The Outsiders spanking

Campin' (Part 2)

Darry's bladder woke him up in the middle of the night and he reluctantly climbed out of the tent to pee. When he was done, he figured he'd peek in the other tents and make sure the boys were okay. He often did that with Pony and Sodapop. He was pretty sure Sodapop knew, but Pony still seemed unaware. He peeked first into the big tent to see Dally sleeping in the center between the two youngest. God, they all looked younger when they were asleep.

Tiptoeing so not to wake anyone up, Darry peered into the other tent, but was shocked to find it empty. He tried to tell himself not to panic. It's not like they were little kids who could've gotten snatched. No, they were probably just up to some mischief. He grabbed his watch and checked the time. 2:14. He would give them till three and then he'd wake the other boys and start hunting for them.

Determined to distract himself, Darry lit the lantern and tried to read the book he'd brought along. He didn't make it through a single page. He kept getting distracted thinking about the boys and had to keep reading the same paragraph over and over. Finally, he started to hear footsteps. It sounded like they were still a little bit away, but with how quiet the woods were, he could still hear them. He decided to switch off the lamp so he could catch them off guard.

As the boys got closer, he could hear them laughing and whispering to each other. Any possible hope Darry had that they had some sort of good excuse was gone. When they got to camp, Darry flicked on the lantern. He felt like hollering at them, but he didn't want to wake the other boys up. Instead he settled on an angry whisper, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?"

"We went down by the pond," Steve answered.

"AFTER I TOLD YOU EARLIER NOT TO GO SWIMMING?" Darry whisper-yelled, taking stock of the now soaking wet boys standing there shivering in their underwear and t-shirts, carrying their jeans with them. Well, that certainly gave Darry easy access.

"Wait, Dar," Soda whispered frantically as Darry reached for him, "You don't wanna wake the boys."

"You're right. Stay here," Darry said. He walked over to the trees and snapped down a branch that was about six inches long. It wasn't near long enough to be called a switch, but Darry knew it would sting plenty over just their wet briefs and be much quieter than his hand. He grabbed Soda and smacked the stick down on his backside four times.

"Oww," Soda complained in a whisper, rubbing his butt. Darry grabbed Steve and did the same to him. This was nowhere near their full punishment, but that could wait till it was light out.

"Get some dry clothes on and go to sleep. You're both getting a whupping in the morning."

Morning came all too fast for Sodapop, as he awoke to Darry unzipping their tent and sticking his head in.

"Rise and shine, kiddos," Darry said, "It's past 10 and y'all already missed breakfast." Soda and Steve groggily followed Darry out of the tent to the picnic table where he gestured for them to both sit down. It was just like getting scolded on the couch, but with all the fun of the outdoors.

"Where are the boys?" Soda asked.

"They're already down at the lake swimming," Darry said, "I'm gonna head down there too after this. Y'all are gonna stay here and make lunch for everyone."

"Yessir," both Soda and Steve replied. They knew better to even ask if they could go swimming. Maybe in the afternoon if Darry was feeling nice, he'd let them go.

"Do y'all have any idea how worried I was last night? I mean, if y'all were gonna run off and do what I specifically told you not to, you could've at least left a note saying where you were going?"

"Would it help if we promise to invite you next time?" Soda said, flashing his most charming grin. Sometimes Soda could get Darry to soften up by doing that, but it came with the real risk of getting smacked if Darry thought he was being fresh.