What Happens On The Playground
Summary: 10 year old Darry has to take 4 year old Pony to the park,since his mom's taking care of 6 year old Soda, who is sick. When Darry is playing football with Paul, and doesn't watch what Pony is doing, what will happen?
Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E Hinton
" But why do I have to take him with me? Can't he stay home with you?
10 year old Darry complained. His mother, Donna,sighed and set the anti-itch cream she was carrying for Soda down. She had just told him that he would have to take Pony with him to the park.
" If Dad was home,Pony could stay home, but since Dad is working and Soda is sick, You have to take him with you." She picked up the medicine and went over to Pony, who was reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book not even most of the older greasers have heard yet even though it had only been released four years earlier.
" Pony?" " Yes Momma?" Pony set the book aside. For only being four and constantly getting lost in his daydreams, he was pretty far into the book at page 235 out of 277 pages.
"Will you to go to the park with Darry today, even though you want to finish that book?" Donna smiled at her auburn- haired son." Why do I nweed to go?" He looked confused as it wasn't very common that Donna needed him to leave home without her or Darryl.
Donna sat on the seat next to him and sighed again before speaking. "Do you remember what James had in daycare that one day?" Pony nodded. "Somehow Soda caught it and I don't want you to catch it. Do you understand now?" She walked over to the table to grab the medicine.
" Mooooooooommmmmyyyyyyy! I'm itchy! Really baddd!
Soda screamed. " Don't itch it Soda! Pony, you can't take the book with you. I want you to get some fresh air. Darry, don't forget to watch him closely." Donna headed up to the boys's room, where Soda was quarantined in.
"Come on, Pony. I'm already late for meeting Paul and the others." Darry pulled Pony off the couch and out the front door. He didn't know what Paul would think about having Pony tag along.
About twenty minutes later, Darry with Pony in tow arrived at the park. He spotted Paul almost immediately. " Pony, go play in the sandbox or somethin. I don't really want you to be around me when I'm playing football. Number one, It's dangerous for you. And number two, I don't think any of them wanted you to be here anyway." Darry told his little brother before walking over to Paul.
" Hey Paul." Darry high-fived his best friend. Paul returned the high- five and then hissed, " Why is the little rugrat here? I thought you could leave him at home." He pointed over to the area where Pony was playing.
"Sorry, my mom made me. If my Dad wasn't at work, I would have left him at home. But Soda's sick with chicken pox and Mom didn't want Pony to catch it, so here he is. Thankfully, I told him you didn't want him around, which is true, and he'll be playing nearby but still far away." Darry grabbed the football from the ground. " So where is Terry, Martin,Raymond, and Dale?"
Paul tugged at his jacket."They'll be here sooner or later." Moments later the four boys arrived.
" Dale and Terry are on your team and Raymond and Martin are on mine." Paul reported before getting ready to play. " Hold on. Have to check on my Baby brother." Darry rolled his eyes while speaking.
Pony was on the swings, well on the only one that wasn't broken, and seemed to being enjoying it. " I flying! I flying!" He laughed pushing and pulling his legs to go higher each time. " Good Pony. Now stay there." Darry told him firmly.
But as Darry and his friends got into a friendly game of football, Pony had stopped swinging. It simply became boring after Darry told him to stay there. Pony looked to his right and saw the most hugest thing ever for a four year old to conquer-The monkey bars.
I'm gonna conquer it.I know I will. Pony thought making his way over to them. He tried to get above the monkey bars several times until he finally managed to swing his feet in between two of the bars and stood on top of them.
" Darry! Look, Look! I climb up here all by myself!" Darry heard Pony yell proudly. Darry, who almost had a touchdown but was tackled, rolled his eyes. "Get down from there!" He yelled back.
"No!" Pony yelled. He just conquered the monkey- bars, a thing most four-year-olds hadn't yet, and wanted to enjoy it . But all good things come to an end, and for Pony it was going to come sooner rather than later.
" One... Two... Three... Hike!" Darry was handed the football by Terry and was about to score a touchdown when he heard a scream. " OWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" It sounded near yet so far. " What was that?" Paul looked around. All the other boys shrugged.
" Hey, any of you have a young reddish- brown haired kid brother? If you do, he just fell off the Monkey-bars." A male teenager with golden blonde hair. asked all of the boys. " Oh God! Ponyboy!" Darry rushed over to the monkey bars. "That's his name?" The greaser asked. "Unfortunately,yes!" Paul smirked.
" Ponyboy, I am really sorry. I really a-" Darry stopped abruptly when he saw Pony's right arm. It was twisted,bent at an unforgettable angle, and Pony hissed even when he was moved slightly, which meant it was defiantly broken. " I wanna go home." Pony cried quietly. " I know Baby. I know." Darry lifted up his little brother. He carried him over to his friends.
" Your little brother broke his arm falling off the monkey-bars. Nice. Just nice." Paul started laughing so hard he started to choke. " Not funny, Dude." Terry crossed his arms. " Not funny at all. Dale, go get my Dad since he's at your house fixing the roof." Darry sat down rocked his little brother, whose crying became louder by the minute.
Ten minutes and half a lecture later, Darry, Pony, and Darryl were on the way to the hospital. " What were you thinking Darry? Your mom told you to watch him closely and what do you do, play football with your buddies and not watch him closely." Darryl turned a corner sharply. " I did watch him." Darry responded somewhat angerly. " It's not all his fault, Dada." Pony whimpered. " He did tell me to get off of there." Before they knew it, they reached the hospital.
While Pony was getting his cast on, Darryl asked Darry a important question in the waiting room. " Darry, did you really watch him? I honestly want to know." Darryl asked as he was pacing around the room. He wasn't the type of guy who would sit down and wait patiently.
Darry sighed. It was going to come out either way. "Somewhat." Darryl frowned. " I know you were planning to play football with your friends, but couldn't you have involved him in someway? I mean he does run quite fast. I bet he could win the game for you." Darry laughed. " Okay Dad. Sometimes I really just want to hang with my friends alone from my two brothers." Darryl nodded understandably. He had three brothers of his own, and having friends over, especially girls, was not easy to mange.
"Then in the dream, I rode a pony all the way to the state fair- Hi Daddy!, Hi Dawwy!" Pony rushed out of the children's section of the hospital and jumped into Darryl's lap carefully protecting his lime green cast. " Boy,your son has quite interesting dreams, Mr. Curtis." The young brunette nurse that was escorting Pony out said. " Yes,he does. He also quite likes telling other people about it." Darryl handed the nurse a form all filled out. She took it and left. " Well boys, It's time to get home. Mom already sounds stressed with Soda, and wait till she sees Pony." He picked up Pony, and took Darry by the arm out of the hospital.
" Pony?" Darry nevieosly asked. " Yes?" " Are you mad?" " No,why would I? I now have something to doodle on!" Pony smiled widely.
Both Darryl and Darry laughed. Sometimes bad things turn out to be okay. But memories, like diamonds, are forever. Especially when things happen on the playground.
Author's note: So what did you think of this story? Good? Bad? Also, Thanks to the anonymous reviewer who left a review on one of my stories. The suggestions and corrections were helpful. I enjoyed writing this story, so please review.