"I've never been to this place before." Pony said pushing his coke back and fourth in his hands. "Who's Buddy Holly?"

"He helped shaped Rock N Roll; he died when you were like four." I looked above our booth at his picture surrounded by a few records.

"Wow!"

"What?"

"See that kid in the booth across from Dean Martin."

I nodded. "His brother got arrested for pot. He's in Soda's grade; looks like Mike took it up too.

I studied the kid for a minute. Yeah he defiantly looked like he was stoned.

"Wait a minute, Ponyboy how do you know what being stoned is?"

Pony gave me an incredulous look. "Who doesn't?"

"You better not be doing drugs!"

"I'm not!"

"But I know who is. I'm not ignorant."

I rolled my eyes. "Well then you stay away from who ever is doing it. Drug will mess you up not to mention I'd skin you if I ever found out."

"They stunt your growth; I don't want to be this small forever. Darry do you think I'll be as tall as you are? Two-Bit's mom said I was going to be."

I smiled. "Maybe got to eat your vegetables."

Pony furrowed his eyebrows. "I'd rather be short."

I nodded. "Well that's fine by me runt."

"You're going to have to stop calling me that when I get bigger than you!"

"You know what else is bad for growing?"

"What?" He questioned.

"Alcohol. That's why Two-Bit isn't very tall."

"Dally's tall he drinks and he's pretty tall."

"Let me guess. You two must be Soda's brothers." A little blonde hair blue eyed server said as she pulled out her pen.

I gave a nod. "I'm Sandy's older sister Cindy. He looks exactly like Soda." She nodded to Pony. Who was now beaming at the compliment? Cindy took our older; she reminded me nothing of Sandy.

"She's right when you go to high school you're going to be fighting girls off with a stick." I told him.

Pony shook his head. "I don't like them."

I gave a laugh. "Give it a few years little man. You'll be exactly like Soda; Steve, Two-Bit and Dally."

Pony shook his head. "No I won't! Two-Bit told me all about girls. And I've had enough of Dally's stories about bucks."

I had to stop myself from rolling on the floor laughing. The kid's ears were redder than fire.

"Girl's are weird too."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Remember Leslie?" He asked.

I remember Leslie, the girl who said my parents were going to hell. I gave a nod.

"Her and her friends are always pointing at me and giggling and then one second she's nice to me the next she's hitting me or throwing something."

I laughed I couldn't help it. "She likes you Ponyboy."

Pony looked at me like he was about to knock my head off. "Well I don't like her."

I threw my head back and laughed harder. This was just too amusing for me.

"She's not even pretty." He continued. I stopped laughing, not pretty is still judging.

"So who is pretty to you?"

"I don't know someone who has common sense and no make up." He said. "Besides you told me when I turned thirteen I wasn't allowed dating until I was twenty one."

"Ponyboy, you know all about sex, right?" I asked.

Pony looked up at my horrified. "Darry, Two-Bit taught me all about greaser girls and nice girls, and what's they want. I don't want to hear it again." He drew his legs up to his chest causing him to appear younger and smelled.

"Pony, high school is a whole new world. You're going to go in there and everyone is going to seem bigger than you. You're face is going to do weird things at one point your features may not fit your face. You're voice is going to do weird things; you're going to shoot up over night and wake up with hair in places it wasn't before. You're head, heart and hormones aren't always going to agree on things. It's going to be hard; you need to understand about this before it happens." I rubbed my temples avoiding eye contacts but staring straight at him.

"I know I learned all about it in school and watched the gang go through it all." He swayed back and forth.

"Yeah; it's not as easy as you think, you're going to want to talk to someone when it happens. You have to make sure who you talk to is going to listen and give you decent advice." I said.

Pony shrugged. "I'll talk to Soda if I need someone to talk to he listens and gives good advice."

That killed; I jolted foreword a little bit like I had been stabbed. I slowly let air out of my mouth. Whether he meant to hurt me or not, I hated it when he went to Soda and not me. I tossed down my fry. "You have any questions."

"Nope, and when I do I'll ask." He informed me.

I picked up the check. Yeah, he'll ask Soda. "Let's go then, it's a school night."

Pony fell asleep in the car giving me all the time I needed to think about him saying. "I'll talk to Soda." I hated the fact that sometimes I couldn't be a big brother and a guardian at the same time. I also just didn't get this kid. One-fourth the time I felt like I was talking to my baby brother, the rest it was this rebel teenager; who couldn't care less about my efforts to protect him. I ran my fingers over his hair. There was also that deep, hurt side of him who didn't let anyone know what he was thinking about. That's what scared me the most.

The guy behind me got pretty pist off; he was laying on his horn now giving me one angry gesture and I could tell by his facial expression he wanted me to move. I pressed the gas giving the guy what he wanted. I waved an "I'm sorry wave" which he responded my giving me a one fingered wave. Pulling into the driveway I could tell no one was home, there was no noise or lights on in the house. I pulled my baby brother from the car carrying him inside. I tossed him on the bed and pulled out some sweats. I sat him up attempting to switch shirts with out waking him up.

"Darry?" He called still half-sleeping.

"Yeah?" I pulled off the first shit and put his arms in the new one.

"How many vegetables did you eat?" He asked.

I grinned. "As much as mom put on my plate. You want to be tall don't you?"

"Mmhmm, like you." He answered falling back on his pillow.

Lovely I thought, he wants to be like Soda in everyway except muscles and height then he wants to be like me. All brawn no brain. I studied myself in the mirror for a second. I felt like I had aged about thirty years and I needed a haircut that I would give myself tomorrow.

"You need to be more like Darry." It was Soda speaking from the other room.

I snuck up on Soda. "What do you need to be more like Darry for?"

Soda turned around reveling a beautiful purple and blue mark around his left eye. "I need better whit."

"I see and how'd you get that."

"I failed at having whit, and instead said something stupid." He grinned at me.

I shook my head trying hard not to grin back. "Go put something on it little buddy."

I followed my brother into the kitchen sitting across from him.

"Darry, I wish I was more like you." Soda admitted holding a bag of frozen peas on his eyes. "You know how to talk to people."

"You know how to talk to girls." I pointed out.

"I know how to flirt." Soda leaned his head on my shoulder.

"What happened little buddy?" I didn't get an answer just Soda burring his head down deeper into my neck; not really caring about the fact the Dally and Two-Bit we in the next room and could clearly see us. I gently rubbed the back of his hair.

"Sodapop Patrick." The threatening voice of his full name usually got his attention. I kissed the top of his hair. "Who hit you and why?"

"Tim Sheppard you know he pops up when Dally's around." He pulled his face up and looked at me in the face. He must have figured out my yeaning to walk down the street bang on the Sheppard door because he said quickly. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"I'm going to kill the bastard." I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Now before pounding Tim, moron here." Dally slapped Soda on the back of the head in any way but friendly.

"Take it easy Dally. I don't need him unconscious too."

"He had to run his mouth. I pulled him off of Soda before he could get a second punch in and beat the hell out of him." He turned around into the fridge. "You guys really ought to keep beer here." I could see a bruised jaw.

"Looks like he got a good punch on you." I said.

Dally's hand shot up to his face. "What this? It's from a pool game we had a little while back."

I shook my head; Dally and Tim had the weirdest friendship alive one minute they on each other's side the next they were beating the hell out of each other.

Dally popped open a Pepsi. "You're lucky; he's still sore and has bad aim. He would have knocked you're teeth out. So don't run you're mouth to him again he isn't one to find your antics cute."

Soda grinned. "Gee Dal, didn't know you found me cute."

If I could explain Dally's look it was like a hungry lion about to attack. Soda ducked back into my shoulder. I put my hand on the back of his head to block Dally from hitting him. I looked up at it with and equal don't you dare look and he turned right around and headed into the living room.

"Thanks Darry!" Soda grinned up at me.

I shook my head trying hard not to smile but even that was too hard. "Stay clear of Tim for the rest of your life! You hear me?"

He waved at me while running into the living room. I put my head on my hands. Good lord what I going to do about that one.