Chapter Text
Over the past few weeks, there seemed to be a developing pattern of what times in the middle of the night Ponyboy got up to vomit. It was mostly 2am, 4:30am, 6am - which was right before Soda got up - and then again after dinner. Not that he ate anything anyway. The smell was more than enough to set it off.
After washing his face, during his second trip to the bathroom, he dragged himself back upstairs. Groaning, he snuggled up under Soda’s arm, and tried to go back to sleep.
Unfortunately, he only managed another half an hour before it was time to get up again.
With his normal amount of aggravating enthusiasm, Sodapop happily and rather aggressively shook Ponyboy awake. “You’re going back to school today!”
Oh shit. Right. After his bedrest ended, Darry gave him one extra week off of school when his puking habit seemed to grow. But the damn lady from the state that came down just to nag them here and there had gotten mad, and threatened to take him away.
“...One more day at home?” Ponyboy begged, sitting up slowly and yawning.
“No, then you’ll get taken.”
“Ugh, goddammit, fine. I’ll go. Not because I want to.”
“I know it ain’t cause you want to. But you have to. It’s okay, because Two-Bit is gonna watch you.”
“What? Oh, so I get sick once and I need a babysitter?”
“No, but Darry is nervous you’re not ready yet but that lady wants you to go to school so you have to have a babysitter kinda.” Sodapop shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Now won’t you get up?”
“No.” Ponyboy yanked the covers back over his head, laying back down.
Shaking his head, Sodapop reached up, pulling the blanket back and stuffing it on the end of the bed. “You need to. Come on, I can help you if you’re dizzy.”
“Gah, fine.” Ponyboy reached out, letting Soda pull him upright and out of bed. He stood still for a moment, before yawning again and shaking Sodapop off. “Thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Okay! Want breakfast?”
“No.”
“Okay…”
Half-assing an outfit, which, it wasn’t like he ever put much effort into it anyway, Ponyboy went downstairs and sat down at the table. “Is Soda in the bathroom?”
Without turning around from his cleaning, Darry nodded. “Said something about needing Steve’s help with his hair or something. I wasn’t listening all that much, to be honest. Breakfast?”
Ponyboy shook his head, “No thanks. Man, he better hurry up. I gotta pee.”
“Go knock on the door,” Darry laughed.
“Too much work.”
“Fair enough.”
A few minutes of calm, tired silence passed before Sodapop and Steve came out of the bathroom, Soda of course glowing and beautiful. But Ponyboy didn’t care. He had to pee. He ran off to the bathroom, pushing past Steve, who nearly punched him for it.
“Leave him alone, Steve.” Darry’s sudden comment scared Steve a little. His back was turned the entire time.
“How the hell-”
“I know you well enough to know you’d punch him if he looked at you the wrong way. He’s not doing well, so leave him be.”
Confused, Steve glanced at Sodapop, who just shrugged and grabbed the plate that had been prepared for Ponyboy but was left untouched. “Wanna split it? He said he won’t eat.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mhm. Told me and Darry both.”
“Okay, then sure.”
In the bathroom, Ponyboy fixed his hair, staring at the slow growth of his roots somehow already showing. He could barely make out the reddish brown color coming through, but it looked ugly in his opinion, so he decided to do his best to cover it up. It worked okay, for what he cared anyway. He lingered in the bathroom a little too long, staring at himself until finally Darry called for him. He just looked so different.
When he came out, Darry was once again, cleaning. The guy seriously needed a break. Or less kids. “Two-Bit’s here, he’s watching you today.”
“Yeah, I know. Soda told me.” He smiled weakly at Two-Bit, who seemed to be begrudgingly helping Darry clean.
“Hey, kid. You sure you’re okay to go?”
“Yeah. I look horrible but I don’t feel so bad.” He pulled his shoes on, tying them up.
Two-Bit gave Darry a concerned look.
“He has to go. I can’t keep him here, you know that.”
“Did you even look at him?”
“Yes, I looked at him.” Darry snapped. “He can’t stay home. I just need you to make sure he doesn’t pass out, okay? Can you do that?”
“Fine. I can keep an eye on him.”
“I’m right here!”
“Sorry.” Two-Bit shook his head, “Come on, we’d better get going.”
“Are we walking?”
“No, I got my car back a few days ago. Didn’t I tell you?”
“I was probably sleeping.”
“Good point.”
On the drive to school, Two-Bit went on and on about how he shouldn’t be going in this state, that Darry is stupid for making him, and he needs a new state lady to bug him. Mostly one that wouldn’t be unfair. All Ponyboy could think about was how he’d felt dizzy like this when Dally drove him to the hospital, going on and on needlessly. That made him want to puke. But if he puked, Two-Bit would force him to go home and he’d have to go to a foster house. No thanks.
He didn’t leave Pony’s side until the first bell rang. Thank God it was only English. He knew he’d have to skip gym today, but that didn’t bother him. Two and Soda would hide him at the DX and then he’d come back for math.
He barely made it through his first three periods before lunch. On his way to the parking lot, he met Two-Bit, who rushed him over to a growing crowd on the front lawn.
“What-” Ponyboy fought his grip, then settled as he finally caught a look at what was going on.
Sitting on top of a bloody-nosed sophomore Soc, Matt Mayfield - a well known asshole - was a girl Pony didn’t recognize. He’d clearly done something, to make her mad enough to keep punching him like that. They didn’t stay long, since Steve got impatient.
“Damn, she can fight!”
“Or he can't fight back.”
Two-Bit laughed at Pony, who was actually smiling. “Wow, glad to see someone else’s pain brings you joy.”
“You kidding? He deserved it. That guy sucks.”
“Whatever you say.”
They met up with Steve, his girlfriend Evie, and Two-Bit’s girlfriend, Marcia. Ponyboy felt weird sitting all alone in the car with them, and he immediately clung to Sodapop at the DX.
“Hi, baby! How are you?” Soda moved to mess with his hair, but Ponyboy batted him away.
“Okay, I need you to hide me here for an hour. I can’t go to gym class, I’ll die.”
“I can try. Just chill in the back or in the truck or something. Want to eat?”
“No. But I’ll take a Pepsi.”
“No way, not until you eat. You don’t eat, you die. I don’t need you dying, too.”
Ponyboy huffed, “Okay, I’ll eat something. I don’t care what it is, but don’t make it too much.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Soda passed him a snack bag of pretzels, but he wasn’t hungry. That look on Soda’s face though…He looked so nervous. So Ponyboy forced himself to eat, knowing he’d pay for it later on.
He listened on and off to everyone's chatting, Sodapop still squished to his side in worry. How badly he wanted to go home…
Sodapop was kind enough to keep him at the DX for gym, driving him back in time for two more afternoon classes.
By the end of only one afternoon class, he’d thrown up in the bathroom twice, and nearly in class once. He cursed those pretzels, vowing never to eat one again.
Ponyboy felt bad, watching Two-Bit blow his poor girlfriend off after fussing over his clear fever, paleness, and the fact that he was still puking. Even so, Ponyboy insisted that he was fine, and maybe he just needed an aspirin or something to help him out with his headache and nausea.
“Well, I don’t want you to miss anything-”
“No, no. I’m taking you home. You need to rest.”
“But-” Ponyboy protested, but it was no use. “Oh, fine.”
On the drive home, Ponyboy pointed out something Two hadn't thought of, “Darry’ll be home. He gets done early on Mondays because his boss is always hungover from the weekend.”
“Right. Dammit…” He tried to figure out an alternative, “Hang out in the lot until school’s supposed to be done, okay? That's not too long.”
Pony nodded, too sick to argue. So Two-Bit sat with him in the lot for a while, until Pony shooed him away.
“I’m not gonna move. I'm gonna lay right here and do nothing because that's all I feel like doing. Go back to your girlfriend.”
“You're sick! I can’t just leave you! Man, I nearly got shot last time when Darry found out you weren't feeling too hot and I didn't tell him.”
“I'm not gonna move! Just go! She looked sad.”
So finally, he left. Ponyboy enjoyed the silence. It helped his headache and calmed him down a lot.