"Darry there ain't nothin' to eat in this place

"Darry there ain't nothin' to eat in this place." Soda grumbled the next morning.

"I'm going to the store in a few minutes."

"Think you can find it?" Pony asked.

"Well there's only one road. It's bound to get me there eventually."

"When am I starting school?" Pony asked.

"Monday. You're all registered but I need to go in with you and sign some paperwork that morning. Coach says you can try out that afternoon."

"I've gotta find a job." Soda mumbled through a mouth full of graham crackers.

Darry grunted. "Why don't you two go check out the back? We've got a decent amount of land."

"Didn't think to look last night when we were unloading." Pony said. "I vote we put a tree house on the big oak out there."

"We'll see little buddy." Darry said distractedly. "Soda do me a favor and take my tools back to that shed we've got."

"We have a shed?" Pony asked.

"You just trying to get rid of me?" Soda mumbled, grabbing Darry's tool belt.

"You've got me all figured out, kiddo." Darry smiled.

Soda headed out the door with Pony in toe.

"It looks like they used to raise horses here." Soda pointed out. Pony climbed up on the fence that enclosed a large area. Soda hopped straight over it and ran across to the other side ducking under to get out. "It is big back here. We could make touchdown lines and play a good game. Cept Two-Bit an' Steve ain't here." Soda's excitement disappeared as he said the last sentence.

"They can visit."

"Why does he want his tools all the way out here anyways?" Soda questioned.

"That's weird, theirs fresh footprints out here." Pony pointed to the mud surrounding the old shed. "I don't reckon Darry would have any reason to be walking around back here last night past dark."

"If we were in Tulsa I'd say it was the socials." Soda said. "Nevermind, how do you open this thing anyways?" He jumped up to grab the latch on the door and the old thing creaked open. "If we're gonna keep stuff in here we ought to buy a lock." He kicked the door open the rest of the way.

Both boys jumped as they heard a loud whiney and whipped around to the right side. There stood a beautiful brown stallion. The tool belt fell out of Soda's hand.

"Shit, Ponyboy, you see what I see."

"I see it." Pony said bewildered. "What's it doing here?"

"Damned if I care." Soda whooped, running over to the beautiful animal. He reached up gently to pet the animals' long nose. "Glory, it's the prettiest horse I've ever seen."

Ponyboy walked up next to his brother but the animal went wild, bucking like crazy. "Whoah boy, whoah!" Soda said. "Shhh. That'a boy, it's just Ponyboy that's all. He ain't gonna hurt you none." The horse calmed down and allowed Soda hands to stroke its neck again.

"Well it sure don't like me." Pony quipped.

"Naw, he's just skittish is all." Soda spoke, not taking his eyes of the animal. "See he's okay now. Just scared is all."

"Soda where'd he come from?"

"I sure don't know but I say we keep 'im. Man, how I've always wished for a horse a' my own. He looks just like Mickey Mouse except for that little white spot there on his nose."

Pony grinned at the goofey smile on his brothers face. Soda was already in love. "Look, Soda, there's a sattle and everything over here." Pony pointed out on the wall. "I think maybe we're in the wrong place."

"Shut up Pony. It's like my best dream coming true." Soda discouraged him from ruining the perfection of the moment. "Hand me that there sattle, I'm gonna ride 'im."

"Soda it ain't even our horse!"

"It's in our barn ain't it? Gimme the sattle."

Pony reached up for it. "Wait just a minute." Darry's voice sounded within the thin walls. Both boys jumped.

"Darry!" Soda sprung into action. "Darry can't I keep him. I'll do everything and pay for his food and all his…"

"Slow down, Sodapop." Darry said, putting his hands on his brothers flailing arms.

"Darry where'd it come from? You didn't say nothin' about a horse coming with the house." Pony asked. It was evident in Darry's rare smile that he was enjoying this.

"What's going on Darry." Soda said, catching on. "Did you know about this?"

"All-right listen. I was gonna tell you earlier but I hadn't closed the deal yet. This here horse is yours if….

"SHIT Darry are you serious!?" Soda whooped, jumping up and down and dancing around the small space."

"Hold on little buddy I ain't done yet." Darry stopped him in his tracks. "He's yours on one condition."

"Anything, I'll do it." Soda couldn't stop jumping.

"Listen to me, all-right. Slow down for a minute. I told you I've found a new job now and it pays better than I expected."

"So you bought a horse?" Pony asked.

"Hang on, I aint done yet." Darry turned back to Soda. "We don't need your income any more to make it." Darry swallowed and looked at Soda seriously. "I want you to go back to school."

"What?" Soda asked bewildered. The room was dead silent for a full ten seconds. Him and Darry were supposed to be a team. Now he didn't want his help anymore? "Darry I ain't been to school since last year."

Darry sighed. He'd been thinking about how he was gonna do this for a couple weeks now. It wasn't fair that Soda wasn't in school. He was supposed to be the kid not the provider. "Yeah, and it's a damn shame too. You shouldn't have had to do that. I should've-"

"I wanted to, Darry. I still do."

"Soda, I want you to get your diploma. There's no point in you skipping out on that now that I've got enough coming in for the three of us."

Despite the excitement over the horse Soda felt ambushed. "Darry, are you serious? You drag me here to the middle of nowhere, away from everything I know, away from a job I love and now you're saying you want me going to school when I ain't even been there since…"

Pony chewed on his nails nervously as he listened. It would sure be tuff to have Soda back at school with him, especially at a new school when he didn't know anybody.

"If you want this horse you're going back to school. That's all there is to it." Darry stated.

"Damnit Darry you had to do the one thing… You knew I… Darry I hate school!" Soda said in frustration.

"You should be in school anyways. You're seventeen years old! I'd a good mind to tell you, you were going and that was that. The horse is a bonus little buddy. You go to school, you keep your homework up and you don't skip then you ride this horse all you want. That's the deal."

"Darry, where'd this horse come from?" Pony asked.

"Nevermind." Darry said. Pony frowned. Darry had been far to mysterious lately.

"How about I just work and pay you back for the horse and then put some money in the bank for once."

"No deal." Darry shook his head.

Soda sighed and ran a hand over his face. "It's a waste of time Darry. I won't pass anything."

"I want you to try." Darry persisted.

"Please Soda?" Pony stepped in.

Soda groaned and looked back over at the horse. "Can I ride him right now?"

"Monday morning, are you gonna go without protest?" Darry asked.

Soda sighed. "I have to start this week?"

"Soda…"

"I guess." He mumbled

"You guess?" The stallion whinnied again and Soda couldn't stand how beautiful the animal was. It was like a dream.

"I'll go Dar." Soda said reluctantly.

Darry grinned. "Take him around the pen first so you can get a feel for him and him for you."

"Don't worry Dar." Soda stroked the big animal. "He already knows he's mine."