"Sodapop Curtis, are you gonna tell me what happened yesterday or do I have to start guessing?" Steve said, looking under the hood of a car. Soda leaned up against it and sighed.

"I told you Steve. It aint a big deal. It's stupid."

"Soda." Steve stopped working and looked up at his friend. "You always tell me about the stupid stuff you do. What's so different about this time?"

"It just is."

"How?" Steve persisted.

Soda rolled his eyes. "It's really not that exciting Steve. Your not missing out on any important information."

"If it's about my best buddy than it's plenty important. Just tell me. You know I won't shut up until you do so just spit it out and save us both the headache."

Soda couldn't help but smile at his friend. Then he got serious again though and looked down at his shoes for a minute. "I passed out cuz I was huffing in stuff and getting high." Soda blurted it out suddenly, wanting to get his confession over with. "It was just a nice way to get my mind off things." He didn't know whether he was trying to justify it to himself or to Steve but he felt his argument was getting old.

"No kidding." Steve said. "Soda you don't hardly smoke let alone use inhalants. Where'd you even come up with an idea that like?"

Soda shrugged. "I'd never have the guts to actually go buy nothing to do it with let alone the money."

"How'd you go bout' explaining what happened to Darry?" Steve asked.

"I didn't really have to. Doc figured it out and told him. Dar just asked all the right questions and got it out of me."

"Sounds like Superman." Steve replied. "You grounded?"

"Don't think so. Why? You got something crazy planned, Stevie?" Soda grinned.

"Maybe." Steve gave him a mischievous smirk.

"Well, just as long as it aint something that would get me grounded."

-------------------

Soda walked in the front door, kicked his shoes off and threw his cap on the couch. "Honey, I'm home!" He announced proudly.

"Happy to hear it." Darry mumbled from where he lay on the couch with a stack of mail in hand.

"Darry, me and Steve are going out tonight, okay?" Soda asked. Darry was quiet for a minute and Soda was afraid he might say no. "Darry?" Soda repeated after his patience ran out.

"Where?" Darry finally responded.

"I dunno. Steve says it's a surprise"

Darry's eyebrows shot up at the idea of any kind of surprise Steve might think up. "It's just gonna have to be a ruined surprise then cause I wanna know where before I say yes."

"Oh c'mon Darry. It's prolly something we'd usually do anyways. We'll probably just go to the Dingo or something. You know he's not all that original." Soda said. Darry still looked skeptical. "I already tried to get it out of him this afternoon, Dar. He ain't gonna budge."

Darry put his bank statement down and pointed a stiff finger at his brother. "You come home smelling like whiskey and pot with a busted nose or a busted anything for that matter I'm gonna pummel Steve and then I'm gonna pummel you. Got it?"

Soda smiled. "Sure thing muscle man." Soda flipped the TV on and sat down on Darry's stomach.

"Soda?" Darry grunted, wondering why his little brother had the urge to make it difficult for him to breathe.

"Well you're taking up the whole couch." Soda defended.

"You wanna at least sit on my legs so my lungs have room for air?" Darry asked.

"Your no fun." Soda pouted, scooting down a ways.

"Thank you." Darry said, continuing on with the mail.

--------------

"Soda, you spend any more time combing that hair of yours and it's gonna fall off!" Steve hollered that evening from the Curtis living room.

"I'm coming. Hold you horses." Soda stepped out of the bathroom, his hair thoroughly greased.

"Finally. C'mon or we're gonna be late."

"Where you going, Soda?" Pony asked, lowering his book for a moment.

"I have no idea." Soda smiled.

"It's a surprise." Steve said. "Only for Soda." He added. Pony did all he could not to glare at Steve for the comment.

"Sodapop, you get yourself back here by midnight." Darry said.

"Uh, Darry that might be a problem." Steve said, carefully.

"Why?" Darry asked darkly.

"Yeah, why? We're lucky he said yes." Soda whispered to his friend.

"It's gonna take longer than that." Steve whispered back. They both looked back at Darry who had his arms folded over his chest and a look that warned against nonsense. Pony giggled but he shut up when Steve shot him a mean glare. "We- I- had something planned that I've already arranged and the nights gonna be a little longer than that." Steve tried to explain.

Soda looked at Darry pleadingly. Darry groaned in response to Soda's puppy dog eyes. "Look, I don't like it that I haven't got a clue as to where you're going let alone that you're gonna be out until all hours."

"Look, Dar. He'll be fine, okay? I'm not taking him to a whore house or something. The fragile little guy will be just fine. Okay? I'll watch him." Steve said, growing impatient.

"Thank you Steven, that's very comforting." Darry said sarcastically.

Soda grimaced. Steve did NOT know how to reason with Darry. "Shut up your making it worse." He hissed at his friend and turned back to Darry. "I'll be careful. I promise. I'll come straight back after its over. Please Dar?"

"1:30." Darry relented. Soda smiled "If you're not in this house by 1:30, and I mean on the dot…"

"Sure thing. Thanks Darry!" He grabbed Steve and headed out the door before his big brother could change his mind. "You and your big mouth, Stevie. You were convincing him to say no if anything but agree."

"Okay, so I don't possess the gift of bargaining like you do. You fixed it anyways. Now aren't you gonna ask me where we're going?"

"Yes, where?" Soda buckled his seatbelt and Steve sped off.

"Guess."

"Steve. just tell me."

"Fine." Steve said, wanting to blurt it out. "We're going to a show."

"What kind of show?" Soda asked looking worried. "Like a play or something."

Steve rolled his eyes. "No, like a rock concert ding dong head."

"No kidding Stevie?" Soda asked getting excited. "Live and stuff."

"Yup." Steve replied proudly.

"Oh man that's tuff. Who's playing?"

"Just a bunch of different bands. I got tickets through this guy at school. He was trying to get rid of them cause he couldn't go."

"They weren't to much were they Steve?" Soda asked.

Steve shook his head. "Nope, not bad. It's my old man's money anyhow. He gave it to me after we had a fight. The stupid bastard thinks that makes it all better as usual."

Soda put a hand on his friends shoulder. "He just don't know what a great kid he's got. That's all man."

When the got there they surveyed their surroundings. "Lot a cute girls here tonight, Sodapop." Steve tried to cock an eyebrow unsuccessfully.

"Sure are." Soda agreed, looking over to a group of them in the far left corner. Socy girls to be sure and they were with soc boys. "There's a lot of socials here Steve."

"Not all." Steve defended, determined to have a good night; and it was a good night until about half way through. They gulped down some water after having jumped around for a good hour with the rest of the crowd. Soda's legs ached but his spirit begged for more.

"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute and I'll get that cute brunette down there to dance with me. She ain't with a boy, I've been watching." Soda explained.

"Lets hope so. Them socials don't like sharing women." Steve warned.

Soda laughed and took off to the restroom, anxious to get back to the fun. He relieved himself and then glanced in the mirror to comb his hair back into a decent shape.

"Something smells in here." He heard a rough voice say. It was much to close for his liking. He turned slowly to find three boys just a bit older than him standing before him smiling smugly. "Look boys. I found the runt that it's coming from." The oldest one said.

I have some great ideas guys so don't worry this is going somewhere. The story will go on and on!