Separated

Chapter 1

"Wake up. Wake up, Pony!" I hear Soda shout in my ear. He shakes me gently, but hard enough to wake me up.

"Okay, Soda. I'm up." I say tiredly and look at the clock. It says 6:34 a.m. That's funny it's the weekend. Usually I can stay in bed all I want, but it's the gang that wakes me up with loud music and yelling.
"Pony you gotta wake up and get ready! The inspector lady is comin today!"
Then it hit me. Today is the day some lady is coming to inspect the house to see if it's stable enough for a family. Normally I can remember things like this, but my brain has been messed up after the accident in Windrixville. You see Darry, Soda, and I are allowed to stay together as long as we behave. If we don't fit the requirements the government has for us, Soda and I will be put in a boys home.

My body immediately pops out of bed as I grab the closest pair of jeans that lay on the floor with a decent shirt next to them. There's a small scent of grass, but I quickly spray some of Soda's cologne on it.

"Darry when is she comin?!" Soda shouts from the bathroom as he greases his hair in the mirror.

"In ten minutes. Be ready and make sure your room is clean." Darry replies cooly.
My body begins to shake at the thought of not fitting all of the requirements. We barely have enough money to pay the bills, but we're living. I look in the mirror and start fixing my hair. It's been weeks since the fire at Jay Mountain and I haven't been able to think clearly. I keep thinking it was a dream and when I wake up everything will be back to normal.

"Pon, you okay?" Darry asks as he walks past me to my room. He's become much nicer and has been trying to understand me more, not jumping to conclusions. I nod and fix my blonde hair.

"Darry," Soda says looking out of the window, "she's here."