HEY! I'm back again. Wow its been like 2 years! How ridiculous. Anyways, few things I loused up on in the previous chapters for those of you who still recall them... Darry's arm is still healing from when he got shot so he's not working roofing houses again yet. He's still at the electronic store so ignore the part where I say he climed off the room when Steve calls him about Soda being in the hospital. Other than that enjoy this long awaited and long evaded chapter. lol.
The ride home in the car was quiet to start. Darry kept looking over at Sodapop with a worried expression as if he were an injured animal. Soda noticed but tried to ignore him, running his fingers up and down the rash around his mouth.
"Soda?" Darry asked. Soda didn't say anything he just stared at the glove conpartment. "Soda, that night I found you in the bathroom..."
"Yes." Soda cut him off.
"What were you using that time?" Darry asked.
"I don't remember Darry. Whatever was there." He said annoyed. He didn't want to talk about it. It was embarrasing. Darry didn't push it, thankfully. "Listen, I know you and Ponyboy talk about just about everything but I don't want you telling him about this. It'll frighten him." Soda nodded silently. Darry pulled up to the house shortly after that and parked.
"Soda." Darry turned to him. "You really scared me today. I don't understand why you did what you did. I don't understand why-" He stopped and sighed. Soda continued staring at his lap. "Soda." Darry put an arm around him. "Remember when Pony ran away and we didn't have any idea where he went? For all we knew he was dead. You cried every night that week." Soda still didn't say anything but he felt tears forming. "Sodapop, at least acknowledge that you're hearing me kid."
"I'm listening." Soda sniffled.
"Look at me." Darry instructed. Soda looked up. "I am not gonna do that again. Not with either of you. I can't do it, Sodapop. I'd go crazy not knowing wheather or not you were gonna be okay, watching you sick like that." Soda started to cry and Darry pulled him closer, rubbing his head. "We almost lost Pony and if this thing you've been doing had gone on without me finding out we could've very well lost you and I couldn't handle it Sodpop. I just couldn't so your just gonna have to quit it now. You hear me Soda? If something's wrong I wanna know about. I do not want you doing some crazy thing like huffing in gasoline to make it better! Understand?" Soda nodded. "Tell me that you understand, Sodapop Curtis."
"I understand." Soda cried.
"Good." Darry swallowed him up in a bear hug. "Good." He sighed out, rocking his sobbing brother. "Everythings okay kiddo. Everythings all-right."
Soda spent the remainder of the afternoon sound asleep on the living room sofa, leaving Darry to his own thoughts. Pony came in at about 3:15, surprised to see both of his brother's there. "Ya'll are home early." He said.
"How was school, little buddy?" Darry asked, evading the observation.
"Not bad." Pony said, dumping his backpack next to the door. Darry was about to tell him to put it away where people wouldn't trip over it just like he had to tell him every other day but he thought better of it. It wasn't worth starting their evening off badly.
"Go get yourself a piece of chocolate cake. I just finished frosting it." Darry said messing up his hair. Pony grinned and went off to help himself. "Pon, what do you want for supper." Darry asked following him into the kitchen and opening up the pantry.
"Anything but spinach casserole again." Pony said.
Darry smiled. "All-right how bout meat loaf and some garlic bread?" Pony nodded in agreement, much to involved with his huge slice of chocolate cake to even think about any other kind of food. Darry fished into the ice-box for the bread. "What happened at school today, kid?"
"Not much. We had to disect a frog in Chemistry. Two-bit almost loused the whole thing up though. He kept trying to get it to hop again by hitting a nerve or something. He's an idiot sometimes."
"Since when is Two-Bit in you chem class?" Darry asked.
"He's not. He just decided to 'visit' when I told him we were gonna disect something. The teacher didn't seem to notice." Pony explained. Darry rolled his eyes. "Hey Dar? How's you shoulder doing?" He asked, quietly. He still was mad at himself for causing that to happen to Darry.
"It's healing fine kiddo." Darry assured him, sensing the tension in his voice. "A small price to pay to have you sitting here now alive and well." Pony looked down shyly, feeling warm inside but still uncomfortable about Darry's unusual openess about the subject.
Soda came in as if on cue to break the uneasy silence. "I smell chocolate." He announced with excitment. Darry nodded towards the cake on the counter and Soda helped himself. "You feeling any better?" Darry asked him quietly. Soda nodded. "Are you dizzy at all?"
"I'm fine Dar, honest." Soda whispered back.
"All-right." Darry nodded, seeing the sencerity in Soda's eyes.
"What are you guys whispering about?" Pony asked almost angrily.
"Secret older brother stuff that you never get to know!" Soda teased, reaching over and tickling Ponyboy relentlessly.
Darry came from behind and grabbed Soda. "Get him Pon!" He yelled, holding Soda in the perfect position for Ponyboy to attack his stomach in a tickling frenzy. Soda cried with laugher and begged them to stop. They finally did and Soda sunk to the ground, breathing heavily, still giggling like crazy. "Traitor." he accused Darry.
"I guess you've been kicked out of the brotherly conspiracy and become the victim." Pony laughed. Soda stuck his tongue out at him as Darry hoisted him up to his feet.
