Tell Dally
It was the fall of 1965, and in such a short amount of time so much had changed. It was a cold November day, the wind whipping through the crisp air. There were couples taking long walks through the park, children sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace, and a group of kids who had grown up way too fast attending a funeral.
Darry was in charge of all the funeral arrangements, both Johnny and Dally's. He knew Johnny's parents didn't give a hang about him, and had quite easily convinced them to allow him to plan a nice service; one that they hadn't attended. Maybe it was their pride, or their regret, maybe they just didn't give a shit. He tried to get a hold of Dallas's father, all he got was 3 rings and a disconnect. It seemed fitting to have their burials on the same day, they would have wanted it that way.
There was by no means a large supply of money, it took everyone pitching in to even make one burial happen. Mrs. Mathews donated a big chunk to the cause, money that she didn't have, money that she could have used for her own family. But it was her family, they were all a family. Cherry stuck an envelope with some money in it in the Curtis's mailbox. No one knows she did it, it would only bring about more problems for her. Sylvia and Evie even pitched in some, along with Tim Shepard and Jerry. Ponyboy pretended he didn't remember Jerry, but everyone knew he did.
Two-Bit was always jokes and high energy, but no one will ever forget the day he came crying, stumbling into the Curtis household about how it was his fault Ponyboy was in bad shape. He had lost two friends, he wasn't ready to lose another. Steve nearly collapsed at the sight of his friend laying dead in the street. Johnny was dead too, but it was seeing it up close and personal that really killed him. Dallas was his buddy. Soda was so busy trying to keep everyone else sane that he never had any time to grieve. Between losing his two friends, almost losing his two brothers, he couldn't take it all. He had a breakdown that everyone saw coming. Sometimes you can still catch that movie star grin of his. Ponyboy had a hard time coming to terms with what had happened up in Windrixville, and in the days following. There are still details that only he knows, that he can't forget despite him constantly trying. Darry was sitting over the kitchen table one night trying to figure out how the bills for the funeral were all going to pan out. He wondered if he would have to sell his truck.
"You can use this, Darry. I promise I'll work real hard and get a scholarship. I won't even need it, honest," Ponyboy exited Darry's room carrying a water jug labeled Ponyboy's College Savings. He must have found it in the back of Darry's closet, because he had never told anyone about it. There was a decent amount of money in it, but it was for Ponyboy. He wanted so badly for his baby brother to have what he never got to have. Ponyboy tries to forget the image of his brother sitting there with his head in his hands, sobbing. He had put so much into Ponyboy's education already and he wasn't going to give it up that easily.
It was an eerie sight to whoever may be visiting a loved one in the graveyard, or to someone who was passing by. A group of less than ten people, none exceeding the age of 20. They were not gathered around one casket, but two. Death was something that happened so frequently, but never amongst their own. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis's funeral was something completely different. They were adults, they had jobs and families, and they had lived. Johnny and Dallas had their whole lives ahead of them. No matter how you slice it, they were just kids.
If you looked closely you could probably see the tear roll down Two-Bit's cheek as he peered into Johnny's casket. There was nothing he could do for Dallas, he knew it, everyone knew it. He just wished more than anything that he had walked Johnny and Ponyboy home, maybe he could have helped them. Steve had invited Evie to come, probably so he wouldn't fall apart. She was a tough girl, but she had a big heart. Nobody could miss the quiet sniffles escaping from her. Steve just held her, and in a way, it was like she was holding him. Ponyboy stood in between his brothers, each of them almost shielding him. His eyes were constantly wet, for the loss of his best buddy and the towheaded kid who had secretly taken a liking to him. Sodapop just stood numb to it all, he had already been through so much these past few weeks. Darry was tired, that was the only way anyone could describe it. He had put so much into each one of the boys, and it seemed that this was it. He could finally take a breath and say goodbye.
Most surprising to everyone was who else had shown up, Tim Shepard. No one in the gang had known Tim that well, they were all sort of indifferent to him. Dallas, however, had a twisted sort of friendship with him. They hated one another, and would do anything to get a rise out of each other. They were there when the chips were down, though. One time Soda made a comment about Angela and Dallas near punched him in the nose. They often partied together at Buck's, but no one knew much about their relationship. But he was there, gazing over Dallas's casket with a blank expression.
It was just a matter of time before that certain someone, who they were all expecting, showed up. She almost appeared out of nowhere, in a little black dress, something clutched tightly in her hand. Sylvia. The boys had only met her on a few occasions, but Tim knew her well. They sure heard a lot about her, though. Her usual bottle-blonde hair was gone, in its place was her natural brunette locks.
"Would you quit dying your hair so much? Pretty soon it's going to all fall out and I'll having nothin' to pull on," Dallas would smirk, grabbing a fistful of Sylvia's hair.
"In your dreams, lover boy," Sylvia would push him away. He always liked her brown hair, but she had grown so used to her light colored hair. He was always nagging on her to let her roots grow out, and she'd come close to it a few times. Maybe it was just the aspect of him not getting his way that kept her dying it.
It sent a shiver down the boys' spines as she walked over to them, hair brown. It really showed her undying love for Dallas. She would have done anything for him, even in his death.
It was a silent service, everyone was quietly reflecting on their memories with the two teenagers who were gone much too quickly. The quiet was often broken up by Sylvia's unrelenting sobs. Tim simply just threw an arm around her, a sign of affection he rarely showed. She loved Dallas, even if he hadn't loved her. Johnny was the only thing Dally had ever loved, and he showed that with his death-by-cops ending. He may not have loved Sylvia, but he truly cared for her.
Ponyboy caught a glimpse of what Sylvia was holding in her hand. Dally's ring on that cheap chain he got her.
"The little broad wouldn't shut up about my goddamn ring not fitting her so I got her this," Dallas showed us the chain he probably lifted.
"That's the ugliest thing I ever seen," Two-Bit broke out into spurts of laughter. He ended up with a pillow in his face.
He tried to think back to the night Johnny had killed Bob Sheldon, when they had gone to Dally for help. Or when Dallas had come up to Windrixville to check on him and Johnny. He couldn't remember seeing the ring on his finger. Sure he was talking about taking Cherry Valance out, but that didn't mean anything. Sylvia and Dallas were an on-again-off-again couple, but they always ended up back together.
Everyone watched as Sylvia walked over to Dally's casket with Tim, brushing his blonde locks out of his face. She was always bugging him to get a haircut. Sylvia released her grip on the chain, placing it Dallas's hand. Tim could just picture a smart-ass remark from Dallas right now.
"What the hell am I going to do with that if I'm dead?" He'd say. It was true, Dally would have wanted Sylvia to have it.
Darry caught a glimpse of Tim whispering something in Sylvia's ear. Sylvia nodded, taking the ring back with a high-pitched cry. She loved Dallas, God, did she ever love him.
Johnny was a fallen hero, a kid who got the short end of the stick. He was everyone's little brother and everyone cared about him. He was in the paper the day after he died, they made a point of mentioning him saving the kids from the burning church. He was remembered even in his death as the shy, tanned boy who everyone loved.
There was no mention of Dallas. He was just another hood on the streets, dead like everyone knew he would be sooner or later. Nobody knew why Johnny loved Dally so much, and now they never would. He would take his love for Dally to the grave, and Dally would be taken to the grave because of his love for Johnny.
The gang all liked Dallas, but they could never understand him. He was a mystery to everyone, his cold blue eyes let no one in. Sylvia and Tim could get him, though. And now they were left to remember the Dallas they knew, the Dallas they had grown to like. That no good hood held something that had drawn them to him over the years, and now they had to pick up the pieces.