"Get up, Pony," Soda spoke firmly as he pulled the comforter off of his younger brother. Pony squeezed his eyes in an attempt to keep the light out and pulled the comforter back over his head.

"I don't feel good, Soda. Go away." Pony's words were muffled under the blanket but Soda heard them anyway.

"Of course you don't feel good. You've probably got a hangover from hell, but you need to wake up just the same, it's two thirty in the afternoon."

"Fine," Pony grumbled and slowly sat up as Soda took a seat beside him on the bed. Looking over at Soda, Pony noticed that his brother was fidgeting with a loose thread on his pillow case. His hair stuck up in a slight cowlick in the back, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Though he had obviously showered and already been to work, Soda looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"You okay, Soda?" Pony asked gently. He tried to remember if Soda had gotten in a fight the night before but his head hurt so bad that he couldn't remember much of anything.

Soda laughed lightly at this and shook his head. Letting out a small breath he started to speak.

"Do you even remember last night?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yeah, Alex broke up with me. I remember that fine, Soda. You don't have to remind me." Pony spoke sharply.

"Pony, please. I love you, I really do. I just-" Her eyes watered, but only a single tear ran down her cheek. Pony was looking down at his hands, but stopped to glance up at her.

"You don't have to do this," he cut her off, " Just because they know now doesn't mean we have to end it. Please, Alex. Please." Pony was embarrassed at his own begging, but thought it the only way to make her see how he felt.

Alex reached over and placed a hand gently on his.

"He's my brother."

"So what!? Darry and Soda are my brothers and I'm not giving up on us because they know! I thought we were worth fighting for, but I guess I was wrong." He jerked his hand away and stood up to walk away.

"I'm so sorry, Pony"

Pony shook the memory quickly from his mind and turned back to his brother.

"Pony," Soda started, "We found you drunk at the Shepard's house last night. You remember how you got there?" Pony looked up at Soda for a minute trying to think of what he would be doing at the Shepard's.

"I wasn't at the-" He paused suddenly, eyes going wide. Swallowing, he looked away from Soda as he felt a deep flush rise up his neck.

"Angela," he whispered, and Soda nodded.

"Hey kid, have another!" Two-Bit laughed, shoving another shot in Pony's direction. "Don't tell Darry though, he'll skin me alive!" Pony laughed and quickly down the glass. He'd been walking to the park when he ran into to Two-Bit who insisted he go to a party with him to take his mind off things. Curly Shepard was sitting beside Pony and clumsily re filled his glass again, as Two-Bit got up to dance with a girl.

"I tell ya what, Curtis, I though I'd never see you at one of our little get togethers. Glad ya finally could make it."

"Yeah me too, don't tell my brothers though." Pony laughed with Curly. He was beginning to enjoy the numb feeling from the shots. No longer sulking over Alex, he had started to let loose and had already danced with several girls. Now he sat on the arm of a chair and reached over to take the bottle from Curly. Man, Darry would kill him if he knew. Pony laughed as he took a generous swig from the bottle.

"Hiya, Pony." He felt rather than saw who the voice belonged to as a tanned hand slid down his arm.

"Hey Angela," Pony turned his head to greet her. She began walking around to the front of the chair and stopped right in front of him. Scooting herself closer so that she stood in between Pony's knees, she gave him a sly smile before taking the bottle from his hands and drinking herself.

"I heard about you and Alex," she said putting the bottle back in Pony's hand. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that she did that to you. Some girls just don't know a good thing when it's right in front of them." Angela smiled seductively at him and he felt himself stiffen slightly. Alex hated Angela and Pony knew that, but right then he couldn't remember why.

"Yeah, I mean I thought she loved me but I guess that was stupid." Pony took another sip and began to confess how upset he was about Alex. Angela listened intently, nodding her head and gently rubbing his shoulder.

"I know how upset you must be. I just wish there was something I could do…" she trailed off and looked straight into his eyes.

"I wish there was something anyone could do," he said softly looking back at her. Angela placed a hand behind Pony's head and pulled him soothingly to her. He felt her lips suddenly on his but did not pull away. Instead, he found himself opening his mouth in response. The kiss last only a few seconds before he pulled away.

"I can't Angela, I'm sorry. Alex doesn't…I mean she wouldn't-"

"Pony, Alex doesn't want to be with you. I'm sorry, baby but I'm here and I want to be with you." Pony shook his head, a little shocked at her remark. The room was spinning slightly and his vision was cloudy around the edges. "Please," she whispered, taking his hand. Pony took a deep breath and staggered behind her down a hallway.

"Oh God, Soda, what have I done?" Pony's voice cracked slightly and he felt sick. He was looking to his brother for help but found none.

"I don't know, buddy. You need to get your act together though because Alex is going to be here in a little while to talk to you. You should think about apologizing to Darry too." Soda's words were not spoken harshly, just in a disappointed tone that made Pony cringe.

After apologizing to both Darry and Soda, Pony slipped quietly off to take a shower. He had taken four aspirins in an attempt to mask his headache, but felt sick again when he smelled the faint scent of vomit in the bathroom. While he waited for the water to warm up, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face was still swollen from Dally's punch, and his skin was a sickly white underneath. He stopped suddenly and looked at his chest, fingering a dark spot and then another which lay right beneath his shoulder.

Proof, he thought sadly. It was as though Angela had marked him. He'd have to be careful not to take his shirt off in front of anyone.

The warm water was somewhat soothing against his clammy skin. Closing his eyes, Pony leaned his head back and let the water run onto his face.

"Pony, she wasn't right for you anyway," Angela breathed as she kissed again. This time she left a trail of kisses to his neck and then found her way back to his neck. "Girls like that, will always think they're better than everyone else. It's because she hangs out with Brigitte. She's a soc, ya know?"

"Can we just not talk about Alex?" Pony asked between kisses. Angela's hands were roaming across his back and were beginning to find their way beneath his shirt.

"We don't even have to talk," she breathed into his neck.

"Mmm, thatwouldbenice…" he mumbled. Pony clumsily pulled at Angela's shirt and she guided his hands as he slid it over her head. He pulled off his own and laughed as Angela pushed him onto the bed.

The water was beginning to get cold by the time Pony stumbled out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. His head was spinning and he leaned against the sink for support.

"Pony," Angela gasped his name breathily as he rolled on top of her. She gave a low moan as he bent to kiss her neck and began to slowly move downward. Their clothes lay discarded somewhere on the floor and they were hastily making dispassionate love. Angela bit hard just below Pony's should and he cried out in a mix of pleasure and pain.

When it was over Angela, stroked his face and held him for a while. His stomach rumbled slightly, reminding him that he had not eaten almost all day long.

"Let's go have a cigarette outside, okay?" He spoke to Angela differently than he would have Alex, who had never even touched a cigarette. After a ten minute hunt for their clothes, the two stumbled back into the hallway, running straight into Soda and Bri. Soda's mouth hung open and a deep rose color washed over Bri's cheeks.

Pony wiped at the mirror furiously in order to see his reflection. He looked into a face he no longer knew and whispered "What in the hell have I done?"