At My Side (The Outsiders Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

(Read my authors note at the end please.)

The Curtis siblings sat together waiting to hear how Dally and Johnny were doing. The reporters and the police had came and asked too many questions way to fast.

One reporter came and sat next to Cocoa where she sat writing beside a sleeping Soda.

"Who taught you to write?" The reporter asked, a pen and paper in hand.

"Darry," she said softly, writing his name in a neat and thin cursive.

"Your brother taught you to write like that? Did he teach you other things?" The reporter asked.

"He taught me to read and do math and stuff," Cocoa said, writing down the word 'cat'.

"Can you do a math problem for me to see?" The reporter asked, giving Cocoa another pen and paper.

Cocoa shrugged, "Okay."

The paper had a easy math problem, 2+3=

Cocoa neatly put 5 and passed it back, "There you go."

The reporter smiled, "Can you show me what else Darry taught you?"

Cocoa nodded, "He taught me to draw, and write and read and stuff."

"What else?" The reporter asked, writing down what Cocoa had said.

"He taught me to ride a bike, and how to be nice and who to trust," Cocoa said, drawing a cat, "He taught me lots."

The reporter grinned, "Thank you," before leaving the hospital.

Cocoa sighed and pushed the paper away from her and leaned against Soda, waking him up.

"Huh? Oh. What's up Co?" He yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"Nothin'," Cocoa said softly, and curled up against Soda, causing several reporters to snap pictures of them.

"Wanna get a soda?" Soda asked, brushing Cocoas hair back from her face.

"I got a Soda," Cocoa giggled, poking Soda's stomach. Soda laughed and started to tickle Cocoa relentlessly.

"S-Soda!" Cocoa squealed.

The last few reporters laughed and took a few more pictures of the two before leaving. Darry went to talk to a doctor with Ponyboy, while Cocoa yawned and leaned against Soda, adjusting her pink and white striped shirt before closing her eyes.

Darry came back over looking grim, "We can't do anything for them here, we better get some sleep at home."

Soda nodded and picked up Cocoa, and they went off in their Ford.

"Pony- Ponyboy wake up," Soda whispered, shaking Ponyboy lightly.

"Go away," Pony muttered, curling up further. Soda sighed and adjusted his grip on Cocoa as Darry picked up Ponyboy easily.

"He's getting mighty big to be carried," Soda said.

"So is Cocoa, but Pony has lost a lot of weight," Darry replied quietly as he put Pony down on the bed.

Darry took Cocoa from Soda's arms and headed off to the room he shared with the little six year old. He tucked her into bed and climbed in next to her before falling asleep.

Cocoa yawned, rubbing her eyes a bit and looking over to where her brother slept next to her. She giggled and searched for her stuffed kitten (finding it under the bed) and walked into the kitchen quietly.

"Hey Cocoa," Pony yawned and walked past her.

"Hi, Pony," Cocoa whispered, sitting on the kitchen table and hugging the little grey kitten to her chest.

Pony threw her a muffin and she caught it easily, "So anything cool happen when i was gone?"

Cocoa shook her head, "Darry said I got sick, I don't remember much."

Pony sighed, "I'm really sorry Cocoa."

Cocoa shrugged, "Its okay."

"Anyone home?" Two-Bit called.

"In here!" Pony yelled, causing Cocoa to wince.

"Don't slam the door!" Cocoa called and took a bite of her muffin.

Two-Bit ran into the room and picked up Pony and spun him around, causing one of the eggs to hit the clock, and Pony crushed the other on his hand.

Ponyboy snapped at them. Two-Bit started to tease him about his hair and Cocoa tuned them out, staring at a letter on the table that was addressed to Soda- from Sandy. Cocoa never opened Sandy letters, ever. Sandy letters were personal to Soda- he loved Sandy.

Ponyboy's shriek jerked Cocoa out of her thoughts,"They were gonna send Cocoa away?!"

Cocoa held her kitten tight, her Opal eyes widened, "I don't want to go!"

Two-Bit hadn't seemed to notice Cocoa till now, and Darry came running over at the sound of Pony's shriek. Darry read the paper and grinned, "Yeah, looks like they were. Until Cocoa went on and on about all the things I taught her apparently."

Cocoa looked up in surprise, "What?"

"It says here that 'The youngest of the Curtis siblings, Cocoa Valentine Curtis, age six, had never stepped foot in a school- yet she could read and write better then the average second grader. When asked how she learned to write and read like this, here is Cocoa's chat with Reporter James Worth:

Q: Who taught you to write?

A: Darry

Q: Your brother taught you to write like that? Did he teach you other things?

A: He taught me to read and do math and stuff.

Q:Can you do a math problem for me to see?

A: Sure. (She had done the following problem 2+3= and answered 5)

Q: Can you show me what else Darry taught you?

A:

He taught me to ride a bike, and how to be nice and who to trust, he taught me lots

Obviously, Darrel Curtis can care for his younger siblings, and work two jobs perfectly well."

Cocoa blinked again, "I didn't think he was writing that down."

Darry laughed, and ruffled Cocoa's hair, a proud grin spread across his face.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I take the full blame for it being Over a month since I last updated

(Even if wattpad deleted this chapter THREE TIMES IN A ROW)

And I'm sorry it didn't update

Luff you all

And high fives to my favorite Pegacorn

-F4T aka F.M.H.