I own it not.
And Dally, wild, cunning Dally, turning into a hoodlum because he'd die if he didn't.
I walked back from Tim's. I'd been there since the cops hauled me in at noon, asking be all these questions about that dead Soc like I was the one who did it. I didn't mind though. There was no way in Hell I'd let Johnny go through what I did in jail. Not over my dead body.
I was almost to our territory now. Shepard lives on the other side of the park, pretty close to Soc territory. Too close for me, but he says he likes it there. More action. I say sure, whatever floats your boat. Anyway, I was just coming up to the park and I just felt that something was wrong. I had the same feeling a month ago, when Johnny got hurt. Something brought me to that place.
So I followed this feeling, turning slightly, taking a different route. It didn't matter, I wasn't going anywhere in particular. It was cold, and normally I'd crash at Buck's or the Curtis place, but Buck got arrested this afternoon and the Curtis'…well, with Pony gone, they had enough to worry about without having some no-good greaser strung out on their couch.
Anyway, in an ally just on the East side of the park I stopped because I heard this sound…I don't even know if I heard it or I just thought I heard it. Whatever happened, I ended up finding Steve.
I knelt down next to him. God, he looked bad, even worse than Johnny had, if that was possible. I put my fingers on his neck, thinking that there was no way he could survive looking like this. I'd seen death before, in New York, it looked something like this.
But Steve was strong, a fighter. A heartbeat was there, but just barely. He needed help, fast. I checked him over before I started moving him. I paid just enough attention in Health class to know that you shouldn't move someone with a neck injury or they might, you know, die. But it didn't look like Steve's neck was broken, even though just about everything else was.
"Sorry, buddy." I knew I was going to hurt him when I picked him up. I looked down at the spot he had just left. There was a pool of blood. Not good. I thought I heard Steve groan as I started walking. "It's alright, Steve." I muttered, knowing it was the Socs who did this and wanting to kill them for it. God, they'd already driven Johnny and the kid away, why couldn't they just leave us alone?
Steve's head moved. He was regaining consciousness and I saw him wince in pain. "Soda?" he murmured, not opening his eyes. I didn't know if he could open them. They were swollen and bruised.
I turned the corner, the Curtis house was just a few more blooks. "No, it's me, Steve. Listen, you're going to be okay, just stay with me. Don't fall asleep." Even I heard the panic in my voice. My shirt was being stained with Steve's blood.
"So tired. So cold, Dal." And he was cold. I could feel him shivering in my arms.
I shook him, wincing as he cried out in pain. "Don't go to sleep, Steve, we're almost there. You can go to sleep in a bit." We were passing the lot now. I saw a light on in the Curtis' window. But I also felt Steve drift back into unconsciousness.
I pushed open the door with my body. Darry was sitting on the couch, Soda at the table, even Two-Bit was there, sitting on the counter. They all stood up when I entered. "Dal...is that Steve?" Darry was the first to us. I could hear Soda give a frightened squeek and run over as I put Steve down. My shirt had been stained red with his blood.
Two-Bit, unsmiling, serious Two-Bit, brought over the First-Aid kit, looking at Steve worridly. "You see who it was, Dal?"
I leaned against the wall, trying to push back my fear, trying to look tough. "Naw. They were gone by the time I got there. I was just walking by, happened to see him. But it was the Socs. I know it was." My fists clenched. God, I hated those guys. I hated them.
"Good thing you were walking by." Soda said, his voice low as he started cleaning some of the larger wounds on Steve's stomach. "He would have bled out if he had been left there all night." I could hear the sob in his throat, and so could Darry because he put a reassuring hand on Soda's shoulder.
Steve still hadn't woken up again. "Some of those will need stitches." I pointed out, noticing a five-inch gash on Steve's upper arm. "He'll need to go to the hospital."
"No hos'pal." Steve murmured.
Darry leaned over him. "Can you open your eyes, Steve?" he asked. "I need to see if your head's okay."
I could see Steve bite his lip as he tried to open his swollen eyes. Darry peered into them, waving his hand over first one, then the other. Whatever he saw must have pleased him because he said. "I can do the stitches if you want, Steve." Steve nodded, and Darry got up to get the stuff he needed.
Soda sat near Steve's head, one hand in his hair, the other closed tight around Steve's left hand. Soda was crying. I turned away, towards Two-Bit, taken aback by the fire in his eyes. "You want to help me get them?" I asked. He nodded, and I knew that those Socs were going to pay for Steve. For Johnny.
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