"I love you too, Ponyboy Michael Curtis." | The Outsiders Story

12

I was invited over for dinner by Soda again tonight. I was excited to be surprised by his cooking, you never get bored when eating. He's always trying something new, something different. That's another reason why I loved him so much.

I walk into the house, Soda was cooking. "Hi!" I say cheerfully. I wanted to be talked to by Soda, the understanding one, the one that always listens to you, the one who you can't stay mad at. I wanted to talk to him too.

Soda turned around to get something out of the drawer and I saw a cigarette in his mouth. I've only seen him smoke twice, the first time because of something at school was bothering him and the second time was him trying to look cool. I decided to ask him about the first one. "Hey what's wrong?"

He doesn't answer me, staying silent. He's never silent. I sigh, kind of hurt that he's hurt. I grab plates to set the table, deciding to help him.

A few moments later, everyone is sitting down and the table is all set. We all start to grab food, me not as reluctant to eat anymore.

I look at my plate, chicken and peas. Soda would never cook this. And even if he did, he'd do something different to it, like color it or add some chocolate milk to the pan while cooking. But it was just plain chicken and peas.

I still dig in, though, not realizing how hungry I actually am. It's still delicious, even without a Soda twist.

I only half listen to the lecture Darry's giving Pony. I've noticed his grades are going down and he's been different, just like Darry says. I'm scared though, 'cause recently Pony likes to yell back.

"...well it ain't that easy, is it Soda?"

"Leave me out of it!" Soda yells and bolts out the door. I knew something was bothering him. I noticed a white letter on the ground. Soda must have dropped it.

It was a letter he sent to Sandy, his girlfriend. Pony told me he loved her so much that he was gonna ask her to marry him, so I can see how devastated he was when he saw the letter was returned unopened.

"It's from Sandy." I say to Darry and Soda. "That's what musta been buggin' him. It's unopened."

"Let's go after him." Darry instructed. We ran out the door to catch up with Soda.

It took awhile, because he was like a block ahead of us. We followed the sound of shoes on pavement. When we finally say him, Darry told Ponyboy to cut him off while we follow behind him.

The plan works, Soda muttering something to Pony when Darry and I sit down.

(A/N: This scene is taken from the movie. I didn't want to plagiarize SE Hinton.)

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Pony asked him.

"I don't know man." Soda says. He gets up from his sitting position and starts to walk towards the fence of a baseball diamond. "It's just like sometimes I have to get out." He turn back toward the rest of us, sadness in his eyes. I feel so terrible. "It's like I'm a middle man in a tug a war of somethin' between you guys." He takes a step towards us. "I don't know, I can't take sides." He then sits down in front of Pony, his side facing me.

He then explains some important things to each of the boys. "Ponyboy, Darry could have put you in a boys home, worked his way through college." He takes a pause and Pony looks down to play with a piece of dead grass. "I'm tellin' you the truth Pony. And you don't wanna be like me anyway. 'Cause I'm happy workin in a gas station. You'd never be happy doin' somethin' like that." He then directs his attention to Darry. "And Darry, you gotta stop yelling at him for every little thing that he does man. He feels things different that you." He pauses. "Bad enough having to listen to you, when when you try to get me to take sides... We're all we got left now. And if we don't have eachother, you end up like Dallas. And I don't mean dead either, I mean how he was before." Soda sniffles again. His eyes turn to a pleasing look. "So please, don't fight anymore."

"Sure, sure little buddy. We ain't gonna fight no more." Darry says and engulfs him in a hug. Pony and I just sit there, me being stunned. I didn't realize how bad this was hurting Soda. I never really thought about it, I kind of always though he just let everything roll off his back. I forget that he has a feeling other than happiness.

"Ponyboy," Soda says and gestures his arm for Pony to join them. He does and I smile at the brothers loving eachother. "C'mon Sarah too, your 'part of this as much as the rest of us."

I walk in, feeling the embrace of the boys immediately. And I smile, I smile for me and for them. I smile, because this shows me that everything gonna be okay. That I'm loved. I don't wanna end up like Dally, alone and hurt. I don't ever wanna be like that.

We get out of the big hug and Soda says. "Let's go home, I'm cold."

We all walk in a straight line, Soda and Pony's arms around me shoulder and mine touching their backs. Soda turns his head to kiss the top of mine, then we race home.