Soda looked at the box in front of him in disgust. He didn't want to pick it up. He didn't want to put it into the back of the truck. He wanted to take it back into the house and put all that it held back in its rightful place.
"Soda." Darry prompted, nodding to the hated cardboard container. "Lets get a move on."
"Darry are we really gonna do this? Are we really gonna just up and leave home."
"Soda I'm not having this conversation with you again." Darry grunted out as he lifted up two large boxes and loaded them into the back of their rented moving truck. "Finish loading up. I want to get there before dark." The house had sold all to soon and Darry'd found another one. A different house 350 miles away from home. It angered Soda that some new person was going to eat in his kitchen and sleep in his bedroom. Some stranger was going to be using their shower. Who did they think they were anyways? And then he would have to go sleep in some other house with foreign rooms and walls.
Steve slapped Soda on the back. "You gotta go man. I'll drive up and visit you all the time." It hadn't entirely sunk in for Steve that his best friend since grade school was leaving. He didn't want to let it sink in. Soda looked down at the sidewalk and held backh his tears. He'd cried in front of Steve before but for some reason it just didn't seem all-right. Soda didn't want to go. He wanted to act like he was five all over again and throw a fit. He wanted to hold onto the porch railing and never let go no matter how hard Darry pulled him. He wouldn't be taken alive.
"Two-Bit, that says fragile for a reason!" Pony hollered as he caught a box that fell off of Two-Bits head where he'd unsuccessfully tried to balance it.
"Two-Bit do me a favor and stick to the stuff that won't break." Darry said. "Help me get these mattresses in there."
"Sir, yes sir." Two-Bit saluted. Darry rolled his eyes. He was sure gonna miss him. They were finally all loaded up with little help from Soda who couldn't help staring at the house.
"Soda." Darry placed his hands on his brothers shoulders. "I need you to pull yourself together. Someone's gotta drive the Ford."
Soda narrowed his eyes at him. "If I won't do it, do we get to stay here?"
"Soda." Darry warned.
"I'll drive." Pony piped up excitedly at the prospect.
"What the hell are you so happy about?" Soda snapped, surprising everybody. Pony backed up surprised and Steve tried to approach his buddy. Darry however reached him first and took him aside speaking in the soft but scary voice he used when he was dead serious about something.
"You warming up to this whole thing kid?" Two-Bit slung an arm around Ponyboy and they along with Steve turned away from the uncomfortable conversation the other two were having.
Pony shrugged uncertainly. He didn't know what to think about it anymore. "I reckon if Darry's so sure about it, I'll give it a shot. We called up the school down there, they've got a track team and stuff, the coach'll let me try out still for this quarter. Maybe it won't be so bad."
"They ain't got no socials in the country." Steve mumbled.
"Yeah, but they ain't got no greasers either." Two-Bit reminded.
"Don't matter anyhow. There's rich people and poor people no matter where ya' go." Pony said. "Darry says they just don't all fight as much as here."
"Well, you'll always be a grease, Ponyboy." Two-Bit said mussing up his hair.
They heard a loud bang and looked over to see the old fence shaking and Soda stomping away from Darry and over to the truck. Pony started to make his way over to see him. "Leave him be Ponyboy. He'll cool down in a minute." Darry said giving Soda a pointed look.
Once they were through loading it was time to say goodbye which was difficult. Two-Bit wondered what life would look like with them gone. He reckoned he'd be lounging around home a whole lot. "Don't forget everything I taught you kid." Two-Bit quipped, messing up Ponyboy's hair again.
Pony ducked and gave Two-Bit a punch on the shoulder, cocking his eyebrow in agreement. "Don't go and get so boozed up that you can't stand."
"No promises." Two-Bit joked. Both laughed and then Two-Bit pulled him into a quick hug. When he let go Pony could almost see the slightest hint of a tear in his eyes.
"Matthews." Darry said gruffly, extending his hand for Two-Bit to shake.
"Curtis, I've known you for ten years and I am not about to shake your hand goodbye." Two-Bit said offended.
Darry smiled and hugged him, patting him on the back roughly to take away from the mushiness of the unusual amount of affection they were showing. "You get your ass up there to visit sometime soon, ya' hear." He said, letting go. Both men reassumed their dignified stances.
"Sure thing, Darry."
"Same goes for you, Steve." Darry said.
"I'll be up there soon as I can." Steve assured them. "Bye kid. Stay outta trouble." Steve patted Pony on the shoulder and hugged Soda who was still slouching next to the truck. All the goodbyes were making him weary.
"Don't worry, Soda. I'll take care of all them pretty broads for ya'." Two-Bit laughed.
Soda couldn't help but smile. "I'll miss you, you bumbling idiot." He grabbed his friend into a quick hug. Once they were through Darry did a quick scan of the house once more to see if they'd left anything and then they headed out. By the time they reached the next block Soda was crying and when they reached the highway he was bawling.
Ponyboy stared out the window in the big truck and vaguely wondered if he'd ever play in the old lot again or race his brothers down the street.
--
They reached the little town by five o'clock that evening and Darry followed the map up the windy hill. "Ponyboy, wake up." Darry nudged him. "We're nearly there."
Ponyboy stirred and blinked his eyes open. He smiled as he looked at the window. "Darry, it's beautiful."
"Yeah, I guess it is." Darry grinned slightly and hoped Soda would feel the same way.
He squinted as they reached a little white house ahead across a dirt road. "There it is." Darry said. "It looks just like the picture."
Pony looked up anxiously. "Where are our neighbors?" He asked.
"About a half a mile that way." Darry motioned down the road.
"You mean we don't have any neighbors." Ponyboy corrected.
Darry smiled. "Well, we sure won't have to worry about the noise."
Soda, who had previously been behind them went around the big moving truck to beat them to the little house. Darry rolled his eyes at the impatience and backed the big truck up into the driveway. Maneuvering it wasn't easy and Pony was getting anxious. "Can I get out now, Darry?"
"Yeah, hurry up. I'm gonna back it up so we can get everything out."
Pony opened the door and hopped down to the ground landing on his feet and rushed over to Soda. "Whadya think?"
"It's small." Soda said plainly, slamming the truck door shut and leaning up against the old Ford.
"Not any smaller than home." Pony argued. Soda winced at the reminder that this was definitely not home. "Darry open the door!" Pony ran up the three steps to the front.
"Hold your horses." Darry said, opening up the large sliding trunk on the moving wagon. "We'll go take a look around and then get started on unloading. It's gonna be dark soon."
Darry and Ponyboy spent some time looking around the new house while Soda stood in the entryway leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, desperately trying to convey that he showed no interest.
Darry was pleased to find that the kitchen was twice the size of their old one and the oven seemed nearly brand new. Pony had nothing to say about the kitchen but everything to say about the views from the bedroom windows and the fact that there were two bathrooms which meant two showers.
"There's two bedrooms." Darry spoke after they were through rushing around the house to survey everything. "Since Soda never uses his own room anyways I figured there wasn't any point buying a house with three."
"Where am I gonna keep everything though Darry? I didn't sleep in my own room but I kept most'a my stuff in there"
"You didn't even look at the house, Sodapop. Your bedrooms bigger than the one in the old house and there's a game room down the hall as well. There'll be plenty of room."
"Fine." Soda sighed, annoyed that his argument didn't hold up.
Darry clenched his teeth. He was loosing patience with Soda. He'd gotten nothing but lip from him since they'd discovered they were moving. "Lets get the truck unloaded and set up the bedrooms before dark." After a couple hours of that Soda and Pony collapsed on the couch but Darry kept unloading boxes, particularly the kitchenware so that He could get some pasta started for supper.
"I'm gonna go for a drive." Soda declared, standing up and grabbing the keys to the truck."
"Soda, that's not a good idea. You've no idea where you're going. We've never been here before."
"Well, what do you want me to do Darry? I'm bored. If you hadn't dragged us out here I would be with Steve at the Dingo right now. You can't keep me cooped up in here. Not when this is your fault!" Soda was nearly yelling now and Pony looked over surprised. Soda almost never yelled.
Darry put the pot down and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm getting real tired of your attitude, Sodapop Curtis. You're acting like a child."
"I am not!" Soda argued.
"Yes you are. You've been moping about all day since we left. I warned you to knock it of this morning."
"Well I don't wanna be here!"
Darry walked up to Soda and got real close to his face. "Here's the deal, kiddo." He said sternly. "We are here. We're gonna stay here so you can make the best of it and quit being so mouthy because I've had it."
"Fine but I still hate this place." Soda spat.
"We've only been here for four hours. You haven't even seen the whole house yet."
"I don't care. I hate it. This isn't our home Darry. This ain't ever going to be our home. Why did you make us leave? I hate you!"
Pony blanched at Soda's words. He'd never spoken to Darry that way. "Soda, maybe it won't be so bad." Pony said trying to break the uneasy silence. Darry's chest was all puffed out and he was giving Soda one of those infamous looks. "We could try it." Pony suggested softly, seeing that Darry was near the point of explosion.
"I don't want to try living away from everyone that I know and living in a new place instead of where I've lived my whole life. If you think that anything good can come out of this you're just as crazy as Darry!"
"Sodapop, that's enough!" Darry bellowed and Soda shrank back hearing the loud reprimand. Still he shook with frustration and resentment. Darry sighed. "I'm not discussing this with you any longer. Go to your room."
"What room? I don't have a room anymore!"
"NOW!" Darry hollered and Soda made a run for it. "Damnit!" Darry kicked the wall, making the pots on the counter rattle and the shutters shake. Pony watched him as he stood stark still, hands stuffed in his pockets.
Pony shifted uncomfortably on the couch not knowing exactly what to say in their silence. Darry beat him to it. "Ponyboy set the table for two."
--
Darry woke up with a start as he heard a bang from down the hallway. He looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. He dragged himself out of bed and into the dark hallway immediately stumbling over some boxes that were strewn across the entire house. He briefly wondered how long it would take him to get everything unpacked.
Soda dug through the little box holding the few imperishable foods they'd packed. Darry was gonna have to go shopping tomorrow. He jumped suddenly and dropped the peanut butter as he heard someone clear their throat.
"H-hey. Whatcha doing up?" He asked Darry who was leaning against the cabinet clad in only sweat pants.
"I could ask you the same question." Darry said evenly.
"I can't sleep." He mumbled. Darry just stared at him for a long moment. "Look Dar, I know you said no supper but technically its morning now." Soda tried.
He didn't say anything at first and Soda figured he was angry at being disobeyed. Suddenly though Darry grinned. "Sit down you little brat." He hauled the box up onto the counter and dug through it to find something edible. Settling for bread, jelly, and peanut butter he snatched a plate out of the cupboard and set to work. Placing two pbj's and a glass of water in front of his brother he sat down across the table and leaned back.
Soda quickly ate the first sandwich and started on the next. "You know. I could easily eat four of these." He said through a mouthful.
Darry raised his eyebrows. "Don't push your luck little buddy."
Soda looked sad. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He said solemnly, staring at his plate.
"Good." Darry nodded. "But you're still not getting another sandwich."
Soda grinned but then sobered up again. "I'm serious Darry. I shouldn't have said the things I did. I don't- I don't hate you."
"I know you don't kid."
"But, you always told us not to lie so don't expect me to pretend I like it here. It just aint home. Ya' dig?"
"Yeah, I dig. I do. But this will be good for all of us and you'll get used to it."
"I'll try Darry." Soda said sadly, unconvinced that he could ever come to call anywhere but Tulsa his home.
"That's all I ask."
