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Darry begged God his parents weren’t awake at this unholy hour.
He’d just been out at a party with his best friend, Paul Holden, and some other friends from peewee football. They’d been out at a high school party. It was pretty crazy, and some seniors even tried hooking up with him despite him just being an 8th grader who snuck in. He was pressured into trying some booze to appear tough, and damn did it do numbers on him. Now he was sneaking through the window trying not to be caught.
Unfortunately for him, he crawled through the wrong window. He found himself inside of Ponyboy's and Soda's room, who were trying to trade some toys to one another. Soda's eyes glint with a hint of mischief as he turns to Darry, and Pony watches with a curious eye.
“And what are you doing, sneaking through our window at three ’o’clock in the morning, Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr.!”
Soda interrogated as he turned on the bedside lamp, which made Darry wince from how bright it was.
“Cut it out, Soda... I just... I was doing... stuff.” He muttered as he flopped down onto Ponyboy's bed, messing up the sheets, which made the younger boy protest.
“You sound drunker than Two-Bit!” Soda laughed.
Two-Bit had recently been getting his hands on more beer after his dad had left his family to fend for themselves. Even with his mother’s protest, there is no stopping that boy. Being compared to him made Darry’s stomach feel queasy. Yeah, Two-Bit was a good guy and one hell of a better friend than anyone else Darry knew, but god did his drinking habits suck.
“Darry, are you drunk?”
Pony whispered as he got onto his bed to lie next to Darry. The older boy groaned and shoved his head deep into Pony’s pillow. His head hurt like hell, and if Mom and Dad found out, they’d skin him alive!
“I need... I need you two to promise on Snicker’s life you aren’t going to tell Ma or Dad. Ya dig?”
Snickers was the family dog. A playful golden runt who slept outside under the stars unless it was too cold or raining. The boys loved that dog to death, so yes, if you mentioned swearing on her life, of course the boys were taking it seriously.
“We dig.” The two boys said in perfect unison. Soda turned off the light and flopped down on top of Pony, causing the youngest to squeal and cry out playfully.
Darry shushed both of them and listened for any sudden movements in the hallway. If Mom or Dad woke up, they’d beat their hides until they were redder than a baboon’s! They all stayed quiet for a moment trying to listen, but all they could hear was the sound of a train passing by and Snickers barking at the neighbor's dog.
—-
The morning sun shone through the window right into Darry’s face. The boy was in a haze and was on the verge of going back to sleep when he heard Pony squeal while slamming the door open and holding the doorknob.
Darry let out a groan from the massive headache forming and glared at his little brother. Oh right ... he was in their room. “Can you keep it down...?”
Pony shook his head, and loud banging came from the other side of the door. Darry was wondering what was happening when Soda's voice came through the door. “Pony! You can’t hide in there forever! I’ll climb through the window just like Darry did last night!”
Darry’s eyes widened as he heard his mother’s voice. “What did Darry do last night?”
Busted.