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because i love you all

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soda stutter truthers just can’t stop winning

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ok the secret is out!!

I SAW DAVIS!SODA — and can i just say? everyone was on FIRE tonight!!

moments that stood out to me:

davis!soda mimes a little siren when he says “let’s call the feds,” and then proceeds to gesture very pointedly at pony as soon as he and johnny come in to reiterate to darry that he’s overreacting

ALSO, the whole “i keep havin’ this dream about them,” conversation — when davis!soda says, “who?” there’s this deep seated fear and realization in his eyes, like, this boy’s been having nightmares about his parents too, but he can’t let pony know that

ritfr went CRAZY. like, davis!soda spends the first half of the song checking in on and reassuring johnny (and can i just say, joshua cade shakes like a damn chihuahua) and then when it’s apparent he needs to get between pony and darry he goes for trying to calm pony down by smiling at him and pleading with him to stop escalating

before the rumble, when all of the greasers are standing on the car for hopeless war, brent!darry took davis!soda’s hand and, like, checked and massaged his wrappings, and davis!soda shared his cigarette (and brent did take a drag)

oh my god. throwing in the towel. davis just has, like, the clearest voice ever but he coached darry through a deep breath at the end.

during soda’s letter he started toying with his necklace and brody!pony noticed and started to touch and hold his own

in tulsa ‘67 he sneezed gravel at henry when the socs & greasers are antagonizing each other

the whole post breakdown, like, he was crying during stay gold and idk that i’ve seen that before? like, this is a soda that’s deeply empathetic and cares for his brother, but davis and josh were definitely delivering a performance where you got the sense that soda and johnny are buddies more than i feel i’ve ever really gotten? if that makes sense?

also, i feel as though sometimes soda’s comedic lines are buttons played to the audience, like, hey! laugh here! but davis really leans into, like, no. i’m being silly for my brothers. it just overall feels more private.

i think there are certain performances that deliver things that have been omitted from the book — like, the musical never explicitly tells us that soda is the only one who can talk back to darry (and that darry might even like it) but davis and brent play off of each other in a way that really highlights that

oh! and! one of my favorite things is when he says “they’re callin’ you a hero,” he says, “and they’re, like, heroizin’ all the greasers,” he adds a couple words that adds a sense of hesitation and i get the impression that he’s kind of like…is heroizing a word? is anyone gonna call me out if it’s not? but it’s too important not to say it anyway

if anything more comes to me i’ll add it but omg…guys i love him

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also i’m considering cherrybomb the official canonical ship name bc i asked kwp how he liked the ship name and he said it’s really cool and i told yk how i thought of it and he rly liked it 😁😁

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Oh how I need to see Davis!soda

ok the secret is out!!

I SAW DAVIS!SODA — and can i just say? everyone was on FIRE tonight!!

moments that stood out to me:

davis!soda mimes a little siren when he says “let’s call the feds,” and then proceeds to gesture very pointedly at pony as soon as he and johnny come in to reiterate to darry that he’s overreacting

ALSO, the whole “i keep havin’ this dream about them,” conversation — when davis!soda says, “who?” there’s this deep seated fear and realization in his eyes, like, this boy’s been having nightmares about his parents too, but he can’t let pony know that

ritfr went CRAZY. like, davis!soda spends the first half of the song checking in on and reassuring johnny (and can i just say, joshua cade shakes like a damn chihuahua) and then when it’s apparent he needs to get between pony and darry he goes for trying to calm pony down by smiling at him and pleading with him to stop escalating

before the rumble, when all of the greasers are standing on the car for hopeless war, brent!darry took davis!soda’s hand and, like, checked and massaged his wrappings, and davis!soda shared his cigarette (and brent did take a drag)

oh my god. throwing in the towel. davis just has, like, the clearest voice ever but he coached darry through a deep breath at the end.

during soda’s letter he started toying with his necklace and brody!pony noticed and started to touch and hold his own

in tulsa ‘67 he sneezed gravel at henry when the socs & greasers are antagonizing each other

the whole post breakdown, like, he was crying during stay gold and idk that i’ve seen that before? like, this is a soda that’s deeply empathetic and cares for his brother, but davis and josh were definitely delivering a performance where you got the sense that soda and johnny are buddies more than i feel i’ve ever really gotten? if that makes sense?

also, i feel as though sometimes soda’s comedic lines are buttons played to the audience, like, hey! laugh here! but davis really leans into, like, no. i’m being silly for my brothers. it just overall feels more private.

i think there are certain performances that deliver things that have been omitted from the book — like, the musical never explicitly tells us that soda is the only one who can talk back to darry (and that darry might even like it) but davis and brent play off of each other in a way that really highlights that

oh! and! one of my favorite things is when he says “they’re callin’ you a hero,” he says, “and they’re, like, heroizin’ all the greasers,” he adds a couple words that adds a sense of hesitation and i get the impression that he’s kind of like…is heroizing a word? is anyone gonna call me out if it’s not? but it’s too important not to say it anyway

if anything more comes to me i’ll add it but omg…guys i love him

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“He slept a summer by my side” but it’s Paul spending every single night of the summer before he left for a college Darrel could never afford, sleeping next to Darrel and being held by him, pretending that he wouldn’t be gone by the end of August. It’s Darrel loving that he gets to go to sleep with Paul in his arms and he gets to wake up to his messy hair and loving smile.

“He filled my days with endless wonder” but it’s Darrel finding any excuse to escape and go on a drive with Paul that was just far enough that they could kiss in the front seat of the car without the fear of being seen

“He took my childhood in his stride” but it’s Darrel knowing from far too young that he was too poor to afford a bunch of things the socs had, but when he met Paul, that didn’t feel like it mattered as much. With Paul, he could act like a carefree teenager. With Paul, he wasn’t a poor greaser, he was just Darrel. But then Paul left, and he took the tiny amount of a child that Darrel could be with him.

“He was gone when autumn came” But it’s Darrel sneaking out to go spend one last night with Paul in his arms, knowing he was leaving in the morning. It’s Darrel waking up early so he could just spend a little more time looking at the boy in his arms. It’s Darrel kissing Paul goodbye as he left when the sun rose. It’s Darrel hugging Paul and whispering out an “I love you”, not knowing it’d be the last time he ever said it.

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do you think johnny saw the stars as he was dying, just able to see them through the hospital window? did he watch them glow, knowing they were the same stars that looked down at his parents arguing and his friends laughing and every bit of love he had ever experienced? did he hope that’s what dying felt like? a star slowly fading out of existence, peaceful nights on the hill, the joy of seeing a shooting star go past and the gift of getting to ask for a wish?

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Okay. Hmm. I hear you with the “Soda and addiction” headcanons because on a surface level, I get where folks are coming from. He’s an adrenaline junkie, the world is loud and overwhelming, he finds ways to drown it out. I see what’s happening with those headcanons. I sort of get the vision.

But I feel like everything we learn about him in canon directly contradicts the idea of an addictive Soda.

He doesn’t drink. (I know people theorize Ponyboy is wrong about this, but listen, we have to believe the kid sometimes or the entire concept of canon becomes a joke.) He rarely ever smokes. He stays out of fights to protect Darry’s custody. He keeps a steady job. He’s faithful to his girlfriend and has a longterm goal to settle down with her—and canon implies they were having little, if any, sex.

For being flighty and easily distracted, Soda actually seems comparatively responsible, at least when paired against most of the guys in his circle—and if you’re not willing to believe Ponyboy’s narration, I think Darry’s trust in Soda is the biggest proof of this. These guys “know the score” and living recklessly isn’t just a matter of personal lifestyle, it’s something that directly affects their family. Soda is aware of this and the repercussions his actions have on Darry’s custody, and I simply can’t believe he’s out there living the Two-Bit life behind his brothers’ backs.

NOT TO SAY he’s living responsibly, because, well, he’s still Soda. But there’s a measure of awareness and self control that I don’t think we give him credit for having.

Pinning Soda as the addictive brother is ironic to me when PONYBOY MICHAEL CURTIS IS RIGHT THERE. The kid who eats handfuls of aspirin. Who can’t live without pepsi. Who chainsmokes at 14.

One of the Curtis boys has an addictive personality, and it ain’t Soda.

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gonna need a detailed list of every acting and singing choice davis makes as soda k thx

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FIRST LOOK AT DAVIS SODA!!!! 🥤

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Here to tell yall about Daryl!Two-Bit tossing handfuls of gravel on SG!Marcia’s chair the whole drive in tonight and then Marcia kicking it back at him

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When Darry and Paul are seniors, there’s this crop of annoying freshmen Socs on the JV football team who follow Paul around like rich, spoiled ducklings. Apparently Paul’s parents are friends with a lot of their parents or whatever, connections from the same rich, snotty west side neighborhood. They’re always hanging around Paul, bugging him for rides and booze. (At seventeen, Paul’s fake ID is more convincing than these preppy kindergartners.)

One day they play a prank on the kids - Paul generously lets all the Soc boys pile into his mustang with Darry driving. Darry has perfected his technique of driving like a bat outta hell to entertain his little brothers. He speeds, takes razor sharp turns, spins the car in circles, skids a little too close to ditches. It has the desired effect. The passengers are all terrified, nauseous, or both. Trip screams like a girl. (What kinda name is Trip anyway?) Brill (ditto on the dumb name) has a death grip on the door handle so hard his knuckles are white, eyes wide with terror. When they get out of the car, Chet throws up. And Bobby (“Paul, quit calling me that, it’s Bob now!”) looks like he ain’t even breathing.

Darry and Paul laugh their asses off.

Darry gets a sudden sense of Deja vu in Pershing park. Through the coating of rain, mud, and blood, he sees swatches of torn madras shirts floating in puddles, wobbling upright, and stumbling away toward cars that somebody had stupidly given them a license to operate.

Darry and Paul are glaring at each other like they’ve never laughed together a day in their lives. Trip takes a nasty looking punch from Two-Bit, and screams like a girl. Brill stands frozen for a moment until his friends grab him, fists clenched so hard they’re vibrating, eyes wide with terror. Chet drops to his knees on his way out of the park, and throws up. And Bobby - Bob -

Bob isn’t breathing.

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i’ve talked about this before but omg this is just so sick and twisted. darry reaching for soda is just so sad like he always acts strong in front of his brothers and even tho this is a moment where he’s breaking in front of soda, darry REACHING for soda and showing that he really needs his support in this moment is just heart breaking.

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pony is abnormally silent. he has perfected the art of sneakin up behind his brothers in utter quiet. he scares the ever lovin shit outta darry at LEAST once a week. soda on the other hand. literally wears bells.

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thinking about there being a tension in the curtis house that’s been building for a few days and over dinner one night grouchily pony says “jesus darrel it’s like you hate us or something” and darry, who is so completely not here here bc he’s trying not to holler or do something he’ll regret, accidentally says “god if only” in the most wistful tone that has both his brothers snapping their necks to look at him

and soda, in a low voice that sounds like it’s taking everything in him to not panic, asks “what does that mean?”

eyes widening darry forces a laugh out and a fake smile that hardly reaches his cheeks let alone his eyes. “i didn’t mean to say that”

ponyboy waits, “but you did, so.” his voice is steady in the way that only a fresh teenagers could be; ready to be angry, better yet, ready to force his actual feelings down because it’ll be easier to hit and holler than feel upset. “what the heck does that mean”

there’s no escaping. he knows this, which might be part of why darry huffs through his nose and leans back in his chair. they’re silent for a moment as darry looks around; soda’s looking down at his plate, obviously having lost his appetite. the clock says it’s 6:36 pm, a later dinner than usual but eating dinner as a family isn’t a tradition that’s supposed to go away anytime soon. ponyboy’s doing his best to stare darry down, but darry knows his baby brother well enough to know that the kid’s staring into space in an ill attempt to not feel anything.

unfortunately, he’s done the same thing too many times to be able to do it again tonight. “i’m not saying i do hate yall, i just think it’d be easier if i did.” and he probably shouldn’t add the next part, but it’s only fair to be honest. “at least that way i wouldn’t be working myself into a stupor for feeling guilty.”

“what are you guilty of?” soda asks in that same melancholy tone he’s been harboring all week.

darry doesn’t want to admit this, but he’s been having these dreams where he’s still in school and the boys aren’t anything more than an afterthought. if he’s truthful those are one of his favorite dreams because it’s the only time he ever wakes up with a smile.

but then, once he gets out the bed and starts getting ready for the day, reality sets in and he’s quickly disappointed. and then he gets those chest stabs that always come along with guilty feelings.

all because he felt disappointed. because shouldn’t he be waking up with a smile everyday since his brothers aren’t living in a foster home with random strangers? shouldn’t he be happy that he got to keep his brothers even if he had threw all his goals away? even if he did “throw it all away” he’s got them and that ought to count for something right?

“it’s not fair,” he ends. “it’d be a lot easier if i did hate yall because id be able to just walk away, guilt free. but that’s never gonna happen,” he adds. darry’s started collecting their plates before he catches sight of ponyboys quivering lip and the shininess of sodapops eyes. “because i don’t hate yall. i love you. both of you. and that ain’t never gonna change no matter how much i wish it on a bad day, hear?”

he feels that guilt creeping up again when pony gives him a look that he hasn’t seen since the kid was five years old and darry shoved him away to go play with the big kids. his eyes are all squinty and his mouth is frowned and he’s taking shallow breaths like it’s all he can do to keep from sobbing. “you promise?”

a quick glance tells him soda ain’t fairing no better. he’s got his head laid on the table, not even bothering to wipe the tears cascading down his face.

darry sighs and leaves the table to put the plates in the sink. turning the tap on he says, “you know, when you were born soda cried his eyes out.”

“really?”

“mhm. that christmas, he made me write santa asking to exchange you for a real pony.”

he can hear pony’s wet gasp and the distinct sound of someone’s chair getting kicked. “soda!”

“darrel!”

it takes everything in him not to laugh yet as he scrubs the plates. “yeah, he told mama he hated you and wasn’t gonna love you unless you became a real pony.”

“darry, you said you wouldn’t tell him-“

“it’s alright though,” he says when he turns around and sees the crestfallen look on ponyboy’s face. “cause i said the same thing when soda was born.”

“you did?” they ask at the same time.

“yeah, i followed daddy around everywhere right? and when they told me they were pregnant with soda, i said i didn’t want a brother because then i’d have to share daddy. fast forward, im holding a baby soda in my arms and i look at his tiny face and say ‘i didn’t want you’ then mama asked why and i said ‘cause i hate him!’ and you know what mama did?”

he’s never seen them both so silent and still, but they’re clearly enraptured by his story because neither make an attempt to answer. “she laughed right in my face. she laughed and she’d said ‘no you don’t. you can dislike him all you want, but sodapop is family and you don’t hate family.’ mama was right, of course. later that night daddy said he found me in the crib with soda, both of us knocked out but i had let you use my arm as a pillow.

and christmas day, pones, you spat up all over my new sweater and soda ‘bout laughed himself silly declaring he loved you and you were his new favorite.”

the plates are drying on the counter with darry takes his seat again. both the boys have shiny eyes but also have a small smile attempting to grow.

darry doesn’t mean half the shit he says when he’s feeling stuck. he’s changes his mind on things every second of every day, because this his first time being a real adult or a guardian, but the only thing he hasn’t changed his mind on is loving his brothers.

even though he wishes he were still in college, darry hasn’t for a second regretted loving them enough to give up his dreams to be their legal guardian and keep them all together.

sometimes he has to remind himself that he doesn’t regret it, and sometimes he has to remind them, but that’s alright. because at the end of the day, they’re all together. at the end of the day he’s got both his brothers and (if he takes the time to spray their perfume and cologne on their pillows) it’s almost like he’s still got his parents too

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Watch it all over…

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If your writing prompts are still open:

Darry + the rest of the gang absolutely horrified because Ponyboy came home from school crying and Pony NEVER cries in public

WC; 2,122 Summary; One day Ponyboy comes home crying, and Darry takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of the problem.

The dingy television was on with the volume knob turned up so high you could feel the buzz of the static in your body as an attempt to make the evening program audible over the three loud-mouthed boys in the Curtis house that night.  

Sodapop, sprawled out on the couch, was looking down on Steve and Two-bit that were spread out on the floor close by.. The three of them wouldn't stop talking, a discarded game of poker left on the coffee table that had been left in favour of an ever-changing conversation.

In contrast to the gang, Darry was sitting beside Sodapop on the couch, quietly folding laundry to put away as they droned on, acting as just another part of his background noise as he focused on his task – making sure he was doing it perfectly. He had taken off the clothes off the line a couple minutes prior, and they were still warm from the sun. It felt nice under his fingertips.

All in all it was a pretty good day, Darry didn't even mind the fact that he had to start on dinner soon for once. It was a task so tedious after a day of work which he couldn’t trust with anyone doing but himself most of the time, but now he almost looked forward to it, the food tasting much more rewarding after spending precious time cooking it.

So yes, you could say it was a perfectly peaceful day.

It lasted up until Ponyboy came home, the front door slamming closed behind him as he crossed the house in record time like the devil was after him. 

"Ponyboy? How was runnin'?" Sodapop, like usual, was the first to notice something wrong when Pony breezed past them. The signs were so clear in fact, that everyone else realised it too, only a split second after Soda.

Ponyboy didn't even throw a glance in Sodapop’s direction when he spoke up, suddenly igniting that spark in Darry that always got him riled up.

"Hey!" Darry yelled out, tugging at the shirt in his hands to the point he knew it'd be stretched out, "You answer your older brothers when they ask you something, kid brother." 

He had half a mind to get up and give Ponyboy a piece of his mind, who was he to be ignoring their concerns? Brush them off when they are trying to help? He was oblivious to how he had done the same thing.

Sodapop placed a hand on Darry’s shoulder to keep him in place, and as he opened his mouth to tell Darry to tone it down – Ponyboy whipped back around and stared at the two of them. 

Wet streaks of tears ran down his cheeks, as well as snot trailing down his face. He seemed all cried out by the time he got to the house though, if his red eyes from the strain of sobbing were any indication. He truly was an awful sight.

Darry shrank back into the couch, a look of guilt flashing across his features. "Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy shrugged quickly and threw his hands up nervously with a simple "Track was fine," before turning back around to go into his room.

The door closed softly behind Ponyboy this time, leaving the rest of the gang stumped into silence in the living room. 

Ponyboy never cried in front of them. He'd never let himself. Not Two-bit. Not Steve. And especially not Darry

The two curtis brothers shared a glance, the same questioning look on their face. Deciding he had to take over the caretaker role for once, Darry stood up from the couch and headed to Pony's room, encouraged by Sodapop's meek smile when he glanced behind his shoulder. 

Ponyboy was sitting at his desk when Darry carefully walked in and shut the door behind him. The room was dim, he noticed, the curtains drawn closed as if his younger brother had some sort of fear someone would peer in just to see him cry. 

Back in the living room it was still quiet, and to assume they were outside the door listening wouldn't be such a bad guess. The whole lot of them were noisier than the greasy girls on their side of town, not to mention that Pony really did give all of them a fright. 

The bed was unmade like usual, despite Darry’s case to them about getting to it, but he sat down on it anyway, patting the spot next to him when Pony looked his way. He shouldn’t have been surprised when Pony took the invitation and sat next to him, but he was anyway. They’ve been getting better, they’ve been trying their best to avoid stepping on each other's feet – but it still felt like a grey area where Darry had no idea how he was supposed to act.

So he did what he thought would be best, and wrapped an arm around Pony’s shoulders to pull him even closer to Darry. Darry always liked the security he felt in the touch when his Dad did it, so maybe Pony would too.

And it was as if the tides had shifted when Ponyboy wordlessly rested his head on Darry’s shoulder; something that Pony had last done to him months ago, before their parents were gone.. He had to keep reminding himself that it was better, they were, even if his brother’s damp cheeks felt like they were burning into his skin. 

Finally in a safe enough position to start questioning his little brother, Darry did so. “What’s wrong little buddy?” He wanted to add in how he gave them a scare, but he couldn’t calculate what the reaction would be to that, so he decided against it.

Ponyboy sniffed, collecting the last of his composure as he stared straight ahead. In any other situation, Darry would have assumed that he was off in that big head of his, but he was listening. Darry was sure of it.

He didn’t have to wait long to see his prediction proven correct when Ponyboy spoke up.

“Coach made us run laps until we just about dropped dead. I was the last on the pitch – always am,” Darry rolled his eyes at the bragging, “‘nd by the time I got back inside my locker was broken into.”

“I don’t know how they knew it was mine. I don’t know how they got in but –” He coughed out another sob, the emotions pouring back into his voice. “They trashed everything in my bag. I wouldn’t have batted an eye any other day, honest, but Darry Gone with the Wind was in it.” 

There it was.

Darry didn’t need it to be spelled out any further than that, that book was the last thing he got from Johnny. He vividly remembered the time in the hospital after the rumble when a nurse walked into Ponyboy’s room and handed Darry the book, telling him that it was specified for Ponyboy. A letter stuck out of it, and Darry damn near threw up at the sight of it. It was a sudden reminder that their little Johnny was dead alongside Dally during a time where he was tunnel visioned into caring for Ponyboy.

His little brother always had that book by him by the time he was lucid enough to read after his health scare. The pages and spine quickly got dull and warped from the constant use, a sign of any well loved book, just like all of Ponyboy’s favourites on his shelf.

Ponyboy unglued himself from Darry, causing his heart to leap into his throat before calming down when Ponyreached inside his bag; Darry had thought he was about to turn him away again. 

The papers were tattered, some even falling out as Ponyboy turned around with the paperback in hand. He held it as delicately as he could and handed it to Darry to wipe at his tears once more.

He couldn't even try to flick through the pages if he tried, and he once again wondered why? Hasn't his brother gone through enough? Why would someone go out of their way to destroy his belongings and rip up his books? There was more ruined, Darry was sure even if Pony didn’t bring it to light, because none of it compared to the book. Johnny's last gift. 

Darry stood up and hugged Pony, the book still in his hand as an idea sparked in his head. Pony’s fingers dug into Darry’s back, and Darry realised he started crying again when he felt his shoulder get wet. 

“It’s okay baby. I’ll figure something out.” 

Ponyboy pulled away from Darry to look him in the eyes, a bashful smile on his face contrasting the fresh tears running down his red cheeks.

“I know. You always do.” 

——————————┆ ◛ ┆——————————

After that night, Darry immediately busied himself with repairing the book. There was something about this copy that was special to Ponyboy, and simply buying another wouldn’t make do; Ponyboy would take it and thank Darry, but it’d never bring the same comfort the worn paperback would.

Two-bit helped swipe a different copy of the book, which he wouldn’t admit, but left it one night on Darry’s nightstand while he was brushing his teeth. He had told the gang he was going to try and mend it, and was met with faces of varying agreement. Sodapop, though onboard, was unsure of how Darry was to do it. Steve said he’d help with anything if Darry needed a hand. Two-bit agreed with Steve, but was content with sitting back and watching after he had gotten a different copy. 

Darry had a lot of work put into it. 

One of his first calls to action was finding someone who actually knew the craft, but after a couple quite frankly embarrassing conversations, Darry met a girl working in a Soc-y bookshop across town that helped explain what he can do. She wrote it down, which felt a little insulting to Darry, he wasn’t a dumb greaser who’d forget it the moment he left, but he found the written down instructions quite useful in the end. 

The first night he had time, he ripped the spine off the new copy and skimmed through Johnny’s copy to see which pages were missing. 

The next night, he carefully took out the pages out of the new copy.

Over multiple evenings, he stole glue from his work’s office and started gluing in the missing pages, from both the new book and the loose pages already in the copy.

After the glue had dried fully, he made sure the book wasn’t a touch away from breaking and skimmed through all the pages again to make sure it was usable. 

It took two days after finishing to give it to Ponyboy, Darry was just that nervous. It was one thing not doing a great job at work or getting a bad grade back in school, but the thought of disappointing his little brother? He wouldn’t be able to bear it again. 

He knocked on his bedroom door, knowing Sodapop was out for the night. What if he had ruined the book even more? What if Ponyboy thought it was a stupid waste of time?

“Come in.”

Darry opened the door, the book hidden behind his back as he bit his lip, still contemplating if he should really hand it over. 

Ponyboy sensed his nervousness and stood up from his desk, curiously making his way over to his older brother. “Darry?”

His arms shot out, Gone with the wind in his shaking hands as words started spilling out of his mouth. “I said I’d take care of it, and I did. I know I did a crummy job but it was all I could do. If I had smaller hands like yours maybe it would’ve been better but..”

The book was taken out of his hands as Ponyboy picked it up, and just like magic his eyes lit up. He flicked through the book, something Darry was afraid of doing incase it broke, but all the pages managed to stay inside, a mismatch of worn yellow pages and new bright paper in between. 

“Well golly Darry, I think you did a better job than if I had tried it.” Ponyboy smiled, all his teeth showing as he admired the broken spine of the same book that had been in pieces before. 

His sentence took Darry by surprise, “Really?”

“Really. Thank you. It’s tuff.” 

Darry laughed as Ponyboy tossed it onto his bed to read later and ran into his chest. “Guess it is.” He let his head rest atop of Pony’s. 

“But maybe don’t bring that book to school next time.”