Pony'sgirlfriend: Thank you! I was so happy after I read your review

FrankElza: Ah Ha! It might not go the way you think it will. I guess you'll have to wait and see.

SoulBeat: Thank you! Steve has never been my favorite either.

Thanks to all who followed, favorited, and reviewed! (And anybody who read and didn't hate it.) You have no idea who much it means to a young writer.

That night, I laid awake with Soda on my other side.

"It was nice to see you talking with Steve today," said Soda, breaking the silence.

Yeah, talking. Not arguing or shouting or anything.

"Yeah...," I said absentmindedly.

"What did you guys talk about?" He asked.

I tried to come up with a believable lie.

"The weather," I said weakly.

I could hear Soda smirking.

"So, you guys are old ladies then?"

I laughed.

I could almost feel Soda's happiness at the sound of my laugh. He was always worried about me. Right now he was worried I was being too quiet. In reality, it was because Steve.

"You're a good brother Soda," I said, speaking my thoughts.

"Please never change. Please stay carefree, happy, and understanding. Please never leave me."

The only response I got was silence. Soda must be asleep.

"So much for spilling my heart out."

I felt a little silly now, with the sudden outburst of love towards my big brother.

I vowed to talk to Steve after school, to relive the obvious tension that was going to end in a full out fight.

Then I turned over and went to sleep.

…

"You're a good brother Soda," Sodapop heard him say.

"Please never change. Please stay carefree, happy, and understanding. Please never leave me."

He stayed silent, shocked.

"So much for spilling my heart out."

The comments didn't go unnoticed however, as a tear rolled down Soda's smiling face and onto the worn pillow.

A/N Fluff! I hope it wasn't bad to put it here. I know it was kind of unexpected.

…

The next morning I got ready for school. I grabbed a piece of toast and ran out the door, getting to school as fast as I could. I had been running late, but with my running speed, I was at school before the bell rung.

After the A block, (English) B block, (Gym) C block, (Science) and D block, ( French) it was finally time to go home.

On the way back however, I heard an all too familiar scream. It was Steve's.

I took off running, not caring that I didn't like Steve. I followed the sounds until I found myself in front of the ally.

Steve was surrounded by five Soc's. Four Soc's were surrounding him and attacking him, yet Steve was still standing, so that was a good sign. The fifth Soc had a switchblade and was going forward to….. STAB him?!

I burst forward on adrenaline, but I seemed to be going forward in slow motion anyway. I ran through the ally, and took a flying leap in front of Steve, just as the Soc trust the knife towards him. When I felt the white hot pain go through my stomach, I knew I had done what I needed too. But all coherent thinking ended there.

The Soc's ran. Steve turned and saw me lying in the ground, a switchblade protruding from my stomach.

He ran over to me and cradled my head in his hands.

"Oh kid, why did you have to be the hero? That was my knife! I should have been stabbed, not you! Stay strong kid! Don't die on me or I'll kill you!"

Oh, the irony of that last line.

"Stay with me kid!"

I could feel myself shaking.

"I'm going to get the ambulance, I'll be right back!"

He ran off. I could feel sticky blood on my shirt, and it made me sick. I hoped I wasn't going to do what I told Soda not to. Leave. But at least my last words to him would have been nice, even if he had slept through them. Luckily, Steve came back and stayed with me until the ambulance came.

The ambulance people but me on a stretcher, and the last two things I heard was Steve telling me he was going to call my brothers, and the one of the paramedics telling the others that I was going into shock, before everything went black.