Stronger with You

Waking Up

Ponyboy*

It was the moment of coming home, beat to a pulp, that was the worst for me. Helplessness swarmed away at my chest as I stared at Peyton laying on the couch.

The gang crowded around the living room, no one's wounds could compare to Peyton's. They had broken her nose, an inch long cut right beside her left eye with bruising and swelling and a long cut across her stomach.

Insanity picked away at my brain waiting for the Matthews sibling to wake up. Had Darry not been home to wrap her ribs I wasn't sure how we would be getting along.

Two-Bit paced around the living room drinking a beer and biting his fingers nails. He was mumbling to himself but I wasn't paying enough attention to know what he was saying. Johnny was freaking out, as was Maya, the two were sitting on the front porch; Maya talked as Johnny smoked.

I watched them through the screen door, Maya was talking Johnny's ear off. Maya talked about school, Buck's, and the DX, and Johnny sat there nodding or saying something in return.

Maya was an interesting girl. She wasn't like us, the brothers that is, she liked to have fun. She would never touch a cigarette. Which was weird since her best friend was Peyton and it seemed like we never saw her not smoking .

Sometimes I wondered if Maya ever thought like I did. That was the difference between us, if she thought something she said it. So, it was hard to tell if she was ever thinking a little too rough on herself.

Maya and I had been close growing up, almost as close as Soda and I, but we had grown apart since our parents died. Maya and Darry were one in the same when it came to the little emotions they were willing to discuss.

"Two-Bit, quit pacing and mumbling ya' given me a headache." Peyton's voice pulled me out of my wandering thoughts. A mass amount of pressure release my shoulders.

I looked at Two-Bit as he dropped to the floor and became eye level with Peyton, "Dammit Pey. You freaked me the hell out."

Peyton didn't respond right away and smiled at Two, "Oh big brother, I'm fine. A little sore, but I'm in one piece." She spoke, a distant look in her eyes.

I watched Two-Bits face, he looked a lot older than eighteen at this moment, he reminded me of Darry. Sick with worry.

Two-Bit and Peyton were all each other had left within their bloodline. Their dad was a deadbeat, and they never saw their mother. A year ago they lost their little sister to cancer. I remembered them before she got sick, the two people sitting in front of me weren't the same.

Their mother was a lot like them, so was their sister. She was young and had the biggest crush on Dallas. Two-Bit and Peyton would bring her around all the time. My mom and dad adored her, we all did. When she had gotten sick, we were all destroyed.

"Pony, you've got quite the shiner," Peyton said snapping me out of my thoughts once again,

"Yeah? Well its nothin' compared to the one you got."

Peyton looked at Two-Bit as if she was asking him if this was true, he only shrugged and she grinned.

"Well to think I was gonna go to a party tonight," Peyton sighed sitting up and pressing on her abdomen.

Two-Bit shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, "Your something else, Peyton."

I believed that statement, Peyton was a lot different then all us. She was drop dead gorgeous, her blonde hair fell into waves down her back and I'd never seen eyes so green.

Freckles marked her cheeks and meet in the middle on her nose, her nose was small and upturned. She was shorter than all the rest of us and skinny, sometimes I was afraid that she was getting too skinny.

Peyton's personality was different depending on the day. Most days she was a ray of sunshine,  it felt like she was laughing all the time. Then other days she was always tired and more mellow.

Before their little sister died, Two-Bit and Peyton both were always happy.

"Shit Kid, what the hell happened to you!?" Dal exclaimed as him, Maya and Johnny came back inside the screen door slapping against the frame.

"Socs, they got me the worst. Can you believe it?" Peyton responded grinning. Dal rolled his eyes and plopped down on the loveseat we had shoved in a corner.

"Damned Socs better start learnin' to stay in their own terf." Dally shook his head, "Some got ahold of Angela Shepherd. She's not the classiest girl of course, but that ain't gonna stop Tim and Curly. Their thinking there's gonna be a rumble soon y'all in?" Dal asked.

Hearing the word y'all was always odd coming out of Dally's mouth. I expected it from anyone else, but him it was weird considering he still held the accent of a New Yorker.

"No, we can't get into that Dal," Darry said standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Dally nodded, "I get it man."

I could tell Dallas was a little ticked. Even though he knew we couldn't get in trouble with the fuzz or else the state would take us away from Darry.

Even though Darry and I didn't get along too great I in no way wanted to get taken away from him or my siblings. That would be absolute hell.

Steve and Soda came into the house being loud. They were laughing and pushing each other all around the living room. I looked to Peyton to see her wince in pain, her head must of been killing her.

"Hey knock it off! Peyton ain't feeling her hottest and you two causing such a ruckus ain't gonna help it," Darry snapped. I guess he noticed Peyton's face too. Steve and Soda quit their rough housing and looked to the blonde girl on the couch.

"Y'all have a run in with the Soc's?" Steve asked. Maya, who was sitting in the middle of Peyton and Johnny, nodded and told Steve all that happened.

Soda and Peyton made eye contact and seemed to have a conversation with out speaking. She smiled and nodded and Soda sighed in relief and nodded back at the girl.

I wondered why the two weren't a couple. They were so into each other it wasn't even funny. Every girl liked Sodapop. And yes, that included the beaten girl sitting on the couch that I could feel myself falling for.