In Hot Water
Chapter Seven: "Home Is Where the Heart Is"
Sunday May 22nd, 1966
Kidnap Victim Found Alive
By Linda James
TULSA- After disappearing under an unfortunate way, fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis was found twenty-four hours later surprisingly alive. After getting ahold of a phone in the place he was being held captive, Curtis called family and some close friends trying to get help. He was found but the suspect, eighteen year old Shane Whitfield escaped. Whitfield was sentenced two months ago under the charges of murder, kidnapping, and attempted murder. He was sentenced for twenty years but escaped late on Friday May 20th.
This time, Shane Whitfield wasn't the only suspect involved with the kidnapping of Ponyboy Curtis. Curtis claims that there was another person. A female with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and goes by the name of Sharon. Curtis said no more about her or Whitfield and the police are investigating, hoping to find the two.
oOoOo
"Whatcha readin' Dar?" Soda walked into the kitchen. It was probably about three o'clock now and he was just getting out of bed. He wasn't the only one, Darry had just woken up fifteen minutes ago, Two-Bit, Steve, and Ponyboy were still asleep.
Darry jumped, startled by Soda's appearance and then the twenty-one year old folded the paper back up. "Pony should be proud, he's been making the headlines. Front page."
Soda laugh, but stopped. It was a funny joke, but at the same time Darry would never be saying something like that if nothing bad had happened. "Just don't let him see it, or any other papers. This ain't like last time."
Darry nodded, he already had that planned. The last time Pony knew he was in the newspaper it was after the church fire, after he, Johnny, and Dally jumped in and saved those school kids. Being in the paper for being a hero is a lot better than being in the headlines for being a victim. The victim of the kidnap that everyone was talking about. Pony was also in the paper once in a tiny section after he got shot and then again when it told about Shane's sentencing but Pony didn't know that and it wasn't that noticeable on the paper. You had to flip through it.
"So he sleep okay last night?" Darry asked and Soda simply shrugged.
"Guess so. I don't know, I was out of it last night, nothing could've woken me up."
Darry nodded. "Same here, but Soda, don't let your guard down. We're not leavin' him alone until Shane and this Sharon person are caught, got that?"
Soda nodded. "Yeah, I get it." Soda turned his head and looked into the living room, Two-Bit and Steve still passed out. "At least there's one good thing about Two-Bit not having a job, hopefully he won't use this as another lame excuse not to get one."
"You bet. That will get annoying pretty fast." Darry stood up and pushed in his chair. "So what do you want for lunch?"
Soda looked at the clock, forgotten that they all slept in from going to bed so late. "Your choice Darry. You're the one cooking it."
Darry rolled his eyes, and Soda got up to take a shower.
oOoOo
Pony might have only stayed at that house for one night, but when he woke up, he didn't exactly know where he was at first. It felt like the whole coming home thing was a dream, and waking up in his own bed didn't feel right because when he opened his eyes he expected the basement. It took him a few moments to realize and put together all that happened last night: the loose ropes, the escape, the calls, the bush, the tree, and most importantly, Shane and Sharon running away.
Last night was horrible, and the night before that-it just felt so unreal lying in his own bed, it even felt unsafe. Your home was suppose to be the one place you felt safe at. It protected you from the dangers outside and was always filled with love. You home was suppose to be the only place that people can't invade your privacy. But now, staring at the closed, locked window, Pony didn't feel safe anymore. Shane Whitfield took the safety of his home away from him and Pony knew he wasn't going to feel safe again until Shane and Sharon were locked up tight. And somehow, Ponyboy felt that that was going to be awhile, perhaps even forever. Shane was just someone who was hard to stay away from.
With a sigh, Ponyboy rolled out of bed, threw the fallen blankets on top of the mattress, grabbed some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. The fourteen year old let the hot water spray on his body hoping to wash away all the troubles he was feeling, but water couldn't cleanse you of your problems. It couldn't set you free no matter how much you wish it would, it couldn't.
He walked into the kitchen after he dried off and got dressed. Darry was cooking something and Soda was throwing the newspaper in the trash. Today was already an abnormal day; his brothers were supposed to be at work by now. Looking at the clock Pony sighed. 3:45.
"Good afternoon Pony," Soda said with a smile, and Pony couldn't help but smile back despite his weird mood. "Don't feel bad I just got up not to long ago either."
Golly, this feels so awkward! Pony thought silently as he stood in the doorway.
"Ponyboy, take a seat," Darry commanded dully. "We gotta talk."
Yep, this is definitely going to be an awkward day.
"I know it's summer and all, but you are not leaving this house without my permission, and when you do leave your not going to be alone, alright? We're not leaving you alone."
"So you're like grounding me?" Pony mumbled very inaudible while crossing his arms. He understood why his older brother was saying this. He really did, but he wasn't to fond of the idea, besides Shane got a hold of him when he wasn't alone the other night, he wasn't safe where ever he was with who ever he was with.
oOoOo
"Soda, I need to tell you something," Pony said later that night as the two brothers sat on the porch under the starry, late spring night. Crickets chirped and croaked in the background, giving the silent night a little bit of a calming noise. It was the perfect moment to talk to his older brother.
"About what really happened to your wrist?" Soda pointed the the cast on Pony's left arm.
"Sodapop! I'm serious. I only fell out of a tree! That's it!"
"Alright, alright, what is it?"
Pony sighed. He didn't want to say this at all, but he had to. It was either now or never! If Soda didn't know he'd start worrying why Shannon hasn't called him or came by to see him because she was hiding from the law. He hated to be the one who'd have to tell him the news but he had to. He was the only one who knew.
"Remember that Shane's cousin's working for him? He has an accomplice, and her name's Sharon."
Soda nodded. "Yeah, you told me, or well Darry told me. What about it?"
Ponyboy let out another sigh and looked his brother in his eyes. "Soda, you have to promise me that what I'm about to tell you, you can't blame yourself for what happened to me. Shane would have found a way to get a hold of me with or without Sharon's help."
Soda was confused, but he still nodded his head even if he had no idea what his kid brother was talking about. "Sure Pony, I… I promise."
"Sharon also goes by the name of Shannon…" Pony let his voice trail off before pausing, waiting for Soda to blow up, or something, but instead got silence. The fourteen year old gulped. "She was using you Soda."
Another moment of silence passed, and Pony watched his brother in concern. Soda's face was blank, it didn't have any expression, but Pony knew that the information hasn't digested yet, and when things finally would hit him, they'd hit him hard.
"I'm sorry Soda."
Soda shook his head, "No Ponyboy, you shouldn't be sorry. You got nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry. If I didn't-"
"Soda you promised you wouldn't blame yourself! It isn't your fault. You never knew."
"Yes, but I should've saw it coming… you gotta cigarette on you Pony?"
Soda lit his cigarette and stared into the navy sky, he was so in thought he didn't even hear the crickets' chirps. He was quiet the rest of the night, not saying a single word and Pony felt guilty for telling him the news even though he knew it was the right thing to do. People say all the time that doing the right thing makes you feel good, but why did Pony feel like the most horrible person in the world right now?
Was breaking his brother's heart the right thing to do?
oOoOo
Pony was the first one up the next morning. It was probably about six o'clock and the sun wasn't even up yet. The house was dead silent. Pony rolled over onto his side, closed his eyes and felt the cool, gentle breeze from the open win-
Why...why is my window opened? Pony thought as his eyes shot open. Soda didn't open it, and he didn't either. He remembered when he woke up yesterday, it was shut and locked, but now it was unlocked? Oh God, this can't be happening! This can't be hap-
Pony reached over, grabbing a piece of paper that was held under a rock on his window seal. Shane might not be at the house now, but he was. When? Pony didn't know but the window was shut when he and Soda climbed into bed the night before. It was scary that he broke into their home the first time, but a second time was even scarier and creepier.
Pony slowly got out of bed, trying not to get up too quickly to cause the mattress to move and wake Soda.
He quietly shut and locked the window, not wanting his brother to wake up and notice that the window was open. Both his brothers would have a cow if they found out it was opened. Then the teenager carefully climbed back in bed, trying not to disturb his sleeping brother.
With a sigh, Ponyboy unfolded the letter and recalled the last time he got one of these letters. Last time is was placed in one of his textbooks, sticking out like a bookmark, this time it was delivered under a rock on a window seal. What unique idea would Shane come up with next?
Pony looked down at the eighteen year old's handwriting horribly scratched across the notebook paper. He could definitely join the "Worst Handwriting Club" if there ever was one. His handwriting was horrible but it was still legible.
Ponyboy read the letter a couple of times, his face getting paler each time his eyes wandered throughout the page. He gulped, it wasn't the kind of letter you wanted to receive on your window seal at six o'clock in the morning. Pony folded it back up and stuffed it in his sweats pocket before snuggling up against his brother for comfort. Pony wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep that morning, but Soda could at least calm him down even when he didn't know he needed too.
It was great to be back home. It honestly was. Pony didn't regret trying to run away from Shane, he was successfu on escaping and now he was back in his own bed. But Shane got away. He was still out there and was free and Shane still had unfinished business that he was determined to complete. Pony may have not regretted coming back to his family, but he did feel like he should've stayed at the house. If he never tried to escape, then maybe this whole thing would've been a lot easier.
Hey you guys! Sorry I was trying to update earlier today, but it was such a lovely day today and I haven't seen that in a long time. It's been one of the top coldest winters where I live this year and well it was such a beautiful day... anyways it's spring break! I am going to try to get a lot of writing down for this story and some planning(seem to never have time for that) so I may not update because I'm getting a lot of work for this story done so I don't have to worry about it later if you get what I mean.
This story is going to be slow for just a few more chapters(not sure how many yet) but it will pick back up soon. I can't have Pony home a day before he gets taken again can I? No! That's to mean and plus there are there are other reasons for that too. So just deal with the slowness it will go away, I promise!
Please review you guys, I mean come on, two? I only got two reviews last chapter. I mean, I know it's kind of starting to get boring right now, but I know for a fact the boringness will pass. THe story has to go through this little boring stuff before it gets better. I'm also sorry for grammar errors and such!
-Michelle Loves Chocolate 99