Heart of Gold

Chapter One

Ponyboy's P.O.V

   "Get up, Pixie!" Darry hollered for what seemed to be the thousandth time this morning. "You're gonna be late!" Pixie was always the more stubborn twin, especially when it came to waking up. She could never get out of bed, even if we bribed her.

   "Ponyboy, have you seen my DX shirt?" Soda asked me as I stumbled into the kitchen. He was wearing his signature dark blue jeans, but he's always a mess in the morning. Soda's always missing something.

   "No, sorry." I replied back lazily. Two-Bit and Dally were wrestling in the living room, drawing Soda's attention, so he quickly ran over. I sat down at the table as Darry came out of his bedroom with dad's old trumpet. Dad used to play in a band, and soon after high school, he played in the army as well. Darry opened up the case and fixed it up, before jogging over to Pixie's bedroom door. Soon after, came the sound of a poorly-kept trumpet horn, which caused a very annoyed PixieStick.

   "Really Darry?! I can't believe you boys!" She yelled back at my oldest brother as he laughed. Two-Bit and Dally discontinued wrestling and sat on the couch beside each other.

   "Hey girly, you gonna get up anytime soon?" Two said with a chuckle. Two-Bit and Dallas were Pixie's two best friends. They were all three friends, and they were a good pair, too. They looked out for each other and have had some good memories together. I could never understand how my sister can be best friends with Dallas Winston.

   "Oh shush, Two! Or I'll come in there and Dally will accompany me in beating you!" She laughed. Two chuckled as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. Dally smiled as a tired Johnny walked inside.

   "Hey guys." Johnny said, waving around the room. Dally sat up and moved his feet off the couch, gesturing for Johnny to sit down where Two once was.

   "Hey Johnny." I said as Darry walked past me, ruffling my hair. I hadn't greased it yet this morning. Two-Bit shut the fridge with a piece of chocolate cake on his plate, as he moved swiftly past my oldest brother.

   "Whatcha want for breakfast, Pony?" Darry asked me, opening the fridge to make sure Two didn't take any eggs out. Sometimes Two would take them out and throw them at Dallas.

   "Just toast, please." I replied back. Sodapop walked out of the bathroom with his DX shirt on, which he somehow found.

   "Toast? I can do that, little brother," Darry replied back to me. Darry was always making me breakfast ever since the night he had hit me. After that night, he's been extremely nice to me and more laid back. He never really used to laugh before, but now he does it almost as much as Two-Bit.

   "Alright boys, who's taking me out for Valentine's Day?" Pixie chuckled as she walked out of her bedroom. She was wearing one of Dally's leather jackets and her high-waisted skinny jeans, with expensive black boots that Two managed to steal for her birthday. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a few strands of hair curled in front of her ears. My sister was very pretty, and she liked to show off her body, to say the least. She has Darry and Soda worrying about how she dresses and how she talks and acts in general. Pixie is wild and reckless, but she's also very smart like me, and she likes to read. Pixie and I are both in Honors classes, and we both skipped a grade. Pixie may be smart and into movies and books like me, but she's got an amazing sense of humor and she's naturally rebellious. That's just how she's always been.

   "I gotta steal you your own leather jacket, so you can stop stealing mine." Dally laughed. Two and Dally always let Pixie walk all over them, I guess you could say she's the queen bee of the three. Dally and Two are kinda like her henchmen when it comes to certain things.

   "It's alright, I'll just steal Two's anyway." My sister replied with a chuckle. Two blushed and awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. That was odd, even for Two-Bit. I guess I never really noticed how nervous he is. I wonder what's going on in his head.

   "Hey Two, you alright or something? You're acting kinda strange, like you're nervous, it's weird, especially for you." I laugh as Darry places two pieces of toast in front of me. "Thanks Darry."

   "Sure thing, kiddo." Darry replied back to me. Two-Bit looked up from the Television and stared back at me, grinning widely.

   "Darry, have you seen my shoes?" Soda asked as he paced around the house. "Honk, Honk!" Steve pulled up to the house in his fixer-upper truck. Pixie jumped up from her place on the couch and ducked down in an attempt to look under the sofa.

   "Sodapop, your shoes are under the couch, as always." Pixie chuckled, handing over his shoes.

   "Right! I knew they were under there!" Soda smirked. Steve jumped out of his truck and ran up to the house.

   "C'mon Soda, what'd ya lose now?" Steve joked, patting Soda on his back before prancing through the living room and into the kitchen for the last piece of cake. Pixie followed closely behind him, clearly trying to get his attention.
Steve swiftly turned around, somehow sensing my sister was following him around like a lost puppy.

   "What do you want?" Steve asked. Pixie made her signature puppy dog pout before telling him. She's good at manipulating boys, I don't know how she does it, but she just does.

   "Stevie, can you please take me to school?" She says with an additional pout. Steve playfully hisses at her.

   "Stop calling me Stevie every time you want something. Why do you need a ride from me anyway?" He says, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Darry's working late today and he won't take us, I really don't wanna walk. I'm gonna get all sweaty and gross." Pixie says, practically begging Steve to drive us to school without asking me. I would rather walk, Steve doesn't like me.

   "Alright, but you owe me." Steve replied. My sister smiled widely.

"I think I already know what you want from me in exchange for a ride." Pixie laughed. "I'll bake your cake when I get home after track tonight."

"Soda! You better get yourself together because you're not gonna be late again this week!" Darry shouted from his bedroom. Soda jumped up from his seat on the couch, forgetting to tie his shoes, which lead to him tripping over Johnny's foot.

"Ow!" Johnny yelped in pain while giving Soda a deadly stare. Steve ran over to help Soda up.

"Sorry Johnny Cakes! Darry's gonna kill me if I'm late again!" Soda explained. Johnny shrugged and gave Soda a little smile.

"I'm leaving, either you guys get in my truck or I leave without you!" Steve shouted. Pixie jogged out of her bedroom with her book bag and track duffel bag. I finished washing the dishes and loaded my bags into the truck. It's hard work participating in track while being an Honors student. Johnny and Two joined us in Steve's truck, sitting in the cargo bed. Soda came running out of the house and into the front passenger seat. Steve started the truck, and we began to drive away while Johnny and Two waved goodbye to Dally.