The next day was Saturday and all three of the brothers were happy to have nothing to do. Soda lay on the floor playing with his train contentedly while Dally bust through the door and sprawled out on the couch.
"Mornin' Dal." Pony said.
Dally grunted. "Mornin' kid. Where's Superman?"
"I'm in the kitchen Dally." Darry called.
"You seen Johnny yesterday, Ponyboy?" Dally asked.
"I saw him at school, same as you. Why?"
"Nothing, I was just supposed to meet him at the Dingo last night but he didn't show." Dally lit up a cigarette.
"Probably got caught up at home." Pony mumbled sighing. They both new what that meant.
"Winston don't smoke in my house!" Darry hollered from the kitchen. Dally rolled his eyes and put it out on the coffee table. "That guy sees damn near everything." He grumbled.
Darry came out with a cup of black coffee and looked at Dally meaningfully. Dallas ignored it and sat up, making room for Pony to sit down next to him. "Darry I'm bored." Pony sighed.
Darry rolled his eyes. "Its only ten o'clock in the morning and you're already bored? You better find something to entertain yourself because I don't want to listen to you gripping for the rest of the weekend."
"Well can we do something?"
"Like what?"
"Lets get out of the house. We never go out."
"Last time we 'went out' we had a screaming lady and a police report on our hands." Darry said, exasperated. Soda didn't exactly understand what appropriate physical boundaries were and he'd gone to hug an old soc lady who was passing by in town while the gang was making their way to the dingo. Needless to say she was non-to pleased to be 'attacked' as she called it by a no good hoodlum. It had taken over an hour for Darry to explain the situation to her and the officer.
Dally laughed loudly at the memory. "It wasn't funny Dallas. It was a damn near disaster. I thought they were gonna cuff him and bring him down to the station." Darry shivered at the idea. That would scare Soda to death.
"I can't help laughing at the way her face looked, Darrel. It was priceless."
"I'll help you watch him, Darry. Please? Lets go get Johnny and go into town."
"I'm gonna have to get him dressed first." Darry motioned to Soda. You wanna go round up Johnny while I'm doing that? And not alone. Dally go with him." Darry ordered.
"Steve." Soda said softly from the floor. They all looked over at him. "Do you want Steve to come too, Soda?" Darry asked. There was no response. Soda focused intently on the train tacks. "Soda, look at Darry." Darry instructed. "Tell me what." Soda rolled over and looked up at Darry. "Steve too." Soda said.
Darry grinned. "All-right Soda. Good words. Come get dressed and Pony will go ask Steve." Darry stood up and reached under Soda's arms to pull him up. Soda went limp in Darry arms to try to force himself back down and made a noise of protest. Darry sighed. "Soda, use your words." He reigned in his temper. Soda used to speak more when their parents were alive but loosing them had made him shut down more.
"Train." Soda whined, looking distraught.
"He has to turn it off Darry." Pony reminded.
"Okay turn it off." Darry said. Soda took his time to go back down and flip the train off, placing it exactly where it was meant to go. Than he stood up contented and headed to his room, Darry in toe. When they'd gotten him ready Darry lead him outside and over to Johnny's house to meet them. Soda, excited by the prospect of going on an outing, jumped happily down the steps and flapped his hands. He made his way over to Darry's truck and hopped in the trunk.
"Soda, come sit in the front." Darry told him.
"No no no no no no no." Soda repeated over and over again. He patted the rim of the trunk repetitively. "Go." He told Darry, staring straight ahead and stomping on the old medal flooring and making the truck shake.
Darry watched the behavior carefully and recognized it as disobedience. Disciplining Soda was a tricky thing. Their mother had always been so good at telling what defiance was and what was autistic behavior. "Soda, if you're not going to listen than we're going back into the house." Darry warned evenly.
Soda put his head in his hands in frustration and let out small noises that sounded like something between whimpers and whines.
"When you can get out and get into the front seat than I'll drive us over to see Ponyboy." Darry offered him this more pleasant option.
"NO!" Soda yelled.
"Then we're not going anywhere, Sodapop."
"Good words, good words, good words!" Soda said over and over again, not understanding why he wasn't being praised for speaking.
Darry saw the dilemma and rushed to fix it. "Yes, you did good using your words to tell me but no is not the word that I want to hear." Soda began crying noisily. "Darry, go!" He said between sobs, pointing to the truck.
"Soda, when you calm down and get into the truck, than we will go." Darry said, trying desperately to hold in his frustration. Soda screamed and allowed himself to fall over onto the truck bed and began a full out tantrum. Darry sighed, plugged his ears and let it run its course.
"Darry what's goin' on. We were waiting for you?" Pony said loudly, walking up with the rest of the gang.
"He's having a fit because he wants to ride in the bed of the truck." Darry yelled over Soda's caterwauling.
Dally frowned. "So let him, lets go."
"Dallas, last time I let him ride back there he stood up while I was on the highway."
Dally sighed. "Well is he almost done? Lets get a move on."
"If you'd shut up he'd calm down a lot quicker." Darry said dangerously. Dally scowled but kept quiet. When Soda persisted, Darry'd had enough and hopped into the back of the truck, plopping down next to his screaming brother. "That's enough now." He said, softly but firmly, taking a hold of Soda and pulling him close. Soda sunk into Darry but continued screaming.
"Glory, he's loud." Steve said.
"Old Mr. Evans didn't come out to holler for quiet?" Two-bit asked.
"Not yet." Darry said distractedly and turned his attention back to Soda. "No more screaming because I said no. This is inappropriate Soda." Soda shook his head against Darry's chest. "Yes it is. You need to calm down now. If you can calm down than we can go be with friends but you have to stop this first." Darry hugged him hard and moved his arms up and down his brother's arms, a technique they'd been using to calm him since he was very small. Soda relaxed a bit. He shook his head still, but visibly calmed. "Good boy." Darry said. He hugged him for a few more minutes and finally Soda was quiet except for the occasional sniffle. Darry used his shirt to wipe Soda's red face. "Do you want to go play with our friends now?" He asked.
"Soda, will you come sit next to me?" Ponyboy asked, moving to get inside the front.
Soda looked up and untangled himself from Darrys arms. Darry hopped down out of the truck and then helped Soda do the same. Soda stopped short and stared when he saw Johnny, studying the boys bruised face. He reached out and tried to trace his fingers gently along one of the big ones. "Soda, that's to close without asking." Darry reminded.
"No, he's fine Dar." Johnny reassured softly. "I'm okay, Soda. It'll heal up." Johnny said when he noticed Soda's worried eyes. Soda patted his head softly and moved to get into the truck next to Pony.
"All-right, lets go." Dally said, breaking the uneasy silence but the hand he placed on Johnny's small shoulder didn't go unnoticed. Nobody said anything more about Johnny's face as they loaded into the truck.
"All-right, Ponyboy. Where are we goin'?" Darry asked, reaching over to tighten Soda's loose seatbelt.
"They wanna eat at the Dairy Queen." Pony said. Soda clapped and put an arm around Ponyboy.
"Hold on." Darry warned to the boys in the back of the truck, and pushed the gas pedal.
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