I'm back with another Outsiders story! This one will be quite a bit longer than my other ones, so I hope you all will stick with me and hopefully enjoy it! Any [polite] feedback or reviews are appreciated.

Warning: There will be mentions of violence, torture, and other serious topics. If this stuff bothers you, please don't read. Read at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or anything related to the story created by S.E. Hinton.

(Ponyboy's POV)

It was only a couple weeks after Soda's 18th birthday, and it was already starting to get cold outside. Unfortunately for me, Two-Bit was stuck serving detention after school, so rather than waiting for him to drive me home, I decided to leg it. I walked quickly, not only so I got home sooner, but I also wanted to avoid running into Socs.

After Johnny stabbed Bob a year earlier, the Socs usually left me alone, but occasionally I still got pushed around. The gang was always there to help me out, but since I was 15 years old, I knew I had to fight my own battles. Since Johnny and Dally died, I had only gotten really hurt by the Socs once. I held my own and left some of them with bruises that lasted over a week, but when my brothers saw the marks and blood on my skin, they were furious. I saw some of those Socs a couple days later at school; they were marked up and limping in between classes. I didn't want to be happy or proud about others getting hurt, but it was hard to be upset when the Socs were taught a lesson.

I was a block away from our house when I saw Darry's truck turn the corner and pull into our driveway. Darry parked the truck next to Steve's car. When he got out of the truck, he looked flustered.

"Darry?" I crossed the street, and as I was approaching him, he whipped his head around. He looked worried. "Why are you home so early?"

"Ponyboy." In a few short strides, he reached me and gripped my shoulders. "Are you alright? Why are you walking home?"

Darry's frantic reaction made me anxious. "I'm fine. Two-Bit has detention, and I didn't want to wait around for him, so I decided to walk home." Darry pressed his lips in a thin line, and I knew he didn't like my decision, but his mind was preoccupied. "I'm okay, Darry. What's goin' on?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Steve called my boss and said I was needed at home. Some type of emergency. I thought it was something to do with you."

I couldn't blame him for thinking that; whenever something happened, it always seemed to involve me. "No, but if it was me, I don't think Steve would be the one callin'." Darry smirked and released his grip on my shoulders.

Steve and I used to argue and bug each other all the time, but after I returned from Windrixville, he seemed to respect me more, and in turn, I respected him. We still bugged each other, but it was like we were joking and being friends rather than really bothering each other. It was a nice change. I only wish Johnny and Dally were around to witness it. I also wish they could see how well Darry and I got along. We weren't fighting anymore, we were better at talking with each other, and he even smiled more.

"You know Steve would be worried about you if he needed to be," Darry said with a small smile. "But if he wasn't calling about you…" he trailed off, but then it was like he was struck by lightning. He turned and ran into the house.

I stood there for a moment, trying to follow Darry's train of thought. Then it hit me.

Soda.

I jogged after Darry, not knowing if I would be able to handle whatever was going on. By the time I was in the living room, I looked around, trying to find everyone. I walked into the kitchen, and I was confused by what I saw. Steve, Soda, and Darry were sitting on the other side of the kitchen table. Steve had a hand on Soda's shoulder as he stared angrily at the table. Soda had his elbows resting on the table and held his face in his hands. When Darry wrapped an arm around Soda's shoulders, Soda turned and buried his face into Darry's chest. Darry immediately hugged Soda, and that's when I realized both of my brothers were crying. While Darry silently had tears forming in his eyes, Soda was bawling.

I took tentative steps forward, and when I saw the official government document on the table, it felt like my world was crumbling right in front of me.

There were kids at school that talked about the war; some of them had older siblings that were drafted, and a few kids in my classes said that they were going to sign up for the army when they graduated. However, most of the guys at school were terrified about being drafted when they turned 18, and now, that was Soda's reality. That was the reality for all of us.

When Soda turned 18, it was a bittersweet event. There was one less person Darry was technically responsible for, and therefore one less person the state could take away, but the threat of Soda being drafted loomed over all of us, especially Soda.

I took another step forward, just to see if I could be wrong. When I saw the words "ORDER TO REPORT" I choked out a sob. I covered my mouth with my hand to try to prevent more noises from escaping, but it didn't work.

I saw Darry turn his head to look at me, and he didn't only look worried, he looked terrified.

Suddenly, Steve appeared at my side. He silently put an arm across my shoulders and led me to the chair that he was previously sitting in. As soon as I sat down, Soda grabbed me and pulled me towards him and Darry. The three of us were locked together, and we didn't separate until Soda cried all his tears.

When Two-Bit came to the house after detention, he walked in and slammed the door. "Hello Curtis family! What's-" he froze when he walked into the kitchen. Apparently, he could sense the tension and sadness that filled the house. He probably also saw a bunch of red, watery eyes. He was suddenly serious. "What's goin' on?"

Since nobody replied, Two-Bit approached the table and saw the paper. His eyebrows raised and his eyes widened. "Damn." He sighed and grabbed a chair to sit across from us. "I'm sorry, Soda."

Soda nodded in reply, but he didn't say anything.

Steve had been staring at the floor while he silently leaned against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest. When he finally spoke, he shocked us all. "I'm going with you."

All eyes were on Steve, and he just looked up at Soda.

Soda was obviously stunned, but after a moment, he finally gathered his words. "What?" Soda's voice was quiet and unsure.

"I'm going to enlist," Steve said.

"Steve, you don't have to do that," Soda said, suddenly more confident. "You should stay and finish high school."

Steve stared at Soda with a serious look. "Ain't no way I'm gonna stay here while they send my best friend off to war. If you're going, I'm going too." Steve was stubborn, and when he decided he was going to do something, nobody was going to change his mind.

All of us were silent, even Two-Bit, with this new development. Not only was Soda going to be gone, but Steve too. Our gang used to consist of seven guys, but once Soda and Steve were gone, there would be three of us left in Tulsa.

We didn't even eat dinner that night. The five of us just hung out in the kitchen, sulking in the misery of reality. Eventually, hours after the sun had set, Darry spoke up and addressed me. "It's getting late, Ponyboy. You should get to bed."

I shook my head, which was resting on Soda's shoulder. "It ain't like I'm gonna sleep anyway."

Soda spoke next, his voice was hoarse from all the emotions and crying. "Come on, Pony. I'll stay with ya until you fall asleep." I reluctantly agreed.

When we were settled in the bed we shared, Soda wrapped his arms around me. I tried to fall asleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I imagined my brother getting killed in the jungle, never to return to Tulsa. I started shaking and I tried to keep my sobs to myself. Unfortunately, Soda heard me.

"It'll be okay, Ponyboy. Darry will still be here. He can help ya with school and track," he said while he squeezed tighter. "Two-Bit will be here too."

I felt awful. My brother got a letter from the government, telling him he had to go fight in the war, but he was comforting me. "This ain't right, Soda. None of it." I turned to face him. "You're the one goin' off to fight in the war… you shouldn't need to make me feel better. I should be doin' that for you."

Soda smiled and ruffled my hair. "No you shouldn't. I'm still your older brother. It's my job to take care of you."

"You've done that my entire life," I said, tears spilling from my eyes. "This ain't fair. You shouldn't have to go. Neither should Steve."

He pulled me to his chest, and my tears kept falling. "Trust me, honey, I don't want to leave you either, but at least I know you'll be taken care of." He started rubbing my back, trying to calm me down. "Think of it this way… I'll be over there, makin' sure they don't come over here on our turf. Steve and I will be protecting you from a distance." He took a breath, and spoke quietly. "Whenever you hear about the war, just know that your brother Sodapop is protecting you and Darry."

I nodded. "Okay… but I still wish you didn't have to go."

"Me too, baby. Me too."

When I woke up, I still felt Soda's arms around me. I didn't know if he was still awake, or if he had fallen asleep, but I was glad he was still with me. I kept my eyes closed, but before I could drift back to sleep, I heard voices just outside the bedroom door.

"Steve, you don't need to do that. It's your money," Darry said.

"There's no way I'm gonna give any of it to my old man," Steve said. "I've already made up my mind, Darry. I'm going to have them send all my paychecks here, just like Soda. I want you to use the money for anything you need."

I knew Steve was more caring than he came across, and he would do anything for our gang, but I was still surprised to hear what he was telling Darry.

"I could put it into a bank account for you," Darry offered.

"Don't bother," Steve said. "It won't do me any good while I'm over there, but it could help you and Ponyboy out. Maybe you could work a little less, relax, and spend more time with your kid brother." There was a pause, and I tried to imagine the looks on Darry's and Steve's faces. I felt Soda tighten his grip around me, which made me question if he was awake and listening to the conversation too. Then Steve spoke again. "Your family has always been good to me. You all treated me like I was family instead of some snot-nosed kid with an awful father. Think of this as my way of repaying you for everything you and your family have done for me."

"You don't owe us anything. You are family," Darry said. There was some mumbling and other words that I couldn't make out, and then I heard Darry sigh. "Okay. Thank you, Steve."

"No problem, Superman," Steve said.

There was another short pause, and just as I thought the conversation was over, Darry spoke again. "Promise me something. Take care of Soda, and take care of yourself too."

"I promise, Darry. I'll watch his back," Steve said with certainty in his voice. "I'm not coming back without him."