"So how old are you Liberty?" Hale asked as River walked off to find out when the boat was coming.
"I'm 14."
"Only 14?" Hale sighed
"How old are you?" I asked slightly insulted
Hale laughed silently and then nodded his head. "I'm 15."
"How old is River?" I asked curiously
"He's 15 too."
"Your twins?" I asked
"Hell no. We ain't even brothers, Liberty." Hale laughed
"Really? You look like each other is all."
"Yeah. A lot of people think that."
"Yeah." I sighed
"So where are we headed then?" I asked
"Wherever the boats going." Hale laughed
I nodded and laughed weakly. I was still worried that the guys would be out looking for me, I knew they would be and it was the only thing that I could think about. I sat tapping my feet nervously as we waited on River. Hale was sitting coolly, his feet on a barrel of water, one arm behind his head and the other just at his hip; in his hand was a crumpled up map and a cigarette. River had just stopped talking to a guy and was walking over to us.
"The boat will be here in just less than a half hour." River said grabbing the cigarette out of Hale's hand and standing on it.
"Thanks for that pal, I mean I wasn't finished it yet but thanks anyway" Hale said sarcastically
I laughed quietly but kept my head down. I would've kept my head down too had River not held his hand out to me. I just looked at it for a second, like I'd done the first time but then I took it and we walked away leaving Hale to have another cigarette.
"I meant what I said before Liberty, I think you should go back." River said as we walked along.
"No. I'm not going back; I wanna stay with you and Hale."
"You don't want to be like us Liberty; you don't realize how lucky you are." River sighed
"I'm not lucky River" I snapped almost angrily
"Yes. You are. You have a home and people who care about you. We don't have that."
"Yeah? Well how about freedom? I don't have that, I'd much rather be free than be stuck in a place where everyone treats me like a little baby."
"I don't think you realise what a few years on the streets can do to you. I mean if I could go home then I would. But I can't, so I want you to go. Look, I know I don't know you very well but I don't want your family to have to go through the pain of losing you Liberty."
"What family? I don't have no family. My mom. She's dead. My dad. Well he's a lazy drunk. And Dallas. Well, well Dallas, he's I guess that he's, well…I dunno but he certainly don't act like my brother. He's too scared to even say that he loves me!"
"That doesn't mean he doesn't love you though! Look if you don't go back then I'll drag you back there myself if that's what I have to do!" River snapped
I jumped at this; it was the first time that I'd seen that look in his eyes. It was so powerful and threatening yet it just made me think more of him.
"I guess that you're right, I should really go back."
River smiled and then I grinned and turned around.
"But that don't mean that I'm gonna do it." I shouted as I ran off in the other direction away from River. I ran past Hale who was now asleep and then back up the hill away from the dock. I could hear River running after me but I wasn't going to turn around, if he was there then he'd definitely catch me, if I didn't think he was there then I'd run a lot faster. That's how I am.
I had gotten away from the dock by now and I knew River wouldn't have bothered to come after me, I was at last able to get away, by myself, and no one was gonna stop me.
"Ponyboy?"
"Liberty, you're alright? We was all so worried about ya. You know Dal's mad don't ya? You sure scared us all you know that?"
"Slow down. Yes. Yes. And yes and Ok I'm sorry."
Ponyboy smiled weakly and then grabbed my hand and started to pull me back in the direction of the apartment.
"Where are we going?" I asked
"Back to your aunt's we're gonna get your stuff and go back to Tulsa"
"No Ponyboy. I'm not going back!"
"Why not? Why? Why don't you want to come back?"
"Cos I wanna stay in New York, I ain't going back to Tulsa Ponyboy."
"But I want you to. I need you to come back."
"No you don't, you don't need me Pony, you got the guys, I'm not part of the gang, I'm staying here in New York."
"For good?"
"I don't know Ponyboy, I don't know what to think at the minute, I met these two guys and I was gonna go with them, get away for a bit, but then they weren't all I first thought they were so I went off to go at it alone and then you came along and now I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Fine then, if that's what you want then we'll go back to your aunts, you can't stay out on the streets on your own. Not here."
"Well…Okay then, but I'm not gonna go back to Tulsa, so don't try and persuade me or anything like that…Gee this last hour has gone really fast. How come all of you are here any how?"
"Well we were arguing about it cos I wanted to go and Darry was saying I couldn't, and then Johnny wanted to go too but Dal was trying to say that he thought he should go alone and then Two-bit had the bright idea of us all coming so here we are."
"Wow, Two-bit was right for once huh?"
"Yeah, for once in his life."
We spent the rest of the journey back to the apartment in silence, I didn't know what to say to him, I guess we didn't really need to talk, too much had happened over the past, well… over night, I guess. When we arrived back at the apartment there was so much arguing and crying, it was almost like a scene out of a movie or a book or something, I don't know cos I don't really dig books all that much, but if I read a book then I'd like something good to happen in it. Ponyboy likes books and movies, especially since the accident with his parents. All three of them have coped so well, I mean only 8 months ago both their parents were alive. And well now there not. I don't think I'll ever, and I mean ever forget the day I found out they'd been killed.
It was a normal April day. Dal was in the cooler and the rest of us were at school, well I'm not to sure if Two-bit was at school but he was around, but really nothing unusual was happening. Well anyway, it was the last day in the term and we were all relieved to be breaking up. Well we were all walking home from school, when we saw that the road was blocked off and that there was a crowd of people trying to see what had happened. We had to go that way to get back home so we went over to see if they would let us through. As we were walking through the crowd, people were looking at us sympathetically, well not at us, at Darry, Pony and Soda, we just thought that they maybe thought they were other people, it didn't even go through my head that there parents were part of this commotion. Well anyway we went over to the guy to ask if we could go through. At first he refused but then another cop whispered something to him and he let us through quickly.
"I wonder what that was about." Ponyboy whispered to me as we walked on towards the scene.
As soon as we turned the corner Darry ran over to Ponyboy and took him back in the other direction. I knew straight away there had to be something wrong, Darry's face had tear marks down it, and I could hear Soda shouting something. I ran over and saw what he was shouting at and then slapped my hands to my face. Soda was on the floor in tears, Steve was by his side trying desperately to comfort him, Johnny's breathing was rapid and his mouth was hanging about a foot from his jaw, Two-bit was almost in tears and I was just gob smacked. In front of us was the Curtis car crushed on the railway lines. You see there's a crossing near us, where the train goes over, and they'd been driving across when the train came and well I think you get it, but it was just so sad.
At the funeral, boy that was one sad funeral, Dal got out a few days after it happened and we all went, I'd been to a funeral before, but never one that was so sad, I mean I didn't cry but I would've, its just I don't do crying. I sound all heartless, but I've always been like that, I think the last time I cried was when I was about 5. Well after the funeral things totally changed. Darry got to look after Soda and Pony, but he couldn't go to college, if he'd done that then Pony and Soda would've been thrown into a boy's home, and Darry would never do that.
I was thinking about this as I watched everyone shout at each other. Faith was crying still. Ponyboy was trying to be nice and comfort her but Dally was giving him a look that told him to stop it before he killed him for betraying him.
I stood up and walked into the bedroom leaving the door open as Darry had kicked it off the hinges. I sat on the bed and then went to play with my ring; I always do it, when I'm bored, sad, angry, well you get the jist yeah, I was pretty peeved when I remembered it was gone, I thought, well since they were here now, I could have it back so I went to get it.
"Can I have my ring back?" I asked
No answer.
"Can I have my ring back please?" I asked again this time a little louder
Still no answer.
"CAN I HAVE MY RING BACK PLEASE?" I shouted over the other shouting.
Dallas looked at me and then took the ring out of his pocket and passed to me.
"Thank you." I said as I put it back on my finger and then went back into the bedroom.
The arguing stopped after a while, and Faith came in and went to bed, the guys just sat in the dining room talking with Marie and Louis, and Marco and Eddie. I wasn't tired so I didn't go to sleep. I just sat listening to what they were saying.
Dallas's POV
We talked over where Liberty was gonna stay for ages. Louis had fixed the door but I knew that she would be listening to what we were saying. We discussed well stuff, and then I went in to tell her what was gonna happen. When I entered the room, she had her knees to her chest and her head was in her hands. I walked over not knowing what to do so I just shook her lightly until she woke up.
"Hey." I said coolly
She looked at me and then nodded. "Hey"
"Err we talked over what's happening, and Marie and Louis said you can stay here with them."
"Really, and you don't mind?"
"Well I don't have much choice, I can drag you back to Tulsa, but I know you'll just leave again, so I'll let you stay, but you can come back whenever you wanna."
Liberty nodded and then grinned.
So it's settled Liberty is gonna stay in New York for then next 6 months and then come back to Tulsa.
Liberty's POV
I can't actually believe that I'm not going back to Tulsa, well not for another 6 months anyway. I'm gonna miss it but I think that staying in New York will do me good.
I got a bit upset the day they left, I was in my bedroom and I was actually crying, well if you call it that, I mean a few tears don't really count, well Dal walked in and I quickly rubbed my eyes, he didn't say anything, but I am so glad it was only Dallas and not anyone else, I don't really care if Dallas sees me crying, he's seen me cry before anyway. Well we went to the station and they left, simple as that, although I did make Pony and Johnny promise to come to the station when Dal picks me up in six months, Darry said Pony could, even if he did miss school. I was pretty surprised but after all it is almost Christmas so I guess he was in a really good mood. Well that's pretty much all I have to say right now.
