SADLY, I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE AMAZING S. E. HINTON! OH, BTW, I JUST DID MY BOOK REPORT ON HER!

This story is officially dedicated to Bell Star for being very loyal to it, and being awesome!

Author's Note: Hey! Here's chapter 9! Also, I'm going to start two new stories soon. I can start whenever I want really, but I'm afraid that if I do, I won't update this 1, so I'm gonna wait awhile. One will be called: You Can't Run From Your Troubles. It'll be about the gang trying to cope with the loss of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis by going on a trip to California, but they can't run from their troubles. The next one will be: At the End of the Road. Pony is diagnosed with leukemia. Johnny and Dally are alive. Excited to start!

SkrilletFanatic: I know, it was hard to write, I was practically crying! Thanks for reviewing! ;)

In Reality, Chapter 9: Nightmares and Normal

DARRY'S POV

I was in a peaceful sleep, which was now a rarity for me. It was the nighttime, after the funeral. I had finally fallen asleep after hours of tossing and turning. I kept replaying the funeral inside of my head. The tears, the grief... I hadn't cried. I had already had my breakdown, now I was just empty. Pony and Soda had taken it hard. They had sobbed throughout the funeral and burial, and it got worse when we went home. They didn't cry, but a heavy silence was weighing down the air. I couldn't believe that a was actually in charge now. We ended up just going to bed, so here I was finally sleeping peacefully.

A piercing, bloodcurdling, scream tore through the dark. I shot bolt upright in bed, heart pounding wildly. I had heard that scream before, only once in my life.

Flashback for Darry, six years earlier.

I was coming home from football practice. I was in a great mood, coach said I was the best on the team, and I had been so proud because I was one of the youngest. I walked on, feeling pretty good, when an ear-piercing scream spilt through the air. I stopped dead. Oh, my God. Pony! I was supposed to have walked him home, but being 13 and absent-minding, I had forgotten. If he was hurt, it was all my fault. My innocent baby brother... I went running toward the sound of his screams. I stopped, gasping, in the alley to see some of my football buddies, jeering as they kicked my innocent seven-year-old brother. He was curled up of the ground, gasping for air."Hey what are you doing? Ouch, quit it! Hey, stop it!" he whimpered again, due to a sharp kick in the ribs.

"Hey, Greaser," one of them said. Paul! But he was my buddy... "How'd you like a haircut, Greaser?" Pony whimpered again. One flicked out a switchblade and held it to his throat. Pony panicked. He started screaming Soda and I's names, for the gang, for mom and dad. The switchblade was slid across his throat, and I saw red. How dare they mess with my brother? I had been petrified, but now I could move again. Outraged, I burst out from my hiding place.

"What the h*** are you doing to my little brother, Paul?" I yelled. He turned around, startled.

"Darry, this is your little brother? I had no idea, I mean he's a ho-"

I punched him. Hard. Square in the nose. He slammed backwards, startled. I took a swing at his buddy, Randy, too."C'mon guys, let's get out of here!" one yelled, and they ran off. I knelt on the ground, putting an arm around Pony. He was sobbing hysterically, burying his face into my shoulder. He was bruised and his neck was bleeding, but not too badly. It could have been worse. I had always blamed myself, for forgetting to walk him home, for being friends with Paul, for not stopping them sooner. And due to my guilt, I had sworn to protect him. *End Flashback*

Heart pounding, I raced down the hall,terrified at what I was going to find. I was almost at Pony's door when a door down the hall flew open and Soda came barreling down the hall. We didn't even speak, just went faster to Pony's room. He was tossing and turning frantically, sweating, shaking, and screaming and crying violently. I heard nearly inaudible shouts of "Mom, Dad, no!" It broke my heart.

"What's wrong with him?" Soda screamed,terrified.

"I think he's having a nightmare." It was the most reasonable explanation I could think of. He had had nightmares before when he was little, but never like this. I cautiously shook his shoulder. "Pony! Pony, wake up!" He jerked awake. He was sweating and shaking and crying, nearly in hysterics.

"Hey," Soda said gently, sliding in next to him and hugging him. "It's okay. It was just a dream, little buddy, it's gonna be fine."

"Do you remember what the dream was about, Pone?" I asked.

"N-no!" He stammered. Soda and I exchanged glances. He may not know what he was dreaming about, but we did. Mom and Dad... I tousled his hair and leaned against the wall. "You okay now, Pone?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

But he wasn't. None of us were.

PONY'S POV

I was terrified. The white light light was drawing nearer, and my parents were screaming. They were scared, they didn't want to leave us. The white light collided with our run-down truck, thesounds of metal crumbling and crunching, glass flying. The blood was smeared on the seats of the car. My parents were screaming, trapped under the debris, as death came swooping down to claim them for his kingdom. And my screams were their screams, my pain was their pain, their fear was my fear... I was completely terrified. Wait... WhO was screaming?

"Pony! Pony, wake up!"

No, no! What was going on? What did I dream about? The terror is so vivid, but I can't remember. I can't stop crying. In scared, they need my help, but who does? Why can't I remember?

"Hey." Soda slid in next to me, putting his arms around me, and I buried my face in his shoulder.

"It was just a dream, little buddy, it's going be fine."

That's right, it was just a dream, I don't need to help anyone. Everything's fine. No, it's not. My parents are dead, how could I have forgotten?

"Do you remember what you dreamed about, Pone?"

"N-no!" But did I remember? Or was I trying to block the memories?

"You okay now, Pony?"

No, I'm not. Im scared. I need help. I don't know what to do.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wasn't really. I just wanted things to go back to normal.

SODA'S POV

Things wern't normal. But, oh God, I wish they were. I don't know what to make out of this. We've worked out a routine. But it just feels weird, like we're not living it, like this is just a rehearsal, until they come back. I'm having trouble accepting that they're not coming back. It's just unreal. But I put on my happy face. I flirt with girls, I crack jokes, I grin, I act happy-go-lucky. But I'm not. But, oh God, I want to be.

PONY'S POV

Normal. What is normal? Normal is when the showers of sympathy cards stop. Normal is when we run out of frozen lasagnas and casseroles stored in the freezer, dropped off on our doorstep by nosy women, asking what they can do. They can't do anything. They can't give us money or bring my parents back. And let me tell you, giving us food does not help us a bit. If anything, it's an incontinence. Fat greasers can't do much. We didn't have to worry about that, though, I rarely at. I just didn't feel like it. And I was so sick of people saying, "So, it's nice to be getting back to normal, isn't it?" what is normal about a 13-year old without parents? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I'm just sick of everything. I just want my parents.

But, I don't get them. So I go back to "normal." I force myself to go to school. I force myself to ignore the mutters and the stares. I walk with Johnny. I talk to him, and it helps. I watch a movie. I wrestle Two-Bit. I live. But, I don't. Because they come back at night. The terror. The pain. The fear. And every night, I feel guilt for worrying my brothers. I just live in fear of that white light. Its the only thing I remember.

DARRY'S POV

We're healing. Slowly, it happens. Everyone changes, but especially me. I carry a heavy weight with me all the time, a fear of the world. Of facing the world that was cruel enough to break up my family like this. Of a world that makes us suffer. Of a world that took what should have been the best time of my life away from me. I was struggling with this the most. I felt guilty for even thinking like this, of wondering where I would be if it wern't for my brothers. But I can't think like this. I'm Superman, and I'm going to find out the purpose of this with my brothers. Together.

Author's Note: Done! Today was my last day of school, and even though I'll miss everyone, I'm glad to be free! I have my dance recitle throughout the next couple of days, then it's of to Texas for a week. Then I have dance camp, three weeks, eight hours a day. Exciting! I'll update as soon as I can! Have a fun summer guys, stay safe!

Your hand is moving toward the review button, you can't stop it.., haha review! Thanks, Stay Gold! -Emily ;) :)