Ok, this is the chapter I've been looking forward most to...Soda getting drunk on just plain living and the consequences. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I'll alert you if I start to own anything.

~Rosey

Fourth Hour: Auto-Mechanics

Soda grinned as he walked into auto-mechanics. The only other class he was passing besides gym. But when he saw a lesson written on the board about the engine of a car, he groaned. Was the world against him today or something? He flopped into his chair and grabbed a wrench, hoping to find some amusement in it. Steve walked in and sat by Soda, both greasers complaining to each other that it was a lesson day.

Mr. Dawson came in, addressing the class. "Hello, everybody. As you all can tell today is a lesson day so pay attention. Today we're learning about the engine-"

Soda quit paying attention within a second, and the teacher's voice became a low buzz in his ears. He turned the wrench over and over in his hands, watching it glint in the fluorescent lighting. Suddenly he got a bright idea.

"Psst! Psst Steve!" he whispered.

"Yeah?" Steve replied in a low voice.

"I'm gonna see how hard I have to hit myself in the head with a wrench to knock myself out!" he beamed.

"Soda, I don't think that's such a good idea-"

Thump!

"Never mind."

"What happened?" Mr. Dawson ran over to where Soda now lay unconscious on the floor, a good-sized bruise forming on his forehead.

"Well, you were being boring so he hit himself in the head with a wrench to put himself out of the misery."

"Somebody call the nurse," Mr. Dawson demanded, mild hurt on his face and also more than slight amusement.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Soda blinked awake, his head pounding. "So that's how hard I can hit myself in the head with a wrench," he mused in his mild delirium. He glanced around himself and realized he was in the nurse's office laying on the cot-thingy with something cold on his head. It was then he realized exactly how dumb it was to hit himself in the head with a wrench.

Suddenly, Nurse Sally walked in, and smiled when she saw Soda was awake. "Well, look who decided to wake up," she beamed, patting his hand. "How do you feel, sweetie?"

"Stupid," Soda replied, trying to decide which of the three Nurse Sallys he saw before him he was addressing.

"Well you can stay in here until you feel up to going back to class. Fifth hour starts in fifteen minutes. Think you'll be okay by then?" she asked with a slight laugh at his previous answer.

"If I stop seeing three of you, yes ma'am," he nodded, but that hurt so he resorted to communicating verbally only.

"Would you like me to call your parents?" she asked gently.

"Nope. They told me to stop hurting myself out of bordeom. They won't approve of this little episode," he sighed.

"Don't you have a little brother who goes here?"

"Ponyboy, yup. And my older brother Darry graduated a few years ago. He's going to college soon," Soda explained.

"So you're name is Sodapop, your younger brother is Ponyboy, but your older brother is just Darry?" she raised an eye-brow.

"Yup. My parents must have known he'd be the boring one in the family," he smirked. What a great brother.

Hehehehehe that was my fave so far! And thanks to Dozer for correcting some of my word-choice in this chapter! Well now all I can say is

-REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

~Rosey