The Outsiders - Three Brothers

Visit day

At one o'clock their case worker arrived for their monthly visit. She was a nice lady, Mrs. Rodgers. She was much nicer than their first case worker who always had snide comments and loved to remind the boys how fragile their situation was - that they could be split up over anything at any moment.

Mrs. Rodgers wasn't like that - she made similar comments about the delicate nature they were in, but it seemed to come from a caring place and not just to be snarky. If she thought something could help their case, she'd always tell them. She really wanted the boys to stay a family.

Sodapop opened the door when she knocked, "heya Mrs. Rodgers."

"Sodapop!" Darry came running and opened the door all the way. "You don't just say 'heya', where's your manners? Afternoon Mrs. Rodgers. Come inside."

"Thank you Darrel," she stepped inside, her eyes immediately scanning the living room and starting to take notes. "Where's Ponyboy?"

"Ponyboy! Come out here please!" Darry called for his brother.

Ponyboy came out from his bedroom, he'd been working on his math homework. "Yeah? Oh! Hello ma'am."

"Hello Ponyboy, how are you today?"

"Good. I was just doing my math homework. We're doing fractions now."

"You still doing good in school?"

"Yes ma'am. I got all A's on my last progress report. And I'm on the junior track team now. Darry says I can stay on the team as long as my grades stay good."

"What about you Sodapop? How have you been doing in school?"

Soda looked sideways at Darry, and Darry just nodded - tell the truth. Soda didn't do good in school, only things he was passing was shop and gym. "I got A's in shop class and gym again....but I'm barely passing anything else. Not for lack of trying though! Darry's making me use my free hour in the library for tutoring."

She smiled softly at how he seemed to get worried over his answer. "As long as you're trying your best Sodapop, that's what matters. Remember? Bad grades are only bad if you aren't trying."  Sodapop cracked a grin, he really liked the way she put that. "Other than school, how is everything?"  She always directed her questions to Soda and Pony, so Darry just stood back and watched.

They all walked to towards the kitchen, her hand still scribbling in her notepad. "Doing alright. Not much to say really." Soda shrugged. Their lives weren't exactly eventful.

"You boys staying out of trouble?"

"Trying." Ponyboy said and then groaned quietly, he shouldn't have said that.

"Trying? You been into trouble Ponyboy?" She turned, pausing her writing.

Ponyboy looked at Darry, panicking a little. Darry looked a little worried, but he just said, "go on."

"Not a lot. I mean, nothing big."

"What happened?"

"Uhm," he looked at Darry again.

"Darrel, could you give us a minute alone?"

"Yes ma'am, want me and Soda both to step out?"

"Sodapop can stay, I'd like to talk to him too."

"Yes ma'am," Darry grabbed a drink from the fridge and then went to sit on the porch.

"Now Ponyboy. Why don't you tell me what kind of trouble you got yourself into?"

"I uh," he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets - he'd gone and done it now. He was gonna tell her about sneaking out and they'd get sent to a boys home before the hour was up. "I snuck out last week. To a party."