Note to Readers: The beginning of this one is the last one of the other book. Please comment and vote!
I groggily awoke to the sound of the phone ringing in the other room, and as I woke, I realized I wasn't in my own bed. And I couldn't move. I craned my head to see, only to have everything from last night come back to me in a weary flash. Pony's arms were wrapped around me, cause he had fallen asleep pretty much giving me a hug.
We had all been freaked out when he woke up screaming and wouldn't stop, and eventually he calmed down enough to go back to sleep, but only after I promised to stay right next to him and he made Soda go call Darry and Johnny. I still haven't figured out why he wanted Soda to go do that. Soda didn't really call either of them, he just pretended to to appease his frantic younger brother. We already knew that we couldn't reach Darry, and it wasn't worth the risk of calling Johnny's house and maybe waking up his parents, if he was even there, so Soda just lied to Pony. I don't think I'd ever seen him lie before, especially to Pony, and I could tell he hadn't liked it.
I don't know if Pony was scared or he thought I was scared, but he had hugged me tight and fallen asleep soon enough after Soda 'called' Darry and Johnny that I couldn't make him let go. I had been uncomfortable most of the night, but too tired to do anything about it.
I wiggled out from under Ponyboy's arm, warm from his body heat since he still had a fever and was covered in about five blankets. I'd slept on top of all of them and I was still hot. Pony squirmed in his sleep when I got up, but I ignored him cause the phone was still ringing.
In my bare feet and the jeans and T-shirt I'd slept in last night, I padded down the hall, rubbing my eyes, to answer the phone, but Soda got there first.
"Hello?...Oh, hey Dal.....Yeah, she's right here," Soda said into the receiver before holding the phone out to me with an apologetic look on his face.
Uh-oh. My brother must be mad. I grabbed the phone anyways though, I'm sure a good talking over would wake me right up.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Where the hell were you last night?!" Dally's voice roared at me through the phone, so loud I actually had to hold it away from my ear.
'Sorry,' Soda mouthed to me as he began making breakfast.
I rolled my eyes and then brought the phone back to my ear and answered, "I was at the Curtis's, the same place I was all day yesterday," I answered in a duh tone.
"You mean you skipped school yesterday too?" he shouted.
"No, didn't you hear? It was cancelled," I replied sarcastically, and Dally literally growled in frustration on the other end.
"Get your ass home right now," he commanded, his voice strained and I could imagine him standing there talking through gritted teeth.
I sighed and conceded.
"Fine," I grumbled before slamming the receiver down and heading back to Pony's room where I had ditched my shoes. It probably wouldn't have even helped to argue with Dally that I was going to come home but Pony wanted me to stay because my brother wouldn't have cared.
Soda was taking care of Pony when I came in, though Pony was still sleeping.
"I gotta go. Tell him I said goodbye, and let me know if he gets better, or worse, or anything," I told Soda as I pulled my socks and shoes on, grabbing my jacket on the way out the door.
"Okay. Thanks for staying last night. Bye," Soda called after me, and I gave a half-hearted wave behind me though he couldn't see it.
My brother was going to kill me when I got home, and I'd be grounded once again. Joy.