Rewriting The Ending of The Outsiders (Chapter 12):
By SkunkApeEnthusiast29
The judge had seemed angry, fed up, it was written all over his grimace of disappointment and annoyance. The amount of juvenile delinquents was absurd, and it was obvious he felt he had to do something about it. The courtroom was empty, more or less. Darry and Soda were with me, and the rest of the Socs that jumped me and Johnny were there on the other side of the courthouse. They all went and told the judge what they had seen and the judge had enthusiastically asked them questions about what happened. They all said that Johnny had killed Bob, which was a point I figured I could dismiss once I got to speak. After the majority of the Socs were finished, Cherry retold what happened. As would be expected, she was tearing up, yet still had a firm voice, which was unexpected. Then the Judge had asked Darry and Soda about Dallas, probably to gauge whether Dally was a responsible guardian or lowlife, with Soda I don't even know. I can't know for sure, but they stuck by him, which looking back was probably a bad decision on their part, but Dally was one of us and belittling him then would have been disrespectful. Finally the judge got around to talking to me. He asked about my relation to Johnny and my grades and day to day life. Really not what I expected but I tried to answer honestly. The judge had seemed somewhat disgusted in a way, it could have been something I said or maybe the description of our house, but he seemed to be disappointed. Either way it didn't save me, the judge dismissed the charges of being an accomplice to manslaughter, but he still ruled that the conditions in which I was living were unacceptable. I and Soda would be sent to the "Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys" in Okeechobee Florida later that week.
The ride home was silent, Two-Bit had greeted us when we made it to his car, but there was no response. Lucky we made it there anyway, because I was a stumbling mess walking out of the courtroom. When we got home I sat down on my bed and did nothing. I started to remember all the fun me and Johnny had, all the things we did, and all the places I would never get to see again because I was going to be sent to a backwater institution in the middle of Florida of all places. I ended up falling asleep due to the stress. I had vague dreams that were terrible and lonely, but that wasn't too strange, it had been happening for a few days now. I woke up in a cold sweat, I was stiff as a board and dread was consuming me. I calmed myself down and went back to bed, I had bigger things to worry about. School was a mess, It had been an annoying and tedious day. It had seemed to be unimportant and useless, a waste of time. When I got home Soda came up and hugged me, I expected that, but at the time I only passively reciprocated the gesture. I had a lot on my mind and was still processing everything.
"Ponyboy" Soda said sorrowfully
"Yeah?" I replied softly
"I'm gonna miss you."
"Me too." I went to my room and sat down on the side of my bed as I often did. I thought about all the fun I had, and all the friends I made. My whole world would be taken from me.
Then it hit me, the law can't take me away if I'm not here. If I run away then maybe, I could loop back home. I would tell Soda and Darry of course, I had to. They had to know so they wouldn't think I hated them or something, but I knew that Darry wouldn't support the idea. Though he's a greaser, he still wouldn't want to break the law if he didn't have to. But I wasn't too sure. Maybe I should leave a note, I thought. Again I wasn't sure but I knew by Friday I would be hauled away to some wretched place.
So I gathered what I would need to survive in the woods for a few days to throw off the cops. I gathered a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, a canteen, a few of my favorite books, a blanket, my jacket, and some bandages from the bathroom and put them in an old suitcase that we had laying around for some reason. When I went out for a walk later that day, I saw something in the bushes next to the little dirt path that snaked around the small woods in the North of Tulsa . I went over to investigate and found an old rusted pocket knife and an old watch. "Perfect", I thought and slipped it into my pocket.
When I got home, Darry was leaning on the kitchen countertop, and he said
"Hey Ponyboy, we need to talk. There's nothing I can do about this anymore. I'm gonna miss you kid."
" Darry, I don't care what the law thinks I'm fine, and Soda's fine! This all is so stupid."
"Look kid, it's sad, but complaining about won't do nothin' now. I figure we should just spend the time we have left together."
"Okay,... I just" I struggled to say " I don't understand why I have to go."
"Ponyboy, this isn't the end, I will find a way to get you back, Okay. All I want is for you to be safe."
"Alright" I said as I headed for my room
It was a foggy day and my room was much more humid than I had hoped. I sat down and began to think, as I had taken a liking to more and more as I got older. I thought of how myself and Johnny had evaded the cops after our scuffle with the Socs. I thought about how I could get myself and Soda out of this situation. Dally had given me and Johnny his jacket, 50 bucks, and a gun. I have learned my lesson with guns, but so far I had everything I needed, except for Soda. I have never claimed to have a silver tongue, but I had to try to convince him. If he didn't come with me then he would be stuck in a boys home. I couldn't let that happened so I tried my luck
"Hey Soda" I said softly as I entered his room
"Hey Pony, what are you up to" Soda said
"I got to talk with you Soda, preferably outside"
"Why, what's going on"
"Just come with me" I said as I gestured for him to follow me out the back
"Okay, now what do you want Pony" he said slightly annoyed as he was exiting the back door
"Look Soda, I know this sound drastic, but we can't stay in Tulsa"
"Ponyboy!" he said in surprisment
"I know about Darry, and the rest of the gang, but we won't be able to see them anyway if we get hauled away to a boy's home."
"And you think by running away we will do any better? We'll starve out there!"
"That's not what I meant Soda, look, I was thinking we could go somewhere up north like Montana or the Dakotas. And I know that Darry won't let us but I was thinking we could leave him a note or something. To tell him where we are headed"
"I don't know about this Pony, what if we get lost or something"
"You have a map don't you? We could use that"
"Look Pony, let me think about this, alright. I got an old buddy, Rusty Campbell who lives out that way. He might let us stay with him until Darry catches up to us, but that's no guarantee."
"Well that's good, but if we are through with this plan we would need to leave tonight"
"Okay Pony, I'll be in my room" He went back inside, but I stayed out to watch the sunset. This would probably be the last one I would see in Tulsa ever again.
Chapter 13:
"Are you sure about this Pony?" Soda asked as he entered my room
"What else can we do? We can't just stay here and let them take us away. I can't let that happen, Soda. You know I can't"
"Alright Pony, you got the suitcase?"
"Yep, let's get out of here"
We left the house at about 10 PM. Before we left, I placed our note on the floor next to Darry's bed, being careful not to wake him. We made our way over to the gas station that Soda works at. Luckily it was open, so Soda was able to get his paycheck and car without much fuss. I also bought a newspaper to read, it was saying something about a group of local disenfranchised farmers moving north to Alberta. I though that was mildly interesting and committed to memory before getting in Soda's Car
" Alright Pony, you sure about this "
" Yes I am Soda, can you please stop saying that."
" Pony I guess…..Look it's a lot to leave behind."
" I know Soda but what other choice do we have, Darry will find us, and that friend of yours will help us right?"
" Yeah… I know. But that don't make this any less crazy."
"Maybe crazy is better than being locked up in some home, livin' with strangers who don't give a damn."
"We don't know that, Pony. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"You really believe that?"
"Darry's gonna lose his mind over this"
Soda turned on the car, and began our trip by heading west. I remembered all the fun times that I had in Tulsa, but quickly remembered why I was leaving too. I was leaving home, finally breaking the cycle of violence. There was no way the Socs would make peace with us, but they were the least of my worries. I thought about all the things I did before, funny enough with a sense of nostalgia, though I didn't know if my journey would be successful or not. Around that point we had reached Wichita, and after that I passed out.
The next day beams of sunlight had hit me and I woke up. I looked around and Soda was fast asleep. He must have drove all night. I got out of the car and went to the bathroom at the rest stop. When I got back in the car Soda woke up
" Ugh. Tell me I didn't fall asleep like this." he said in a tired voice
"You did. Pretty sure you were snoring' too." I responded
" Great."
" Where even are we?"
" Kansas, I think. Sign said so before I pulled in."
" Huh. Never thought I'd wake up in Kansas."
"Yeah, well, I never thought I'd be runnin' from the cops with my kid brother either, but here we are."
"Do you smell that?"
"Ugh, what's that smell?"
" Smells like Cows."
" Fantastic. Nothin' like waking' up to the smell of cow crap first thing in the mornin', really gets you in the mood for breakfast."
" Maybe you can go ask one for some milk."
" Yeah, great idea, Pony. I'll just waltz over there and say, Mornin', Bessie, you mind sharin'? Man, I'd kill for some coffee. Or a shower. Or a bed that ain't made of vinyl and regret"
" Guess we'll have to settle for whatever's in that vending machine over there."
" Oh, joy. Stale crackers and flat soda. Truly, we are living the dream."
" C'mon, let's go see if we can find somethin' that won't kill us."
" No promises, kid. No promises."
We went up to the vending machine to see if they had anything that wasn't gross, and unluckily it was all disgusting. The smell of manure was really starting to get to us, so we got back in the car and carried on. I know to locals it didn't seem weird, but to me the sea of grass on either side of the road with no trees or mountains was uncanny, but in some ways it was familiar. The look of the buildings, restaurants and gas stations reminded me of Tulsa. But that doesn't matter now, I've left that life behind me, and thinking about it more and more would only slow us down.
I was lucky I packed a bag of potato chips back in Tulsa, because I was getting really hungry.
" Soda" I said
" Yeah Pony, what do you need" He responded
" Do you want a chip?"
" Sure, I'm starving. Anyway we'll be at my buddy Rusty's place in about 4 hours"
"Well that's good, we can finally eat some real food and take a shower."
"Yup, I wonder how Darry is doing"
"He's probably irate at us"
"You're too smart for me Pony, I don't even know what that word means."
" Yeah cause' you're a dropout."
"Shut up" Soda responded giggling
Eventually we crossed the border into Colorado, and when I opened the window to Soda's car to get a better look the wind nearly blinded me.
"You alright Ponyboy?" Soda asked
"Im fine" I said as i pulled my head in the car and shut the window.
Soon we arrived in Grover, this was where Rusty was supposed to live
" This place looks a lot different than Tulsa." I remarked
" Yeah, it's got that small-town feel. A lot quieter than back home, that's for sure." Soda responded
"I was gonna say it looks like a scene from a Western movie, but I guess small towns have that feeling."
"Yep. Hopefully we don't have to outrun any buffalo on our way in."
'You never know, Soda." I said jokingly
We both got out of the car and walked out to Rusty's house. It was an old two story barn house that smelled like hay, and the porch creaked when we walked on it. Soda knocked on the old door twice and suddenly it opened.
"Well, I'll be... What are you two doing here? You just show up without so much as a 'Hey, Rusty, we're coming by'?" Rusty had said in deep voice, similar to Darry's but with a heavier southern draw
"We didn't think we'd have time for formalities. Figured we'd just surprise you." Soda responded
"Yeah, sorry for the unannounced visit. We didn't want to cause any trouble or anything." I added
"You sure know how to make an entrance. But alright, come on in."
"We didn't know where else to go, and we figured you'd help us out. No hard feelings, right?"
"Nah, no hard feelings. But you two are a handful. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you until later. It's a good thing I was home. Come on in, make yourselves at home."
"This place looks pretty cozy." I remarked
"Yeah, I like it. Feels different than what we're used to." Soda added
"Well, get ready for dinner. Mom'll probably make you help with something, she's big on 'everybody pitching in.' And don't be surprised if she tries to feed you until you can't move."
"Thanks, Rusty. You've got a good place here." Soda said as Rusty walked into his kitchen
'See? Nothing to worry about. I think we're gonna be alright."
'Let's just hope we don't get stuck with chores tonight." I responded
Soda hopped in the shower almost immediately, I figured as such. I walked into the room that me and Soda would be sleeping in, but it wasn't too bad as the room was definitely large enough for the both of us. Surprisingly for the location, Rusty had a TV in the living room downstairs. Which was a welcome surprise. It didn't surprise me that a good guy like Rusty left Tulsa. I'd also bet Soda was glad to meet up with an old friend again after so long, they seemed to be close.
The next day was much better than the previous few, Me and Soda woke up and headed down the stairs to eat breakfast. By that point, Rusty had already told his mom that we were staying here for a few nights, so we were welcome. The food was a heavenly break from gas station potato chips and stale water that we had become accustomed to.
After Breakfast me and Soda headed into town to pick up some supplies at the local general store. Soda figured that we might need them in case we had to leave quickly, and unfortunately Soda's intuition was correct. Shortly after we got back we saw a police car pull up to the house, we quickly grabbed our things and headed downstairs, but as we were doing so, Rusty opened the door.
"We need to talk, Mr. Campbell." Said the first of two officers
"Talk about what? You ain't got no reason to be here." Rusty responded
"We're looking for two kids, Ponyboy Curtis and Sodapop Curtis. You seen 'em around?" Said the second officer
"Nah, man. Ain't seen anyone by those names. Are you sure you got the right place?"
"You're sure about that? We got a tip you were helping them hide out here."
"A tip, huh? Well, I don't know anything about no tips. I'm just trying to live my life, y'know? No reason to go making trouble for me."
"Look, Campbell, we don't want to cause any trouble. Just trying to do our jobs. You're helping a couple of fugitive kids. That's a problem. You got a lot to lose, you really want to keep playing this game?'
"I don't know nothin'. No one's here, just me, and you know, this place is a little... quiet lately."
"We've got a warrant to search the premises. You better start talking."
"Alright, alright, you wanna search? Go ahead. But don't blame me if you don't find what you're looking for because you won't" Rusty said with anger in his voice
"Get ready to search the house. Let's see if Campbell's lying."
"Alright, look, maybe you should leave now before you cause more trouble than it's worth." Rusty said annoyedly
Me and Soda had already grabbed our things and were heading out the back door of the house when one of the cops spotted us
"Freeze! Get on the ground!" The cop yelled
"I think that's what you'll be doing you pig" said Rusty who had come up behind the officer holding a 12 gauge.
"Let them go!" Rusty yelled
Then suddenly he was shot in his leg by the other officer who had descended the stairs. He gritted his teeth and staggered. As his whole body seized up he fired a round of buckshot into the back of the officer who was in front of him.
"Run Soda! Take my car and get out of here!" He yelled while the other officer detained him
"Rusty, no! Let go of him you pig!" Soda yelled. I had to drag him out of the doorframe and behind the house.
"We have to save Rusty!" I exclaimed
"We can't we have to go, more cop's will be here soon" Soda responded
"I can't just leave him here! They'll kill him!"
"You can stay if you want to, but we'll die if stay here much longer"
We ran to the front of the house and entered Rusty's car, luckily I had taken his keys on our way out so we were able to escape quickly. Soda had floored it out of there and west into the mountains, away from the adjoining police car. It followed us as far as it could but Soda was able to evade it.
Chapter 14
After the siege at Rusty's house we had to find a place to camp out. There was no way we could stay at a rest stop now, so we had to improvise. Though I didn't have much input due to Soda's superfluous driving fueled by the stress of our current situation, I tried to reason my way out of this. We were at a point that we were just driving as far away from what happened as possible, when suddenly the car broke down. Not to mention the terrible weather, as a snowdrift had just set in on the mountains
"Crap!" Soda exclaimed as the car drifted to a halt
"Great. Just great. Of course, the car would break down now, of all times. Pony, what the hell are we supposed to do now? We're stuck here." Soda exclaimed
"I don't know, Soda. I don't know anything anymore."
"Rusty... he's probably hurt bad. And now we're stuck out here, lost, with no way out. I thought we could make it, you know? I thought we'd get away, but now it's just...now, it feels like it's all falling apart." I replied sorrowfully
"Hey, don't go losing it on me, Pony. We're not dead yet, okay? We'll figure something out,we always do. Hell, we don't even know where we're going. But we've gotta keep going, right? For Rusty. For us."
"We don't even know where we're going. You're right. We're stuck. I don't know what to do. We can't keep running forever, Soda. We can't outrun everything that's happened to us. I just want things to go back to normal. I want to go home."
"Look, I get it. I wish we could go back too, but that's not the world we're living in anymore. We can't go back. All we can do is move forward."
"Besides, you're forgetting something. We've got each other.
"I didn't want to drag you into this. I didn't want to make you run away with me, Soda. You don't deserve this... you don't deserve all the mess I caused. You didn't ask for any of this. I just... I couldn't stay in Tulsa. I couldn't."
"Ponyboy, don't pull that on me. You think I don't want to be here with you? I've been with you through everything. I'm not leaving you now. Besides, we've come too far to quit. Rusty wouldn't want us giving up now. We can't let him down."
"Yeah. You're right. We can't quit. But I just... I don't know if I'm strong enough to keep going, Soda."
After that, the clouds blocked the sunlight, so it got colder. I hadn't thought we would get stuck in the mountains, but luckily I packed a blanket, but it wouldn't do much for the both of us. I checked my watch and it read 8:30 pm, time had flown by in the freezing car. In fact it got so cold that the windows started to freeze over so we could barely see out of the car.
To break the proverbial ice I said "It's freezing." to Soda
"Yeah. Feels like it's gettin' colder by the second." he replied
"Yeah. Feels like it's gettin' colder by the second." Soda replied
"We should've stayed at Rusty's longer."
"Cops were closing in. We didn't have a choice."
"We don't even know where we're goin' anymore.'
"Yeah… I know."
"You think Darry's mad?"
"I think he's scared." Soda remarked. After that there was a long pause, if not due to the subject matter, then due to exhaustion in that freezing car.
"Maybe we should get some rest. Could help us regain some energy." I said
"Good idea, but I don't know if I can sleep in this weather." Soda answered
"Okay, well i'm gonna try to sleep, night' Soda.
"Night' Pony." Soda said as I drifted off to sleep.
I didn't rest for very long though, because when I woke up and looked at my watch it read 2:30 AM. Soda was barely awake but looked almost dead, he probably hadn't gotten any sleep. When suddenly we heard someone call out.
"Well, well, look who's out here getting lost in the middle of nowhere."
At first I thought that I was hallucinating, but it was unmistakably Two Bit. Figures he would be the one to come and save us from this mess.
"I knew I'd find you two. Don't think you can run off that easy." Two Bit had said, I could see the headlights of his car behind him illuminating him from behind
"Two-Bit? How did you….how did you find us?" I said surprised
"I got my ways. Figured I'd catch up with you two after I heard about Rusty and the trouble you've been causing. Y'know, I don't really let my little brothers run off without me."
"Two-Bit, you're crazy, man. We didn't think anyone would be coming after us." Soda replied as he got out of the car, woken up by Two Bits voice
"I can't believe you came all the way out here. You really are something else, Two-Bit." I also said
"Well, you're welcome, you big drama queens. Now, let's get out of here before the snow decides to swallow us whole, huh?"
"Look, Two-Bit, we can't go back to Tulsa. You don't know what it's like there now. Darry's gonna end up losing us if we stay. It's not just the cops….we can't let Darry go through that again. He's already had too much to handle." I said
"We're not running away to escape trouble. We're trying to leave all that behind. We've gotta go north, Two-Bit. We need to find a way to get out of here and keep moving.." Soda replied
"Look, I get it. I do. But you two can't just vanish and expect the world to forget about you. I can't let you go without saying something to Darry. He's gonna be worried sick. You can't just make him think you're dead or gone forever." said Two bit
"You think I want to worry Darry? You think I want to break his heart again? You think this is easy for me? But I can't stay, Two-Bit. I can't keep living that life, knowing it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or something worse happens. I can't do that to him."
"Look, we're not asking you to do this for us. We're asking you to do this for Darry. He needs to know what happened. If we just disappear, he'll think we're dead, or worse... he'll think he's failed us. You know he won't forgive himself for that." Soda added
"Don't think I'm happy about this. But you two... you're like family to me. And I can't leave you hanging."
"Fine. I'll do it. I'll make sure Darry knows where you're going. I'll tell him you're safe, that you've gone up north, but I'm not making promises about how he'll take it. You know how he is. Just don't make this harder than it has to be. You two keep your heads down, and stay safe. I'll tell Darry... but after that, it's on you to figure things out." Two Bit added
"Thanks, Two-Bit. You don't know what this means to us. Darry'll understand, right? He'll know we had to do this." I said
"Alright, alright. Don't get all sentimental on me now, Pony. I'm just doin' what I gotta do."
"Oh, and take this, you boys will need it" Two Bit reached out his arm and gave me his jet handled switchblade.
"You're kidding" I exclaimed
"Nope, it's yours now. I don't need it no more. Oh and I forgot something else too" He walked a short distance and brought a gas canister and two blankets"
"You'll need this too" Two Bit said
"Chase your dreams Pony, oh and don't get eaten by some bull moose"
"Bye Two Bit" me and Soda had said.
After that me and Soda filled up the gas and drove down the mountain finally escaping that freezing tomb.
Chapter 15:
After the chaos of the previous day, Soda and I had slept for a long time. After a while we both woke up and got out the car to stretch our legs, and Soda sked me
"So, what now? You think we should keep heading north?"
"I don't know. I keep thinking about what Two Bit said, you know? He told us to stay out of trouble, keep going, but... I don't think we can just stop anywhere. We need to get farther away from Tulsa, far enough that the cops can't find us."
"I get it. We gotta make sure they can't catch up to us. But, I'm thinkin'... maybe we should keep going all the way to Alberta. You know, up in Canada.
"Alberta? Are you serious?" I exclaimed
"Yeah, why not? It's far enough out of reach from the fuzz, and... I don't know, Pony. I've heard about the people up there in the papers. Ranchers and workers who just get by. We could do that. We could start over, away from everything."
"Darry always wanted us to have a better life. I think... maybe this is it. We can work on ranches, make enough money, and just disappear from everything for a while." Soda added
"Alberta sounds... far. I mean, really far. It's not just a few days' trip. But, maybe that's what we need. Something different."
"Yeah, exactly. And it's not like we don't know how to work hard. You've been helping out with the house and all the stuff back in Tulsa. We know how to work. We'll make it work, Pony. We just need to make it that far."
"Look, I know it's a big jump. But we've already gone this far, right? It's worth it. We just need to trust that we can do it. Together." Soda added
"Together. Yeah, I can't argue with that. I guess I just don't want to leave my home behind, but I'm already gone so what do I got to lose?"
"Damn straight. And when we get there, we're gonna make something of ourselves. No more running. Just... workin' hard and living life the way we want to." Soda exclaimed excitedly
It was refreshing to have hope for a change, funny enough Soda was the one dragging me along now. But I had to stop that, I can't hang onto the past forever.
On the way to a new life we saw many of the wonders of America. We saw open plains, dense woodlands and massive mountains on our journey. Unluckily though the many rest stops we stopped at weren't much better than the first one. Eventually we had finally made it to Montana, the original destination, though now we had bigger sights set. We weren't out of the woods yet though, we still had to cross the border
There was a small checkpoint in the road and Soda had pulled up to it
"Hey there. Where are you boys headed?" said the border guard
"Ah, just north, officer. We're, uh, heading up to see some family. You know, just a couple of brothers trying to catch up with some old folks in Alberta." Soda responded
"Yeah, family reunion. Been a while since we've seen 'em. Thought we'd make the trip." I added
"Family reunion, huh? That's a pretty far trip for a couple of young guys like yourselves. What are you doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?" Said the border guard in a suspicious tone
"We, uh, stopped off in Grover to visit a friend. Thought we'd get a little rest before heading the rest of the way. Been driving all day. Kinda tired, y'know?" Soda nonchalantly replied
"Alright, well, I'll need to check your IDs. You know how it is." said the Border Guard
We hadn't thought of that, I quickly remembered. We were idiots, and we were going to a Boy's home. Right then I was sure of it.
"Here you go, officer. Should be all in order." Soda replied to the officer, interrupting my thoughts.
"Hmm. Robert and Steve Curtis, huh?"
"Alright, boys. This isn't the most common of trips, but you've got your story straight. Just make sure you don't cause any trouble at the border."said the guard
"Of course, officer. You won't hear a peep from us. Appreciate you letting us through." Soda said before he drove off
"Why did you have fake ID's of us in your wallet?" I question
"They come in handy more often than you'd think." Soda said with a smirk.
Shortly after we crossed the border we were driving up into the most beautiful mountains I ever saw. The roads weren't too good though, they rattled the car the whole way. We drove through the mountains for around 6 hours until we got off them and came across a fork in the road. There were two wooden signs on the road. One read "Pronghorn ranch", and the other read "Ironwood Bluff"
"Well, what do you think, Pony?" Soda questioned
"Pronghorn ranch sounds good enough to me" I replied
The car slowly meandered along the road, but it was struggling so much that I wondered if we would even get to the ranch. By luck alone we managed to the ranch and left the car in a little clearing outside. Eventually we
"You boys lookin' for somethin'?" asked a man who looked to be a cowboy of some sort
"Yes, sir. We were hoping' you might have some work. We know our way around horses, hard work doesn't scare us." replied Soda
"Plenty of folks say that 'til they get a taste of ranch life. Where you boys from?"
"Oklahoma, sir. We've been making our way north, just looking for honest work." I said
'Oklahoma, huh? You two runnin' from somethin'?"
"Nothin' but bad luck, sir. Just tryin' to get a fresh start, make an honest livin'."
"You ever worked a ranch before?"
"I worked at a stable back home. Know how to handle horses, muck stalls, mend fences, whatever you need." Soda said
"Stable ain't the same as a ranch, son. You ever break a horse? Work cattle? Haul hay in the dead of winter?"
"Not yet. But I ain't afraid to."
"Alright. I could use a couple extra hands, but I don't take in dead weight. You work hard, you stay. You slack off, you're gone."
"Understood. We won't let you down." I said
"You'll stay there. Food and housing is included, pay ain't much, but it's honest work. Start at dawn. Be ready.
"Appreciate it, sir." Soda said sticking out his arm for a handshake
"Don't make me regret it son." Replied the owner, shaking Soda's hand.
As the man walked away I looked at Soda and said
"We finally did it. We're ranch hands now."
"Fine livin'." replied Soda cheerfully
We had finally made it, I had always dreamed of living somewhere in the country. Though at the time I didn't think I would be this far north ever, I couldn't complain. Over the next few days we worked to the bone, it was hard work, but it was more rewarding that way. We didn't have to worry about the law or the Soc's. Always sleeping with one eye open waiting for the next fight.
Me and Soda were in the Barn shoveling hay, when surprisingly we heard someone say
"You boys got a lot of nerve.", It was unmistakably Darry's voice.
"We figured you'd show up sooner or later." Soda replied
"You had Two-Bit tell me you were safe, but that was it. No calls. No letters. Nothin'. I thought….I thought I'd never see you again."
"We would have tried to reach out to you but we couldn't. We had to go, Darry. You know we did." I said reluctantly
"No, you didn't. You had a home, Pony. You had me."
"We had a home they were gonna take from us. We weren't gonna let them split us up, Darry. We couldn't." Soda added
"You think this is better? Running off to the middle of nowhere, working yourselves ragged just to scrape by? You think this is a life for you boys?"
"It's our life. And it's peaceful. We ain't lookin' over our shoulders every second, waitin' for the next fight, the next cop, the next person tellin' us we ain't got a say in what happens to us."
"We ain't tryin' to hurt you, Darry. But we made our choice. And we ain't coming back." Soda added.
"You're serious." Darry said in a disappointed tone.
"Yeah. We are." I replied.
"Then I have to stay here. I can't live without you knuckleheads"
"Thank's Darry, we were hoping you would say that," Soda replied gratefully.
In the end me and my brothers made it together. Darry ended up getting hired by the owner of the ranch, and Soda worked with the horses. I help out where I can, but there's always things to do out here. In the end, I got to live out my dream, and that's about all I can ask for.
The End.