The Outsiders: Book Two

Bonus Chapter 2! ~Red's POV

I can't believe Ponyboy. I just can't believe him. I was thinking about him as I went down the narrow hallway. Boys are too confusing.

As I passed the bathroom, I noticed the door was cracked, and someone inside was...sobbing. I hesitated for a minute, then knocked on it lightly.

"Is that you, Pony?" Soda's voice broke as he said it.

"Uh, no, it's...me, Red," I replied stupidly. I pushed the door open a little to find Soda leaning against the wall of the bathroom. He wiped his shining eyes quickly.

"Are...are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, leaning back and sniffing.

"Need to talk?" I sat next to him against the wall.

"Nah, just..." he stopped.

"You can tell me, I'm not gonna blab."

His arm pressed against mine and I realized how pleasantly warm his skin was. Not feverish, like Ponyboy's, but warm and nice.

Soda pressed his hand against my arm. "Gosh, you're colder than the dickens!"

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I'll tell you what's wrong," he replied quickly, lifting me. "I've felt ice cubes warmer than you."

"Hey!" I complained as he plopped me into his lap. "What're you doin'?"

"Trying to warm you up," he replied, grinning slyly and wrapping his arms around me. He smelled like lavender. It did feel nice...I realized how sleepy I was.

"Uh, Soda, ain't I makin' you cold?"

"Nope," he said, sighing and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I'm comfy as a cockapoo."

I wriggled a little, but Sodapop just grinned and held me there. What was he playing at? I squirmed a little more, but finally just gave up. I realized I didn't want to move.

"Soda?"

"Hmm?"

"What're you doing?"

"Bein' a good Samaritan."

"Holding girls captive in your lap counts as a good deed?"

"It does when they like it."

"Sodapop..."

"Cut it out, I don't feel like movin' anyway."

I said nothing after that, but the steady rise and fall of his chest made me sleepy. Before I knew it, I had drifted off. For once, I had a real, honest-to-God dream.

I was at an intersection. The street sign read Pickett and Sutton. Across the street, a light-haired guy in a leather jacket was smoking, and he checked his watch before glancing around. He seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place him. His attention suddenly focused on me, and I froze. Then as two boys passed me, I realized his attention wasn't focused on me at all, but them. One had dark hair and eyes, and scars on his face. He looked skittish, like a foal in an auction ring. The other one...was Ponyboy!

I looked closer, and Ponyboy seemed somehow younger looking, his face more carefree, and...innocent. But that seemed the only difference. Pony and the darker boy approached the tough-looking one, and they seemed to know each other well. They talked for a few minutes, then just...left. I began to follow them, but then a voice caught me.

"What are you two doing?"

My eyelids fluttered open and I felt Soda jump.

"What?" he asked groggily, his arms still wrapped around my waist.