In Hot Water

Chapter Eight: "Eleven Days"

Monday May 23rd, 1966

Darry lied. He told Soda that Steve would have to pick him up because he had to go to work earlier that morning before it got really hot out. He lied. He didn't have to go into work early at all. He was so busy that he totally forgot about the letter he got in the mail Saturday. The letter was simply reminding him he had eleven days until June third.

Darry stared down on the tombstones. Eleven more days and the man that took his parents' lives would be released from prison. Darry never told Sodapop or Ponyboy about it, heck it was hard for him to deal with it when he heard the behind the scenes of the car accident. Eleven more days until the man who murdered Darry's parents was free.

"I'm sorry," Darry said, looking at the carved names in the stones. "I know I probably let you down with all that's happened to Pony and all, and I'm sorry. I just-I just don't know what to do with him. I can't protect him from Shane, and now I don't know how I will protect either of them from that man."

"I'm sorry, but please, just please look after them, especially Ponyboy. He needs it more than anybody."

Darry stayed quiet and perfectly still for a moment, before sighing and looking at his watch. He sadly had to get to work. He made his way to his truck, looking back and sighing one last time. He really needed as much help as he was going to get before another body was buried.

He really needed as much help as he going to get before he let another body be buried. Darry was Superman, he wasn't going to let anything like that happen as long as he was alive.

oOoOo

"Good morning sunshine!" Two-Bit's familiar voice screamed cheerfully. A grin was smacked on his face, stretching out ear to ear. Pony jumped. He lied in bed awake for the past hour after Soda got up, he was expecting a house to himself, but after seeing Two-Bit's happy presence, he remembered exactly what Darry had told him. He wasn't going to be left alone. "Guess ol' Two-Bit's Babysitting Service was called, and well Two-Bit Matthews reporting to duty Sir!"

"Gee, I guess I'm stuck with you all day."

"Oohh c'mon, where's the spirit? You should be happy! What do you wanna do today Ponyboy Curtis? It's your house and I'm only here to make sure you don't leave."

Pony noted that that wasn't the only reason he was there but Pony sighed. "Ain't much to do when you're on house arrest isn't there?"

"Buddy, ain't that the truth!"

Pony sighed, looking around the living room. "C'mon Two-Bit, let's do something productive today. That lady from the state should be coming by to check on us soon anyway."

Two-Bit watched as Pony started to clean up. He sat on the couch, placing his dirty shoes on the coffee table. "Hell, this is Two-Bit's Babysitting Service, not Two-Bit's Cleaning Service. Do whatever you want kid, but I'm not gonna help you."

Pony looked at Two-Bit sitting comfortably on the couch and coffee table. He picked up one of Soda's shoes and threw it at him. "I'm seriously Two-Bit. I only got one hand, you got two!"

"Shoot kid, that was rude! Haven't you ever been taught that you don't chuck heavy objects at your elders?"

Pony ignored it. "Shut up Two-Bit and help."

Two-Bit reluctantly got up from the couch, dreading what he was about to do. "I hope you release if that arm of yours wasn't isolated in that cast, I would still be sitting on the sofa."

Three hours went by and the two boys sat at the dining room table, Two-Bit shuffling the cards in his hands, exhausted from all the "work" Ponyboy made him do.

"So how ya feeling kid?"

Pony pulled the cards Two-Bit threw at him as he dealt closer to him and looked up at them. "Whaddya mean?"

Two-Bit shrugged, putting the extra stack of cards in the middle, flipping the card on the top over. Poker got boring and old after playing it for an hour, Crazy Eights sounded a lot more entertaining at that moment. "I don't know… I mean like after the past couple of days I guess."

"Good I guess. Nothing really happened when I was gone, Two-Bit. I'm fine."

Two-Bit dropped his hand of cards on the table. "Shoot kid, something had to happen! Your wrist is broken for crying out loud!"

Pony sighed, looking at the white, hard cast on his left arm. "You're just like Soda, ya know? He doesn't believe me either. I fell out of a tree Two-Bit and I tried to catch myself but the impact of my body and the ground was too hard for my hand. That's it Two-Bit, end of story."

"So, care to explain why you were in a tree? Kid you falling out of a tree makes just as much sense as me getting a real job! It doesn't make sense at all!"

Pony sighed. "It's the truth Two-Bit. The girl didn't retie my restraints tight enough so when she left, I untied them, escaped, hid in a bush until I was able to make a run for it, and thought 'Hey no one would think to look for me in a tree' so I climbed it and when the coast was clear enough for me to try to get out of there I got down, slipped and broke my wrist. End of story Two-Bit. It's the honest truth and if you don't believe it than don't but it's true."

Pony got up from his chair, storming off into his bedroom. He was tired of trying to explain the story over and over again. It was the truth. He really did fall out of a tree and that's how he broke his wrist, but no one seemed to believe it. Ponyboy understood why but it was just so frustrating. He sat on his bed and heard the paper crinkle in his pocket as he moved.

He totally forgot about it. It was the note he found when he first woke up that morning. That was about six hours ago. The worry about that disappeared when he saw Two-Bit's ear to ear smile, but now that Two-Bit wasn't distracting him anymore, the worry flooded back.

What was he going to do about that? Shane's note simply gave him eleven days. Eleven days.

oOoOo

Steve wiped the oil off his hands with a rag. It was a slow day at the DX and the car the two greasers were working on was now complete and the two had nothing to do since someone else was already working inside the store.

"You're awfully quiet today Soda." Steve set the dirty rag down on a bench in the garage, looking at his best friend with concern.

Soda shrugged. "I don't know… this is all too complicated."

Steve nodded. "I know what you mean, but Soda, the kid will be fine. He's always fine and Two-Bit's with him. He's fine so stop worrying about that."

Soda sighed. Ponyboy wasn't the reason why he was quiet that day, but he couldn't seem to tell Steve the reason why he was the way he was. It didn't matter that Steve was his best friend, Soda just couldn't tell him, he felt ashamed, embarrassed, and even though he promised Ponyboy, he felt guilty. Soda was upset about Shannon or Sharon or whatever.

"I know he's fine Steve. Two-Bit's not gonna leave him alone especially after what happened the last time he was alone. I still don't think he has forgiven himself for that yet."

Steve nodded. "It still wasn't even his fault when that happened. He was in class, or should have been at least. But Soda, if you're not worried about the kid, then what's wrong?"

"What isn't wrong Steve? I may not be worried about the kid now, but I'm still worried. This whole thing's messed up. Nothing makes sense! I just wish that night never happened! I wish Darry never hit Pony that night, I wish Pony never ran away after that! I wish Bob Sheldon never died! I wish nobody ever died! That's what's wrong with me Steve. Everything's wrong. If our luck stays, I guess I'll be heading off to Vietnam in a few months after I turn eighteen, perhaps you'll be there with me!"

"Shut up Soda! You can't erase what happened. I'm sure if anyone of us could, your parents would still be alive and because of that none of this crap with Bob Sheldon would be happening. Everything would be normal. But you can't erase the past Sodapop. You can't rewind and do it all over again. You can only go forward. You can't live with your life on pause, you can't act like that just because life isn't fair, because it ain't fair. It ain't fair to anyone. You need to press play Soda and just deal with it. Everything will get better eventually."

Soda fiddled with a wrench. He stood quiet for a few moments and Steve did nothing but stare at him, watching and waiting for him to blow up or something, but Sodapop said nothing. After a minute, the wrench fell to the ground, the metal rattled for a second and before it got quiet again.

"It always gets worse before it gets better Steve. Don't forget that."

Steve nodded. "I know Soda, but everything will be fine. It always turns out okay. I'm sure you Curtises will get your happily ever after as soon as Shane Whitfield is in jail for good. I'm not just sure of it Soda, I know it."

Soda smiled and picked up his wrench, and began to play with it again. Waiting in this silence was killing him and Steve was aware of it.

"So Soda, how's Shannon doing? You talk to her since she come by?"

Soda shook his head. "No I haven't. Hey Stevie, can you hand me my water bottle?"

Steve nodded and tossed the plastic bottle towards the seventeen year old. "You should call her."

Soda shrugged. "Maybe…"

"Something wrong Soda?" Steve asked expecting a yes or a no and an explanation as an answer but didn't get anything close to what he expected.

Soda threw the wrench and water bottle on the table. "Geez Steve, can we play something else than Twenty Questions?" And then Soda ran out of the garage heading into the store.

It was then Soda remembered something. He was still guilty about this mess with Ponyboy, but someone else was too.

oOoOo

Darry got home from work to find Two-Bit passed out cold on the couch, but other than that, the house was spotless. He set his wallet, keys, and the letter he got in the mail Saturday on the coffee table.

"Ponyboy?" Darry called out, looking for his youngest brother since his "babysitter" was sleeping on the job, Darry got nervous.

"Kitchen." He heard his little brother's voice from the other room and relaxed. He followed the voice, entering the kitchen and sighed.

"Ponyboy, your wrist is broken, why you trying to make dinner?"

"Geez Dar, it's not like I'm left handed or anything. I'm fine, don't worry."

Darry shooed his little brother from the stove and began stirring the contents in the pot. "I noticed you cleaned up real good today too."

"I got Two-Bit to help."

Darry raised an eyebrow. "Keith Matthews cleaning? Well that's a shocker. Well anyways, since you seem to not have any trouble cleaning up with one hand, start setting the table. That brother of yours should be home any minute now."

Pony grabbed plates from the cupboard and before they knew it, Soda was running in the house, door slamming behind him. Two-Bit fell off the couch not expecting Soda's sudden appearance. After a few moments Steve walked in behind him with a strange look on his face. A strange look was on everyone's face as Soda was quiet, walking in without saying a hello.

"What was that about?" Darry asked Steve who only shrugged.

"Don't ask me, I'm just as dumbfounded as the rest of ya'll."

oOoOo

"Steve said you got upset at work today," Pony said to his brother as he closed his book, about to go to bed.

Soda shrugged, pulling a blanket over his legs. "Since when do you a Steve talk? It's not everyday the two of you have a conversation."

"When he's concerned about you and makes me get you to talk if he can't."

"It's nothing Pony, don't worry about it," Soda said, flicking off the lamb next to him. "Oh and Ponyboy, don't talk to Steve for the time being alright? Stay away from him, alright Ponyboy?"

Pony rolled onto his side, facing his brother. "How come?"

"Just don't." Soda rolled onto his side to ignore his brother's eyes. And Pony silently sighed. What was wrong with Sodapop? Soda was rarely ever upset.

"G'night Soda." Pony rolled onto his other side, not even getting a response from Soda.

A little advice for you guys: don't leave things you don't want other people to see laying around. You never know who might see it... ;)

Thanks for the reviews and happy one day belated St. Patrick's Day! I probably won't update Saturday so you'll have to wait until Tuesday because I'm busy. I don't know, maybe you'll be able to foreshadow what will happen in the next chapter... ;)

Please review!

-Michelle Loves Chocolate 99