Chapter Text
i. prologue
☾
Steve called me one night around 2AM.
Well, I should say he was probably callin’ Darry. Me and him still never really got on well before he left, and it ain’t exactly a wild idea to think Darry is up at this time. Still, I got up and answered.
“Hello?”
“Darry?”
At first I didn’t even recognize the voice. It was so hoarse and gravelly, as if he was smoking six packs a day and paid the price. Steve was never much of a weed fiend like the rest of the gang, probably from getting enough fumes workin’ on cars all day or because he was more of a booze guy, either way I was confused as hell.
“Huh? Uh no, Darry’s sleepin’ right now. Can I ask who’s callin’?”
“Kid?”
The nickname, inflection, the tone, the sneer that pierced my ears through the line. That’s when I knew.
“Steve?”
“Kid, go get Darry right now.”
He basically ignored me. Steve always ignored me, but I wasn’t worried about that. I was used to it. It’s the way he said “Darry.” Steve never used Darry’s name, only a nickname like “Superman” or “Muscle Man” or something stupid like that. My heart was already beginning to pound something crazy.
“Is something wrong, Steve?”
“I said go get Darry, kid.”
I could barely hear him over the sounds of cars honking and rushing through the background. It sounded like he was on a payphone. “Steve, where are you?” I raised my voice just a little but not too much to wake Darry.
“Get the hell off the phone, and go get your brother.”
I took the phone away from my ear for a second, taking in a deep breath. Christ, I could feel my face heating up something fierce. The first time I speak to him in five months and I’m already sick of him. It’s like he never would change. But just because he didn’t doesn’t mean I did. “I can’t get Darry right now, he had a long day. Just call back tomorrow.”
Just as I was about to hang up until Steve yelled out, “I can’t!”
I put the phone back to my ear. “Huh? What the hell are you goin’ on about?”
“Kid, I am begging you please go get your brother right now.”
I could feel my teeth grinding hard against each other.. “I already told you he’s sleeping, he had a long day at work, he’s tired.”
“Does that matter? Go wake him up!”
My grip on the receiver tightened. Everything I felt five months ago seemed to bubble up in my chest, rising like bile that was ready to come out. “ What do you gotta say to him that you can’t say to me? ” I didn’t even realize how loud my voice was getting. “Y’know, Steve, you got a lotta damn nerve calling us up at two in the morning, ain’t like nobody ever gotta sleep!”
“Kid—“
“Thought they taught y’all manners up there, but of course some peabrained motormouth snaggletooth jackass like you can’t even just be decent for one goddamn second.”
“Ponyboy—“
“No, ‘cause it’s just like you to check in after months just to be an ass to me. I thought you’d at least be nicer since we ain’t gotta see each other but no!”
“ Pony— “
“What did I ever do to you, huh? I thought we were past everything? And where the hell are you? Why are there so many cars there? Where’s Soda?”
The line went silent for a moment.
I almost thought Steve hung up on me, I really did. Christ, I wish he did, but instead I just heard a long, deep winded breath come from the other side of the line.
“Soda’s dead.”
My heart froze.
“What?”
“He’s gone, Pony. Got shot and died in the nursery an hour later. He’s dead.”
After that, I didn’t really pay attention to my surroundings. I couldn’t pay attention. I just heard a faint rumble of noise. I probably woke Darry up with my yelling. I just remember hearing “Ponyboy, Ponyboy…” in the far distance and feeling hands on my neck before seeing black.