IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Hey everyone, so some of you may be thinking now, "Oh My God, it's a PonyDroverHPT story! I think it will be good!" Stop. I needed a story to kind of let my head go wild. Yes, there will be a plot; yes there will be plenty of action, so you may like it. But I warn you, I am about to do something "hypocritical" for me. I'm going against the book for favor of numbers and finding a way for Johnny and Dallas to live. Johnny will be crippled, though. (I know, sad right? But S.E. Hinton said herself that if Johnny lived, he will be crippled, so I'm still following her lead.)

So, without further ado, I present to you, courtesy of the Outsiders (of which by the way I do not own)

Walls

Chapter 1: The Walls Are Pounded (Ponyboy's Point of View)

Oh, man. Darry's gonna kill me.

The sun was dropping below the city skyline as I walked back to my house. I was supposed to be home two hours ago, but on my way home I walked into the library, and well, I sort of lost track of time. The one thing I hate more than anything is Darry's lectures, especially about something when I know he's the right one.

Praying that Sodapop wasn't home, I grabbed the mail from the box and walked up the ramp of the front porch (Darry had built it there when Johnny was released from the hospital last year). I had noticed Darry's truck wasn't in the driveway when I walked in, so I figured that either Darry was really late from work, or he had gone out to look for me. Personally I was really hoping for the prior.

"Hey Pony!" Two voices greeted me as I walked through the door. Johnny was sittin' in his wheelchair next to the couch while Dally's head was obscured by the door to the fridge.

"Hey guys," I replied, slinging my books down by the doorway and heading to the kitchen for a Pepsi, "Did either of you see Darry come in?"

"He came in about fifteen minutes before you did, but then he headed back out again. He said he was gonna pick up Soda from work and go with him to the grocery store," Dally replied, trying to break a cap off of a beer with his teeth without breaking them.

"Oh," I sighed, relieved, "Did he seem mad?"

"Not really, man," Johnny piped up, "Just tired and rushed. I think you'll be ok as long as you got your work finished."

I heaved another sigh as I plopped down on the couch. I had finished my work in the library, so hopefully I was clear.

Dally came back in and we watched some television for a while. After the clock read 8:00, I decided to go fix dinner. We had some leftover green lasagna (and it was green only because Soda put enough green food coloring in it to make it so), so I popped it back in the oven and left it to reheat. Since I did have track practice earlier that day, I left the care of the lasagna to the care of the guys while I took a shower.

While the hot water was dripping onto my body, I heard the front door open and slam shut. I heard enough of the various greetings to know that Steve and Two-Bit had just walked into the house. I turned the water off, threw on some ratty pajamas, and padded down the hall. Everyone had grabbed themselves a plate of food and Steve, Two-Bit, and Dallas had started a card game.

"Your brothers ain't home, kid?" Steve asked, his eyes never leaving his cards. I had grabbed some lasagna and sat in the living room with Johnny.

"No, they haven't come home yet. Maybe they went out for a bite to eat or something," I responded. I glanced at the clock, and it told me that it was 9:00.

Showered, warm, and full of food, I fell asleep on the couch. The only things I remember from the dream I had were darkness and a feeling of chaos. It seemed like no time at all when I felt myself being shaken awake.

"Pony! Hey Pony, wake up! What did you do, man? There are cops outside!" Johnny was the one shaking me awake. I jumped up instantly at his words and yanked the door open.

Two cops were standing there. They didn't look mad or forceful like they did in the movies when they were about to bust a perp, they looked almost awkward standing there.

"Are you Ponyboy Curtis?" The first officer said slowly.

What felt like two huge bricks dropped in my head and stomach. Instantly I knew something was wrong, and it had everything to do with my brothers.

"Y-y-yes," I stammered.

The first police officer seemed to be unable to speak, so the second one spoke up.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but there's been an accident."

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K~A~W