(A/N: Okay guys, this is it. I didn't actually plan on making this the last chapter of the story but, I really didn't have anything else to write. I hope you guys like it. It made me tear up a bit because it reminded me of a funeral I went to for my friend who died at 15, and because it's the end of the story and it's like Rae is a part of me now. This is by far the best piece of work I have ever done and I'm very proud of it. Thank you, everyone, who's read and stayed with it from the beginning. Anna, and Jay especially. And thank you to all my new reviewers. You all mean a lot to me and have really kept my writing it. As for sequels, I plan on writing a few one-shots, most likely. One of my reviewers actually gave me a good idea. Thank you all! ^^)

Chapter 37

A week later, Rae found herself sitting in the Court House on the Soc side of town. She was stuck in a dress Two-Bit's mother, who insisted on her calling her 'mom', had taken her out to get it so she would have something to wear for the hearings and the funeral.

"Is it true that you drink, Mr. Winston?" their attorney asked.

"Yes, sir," he answered. "But I would never hurt my little girl. She and Dallas were all I had left when my wife died." Rae's face grew red with anger. Her fists clenched without her realizing. Curly, who had been let out a week early for Dally's funeral sat next to her. He noticed her fists and her face. He reached over and took her broken hand in his.

"Calm down or you'll re-break it," he whispered. "I'm sure they'll put him away." She sighed and nodded. Her face and hands relaxed.

"I call to the stand Raelee Winston." She sucked in a breath and stood up. Once she was beyond the first row of people, her lawyer escorted her to the stand. A police officer came up with a black bible. Once he swore her in, the interrogation started.

"What happened to you on that cold night at the end of September?" she was asked. Rae relived the night through her words.

"I was running away that night," she started, her eyes going cloudy, remembering.

"Running away? Why?"

"My father used to abuse Dally and I when we were home and he was drunk. Ever since we were little kids. I had to leave. His beatings were getting worse as I grew older. Dally learned to stay away as much as he could. But, being a high school student it was hard for me. My sources are more limited than his."

"I understand," the man said. "Continue."

"Well, I was standing outside of our house. I was about to leave when I heard my father come out of the house." She grimaced. She felt his hand on her shoulder; his fingernails digging into her skin. She shivered. "He was drinking a beer. When I wouldn't come back inside so he could beat me, he came after me. He threw his beer glass on the ground and it shattered. He tore the backpack off my back and tossed it away. I tried to go get it. It had my switchblade in it." She paused for a few moments. "Then, he threw me to the ground. I tried to fight him off but he hit me in the head. Everything was fuzzy for a long time but I remember being really cold and my abdomen was hurting really bad. When I woke up, I was naked. Dally was there, supporting me, and Darry was there too."

"Dallas Winston and Darrel Curtis?"

"Yes, that's right," Rae said, nodded. Her lawyer sat down and her father's stood up.

"Did you get tested?"

"No, I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I wanted to stay with my brother and my friends. I was scared I'd be taken away if I told anyone. Except my friends. They all knew." After more questions, they called Darry up to testify that he had indeed been there and what he had seen. When they were done with him, they called up a doctor who had examined Rae earlier in the week. He testified that her hymen had been torn previously and no evidence of her having sex with anyone recently. Not long later, when the jury had come to a decision, Rae had started sweating. She grabbed on to Curly's hand and held it tightly. Steve, who was on her other side, took her other hand. She felt her stomach start to turn, nervously.

"We find the defendant, Jason Allen Winston, guilty of that charges against him. His sentence will be made and carried out at a later date," one of the men said. The judge then started talking.

"Custody of Raelee Angela Winston will be given to Marsha Matthews." Before Rae could even heave a sigh of relief, she felt a ton of boys basically pile on top of her. They were all hugging her. When they released her, she found Curly in the crowd of friends and kissed him, hard. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Alright guys," Mrs. Matthew's said, breaking them all up. "We have to get out of here before they kick of out." They all agreed and said their goodbyes.

"See you tomorrow, Rae," Curly said, hugging her.

"Wear something night, huh? For my sake, at least." Rae's smile had long disappeared when she thought about the next day. She was dreading it.

"Of course," he said and went to go find his brother.

The next day, it rained. It seemed rather ironic. There was a tent put out over the grave site and Dally and Johnny were to be buried. Rae got out of her car and was misted by the rain before she reached the tent. She, Curly, and the Matthews were the first to arrive. The others arrived shortly after. There weren't many people there. The usual gang had showed up, of course. The Shepard brothers and some of their outfit. Buck and Carrie. Even Dally's high school buddy Eric and a red-headed Soc named Cherry was there. She didn't even know Dally had any Soc friends. Rae walked up to her brother's casket and laid a rose on top of it.

"Dally," she started. "I know you can hear me. Please watch over me and all of our friends." She sighed. "I'll miss you." She started down at the dark wood of the casket, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I promise I'll made you proud of me. I promise I'll come visit you a lot." The tears started falling down her cheeks. "I love you, big brother." Before long, she felt someone grab her hand. She could tell it was Curly without even looking up.

"I'm sorry, Rae, but it's time," he said, softly. She felt like crying harder. It was so difficult to leave. She loved her brother with all her heart. She knew she had to do it but…

"It's alright, Rae," Ponyboy said, behind her. She turned slightly to see all of her friends standing together. "We're all here for you." She smiled at them and burst out into sobs.

"Thank you," she cried. "Thank you guys so much. You mean so much to me." A few seconds later, she wiped her eye and smiled again. "Let's go." As soon as they walked out of the tent that was protecting them from the rain, the wind blew it all away. All of the sudden, the sun was shining bright.

***

Three years later, Rae walked into the cemetery where Dally and Johnny were buried next to each other. Her red-brown hair was longer, and curled slightly at the bottom. It was clean. Not a drop of grease was in it, just as he had worn. She was still wearing the same old thing. A pair of jeans, a short-sleeved shirt, and of course her jean jacket. There were grass stains on it and a slight bruise forming on her cheek. She smiled when she reached her brother's grave. Of course, she had been here many times but this time it was different.

"Hey, Dally. Sorry for the appearance. We just had a rumble yesterday," she said, setting down some roses on his grave. "I know, I know. You don't like roses but that's all I could get." She stared down at the stone. Here lies Dallas Winston…Devoted brother and friend. Her eyes clouded over for a moment, but returned to normal in no time. She had never really gotten over his death. "I have something amazing to tell you, Dally," Rae said, smiling again. "Well, more than one thing, I guess. Remember how I told you I was taking a year off after graduation so I could build up some money for college? Well, that year is over now and I got in!" She squealed in excitement. "Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Curly, and I are all going to the University of Oklahoma. Yeah, Two-Bit finally graduate high school. Amazing, isn't it?" She looked up at the sun for a moment, then back down. "And," she continued, holding out her left hand to the gravestone. There was a ring with a small rock sitting on it. "Curly proposed! He doesn't want to get married for another year at least, though."

Rae paused, her smile fading. "You know what I want to do with my life, Dally? I want to become a psychiatrist. I want to help kids who have lost someone close to them." She dropped to her knees. "But, I'm scared. How can I face someone else's problems when I can't even get over your death?" She looked down at the grass. "It's never been the same without you. I still have those nightmares I had after you first died. And what will happen to everyone else when I leave? I miss you Dally…" She looked back at the stone. "Don't look at me like that. I'll still come visit as often as I can." Rae stood up. "Oh, Cherry Valance told me to tell you 'hi' for her. She's back in town for her spring break but isn't able to make it out here." She looked back and saw Two-Bit's beat up car pull up just outside the cemetery.

"Well," she said, turned back. "Two-Bit's waiting for me, so I gotta get going. Keep watching over us. We miss you." She smiled again. "I hope I'm making you proud, big brother. I love you." With that, she went off to meet her friend.

"Ready?" he asked as Rae got in and closed to door. She nodded with another smile of her face.

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "Let's go."