With the click of the gate behind him. Pony walks up the steps of the porch. The living room light is on and inside Darry is hanging up the phone. With all of his courage Pony opens the door and enters the house. As Pony closes the door his brother stands up.
"Where in the hell have you been?" Darry said as if he was sitting on a ball of fire. Continued by "Do you know what time it is?"
Pony thought to himself that Darry looked awfully mad. Before he could finish shutting the door he answered his own question.
"Well, it's 2:00 in the morning, kiddo." said with a snarky remark. Interrupted by Soda who had been sitting on the couch.
"Hey, Pony, where have been?"
"I feel asleep at the lot," Pony said, pushing past Darry.
"You what?" Darry did not sound that happy that his brother was sleeping outside at the lot. He could have been jumped or worse.
"I was talking to Johnny and fell asleep at the lot," Pony repeated as Darry chased him to the bathroom. "I didn't mean to." Shutting the door on his brother.
"Yeah? Hey, I can't even call the cops because you two would be thrown in a boy's home so fast it would make your head spin." Darry was on his last straw. He was gonna lose it. Soda appeared behind him.
Over his brother Soda said, "Come on Pony. Let's go to bed now." as Pony threw the towel over the shower rail.
"Look I said I didn't mean to." Pony said this with an attitude that set Darry off. Pushing past his brother he said.
"I didn't mean to, I forgot. That's all I ever hear from you." Pony's face said it all. This was not his brother talking. Not the same Darry that he had always gotten along with. This was a new him. And he was scared.
"Come on Dar-," Before soda could finish Darry finally lost it.
"SHUT UP! I'm tired of you sticking up for him." That's when they knew it was over.
Pony got the courage to yell, "Don't you yell at him!" Pony instantly regretted this as his older brother turned around and slapped him. This is when all hell broke loose. Pushing him to the ground, he realized what he did, not his youngest brother. He lay there for a second looking at Pony on the ground with eyes full of fear.
"Pony I – I didn't mean to.," before he could finish, he was running out the door and down the street. He and soda busted open the door after him. Darry sat down on the rocking chair. Not realizing that soda was next to him he saw a blur run past. It was Soda, barefoot, running down the street.
Darry yelled, "Soda, Stop!" But he didn't listen. All he did was stick up his middle finger at his older brother and keep running.