchen table. Soda was late and I had a bad feeling, I just didn't know why. I thought I'd better start cooking dinner, but I felt so distraught I kept forgetting what I was supposed to do next.

I hated silence, so I turned the TV on. News were on, they were talking about the situation in Vietnam. The title readRenewed US bombing of North Vietnam above the 20th parallel: "Discontent about the War keeps growing in every part of the US: after learning about the bombings on Hanoi and Haiphong harbor, which took place two days ago, protests have been erupting everywhere…"

I was so caught up in the announcer's words that I jumped when I felt someone's hands touch my shoulders. "Soda!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that…" Sodapop looked at me with concern.

"You're late! I've been worried sick for you!"

"Why?"

"Because…because you're never this late!" I sounded a bit childish and I knew it, but I couldn't help myself.

"Sybil…what's wrong? You never overreact like this…"

"I'm not over reacting, I…don't look at me like I'm nuts!"

"I was not." Soda grinned, meaning he was indeed doing that, but he thought he could get away with it by showing off his perfect smile. "I think you're a bit tired." His gaze then traveled to the TV screen and his grin started fading. "Turn it off."

I stared at him. Frustration was starting to show on his face, but he just stood still and told me once again to turn the tv off. When I finally did, Soda's expression suddenly changed, like he was awakening from a deep slumber.

"Soda?" I whispered. "Are you-"

"I'm fine!" he almost yelled. "I'm fine…" he repeated, more quietly, before leaving the room. I hesitated for a moment, before following him outside. He had lit himself a cigarette. I heard Ponyboy's footsteps behind me: "Sybil, you need some help with dinner? I'm too tired to study right now…"

I looked at Soda once again before going back in and replying his help was much appreciated. Truth was, I didn't feel like facing Sodapop, because he looked like he didn't want to talk to me about the subject and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I didn't want to pour salt in his wounds, I didn't want to make him suffer any more than he had already. But I had to do something.

----------------------------------------------

"Next Wednesday? I'll definitely try to make it…thank you." I hung up the phone and glanced at the calendar on the well: a week had gone by and Soda and I hadn't talked much. We hadn't talked about his outburst in the living room at all.

I heard the doorbell rang and went to see who it was. I opened the door. "Sophie!"

"Hi, Sybil!"

"I haven't seen you in ages!" I hugged my once-best friend and let her in. "Look at you, you're so…changed!" Her hair reached her waist, while in high school she had never let it grow past her shoulders, and she was wearing a colorful shirt and a bright, long skirt. She really looked like a hippie and I knew for a fact she was, because last time I had seen her, two years before, she had told me she was going to California with her boyfriend to experiment the hippie life style. I hadn't been too happy at the time, because I knew hippies took drugs and had a very carefree attitude towards love and life, but I couldn't tell her what to do. "Can I offer you something?"

"Maybe some tea, if you don't mind."

"Of course not!"

"So how are you? How's Sodapop?" she asked me, once we were sitting at the kitchen table.

"We're great!" I felt slightly guilty for saying that, but I definitely didn't feel like telling her about Soda's situation. "I'm almost finished with college…Soda's still working at the horse farm…and Ponyboy has been living with us for almost a year now, because Darry, you know, their older brother, left for Louisiana to attend some college there…"

"What about babies?" she grinned.

I blushed. "Well, we never really discussed about it…'cause I'm still in college, so…"

"You'll be getting your degree soon though, won't you? In May?"

"Yeah, I will…well, enough about me! Tell me about you instead!"

Her smile didn't vanish, but her eyes suddenly looked sad:"I…I arrived two days ago here in Tulsa with my boyfriend…you know, Jeff…"

I nodded. He was the one with whom she had left for California.

"…and we're staying with some friends of his at the moment…maybe we'll settle down, maybe not, who knows…"

"Is everything alright with Jeff?" I asked her. I had the feeling something was going on, something unpleasant.

"Of course!" She paused and then changed topic: "I don't remember what kind of bands are your favorite…"

"Nothing much's changed, I like the same bands I used to like years ago…The Rolling Stones are amazing…and The Doors, I love their stuff…"

She interrupted me: "Oh, I've been to several concerts of The Doors! I was so heartbroken when I found out Jim Morrison died in Paris…" That happened the previous year, 1971.

"That wasn't really unexpected though, was it? I mean…I've heard he used to drink a lot…and he was addicted to drugs…"

Sophie suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I don't know…I think I'd better leave now or Jeff will worry, I told him I would only come by for a little while…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…I will see you soon…take care and say hi to Sodapop…and Ponyboy…for me."

"I will…"

Sophie left. I sat back at the kitchen table to complete my last assignment but couldn't really concentrate, I was worried for her: although she had said she was fine, I could tell she hadn't been completely honest…I didn't have the time to think about it much longer though because Sodapop entered the kitchen, looking radiant, and kissed me: "Hey, Juliet!"

"Hey, Romeo…" I replied. "Something's happened?"

"No, why?" he asked while sipping some cold milk.

"Cause you look really happy…and that's great…" I hadn't seen him look like that for a while. "Also, you called me Juliet and you only do that when you're in a good mood." Romeo and Juliet were our private nicknames. Steve had mocked Sodapop for weeks when he had found out, years before.

"I'm happy 'cause I'm finally home with you after a long day's work!" He grinned. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Actually I didn't really have the time, I've been busy with school and stuff." I replied. He looked hurt. "I was only kidding!" I immediately added and got up to hug him. "I've missed you. What would you like for dinner?"

"Something with lots of chocolate!"

I smiled. "I'm sure Ponyboy's fine with that!"

"Didn't I tell you? Pony's having dinner at Lauren's, then they're going out, so, it's just the two of us for several hours!"

"Now I see where your good mood comes from!"

He smiled sheepishly, like a five year old that has just been caught doing something he shouldn't. "I know, I know, but we haven't spent time together, just the two of us, in ages!"

That was true. As we started kissing, I forgot everything that had been bothering me lately.