The Outsiders Parody - Darry

CHAPTER 2

When Soda, Pony and I all got home, Sodapop gave me a back massage. He had never taken it up as a career, but man, was he a professional.

"Rub harder, Soda. You're gonna put me to sleep."

It was true.

I had to work like it was the end of the world, though. A single day off work, and it all goes down the drain. The house goes, and so does Soda and Pony.

I didn't throw my potential away for a stupid reason. Sodapop gets paid in peanuts, and I had to get a job.

That part-time job had to switch to a full-time job within weeks.

It was a tough thing, leavin' behind my role as the captain of the football team, and being liked enough to be voted "Boy of the year", but I had to.

I had to.

I graduated, of course. But finding the money for college...that was a whole other ball game.

I didn't have any say when Soda dropped out, and the prospect of Pony dropping out too scared me.

It scared me to death.

-

After work that day, I went inside the house, and expected to see Ponyboy in his room, doing his homework, but when I peeked into his room.

Soda was already home, so I called to him,

"Soda! Where's Pony?"

"Dunno. He went to the drive-in with Dally, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Why isn't he back yet?"

Soda leaned around the corner from the kitchen.

"He's a kid, Darry. A smart one, too. He'll be back soon."

"It's 12AM, Sodapop. The Soc's nearly killed him yesterday, and he thinks he can just-"

I stopped myself, and let out a sigh, while throwing myself into our old armchair, and snatching up the newspaper from the arm of the couch.

Soda came out from the kitchen, and put his hand on my shoulder, saying, "He'll be alright."

-

2 hours later, after my worry had built to an all-time high, the front door swung open, and I shot up from my chair, while Ponyboy stood there, biting his fingernail.

"Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is?" I demanded.

I could feel my anger, fear, and frustration bubbling up to the surface, and slowly being released in the form of verbal abuse against Pony.

He shook his head, pitifully.

"Well, it's 2 in the morning, kiddo. Another hour and I would've had the police out after you. Where were you? Where in the almighty universe were you?!"

I wouldn't have had the police out after him. If I did, the fuzz would immediately hurl Ponyboy and Soda in a boy's home.

That would be just as bad, if not worse, as having them killed.

"I...I went to sleep in the lot."

The lot? Really? Pony may as well have been flagging down every Soc within a 5-mile radius.

"You what?!"

I was unintentionally shouting loud enough to make Sodapop sit up from where he was sleeping on the sofa.

"Hey, Ponyboy," He said, while rubbing his eyes, "where ya been?"

"I didn't mean to...I was talking to Johnny and we both dropped off..."

The anger peaked higher than it had been. Ever.

"I reckon it never occurred to you that your brothers might be worrying their heads off and afraid to call the police because something like that could get you two thrown in a boy's home so quick it'd make your head spin. And you were asleep in the lot? Ponyboy, what on earth is the matter with you? Can't you use your head? You haven't even got a coat on."

I pushed the anger down a bit, just a bit. If everyone had shut up and gone to bed right then, everything would've been fine.

But no.

Tears. Tears were running down Ponyboy's face.

"I said I didn't mean to..."

"I didn't mean to!" I screamed, rattling Pony and Soda to their cores. "I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?!"

I could feel the frustration at everything running rampant. At Pony, for being late. At Dally, for not taking him home. Two-bit, for not going with Dally. At Johnny, for not looking after Pony. At Steve and Soda for not taking a damned second away from their girlfriends.

But it all showed when I heard Soda whisper,

"Darry..."

"You keep your trap shut! I'm sick and tired of hearin' you stick up for him!"

Wow. I said it.

Not that it calmed me down any, just made me angrier.

"You don't yell at him!" Pony shouted.

That was the last thing I wanted to hear out of him.

The rage finally bubbled over. Like a clogged sink finally flooding.

I spun around, and slapped Ponyboy hard across the face.

Hard enough to feel the stinging in my palm, hard enough to send him to the doorway.

My eyes widened.

Why did I do that?

I had never, ever thought of hittin' Pony. Not even in that moment where my patience finally slipped.

I'll admit, I wanted to hit something, but not Pony.

I wanted to beat the tar out of the Socs, and anyone I hated, but certainly not Pony.

No one had ever laid a hand on Ponyboy, (besides the gang of Socs.) and now, me, his older brother, had slapped him.

I wanted to say sorry. I wanted to say sorry more than anything else. But the singular word I could muster was, "Ponyboy..."

He got to his feet, and ran out the door he had come through not less than 3 minutes ago.

"Pony, I didn't mean to!"
Those were the last words I could scream, before Ponyboy was long out of sight.

But I didn't have to see him to know that he didn't look back.