Chapter 11: Enjoy your Stay

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own "The Outsiders" or any of the Curtis' Gang. Sigh. The real owner of "The Outsiders" is my favorite author, the fabulous S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write here on this site.

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Ponyboy's POV

"There's a motel up there, look," Soda told me. I looked in the distance and saw a run-down motel with paint chipping off, next to a bar.

"Sodapop?" I questioned apprehensively.

"It'll be okay. Tulsa isn't much safer," he reminded me. I knew that he wasn't talking about gangs or Socs, he was talking about Darry.

We walked inside and saw a fat man smoking at the desk. My nose tickled and I could barely breathe in this place; it smelt so heavily of smoke.

"How may I help you?" He asked in a smoker's voice; not sounding very eager to help at all.

"How much are your rooms?" Soda asked.

"Two bed room?" He asked. Soda shook his head and the man gave us a disgusted look.

"He's my brother," Soda explained sharply.

"I can get you a room for fourteen dollars," he told us. Soda smiled.

"We'll take it," he agreed happily. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure, but I had trust in Soda, even though I had a bad feeling about this.

"Room 103, enjoy your stay."

X

I lied down onto the small bed next to Soda, and he threw his arm around me. Slowly I heard his breathing even out, but I couldn't fall asleep at first. I felt uncomfortable and the smoke burned my lung with each breath. The stress of the day made my eyelids too heavy to keep open and I was too tired to dream; much less have a nightmare.

Sodapop's POV

Bang! Bang! Bang

Shots rang out, through the normally quiet jungle. James was shooting next to me, but the Vietnamese were ruthless.

I saw James pull the trigger and fire, but a bullet hit him straight in the head. He fell to the ground and was dead. I felt a sob choke me as I watched the sight.

"Come on, James. You got to get home to Janice. Your family man, me. Don't go." It was no use, he was dead, and it was my fault.

"Soda! Wake up, it's just a dream." I woke up and saw Pony leaning over me, looking worried. He lied back down next to me and gave me a hug like I always did to him.

"It's alright, Soda, it was just nightmare," he assured me.

"I'm okay," I lied, even though I felt tears well up in my eyes.

I told him goodnight, but it took hours to fall back asleep. I couldn't shake the reality of the dream, especially since James was still in 'Nam.

X

I woke up to rough coughing next to me; it was Ponyboy.

"You okay?" I asked, but he just smiled at me.

"Yeah, just all this smoke," he told me.

"You, the weed-fiend?" I joked, receiving a laugh from him.

"What's on the agenda today?" Pony asked curiously.

"Just driving, see where it takes us," I told him honestly.

Aufenthaltd Gold,

~Alee