Hey guys, so I really want to thank everybody for the reviews on all my stories. You guys are awesome and please keep up with my stories! Anyway, since the people that reviewed enjoyed this story, I hope you enjoy this last chapter. Oh, and I tried not to make Dallas OOC, so I really hope that worked! ;)

Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own The Outsiders, in case you didn't know. But actually I guess I do own these events!

I Don't Think He Knows…

Ponyboy's POV:

I opened the door slowly and walked out with Dallas on my trail. I couldn't help but feel a strange knot in my stomach. I was just waiting for Dally to pummel me out here so there wouldn't be any evidence inside. But at the same time, this incredulous trust was telling me that I could believe Dally. I don't know what it was exactly, maybe my conscience?

Dally seemed to be kind of depressed, which eluded me. I mean, the tough Dally could be broken? I knew his heart was broken for sure. His heart was made of steel, the toughest of metals, but even steel could be broken with a certain tool. I guess Johnny was that tool.

I turned around to look at Dally and then I pointed at the sky. Golly was that pretty. The sun was this radiant orange and its rays lit up the surrounding neighborhood. Our neighborhood never really was that tuff, but I still think I may have been in Heaven for a moment. Spots of pink sparkled across the sky and yellow and red painted it as if it was a canvas. But I could never forget. The gold in the center glimmered onto the pavement. It sparkled like raindrops and dew on the shiny slivers of grass, or maybe it was more like tears. I turned to find Dally, whose eyes were fixed on the sky. He looked like he did when Johnny died: defeated.

"Dal?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" he replied practically silently.

"That's what a sunset looks like," I smiled.

"Shoot, Ponyboy, I've looked at the sky dozens of times, but I ain't never seen that."

"Maybe he knew you'd finally pay attention to one and he reserved something special," I joked. Although, I felt like it was the thing that Johnny would do.

Dally cracked a half-grin, "Oh yeah, I think that too," he laughed slightly.

"Dally?"

"What?"

"That's gold."

"What do you mean?"

"When you wanted to know what gold was, what you just said was gold. What you just believed now is gold," I could feel my eyes welling up. I couldn't believe I was saying this to the same guy who was in jail last month and who congratulated Johnny on killing Bob Sheldon.

Dallas nodded casually and I could tell that maybe that made him feel decent, in a way. Of course he didn't show it, though, because that just isn't Dally.

"That's tuff enough," he said half-heartedly.

I sat looking at the sky for a few minutes. I was stunned that Dally didn't show he was happy. Then I remembered, I wasn't talking to Soda or Johnny, I was talking to Dally, and Dally is rarely satisfied. Besides, some silly sunset wouldn't alter his life.

"Dally, you want to know something?" I was nervous to even bring up what I was thinking just now.

"Sure."

"When Johnny wrote that letter, I'm sure as anything that he was telling you to stay gold too, y'know?" That took a lot of nerve on my part to say that. Maybe Dally would smile. Or maybe that was too much to ask for.

"Naw, Pony, that ain't true," he doubted me. I think he seemed a little mad that I would suggest such a dumb idea. But deep down inside, I think he was really ashamed that Johnny would call him a gold person and look up to him. What Dally really wanted was something much better, a golden future for Johnny. I realized he still wasn't too amused with that comment I told him. Am I trying to get myself killed or something?

"Y'know how much Johnny looked up to you, right?"

"I don't see why. There ain't nothing special about me, 'cept that I can cuss better than anybody else and rob more stores in one night than any greaser in our city," he joked.

"Yeah, but, I don't know, Johnny told me that you were gallant at the church, or something." I felt like I could get through to hard-headed Dally for once, well at least for now.

"You sure you got the right Dallas?"

"Yeah, he said that the time you covered for Two-Bit and got arrested, that that was gallant."

"I guess so. Really nothing to it, though. Just instinct."

That actually made me feel proud of Dally…almost. The fact that he would cover for his friends, lie to the cops, and go to jail while calling it "instinct" seemed incredible. Maybe there was some good in Dally after all.

"Let's try again. What you just believed now, that was gold." I smiled.

"Yeah, it was," he rolled his eyes with a smile and a scoff, plus the natural hint of his infamous sarcasm.

I laughed and looked away, but I turned back to see Dally, his mouth dropped open. He was looking at the sunset again.

I looked up to see the clouds and they looked like they were spelling out "stay gold". Dally turned to me. We both looked surprised, but I grinned and laughed at him.

"I told you."

Ever since that day, I have never seen a sunset more beautiful. I haven't seen clouds that spelled "stay gold" either. But I had the memories of Dally's and my day. He had them too and every once in awhile, he mentioned it. And every time he mentioned it, I whispered something that I know Johnny could hear:

"Don't worry, Johnny, I think he knows…"

THE END

Thanks a lot for everything guys, and please read and review! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! ;)