Hey, guys, I'm back with another installment of "Desire"! However, I just want to say something because I'm rather mad now about what happened, even though most of you probably don't really care XD

Okay, so for Spring Break, my family went on vacation to the Gulf of Mexico, and today we went out to the beach to go jet skiing. You're all probably wondering, what's wrong with that? Well, while my dad, brother, and I were jet skiing, a huge wave hit the boat while we were turning and flipped the jet over on us.

My dad (who was driving it) flew off the boat immediately and landed somewhere remotely by us. The jet hit my brother and me on the head, and my brother was momentarily trapped under it before I quickly pulled him out. We all swallowed a pretty hefty amount of salt water, so we were all coughing our lungs out. My brother also was on the verge of tears, so I had to keep him calm whilst help arrived.

Luckily, no one was severely injured. I was the worst off with a bumped head and a bruised nose (a bruised nose doesn't look so bad, but it burns like hell, trust me) while my dad was relatively unharmed and my brother had a small bump on his head.

So we're all okay and safe now. I just wanted to tell someone about what happened. And please, please, always wear a lifejacket while you're jet skiing or doing something as equally dangerous. If it weren't for those, my family probably would've been a lot worse off.

Well, that was it! Sorry for starting off on such a serious note XD Now, please enjoy this chapter!


When Dally slammed the front door loudly, Ponyboy squirmed and wiggled around, desperately trying to get out of Darry's grip to go after Dally. However, his eldest brother held him down easily, tightening his hold on Pony just a smidge.

"Oh, no you don't," said Darry, but the green-gray eyed teenager was relentless and willful. He continued to wriggle until the brown-haired man grew tired of this and threw Ponyboy over his shoulder, stalking over to his bedroom with Soda nervously shuffling behind them.

"Let go of me! I need to go find Dally; he's gonna do somethin' stupid! LET GO!" screeched Ponyboy, kicking and punching any part of Darry he could find. However, all Darry did was grunt. Pony stopped after a few minutes, though, realizing that his shouting and hitting was to no avail. The youngest Curtis brother then fell limp in his brother's arms, sobbing a few more times.

Soda's expression was filled with complete heartbreak – nothing more, nothing less. His usually jaunty brown eyes held a plethora of perturbation, fear, and anxiety; his mouth was slightly agape and his lips were twisted downwards; his skin was devoid of color – he was as pallid and pale as a pillow. He absolutely couldn't stand to see Ponyboy in such a state, but he still followed his brothers all the way to Darry's room.

"Soda, close the door," Darry commanded the moment they stepped foot into his bedroom. The blonde brother nodded sternly and swiftly shut the door as Darry laid the enervated Pony on his bed.

Darry and Soda both hovered over their little brother in case he tried escaping, but Ponyboy didn't budge or move in the slightest bit. He just laid there, his green-gray eyes dull and devoid of emotion, his mien blank, and his body spread out in an awkward position. However, after a few minutes of doing absolutely nothing, Pony's face suddenly crumpled and he began crying again.

"H-He's comin' for me! I don't want him to c-come – p-please, I'll be good! I-I promise not to go after Dally, just please don't make him come!" wailed Ponyboy, wrapping his arms tightly over his knees. He rocked himself back and forth, crying into his legs.

The two eldest Curtis brothers shared an extremely bamboozled and melancholy look. They knew who 'him' was – the Soc, obviously – but they didn't know what Pony was rambling on about. Why would they bring the Soc to punish Ponyboy?

Then, the door opened to reveal a grimacing Steve and a terrified-looking Johnny. Steve took one glance at Pony and limped over to him immediately, sitting down on the bed beside him.

"He ain't comin', kiddo. No one wants him here – not me, not the gang, and especially not your brothers. He can't get to you with all of us around to protect you, so calm down and take a rest; you look stressed out," said Steve in a rather gentle tone for himself.

Johnny, Soda, and Darry exchanged confused looks. Since when did Steve get along with Ponyboy? However, though, what Steve said did the trick. Pony soon became tranquil and placid and he laid back down on the bed, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"I'm impressed, Steve," said Darry, his eyebrow raised. He looked at his brother's best friend with a bit of curiosity, previously unaware that Steve had a tender side.

Steve scowled slightly. "Don't mention it," he grumbled and limped to the doorway, where he then thoughtfully added, "And by that, I really mean don't mention it." The man then walked out and closed the door behind him.

Johnny looked to the slumbering form of Ponyboy and to the spot by the door where Steve had stood earlier. He blinked. ". . . Did that really just happen?"

He received no reply; Soda and Darry were just as baffled as he was.


All he saw was darkness. All he felt was darkness. All he smelt was darkness. Darkness was everywhere – and he couldn't get away from it.

Then, a change from the lonely, depressing darkness. Sinister words were whispered in his ear, "My little sexy greaser, I've finally got you where I wanted."

He stiffened in trepidation before he felt himself suddenly being thrown to the ground. The next thing he felt was another body climbing on top of his, straddling his hips, fondling and groping him.

He still only saw black.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he felt agony. He felt suffering. He felt pain. Especially in his lower back was where he found it the most intense and agonizing.

He tried to fight back. He really did try, but the body on top of him was much too strong and powerful for him to push off. The person leaned down to his ear again and said, "You think you can get away? Cute of you to think, but you're going nowhere."

Suddenly, he didn't just see the dark anymore. He saw red, vibrant and bright redness, pouring out of him.

"Beautiful. Absolutely stunning," the voice whispered sadistically.

He screamed.


Ponyboy woke up with his hair plastered to his face with sweat, his heart racing like crazy, and a scream desperate to escape his throat. He wildly looked around the room with wide eyes, and he was relieved to find out that he could see again. What the hell kind of a dream was that? Why could he only see black? Who was that person? And just what was that person doing to him?

Pony was so into his thoughts that he failed to hear the door creak open. When a voice from the doorway said, "Ponyboy, are you alright?" the almost red head flinched and looked up, startled. He saw Johnny watching him solicitously with his dark, black eyes.

Darkness, thought Pony immediately, but he shook his thoughts away and said, "I'm okay, Johnnycake. I-I'm confused, though. What happened earlier? I don't remember anythin'."

Johnny shifted uncomfortably by the door, pulling at the collar of his shirt. He then entered the room fully and sat down by Pony. He sighed. "Listen, Ponyboy, what I'm gonna tell you . . . just please don't freak out, okay?"

Ponyboy nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Was what happened awful enough that he could freak out?

"Well, earlier today, you – you kinda had a breakdown," said Johnny honestly, scratching the top of his greasy black hair. Should he really be starting it this way?

"What? Why?" asked Ponyboy, completely shocked with his widened eyes and gaping mouth. He now urgently wanted to know what had occurred.

"Yeah, that So– I mean he called you before, so you went . . . crazy, I guess. Then Dally left and you went to sleep," Johnny said, trying to put this in the most gentle way he possibly could. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much.

Pony gasped loudly. He remembered it all now, but one part stuck out more than the rest. "Dally! I need to go find him before he does somethin' stupid!" he said. He attempted to scramble out of bed and out the door, but Johnny held him down gingerly.

"No, you can't, Pony; you don't know where he is. But I'm sure he's fine – you know Dal, he can take care of himself real good." Johnny offered the younger teenager a crooked smile, trying to show him that the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Ponyboy settled back down into the bed, being comforted and seeing the truth in the last sentence. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly, which made Johnny give out a small, relieved sigh in return. But then the green-gray eyed teenager felt his stomach rumble angrily. Jeez, when was the last time he ate?

"I'm gonna go get somethin' to eat," Ponyboy said suddenly. Johnny nodded at him as Pony stood up, stretched a bit, and then exited the room through the door.

"– the hell, Steve? Are you crazy?" Darry's enraged voice suddenly came from the kitchen. Ponyboy, feeling that he was intruding on something, went back to the door to Darry's room to leave, but then he heard Steve speak, and, intrigued by the conversation, decided to stay.

"No, I ain't! I just need the money, Superman, that's all–"

"Did all of those products in your hair seep through to your brain? What you're doing is dangerous and illegal!"

"Dally does illegal things all the damn time and you don't give a shit!"

"Yeah, but this is a lot more serious! You're outta your mind, Steve. This will get you jailed for so long that you'll be an old man by the time you get out – if you ever get out!"

"I won't get caught! I just really need the money–"

"All about money these days! Money, money, money! Who the fuck cares about money?" Soda's voice suddenly erupted in complete furiousness. Ponyboy gasped, his green-gray eyes wide, shocked that Soda would swear. This must be really, really bad since Soda threw in the f-bomb.

"Soda, don't use that kind of language!"

"Darry, shush," Steve said in a rather odd, calm tone. "Soda, we're broke. My old man lost his job and is drinkin' his fat ass into oblivion. He won't get off the goddamned couch and get another job. We're gonna lose the house if we can't get any money, and the only way to do that quick enough is to get money the way I'm doing it right now."

"We can help!" exclaimed Soda, and Pony thought his voice sounded like he was begging and pleading Steve. "Please let us help, Steve! We can give you some money from our paychecks!"

"I can't let you do that, buddy. That'd be real mean of me to do considerin' what's going on with the kid and everythin'. I-I gotta go now. See y'all later." Pony could hear footsteps heading to the front door. 'The kid'? Steve obviously meant him, but what did he matter to Steve?

"Steve, come back here! If you're going out to do what I think you're doing, you're gonna be in some deep shit with me!" shouted Soda angrily. Then, Ponyboy heard the front door slam loudly.

"That idiot! That stupid idiot! He's gonna get himself killed or jailed!" yelled Soda. The sound of something breaking made Pony flinch from the spot he stood. Did – did Soda just throw something? he thought worriedly, chewing on his lip in apprehension.

"Soda, calm down. Think about what would happen if Pone woke up, came in here, and saw you actin' like a maniac? He'd probably panic." Darry's reasonable and logic voice spoke volumes, but Pony heard another crash from the kitchen.

"This is insane! I hate this – I hate it so much!" screamed Soda. Pony flinched at how loud his brother was yelling; this wasn't like Soda at all. What was going on with Steve? And why was Soda so furious?

"Soda, what did I tell you?"

"Just shut up, Darry! I can't fuckin' take this any longer!" Loud and angry footsteps were heard sprinting down the hallway, and then the front door was shut loudly.

Ponyboy winced at the sound, but headed towards the kitchen. He was greeted with the sight of Darry sitting down at the table, his elbows on the table as he slowly massaged his forehead.

"Darry?" Pony said in a very quiet and feeble tone; he suddenly felt shy.

Darry's head instantly snapped up to see his youngest brother up. Exhausted blue-green eyes met frightened green-gray eyes. "How much of that did you hear, Pone?" asked the eldest Curtis brother.

"A lot," replied Ponyboy truthfully. Abruptly, his lower lip quivered and wobbled as tears started to burn his eyes. "Darry, I'm scared." He wasn't quite sure what he was scared about. Steve? Soda? Or was it the situation he was in with this Soc?

The brunet sighed and his look softened as he heard Pony choke back a sob. He held out his muscled arms, which Ponyboy happily leaped into and embraced him. The almost red head sobbed into Darry's shoulder and said, "I want Soda back."

But Soda was gone.


Punch. Hit. Kick. And repeat.

Dally spit out some blood from his mouth, wiping it from his face with one of his hands.

It wasn't his blood.

The tow-headed greaser looked at his victim, who was pummeled to the ground and bleeding profusely. It was a Soc – just a random, lonely Soc he found that he used to vent his anger and frustration onto. He had just about pulverized him already, but he still felt the need for another round.

As he started to attack the Soc once more, a sudden and familiar voice called out, "Dally! Dally, stop!" The blonde haired man scowled – no one told Dallas Winston what to do – and turned around to see who wanted to be beaten now.

It was Two-Bit. The rusty-haired man was running up to him, frantically waving his hands in the air. He reached him and immediately said, "Dal, you're gonna kill him. And Pony ain't gonna be too happy if you get caught and end up in the cooler. How about we go get drinks at Buck's instead?"

Dally bristled a bit, but he cooled down at the suggestion of Buck's. "Fine, let's go. I was just about done with this Soc, anyways." He kicked the unconscious Soc in the stomach again before he turned around and started walking off with Two-Bit.

"So where've you been all this time, man? You just got up and left like Steve – assholes, the both of you," growled Dally, who obviously didn't appreciate one of his buddies leaving at a time like that.

Two-Bit winced, regretting his actions. "Sorry, Dally, but the tension was just too much for me, man. I can't handle it. Have you seen me serious? It's pretty damn scary."

Dally nodded slowly, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Whatever, but if you pull a stunt like that ever again, I'm gonna whop your ass. You just don't fuckin' leave like that; our gang should all be there at a time like this."

Two-Bit raised a challenging eyebrow. "But what about you, Dal? Where are the others?"

The blue-eyed man glowered at his buddy angrily. "Shut the hell up," he grumbled, glaring down at the ground as if it was the sidewalk's fault.

". . . So you're yellin' at me about leavin' when you did, too?" asked Two-Bit, standing a bit farther away from Dally as a safety precaution. If the blonde became angry enough to hit him, then he could escape with less scrapes.

"I told you to shut the hell up! You don't know what happened after you left! Steve came back blue and black all over for gettin' in some fight that he won't tell us about, and then you know what happens? The fuckin' psychopathic Soc that was touchin' Pony called him, told him he wants to see him again, and said to tell me and his brothers 'hello.' What the fuck? Who the hell does that?"

The color in Two-Bit's face was instantly drained. "What?" he shouted angrily and kicked a nearby trashcan in rage. He swore colorfully and yelled out, "Bullshit! This is bullshit!"

"That's what I said! Now come the fuck on, let's go to Buck's already."

With that said, the duo continued to stomp the rest of the way to Buck's, each of them muttering angry curses or grumbling about good-for-nothing Socs. When they arrived to Buck's, they immediately went to the bar and began the start of many, many alcoholic beverages.

"A-And ya know w-what's the f-f-funniest part of all of this?" Two-Bit asked unsteadily, holding a beer carelessly in one hand. He moved said hand and the alcohol sloshed out of the cup and onto his Mickey Mouse shirt, but the facetious man didn't notice.

"W-What?" Dally asked just as unsteadily, but he smartly left his beer alone on the table.

"Nothin'!" Two-Bit roared with laughter and patted himself on the back for coming up with something so brilliant. He spilled the beer around even more, but he still didn't care. Then, he made way to stand up, but he fell flat on his face. Dally laughed at him meanly.

They, in an attempt to cope with this condition, drank themselves into oblivion.