I sat still in the cheap, wooden kitchen chair, waiting for someone to say something.

I had finally brought home the theme I had written for school. Darry and Soda sat quiet, both reading, page after page after page. I was eager for their response, since it was about us, the gang. It was special, and my teacher had been the first to hear about it. He had been surprised. Since then my grades had been rising, and life was becoming, well, normal.

Ever since Johnny and Dally had gone, I'd felt disconnected from life, from the rest of the gang. I had been worrying Soda and Darry. Now, I was whole, in a way.

My brothers had been reading for a week. They weren't the fastest readers, but now they were on the last few pages. They would realize what I went through, what I felt. Maybe they would understand a bit more than they had. They closed the book..

"Pony…?" Darry was speechless, and it made me more nervous than I wanted to be. He smiled slowly. "I guess you really did miss Pony and Dally." It was true.

"Yea, how could I not?" I inquired. "They were part of the gang."

Soda and Dally brought me in for a hug. I worried they would start crying. I couldn't stand to see them cry. Even if it was happy tears, it reminded me of sadness, then it reminded me of last month, with the church, Johnny's last words, and Dally's face before he died…

I shuddered. Immediately, they backed off. I stood up and smiled through my thoughts. "So you liked it?" I had to ask. I hoped I hadn't insulted them in anyway.

"I loved it." Soda said, stepping towards me. "Those Soc's deserved what they got." A grim smile spread across his face. "Great, what a little fist fight can get us." Little..

I could still see Darry's scar above his left eyebrow. It took me back to him wincing, pulling out the stitches. I could remember Steve, broken ribs making him cry. Steve, the one who hated the world, should never cry. Ever. I could remember being kicked in the head, knocking me unconscious for a week. I could still see it.

"It was great, Pony." Darry also got up, replacing Soda in hug. I felt warm, happy. All of us were close now, equally. I didn't have to worry about Darry liking Soda more than me. It was great.

Christmas was coming up. I had to worry now what to get them without being threatened or backcombed from the Soc's. All the good stores were off of our territory, and those Soc's could really hold a grudge for one of their buddies dying.

I understood the feeling…

I shook the thought from my head. My brown-haired head. It was back to normal color, finally. Well, sort of. It still has blonde on the end, but it looked better than before.

I grinned at my brothers, and they grinned back. "Hey, how about we go to the park?" Soda said finally, walking towards the door. "It's real nice outside. Perfect for racing." He snapped his head towards me, giving me a sly grin. "I'm sure I can beat you now."

I smiled slyly back and headed for the door. "You coming Darry?" I asked.

He looked up from the book. It was turned back at the beginning. "Nah, I'll just stay here. Get ready for Christmas." Normally for Christmas, the gang would come over and we would watch Mickey Mouse. Two-Bits idea, of course. "You two be careful, though." He said in a serious tone, turning his head back towards the story.

"Yessir." I said, and me and Soda were out the door. We raced towards the park, and I ended up winning. We were both panting by the time we got there. We sat down on the park bench, and started to talk.

"Do you think the Soc's will mess around with us anymore?" I asked. I was honestly curious. This wouldn't be the first time they went back on their promise. "I mean, like coming back on to our territory."

Soda looked at me wildly. "Gee, Pony, I don't know." He said honestly. "What I want to say is no, they learned their lesson and are off our territory for good." He paused, and I knew where this was going. "The honest answer, though, is yes, they'll probably come looking for trouble."

I sighed and stared at all the kids laughing and playing. They were all so innocent. Innocent and lucky. Once they grew, they would be forced to choose a side. It's exactly the same with this whole doggone world. I got up and said, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starved."

We took the walk back to the gas station, and he walked in shouting to all his co-workers. I smiled as the girls practically fainted at the sight of him. Didn't they all?

Ever since Sandy, Soda's refused to even smile at another girl. That had me worried. I even considered bringing models down here to "persuade him". I wouldn't, though. Only reason was no money. It annoyed me how she could possibly look at another guy when Soda was right there with here. Its hard to find a guy who loves you that much.

I smiled to the girls on his behalf. They gave me a look that said, "You're not as cute as your brother, but I'll take you." I looked back forward and kept walking. Someone behind me grabbed my neck and laughed joyfully.

"Hey, Steve!" Soda sounded really happy to see him. They bumped fists and brought each other in for a bear hug. I stood awkwardly off to the side, and Steve did the same with me. "What are you doing here so late?"

Steve let go of me and looked back at him. "Need more money," he said. "since the old man didn't bring enough in this week. We want to make this a good Christmas. Were still doing it at your house, right Pony?" he asked me since Soda went off to help Steve clean the tires.

"Yea, I guess," I said, falling back onto the old couch in the office. It felt nice, since I ran so fast. I watched the girls drool over Soda as his muscles flexed, washing the tires. I stifled a laugh, knowing they probably didn't want to be disturbed. I got up, walking over to help Soda. The tires were dirty, and Steve needed our help.