Chapter Six

Pony POV

Summer started, and I didn't know what to do. It was my first summer without my best friend. I didn't realize it at the time, but school'd been a pretty good distraction.

Two-bit was around, but he went and saw his sister twice a week.

"Hey, kid."

I gripped the phone tighter.

"Hey, Two-bit. How are you?"

Silence.

"Two-bit?"

"I can't stand this, Ponyboy..."

I sat down in Darry's chair, feeling awful for my friend.

"It's bad?"

"It's getting worse. And this stupid treatment doesn't do anything but make her sick."

He sighs.

"It's helping some people here, but not everybody. They said they're not seeing much improvement in Karen."

"I'm sorry, Two-bit."

The second I say it, I feel like an ass. Two-bit catches my silence.

"Don't feel bad, kid. No one knows what to say. Not even Ma. I'll be back today sometime. I'll see you, then."

And with that, he hangs up. I decide to go down to the DX and tell Soda and Steve. Steve swears under his breath.

"It's not getting any better?"

"No."

I'd done some research on this new treatment at the library. It's been a around a while, but it's still in its experimental stages.

"Said it's helping some people and not others. I guess Karen's not responding to it."

"What do you know about this treatment, kid?"

Steve's not stupid. He knows I've probably looked up on this.

"That it can make you sick. And I think it's making Karen."

"How can something that's suppose to help make you sick?"

"It's strong. They're using chemicals to try to kill the cancer cells. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Soda looks sick. I hop off the stool I had been on.

"I'm gonna head home. When's your shift end?"

"I only have 20 more minutes."

When I get home, I lay down on the couch, drained from everything. I can't imagine what Two-bit's going through.

"Kid, wake up."

I wake with a jolt.

"Two-bit?"

I sit up and rub my eyes.

"What time is it?"

Soda walks out of the kitchen.

"Around 5:00. You've been sleeping since I got home. I didn't wanna mess with ya."

I could tell something was going on. Steve walked in the door looking about the same.

"Come on, kid. I need a smoke."

We went on the porch and lit up. He talked after a few minutes.

"It's not working, Pony."

He looks at me. I nod.

"She's coming home tomorrow. There's nothing else they can do."

"What does that mean?"

"She'll take medicine to make it easier. Take the pain away, but it's over. They gave her two months, if that."

I've never seen him look so defeated. It's so sad to see him like this.

A month goes by, and even though it's bad, Two-bit comes over almost everyday and makes jokes. That's just who he is.

One night, after Darry and Soda are asleep, I'm on the porch smoking and reading a book. I hear a siren in the distance and think nothing of it at first. Then, it dawns on me. I run in the house.

"Soda, wake up!"

"Huh? What is it, Pony?"

He rubs his eyes.

"You okay?"

"We gotta go to Two-bit's. Now."

He doesn't question it. He throws on a pair of jeans, grabs Darry's keys, and we both bolt out the door. When we get there, it makes my stomach churn. I was right.

"Two-bit?"

We find him standing on his porch. The cops are talking to his mom, who's wailing uncontrollably. His eyes flick to mine. Then, he says it barely above a whisper.

"She's gone..."

I don't know what else to do, but grab him. He starts to cry. I don't think I've ever seen Two-bit Matthews cry like this. Ever.

We stay for a little while, but Two-bit finally tells us we should go. The funeral is a couple of days later, and his mom is a mess. He plunges through it better than I did when my parents died. We don't see him for a couple of days.

Two-bit POV

I was relieved when Pony and Soda showed up that night. I think I would've went off the deep end had it not been for them. I waited a couple of days after the funeral. I needed time to myself. To think. I decided to finally pay a visit to the Curtis house. I found Pony asleep in his bed.

"Hey, kid. Wakey, wakey."

He turned over and did his crooked smile.

"Hey."

We end up going to the movies and out to a diner. That's how it went the next few days. Just hanging out. Pony during the day, all of them at night. One day, I got there to find Pony asleep on the couch. He looked pale.

"Pony?"

He woke up and smiled weakly.

"Hey, Two-bit."

I felt his head and cursed.

"You got a thermometer around here?"

He frowns.

"In the cabinet in the bathroom. Why?"

I don't answer him, instead going and getting it and plopping it in his mouth. When I take it out, he's still frowning.

"What're you doing?"

I look at the thermometer and feel sick to my stomach.

"You've got a fever, Pone."

Soda POV

I could hear the panic in Two-bit's voice when he called me. I went home and he told me Pony had a fever.

I approached the situation carefully. I first got Pony to bed, second, I called Darry. He told me what to say to Two-bit.

"Two-bit, we're gonna ride it out today. If he still has a fever tomorrow, we'll take him to the doctor. Okay?"

"You sure we shouldn't take him today? I mean..."

I knew what he was thinking. I knew it was hard for him. I needed to choose my words carefully.

"I promise you, Two-bit. If it's not gone in the morning, we'll get him checked out. I'm not going back to work. We'll watch him."

He nodded, but nothing I said made him feel better. I felt bad, I didn't know what else to say.