A Brother's Broken Heart

Darry's POV

I walked out on our porch to see Sodapop smoking a cigarette. He might as well have been holding up a neon sign that says, "Something's Wrong." The only time Soda smokes is when he's really nervous or upset, unlike Ponyboy who smokes about a pack a day. I really gotta start cutting that kid off. I stood next to Soda, leaning against the railing. He glanced up at me real quick but turned his gaze back to the cigarette in between his fingers.

"What's wrong, little buddy?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Soda…," I said, going into intimidating parent mode. That's what Pony calls it anyway. I had to laugh when I overheard him telling Soda about my new mode.

"It's nothing. Really." He's such a bad liar and he knows it.

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong." I guess Ponyboy wasn't too far off from naming my mode because I was even surprised at how much my voice sounded like Dad's when he was scolding us after we did something wrong. Which happened a lot.

"Sandy left me," he said. Woah. I did not see that coming. I wrapped an arm around him and he leaned into me. He hid his face in my shoulder, trying to hide the tears streaming down his face.

"Do you know why?" I asked, quietly. He mumbled something.

"What?"

"She was pregnant," he whispered, looking up at me. My eyes went wide. Sandy was pregnant!

"Was it yours?" I felt panic inside me. I could barely afford taking care of Soda and Pony. If Soda had to give his paycheck to his girlfriend and child then we would be done for.

"No." He was sobbing now. I rubbed my hand in circles across his back, trying to comfort him, but not knowing the words. All I wanted to do was cuss her out, but that probably wasn't the most professional way to handle these things.

"Are you sure?" I had to be sure that I wasn't going to be an uncle and Soda wouldn't be a dad at seventeen.

"Yeah."

"How do you know?"

"She had it checked. Apparently, there was some other guy."

"That b****," I said, forgetting about the professional way. That girl had crushed my kid brother's heart, getting pregnant with someone else's kid. Soda pulled away from me and turned the other way, facing the lot.

"I told her I wanted to marry her. I told her I'd take the baby as my own. I did everything and all she said was no. She said no when I loved her. Sh*t, I still love her!" I gently pried the cigarette away from his trembling fingers and put in out with my boot before pulling him into my embrace. He didn't try hiding his tear streaked face away from me. We just sat there together on the porch.

"She didn't deserve you, Soda. One day you'll find the one. Think of this as one step closer to her. It was her fault she got pregnant with someone else's kid. You deserve someone so much better," I whispered in his ear. I felt him nod against my chest.

"Can we get some ice cream?" he asked after a minute.

"I thought that was only for girls dealing with breakups," I said, grinning.

"It is. I just really want some ice cream." I laughed and together we got in the car to get ice cream. Soda would be ok. He was hurt and broken right now but soon he'll be able to pull through. Some day he would love a girl that deserved him. Someone who didn't throw away the opportunity to have a life with him. I would help him through it all because that's just what brothers do.

This idea came from Jayla728 so this chapter is dedicated to her. Thank you so much for this idea and I hope this is how you imagined it. Anyway, I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to update. I've been busy with my family and sports and everything. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please review!

Up Next: A Very Bad Idea

What happens when Sodapop and Ponyboy get lost in the woods? Set in Soda's POV.

- Stay Gold -

Sincerely,

Teenbookworm13