A New Perspective

3

It was getting late. It was around one forty-five in the morning and Ponyboy still hadn't come home. Darry was pacing the living room floors. "Calm down Darry," I said, sitting him down on the recliner with the newspaper from today, "He'll be home soon, I promise." He looked at me, he was clearly nervous. "You really think so?" I smiled, "I know so. Read the paper, it will help relieve your tension."

Just about fifteen minutes later, Ponyboy walked in the front door. Darry jolted up, "Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is?" Ponyboy sighed and shook his head. "Well, it's two in the morning kiddo. Another hour and I would have had the police after you. Where were you Ponyboy?" Darry's voice was rising, "Where in the almighty universe were you?"

I kept kept glancing nervously between the brothers. Ponyboy was shaking and Darry was so anxious he looked sick. Ponyboy began to stammer, "I... I went to sleep in the lot..."

"You what?" Darry shouted. Sodapop sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily, "Hey, Ponyboy, where ya been?" "I didn't mean to..." Ponyboy pleaded, "I was talking to Johnny and we both dropped off..."

I looked over at Darry and pitched in, "I mean, it was an accident." Darry didn't listen though. "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 can get you two thrown in a boys home so quick it'd make your head spin."

Ponyboy walked into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, dried off his face, and threw it back over the shower curtain. "I said I didn't mean to." Ponyboy said on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean to!" Darry yelled. I jumped a little in my seat. "I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I ever hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"

Soda and I quietly spoke, "Darry..." He spun around, "You two keep your traps shut! I'm sick and tired of hearing you guys stick up for him!" He yelled at us.

I knew that would push Pony over the edge. Nobody yelled at Sodapop like that. Ever. "Don't you yell at them!" Ponyboy shouted. Darry whipped around and smacked Ponyboy in the face so hard he fell to the floor.

The entire house went dead silent. Nobody had ever slapped anybody before. Not even on accident. Soda was wide eyed and my hands covered my mouth. That was something I'd never seen before. I was nearly crying. Well, scratch that, I was crying. Tears softly streaked down my face. "Ponyboy..." Darry said as he looked up from his reddened palm.

Before he could finish his sentence, Ponyboy turned and ran out of the house. "Pony, I didn't mean to!" Darry yelled out the door. I just walked back to the sofa and sat down, my head in my hands. Soda sat down beside me and gently rubbed my back. I leaned into his chest and laid there for a while. Tonight was going to be a long night.