By A Thread (Sodapop Curtis)

X.

"It was so easy to open up to him. It felt like I could tell him anything."

By the time the four of us made it to Dairy Queen, the sun was just beginning to disappear along the horizon. My stomach wouldn't quit growling, giving the guys a good laugh.

Two-Bit howled. "It sounds like a whale, Penny!" He fell into another fit.

I huffed, cheeks turning red and I attempted not to show my smile. "It's not that funny," I grumbled, looking at my shoes. "I'm just hungry!"

Steve chuckled lightly, flashing his crooked teeth. "Yeah, we can tell." I shook my head as Two-Bit was sent into another spiral of laughter.

Just then, Soda came jogging over with our order of ice creams. He handed them out quickly and I greedily snatched mine, lead the way to a picnic table.

"This is so good," I groaned as I devoured my cone. I was only slightly aware of how bizarre I looked, gobbling up my ice cream like I'd never eating in my entire life.

Soda sent Steve a confused look. "Is she half wild or something?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice low so I wouldn't hear.

I glanced across the table at him, giving him a glare. "No, it just feels like I haven't eaten in forever." I promptly went back to my ice cream.

Soda laughed and took a bite out of his own ice cream. "Okay, okay! Sorry, I didn't mean for the conversation to steer off to a touchy subject."

"Don't patronize me!"

"Alright you two," Two-Bit cut in. "Don't start a brawl, now."

"Says you." Soda snickered

I laughed lightly as the pairs antics. At the sound of my voice, Soda looked back at me, a wide smile spreading across his face as his gaze met mine.

Smiling, we descended into a light conversation, mainly made up of Steve and Two-Bit's jokes. It was nice being there with those three, not running away from the world. They were too sweet and light hearted to need to be concerned about anything. Maybe it had been myself I was running from. In the end, wasn't it always?

I was shaken out of my thoughts when Soda grabbed my hand, hoisting me to my feet. I looked away briefly to pull myself together.

"Come on, we're leaving now," he said, speed walking to where the other waited, leaving me jogging to catch up.

"Where are we headed now?" I asked, looking around at the boys. None of us seemed to be ready to head home just yet. The night had been to good so far for that.

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe we could just walk around or something?"

Soda looked at the sky. "It's getting kind of late, but I ain't going home just yet. Darry won't mind if I'm out a bit longer."

"Maybe we should go to the park," Two-Bit offered. We all agreed, and it seemed like a fine plan right up until we rounded the corner and saw a pack of Socs hanging around the fountain in the center of the field. "Or maybe not," Two finished.

"Hey, I've got a place we could go," I piped up, a little unsure of myself. "It's a little ways passed the Dingo. It shouldn't take long to get there."

Soda shrugged, sending me a quick smile. "I'm down for it." Two-Bit and Steve nodded, and so we were off. I led the way around town, passed the Dingo, and just a bit along the outskirts of Tulsa to a place I hadn't been to in a long time.

The outer edge of the city was a quiet place, where the suburbia of our lives slowly transformed into the rolling hills of the country. We climbed our way up the tallest hill around, settling ourselves onto the grass, and leaving the Tulsa light pulsing behind us.

The boys looked up at the sky without needing me to tell them to. This place felt magical as we stared, mesmerized, as the sky turned gold, almost as if someone were painting over the brilliant blue with soft shades of pink, orange, and gold.

"Ponyboy would love this," Soda breathed, not taking his eyes from the brilliant colors swirling above. Golden rays of sunlight reflected off his features, making him glow. "Penny, how did you find this place?"

I kept my eyes on the horizon as I spoke, voice soft like the colors above. "It was a long time ago, when I was barely nine. I was looking to get away from home for a bit, but the places around my house weren't safe enough for me at that age alone. We used to visit the country all the time when I was younger, and I remembered how peaceful it was. So I walked until I reached the edge of town and found a place where I could be alone."

Sodapop was looking at me then. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," I spoke quietly, glancing at Sodapop. I felt his eyes on me, even as I turned back to watch the last of the sunset slip beyond the horizon.

When the last of it's colors were gone, we made our way back home mostly in silence. It was a comfortable silence, however. Mainly induced by the glory and peacefulness of the sunset.

When it was time to part ways, we said our goodbyes, promising to go back to the spot sometime in the future. Two-Bit was the first to go, running down his street into the darkness. Then Steve, disappearing into his quiet house, until finally, Sodapop and I were the only ones left.

"I'm really happy you came out with us today," Soda spoke, breaking the silence. "I had a great time with you."

I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously. "Thanks for inviting me. I had a good time too." There was a moment of quiet before I spoke again. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you guys lately," I blurted out before I could let my nerves get the best of me. "A lot's been going on and I've never really been good at making friends. Not to mention keeping them."

In the darkness, talking to Soda was simple. It was so easy to open up to him. It felt like I could tell him anything.

Soda looked down at me, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about it. What matters is that you're here now. Let's keep it that way."

I sent him a smile in return before stopping. "This is my street. I'll see you around?"

"You bet." He gave me a small wave, before I turned towards to my house. I felt his eyes on me all the way up the street, until I disappeared into my house, the darkness if the night consuming me.