The Insiders (The Outsiders Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

As I started my walk down the block, I thought of the conversation I had just heard between Soda and Darry. I knew I had to get back home quick in case those greasers changed their minds and decided to beat me up, but I was shaking. Pony? Killing a kid? I thought. It can't be possible. I mean, Christine had said that that kid was a perfectly innocent boy, and she had met him quite a few times. It just didn't make sense. What would drive him to kill Bob?

Another thing crossed my mind a lot: Two-Bit. I couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. One moment, he was chasing me down the street, and the next he was holding my face and calling me a doll.

I tried not to read too far into it; Two-Bit had just been flirting with those other girls the night before at the drive-in. It wasn't like he could care any more about me than he did them. But I still found myself thinking about him a lot. That moment when he grabbed my face, I feel like we looked at each other for a split second too long. It was...something.

I was jolted from my thoughts by a voice. "Hey, Julie, where do you think you're goin'?" Oh no. That was Soda.

I turned around to face him. "Uh, hey there, Soda," I said.

"What were you doin' listenin' to me and Darry?" he asked. I had never heard him with that tone of voice before. I was shocked. He genuinely seemed mad.

"Hey, cool it, I just heard arguin' and wanted to see what was goin' on."

"Why'd you have to know?" he asked sharply.

"Hey, I got a question for you! Who were you talkin' 'bout? What's goin' on with Pony lately? He wasn't at school today." As I spoke, my voice started shaking. I saw Soda's expression soften. He saw that I was about to cry.

"Hey, Julie, it's gonna be okay. There's just, uh...." He scratched the back of his head and looked back up, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Pony...he got into some trouble."

I looked down at the floor with tears streaming down my face. I looked back up and whispered, "Yeah, I know."

Soda looked down as if he were about to cry, too. "They say he's on the run to Texas. I...I can't have him leave like that, he's...he's my brother...." He collected himself and looked back up. "Two-Bit says he's gonna go look for him." He lost his cool again. "Well, shoot, what if I lose him, too?" He looked around and put his head in his hands.

I finally looked back up. I wanted to do something to comfort him, but what? "Well, I, uh, better get goin'," I said as I turned around.

"Wait," Soda said, finally looking at me. 

I turned around. "Yes?"

"What's goin' on with Christine?" he asked a little shakily.

"Gee, Soda, I...I'd tell ya if I could," I said, "but I'm sworn to secrecy even if I did know. She says somethin's goin' on between her and her parents, and that's all I could get outta her. She said she'd talk more about it today, but I knew she wouldn't and she didn't."

Soda looked down, sad. "Thanks, Julie. See ya around."

I didn't respond and just walked away.

There was nothing I hated more than seeing Christine, Gabrielle, or Soda upset. I cared about them all so much, and seeing Christine and Soda so distant from each other was so much worse. I knew how much they loved each other, and I wanted things to just be fixed. I wanted things to be how they were before Mom died. Mom and Dad were happy, and we lived in that beautiful house next to my school. It was a small place, but it was cozy and it had a fireplace. Most importantly, it felt like home. The house we got after she died could never feel like home.
And not to mention, Soda and Christine had been so happy then. They had just started dating. But lately, within the past three months or so, Christine has been so distant from everyone, particularly Soda. Something big had to have been going on, and I didn't like it one bit.

I looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was about ready to set. I then looked around and realized I still had no idea where I was going and started to panic. Dad was already going to kill me for being home late since Bob had been murdered, but at this rate I wasn't going to get home until the stars filled the night sky, and that would make things so much worse.

I kept walking until I was too tired to continue. I came across a house (which I made sure didn't have any dogs in the front yard) and collapsed on the front lawn. A cloak of darkness enveloped me as I closed my eyes, and I fell asleep.