*Hey you guys! I'm so sorry that I'm late with updating, but I've been so busy and this story is so much harder to write than I thought! But I'm happy with my reviews, which I will answer right now:
witchbaby300-I'm glad you love it! :D
JB ChicK-Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!
Celestra-Thank you for reviewing, and I have sort of an idea myself, but I'm not really sure…LOL. I hope you like this chapter!
indierockchica-I'm glad you liked Rebel Yell! I don't know how well this will live up to it, but I hope you like it too!
Cammy98-Yeah, I'm a Christian, and if I had been Carrie Anne, I would have been praying my head off Yeah, I know what you mean, LOL. Thank you for reviewing!
Miscellaneous Rhett-HAYLEY! Hello, I haven't talked to you in forever on IM. We must do more of Come On, Eileen. ANYWAYS, I'll probably cry writing it if I write it well enough Thank you so much!
Obsessedfan13-Dude, all my reviews are archived. I read them from time to time,and I remember you saying that I'm so glad you're reading it. I'm so happy that you were glad I updated :D It makes me feel good. And sure, I'll check out your story. Thank you for reviewing!
XxEyelinerHeartsxX-I'm glad you liked it! Thank you!
TheNightimeSky-Yay, I'm glad you're happy! *takes tissues*I'm gonna cry writing it, so I need some in advance :D Thank you!
phatlazykatt112-Thank you! I hope you like it!
ITSxMYxLIFEx-Thank you! I hope you like this!
Dramaholic74-I'm glad this made your mood better :D Thank you! And Merry Belated Christmas and New Year to you too
twilight-luver1493-Very! And…I'm not going to answer that…
LittleLiz654-Oh, thank you! IDK…yeah. LOL. Thank you for reviewing!
ExtremeWriter-Man, do I love your long reviews :D They help me! Yeah, I wasn't sure about the whole thing where she found out. I thought about having Dawn tell her like you said, but I ended up changing my mind. I wish I hadn't, It would have made so much more sense. You just gave me an idea! YES! I needed that. LOL. I actually modeled Jesse after another boy I know, and coincidentally, his name is also Jesse. I didn't think about it when I wrote him briefly into Rebel Yell, but I ended up modeling him after this Soc-ish boy at my school. Dawn and Jesse, they are both middle-class, and Jesse is friends with a few Socs, a few greasers…yeah. Happy New Year to you, too!
Okay…so if this chapter is a little sucky…I'm sorry! I wrote it during Science class, and I have been in SUCH a writer's block. So be brutal! And I'm scared…I have to get a shot today, and I have a needle phobia*shivers*I'll bring my picture of Peter Tork along with me…LOL.
Yesterday, the second chapter of By Your Side!*
I had felt like crying when I found out, and I prayed to God they'd be okay. I half-expected them to be back here the next day…but nothing's changed. They're still missing.
You write help with your own blood
Cos hope is all you've got
You open up your eyes, but nothing's changed.
Tuesday
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away…now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday. Suddenly-" I stopped singing.
The Beatles-Dawn was starting to get into them. Before, I just considered their music pointless, simple, and annoying. But now that I was in this situation the music spoke to me and made me feel a little better.
Then, I heard footsteps behind me. I wanted to talk to someone, so I turned around. It took me a second, but I realized it was Two-Bit. He's always happy, maybe he'd make me feel better!
"Hey Two-Bit," I greeted. He looked up at me. He stared at me for a second, but then he recognized me.
"Hey." Wow. It just wasn't like Two-Bit to only say hey to someone. No smart remark? No strange story? I guess since the guys had known Ponyboy and Johnny for pretty much forever, they were hurting way worse compared to me.
"You okay, Carrie Anne?" Two-Bit's question broke me away from my thoughts. I nodded, and looked over at him. No smile. His eyes were serious and sad. "I keep expecting them to just…come outa nowhere, like they've been there the whole time. But nothin's changed."
I never really guessed that Two-Bit could be even close to serious. But those guys, all of them, were like his brothers. I felt so bad for him. "Saw Darry and Soda yesterday." I told him. I didn't really know what else to say, I just needed to start a conversation.
He nodded. "That's what Soda said. Darry's real broken up-thinks it's his fault." Two-Bit sighed, and shook his head.
I paused, and a question popped into my head that I never thought of asking. "Two-Bit? Why'd they do it?"
Two-Bit didn't say anything for a minute or two, but then he said, "I don't think I should tell you, Carrie Anne. I'm sorry."
I understood, it must be private. After all, I'd only known the guys for about five months. "That's okay, I get it." I paused. "But I hope they come back soon."
Two-Bit nodded. "Us too."
-----------------------------------------
That afternoon, Dawn was over. We were halfway into a new unit in Geometry, and I didn't understand it, so she was helping me. Char walked into the room. "Gee, I hope Johnny and Pony aren't dead," she remarked as she took out some orange juice.
Dawn and I both looked at her. "Char, they aren't dead."
"Well how do you know? Where are they, Carrie Anne?"
Later that night, Dawn and I went to the Dingo for a Coke. And there was one thing that EVERYONE was talking about, that apparently took place merely hours before.
"Hear about Sodapop Curtis? Sandy Wilson split on him! Havin' another guys baby, she left for Florida!" was basically what we heard buzzing around he room as we came in.
"Oh no, that's terrible! Soda really loved her, too," Dawn said.
That was all I could hear around the room. Tons of girls didn't care how Soda must feel; they were happy he was single. But a lot of people, including Dawn and I, felt sorry for Soda. I'd only seen him with Sandy a couple of times, but I could see it in his eyes how he felt about her.
"I'm glad they broke up! Tomorrow, I should head on down to the DX and ask him out myself," a girl said.
I turned to Dawn, disgusted. "Does she even understand how he must feel? With Pony and Sandy gone in the same week?"
Dawn nodded in agreement. "I know. Poor Soda."
Soon as we finished, we left because we didn't want to hear everyone gossiping about Soda.
We passed Curly Shepard on the street. I knew him briefly last year, he was barely a year younger than me. As he passed, I got a look into his eyes. It scared me. So many emotions were in there. Toughness, anger and even…fear? Before I could make sure that I Saw the tiny trace of fear, he'd already limped away.
"Carrie Anne, you think life'll ever change?" Dawn asked me, pulling me out of my analyzations. I looked at her quizzically. "Look. Curly would be a good kid if he didn't grow up on the streets or have a crappy home life. Gets in fights every night because he's in his brother's gang. I saw one of the guys in Shepard's gang DIE on the corner once, and he was barely as old as us. Don't think Curly will live past eighteen."
I nodded slowly. "And the Socs and the greasers-that too. Jumping and whatnot. Is this just gonna keep going on, or will it stop?"
"Someone could stop it." I didn't even believe those words, and they came out of my mouth.
"Who? Next thing you know, the greasers will turn into little flower children. I heard of some hippies getting' beat up in San Francisco a while ago. Is that what's gonna be next?"
Dawn asked a lot of real good questions. They seemed somewhat rhetorical. I wish I knew the answers to them.
"Hey, Carrie Anne. You weren't out long," my mom remarked. She worked in an office answering phones all day so she could come home at night. I liked that arrangement better than the one from when we last moved here.
"Went to the Dingo…left." She seemed to see more than that and gave me an expectant look.
"Sandy split on Soda…some other guy got her in trouble."
My mom's eyes grew sad. She had gotten to know and love Soda last year, and I didn't have to explain to her how much Soda loved Sandy. "Oh, poor Soda! And people were gossiping?"
I nodded. "That's horrible! Her and his brother gone in the same week." I think my mom and I think the same.
The news came on in the living room. "Police are still looking for Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade…" I zoned out for a couple of seconds. "If anyone has any information on their whereabouts…"
Then an image popped into my head. A rare moment of Johnny smiling. Tears came to my eyes and there was a lump in my throat. Why do I always have to be so dang sensitive?
I ran up to my room, turned the radio up loud so no one would hear me cry. "Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much…" I let my tears fall as Unchained Melody ended and I Wanna be Free started.
"I wanna be free…like the bluebirds flying by me. Like the waves out on the blue sea…" The song didn't tie to what I was feeling like Unchained Melody did, but like Yesterday, it made me feel better.
Why are there all these changes? Not many good ones. Someday, I thought. Someday, this'll all change. No greasers, no Socs, no kids dying or growing up in the street. Someday…not soon.
*Yes, very short, not the best. But I hope you SOMEWHAT liked it! Review*
