Chapter Text
The lights were bright, and the hospital smelled strongly of antiseptic and something else Ponyboy couldn't quite identify, though he knew he didn't like it. He held Soda's hand like a scared child. He thought to himself that he wouldn't be here if he had just toughened up. He sat there quietly for a moment until Soda's voice broke into his thoughts.
"Hey, honey, I'm sure it will be ok. It's for the best," Soda smiled sweetly, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He didn't want to leave Ponyboy, but he hated seeing him like this, and Pony knew that. Maybe it was for the best, after all, he really was not doing too well. Darry had just finished checking him in, and God, was Ponyboy dreading this. He felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. What would happen once Soda and Darry left? He just nodded back to Soda; he couldn't find it in himself to smile back at the moment. Just then, Darry started talking, and both he and Soda looked over to him.
“Alright, Pony, you’re all checked in,” Darry said, his voice steady but his eyes revealing the feelings he was trying to hide. It was clear that he felt just as sad as any of us. And in this moment, it was okay. Who wouldn't be upset while checking their kid brother into a mental hospital? It felt so stupid. How did Pony find himself in a situation like this? Burning himself over and over until he became addicted, not eating for days on end. That’s how. But it wasn't his fault. How could he eat anything when everything tasted like bologna? How could he not hurt himself when he knew he deserved it? Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“Ponyboy? Are you ok?” Soda said, worried when Pony wasn’t responding at first. Ponyboy's eyes widened as he looked over at Sodapop and then at Darry, taking in their worried expressions.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking," he replied. Darry and Sodapop exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to Ponyboy. He knew they would have to leave now that he was all checked in, so he figured he might as well say goodbye. He ran over to Soda and Darry, hugging them tightly; he didn't want them to go, not yet.
"I'm sorry, baby, it's for your own good, I promise," Soda said. He was saying that a lot, but would it really be all ok? Was it actually for the best? "And when you come home, me n' Soda will be in the living room, watching the sun set, waiting for ya." Pony let go, looking up at them.
“I’m really sorry.” Pony’s brow creased with worry; it was clear he didn’t want to be there. Darry and Soda observed as the nurse gently led him away, concern displayed on their faces. Despite the situation, Soda maintained a warm smile, hoping to offer some comfort to Pony. Soon enough, they had disappeared. Pony stayed silent the whole way there. The nurse was leading him to the room he would be staying in. She was talking about something, Pony wasn't listening; he had far more to be worrying about right now. She stopped in front of the door, offering for him to go in first.
"Everything you'll need is in here. We'll regularly be checking on you throughout the day, and you will be expected to keep your room clean. You'll get a schedule later. But for now, you can have some time to adjust. Any further questions?" Ponyboy looked around before speaking up
"No, I dont think I have any, thank you, Ms..."
"You can call me Ms Hinton." She smiled kindly. Ponyboy started to think. She seemed nice, and she kind of reminded him of Cherry Valance in a way, but he couldn't quite understand why. Maybe it was her hair. Or her smile. He thought about it for a while longer, but by the time he had snapped out of his own thoughts, she was gone. He hadn't paid any mind to it. Walking into the room, he could see that his side of the room was clean, but his roommate's side was not so much. Oh yeah... he has a roommate.
He took a deep breath before walking over to his bed, setting his stuff down. He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking about everything, how he had been caught. It was like any other school morning; he got up, got ready, and was about to leave when Darry stopped him. He had said something about how skinny and sick he looked. They were arguing about it, as per usual. Soda was trying to shut them up. But something had happened; it was all kind of a blur, but from what he remembers, he had passed out. The last thing he could think of was waking up on the couch to Soda crying next to him, and Darry gone. Maybe he was at work; he can't remember that either. But every time he thinks about it, all that replays in his head is the look Soda was giving him. They had seen his arms, or maybe just Soda did at the time, Darry had ended up forcing Pony to let him see, so it didn't matter who had seen anyway. Who cared anymore? He couldn't find it in himself to care, so why do others? A loud voice had snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned around, and it was the nurse.
"Cassidy Shepard, for the last time, you are supposed to keep your room clean, you know this. Now get in there and tidy up, please. This is your free time you are cutting into." Ponyboy's interest peaked at that name, that's... Curly Shepherd's name, his roommate was Curly Shepard? He looked over to the other side of the room.
"Curly?" Curly turned around, his eyes widened.
"Bueno seré condenado.. well if it isn't baby Curtis." Curly smirked, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed, next to Pony. And for the first time since he had gotten here, Ponyboy was starting to calm down.