Soda rushed out to help them up. I could feel my anger boiling over out of all the stupid things there is to do. Pony and Johnny would get drunk. They seemed to be sobering up a lot quicker. I could hear Steve laughing behind me.

"I don't find it funny." I snapped and he shut is trap.

Pony rushed to the bathroom with Soda by his side. I could hear him getting sick, serves him right. I motioned for Johnny to sit on the couch and went to get a rag and a glass for Ponyboy.

"How much did you drink?" I asked.

"Three." Pony said. He leaned over and puked again. I wanted to laugh inside even if it wasn't funny. Three beers and the kid is trashed.

I shook my head and threw the rag at him. "What on earth were you thinking?"

Pony sort of shrugged. "We wanted to try it everyone else does it."

"I don't, do you see Soda drinking ever and if everyone else tried jumping off a cliff would you?"

"No" He answered timidly.

I shook my head. "Underage drinking Pony, you guys walked around town too. What if the fuzz would have picked you up? I ought to bust you for this." IDIOT! I could have slammed my head into the wall right now. I had Johnny in the next room and I'm hollerin' about busting my brother up. I shook my head.

"Two weeks. To school and back you're not leaving this house for anything else no TV either. Get in your room; we're going to talk more about this in the morning." I was still yelling.

Soda pushed him out the door and lead him down the hall; I shook my head. What was this kid thinking? I calmed myself down way down before going out to talk to Johnny. Lord knows that kid doesn't need to be yelled at anymore.

Johnny looked at me like he was bracing himself, like I'd start screaming and pounding him any minute. He fell back in to the couch a little more mumbling something so quite I couldn't hear him. He was shaking too; I put my hand on his shoulder.

"What was that Johnny?"

"My fault, the beer came from my house." He mumbled.

"Well at least you didn't lift it from any store." I sighed. "Why Johnny with your family and all, why?"

Johnny shrugged. I wasn't expecting a reason why so I was surprised when he said. "We were curios and all because Two-Bit and Dally; Dally has lots of fun tonight. Everyone is out on dates so we figured why not. You going to tell my parents?" he asked nervously.

I shook my head. "How much is left?" I asked.

Johnny shrugged. "We just started not that long ago. It didn't take long."

I grabbed a bottle opener from the kitchen along with the trash can. "Come on." I nodded for him to pick up the bag. Johnny followed me to the porch. I open a beer and handed it to him.

"Drink it?" He questioned.

"Dump it. Over the railing." I answered and he obeyed until the bag was completely emptied. "Johnny, you're a little older than Ponyboy meaning he looks up to you. I don't let him go out and party with Dally or Two-Bit unless Soda is around because I know he looks up to Soda and Soda sets a good example. You're older he looks up to you."

That caught Johnny's attention that someone might actually look to him.

"I can't let my kid brother buddy around with someone who won't be a good influence on him remember that." I said. "Get some sleep you're going to feel like hell hit you tomorrow."

"Thanks Darry." Johnny said before I left him alone in the living room.

I nodded and hoped they were ready for tomorrow. Which you can bet you they weren't; Pony was grumpy after sitting them both down for a little talk Johnny left. Pony's real lecture came after that. I got sick of his attitude and just sent him to bed for the rest of the day. Thirteen and he already had that attitude I'd hate to see him at Soda's age.

I sighed as a paid the last bill money was tight really tight. It had been two long weeks of Pony's grounding most of which I was given the silent treatment or he was busy with track and school and me jobs and bills. I decided to let him out Saturday and the gang celebrated Dally coming out of prison and we took bets to see how long it would be before he was back in. It was Sunday and Pony and Johnny and been outside with water guns almost all day. I heard a stream of curses followed by Pony's laughed and leaned back to look out the window.

Damn, he is a little runt, I thought looking at how small Pony was. I was hoping he would grow more over the summer before he went to high school. Right now he seemed to be winning the war how ever. I guess it was good he could fight real good in rumbled and hold his own. Soda and the gang would look out for him too while he was in high school. Plus there isn't much trouble he would get into school was well school. Plus if all else failed he could run like the wind at least he had that going for him.

Pony had a lot going for him. He had brains that would let him go anywhere if he could some how muster up the sense to go with them. I watched them play war I think it is, outside. I wished more than anything I could be out there with them, that I could be a kid again and laugh like that. Pony still had his innocence too; he could still be a kid. I might pressure him about school and using his head but I wasn't going to take being a kid away from him, him or Soda. I glanced up at the clock nine thirty but I was going to ruin their fun right now.

I walked outside it was warm summer was going to be a hot one. I could feel it. "Ponyboy is your homework finished?"

"Yeah," He screamed after getting hit in the face with water by Johnny who was ducked behind and old sheet that was pinned on the clothes line.

"Alright, you need to get ready for bed you have school tomorrow." I said.

"Now?"

"Yes now. It's nine thirty"

"I got to go home. See you later Pony." Johnny said taking off running down the street.

I sat down with my book the Carpetbaggers. I hardly had time to read but this was a good book. I looked up when I heard sneezing coming from Pony's room.

Oh shit, he can't be getting sick. I knew it would happen at one point But dealing with a sick boy was a Mom's job. I remember Dad stayed home when I had the chicken pox once. It was never the same again. Plus I wasn't sure how exactly you do the whole sick thing.

"Ponyboy do you feel alright?"

"Yeah, why?" He hollered from his bed room.

"Then why are you sneezing?"

"There are a lot of reasons!"

I rolled my eyes. "Come out here!"

"Why, I'm fine." He approached my chair and eyed my book. "You worry too much."

I put my hand on his forehead relieved to find no fever.

"The Carpetbaggers?" Pony questioned.

"Yeah and you can borrow any book of mine you want except this one. There are too many adult situations. Got it!" I really didn't want him to read it, it wasn't like he was a normal kid, and Pony might actually understand what's going on.

Pony just rolled his eyes. "Good night, Darrel."

I smirked I remember doing that to Dad hoping it would get on his nerves. "Good night runt." I shot back, he despised being called that.

Soda came rolling shortly after that. He came home actually a half hour before he was supposed to.

"Strike out little buddy?" I asked as he collapsed on the couch.

When I didn't get an answer I looked over at him. "Soda?" He was fast asleep on the couch. I didn't think much of it and just covered him up before heading to bed myself.

"Darry, it's freezing in here!" Soda shivered he struggled to get his shoe on.

He had to be crazy then again he wasn't acting much like himself either.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah." Soda coughed.

Oh lord, I pressed my hand against his forehead and then on his cheeks. He had a fever alright.

Now I'm debating whether or not to make Soda just have the common cold or something along those lines or have he get something crazy like the chicken pox, what do you think?