#also this isnt really ment to be a chetsoda ship thing but you definitely could also read it that way

[wassupmygays]

when chet moved to tulsa in the 3rd grade, his first friend was this friendly boy on his little league baseball team. he was the first boy to welcome chet to the team, and his contagious laughter helped rid chet of his new-kid nerves. they quickly became the jokester duo of the team. they'd often get distracted out in the outfield, miming jokes to each other across the grass during a boring inning. when chet hit his first ever home run, there was one cheer he could hear above the rest of the crowd.

in the 5th grade, when their little league team got new coaches, chet noticed that some of the kids didn't join the team. his friend included. chet's parents said it was a good thing, that the new league fees kept out the "wrong crowd". chet didn't really get the point of that, but he still had fun at the games. some of his new friends from school joined the league, and his parents seemed to like these boys a lot more than his old friend.

by the time chet was in 8th grade, he barely remembered all those inside jokes from the outfield. he had a new baseball team, new friends to cheer him on, new sports to try out for, and new things to worry about. like how his essay was absolute trash, or how his crush just started dating his best buddy, or how his head throbbed from a fight him and his buddies started with some kids last night. he vaguely recognized the laughter of one of those boys before the fight, how he tossed out smiles and jokes to ease the tension before the first punch was thrown.

in the middle of their sophomore year, when the newspapers were covered with headlines of a train accident and orphaned brothers, chet found himself wondering how sodapop curtis was doing. obviously he wasn't doing well, his parents just died horribly. and chet doesnt even know if he should go offer condolences, or if hes allowed to. socs dont offer support to greasers, he knows that. but he notes how quiet the halls in school sound without that familiar laughter ringing through them. he hadnt really, truly spoken to soda in years, aside from the rare school project that chet barely participated in.

he hadnt really noticed how much that boy's laughter had followed him through his days at school or at the drive-in or around town, until it was gone.