The Outsiders Oneshots

Ponyboy

   The Outsiders

Warnings- I mention Soda dying in Vietnam. A lot of people are getting emotional, so please read with caution!! |-/

Note- Johnny and Dally already died in this one.

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   The old house loomed in front of the old man. It was a lot more decrepit than the last time he had laid eyes on it. It's once white sides were now grey and vines were traveling up them. The roof had light marks on it that reminded him of soft spots. That was probably what they were: leaks and soft spots. The fence that used to surround the place wasn't there anymore and the yard's grass was around two feet tall. The man's eyes got misty. Why did it look like that? It had so much love so many years ago.

    "Grandpa? What is that place?" The man looked over at his great granddaughter. She was watching him carefully and holding his hand. She gave him a look that said very politely that she wanted to leave. It was early in the morning and he had woken her up for a road-trip. The man patted her hand and started to walk across the road with her. They had been standing across the street from the house. His family member helped him walk. He'd had shaky knees ever since he turned eighty about seven years previous.

   "I used to live here. This was my home." His voice was shaky as he spoke. She looked like she was very interested now. She'd never even seen pictures of the house before. It was amazing to see it in the flesh and know where it was. It was a key to her grandpa's past and she'd love to know everything.

   "We called it 'The Curtis House', because, well, it was." He chuckled, but spoke softly and slowly. His worn silvery green eyes roamed around the outside. A breeze blew the white tufts of his hair around. "I lived in there with my two older brothers, Soda and Darry. Our parents died when I was your age, fourteen, so I grew up with my brothers."

    Ponyboy and his great granddaughter, Jodie, walked through the tall grass and maneuvered their way to the porch. The cane clutched in his right hand didn't help very much, so Jodie was really what was holding him up. Still, they walked.

   Ponyboy dropped his cane in the tall grass as he reached toward the splintered steps' banister. It felt rickety and a rush of dread washed through the old man. The house should never have looked like this. He'd always swore to take care of it. He vaguely remembered everything he and his brothers would do to make sure the house stayed neat and taken care of. How had he let it get this way? Why was it abandoned?

   "You've never said anything about having brothers! How come?" Jodie asked softly. Pony's eyes softened and he felt a shudder come from inside. He struggled for the words to answer her. They walked up the steps slowly and tried to reach the porch's flat surface. It didn't look flat anymore, however. It was more sagging and warped than anything. They cautiously walked to the front door.

   "I'd forgotten anything about them. Why mention something you can't explain?" Pony asked with a sad smile. He'd known their names and he vaguely recalled what they looked like. It was shameful to say that. Pony's memory about his life had started disappearing years and years before. He'd always felt the presence of the memories, but they were covered in a mirage and he could never recall anything anymore. It felt horrible and like things were constantly pulling on his brain. Sometimes he would hear sentences and he could remember something that had to do with his brothers, but he would always forget seconds after remembering. It was a horrible thing, but he learned to live with that.

   "Oh... Dad said you had memory issues. That's alright, Grandpa." Jodie smiled sweetly at him. He waved her off and stared at the front door. The screen door wasn't there, but was laying on the porch. The wooden door was the only thing that seemed to be blocking Pony from his childhood. He raised his hand to grab the doorknob but stopped. He'd felt like this while looking at the door before. Stressed and guilty feelings swam in his stomach and mind. Yeah, this was familiar.