When Are You Coming Home

Arguments

 (Later that Day)

(At the Curtis House)

The rest of the day, Soda's stomach was doing flips because he would inevitably tell Bexley and Pony. Darry said that they'd tell them when they got home from work. Soda wished the whole time that he didn't have to deal with this.

By the time Ponyboy and Bexley got home, it was almost five. Ponyboy was beat red and sweaty from running on the track. Bexley was there with him just to watch, as she always did.

"Hey, Soda," Ponyboy said. Bexley, still feeling angry at him, didn't say anything and only went into their bedroom. "How was track, Pony?" Soda asked, feeling heart broken that Bexley didn't acknowledge him. 'Did she really find that letter? She wasn't supposed to see it...' Soda thought sadly.

"Coach made us do a few more extra laps today. It's for the big race in a few weeks." Pony said with a smile. Soda looked off in the direction of the bedroom. "Pony, has Bexley told you why she's mad today?" he asked.

"No, she hasn't. She doesn't want to say what's going on with her. She wasn't like this yesterday." Ponyboy answered, sounding concerned of his twin sister. Soda felt his heart sink to his feet; knowing that he wouldn't be here for Pony's track meet broke his heart. Ponyboy and Bexley would want him to be there.

"What's wrong, Soda?" Ponyboy asked, seeing the withdrawn look in Soda's eyes. "I'm just thinking, Pony. Thinking of how proud I am of you guys," Soda replied, patting Ponyboy on the shoulder.

Ponyboy smiled at his older brother. However, he couldn't tell if something was bohering him. _________________________________________________________

(6:35 PM)

Bexley and Ponyboy were sitting in the living room watching the TV while Darry and Soda were doing the dinner dishes. "How you holding up, little buddy?" Darry asked him. Soda wiped his tears from his eyes with his arm.

"I don't want to tell them, Darry. You see how happy Pony is? And I have a feeling Bexley saw the letter that I got..." Soda said in a whisper, peeking in on his younger siblings. "Well, we'll find out if she has or not. C'mon, I'm right here with you," Darry said, patting Soda on the shoulder.

With a heavy heart, both brothers went into the living room. "Ponyboy, turn the tv off. We need to talk to you guys," Darry instructed. Ponyboy did as he was told despite wanting to protest against this. Bexley and Ponyboy looked up at their older brothers.

Both had many thoughts bubbling in their minds however, neither could decipher what the trouble could be.

Soda sat down next to his siblings but kept his gaze on his feet. "Soda, did we do something wrong?" Ponyboy asked. "No, neither one of you did anything wrong. It's that... I have something important to tell you guys. But you're not going to like." Soda said, "I'm... I'm going away for a while."

Ponyboy was confused, and he furrowed an eyebrow. "Where are you going?" he asked. "He's going to Vietnam. That's where," Bexley blurted out, speaking for the first time since they got home. Ponyboy's eyes widened in shock, finding it hard to believe that this was happening.

Ponyboy glanced up at Darry for a moment and saw the sadness in his eyes. Soda had felt his heart break and his eyes were squeezed shut. "What...? Are you serious?" Pony muttered in disbelief. "Yeah, he got a letter from Vietnam saying he has to go. Why did you hide the letter from us, Soda? Why didn't you tell us right then and there?" Bexley asked, sounding more hurt than angry.

"I... I didn't want to tell you guys because... I wasn't ready to. I couldn't," Soda said. "Keeping it from us hurts more than telling us right away!" Bexley cried, looking as if she was about to start crying.

Their world seemed to just crash around them in a single second. "Darry, there's gotta be something you can do!" Ponyboy cried, tears rising in his eyes. Darry shook his head, "I can't, you guys..." "Can't you guys stop this? Please...?" Bexley begged, tears running down her face.

"I can't, baby girl... I wish I could. I don't like this any more than any of you guys," Soda said, his heart squeezing at seeing the twins starting to cry. Bexley felt wobbly in the legs, her heart starting to race. She backed away into the wall, staying as far from her brothers as possible. Ponyboy also felt the same pain in his chest.

"Guys, please try to understand-" Soda said calmly, trying his best to calm his angry twin siblings. "Soda, you can't leave us! What if we never see you again?! What if you get killed out there?!" Bexley shouted, fear of losing her older brother causing a panic attack.

"Don't say that, Bexley. I'll come back," Soda replied. Ponyboy cut him off quickly. "You don't know that, Soda! Bexley's right! You could get killed! How come you're even going?" Ponyboy shouted accusingly.

Bexley covered her face as she sobbed with balled-up fists. Ponyboy came over and hugged her. "Guys, I'm sorry-" Soda started, but they pushed him away. "You're not sorry, Sodapop! If you were, you wouldn't be going!" Ponyboy yelled, clearly overwhelmed by the news.

Both were hurting horribly on the inside, and both were angry that the brother that they look up to is getting taken away from them. "Bexley, Ponyboy, enough. You're acting like kids," Darry said, but they didn't listen.

Soda tried to hug them, but he was once again pushed away. "Don't you dare touch us, Sodapop!" Bexley shouted, glaring at Soda. The tears were coming down hard now. "You know what, go! You want to go to fight in the war and get yourself killed, fine! Go ahead! Leave us like mom and dad!" Ponyboy screamed, more tears falling down his eyes. "We're done with you!" Bexley blurted out, not controlling what was coming out of her mouth.

Soda was speechless by his twin siblings' words, tears started to pour from his eyes. "How can you guys say that?" Soda asked, "I didn't choose for this to happen," Darry wasn't having their attitudes towards Soda, however, regardless of how badly they were hurting. They had no right to speak to him like that.

"Ponyboy Micheal Curtis! Bexley Lynn Curtis! You two ever speak like that again, you will surely regret it!" Darry bellowed, "You two apologize right now!" Bexley, instead of apologizing, bolted to her bedroom with Ponyboy behind her.

They slammed the door shut with a loud bang. Bexley threw herself down on the right-hand bed, facing the wall. She gripped the blanket and buried her face in it, sobbing her heart out. Ponyboy laid on the bed he and Soda usually shared and also sobbed.

Soda decided to stay in his old bedroom so he wouldn't upset his younger brother and sister anymore. However, neither twin could sleep due to the guilt of yelling at their big brother earlier. So they both jump out of their beds and ran to Soda's room.

Soda jumped up at the bed being stirred. "Oof! Ponyboy, Bexley?" he gasped. The twins jumped on the bed and both hugged him. "Soda... we're sorry... we didn't mean to hurt you like that. We love you so much..." Ponyboy said with a sob. "Yeah... please don't leave us," Bexley begged.

Soda hugged them both close to him. The three snuggled up on the bed together. "I don't want to go, but I don't have a choice. But I want you both to know that I love you so much. Nothing is going to change that, not even war." Soda tells him, rubbing their backs.

That thought alone relaxed the twins enough so they could get to sleep. They all slept peacefully for the remainder of that night, with no nightmares on their last night together.

__________________________________________________________

(8:45 a.m.)

Darry made his way to wake up his two brothers and sister. He knew that Soda had spent the night in his own room after the argument with Bexley and Ponyboy. He went to the twins' room and opened the door, only to find the beds empty.

He went down to Soda's bedroom and saw his two brothers and sister sleeping peacefully together. Darry felt his heart break because he knew that this wouldn't happen again for who knows how long. He gave each of them a shake to wake them up.

Soda moaned sleepily and snuggled more into the blanket. 'You won't be able to do that in the war, little buddy,' Darry thought. The twins shifted in their beds and Darry was satisfied when they were all out of bed.