Megh: Ok, so I'm so sorry for no updates, really and truly. I have exams coming up and I usually update in digital portfolio since I finished a wicked long time ago but I had to do my exam so I wouldn't come in on exam day.

Pony: Exams are nothing.

Soda: What's digital?

Megh: Oh it has to do with computers.

Soda: What? Only like...NASA uses those.

Megh: You just wait Sodapop, you just wait. Now say the disclaimer for the nice people who are seeing you across the country.

Soda: I don't own The Outsiders?...huh?

--Day Two--

"We have to go back, you know," I said. Pony nodded. We had since left the park and were just wandering.

"I'm kind of surprised at how warm it was today," I said. I was just trying to give us something to talk about.

"It's cold now," Pony pointed out.

"Yeah, but earlier today it was pretty hot, I thought it was always cold here." I could see a smile flicker across Pony's face.

"It's not Alaska," he said. I cuffed him playfully.

"Well no kidding, Alaska's warm all year round." Pony laughed.

It was a small sort of town we were staying in, Gaspee is what the sign said at the park. There were little restaurants and shops on the sides of the road where a bridge crossed over a river. We sat down in front of an ice cream shop called Dear Hearts.

"You know, it wouldn't be so bad here if it wasn't for the reason why we're here," I mused. Pony gave me a funny look before saying, "I guess so."

A bell jingled and a pleasant looking woman exited the ice cream shop.

"Hello, I've never seem you boys around before," She said, smiling.

"Well we're from Oklahoma, so I wouldn't expect you, too. It's nice to meet you," I said politely.

"Would you boys like some cookie dough? I usually give it away to someone at the end of the day."

"That would be really nice of you, sure, alright," I said, a little surprised since after today no one had been very polite.

She re-entered the shop and reappeared a few moments later with two hunks of cookie dough on wax paper. She set it down on the table.

"All the kids love it, I'm surprised no one has showed up yet asking for some. I think I should give it to you boys though, to make you feel welcome. Enjoy it." She gave us one last warm smile before bustling back into her shop.

Pony and I ate the cookie dough. It was good like she said and I was rather enjoying it.

"Well think about it, Pone," I said suddenly, continuing our conversation. "I mean the people seem okay, like that lady there-"

"Not the Moran's, or the teachers," Pony cut it.

"Yes, not them," I agreed. "And the houses are nice, a little old, but still nice. It's kind of pretty and not so hot."

"I'd still rather be in Tulsa, I don't ever want to live anywhere but there," He said quietly.

"You know I would, too. I'm just thinking about it," I said.

"Maybe we oughta walk back now." Pony stood up and faced the direction we came in. "You know the way back?"

"We don't need to leave right now, if you don't want," I said.

"No, we need to go back there. We'll never get home if we don't, Soda. We need to go back to them, for now." Pony's voice quivered but his expression remained stoic.

"Don't act like that Ponyboy," I pleaded.

"Come on, we need to go back."

We entered the house quietly, braced for the explosion. I was thouroughly suprised when we spotted the Moran's sitting at the table, eating supper quietly. When we walked into the dining room, their low murmur ceased. Finally Mr. Moran spoke up.

"Ponyboy, I'm sorry if I hurt you," He said. Pony's eyes widened.

"Oh," Pony said softly. Mr. Moran sighed, he had probably expected an "it's ok," but it's not as if Pony had actually spoken directly to him yet, why start then?

"We're upset with you boys, you've broken many rules today. We did expect a few behavioural problems based on your background-"

I made a funny noise in the back of my throat but Mrs. Moran didn't waiver.

"But not this. You've left without permission, sworn at us, you haven't shown anyone any respect today. This is not acceptable. David didn't mean to get so worked up earlier but you boys led him to it! Trust me, if Anthony did any of this it'd be the same."

From Anthony's smug smile I gathered that last statement wasn't true.

"You've dig yourselves deep enough, now follow me," Mr. Moran said as he began to walk down the hall. I swear I'm not making it up when I say that when I walked past Anthony he hissed, "Not since I was nine."

-------------------------

I wouldn't say it anywhere but here, I cried. Yes, I most definately did cry. I was embarrassed. "I want to go home," played over and over again like a crazy mantra. I pictured my real family. Dad, who raised his voice but rarely yelled. Mom, who nearly always sought out everyone's story and listened fairly. Darry, who had hit Pony once and regreted it the moment his hand hit his face.

I cried. But do you blame me?

I could hear Mrs. Moran screaming herself hoarse at Ponyboy and from him? I heard not one sound. She was screaming because he had tried to get up and leave but Mrs. Moran had refused to let him by and he slapped her arm away, hard. That's why she was screaming bloody murder. And Ponyboy sat there on the couch and took it all it. I remember her shouting at him for not paying attention to her when she spoke, but the detail Pony included when telling me what had happened proved he had listened to every single word.

"Ponyboy, just go to sleep now."

"No. I can't sleep here, not ever. We're going home, I don't care if I'm being a baby, we're leaving, Soda."

"Nope, we gotta stay here. Just for now. I know I keep saying it but we gotta."

"Even after tonight?" Pony's voice was shaking with anger now. "Tonight, Darry would want to hear about, and you know it. You know it even better than I do."

I leaned back on my bed and chewed my lip thoughtfully. After a long time, I spoke again.

"We'll call him tonight, when everyone's asleep, from the phone in the den down the hall." I said, whispering and not really knowing why. The door was shut.

"What will we tell him? We need to know what we're going to tell him."

"Okay, well first off we'll explain the detentions." Pony opened his mouth in protest. "We're telling him, this isn't back home. He's not going to yell at you."

Hours later Pony and I were each in our own rooms. Pony's room was directly next to mine and as secluded as I felt and wished there was some sign of somebody else being alive, I was glad it was impossible for me to tell he was there. It meant the walls were thick and if we shut the door when calling Darry, hopefully no one would hear us talking.

Even later, I was staring at the bottom of my door where the light came through, waiting for it to go away. At some point, I didn't know when because there was no clock in the bedroom, three pairs of footsteps went by, altering the light. I knew they were just getting ready for bed though, and Mr. Moran and Mrs. Moran probably stayed up awhile and talked or read or something before they were half dead and turned the light off. I was nearly half dead when they finally did.

Even after they turned off the hall light I still had to wait for them to fall asleep. Sneaking around at night requires a lot of time and a lot of patience.

After literally hours, I finally opened the my bedroom door, praying to God it didn't creak. I crept to Pony's room and opened his door slowly. The scene that unfolding before me made me smile a little. There was Pony, sitting at the writing desk by the window. His head was propped up on his arm and was titled dangerously towards the table. Beneath his elbow was a half done sketch of the bay just behind the tree, really good, like a real artist. It was real good, except it had a jagged black mark down the middle that seemed to have been made in an act of anger or frustration, if I could draw, I'd probably do the same thing. Not draw a picture...but put a jagged mark down a page. Or...not put a jagged mark since I'm not drawing a picture...yeah, never mind.

I shook Pony's shoulder and his elbow slipped out from under him and he hit his head on the solid wood table.

"Oh, sorry!" he yelped, blinking at me blearily. "Is it too late now?"

"No, shh!" I hissed in reply. "Come on we're doing it now, you gotta be quiet."

"This house is older then Darry thinks he is so it probably creaks and shit so just watch where you're stepping."

Ponyboy nodded and we scurried across the floor. Just as I was ready to open the door I turned abruptly, causing Pony to slam into my shoulder.

"Nice picture by the way." He gave a sort of grimace as he glaced over his shouder.

"You know, you don't have to hate the picture because you hate the place."

"Whatever," he muttered as he pushed me out of the way and opened the door. His eyes had brightened the slightest bit.