Disclaimer ~ I do not own the Outsiders, I'm pretty sure we established that SE Hinton owns it.
*Sorry about the cussing in the last chapter – I think it was because I was in a bad mood to begin with, there may be a few F bombs thrown in randomly in the other chapters, but I'm cooling it down to softer curses for now – it's rated T for a reason* I realize that there are younger readers that have added this fic, I would like to apologize to all of them. Sorry again.
Thanks for the reviews! Please enjoy.
…
"YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ANYTHING IN LIFE! YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE AN UNDERACHIEVER! SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER GOING TO GET ANYWHERE! YOU'RE PROBABLY HAPPY BEING A 'C' STUDENT! WELL GUESS WHAT KIDDO – I AINT APPLAUDIN YA!"
"WILL YOU EVER STOP YELLING!"
"Well maybe if you would actually do better in school then I wouldn't have to yell!" the raised voice of Darry spat out.
"Yeah? Well how about hitting? Does that count under yelling, or are you too drunk to even realize what you're doing!"
Darry glowered at me, "Pony – don't get smart with me. I'm not in the mood."
"You're never in the mood!" I exploded, internally wincing at my daringness. Darry would definitely beat the living tar outta me now. "Ever since you started going out places with Toby you cha-." I was cut off as Darry shoved me against the wall. Hard.
I fell to the ground and glared at him from my spot on the floorboards.
"Don't. You. Get. Smart. You. SHIT." Each word was annunciated by a kick to the ribs. I held my stomach, coughing uncontrollably. My breath hitched as my airway became blocked off – I closed my eyes. This happened before, I just need to calm down. Just calm down. Just calm down.
"You hear me Ponyboy? Get to your room!" I didn't need telling twice, I barely had the energy to crawl to my room, and I collapsed on me and Sodapop's bed. I started crying into my pillow, the sounds muffled. "Soda I miss you, please come home!" I sobbed.
…
"…ne…one…Pone!" I heard a very familiar voice's frantic yelling.
"Oh god what happened to him? Was he jumped? Pony, come on, wake up!"
I blinked my eyes open, not daring to believe. The sight I saw made my heart jump into my throat.
"S-Sodapop?" I slurred out, blinking in confusion at him. But he was in 'Nam, he was fighting, he was over there. Not here. I must be delusional. He was clad in camouflage pants and a jacket, dog tags hung from his neck, and his hair was disheveled and ungreased. He sported no scars, but his eyes told the whole story – the eyes that were once lively and dancing were forever scarred with the witnessing of too many deaths.
"Ponyboy, what happened to you?" Soda cried, holding me to him.
"S-Soda!" I couldn't believe it was him – I threw my arms around him and clenched my fist into his jacket. If this was a delusion, it was the best and most realistic one I had conjured up.
"It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. I told'ja I'd come back didn't I?" Soda smiled at me, but tears were running down his face.
"Oh – Soda! I missed you, I missed you so much, I—" I broke off in a coughing fit, and for the first time I realized what state I was in. Darry had beaten me last night, then kicked me out of the house. I passed out somewhere behind Sutton street.
I glanced down at my body, where visible bruises laced my arms and ribs. I felt blood dribbling from the top of my eye.
"What happened to you! Were you jumped!" I sobbed into his shoulder. I couldn't tell him the truth – it would kill him. And Darry might start hurting Sodapop if he found out. I couldn't allow that.
"I…sort of…"
"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Soda demanded, giving me a once-over.
"I…I was beat up…"
"By who?"
"I…Uhhh…don't…remember…Soda, can we go somewhere?"
"Sure. Uh, but I was planning on going home and talking to Darry, I mean, I was on my way there when I saw you layin here. Does Darry know what happened?"
"I…he might."
Soda frowned and pulled me up towards him, all but dragging me to his car. "Come on get in, we gotta see Darry now."
I nodded my head thinking I hope now that Sodapop's home this will all stop.
…
And we lived like a happy family again. With the exception of Darry throwing the occasional hit when Sodapop wasn't looking. I think it was just habit to him now. Steve hadn't said anything yet – he was actually listening to me for once. I told him not to tell cause I didn't want Soda hurt too, I guess Steve was thinking along the same lines.
One time Soda had to work overtime at the DX, and I was left alone with Darry. For the first time since…that night.
"Pone, start makin dinner." Darry said from his armchair, not looking up from his dinner.
"Make it yourself." I muttered, barely sparing him a glance. Then I remembered. Oops.
"I…said…make…dinner…now!"
"NO!" I was sick of this – sick of acting like everything was fine now because Sodapop was here. Things will never be fine again, and it was all because of Darry.
"YOU LISTEN TO ME WHEN I TELL YOU TO DO SOMETHING!"
"OR WHAT? YOU GONNA BEAT IT OUTTA ME!"
"DON'T TEMPT ME!"
"DO IT! HIT ME! JUST STOP PRETENDING ALREADY! I'M SICK OF IT!"
Darry raised a fist but suddenly he stopped short, staring behind me. "Soda…" he whispered.
I turned around to see a very distraught and confused looking Sodapop.
"Ehhh…" Was all he said, before standing in front of me, putting a hand on Darry's still balled up fist, lowering it slightly.
"Darry…you wouldn't have really hit Ponyboy if I hadn't been here right?" he asked, cautiously.
Darry forced a small smile. "Of course not, me and Pony were just having a small argument, ain't that right Little Colt?"
I glared at him, but Soda didn't seem to notice. "okay." Was all he said, but he looked thoughtful. I knew what he was thinking – a few weeks ago Steve hinted at Darry's abuse. He said not to be surprised if Darry hit me.
I prayed he wouldn't figure it out – I couldn't let him be hurt too.
…
"Steve, I need to know what's goin on here." I opened my eyes, waking up from my nap. I could hear Steve and Soda's hushed voices outside. Darry was at work.
"There aint nothin goin on here. What gave you that idea?"
"I don't know, it's just…Darry and Ponyboy seem like they hate each other now."
Steve didn't respond right away, and my breath hitched. He was going to tell him. That sonuvabitch was gonna tell him!
"Let's just say don't be surprised if Darry hits the kid." He said quickly.
There was a pause, then Soda answered in a bitter voice, "What's that s'posed to mean Stevie? You sayin my family is that messed up?" I winced – I hadn't thought about Darry's abusing me as being 'messed up' but I guess it was.
"No, no, just. Be wary Sodapop. Don't let the kid and Darry in the same room together, alone."
"Why not!" Soda demanded, but Steve didn't say anything else. I decided this was the time to make my appearance, and I stretched and groaned, loud enough for them to hear. There was instant silence from outside when I heard Sodapop call "Ponyboy?"
"Yeah?" I said, trying to fake grogginess. I was a pretty good actor.
"Just checkin." Soda said, then Steve and Soda started talking again – but this time about cars.
…
"Sodapop?" I called, looking around the small room. My heart sped up – there was no one here. I was alone in this dark room – Oh God, did Darry find me again?
"SODA!" I yelled. Still no answer, I felt tears in my eyes as I remembered Soda's words, "I won't leave you alone. Ever. You can count on me Pone. I love you and will never leave you."
"SODAPOP!"
I was answered with complete and utter silence. I held my legs up to my chest and started rocking back and forth, trying to stop the tears in their tracks. They came anyways. Soda was gone. Soda was gone. I was alone…alone…alone! Oh glory – how could I take this?
"S-S-S-Sodaaaa!" I cried, then stopped short when I heard the door creaking open. My breathing sped up, going at a ridiculous pace along with my heartbeat.
"Woah! Ponyboy calm down!" Sodapop raced over to me and cradled me in his arms. I was hyperventilating by then.
"Pone, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? What happened?"
"Y-You were g-g-gone!" I cried into his arm.
Soda seemed confused for a moment, then reality struck him and he wrapped his arms tighter around me. "I aint even gonna leave you alone. I fell asleep on the couch out there – I'm sorry." He apologized.
I didn't say anything – just squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block out any bad thoughts.
"Pony, stop it! You're gonna hurt yourself. Get a hold of yourself!" Soda cried, shaking me slightly. But everything was becoming blurry. "Pone!" Soda's cry was the last thing I heard as I sunk into the abyss.
When I opened my eyes I had no clue where I was – this wasn't the motel me and Soda had been at, but it looked familiar somehow, as though I had been there before.
Then it hit me – we were at Steve's. Which meant Darry was right across the street.
"SODA!" I called out, and felt his warm arms wrap around me. "I'm right here Pony, calm down." I relaxed into his embrace.
"What happened?" I asked, spotting Steve out of the corner of my eye. He was frowning.
"You started freakin out – I didn't know what to do…then you passed out and I couldn't bring you to the hospital because then Da-…He would know where you were." He avoided saying Darry's name, and I was grateful for it. But I still couldn't help to feel annoyed and scared.
"SO YOU BRING ME TO THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM HIM!" I screamed, but I wasn't angry at Soda. I was just angry at everything in general. Why was my life so screwed up?
"Pony, calm down!" Soda looked alarmed, and I tried to regulate my breathing so that I didn't pass out from lack of oxygen again.
"Look kid, it was either here or leave ya hangin with no clue what was wrong with ya." Steve piped up.
Ponyboy glared at him, but calmed down some.
"He doesn't know I'm here right?" I asked. Glory - if he found out where I was I was gonna punch someone.
The question hung thick in the air, and I felt even more nervous in Sodapop's arms. "Soda?" I asked, grabbing his collar.
"Steve – go park my truck somewhere Darry won't find it. He should be home soon…" Soda trailed off and wrapped his arms tighter around me as I winced. Steve nodded and set out to do what Soda told him to.
"Don't worry baby." Soda said in my ear. "We're going to be alright."
Sorry if it's short! Also, after re-reading this chapter I find that it may be confusing some people with the whole Current!Soda/Pony thing. The last one (or the one where Ponyboy was yelling for Soda) is the Current!part. Everything else is memories. We're getting closer to the plotline! Yay *clap*
Please review! Questions, comments, praises *gulp* flames? Just list them in a review. Pardon any typo's!
