Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Outsiders

Pony's POV:

I came in from track around six, and went to wash up before dinner. I was thinking about the book we had to read in English, A Midsummer's nights Dream by Shakespeare, I thought it was a pretty good book, and we had to write a literary response on it.

Darry sighed, "Soda couldn't you have made a normal meal for once?

"Nope"

I looked at the food I had loaded on to my plate for the first time. It was mashed potatoes, and chicken. The chicken was normal colored but he had made the mashed potatoes blue some how.

"I don't even want to know what you did to it"

"It was just a little food coloring." He protested.

"I'll just stick to the chicken." said Steve dryly.

I finished eating, but left the mashed potatoes untouched.

"Darry, I'm heading up to do my homework now, ok?" Darry glanced up.

"Sure"

It was about ten by the time I finished and that's when Soda came up.

"Pony can I talk to you?"

"Umm, yeah. What is it?"

I wondered if something had happened. Soda is never this hesitant, at least not with me.

Seeing the look on my face he quickly explained, "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk about your composition."

A wave of shock hit me. Had he seen it? Had he read it? Calm down I told myself, it's just Soda, he'll understand, besides he probably didn't even read it. It might be some other composition. Oh, who am I kidding, why would Soda care about any other composition but that one I thought scathingly as panic engulfed my mind once more.

"You know the one about, about what happened that week you spent in Windixerville." He said casually

"uh-huh" I rummaged through the papers on my desk absently, without any real purpose except hoping that Soda would get that I didn't really want to talk about it and just drop the subject. I felt like groaning, he had to read that composition. Of course.

"How come you didn't tell me about it or even Darry."

Oh crap, I thought, he sounded kind of hurt.

"I didn't mean anything by it; I just didn't want to make a big deal of it" I said hurriedly

"It was really good Pony. I really think you should show Darry.

If I had been drinking anything right then I would have spat it out the way they do in movies and TV shows. Yeah sure I'd show Darry, he'd take it way to serious and make a big deal of it. Don't get me wrong, I loved Soda and Darry and I didn't even mind that Soda had read it though it was a little embarrassing, but Darry? I just didn't think that he would understand.

"Pony," he said seriously.

I jerked my head up, sighed and looked at him. Soda was already in bed, watching me.

"Come over here." I got up and sat on the bed next to him

Hesitantly he began. "Ever since you know what, you've been really distant with us. Hell, you've been really distant with me. We're worried about you Pone, especially Darry. He still thinks the whole thing is his fault and you being so closed off isn't helping him any."

I felt guilty. I knew that both Soda and Darry really did care, and I didn't want to hurt them, but it was so hard to talk about it. Writing about it wasn't nearly as hard and the strange thing was I didn't mind my teacher reading that composition at all, but I guess I cared a lot more about what the people who were close to me thought of it. Maybe it would be better if we all got some closure. Maybe.

"Alright, I'll let Darry read it. I'll even let Two-bit and Steve read it, but they better not laugh." I warned.

Soda grinned up at me from under the blanket. "Of course not. There's one other thing I want to talk about."

I groaned again "What"

"Steve"

"Ugh"

The last part was from the line earlier in the story when Soda says he'll have to talk to Pony about thinking that Steve hated him. I'm not planning on writing out that conversation, so don't expect it to be a part of the next chapter. Maybe I'll put write it as a oneshot later.