Ponyboy jumped up suddenly and dashed out of the living room and into his
own bedroom slamming the door shut behind him and leaning a chair under
each of the doorknobs; the one door to enter the room and the one to go
into the bathroom. He didn't want anybody to come in and bug him. He
couldn't tell them. He just couldn't. What if they didn't understand? What
if they thought it was his fault?
He wished he'd told Darry the truth in the first place. "Why didn't you tell him what else happened with Tim that night? Why did you have to leave that part out?" Pony asked himself leaning against the wall and slowly dropping to the floor. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed.
Of course Darry was banging on the door a second later, demanding Pony to open it. "Ponyboy Curtis, you come out of there right now! What's the matter? What happened that your not telling me?" Pony just continued to sob. "Pony if you don't open this door I'm gonna break it down, come in there, and beat the tar outa you!"
Pony got up and walked over, sliding the chair away from the door and stood back at the other side of the room, away from Darry as he barged in. Soda came running in after him and Steve and Two-Bit stared through the doorway. Darry held Soda back. "Tell me exactly what's going on. Right now." Darry spoke strongly and looked straight at his youngest brother.
"That night I went out with the guys and Tim…" Pony began. "Well, I didn't tell you everything that I did that night." Darry stood there hands on hips waiting. "They said they wanted to go get back at this guy. I dunno why. I think he was beating on Tim's girl or something. And I…" Pony hesitated. "I'd been drinking some so I wasn't really paying attention and I went with them."
Darry's mouth dropped open. Pony wasn't finished though. "We went to his house. Nobody was home and they trashed it. Broke his windows, his parents cars… but, I didn't, Darry. I promise I didn't. I tried to get the guys to lay of but they wouldn't. They told me to stand look out. Someone saw me and told the Socs it was me that did it. That's what the Socials said anyways when they tried to get me and Curly this afternoon, but Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit got there in time." Pony sat down on his bed shivering.
Darry stood dumbfounded not knowing what to say. "Um, Two-Bit, Steve," Darry started. "Let's call it a night ok?" Two-Bit and Steve agreed understandingly. They said goodbye and headed out. Ponyboy heard the front door shut behind them and he looked at Darry who hadn't moved an inch from were he was standing angrily. Soda looked worried.
"What!?" Darry shouted all of the sudden once he had grasped everything that Ponyboy said. "Drinking?" Darry thought. "Breaking windows, scratching up cars?" "Those Socs might've killed you Pony!"
"I know. I'm sorry." Pony pleaded.
"Oh you're sorry?"
"Darry c'mon." Soda urged but Darry silenced him with one stern look.
"What you gonna do? Are you gonna tell the Socs you're sorry, Pony? I'm sure they'll understand." Darry said sarcastically. "Are you gonna explain to them that it wasn't you? Do you think that'll work? You think sorry'll be the end of this?"
Ponyboy shook his head. "No."
"Now I gotta keep an even closer eye on you." Darry said. "I'm already worried sick about you as it is. There's enough trouble round here. Why do you have to go and give them a REASON to jump you now?"
"But I told you I didn't do it. I just went along and watched."
"Ponyboy I don't want to hear it." Darry said solemnly. "Stay in your room."
"For how long?" Pony asked. "All night. It'll give you plenty of time to think about what you've done and me plenty of time to think about how in the world I'm gonna go about punishing you for everything that you've been doing lately. So far grounding you aint working. I hear you complaining and I won't even let you come out for dinner. Got that?"
Pony sighed deeply. "Yes, Darry."
Darry turned to leave and Soda followed. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Soda asked.
"No I don't." Darry said. "Now come and clean up the messes you've made out here in the living room."
Sodapop followed Darry sulking. "When I'm done I'm gonna go and meet Steve, ok?"
"No, nobody is going anywhere."
"Why not?" Soda asked.
"Because." Darry answered crossly. He walked into the kitchen and searched for something to make for dinner.
"We beat them up pretty bad though Darry. Maybe they'll leave Pony alone now."
"They won't and you know it." Darry said. "They may never leave us alone. It seems that no matter how good we whoop them they won't leave us be.
Soda walked into the living room and started gathering up all the cards on the ground. He turned the couch cushion over were there was a big coke stain that he hoped Darry wouldn't find. "Can't I go down to the Dingo or something, Darry?"
"I said no, Sodapop. I know you heard me the first time."
"Well you don't have to get all mad at me." Soda said. "I didn't do anything."
"I'm not mad at you kid, I'm just real frustrated right now." Darry pulled out some pancake mix. "Remind me to stop at the store tomorrow, ok?" Sodapop nodded. "Hey, did you clean the living room?"
"It looks better." Soda said.
"I don't want better, I want perfect." Darry said. Soda rolled his eyes but went back to cleaning. He would've protested but he didn't want to test Darry's patience which appeared to be very thin at the moment.
***
"That's not fair!" Pony yelled. It was late at night. Darry had come up with a punishment for Ponyboy and Soda had gone to sleep in Darry's room because he couldn't stand to hear them.
"It is fair." Darry said. You commit the crime, you receive the punishment."
"But Darry!"
"Don't you but Darry me. I've had enough trouble from you in the last week. I don't need anymore."
"But you can't make me leave the track team."
"I can and I am." Darry said. "If you listen up and follow the rules around here, you can start track again."
"It's not that easy though Darry. I can't just quit for a little while and then tell the coach I want back in. I'd have to wait till next year to try out again."
"Well summers just around the bend. You'll live." Darry said.
"I'm not cutting track!" Pony yelled. "I won't!"
"Pony you watch your tone. You ain't on the track team any more and that's final.
"Darry why do you gotta do that?"
"Because, I don't know how else to discipline you in an effective way. Now, stop complaining about it."
Ponyboy sat back down on his bed defeated. There was just no reasoning with Darry. "Am I still grounded too?"
"Yes!" Darry yelled.
Pony sighed. "Darry, how come you havta punish me? Why can't you just let this slide? I said I was sorry."
Darry gave Pony a look. "First you come walking in at three o'clock in the morning after doing about a hundred things that you're forbidden to do." Darry said. "Then you go sneaking out at night when I'm not home, you lie to me about where you were, today you have a run in with the socials because you didn't stay put and wait for somebody to pick you up, and then I find out about even more trouble that you've gotten yourself into! How do expect me to act about all this, Ponyboy. Of course I'm gonna punish you. How else am I gonna get you to behave?"
He wished he'd told Darry the truth in the first place. "Why didn't you tell him what else happened with Tim that night? Why did you have to leave that part out?" Pony asked himself leaning against the wall and slowly dropping to the floor. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed.
Of course Darry was banging on the door a second later, demanding Pony to open it. "Ponyboy Curtis, you come out of there right now! What's the matter? What happened that your not telling me?" Pony just continued to sob. "Pony if you don't open this door I'm gonna break it down, come in there, and beat the tar outa you!"
Pony got up and walked over, sliding the chair away from the door and stood back at the other side of the room, away from Darry as he barged in. Soda came running in after him and Steve and Two-Bit stared through the doorway. Darry held Soda back. "Tell me exactly what's going on. Right now." Darry spoke strongly and looked straight at his youngest brother.
"That night I went out with the guys and Tim…" Pony began. "Well, I didn't tell you everything that I did that night." Darry stood there hands on hips waiting. "They said they wanted to go get back at this guy. I dunno why. I think he was beating on Tim's girl or something. And I…" Pony hesitated. "I'd been drinking some so I wasn't really paying attention and I went with them."
Darry's mouth dropped open. Pony wasn't finished though. "We went to his house. Nobody was home and they trashed it. Broke his windows, his parents cars… but, I didn't, Darry. I promise I didn't. I tried to get the guys to lay of but they wouldn't. They told me to stand look out. Someone saw me and told the Socs it was me that did it. That's what the Socials said anyways when they tried to get me and Curly this afternoon, but Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit got there in time." Pony sat down on his bed shivering.
Darry stood dumbfounded not knowing what to say. "Um, Two-Bit, Steve," Darry started. "Let's call it a night ok?" Two-Bit and Steve agreed understandingly. They said goodbye and headed out. Ponyboy heard the front door shut behind them and he looked at Darry who hadn't moved an inch from were he was standing angrily. Soda looked worried.
"What!?" Darry shouted all of the sudden once he had grasped everything that Ponyboy said. "Drinking?" Darry thought. "Breaking windows, scratching up cars?" "Those Socs might've killed you Pony!"
"I know. I'm sorry." Pony pleaded.
"Oh you're sorry?"
"Darry c'mon." Soda urged but Darry silenced him with one stern look.
"What you gonna do? Are you gonna tell the Socs you're sorry, Pony? I'm sure they'll understand." Darry said sarcastically. "Are you gonna explain to them that it wasn't you? Do you think that'll work? You think sorry'll be the end of this?"
Ponyboy shook his head. "No."
"Now I gotta keep an even closer eye on you." Darry said. "I'm already worried sick about you as it is. There's enough trouble round here. Why do you have to go and give them a REASON to jump you now?"
"But I told you I didn't do it. I just went along and watched."
"Ponyboy I don't want to hear it." Darry said solemnly. "Stay in your room."
"For how long?" Pony asked. "All night. It'll give you plenty of time to think about what you've done and me plenty of time to think about how in the world I'm gonna go about punishing you for everything that you've been doing lately. So far grounding you aint working. I hear you complaining and I won't even let you come out for dinner. Got that?"
Pony sighed deeply. "Yes, Darry."
Darry turned to leave and Soda followed. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Soda asked.
"No I don't." Darry said. "Now come and clean up the messes you've made out here in the living room."
Sodapop followed Darry sulking. "When I'm done I'm gonna go and meet Steve, ok?"
"No, nobody is going anywhere."
"Why not?" Soda asked.
"Because." Darry answered crossly. He walked into the kitchen and searched for something to make for dinner.
"We beat them up pretty bad though Darry. Maybe they'll leave Pony alone now."
"They won't and you know it." Darry said. "They may never leave us alone. It seems that no matter how good we whoop them they won't leave us be.
Soda walked into the living room and started gathering up all the cards on the ground. He turned the couch cushion over were there was a big coke stain that he hoped Darry wouldn't find. "Can't I go down to the Dingo or something, Darry?"
"I said no, Sodapop. I know you heard me the first time."
"Well you don't have to get all mad at me." Soda said. "I didn't do anything."
"I'm not mad at you kid, I'm just real frustrated right now." Darry pulled out some pancake mix. "Remind me to stop at the store tomorrow, ok?" Sodapop nodded. "Hey, did you clean the living room?"
"It looks better." Soda said.
"I don't want better, I want perfect." Darry said. Soda rolled his eyes but went back to cleaning. He would've protested but he didn't want to test Darry's patience which appeared to be very thin at the moment.
***
"That's not fair!" Pony yelled. It was late at night. Darry had come up with a punishment for Ponyboy and Soda had gone to sleep in Darry's room because he couldn't stand to hear them.
"It is fair." Darry said. You commit the crime, you receive the punishment."
"But Darry!"
"Don't you but Darry me. I've had enough trouble from you in the last week. I don't need anymore."
"But you can't make me leave the track team."
"I can and I am." Darry said. "If you listen up and follow the rules around here, you can start track again."
"It's not that easy though Darry. I can't just quit for a little while and then tell the coach I want back in. I'd have to wait till next year to try out again."
"Well summers just around the bend. You'll live." Darry said.
"I'm not cutting track!" Pony yelled. "I won't!"
"Pony you watch your tone. You ain't on the track team any more and that's final.
"Darry why do you gotta do that?"
"Because, I don't know how else to discipline you in an effective way. Now, stop complaining about it."
Ponyboy sat back down on his bed defeated. There was just no reasoning with Darry. "Am I still grounded too?"
"Yes!" Darry yelled.
Pony sighed. "Darry, how come you havta punish me? Why can't you just let this slide? I said I was sorry."
Darry gave Pony a look. "First you come walking in at three o'clock in the morning after doing about a hundred things that you're forbidden to do." Darry said. "Then you go sneaking out at night when I'm not home, you lie to me about where you were, today you have a run in with the socials because you didn't stay put and wait for somebody to pick you up, and then I find out about even more trouble that you've gotten yourself into! How do expect me to act about all this, Ponyboy. Of course I'm gonna punish you. How else am I gonna get you to behave?"
