Inside the Outsiders

Chapter 1

Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Outsiders characters. I own Alyssa and Kaley in this chapter, that's it.

"It's almost time for school, it's almost time for school!" 10 year old Darry Curtis rolled out of bed to hear his 5 year old brother, Sodapop yelling out in the living room.

Soda was starting school, and was thrilled. Darry on the other hand, was less than excited. He was starting grade four, which wasn't that big of a deal, and he could live without it.

Out in the living room, Soda was bouncing around, much to his mother's dismay.

"Soda, please calm down, and come eat some breakfast. We're not leaving for another half an hour."

"But mommy, I can't help it! School makes me happy!" Soda said, jumping off the couch.

"How do you know it makes you happy? You've never been there." His father said, coming in from outside.

Soda stopped jumping, and went to sit down at the table. His mother put a bowl of cereal out in front of him, and he went straight to work, getting it eaten.

Darry came out groggily into the living room, and nearly tripped over his youngest brother, 3 year old Ponyboy.

"Why do you always insist on sitting right in the middle of the floor?" Darry asked, looking down at him.

Pony looked up at him, and smiled. He didn't say much yet, but no one was worried. Darry hadn't started talking till he was almost four. On the other hand, Sodapop had said his first word at age two, and now, no one could keep him quiet.

Soda motioned Darry over to the table, and Darry sat down next to him.

"You're makin a mess, kid." Darry said.

Soda grinned. "You know I can't eat when I'm excited." He said, taking the last bite, and taking his bowl out into the kitchen.

Ponyboy was sitting in the living room, playing with a car, and wondering what all the excitement was about. His older brother didn't have much to do with him, and Soda never left him alone. He loved both his brother's and his parents, but never seemed to be able to convey what he wanted to them, Soda usually could understand what he wanted.

Their mother came out to where Soda and Darry were sitting.

"Now guys, you know the rules. Darry, you don't go anywhere unless you ask either me or your father. Keep an eye on your brother, and don't let him out of your sight. On the other hand, better make that both eyes." She said, noticing that Soda had flown the coop, and was now over on the floor with Pony.

Soda looked up at Darry, and grinned again.

"Oh great. I'm starting grade four, and I have to watch my kid brother?" Darry complained.

"Oh Darry, it won't be that bad. Soda will find something to do right away, and then you can leave." His mother said, rubbing his hair.

"How come it is, that Soda can meet friends almost instantly, but it's taken me almost 10 years for me to find one person that actually has my back?"

Soda called out from the living room.

"Are you talking about that kid that comes over here a lot? The one in the third grade?"

Darry shot a look Soda's way. "His name is Two Bit, for your information."

Their mother, sensing a possible fight, calmly responded.

"Two Bit is a very nice boy, and he's welcome over here anytime that you want, Darry. Soda, you'll find a nice friend too, and then he'll be welcome here anytime as well."

"Thanks mommy. But, what if I don't meet any friends? What if no one likes me?" Soda said, coming over and embracing his mother in a hug.

"Oh Soda, you'll find a friend. You'll find lots of friends, and you'll have a great year at school. Trust me."

Darry got up from the table, and went over to the door. His dad came back inside, and came up the stairs.

"Hey son, what do you say, after school, you and me toss around the ball for a awhile. Maybe work on your swing even?"

Darry had to smile. He loved spending time with his dad, and especially loved practicing baseball with him. He was determined to make the team this year, and needed all the practice he could get.

"Alright guys, are we ready to go?" His mother called.

Soda started getting all excited again, and started jumping. His father came over and caught him as he jumped off the chair.

"Calm down a bit, ok Pepsi Cola?"

Soda laughed, and his dad put him down on the floor.

Darry grabbed his jacket from the hall closet, and tossed Soda's to him as well.

"Is Pony coming with us?" Soda asked, glancing at his little brother.

His father scooped Pony up off the floor.

"Nope, this little dude is coming with me today. We're going to check out the hardware store. See if I can't find a part to fix that fridge with."

Their mother came over to her husband and kissed him.

"My hero." She said, laughing.

Their mother pushed them out the door, and into the car. On the way over to the school, Soda started singing on of his favorite songs, and Darry covered his ears in disgust.

Once they got to the school, their mother kissed them goodbye, and drove off, leaving Darry standing in front of the school with Soda.

"Do you know where you're going?" He asked, looking down at Soda.

"Um…no." Soda responded timidly.

"You're not whimping out on me, are you?" Darry said, noticing nervousness.

Soda took a deep breath, and let go of Darry's hand.

"No, I'm ready. I'll see you after school Darry." He said, walking towards the school.

Darry walked him to his classroom, and watched him go inside, then he walked to his own classroom.

Soda stood inside the door, and glanced around. There were a lot of kids sitting around in desks, playing with clay, and blocks, and crayons. He didn't know anyone, but there was one empty chair next to a boy, and Soda went to sit down beside him.

"Hi." The boy said.

Soda responded timidly. "Hi."

The boy looked at him. "My name is Steve."

Soda smiled. "My name is Sodapop." He said.

Steve looked surprised. "Really? That's not your nickname or something?"

Soda shook his head. "Nope, that's my real name, but you can call me Soda."

Steve nodded. " Cool."

Across the school, Darry was just walking into his new classroom, and looking for a desk. He didn't recognize anyone either, and there was only one seat left, beside a girl that he didn't know.

He went to sit down, and the girl looked at him in disgust.

"You're a Greaser ain't you?" She asked.

Darry cowered down into his seat. "Yeah. What's it to you?" He said.

"Nothing. I was just wondering. My name's Kaley."

Darry managed a smile. "My name's Darry."

" I'm a Soc." Kaley said.

"Really?" Darry asked, somewhat discouraged.

Kaley nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry, I don't mind hanging out with Greasers. I think they're cool."

Darry smiled big now. He had found a friend.

Back in Soda's class, he and Steve were talking about the other people in their class. Steve seemed to know a lot more people than Soda did, and he was pointing some of them out to him.

"That there's Johnny Cade. He's real shy, so be careful when you approach him." Steve was saying, pointing to a small, dark haired boy across the room.

Soda nodded, and broadened his gaze. He looked around, and his eyes saw a girl sitting in the corner.

"Who's she?" He asked Steve.

"I don't know. I've never seen her before." Steve replied, glancing where Soda was looking.

Soda kept looking at her. "She's pretty, for a girl."

Steve laughed. "Man, don't you know that we don't call em pretty? We call those kind of girls hott."

Soda looked puzzled. " Why? Are they on fire or something?"

"No, I don't know what it means. My older brother talks like that to all the girls he thinks are pretty. My brother's in high school, so he goes out with a lot of girls. He knows a lot about them too." Steve said, examining the girl.

During recess, Soda decided to go talk to the girl in the corner. She was small, had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was a cute little girl, and seemed sweet.

He went over to her, and sat down next to her.

"Hi." He said, glancing at her.

The girl looked at him, and smiled.

"Hi." She replied, in a timid voice. She pushed her long bangs out of her eyes, and continued to look at Soda.

"My name's Sodapop Curtis." He said.

She nodded. "My name's Alyssa Lowe."

"Are you five?" Soda asked, trying to think of any conversation that his five year old brain could imagine.

"Yes. I just had my birthday in August." She answered.

"My birthday's in June. My brother got my this awesome toy truck that actually works when you wind it up." Soda said, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Who's your brother?" Alyssa asked

"I have two. One's name is Darry, and he's 10. Then I have a little brother whose three. His name is Ponyboy." Soda said.

"I like your name. It makes you sound sweet. I have an older sister, named Amber. She's in grade 4 this year." Alyssa said.

"She might be in Darry's class then. Soda said, excitedly.

Alyssa smiled, and the two of them sat together in silence.

When lunch time came, Darry went outside on the playground with Kaley, and they sat on the swings together.

"So, tell me more about your family." Kaley said.

"Well, I got two younger brothers. Sodapop is five and Ponyboy is three. My dad liked giving us original names I guess. My mom doesn't work, but my dad is a construction worker. He don't work that much these days though. The company he worked for fired him, because they couldn't afford that many people."

"Well, I got no brother's or sister's. I'm an only child, and I live with my dad. My mom left us when I was a baby, because she said my dad didn't treat her right. So, it's just the two of us. He doesn't let me do that much, even though we got a lot of money. He doesn't want me to hang around with Greasers, but I do anyway. When I'm old enough, I'm gonna move out and go live on my own." Kaley said.

"That sounds like a plan to me. Maybe you can come live with me or something? My parents won't mind. Maybe they'd even give you your own room." Darry said, smiling.

"By the time I move out, I'll be old enough to get my own place. But don't worry, I'll be at least 16 by that time." Kaley said.

The two of them sat on the swings for the rest of lunch, until the bell rang to go back inside.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Curtis came to pick up Soda and Darry, and as soon as they got in the car, Soda started talking up a storm, and telling his mom all about the friends he made, and the things he did. Mrs. Curtis listened intently, and smiled at him through the mirror.

When they got home, Mr. Curtis was outside with Pony, painting the fence.

"Did you find the part to the fridge dear?" Mrs. Curtis asked, as she got out of the car.

"No, and it's the darndest thing." Mr. Curtis replied. "Me and Pony were in there for at least half an hour, and not a thing."

Pony giggled at the sound of his name, and Darry went over to where his dad was standing.

"Hey sport, you ready to play some ball?" His dad asked.

"Sure thing dad." Darry answered.

Soda went over to where Ponyboy was sitting.

"Hey Pony." He said. " I met some awesome people today. I'll tell you all about them later."

During supper that night, Darry got asked all kinds of questions about his day, and he didn't hesitate to answer, until they asked him if he had met anyone new.

"Well, I did meet this girl, named Kaley." He said, ducking his head down a bit.

"Soda piped up. "I met a girl too! Her name is Alyssa. She's really pretty, and my other friend, Steve, he says that she's hott. He doesn't know what it means, but he says that his brother says that all the time, and he's in high school."

Darry glared at his younger brother. "No one was talking to you, was they?" He said.

Soda got real quiet, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was going to cry, but he didn't, and went on eating.

"Darry, go a little easier on your brother please." His father said. "He's had a big day, and he's really excited. You were like that when you were five."

Darry looked at his younger brother, and managed a small smile. Soda automatically grinned back, and Pony made a noise from his seat, which caused everyone to laugh.

"Well, I'm glad that everyone's day went well." Mr. Curtis said.

"Why daddy?" Soda asked.

"Because you've still got a whole year to go before summer vacation."

Darry slid down in his seat. A whole year? He didn't even know if he could handle another day.

I know that chapter wasn't great, but it gets better trust me! Please read and review! Thanks!

Jess