Hey guys! Okay, so this is going to be a chapter book about Sodapop Curtis (who else anymore, huh? lol) and I hope you all enjoy it! It's set a few months after the novel ended so...yes. READ!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders or the song "Back in the Saddle Again." Ya know...all this really should go without saying...

~Rosey

Back in the Saddle Again

CHAPTER ONE: NOT JUST A PHONE CALL

"Sodapop get up! You'll be late for work again!" Darry Curtis shook his younger brother's shoulder vigorously at seven in the morning.

"Ugghhh...five more minutes?" Soda begged, swatting the air in front of him and accidentally bopping his older brother in the nose.

"Ow! Dang it Sodapop," Darry grumbled, holding his now bruising nose. "Would you just get up? You'll be late for work for the fourth time this week."

"Alright, alright Superman I'm gettin' up," Soda whined, rolling to his side and pulling his pillow over his head. "In two minutes."

"Soda get up!" Now it was Pony's turn to bug his brother as he came into their room and bounced up and down on the mattress next to Sodapop.

"Ok, ok fine," Soda chuckled, sitting up and whopping Pony with his pillow. "I'll be in the kitchen in a minute, dig it?"

"If you're not I'll throw you over my shoulder like a bundle of roofin' and take you in there," Darry threatened, getting to his feet and leaving the room with Pony in toe.

"I'm sure you will," he laughed after them, going to his closet and pulling out his jeans. After pulling on his Levi's and Converse, he faced the mirror and began styling his already practically perfect blond hair, combing back the bangs from his movie-star handsome face. As he turned to grab his DX cap from the bed post, he spotted an old photograph of Sandy and himself at a dance only a year ago. He bit back the pain he felt in his heart from seeing her face again and turned the picture downwards on his nightstand. He had tried to do that for two months now, but only that morning found the inner strength to do so. Managing to put his happy-go-lucky smile back on, he turned to the door and went to the kitchen.

Darry and Pony were already sitting down to a breakfast of eggs and toast. Soda stuck his tongue out at them for being ready in 58 seconds instead of his promised one minute and then made his way over to the fridge, pulling out the grape jelly and flopping down at the table.

"So Pony what's your plans for today?" Soda asked, piling jelly and eggs onto a piece of toast.

"Well, Soda, it's Wednesday," Pony raised an eyebrow. "I got school."

"Oh. Right," Soda nodded, taking a bite of his creation. "I knew that." Sodapop had dropped out of high school about five months ago to help Darry with the bills, and he didn't regret it for a moment. Except when Pony seemed ashamed of him for quitting school his junior year.

"Uhh...you guys, it's gonna be real cold today so ya'll better bring your heaviest coats with you," Darry quickly changed the subject.

"Shoot, it's February! Shouldn't it be spring yet?" Soda sighed, getting a glass of chocolate milk for himself.

"Not in Oklahoma," Pony chuckled. "It stays freezing cold until March and then gets boiling hot until September."

"Except for those random days where it's cold and hot all at one time," Soda added with a laugh.

"And then we have tornadoes," Darry said with a smile.

"HEY GUYS!" Suddenly the front door burst open and Two-Bit and Steve let themselves into the Curtis' house, along with a burst of freezing cold air from outside.

"Morning," Darry greeted them, putting his now-empty dishes in the sink. "Help yourselves to whatever's left."

"I know what I want!" Two-Bit laughed, going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of beer and a piece of cake.

Steve chuckled and took a seat by Sodapop, taking a piece of toast and whopping his best friend with it before putting jelly on it. "How ya doin', buddy?" Steve asked with a grin full of food.

Soda laughed and threw a napkin at his friend's face. "This is a napkin. Napkin, meet Steve. Steve, meet napkin. Ya'll have never met before in your life," Sodapop joked.

"Ha-ha you crack me up," Steve rolled his eyes, throwing the napkin back at Soda.

It was then that the telephone rang. Darry was the first to reach it, picking up the phone and holding it to his ear. "Hello?...Yes, this is the Curtis house...Yeah, he's here...May I ask who's calling?...The Whitleys?...I'm sorry, I don't know of any...Yeah, yeah here he is." Darry put a hand over the receiver and faced Soda. "It's for you, little buddy. You know anybody with the last name Whitley?"

"No," Soda shook his head, taking the phone out of Darry's hand. "But it looks like I'm about to," he winked. He then held the phone up to his ear. "Ye-llo!...Yeah, this is Soda...Yup, that's my real name...Mickey Mouse?"

The room went dead silent as Soda spoke the name of his old horse. Okay, so it hadn't really been his, but it might as well have been. Until he was sold away when Soda was twelve. All the greasers struggled to listen in to Soda's conversation now as the middle Curtis brother sank into a chair.

"Yeah it know where Stillwater is...Not too far from Tulsa, just a few hours...How bad off is he?...How did you find me?...Buck?...Yeah I can be there by noon...What's the address again?" Soda grabbed a notepad and pen and began writing down information. "Okay...yeah...Thanks for contacting me...You too...See ya'll soon."

"What was that about?" Two-Bit raised an eyebrow.

"And where do you think you're going?" Darry demanded, grabbing the notepad from Soda's hand to read the address.

"It's Mickey Mouse," Soda mumbled. "He's real sick. The Whitleys were the people who bought Mickey. Apparently he's really sick so they called Buck to ask for advice and he told them I would be the best thing for Mickey Mouse right now. I gotta go to Stillwater," Soda got to his feet, grabbing the notepad back out of Darry's hand. "I'll be back by tonight."

"Soda, you got work!" Darry grabbed Soda by the shirt, pulling him back. "Besides, you don't even know the Whitleys. You're acting without thinking again."

"I'm not going to let my horse die," Soda said seriously. He then grabbed the phone again and called the DX. "Hey, it's Sodapop. I'm sick today so I ain't gonna be in...Yeah...'K, thanks. Bye."

"Soda you can't just go to some stranger's house to take care of a horse you ain't seen since you were twelve," Pony insisted.

"Aww shoot Pony, I'll be fine. I'll be back by tonight." By now Soda was at the door, putting on his coat, scarf, and hat before grabbing the keys to their truck. "Sorry I'm gonna have to take the truck, Dare. I ain't walkin' that far. See you guys tonight!"

And before anyone could say anything, Soda closed the door behind him and he was gone.

Well there's chapter one! I hope it's not moving too fast...If you think it is feel free to tell me, but flames will be used to make a fire in me fireplace.

Then again, I thought it was very Sodaish for him to act rashly. lol

And since I most likely won't have a chance to update again until after Christmas...MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Though I hope to update again before 2011...)

So review? Maybe?

~Rosey