Darry's day was long and hard. By the time he got home he was much calmer
than he had been that morning though. He had slightly prepared himself for
the difficult night that was waiting for him. He walked into the house and
put his bag down on the floor, tiredly. "Sodapop Curtis, I made it quite
clear that you were to stay in bed."
"But I got bored." Soda said, staring at the TV. He was trying hard not to look as bad as he felt but it wasn't working.
"I don't care how bored you got." Darry said, frustrated. He walked over and flipped the TV off. "You've got the flue and you're temperature is well over one hundred. Now get back in bed."
"But-" Soda started and couldn't think of anything in his defense.
"BED." Darry said strongly.
"But-" He tried again.
"NOW!" Darry said, clearly out of patience.
Soda sighed. "Fine." He got up and went back to his room.
Darry took a deep breath and went to find Ponyboy who was in the kitchen. He took a hold of Pony by the collar. "Would you like to tell me what in the world you thought you were doing at the Frosty Freeze at nine a.m. when you were supposed to be in school?"
"No." Pony said, earning himself a stern glare.
"So what did your teachers say?" Darry asked releasing Pony and leaning against the counter.
"Nothing." Pony mumbled, getting a Pepsi out of the ice-box.
"Nothing?" Darry asked. Pony nodded. "Well, did you explain to them why you haven't been in school for over a week? I'm sure they asked." Pony didn't say anything. "Ponyboy, what did you tell them?" Darry asked.
"I told um I was sick." He mumbled.
"PONY!" Darry said yelled. "You do realize you are already on thin ice?" Darry asked. "Very thin ice and you are just begging for harsher consequences."
"Oooh, scary." Pony said.
Darry's eyes narrowed. "This is not a good day to give me lip Ponyboy."
"I don't care!" Pony yelled. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"You wanna yell?" Darry asked. "Because if that's what you wanna do I'll sure give you a reason to yell. You hear me? I'm tired of this, understand me? Sick and tired of it. I don't know what I have to do to make this clear to you. Now sit down and listen to me." Darry said, nodding towards the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table. Pony did, knowing Darry meant business.
Darry tried to calm down a bit and remind himself not to yell before he began. "That whole time you were talking to me about how you wanted back in on the track team and how I should give you a break. That whole time you were ditching! I'm very disappointed in you, Pony." Darry stared down at the youngest Curtis who quickly looked away. "You've never been one to skip school. Why now? You love school? Is this just a way of getting back at me. Is it something that I did?" Ponyboy didn't say anything. "So you're mad at me?" Darry asked. Pony still didn't say anything. "Look at me." Darry instructed. Pony looked up slowly. "I'm gonna tell you something kiddo and I'm not lying. You're hurting yourself a lot more than you're hurting me."
"What's wrong with missing a few classes?" Pony snapped. "Even if I do get good grades all the way through high school you still ain't gonna be able to put me through college because we don't got the money. I don't blame you for it but why should I bother if I can't get into college anyways? Maybe I don't even wanna go to college. Maybe I wanna work with Sodapop at the DX."
Darry sighed exasperated. "Ponyboy Curtis, listen to me." he said firmly. "I wake up at five o'clock in the morning six days a week. I spend my day out in the hot sun doing hard labor work for low pay. Then I go to another job. I get home at five and when everything's done around here I go to bed at one a.m. at the earliest. You on the other hand, you are not gonna be living like that when you reach twenty. You are gonna be in school, you're gonna get a degree, and do something great with your life. You have so much to offer and you ain't gonna just throw it all away. I'll get you to college, Ponyboy. I don't know how, but I will. We'll get you a scholarship and if that doesn't work I'll work two times the hours I'm working now if need be. All I'm asking is for you to bring home good grades and you are perfectly capable of doing that. Now you just cut this out right now and get back up on your feet. Next report card I get in the mail is gonna have A's written straight across it. You got that?"
Pony stared at Darry for a moment but then said. "What if I can't get all A's?"
"I want you to do the best that you can." Darry said. "If you're ever stuck on something I'll help you out but you've gotta get your act together. Is that understood?"
"Yes." Ponyboy said, surprised that Darry was talking in a regular tone of voice. He was being real stern but at least he wasn't yelling.
"And you are going to tell your teachers the truth tomorrow."
"But Darry-"
"I don't want to hear a single word about it. You're telling them or else. Is that very clear?"
"Yes." Pony said glumly. "I'll tell them."
"You better because I will find out if you don't. You know you only had one more week left before your grounding was over? You would've only had to wait one more week and you'd be off the hook. But you go and do this so now you have three more weeks to wait and every second that you're not in school, you're doing the work you need to make up. Did you're teachers give it to you?"
"Darry that ain't fair!" He said. "Three more weeks? And how can I catch up on all that work."
"Hey, you wanna talk about fair then we'll talk about fair." I said. "Is it fair that I skipped college and started working two jobs so that I could make sure you get to college? I'm giving up what I wanted for myself to make sure that you get the opportunity. Is it fair that wi'll I'm working so hard to get you to college you're skipping school? Is that fair, Ponyboy?" Pony looked down at his feet and shook his head. "That's right, it's not. So when I tell you, you need to do you work don't argue with me. Did your teachers give you the work you need to catch up on or not?" Darry asked.
"Yes." Pony answered.
"Good." Darry said. "Do your homework for tonight and then get started on all the old work. You can break when it's time for super and then keep working until bed."
"I can't stop until it's time for bed?!" Pony shrieked.
"That's right." Darry said, turning on the oven so he could start dinner.
"But, I can't work that long. You really gonna make me sit here all night and work till I can't keep my eyes open?"
"No, you'll work until bedtime."
"I hate you." Pony said.
"That's a strong word, little man." Darry side, hiding his hurt.
"I don't care." Pony said. "I mean it."
Darry sighed. "Well, you're gonna hate me a lot more during the next few days. Now get going on your work." Darry said and walked out of the kitchen to check on Soda.
"Soda, when was the last time you ate?" He asked walking into his brothers' room.
"Earlier this afternoon. I ate that soup you told me to heat up."
"Good. Are you hungry now?" Darry asked.
Soda shook his head but then stopped since it hurt. "No, I'm just bored. If you won't let me watch TV in the living room how about you bring it in here?" Darry shook his head. "Well, why not?" Soda asked.
"Because I want you to sleep and get plenty of rest." Darry came over and placed his hand on Soda's forehead.
"Darry what was all that yelling out there about?" Soda asked.
"Ponyboy's giving me more things to worry about." Darry sighed.
"You two promised you'd quit fightin'." Soda said.
Darry sighed. "I know, honey. We tried and it just ain't working."
"Well then you shouldn't have said you'd stop fightin. You shoulda said that you'd try because you haven't stopped fighting."
"Well he's been up to all sorts of stuff, Sodapop. He's even been skipping school now and I don't know how to get through to him."
"Why was he skipping school?"
"I'm not sure." Darry said. "Listen don't worry about it, ok? Get some sleep and holler if you need anything."
"All-right." Soda said, rolling onto his stomach.
"But I got bored." Soda said, staring at the TV. He was trying hard not to look as bad as he felt but it wasn't working.
"I don't care how bored you got." Darry said, frustrated. He walked over and flipped the TV off. "You've got the flue and you're temperature is well over one hundred. Now get back in bed."
"But-" Soda started and couldn't think of anything in his defense.
"BED." Darry said strongly.
"But-" He tried again.
"NOW!" Darry said, clearly out of patience.
Soda sighed. "Fine." He got up and went back to his room.
Darry took a deep breath and went to find Ponyboy who was in the kitchen. He took a hold of Pony by the collar. "Would you like to tell me what in the world you thought you were doing at the Frosty Freeze at nine a.m. when you were supposed to be in school?"
"No." Pony said, earning himself a stern glare.
"So what did your teachers say?" Darry asked releasing Pony and leaning against the counter.
"Nothing." Pony mumbled, getting a Pepsi out of the ice-box.
"Nothing?" Darry asked. Pony nodded. "Well, did you explain to them why you haven't been in school for over a week? I'm sure they asked." Pony didn't say anything. "Ponyboy, what did you tell them?" Darry asked.
"I told um I was sick." He mumbled.
"PONY!" Darry said yelled. "You do realize you are already on thin ice?" Darry asked. "Very thin ice and you are just begging for harsher consequences."
"Oooh, scary." Pony said.
Darry's eyes narrowed. "This is not a good day to give me lip Ponyboy."
"I don't care!" Pony yelled. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"You wanna yell?" Darry asked. "Because if that's what you wanna do I'll sure give you a reason to yell. You hear me? I'm tired of this, understand me? Sick and tired of it. I don't know what I have to do to make this clear to you. Now sit down and listen to me." Darry said, nodding towards the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table. Pony did, knowing Darry meant business.
Darry tried to calm down a bit and remind himself not to yell before he began. "That whole time you were talking to me about how you wanted back in on the track team and how I should give you a break. That whole time you were ditching! I'm very disappointed in you, Pony." Darry stared down at the youngest Curtis who quickly looked away. "You've never been one to skip school. Why now? You love school? Is this just a way of getting back at me. Is it something that I did?" Ponyboy didn't say anything. "So you're mad at me?" Darry asked. Pony still didn't say anything. "Look at me." Darry instructed. Pony looked up slowly. "I'm gonna tell you something kiddo and I'm not lying. You're hurting yourself a lot more than you're hurting me."
"What's wrong with missing a few classes?" Pony snapped. "Even if I do get good grades all the way through high school you still ain't gonna be able to put me through college because we don't got the money. I don't blame you for it but why should I bother if I can't get into college anyways? Maybe I don't even wanna go to college. Maybe I wanna work with Sodapop at the DX."
Darry sighed exasperated. "Ponyboy Curtis, listen to me." he said firmly. "I wake up at five o'clock in the morning six days a week. I spend my day out in the hot sun doing hard labor work for low pay. Then I go to another job. I get home at five and when everything's done around here I go to bed at one a.m. at the earliest. You on the other hand, you are not gonna be living like that when you reach twenty. You are gonna be in school, you're gonna get a degree, and do something great with your life. You have so much to offer and you ain't gonna just throw it all away. I'll get you to college, Ponyboy. I don't know how, but I will. We'll get you a scholarship and if that doesn't work I'll work two times the hours I'm working now if need be. All I'm asking is for you to bring home good grades and you are perfectly capable of doing that. Now you just cut this out right now and get back up on your feet. Next report card I get in the mail is gonna have A's written straight across it. You got that?"
Pony stared at Darry for a moment but then said. "What if I can't get all A's?"
"I want you to do the best that you can." Darry said. "If you're ever stuck on something I'll help you out but you've gotta get your act together. Is that understood?"
"Yes." Ponyboy said, surprised that Darry was talking in a regular tone of voice. He was being real stern but at least he wasn't yelling.
"And you are going to tell your teachers the truth tomorrow."
"But Darry-"
"I don't want to hear a single word about it. You're telling them or else. Is that very clear?"
"Yes." Pony said glumly. "I'll tell them."
"You better because I will find out if you don't. You know you only had one more week left before your grounding was over? You would've only had to wait one more week and you'd be off the hook. But you go and do this so now you have three more weeks to wait and every second that you're not in school, you're doing the work you need to make up. Did you're teachers give it to you?"
"Darry that ain't fair!" He said. "Three more weeks? And how can I catch up on all that work."
"Hey, you wanna talk about fair then we'll talk about fair." I said. "Is it fair that I skipped college and started working two jobs so that I could make sure you get to college? I'm giving up what I wanted for myself to make sure that you get the opportunity. Is it fair that wi'll I'm working so hard to get you to college you're skipping school? Is that fair, Ponyboy?" Pony looked down at his feet and shook his head. "That's right, it's not. So when I tell you, you need to do you work don't argue with me. Did your teachers give you the work you need to catch up on or not?" Darry asked.
"Yes." Pony answered.
"Good." Darry said. "Do your homework for tonight and then get started on all the old work. You can break when it's time for super and then keep working until bed."
"I can't stop until it's time for bed?!" Pony shrieked.
"That's right." Darry said, turning on the oven so he could start dinner.
"But, I can't work that long. You really gonna make me sit here all night and work till I can't keep my eyes open?"
"No, you'll work until bedtime."
"I hate you." Pony said.
"That's a strong word, little man." Darry side, hiding his hurt.
"I don't care." Pony said. "I mean it."
Darry sighed. "Well, you're gonna hate me a lot more during the next few days. Now get going on your work." Darry said and walked out of the kitchen to check on Soda.
"Soda, when was the last time you ate?" He asked walking into his brothers' room.
"Earlier this afternoon. I ate that soup you told me to heat up."
"Good. Are you hungry now?" Darry asked.
Soda shook his head but then stopped since it hurt. "No, I'm just bored. If you won't let me watch TV in the living room how about you bring it in here?" Darry shook his head. "Well, why not?" Soda asked.
"Because I want you to sleep and get plenty of rest." Darry came over and placed his hand on Soda's forehead.
"Darry what was all that yelling out there about?" Soda asked.
"Ponyboy's giving me more things to worry about." Darry sighed.
"You two promised you'd quit fightin'." Soda said.
Darry sighed. "I know, honey. We tried and it just ain't working."
"Well then you shouldn't have said you'd stop fightin. You shoulda said that you'd try because you haven't stopped fighting."
"Well he's been up to all sorts of stuff, Sodapop. He's even been skipping school now and I don't know how to get through to him."
"Why was he skipping school?"
"I'm not sure." Darry said. "Listen don't worry about it, ok? Get some sleep and holler if you need anything."
"All-right." Soda said, rolling onto his stomach.
