Darry's POV

Since I got off work early I decided to stop by the DX to try and catch Soda before he left. It took me a minute to find him, crouched behind a car doing something with the tire. He didn't see me at first either. The car looked like it belonged to a real tough Hood, so I decided to take a gamble. I kicked at the tire next to Soda and lowered my voice "Ain't you got my car done yet?"

Soda jumped up and spun to look at me. A slow grin spread over my face. I had gambled right.

"Oh, hey Darry." His voice was a little shaky. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you, when do you get off?"

"I just have to finish this real quick, and then tell Steve I'm done. Won't take me long."

I leaned back against the pump and watched as he finished what he was doing and ran inside to talk to Steve.

He came back out and we headed home. Before I had a chance to say anything he piped up "You look pretty beat. Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

I couldn't help chuckling a little. Soda was definitely a wise-crack and like to keep things on the light side, but he was very observant. If something was going on with me or Ponyboy, he'd be the first to notice and try to help.

"I didn't get much sleep last night. I was kind of worried about Ponyboy." After I had confronted Pony, he'd spent the rest of the evening in his room, and I had left for work before he or Soda woke up this morning.

"I was wondering if you got to talk to him this last night or this morning?" I studied Soda's face as he responded

"No. He was asleep by the time I got to bed last night, and…" He squinted his eyes and I could tell he was trying to come up with the right words. "He didn't want to talk today. Something's really got him preoccupied. I'm gonna try and talk to him tonight."

I hoped he could. I really wanted to know what was bothering Ponyboy, but I never could get him to tell me much. He used to tell me things, but never as much as he told Sodapop.

Soda was as worried as I was, but he had us both in stitches by the time we got home. When we entered the house though, we both froze instantly. Pony was carrying two large suitcases into the living room.

What was that boy thinking now? "Ponyboy Curtis, what are you doing?" Soda put his hand on my shoulder and I realized my words had come out pretty forcefully.

His, on the other hand, were light and joking. "What's with the suitcases Ponyboy? Did you decide you didn't like sharing a room with me after all?"

Pony's answer was a mumbled "Aunt Rachel's coming to pick me up."

I shot Soda an inquisitive glance. Had I heard right? Aunt Rachel was…. "What are you talking about Pony?"

"I'm staying with Rachel for a while." This time his voice was more daring. Like, he had made a decision and we weren't going to change it.

Soda was completely perplexed and evidently at a temporary loss for words so I spoke up again. "Why? Why would you want to go live with her?"

"Because I have to."

"You don't have…."

I was interrupted by Rachel bustling in "Hurry up Ponyboy, we don't have much time."

You don't have much manners either I thought angrily. Weren't rich people supposed to be couth and polite? Well we would be, even if they weren't. "I'm really sorry Rachel, but there must be some mistake, Ponyboy's not going with you."

"Oh come now Darryl, I assure you there's been no mistake, has there Ponyboy?"

Pony didn't look at her, just bit his lip and shrugged.

"There now, you see Darryl? He is coming with me. Are those the only suitcases you have Ponyboy? Are there more in your room? Did you get all your school books?"

My frustration was growing. What on earth did Pony think he was doing? I couldn't just let him walk out of here with her, not my kid brother. But I had no idea how to stop him, short of physically restraining him. And why on earth was Sodapop just standing there? Why wasn't he helping me?

"Then we're off. Darryl, you and Sodapop can come see him sometimes," And with that she was out the door and headed for her car.

Now just a minute Darrel Shayne Curtis Jr. You're not really going to let her just prance in here all high and mighty and whisk off with your baby brother are you? I shook my head in defiance. No way was I going to do that. As Ponyboy walked passed me I reached over and grabbed one of the suitcases. "I think we need to talk Pony."

He jerked away. "I have to go."

"Why?"

"I just have to." He spoke through clinched teeth.

What was happening must have finally sunk in to Soda. He broke out of his daze and sprinted down the steps after Ponyboy.

Now it was my turn to stand still. If anyone was going to be able to talk Pony out of this ridiculous notion, it would be Sodapop.

Pony's hands were shoved into his pockets and his eyes focused on his shoes. Soda was talking to him in a low voice so I couldn't hear what he was saying. Pony kept shaking his head and refused to look up. Soda's face was becoming more and more depressed with each shake.

Rachel blasted the horn on her car. If she had been anyone other than Dad's sister, I would have planted my fist on her face - woman or not. She had no right to come over here, void of any resemblance of politeness, and take off with my brother.

I caught Soda's last plea, "Don't. We love you Pony." And even though I was still on the porch, I could see tears forming in his eyes.

"I HAVE to." Was all Pony responded as he stiffened coldly and hoped into the backseat of Rachel's car.

As Rachel pulled off, I noticed Katelyn and Dally standing in our yard and wondered how long they had been there.

Katelyn spoke up first, "What's he doing?"

I breathed in deeply as I stepped off the porch. Did I really know what he was doing? "Uh, I'm not real sure."

Katelyn continued on. "Why did he have suitcases? He's not staying with her is he? There's no way Pony would stay with a Soc." With that she spit on the ground where Rachel's car had been.

Dally lit up a cigarette. "Filthy little traitor."

That wasn't real smart to say but then, Dallas Winston usually spoke his mind whether it was smart or not. Soda sprang forward and blackened Dally's eye before I caught him.

"I think you better leave now." I said, while Dally was still a little stunned. He didn't normally back down from a fight but Katelyn was tugging on his arm and Soda and I were both in pretty dangerous moods.

I pulled Soda back into the house.

"WHAT'S GOING ON DARRY? WHY IS HE GOING WITH RACHEL? WHAT HAPPENED? HE CAN'T JUST GO! WHY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH US?"

Soda was screaming aloud what my mind screamed silently. How had we just allowed our baby brother to get into a car with a rotten, no-good Soc and drive off. What kind of brothers were we?

"I HATE you Rachel!" He grabbed the chair nearest to him and flung it over. Then he turned and slammed his fist into the wall. I wasn't sure if I had ever seen him so angry. "HE'S NOT A TRAITOR DARRY!" He pounded the wall again and then crumbled. The tears he'd been trying to hold back streamed down his face.

Outwardly I was standing silently, but inwardly I was as much of a mess as Sodapop. I felt like I was exploding. After all, I was only 20. I couldn't do this. I couldn't handle all this responsibility.

"Darry." Soda's voice was so soft I almost didn't hear.

He looked up at me with eyes filled with confusion and sorrow and need. Everything that I felt. "Yeah Little Buddy?"

"I need him, Darry." His voice became even softer. "I need you."

"I need you. I need you." Echoed over in my mind and filled me with new strength and resolve. I slid down and wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

"I need you too Pepsi Cola…you AND Pony."

Neither of us spoke for a while. What was there to say? Everything had happened so fast and I still had no idea why it had happened. But I did know one thing, and Soda needed to know it too.

"Pony's going to come back Soda." I turned his face to look at me. "And everything's going to be ok. Maybe he just needs some time to figure things out." I was talking to myself as much as I was to him. Everything HAD to be ok.

"Now come on, I'm hungry and supper's not going to fix itself."