(1/3) The Outsiders - the Sequel.

Chapter 5

        The next few days were uneventful. I went to see a movie one day. And I fell down some stairs. That's just about it. Oh, yeah. Cherry and Valerie met me at the park and we put together the picture collage for Darry and Soda. We ended up framing it. Before I knew it, it was already Christmas. We all wanted to sleep in, because we actually could (no school, no work), but there were kids running around and playing in the street, and they weren't very quiet. It kinda made it impossible.

        We all eventually wandered into the kitchen for breakfast. Grandma Curtis had made cinnamon rolls. Honestly, I don't think cinnamon rolls count as breakfast, but grandma says that's what she would make for her family, including my dad, on Christmas mornings in the past.

         We started exchanging gifts after breakfast. It's not something we did a whole lot of before, but Grandma Curtis insisted. She started by saying, "You may have noticed I was gone lately, because I went to the bank. It is true, and you will see why. Darry," she said. "I am going to start with you. For Christmas, I got you college tuition." Darry was speechless. He had always been disappointed that he couldn't attend college, and now he could! "Thank you so much, grandma! But how am I supposed to support the boys if I go to college?" he said. Grandma replied, "You'll have to see later, Darrell."

        Grandma Curtis stood up. "Soda," she said. "We have to go outside for yours." We all went to the backyard (which is kinda big for a city plot), and Soda was blindfolded. I have no idea how we didn't figure it out or see it in our own backyard, but we definitely didn't see this one coming. Grandma told Soda to uncover his eyes, and as soon as he saw what grandma got for him, he was shocked. Grandma had gotten Soda a horse! That was what Sodapop had always wanted. He walked over to the horse, and it started nibbling Soda's sleeve. Soda gasped. "How'd you get Mickey Mouse for me?" he asked in astonishment. "A magician never reveals their secrets," grandma said.

        It was my turn next. Grandma told me to look in the driveway. When I looked, I saw a brand-new golden Mustang. It was beautiful. "I know you won't be able to drive it for a couple years, but I thought it would be a fun thing to look forward to. And it's yours. Nobody else is allowed to use it without your permission. I went out to admire it. I was in awe as I ran my hand down the tuff looking hood of the car. I wasn't allowed to have the keys yet, but I already desperately wanted to drive it. It was pure torture to have to wait. Finally, I asked, "Grandma, how did you know gold was my favorite color—and least favorite color—but my favorite color?" "Your brothers told me," she said.

        We thought she was done, but she said that she had a family gift for us. "I payed off your house," she said. We were totally shocked. "You did what!?" we pretty much all said in unison. "I payed off your house," she said again. We almost tackled Grandma Curtis to the floor when we all tried to hug her at the same time. This was turning out to be the best Christmas yet! Darry now gets to go to college, Soda got his horse, I got a car, and we don't have to pay for our house anymore!

        The rest of us met at the vacant lot that afternoon. "Us" consisted of: Me, Darry, Soda, Cherry, Valerie, Steve, Two-Bit, and Two-Bit's little sister, Shirley. She's my age, and honestly, I think she's kinda cute. And she has a good sense of humor. And she isn't lazy like her brother. We hung out and all was fine and dandy, when Cherry, Valerie, and I decided to give Darry and Soda the picture collage with them and Dorothy in the pictures. "Hey Darry. Sodapop. Cherry and Valerie and I have something we made for you," I said. The girls handed it to them. Darry slapped his hand over his mouth and Soda had tears in his eyes, when they realized what it was. "We couldn't have asked for something better!" Darry said. "Thank you so, so much!" Sodapop added.

        Pretty much, we hung until midnight. When the sun started to set, Cherry came over to me. "What do you see when you watch the sunset?" she asked me. I thought about it. "Well," I started, thinking deeply. "I see you. And my parents, and my brothers. But really, I see Johnny and Dallas." We sat together, watching the sunset, until the sun was gone. It eventually got dark enough to see the stars. Everyone else was having a mighty fine time, but I wandered off and layed down in the grass. I looked up at the stars, and I thought about Cherry's question: "What do you see when you watch the sunset?" I realized that I did see Johnny and I did see Dallas. The sunset reminded me of them, and I remembered how much I missed them. I hadn't watched the stars since that cold autumn night with Johnny.

        Not a whole lot happened until New Years. I mean, Soda rode his horse a lot, and Steve and Two-Bit came over all the time. Shirley came over a couple times, too. Oh yeah, and Darry and Valerie have been together a lot more lately. "Hey, Soda! Ponyboy! Come here!" Darry shouted from the other room. We walked into the kitchen. "I'm gonna propose to Valerie on New Years," Darry told us. "Congratulations!" I said. I liked Valerie. Darry continued, "We were all planning on hangin' at the lot for New Years, right? I'm thinking that at midnight, I'll ask her to marry me. Then we'll all go out to a fancy restaurant, even though it's the middle of the night." "Sounds good! I'm happy for you guys!" Soda said instantly. I started thinking. What'll happen to me and Soda when Darry gets married and goes to college?