I walked down the hall taking in the familiar scent and ugly painted walls. Junior high seemed like forever ago. I glanced down at Pony; he was chewing his nail off. I guess he was nervous but he better not have a reason to be nervous.

"There something you want to tell me before I go in there?" I asked hitting at the idea that he might have done something.

Pony shook his head. He looked how I felt. Pony had woken up screaming again last night and the night before. I don't think he went back to sleep at all. I drifted off while I was sitting with him. I don't know how, he scared the sleep out of me.

"You better not have done anything Ponyboy, I swear if you did I'll"

"I didn't do anything." He whispered.

"You're taking a long nap when we get home, kiddo."

Pony shook his head again but we reached his class room so he got lucky.

"Hello Darry, it's been a while." Mrs. Nelson smiled. "Have a seat." She nodded to two chairs pulled in front of her desk.

"Nice seeing you again." I said taking a seat next to Pony. I looked around, that class room hadn't changed much since I was in seventh grade. It was still decorated with posters of history, English stuff and animals doing math on the wall.

"Darrel not long ago, Ponyboy came in and took some tests for us. These are the scores. She handed me a score sheet. I looked over it but I didn't know what they meant. We've had Pony write down everything he has read as well. Here is his list of books. As you can see he reads at a very advanced level."

"He likes to read, he doesn't get out to much except to see a movie or something."

Mrs. Nelson just smiled. "It's getting harder to get young boys to read. As you know Pony is on top of his class. Seventh grade work just seems to not challenge him anymore. His grades are not only straight A's but straight hundreds."

"So, what is there to do? Can't you put him in a special program or a more challenging level?"

"I'm just getting to that. We think that Pony would be better off if he skipped eighth grade."

I jumped a little; I knew my baby brother was smart but not this smart. The brainy son of a gun. This was going to look great to colleges. Heck he could get a full academic scholarship. Do anything be anything he wants. He wasn't just a little greaser kid.

"Way to go kid."

"That's only if Pony wants to and you want him to."

"Yes, he'll go." I said.

"Pony, how do you feel about this?" Mrs. Nelson asked.

Pony looked at me. I smiled at him.

"It's not about what anyone else thinks, it what you think, you know if you are ready for high school."

"My friends are there. I want to go can I run track there?" Pony looked pretty psyched.

"You sure can, could you run something to the principal for me while I talk to your brother for a moment."

Pony nodded. For how smart the kid is he sure didn't talk much.

Once the door shut behind Pony, Mrs. Nelson turned to me. "High school is a big step especially for boys. They mature slower than girls. Pony is a smart and mature young man but in high school there are a lot more challenges he faces. Things like drugs, drinking sex and puberty for him."

I nodded. "His friends are older, he knows all about those things."

"Yes, but unfortunately his friends may not be making the right choice about things such as drinking do you want Pony to learn from them?"

I thought about Two-Bit and felt the blood rush out of my face. Good lord, Pony was probably filled with ideas about sex and drinking from him. Then there was Dally who grew up on the streets. I felt my stomach drop. Steve who taught him how to look up girls skirts not that Pony was into girls yet. Soda wasn't exactly innocent either.

"I suggest that you talk to him and educate him before he enters high school and reinforce it while he's in high school."

"You mean I need to give him the "talk"?" I asked.

She nodded. "It was nice seeing you again Darry."

"Thank you, it was nice seeing you too." I shook her hand and waited for Pony to come back. He was thrilled but he was dead tired. He nodded off a few times in the car. We got home, Soda was making dinner. I looked at Pony.

"Okay, I want you to sleep until dinner."

"I'm not tired." Pony snapped turning on the T.V.

"Pony you haven't slept, I don't want you to get sick and I can't afford to get sick when we can easily prevent it. So go lay down."

He turned up the sound like he couldn't hear me.

"I know you heard me. You nodded off in the car."

"I have homework."

"Come on Darry." Soda came out of the kitchen. "He says he's not tired why make him sleep. He's not a baby."

I shook my head. I really wished Soda hadn't done that. Pony's rebel thing was enough to handle and I didn't need Soda taking sides. They both needed to learn to obey me. Plus chances are Soda didn't really realize the risks for Pony not sleeping. It could take his toll on his body as well as school and other activities he did.

"Ponyboy, if I have to carry you to your room I will but you won't like the aftermath of me having to do that." I threatened.

"Can I stay out here?" Pony looked up at me pleading.

"Yeah, but I want you to sleep."

Pony nodded and lay down on the couch. I sat down in the chair and opened the news papers to see the job section. I needed a second job to make ends meet. I needed one fast. A few short minutes later; I heard Pony's soft rhythmic breathing. He was asleep.

I looked over at Soda. "Want to tell me now he wasn't tired?"

Soda stuck his tongue out at me. "You were right. What do you want a trophy?"

"Maybe." I got back to my search. I found something about being a bouncer and unloading trucks. I tore them both out. The pay was pretty decent. Soda called us for dinner. I walked over to Pony and shook him.

"Hey, Ponyboy dinner."

He groaned sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Not tired huh?"

Pony didn't sleep much that night either. I heard the screams and woke up almost immediately with Soda right behind me. I barged through the door and scooped up my baby brothers.

"Shh Pony's it's alright." I felt his arms tighten around my neck.

"Come on Pony. We'll go watch some TV and get your mind off it." Soda was rubbing circles in his back. "Go to bed, Darry you have work. I can survive school tomorrow."

I had to take his offer; I couldn't be sluggish at work tomorrow. "You okay Pony?"

He nodded. I left them and found them there the next morning. Soda had his arm around Pony's neck. I thought about calling them off school but I didn't I got them up started the day.

I was half way up the latter when my foreman yelled for me.

"Just one second" I hurried up and carried my bundle up the latter and gave it to one of the guys.

"What is it?"

"Phone, it's the police." He said.

I felt something inside me drop. Why would they be calling unless one of the boys got in a fight at school or maybe Pony got jumped?

"We have a Sodapop Curtis, you need to come down and pick him up. He was disturbing the peace down town today. Frightened a few old ladies when walking on his hands and performing a few other gymnastics. The old ladies say they were attempting to look up their skirts however the boys say other wise."

I nearly smacked myself. I taught him how to do all those stunts. Why wasn't he in school?

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I was delayed my foreman wasn't too please that I had to leave.

"It's coming out of your pay, I can't pay you for work you haven't done." He said

I nodded. "I know sir." I drove down to the police station. As I walked in another familiar face joined me. Mrs. Matthews looked how I felt, pissed."

"I can't believe these boys, skipping school and going down town to goof around."

The boys weren't going to be in any trouble but it was going on their records. He's lucky we didn't have money for him to get in trouble. Soda and Two-Bit how ever found this to be absolutely funny they were both snickering on the bench.

"Let's go Keith. You're going back to school." Mrs. Matthews said. That was it, I wondered if she realized that Two-Bit enjoyed school.

"You ain't getting off so easily." I told Soda.

Soda just grinned and jumped off the bench. "No trouble caused!"

"No trouble, I don't get paid because I had to come pick you up. You skipped school, and this is going on your record, one that the state checks. Where do you see the no trouble? Huh Sodapop?" I yelled once we were in the car again. "Why weren't you in school?"

"Two-Bit was skipping and I was kind of tired so I figured I would too." He said timidly.

"But not to tired to turn back flips and walk on your hand and scare old ladies?"

"Well I had three sodas by then!" Soda grinned. "I landed my double hand spring."

I turned my head and smiled before turning my face back to the road. How the heck did our parent's ever punish this one? I sighed angrily.

"You aren't that mad, are you Dare? I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble? It was more Two-Bit who scared the old ladies. I won't skip again either." Soda's smiled faded as he looked at his shoes with a sorrowful expression. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Yes, I'm that mad." No wonder they couldn't punish him. If he grinned he had you hooked. If he didn't have that smile he had you feeling sorry for him. This kid had it made people instantly wrapped around his finger. "You're grounded for a week to the house. No where but school and back. And for the rest of the day, you're in your room." Don't look at him. I told myself.

Soda sunk into his seat. "Alright." He said sadly.

My next surprise was on the porch chair. Tommy Brady, I hadn't talked to any of my friends since my parents died. I didn't' have time to go out and party. I walked up to the porch with my kid brother behind me.

"Hey Tom." I said.

"Hey Darry, what's going on Soda." He replied.

"Room Sodapop" I ordered. Soda went inside. I turned back to Tommy who was laughing.

"Damn, drill sergeant lighten up."

"How do you expect me to do that?" I asked.

Tommy shook his head. "You need to get out man; you look like hell hit you."

"Incase you haven't noticed, in many ways it did."

"Look, Dare there, is a party tonight; Lana is having it remember her?"

I smiled at that memory. "Yeah, I do but I can't go I have work tonight."

"I thought you roofed until three."

"I have another job unloading trucks."

"Two, jobs you know what they say about all work and no play."

I shook my head. "I don't have time to play anymore, girls, football, and school and certainly parties are down the drain. I have priorities now, obligations. Two kid brothers who have no one."

"It's only one night Darry, They aint babies they don't need a baby sitter for a few hours. Come on. Where's the Darry we used to know." He playfully punched me in the shoulder.

"Yeah, Tommy they do, Pony wakes up screaming with nightmares every night. Soda needs help with homework. I have two jobs and I have to raise my family, where is there time? I have social services breathing down my neck. I have bills to pay, my life isn't what it' was nearly two weeks ago. It changed and it changed fast. I'm obligated to this life. In one moment everything changed."

Tommy sighed. "I'm sorry man. Give us ring if you get a night off. We are going skiing in December but that a while from now. I call you with details maybe you can get a night off. If you need anything you can give us a ring." He said jumping off the porch.

I turned to leave and something else caught my eye, Pony and Johnny standing at the mail box. "Get the mail, then get in here you have homework."

I turned to go get ready for my new job. I was putting on some different clothes when Soda came rushing in bouncing on my bed.

"Where you going?" He asked.

"I have a new job, unloading trucks."

"So you're going to be working even more, two jobs?" Soda asked sounding disappointed.

"Yup." I replied sliding a shirt over me head.

Soda sighed loudly. I looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"You're already never home."

I ruffled his hair. "I know little buddy, I'll be home at eight. Aren't you supposed to be in your room?"

"I got bored in there."

"I don't care, get in there."

"You're not going to know if I come out while you're gone anyways." Soda bounded off the bed with a big goofy grin. I shook my head knowing full well that as soon as he heard my truck leave he's be out.

I found out that everyday seemed to have a new challenge. Today was Saturday; we finished a house so I had some time to spare before going to my other one. I went home to get a change of clothes and maybe see what the guys were up too. Pony and Johnny were outside on the porch when I pulled up.

"Hey boys."

"Hi Darry." Johnny said nervously. He looked at Ponyboy with wide eyes.

"DARRY!" Pony jumped off the porch. I caught him in mid air. "Pony, how much soda did you have today?" I asked

"Can we play football?" He asked ignoring my question.

"Not today kiddo, I have to go to work in a couple of hours." I dropped Pony on the step and attempted to go in the house. Pony threw his arms around my waist. Something was going on.

"Don't you want to stay with me and Johnny?"

"No, I want to change my clothes and sleep." I looked at Pony the dark rings were back from his nightmares. "I suggest you do the same."

"It's nice out!" He said.

"Alright Ponyboy Michel what's going on?"