Oh this is just a delight! I've been sittin' here with a big ol' smile since the beginning.

It's refreshing to see them young and reckless, it's easy to forget that they weren't always middle-aged men in teenage bodies in survival mode, and I love this picture of their previous life that you've painted. I love this Papa Curtis. Runs a tight ship, but not with an iron fist. I imagine having three boys requires such parenting.

How heartwarming too to see that Pony's finally started to make his place among the big boys. Soda and Darry would be difficult older brothers to have when you're young like Pony is here. Thanks for this feel good piece- you're a master with the warm pieces and the sad ones, I just love it.

I love the image of Soda draped over the windowsill like a slug, laughing while Darry and Pony beg him to get serious. And also how you describe Soda and Darry as they realize their Dad is standing in the room, what a perfect description of the sheer terror parental wrath can bring when you're young enough.

Perhaps my favorite line of the whole piece is "What? I don't want to leave the table. I earned my place here. I can't desert my men now. I look over at my brothers who're both looking at me like I'm some kid who's lost his mind, not with the respect I'd hoped for. I swallow hard and slowly leave the table, downtrodden, taking an easy swat to the behind from Dad when I pass him. That's just great. How embarrassing"

I just love everything you pack into this- Pony wanting nothing but to be level with his brothers, even in punishment, Papa Curtis' gentle hand of reprimand for his not-so-old youngest child, Soda/Darry's surprise at Pony's sudden graduation from tattle teller, and then of course, Pony's embarrassment after getting a spanking even after all he'd done.

Love it, gave me warm fuzzies- even if tomorrow's punishment for the boys is a gnarly one, I love seeing their family of five. Thanks!

Ah this bring back fond memories off when I had to crawl through a window -not because I was sneaking in, but because I was locked out of the house with my parents...thank god none of the neighbors saw or they might've called the police.
Poor Pony, thirteen years old wanting to be older.

It was fun to see Darry be in trouble time (although they all were in trouble). Your Darrel Curtis is so fricking interesting and amazing. I love getting to know him through your stories. I love how this story shows that Pony is itching to be a part of the group...to be “in” with his older brothers.

Aww, poor Pony. Stuck between siblings and parents. As one of the older ones out of my parents seven, I have a new appreciation for when my younger siblings would cover for us. We never got caught though! That was brave of Pony, and one heck of a way to prove himself to his brothers. I loved it!

Pony is trying to be such a good kid brother. From the way you wrote their dad he is a little proud that Pony tried to cover for his brothers but is more upset about the lies. I can just picture the looks on their faces as he pulled Soda into Pony's room. Darry still being out side is classic.

Oh man, I love this.

Speaking as someone who has gotten stuck halfway through a window (it's harder than it looks!) and was subsequently paralyzed with laughter, I love this portrayal of Soda SO MUCH. Also, the boys are so dumb and I love it; why not just wait until dad was back in bed and asleep? It is very realistic and also my favorite.

Ooooh my word the brother bonding. I love it. Pony's unsuccessful sacrificial lie and the dad's contradicting approval/disapproval of his willingness to stick with the other two. I love the touches about his accent getting thicker when he's angry and the tattoos with the stories behind them. This is such a humanizing portrayal of Mr. Curtis as a father. I feel like a lot of times, because of the way his personality is described in the book, he gets written as relatively goofy, but this strikes me as super realistic.

I really liked the part about there being two hierarchies for Ponyboy. I never thought about that before, but of course he would want to prove to his brothers that he can hang.
Also, did not know tree frogs were a thing in Oklahoma! That was an exciting/horrifying bit of info to learn.

Loved the storytelling; loved everything. Great fic!

Nothing from me in nearly two months and BAM! Two reviews in one day! Consider this a Twofer Tuesday. Ha! ;-)

Happier, you've done it again! Another AWESOME story! I REALLY like this one. Brothers being brothers, all up to no good together. Well, I guess Pony was up to something good, but nonetheless wound up in trouble along with his brothers. Accessory after the fact. :-)

You know how much I adore your angsty pieces (The Trip!), but a lighter piece is truly welcomed now and then. A little humor, too.

A 12 year old Pony dying to be treated as an equal by his older teen brothers is adorable! Oh, I guess Pony would be pissed that I called him adorable. But he is. It's just perfect how he comes to their rescue, taking great pride in being their accomplice, only to be caught red-handed by Dad. I can totally picture the entire scene. His willingness to cling to his bullshit story - may no one ever again need to rely on him for an alibi. It would result in a life sentence, no doubt - just shows how badly he wants to be included in his brothers' antics. Hell, he even views getting into trouble as a positive, all because it makes him one of the Brothers Curtis. It's delightful and fun and, well dammit, just freakin' cute!

Darry getting caught with a joint is very realistic. Nice touch! And yes, for these brothers, making Mom cry would be a punishment in and of itself. No doubt.

I particularly like how Darrel Sr. makes his presence known - entering the bedroom, grabbing onto Soda, and pulling him through the window without a single word uttered. A very no-nonsense reaction from a very no-nonsense guy. Great writing!

The ending was sweet. Soda calling him "a cool kid" and Darry referring to his actions as "Class A" was exactly what Pony had been longing, even starving, for. Excellent way to end this tale.

Who wants to play Lines I Love? Well, I'm playing anyway. :-P lol

"...from one of those crazy surface dreams that make your heart leap and your stomach drop..." These dreams are the worst! Hate 'em. :-)

"...limbs reacting with split second reflexes not yet paralyzed by deep sleep." Oh, but when, instead, you wake up a split second too soon, before the paralysis has passed? One freakin' scary second!

"The front door would've made a lot less ruckus, but they're morons..." Yep.

"I'm sure if anyone can relate, it's Soda, since he's in trouble more than he's not..." I absolutely believe this.

"Man, teenage life sure seems like a lot of stress." Making teen life stressful is something only teens can do. All that angst and drama...and stupidity.

"Damn Darry, you act like I'm a first timer for fuck's sake!" Soda's outrage at being considered innocent and obedient is hysterical. Love this!

"Just then I hear my parents' bedroom door open.". I was so immersed in this story I let out an audible gasp here. LOL!

"The six foot three inch wall of muscled doom..." :-)

"Darry only cussed when he's stressed or mad, which is pretty much all the time." Hahaha!

" ...proud to show them I can be as mature as they are." Crawling on hands and knees, drunk, in the wee hours of the morning, hoping to avoid your parents because you snuck out through a window? Yep, a kid's definition of mature, to be sure. I miss my youth. :-D

"I can't see how he's finding humor in any of this." One word: booze. Actually, I love that he's laughing his ass off at this point. It's so Soda.

"...I feel like I'm in some late night movie, where the killer's in the house." The call is coming from inside the house.

"I thought I heard something Dad. I made them come check it out." The worst cover story in the history of cover stories. Hystetical!

"Well, I can't help someone who won't help himself." Uh, Pony, I think Darry will it you know when you actually start helping. lol

"'Darry, son, I'm gon' to let you use the front door like a grown ass man would.' And he closes the window right in Darry's miserable face." This is probably worse for Darry than any lecture could ever be. Happier, you nailed Darrel's disappointment in Darry. Great job!

"...and I find mine in his bicep and although I'm nervous, I relax a little bit, remembering how much he loves me." Truly touching. And a little bittersweet because we know this Darrel, this version of his family, is all Pony has ever known, but Darry recalls all too clearly another time, another version. And, although he chooses blissful ignorance for now, those same memories will subconsciously alter Soda's future. By the way, Darrel having a tattoo representing each of his 3 sons is, in a word, hot. Hot! No other word for it.

"I admire how they got fully dressed and all to make sure you was safe." Tee hee!

"...and let all them lies drip out." Phenomenal phrasing!

"I don't want to leave the table. I earned my place here. I can't desert my men now." Aww, Pony's brothers-in-arms thinking perfectly demonstrates his hero worship for his older brothers and his longing to become one of the partners in crime.

All in all, Happier, I had great fun with this story. Definitely one of your finest!

Honestly, pre- accident stories are some of my favorites to read. Enjoyed this very your interpretations on the Curtis family before everything went down hill.

As always your stories are so amazing in characterization and details, everything spot on, acts, thoughts and dialogues. I really enjoy reading them, and this was perfect, everyone so explained in just a few words, and I always end up having a lot of favorite lines. Like how Soda is more trouble than he's not and how Pony feels like he's in the bottom of hierarchy and that he at least deserve to climb up to the same level as his brothers after his bad lie. Haha, it's so sweet of him, "I deserved my place here" and his brothers are staring at him, wondering why he wants the trouble when they have been trying so hard to not be in it :)

I love this! It shows Ponyboy perfectly: wanting to be one of the boys, but not quite fitting in. I think you should do another chapter of the talk Mr. Curtis, Soda, and Darry had. I'm never disappointed by your work! Keep writing!

This review is gonna be short too but I've read this over 3 times. Amazing.

I know I'm late to the party, but I'm glad I got to read this. Love the additional layers you've added. Even your "lighthearted" pieces are so rich. I like the choice that you made leaving the punishments undefined since that wasn't the focus. It also gives us something to theorize about. Crowning line: Darry only cusses when he's stressed or mad, which is pretty much all the time. Brilliant and so true to his high strung character that isn't fully realized until their parents die.

Another great story HappierThanMost. I LOVE these little slice of life ones that you write. (And maybe someday i will be on time for one. LOL)
I love your Ponyboy here. So realistic, wanting to be one of the guys yet not fitting in because of his age. I liked the half asleep half awake mood that you wrote him in the beginning, throwing the alarm clock on the floor knowing that he’ll step on it but not caring because he’s already half asleep again. It made ME feel foggy. Haha.
The dialogue between Soda and Darry made me laugh. You really show another side of Darry here. I feel like everyone thinks he was always “Mr Parent” but of course that was only a role he was forced to play. Of course at one point he’s going to be like any other teenage boy, stupid. And poor Ponyboy when Darry shoots down Sodas idea of getting him to help, saying that he’ll tell their mom. When all Pony wants is to be a “big kid”, like his brothers.
And the part about their parents finding a joint in Darrys pocket, and the painful image of Mrs Curtis serving dinner with tear stained eyes was really powerful. Nice call back to the problems she faces in The Beginning, fearing so much for her children. And Darry probably felt the guilt the worst, since he was old enough to remember some of it. But Pony doesn’t know any of the story
And your Mr Curtis is fantastic! Your classic “dad” with a twist you add to it I can’t explain. But it’s there. Loved that Pony spun the story to keep his brothers out of trouble, risking getting himself in trouble just to look “cool” for his brothers. Haha! But of course Mr Curtis isn’t stupid. But Pony sticks with his story.
And great ending. Pony not wanting to leave the table, by reluctantly going back to his bedroom thinking his brothers are thinking he’s crazy. But then they come in afterwards and thank him. Thank gosh for that LOL
Well HappierThanMost I know this wasn’t my best review. But I hope to see more stories from you!

I like this slice of life. It's nice to see them acting like brothers

This is such a cute story. I really enjoy reading stories about the Curtis brothers younger years. And absolutely capture them all perfectly. Wonderful story!