(Soda)
Today's shift at the DX is dragging. I'd gone out to the drag race with Steve last night, just watching instead of riding along like I had wanted to. I knew Darry was real close to getting custody of me and I didn't want to do anything too risky and jeopardize it. Not when I was so close to being with my brother again. So I had just watched and was home by curfew, but I couldn't turn my thoughts off and ended up staring at the ceiling for most of the night.
I glance up at the clock, it's nearly 3:00, meaning it's nearly time to go. I drum my fingers and look out at the empty parking lot. It's been pouring rain all day. The DX is always slow on rainy days, I think most people are trying to avoid the cold and wet. I picture families, tucked away in their warm houses to keep out of the storm. I feel a surge of jealousy for these make believe families, that they get to be warm and safe together while my family is broken and scattered. I shake my head to try and clear the bitter thoughts.
My thoughts shift to Darry and the kid he'd found. Darry had told me the kid had been roughed up and was scared of his foster father and his social worker. Hopefully Darry had patched him up and figured out what to do with him. I was more than happy to go over and see what I could do to help. For some reason Darry thinks I can convince this kid to talk to my social worker. Mrs. Lawrence has always been pretty decent and willing to help, so I hope I can convince this kid to go to her so he doesnt end up on the streets. I shudder at the thought of kids living on the street, unable to stop myself picturing my little brother out there.
I'm saved from my boredom and despair when Steve comes running into the DX, the hood of his sweatshirt dripping water onto the floor.
"Hey man, need a ride to Darry's?" Steve asks.
I look out at the rain again and give Steve a smile, "That'd be great. Didn't really feel like going for a swim today."
Steve chuckles and waits for me at the door while I run into the garage to let our coworker know that Steve is giving me a ride home before coming back to start his own shift.
The two of us dash to his car which he had parked as close to the front doors as he could. He peels out of the parking lot and heads towards my brother's house. Even with the rain pelting at the windows and the slick roads, Steve is a good driver. It's his great driving skills that won him $20 in the drag race last night. We recount the race and how he kicked the pansy soc's asses last night.
"You need a ride later tonight?" Steve asks as he idles in Darry's driveway.
"Nah, Darry'll drive me back. And don't forget to cover for me if the group home calls!" I say.
"Will do"
"Thanks buddy"
I give him a wave over my shoulder as I sprint into the house. I still manage to get soaked, and I shiver as I make my way up the porch. This sure has been a cold december.
Darry had told me he always leaves the door unlocked, in case any of the guys need a place to come, and figuring it will hopefully be my house too soon I walk in without knocking.
"Hey Darry" I call out as I shut the front door behind me.
Darry comes out of the kitchen calling out a greeting as he makes his way to me and then envelops me in a hug.
"Glory, you're soaking wet Sodapop!" he says after pulling away.
I look down at my sweatshirt and laugh "Yeah, it's really coming down out there"
"Go change into one of my sweatshirts. Me and the kid just made some hot chocolate, I'll go make you a cup."
I go and change, pulling on one of Darry's football sweatshirts. As I'm making my way back down the hall I hear Darry talking in the kitchen and a soft voice answering him.
As soon as I walk into the kitchen, I stop dead. Everything around me seems to stop. I can't hear anything except for the pounding of my heart and everything in sight fades so all I can see is the kid sitting at the kitchen table.
He's skinny, his face looks almost hollow. His face is pale except for the bruise that sits high on his cheek. His blonde hair is greased back simply. But it's his eyes that have me stopped. He's looking up at me through his eyelashes, but I can see the green from here. Big green eyes.
I'm still standing there, mouth open in shock, unable to speak when Darry clears his throat.
"Soda, this is Philip. Philip this is my brother Soda" Darry says, gesturing me over to the table.
I make my way over, still unable to speak, still unable to look away from this kid.
The kid shifts in his seat, uncomfortable with my staring, but he says a soft "Hi".
"Soda, you okay?" Darry asks.
I whip my head to him, still trying to formulate a sentence. My mind and my heart are screaming. Those eyes, they look like Pony's. I shake my head, trying to clear it.
"I'm good" I look back at the kid, who is staring down at the mug of hot chocolate in front of him, "Just thought I recognized him for a second".
Philip glances back up at me and gives me a scrutinizing look, and then shrugs.
Darry looks between us, "You know him?"
I take another good look at the kid, who is looking down at his mug again. I guess he didn't really look like the picture of Pony that I had carried around in my head for the last nine years. But then again, Pony had practically been a baby the last time I had seen him, how was I supposed to know what he looked like now?
"Guess not" I say, "Must be the green eyes, they reminded me of someone".
Darry gives me a knowing look.
"My eyes are gray" the kid says softly.
Darry gives a chuckle, sliding me my own mug of hot chocolate, "Sure they are kid".
I still can't shake the uncanny feeling when I look at this kid.
"Okay kid, I got to fill Soda in on some things with the social workers. You gonna be okay out here for a few minutes?" Darry asks. The boy nods in response, tightening his grip on his hot chocolate and turns his gaze out the window where the rain is still falling heavily.
Darry grabs me by the arm and pulls me towards his bedroom, shutting the door behind the two of us.
"Darry, you can't tell me you don't see how much he looks like him!" I start as soon as the door shuts.
Darry shushes me, trying to get me to lower my voice. "I know Soda, I thought the same thing. But it's not him"
"But how do you know?" I ask desperately.
"Well first, the age ain't right. And second, he doesn't have any brothers, he told me. Besides, don't you think he'd recognize us if it was him?" Darry says sympathetically.
"Those are his eyes, Darry. I swear they are."
"They sure do look like his. He's sweet like he was too, a real good kid" Darry says, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. I go and take a seat next to him.
"Sorry for freaking out like that. I probably spooked the kid, staring at him like that" I say.
"It's alright, Pepsi Cola. He reminds me of Ponyboy too, makes me miss him even more".
I nod and bump Darry with my shoulder. "Do you actually have to talk to me about the social worker or were you just trying to save the kid from my creepy staring?"
Darry laughs and bumps me back, "Both. You want the good news or bad news first".
"Good news first"
Darry fills me in on what the supervisor said yesterday. My heart lifts at the thought that I'll be able to come home with him sometime next week. It feels like a weight I've been carrying for years has been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally stand up straight.
"One brother down, one to go" I say with a smile.
Darry also fills me in on talking to the supervisor about tracking down Ponyboy. Darry seems to think she'll actually put some effort into finding him, and I try not to let my hope get too big, in case they still can't find him, but something in me tells me that we'll find him, that we're close to getting him back.
"Now on to the bad news" Darry says. He tells me about the kid in the kitchen. How he'd seen his foster father kill someone now he was after him. How the foster father's brother is a cop and is also involved. I feel sick to my stomach, thinking about all the shit that kid at the table had been through.
"Turns out his social worker is married to the brother who's a cop. That's why he didn't get moved, even with obvious signs of abuse." Darry says, his fists clenched in anger.
I was angry too. No one deserves that, least of all a kid. But I was also worried we were in over our heads with helping this kid. The kid was on the run from a murderer for christ sake!
But I know if there's anyone who'd be able to help this kid, it'd be Darry. He's like Superman.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask.
Darry sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
"I called Dallas. He's gonna stop by later. Hopefully he'll have an idea on what to do."
I nod. Dallas is real street smart.
"I wish I had a better idea. I'm just trying to keep the kid safe here until we figure out what to do" Darry says.
"Well that sounds like a good plan for now" I say and stand up, "Now c'mon, I want a refill on this hot chocolate".
We go back to the kitchen where the kid is still sitting. He looks up at us as we walk in and gives a soft smile. The smile tugs at my heartstrings, seeming to play them like a guitar. I can't help but smile back at him.
"I filled Soda in on what you told me. He'll hang here with us until Dally gets here" says Darry.
The boy nods, looking somewhat nervous. Darry looks between the two of us. "You guys want to play cards or something while we wait?"
Playing cards was me and Darry's thing. We used to play in the boys home, for hours at a time. I think Darry mostly did it to keep me distracted from everything going on. And it did help keep me distracted, I was usually happy whenever we played. The only good memories I have of that boy's home were playing cards with Darry. And even after we got separated, on the rare occasions we met up, we would try and play a quick game. A game of cards could do wonders for the nerves, and looking at how nervous the kid looked, I think he could really use a good card game.
"Sure!" I say enthusiastically.
The kid shrugs but follows us out to the living room where we all settle on the floor around the coffee table.
We play gin rummy, the first few rounds are relatively quiet. But as we play more hands, the kid seems to open up a bit. He seems too nervous to join in the ribbing and trash talking that Darry and I are dishing to each other, but eventually he starts to laugh along at our antics.
I instantly take a liking to the kid. There's just something about him. He's soft spoken but he's got a bit of sass that started to peek through as he got more comfortable.
"You should really play with Two Bit" the kid says to me, looking perfectly innocent.
"What do you mean? I've played with him loads of times" I answer.
"Well maybe he could teach you to cheat proper, so you can pull the ace out of your sleeve instead of your shoe" he says with a small smirk.
Darry barks out a laugh and I sit there stunned for a moment before breaking out in laughter of my own. Darry reaches over and pulls out the ace that I had thought I had stealthily hid in my shoe. He smacks me playfully on the head, throwing the ace on the table.
Two hours pass before I know it. The three of us are comfortable even as the storm worsens outside. The rain is pounding hard on the roof and a wind howls outside but it's warm in the house, the laughter making it seem that much more warmer.
The warmth is shattered when the front door is slammed open and two dark figures rush into the house.