Heart Breaker

Chapter 20

When we got there they took Dally and I was left alone with Ponyboy in the waiting room. I hugged him so tight.

The man Ponyboy talked to before was, Jerry Wood. He kept thanking Ponyboy for getting the kids out of there. He didn't seem to mind our being hoods. Ponyboy told him the whole story--- starting when Dallas, Johhny, me and him had met at the corner of Pickett and Sutton. Jerry was real nice about it and said that being heroes would help them get out of trouble, especially since it was self defense and all.

Ponyboy was sitting there, smoking a cigarette, when Jerry came back from making a phone call. He stared at him for a second. "You shouldn't be smoking."

"How come?" Ponyboy said looking at his cigarette.

"Why, uh," Jerry stammered, "uh, you're too young."

"I am?" Pony asked.

Jerry simply sighed, then grinned. "There are some people here to see you. Claim to be your brothers or something."

Both Ponyboy and I jumped up and Ponyboy ran into Soda's arm. He wrapped him in a bear hug and swinging him around. Soda set down Pony and looked at him and pushed his hair back. "Oh, Ponyboy, your hair . . . your tuff, tuff hair . . ." They Soda saw me and pull us both into a hug.

Then we saw Darry. He was leaning in the doorway, wearing his olive jeans and black T-shirt. He had his fist jammed in his pockets and his eyes were pleading. He swallowed and said in a husky voice, "Ponyboy . . ."

We let go of Soda and stood there for a minute. Suddenly I realized that Darry was crying. He didn't make a sound, but tears were running down hs cheeks.

Darry looked down and turned away silently. Suddenly Pony screamed, "Darry!" The next thing I knew Pony had him around the waist and was squeezing the daylight out of him.

"Darry," Ponyboy said. "I'm sorry . . ."

Darry was stroking Ponyboy's hair. "Oh, Pony, I though we'd lost you . . . like we did Mom and Dad . . ."

Then Darry pulled me and Soda into the hug.