Unexpected
Summary: Sodapop isn't as dumb as everyone thinks. Pre-book; before he was a dropout, but after his parent's deaths.
A/N: Drabble about Sodapop. Cranes are hard to learn, but once you learn it, you'll always know it.

Test day was yesterday. Sodapop wasn't prepared for it; he just didn't get it at all. So he guessed for most of it. He knew that if he brought home another F, Darry would skin his hide. The teacher came by, slapped a piece of paper on his desk upside-down, and gave him a disappointed look. He ignored the old man and flipped the paper. In bright, thick red ink, an F- was sticking out like a disease. He looked across the class to his buddy Steve, who had a B on his paper. Sodapop felt horrible.

Slowly, as the lesson began, he folded his test paper over and over, unfolding and folding, creasing the paper and examining it. It took him most of the class to complete. For the last few minutes he got his things together and waited for the bell to release him into freedom.

The expected bell rang shrilly and Sodapop jumped up, racing out before the teacher could lecture him. In his rush, he forgot his paper on his desk. Once his students left, Mr. Bryant eyed the room, spotting the paper on the desk. He knew it was Sodapop's desk, and this it was his test paper. He'd have to call the kid's older brother later about it. The aging teacher approached the desk and was about to snatch up the paper, but paused to look at it. The test paper had been folded into an origami crane, something that took effort. When he picked it up, he noticed how perfect the crane was folded, that there were no flaws on the surface. The red ink had been morphed from an F- to what resembled an A upon the crane's wings. He marveled at the piece of art.

"That kid amazes me," he whispered to himself, taking the paper crane and sitting it on his desk. Slowly, he figured that the Curtis boy wasn't as much as a disappointment as he thought, and that he could try to help him a little more.

Unfortunately, Sodapop never came to class the next day, nor the next or the ones following. And Mr. Bryant beat himself up for not giving the kid more hope or encouragement.