"Curtis, I see you've gone full time, " Mrs. Jones, the head bookkeeper stated. Her eyebrows went up as if to ask why.
"Yes, " Darry explained. "My parents died in a car accident. I'm taking care of my brothers now."
"Mmmm. They're teenagers now, right?"
"Yeah."
An evil chuckle escaped her lips as she wheeled around and went back to what she was typing.
This scene played back in his mind as Darry woke up to an unusual light coming through the window.
What the, he thought. Oh yeah, it's the afternoon. When was the last time I woke up in the afternoon?
He rolled over and almost jumped out of bed.
Ponyboy was sitting at his desk chair, holding his knees to his chest, his chin on top, staring at Darry.
"Jeez, Ponyboy, nearly scared me to death, " Darry said as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes.
"Sorry."
Darry noticed the house was quiet. Too quiet.
"Where is everybody?"
"The neighbors' kids stopped by and told us their mom took Johnny to the hospital." Ponyboy said biting his nails. "They said he was in bad shape when they found him in the park. Thought he lived here so they came here to tell us."
"Better off, " Darry said as he sat up. "If they tried to call his parents they'd probably still be trying."
"So that's where everybody went. " Ponyboy sighed as Darry got up and walked to his dresser, pulling out his clothes for the day, whatever was left of it. "We let you sleep because Soda said you didn't get any at all last night. Especially after you hit me. He was telling me you felt really bad about it."
"Yeah, Ponyboy, about that…"
Ponyboy looked up expectantly.
"I'm real sorry. I know, sorry probably doesn't begin to cover it.."
"You hit me. No one in our family ever hit me!"
"I know." Darry winced running his hand through his hair, "I know. If I could take it back I would. I will never do it again. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to."
Ponyboy had a look on his face that, if Darry didn't know an better, he would think he was enjoying this.
"This is different, " Ponyboy smirked. "You're telling me you didn't mean to do something. "
"Yes, " Darry said looking away.
"Alright, Alright, " Ponyboy grinned. "I forgive you."
"Don't get too cocky, though." Darry looked at him and narrowed his eyes.
"Never, " Ponyboy responded with a wide-eyed innocent look that felt much more familiar to Darry.
"It's just, " Darry said as he put clothes on over the T-shirt and boxers he wore the night before. Day was more than half over anyway. "Johnny was jumped, pretty badly, not too long ago. You were jumped the night before. The last time, " he took a breath and swallowed as he looked at his baby brother, "The last time I stayed up waitin' for someone to come home Ponyboy, they didn't."
Ponyboy cast his eyes to the ground. He was talking about the night their parents died.
Then you come back and tell me you fell asleep in the lot! Idiot!
That's what Darry thought.
Was not what he said.
Discussion was over. On to something else. Besides, he had another question on his mind.
"How come you're not at the hospital with everybody?"
Ponyboy kept his eyes on the floor. He said nothing.
"Ponyboy?"
Ponyboy stood up and looked out the window.
"Johnny was found under some bushes in the park by a couple of little girls. One of them thought he was dead."
Darry nodded for him to go on.
"Steve kinda muttered something about how lucky I was."
"Mm-hmm" Darry nodded seeing where this was going. If there was a way to get under Ponyboy's skin, Steve always found it.
"So then, I'm thinking, Why was I so lucky?" he said as he continued to look out the window. "How come he could be in a coma in the hospital and I'm fine?"
"Ponyboy, it's not your fault he got jumped-"
"I was there!" He turned and met Darry's eyes, "I was with him! After I ran out last night I took him with me!"
"What are you saying?"
"Maybe he wasn't jumped by Soc's," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What?"
"Maybe Steve's onto something. Maybe I did something. It could have been me!"
"What?"
"I don't remember anything from last night. I can't say it didn't happen!"
Yep, there goes Ponyboy's imagination out of the gate, Darry thought. Kid reads way too much fiction. Time to reel him in.
"Alright, you can't say it did either, right?"
"Yeah, " he replied uncertainly as he placed his hand on his neck and winced.
"What's with your neck?" Darry asked.
"I dunno, it's kind of sore."
"Let's take a look, " Darry said wandering over to the window. He looked at Ponyboy's neck. He couldn't tell of there were bruises or just shadows from the light coming in the window.
"Can't see anything in here, " he griped. "Come on, let's take a look at you in the bathroom."
When they were in the bathroom, Darry flipped on the light. He made Ponyboy sit on the toilet seat below the vanity lights.
"Does anything else hurt? Stomach? Chest? Ribs?"
"No."
"Take your shirt off a second."
Ponyboy obeyed. Darry walked to his front. He squatted down so he was eye level.
Scar under the chin. That was from the night before.
Couple of bruises on his arm. Also probably from the night before. He looked back up at Ponyboy.
"Do you remember anything after you ran away last night?"
"After you hit me?"
Let's just kick that dead horse. "Yes."
"I ran to the lot to get Johnny. We walked over to the park. We were followed by a group of Soc's in a mustang. They got out of the car and went after us."
"Then what happened?"
Ponyboy looked like he was about to cry and shook his head.
"You don't remember?"
He raised his eyes and shook his head again.
Darry sighed and looked at the floor.
He remembered Ponyboy's last birthday. It was the first one without their parents. He had blown out the candles on his birthday cake when something flickered behind his eyes. It took about a minute before Soda could get his attention.
"You ok Ponyboy?"
He blinked and gave Soda a confused look.
"Where's mom and dad?"
"Pony?"
"Where's mom and dad?"
"They're…." Soda trailed off and looked at Darry.
Ponyboy looked back and forth between Darry and Soda. The rest of the gang was there but it looked like he didn't see them.
"They're gone Ponyboy." Darry said gently as he stepped toward Ponyboy. Ponyboy stepped back.
"No, " he said shaking his head. "NO!"
Everyone watched helplessly as he tore through the house. Opening every door to every room yelling for them. Soda caught him and tried to calm him down.
"Pony, Ponyboy, they're not here." He said as he stroked his hair and lowered him to the ground. It seemed to have the opposite effect as Ponyboy began to hyperventilate. Darry walked over and say by them. Ponyboy was unable to catch his breath and ultimately passed out.
Darry picked him up and carried him to bed.
Next morning, Ponyboy got up, remembered nothing, went to school.
Darry got up, remembered everything, picked up two six packs of beer after work.
Shaking his head as he brought himself back into the present, Darry stood up and walked behind Ponyboy. He took a look at the neck and shoulders and sucked in a breath.
There were two long bruises on each side of his neck, about the width of his finger. Looked like somebody tried to strangle him from the back.
He then saw a yellow liquid stream down his neck.
It was a glowing yellow liquid.
"See anything back there?"
Ah. How to answer this…
If he told Ponyboy what he really saw there would be two possible scenarios:
"Aah!"
Thud.
Ponyboy would pass out cold.
-or-
"Aah!"
Bang
And – he's off!
Ponyboy would zoom out of the house before Darry had a chance to blink. He would find him hours later. Jumped by Soc's. Again.
"Just a few nasty bruises. Should be gone in a few days."
He didn't lie. Just didn't tell him everything.
"Oh."
"Could retrace your steps from last night. Start at the park. End at that doctor's place."
"I guess," Ponyboy shrugged. "I don't even know where he is."
"Well," Darry said walking out of the bathroom toward his room as Ponyboy followed. He looked on his desk and found Dr. Sheldon's card. Complete with office address. He picked it up and flipped it over a couple of times between his fingers "Thanks to the kind doctor, now we do."