Hello. More of a filler chapter than anything, this chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"How do you know?" Aimee asked.

"I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but if there's one thing I know, it's Ponyboy. I know Pony almost as much as I know myself, and as sure as I am standing here, Ponyboy lied to me," Soda said, firmly, as he started looking around for his shoes.

"About what?" Aimee asked.

"Probably most of it," Soda told her as he pulled on one of his shoes. "Being treated right. Mr. and Mrs. Worth being nice. Being in good hands. Why he couldn't call us. And someone was monitoring his conversation to make sure he didn't tell us something, but what? What couldn't he tell us?"

"Are you sure this isn't just because you've been worried about Ponyboy and his placement in this foster home?" Aimee asked. "I'm sure he's fine."

"First of all, big brothers have a right to worry," Soda told her, straightening up after putting on his shoes and reaching for his jacket. "And Aimee… please, I love you so much, and I need you to believe me on this. A big brother's instinct… it's a powerful thing, and it hasn't failed me once. I doubt it will fail me now."

"Where are you going?" Aimee asked.

Soda reached for the phone. "To check on Ponyboy."

He dialed the phone number of Ponyboy's social worker and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello, Ms. Jarris!" he said as politely as he could. "This is Sodapop Curtis."

"Oh, yes, the brother of Ponyboy Curtis. How can I help you?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if we were allowed to visit Ponyboy," Soda said. "At his foster home, or he could possibly come here."

"You may, but there will be a strict amount of time for your visits. I will set the time for most of them, but if you visit Ponyboy's foster home, his foster parents set the time."

"Thank you, Ms. Jarris. You've been a lot of help," Soda said before hanging up.

"You would've gone whether she said yes or not," Aimee pointed out, gesturing to his shoes and jacket.

Soda nodded. "Yeah, but asking first seemed more polite. I'm pretty sure the saying it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission doesn't work with social services."

Aimee nodded. "Agreed. Let me get my shoes and jacket. I'm coming with you. Should we call your brother?"

Soda pursed his lips. "No. If I tell him about my suspicions… let's just say, we shouldn't get him more worried than he already is. I'll call Steve at the DX and ask him to cover for me with Darry, tell him I went into work."

Aimee nodded before beginning to slip her sneakers (Aimee was the type of girl that almost always worse sneakers. She even wore them with formal dresses- which her parents were never happy about, but then again, they were never happy about anything when it came to her, so…) onto her sock clad feet while Soda called Steve.

"Steve, I need a favor," Soda said.

"Nice to know you're out of bed!" Steve exclaimed. "I'm assuming you're feeling better."

"Yeah, but I need you to cover for me with Darry. If he asks, tell him I went into work."

"Why?"

"I'm going to see Ponyboy at his foster home."

"And why don't you want Darry to know? Wouldn't he want to come with you?"

Soda sighed. "Steve, I promise that I will explain everything, but right now, I have more questions than answers, so please put your own questions on hold until I get some answers."

Steve paused. "Okay."

That was one of the things Soda loved about Steve. He could rely on Steve not to ask too many questions when Soda asked him to.

"Thanks," Soda said before hanging up. "Ready?" he asked Aimee as she shrugged on her jacket.

She smiled. "Let's go see Ponyboy."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading! Bye, everyone!