I was rudely awoken by my stomach giving a violent start. I shot up and sat up, realizing that I was still in Steve's lap. I saw everyone looking at me from where they were sitting-Ponyboy and Johnny on the couch, I heard Darry in the kitchen and noticed Sodapop and my brother on the floor.

"Hey babe, you okay?" I heard Steve say as he put a comforting hand on my back. I tried to swallow the sickness away, but that only seemed to make it worse. When I felt all eyes on me and a wave of anxiety course through my body, I felt that burning sensation coming back up and into my throat. I practically flung myself out of Steve's lap, threw the bathroom door open and barely made it to the toilet before it all came out. I heard the sound of hurried footsteps making their way towards me.

I was beginning to get really hot in the hoodie I was wearing and when I felt a familiar hand on my back and one pull my hair out of my face, I realized it was Steve. "Steve..." I managed to gasp out, completely out of breath.

"Yeah?" He asked with plenty of worry in his voice to go around.

"Please... help me get this off... I'm hot..." I said as I tugged on the hoodie. Steve obliged and helped me take it off, leaving me in the tank top I had put on last night.

"You okay now Malory?" Steve asked soothingly. I shook my head no and heaved the little contents I had left in my stomach into the toilet. I soon felt something cold on the back of my neck, causing me to snap back into reality and calm my stomach down some. The wet rag trick must be really common because apparently everybody but me knew it. It helped ease away the queasiness in my stomach, but manage to do nothing about my throbbing magnificent headache I had going on.

I leaned back against the wall as Steve flushed the toilet and leaned over to wipe my mouth off. He threw the washrag into the sink and sat on the toilet lid. "Steve..." I said, my eyes closing ever so slowly. "Steve, I'm tired..."

I faintly heard my boyfriend get up. "I know baby doll," I felt one of Steve's arm slide underneath of my legs, and underneath of my back, hauling me off of the cool ground. "Come on... let's go lie down." And he walked out of the bathroom.

"Just lay her down in my room Randle." I heard Darry say, but it was kinda mumbled in my opinion. I was beginning to get too out of it to comprehend some things the guys were talking about. All I really wanted to do at the moment was just go to sleep.

"Thanks Dar," I knew that voice. It was Two-Bit. "Steve, I can take it from here bud."

"Sure thing." Once I felt myself transition from my boyfriend's arms to my brothers arms, his tones and firm arms made my eyes shut for good and I blacked out without remembering anything. I didn't really care though. I was finally getting to go to sleep!

X

I woke up completely clueless of where I was. It all seemed so vague and hazy... this room was very familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on where I was. I slightly cracked open one eye a little more than the other one and my vision did that thing where when you wake up, it's all blurry and you can't see shit. I looked around on the dressers and stands and saw photos of a five-membered family. I smiled when I realized it was the Curtis family. I blinked to clear my vision a little and looked at more photos of Sodapop, Ponyboy and Darry along with Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. I saw pictures of the gang as well when one photo in particular really caught my eye.

When I swung my legs over the bed, I immediately heard my legs and back crack from stiffness. My head gave an excellent throb as well as my stomach threatening to be sick again. I tried to clear my throat, but that only made the scratchiness worse than it already was. "Fuck lasagna..." I said to myself and I was pretty shocked at how hoarse and weak my voice sounded. And worse of all? My nose was stuffy...

Even though my legs and whole body were protesting the whole way as I tried to get up, I managed to stand up. I wobbled a little as my legs felt like they were gonna give out at any given second. I blinked a couple times and walked over to the window first as I thought I heard the bedroom door open, but just ignored it and passed it off as the old and squeaky floorboards. I was in Darry's room which used to belong to his parents. I peeked the curtain back a little and saw that the sun was setting. Jeez, how long have I been out for? I thought as I made my way over to the picture that caught my eye.

I couldn't help but let a smile spread across my face as I noticed that the picture was of the gang. I noticed that everyone was wearing different colored jeans, and I also noticed that Dallas had the least bit of sympathy on his face. I let out a chuckle and set it back down and let my eyes gaze around the room. I was feeling a little nosey so I started to look around the room. Not in Darry's drawers or dressers or places like that, but the things that were on his stands.

I strolled around the room, admiring the pictures of the whole family, picking up one that was a family photo.

Ponyboy was sitting in between Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, all three of them with a welcoming smile on their faces. Sodapop was sitting criss-crossed on the floor in front of their legs with his movie star smile planted across his face as Darry was standing behind everyone with each of his hands on one of his parents shoulders. If I was a complete stranger to their family, I would think they were heaven on earth.

While I was looking at the photo, I then realized how pretty Mrs. Curtis was. Ponyboy and Sodapop looked an awful lot like her while Darry looked like he could be his dad's brother instead of son. I couldn't help but let out a strained chuckle as I set down the picture and realized how unique and perfect the Curtis' family was until the death of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis.

I continued to walk around the room when a pretty floral designed white box caught my attention. It was jewelry box. I ran my fingers across the cool porcelain, feeling the dust build up on my fingertips. "Darry's gonna skin me alive if he finds me doing this..." I said to myself as I cautiously opened the box.

I couldn't help my gasp at all the wonderfully beautiful jewelry the pretty box contained. I didn't dare to touch any of it since I noticed it all to be Mrs. Curtis' since she wore some of it in the pictures. And also because Mrs. Curtis was the only girl in the family and unless Sodapop and Two-Bit begged her to buy them some so they could run around the house wearing it, I doubted any of it belonged to the guys or anyone in the gang in that matter. It was so breathtaking.

"Pretty isn't it?" I heard a low and deep voice say out of nowhere behind me. I jumped and squealed in my shot voice and turned around to see Darry standing-no leaning in the doorway with a smile on his face.

I turned around and shut the jewelry box, careful not to break it or anything around It. "Darry..." Darry walked towards me with an unexplainable expression on his face. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to go through your stuff..."

Darry picked up the box. "It's okay, I don't mind. You're a girl and I understand that you enjoy jewelry. But you still haven't answered my question, Malory," I cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't they pretty?"

I nodded. "Yes, very!" I said excitingly, not really sure where Darry was going with this.

Darry held the box out in front of him. "That's good... because I'm giving them to you."

My mouth dropped open as my eyes widened. I felt butterflies in my stomach and my heart begin to flutter. Was Darry serious about this? "Wait what?"

Darry walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it as I did the same. "All I ask of you is to take good care of them and wear them often."

I was speechless for the time being. "Darry, why are you doing this? These are your mothers!"

Darry opened the box and pulled out a beautiful pearl necklace and put it around my neck. It looked like something Marilyn Monroe would wear, or Lauren Bacall. "That looks very nice on you Malory; it really brings out your eyes." I smiled with pride. My eyes were the number one thing I got compliments the most about. They were a sparkling blue, and sometimes people told me they looked exactly like Marilyn Monroe's and I loved that because she was a big inspiration of mine.

"Darry... I don't know what to say. These are your mothers valuables! You can't just up and get rid of them like this!"

Darry and I made eye contact. "They look beautiful on you Mal..."

I shook my head. "But... why are you getting rid of them?"

Darry sighed. "Memories my dear Mathews. I just can't bear to look at them every single day and watch them go to waste like this," I saw Two-Bit leaning in the doorway behind Darry with tears in his eyes. He gave me a thumbs up and I smiled. Darry then smiled too. "I wanted to give them to someone I really trusted-but I couldn't really find anybody like that. I was certain that someone would just sell them for the money instead of valuing them and savoring the true meaning behind them. When I found out it was really you who came back yesterday... I knew that you were the one. And a couple minutes ago... just that look on your face made me know that you would be the one to treasure them for what they're really worth."

I could feel tears of sympathy cloud my vision and a couple run down my cheeks. I pulled Darry in for a tight hug. "Darry... thank you so much," We pulled away and I looked at the beautiful floral porcelain box in my hands. "I think you're underestimating how much this really means to me."

Darry patted my shoulder and got up from the bed. "You're a very pretty lady Malory, and that jewelry is gonna make everybody finally see that," He turned around and walked out of the room, high fiving my brother on the way. I heard him shout, "And that's better than being compared to Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall!"

I wiped the tears from my eyes and cheeks as I looked at the door one last time and saw Two-Bit walk in, closing the door behind himself. He made his way to the bed and sat down in front of me, a very proud looking grin on his face. He also had tears in his eyes.

I knew he was beyond proud of me for being like the "chosen one" to earn this. Two-Bit and Mrs. Curtis were closer than anybody I knew. Two-Bit saw her as his second mom because he already loved our mom a little way too much. Now, with me getting passed these kind of valuables, I knew there was nothing Two-Bit could be more proud of.

And I'll have to say... I was pretty proud of myself also.