Hey hey! I'm back! I know it's been a long time – Sorry! I'm working a lot right now so it will still be sporadic updates... Once a month or less... But I will try my best! Remember, I REALLY appreciate reviews ;)

Thank you to everyone who did review and who added my story as a favourite or subscribed! It means a lot! :)

Anyway – On with the Chapter! :)

Lexis' POV

Chapter 9

Please Do the Poll on my Profile- will determine how long I continue this story for

Sitting in the waiting room alone was pretty scary I have to tell you. I was hoping Dally was going to stay with me while I waited and found out if my head had healed properly. But I should've expected different from him, he left as soon as I signed in to go and see Johnny. I'm not allowed to see Johnnycakes until I'm cleared unfortunately. Anyway, it was scary sitting alone in here! Not to mention there was a weird old man sitting across from me and I didn't like the way he was staring at me.

Finally they called my name to go and see the doctor and I got out of there as fast as I could. When I reached the room they had me sit down while the nurse took notes about how I had been feeling as well as my blood pressure and a bunch of other medical stuff I wouldn't be able to understand. When she was done she put the charts onto the table for the doctor and left the room informing me the doctor would be in shortly. I thought waiting there would feel like a while but soon enough I had a visitor in come into my room.

"Dally! How did you find my room?" I asked as soon as he stepped over to hug me.

"Easy, I simply asked a nurse." The look on his face seemed to say otherwise though. Somehow I suspect his "asking" was more along the lines of something else that I wouldn't approve of. So I didn't ask. Instead I decided to move on with the conversation.

"How is Johnny doing? Is he getting any better?"

"Yeah- he's getting stronger each day. Wishes he could see you though since he hasn't seen you since you got back." I felt a stab of guilt at that remark. Although I know Dallas didn't mean for it to hurt me, it did. Because of my pride earlier I prevented myself from seeing and Johnnycakes. And because of my pride years ago, I pulled away from the entire gang. As soon as the doctor leaves after my checkup I am going to go see him. When I told Dal this he was happy and told me Johnny will be happy.

Not much later the doctor came in and Dally got kicked out while he checked me over and the charts. After he was done he was impressed at how fast I was recovering and said that I only needed one more week of bed rest then I would be free to do whatever I pleased again. The thought made me happy that I would soon be free. I quickly left the room and went out to find Dal so he could take me to Johnny's room. Luckily I didn't have to go far – he had just waited outside the room for me.

When we got to Johnny's room I couldn't believe this was the same boy that I last saw a year ago. He looked so much different especially with the burns that were still healing on his back. Even though all the guys had told me how he looked I still couldn't believe it with my own eyes. I could feel tears threatening to spill over but I held them back for Johnny's sake. It only took im seconds to notice me in the room and when he did, Johnnycake's face lit up.

"Lexis! You came to see me! I didn't know you were out of house arrest yet, can you go wherever now?" I laughed at how excited he sounded, but I couldn't blame him, it's been a while. I walked over to his bed and gave him a hug as best I could with his condition. He didn't seem to mind too much though.

"Johnnycakes! How are you feeling? I've missed you so much; you're all grown up now!" It was Dal and Johnny's turn to laugh now, although I wasn't completely sure why.

"Lexis, quit smothering the poor boy! Ain't that right Johnny boy?" Dal stated rolling his eyes at me.

Johnny's shoulders were shaking from quiet laughter when he replied. "Nah, she's ok Dal, no worries. I feel pretty good actually Lexis, Doc said if I keep progressing like this I can get out of this hospital in a week! And me grown up? Have you seen yourself recently! You look even more mature!"

I disagreed with Johnny; I hadn't changed that much, but remembering old conversations with Anne and Aliah on the road led me to keep my mouth shut, since they had similar things to me. All three of s talked for a few more hours until Johnny had to get some tests run and Dal and I were kicked out of his room. At that point Dally asked me what the doctor said and was ecstatic with what I found out earlier and said he was gonna plan a party at Bucks for when I can get out of the house. I only had one request for him.

"Don't have the party turn out like last time," I told him with a wink. He just laughed at my joke and drove back to the house.

The next week couldn't pass any slower. I never thought the day would come where I could finally leave this damn house again. Eventually I got the call from the doctor's office saying I could leave the house again. I'm pretty sure I actually cheered when I hung up the phone. The only reason I have that suspicion is 'cause of the smirk Dal gave me after. He told me the party at Bucks was gonna be held the next night but he wouldn't give me any hints on what would happen there, and if the gang knew anything they weren't saying a word.

Later that night I was sitting on the couch reading a book, yes I had gotten that desperate, when Darry and Ponyboy got into another argument. They seemed to have had their fair share since I've been home and Soda had said this was normal. I, for one, don't believe this is normal though from the look on Sodapop's face. Each time they fight he seems to get worse and worse, I've tried to break it up but Soda said not to waste my breath and it would just make things worse for everyone.

This fight seemed to escalate very quickly, faster than any I've seen and it seemed to be the same for Soda, his face was frighteningly pale.

"What's the sweat about my schoolwork?" Ponyboy finally shouted. "I'll have to get a job as soon as I get out of school anyway. Look at Soda. He's doing okay, and he dropped out. You can just lay off!"

"You're not going to drop out. Listen, with your brains and grades you could get a scholarship, and we could put you through college. But schoolwork's not the point. You're living in a vacuum, Pony, and you're going to have to cut it out. Johnny and Dallas are our buddies, too, but you don't just stop living because something happened to them or Lexis. I thought you knew that by now. You don't quit! And anytime you don't like the way I'm running things you can get out." Darry needs to lay off the kid; he's being too harsh on him.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? You'd like me just to get out. Well, it's not that easy, is it, Soda?" But when Pony looked at Soda he stopped. Soda's face was even whiter, and when he looked at Pony his eyes were wide with a pained expression.

"Don't... Oh, you guys, why can't you..." He jumped up suddenly and bolted out the door. Darry and Pony and I were struck dumb. Darry picked up the envelope that Soda had dropped.

"It's the letter he wrote Sandy," Darry said without expression. "Returned unopened." Now that statement stopped me. I was just about to lecture Darry about their fighting scaring Sodapop but that made me realize that the fighting wasn't the only reason.

Darry had just told me the other day what had happened but I don't think that anyone had told Ponyboy what had happened fully. My suspicion was confirmed when Darry continued.

"When Sandy went to Florida... it wasn't Soda, Ponyboy. He told me he loved her, but I guess she didn't love him like he thought she did, because it wasn't him."

"You don't have to draw me a picture," Ponyboy said.

"He wanted to marry her anyway, but she just left." Darry was looking at Pony with a puzzled expression. "Why didn't he tell you? I didn't think he'd tell Steve or Two-Bit, but I thought he told you everything."

"Maybe he tried," Ponyboy responded. Those words made me wonder what had been going on while I was gone, apparently a lot within my family.

"He cried every night that week you were gone," Darry said slowly. "You two and Sandy in the same week." He put the envelope down. "Come on, let's go after him."

We all chased him clear to the park. We were gaining on him, but he had a block's head start.

"Circle around and cut him off," Darry ordered to Ponyboy. Even out of condition he was the best runner.

"Lexis and I will stay right behind him."

Ponyboy headed through the trees and cut him off halfway across the park. We saw Soda veer off to the right, but Pony caught him in a flying tackle before he'd gone more than a couple of steps.

Darry and I came up and dropped down beside them.

They lay there gasping for a minute or two, and then Soda sat up and brushed the grass off his shirt. "You should have gone out for football instead of track." Soda stated when he caught his breath.

"Where did you think you were going?" Ponyboy lay flat on his back and looked at him.

Soda shrugged. "I don't know. It's just... I can't stand to hear y'all fight. Sometimes... I just have to get out or... it's like I'm the middleman in a tug o' war and I'm being split in half. You dig?"

Darry gave me a startled look. Clearly neither of them realized what it was doing to Soda, and I recently, to hear them fight. Ponyboy looked sick.

What he said was the truth. Darry and Ponyboy did play tug of war with him, with never a thought to how much it was hurting him.

Soda was fiddling with some dead grass. "I mean, I can't take sides. It'd be a lot easier if I could, but I see both sides. Darry yells too much and tries too hard and takes everything too serious, and Ponyboy, you don't think enough, you don't realize all Darry's giving up just to give you a chance he missed out on. He could have stuck you in a home somewhere and worked his way through college. Ponyboy, I'm telling you the truth. I dropped out because I'm dumb. I really did try in school, but you saw my grades. Look, I'm happy working in a gas station with cars. You'd never be happy doing something like that. And Darry, you ought to try to understand him more, and quit bugging him about every little mistake he makes. He feels things differently than you do."

He gave them a pleading look. "Golly, you two, it's bad enough having to listen to it, but when you start trying to get me to take sides..." Tears welled up in his eyes. "We're all we've got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything. If you don't have anything, you end up like Dallas… And that's worse than dead. Please"- he wiped his eyes on his arm- "don't fight anymore."

Darry looked real worried. "Sure, little buddy," Darry said softly. "We're not going to fight anymore."

Sodapop then turned to me. "And don't you dare think your outa this Miss Alexzandria Marie Curtis! You gotta stop running away from all your problems, it don't make them go away and running is just making it all worse. We can help you here at home, you don't need to run to try and solve the problems, all of us are here for you including the gang."

I knew Soda was right so I just nodded at him, I wasn't planning on going anywhere and he knows that now. That seemed to be enough 'cause soon enough he was smiling again.

"Hey, Ponyboy"- Soda gave him a tearful grin- "don't you start crying, too. One bawl-baby in the family's enough."

"I'm not crying," Ponyboy said. But he was. Soda gave him a playful punch on the shoulder then turned his smile to me. I easily returned it.

"No more fights. Okay, Ponyboy?" Darry said.

"Okay," Ponyboy said. And he meant it. I could tell.

"Well," Soda said, "I'm cold. How about going home?"

"Race you," Pony challenged, leaping up. I wasn't shocked he said that, he's always looking to race. Plus it was a real nice night for a race.

The air was clear and cold and so clean it almost sparkled. The moon wasn't out but the stars lit up everything. It was quiet except for the sound of our feet on the cement and the dry, scraping sound of leaves blowing across the street.

It was a real nice night. I guess Ponyboy was still out of shape, because we all four tied. No. I guess we all just wanted to stay together.

I stood staring at the headstones. I knew the whole gang was behind me but for the moment I chose to ignore them. It's sad to say I needed one of them to show me where they were, I didn't even stay for the burial last year. Johnny was behind me too, we had pushed off my party and everything else for a few days when we caught wind that he was being released yesterday. He's even walking on his own, a miracle in itself.

I could feel the tears threaten to fall and no matter what I did to hold those in a sob escaped my throat. Rustling was heard behind me then a pair of arms wrapped around my waist pulling me flush to a body. I turned into Dally's body and allowed him to hold me for a few minutes.

When I calmed down again I gently pulled out of his arms and turned to face the graves again. Taking a deep breath I sat at the feet of both with my back still to the gang.

"I guess I kinda owe you that explanation. Right mommy and daddy? I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm ready now, to give you –" I looked to the gang "all of you, the full story, not just bits and pieces." I motioned for the gang to come sit by me and we all sat around the graves, Dally and Darry right beside me since they know the most. But no one knows the whole story, only Branden know close to the whole thing. Dal's arm made its way around my waist while Darry's came to rest on my shoulders, effectively bringing me back to the present task at hand.

I took one more deep breath while looking around at all of my family sitting with me before gaining the courage to begin.

"Well, hear goes nothing," I started, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I hope you're not too mad at me mommy, but here's what really happened.

"It all started 2 years ago in June, about 2 weeks before Branden, Darry and I were to graduate. We all went out with Tim and Dal to Buck's and…"

Dun dun dun! What do you think has happened to have Branden end up in jail? And why has Lexis blamed herself? Do you think anything else went down? If you want to take a guess at what happened you can PM me and I'll tell you if you are close or not. Until next chapter, please REVIEW! Thanks!

\/