The school, although never seemed intimidating before, petrified him. It loomed over Ponyboy like a big bully, sending cold sweat down his spine and temples. He slipped his clammy hands into his jean pockets as students walked by him, some shoving their shoulders into his own, but he paid no attention to them. He was used to being treated like that by now. The loud environment around him became muffled as the individual sounds of his own body—heartbeats and the swallowing of his saliva down his throat—became more than prominent. It was almost too overbearing for him.

He didn't want to go inside the school. Archer was inside of there. Although Ponyboy used to love going to an extent, he dreaded going back because of the Soc. He was ashamed of himself; almost disgusted. The one person that he had trusted the most about his sexuality was repulsed by him and that really damaged him. Even though he shouldn't be ashamed of being homosexual, he couldn't help but have a little part of him question himself. Was being gay all that bad? Should he also be disgusted with himself? Was there something wrong with him? But, on top of all of that, he was embarrassed beyond belief. He was so embarrassed that it practically traumatized him, gluing him to his spot. Painful memories of all of the Socs making fun of him returned. He didn't want that to happen to him again.

"Are you going to be okay?" Johnny asked from beside him, looking at his friend sympathetically. It couldn't be easy returning after what happened. He couldn't imagine what was going on in his best friend's mind.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine," Ponyboy replied, voice breathy and almost inaudible. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to disguise himself, lowering his face towards the ground. He let out a shuttering sigh. "Let's get this over with."

The two of them started to make their way inside of the school. Ponyboy took slow steps forward, feet heavy as if he were treading through a pool of water. The amount of stress that he was having at that moment almost caused his knees to give out as he made his way to his locker. Once he was there, he practically shoved his head inside of it in an attempt to hide from the people that were around him. It seemed to work because nobody noticed him.

Man, he wanted to smoke, but the school didn't allow it indoors. He was going to have to wait for the next break period but that was hours away. He just had to deal with the stress and anxiety by himself for now.

Behind him, Ponyboy heard Archer's booming voice and his heart clenched painfully. His stomach dropped. He wished that he wouldn't have to encounter him that day, but it seemed like the odds were against his favor that morning. He pushed his head inside the locker more, grabbing ahold of the edges of it.

'Please, don't see me,' he pleaded to himself. 'Please, don't see me!'

Unfortunately, he felt someone stare at his back. He didn't need to turn around in order to know who it was. He prayed that Archer would stop so he could escape to his first class, but he never did. Eventually, Ponyboy gave up at hiding, pulling his head out of his locker and looking over his shoulder. Archer was a few feet behind him with that girl, Barbra, wrapped around his waist. There was another pang in Ponyboy's chest as he subconsciously clenched the edge of his locker so tightly that his fingers started to turn white.

Seriously? Ponyboy gnawed at his bottom lip. He couldn't believe it. It had only been a day since he was rejected, and Archer had already replaced him like he meant nothing. He had thought that a little bit of Archer had liked him even if it wasn't in a romantic way, but he guessed that he truly despised him after all. Was he really that insignificant to him?

The two Socs shouldn't be with each other. At least not yet anyway. Don't get him wrong, Ponyboy wasn't jealous of Barbra. Well, he was in a way but that understandable in his situation. He would have felt a hundred times more jealous, but he just felt hurt instead.

The two of them held eye contact and, for a moment, Ponyboy thought he saw remorse and longing in them. But that couldn't be right. Pony tried his best to keep a straight face that was void of any emotion, but he knew that it was probably unsuccessful since Johnny tugged at his sleeve.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Ponyboy dragged his attention to his friend, nodding his head. He had to stop hanging onto Archer like this. It was only going to continue hurting him. What he needed was to get tough. He needed to repress his emotions and build up walls. Nobody could be trusted but his closest friends. Trusting people and exposing himself only resulted in him being stabbed in the back. He couldn't continue being vulnerable. But shoving all of his emotions into a small jar within him was harder than how it sounded.

'Block it out,' Ponyboy chanted in his head as he closed the locker door. He nearly jumped when a greaser that was covered in tattoos was standing on the other side of it, staring at him with an offsetting grin. Something about him gave Ponyboy an uneasy feeling. His gut was telling him to not trust this guy for whatever reason he was there.

"Hey, there," the tattooed greaser greeted. "It's great to see you again."

Johnny scrunched up his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. "Do you know him?" he asked, but Ponyboy shook his head. He had never seen this guy in his life. He would have remembered someone that had so many tattoos as he had.

"I've never met him," Ponyboy replied.

The tattooed greaser rolled his eyes. "You don't remember me?" he questioned. "After everything that we've been through together on the roof?"

The roof… He knew about his time on the roof with Curly and his friends.

At that moment a fuzzy image of a tattooed teenager flashed in his head. The hazy, creepy smile of the figure sent chills down Ponyboy's spine. He knew this guy.

"Right… You're, um…" Ponyboy couldn't place the guy's name. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Gary," the guy finished. That name definitely sounded familiar.

"Gary…" Ponyboy repeated. "What do you need?"

"It's not what I need. It's what you need."

Ponyboy looked at him strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

Gary stepped forward and alarms blared. Instinctively, Ponyboy stepped backward, but the other greaser continued walking towards him. It wasn't long until he bumped straight into Johnny, causing the other boy to let out a startled breath.

"Oh, sorry, Johnny," Ponyboy tried to apologize, giving his friend a thin smile. However, when he looked back forward, Gary was right in front of him, only a few inches away. The younger boy froze in his place, keeping the best blank face that he could to not seem like he was nervous. Gary leaned forward. His breath smelled strongly like tobacco.

"You look like you need something to help you become numb," Gary whispered into his ear. Ponyboy's eyes widened. How could he know that? He was literally just thinking about it. "Do you want more drugs? I can get more for you. You look like you want it."

Ponyboy really did. His fingers twitched against his thighs. "I—" he managed to get out, unable to form a sentence.

"All you have to do is come with me. I'll take you to a place where you could forget everything."

It was a sketchy offer. It had a thousand red flags on it. However, he still felt Archer's eyes on him, and he still struggled to push everything down. He just wanted to become numb of all of his emotions. It was tempting, but he knew that he shouldn't go along with him. What should he do?

o-o-o

Archer had his eyes glued on Ponyboy the moment that he noticed him. He couldn't take his eyes off of him. This was especially so when he saw a tattooed greaser get too close to him. The tattooed greaser leaned forward and whispered into Pony's ears, and from where he stood, he saw his old, fake boyfriend shiver. Anger bubbled inside of Archer as he clenched his teeth.

What a faker. He thought—no, he knew—that Ponyboy liked him, but here he was with another guy. It didn't sit right with him. That guy shouldn't be with Ponyboy.

What did that creep have that he didn't? Sure, he looked tuff with those tattoos and being really toned and all. He looked intimidating in a way that warned people that he would slit their throat if they rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't think that Ponyboy would be into mischiefs like him. Just seeing them together made him furious. He just wanted to separate them.

When he saw the tattooed greaser creep his hand on Ponyboy's upper arm, he lost it.

Before he had time to process what he was doing, Archer pushed away Barbara who let out a shocked yelp. Everything blurred around him as all he saw was Ponyboy and that tattooed greaser. His vision went red as people hurriedly cleared the way for him, clearly sensing the intimidating aura that was radiating off of him. In seconds he was right next to both of them.

"Get away from him!" he screamed, shoving the tattooed greaser off of Ponyboy. Gary slammed into the lockers before tripping over his own ankle. He crashed onto the tiled floor. Instantly, everybody around them went silent as they all watched the scene that was being made in front of them.

"What the fuck?!" Gary growled after he snapped out of his shocked state. He jumped back onto his feet, glaring knives into the Soc. "Why the hell did you do that?! What's your problem, man?"

Archer let out a low growl. "Don't fucking touch him."

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at Ponyboy who was stiffly standing there, watching the scene unfold. "Why do you care? It's not like you're his boyfriend or anything."

At that sentence, Archer faltered. Gary was right. He wasn't supposed to care about who Ponyboy was with. He wasn't supposed to have any more connections with him. "Well…" he stammered. "That doesn't mean that you can just do that."

"Well, it seemed like Ponyboy was fine with it. In fact, I think he was very interested." Gary smirked when he saw Archer clench his teeth. He was successfully getting under the Soc's skin. "What did you call him? A fag? You hate him, right? You must be in order to call him that. Someone like you has no right to be near him."

"Gary—" Ponyboy started but was cut off.

Archer curled his hands into fists before he raised one in the air. "Screw you!" he bellowed, rage almost completely consuming him.

At that moment, Ponyboy snapped out of it. He stepped in front of Archer before he could punch Gary, pressing his hand firmly onto his chest. "Stop!" he pleaded. "Don't do anything."

"Get out of the way," Archer ordered, but Ponyboy stayed put.

"Please, Archer."

The two stared into each other's eyes until, finally, Archer calmed down. He lowered his fist, taking a step backward.

Gary mockingly chuckled. "Can't even go through with it? You wuss," he challenged.

Something snapped within Archer, and before he knew it, he was lunging at Gary. He brought his fist back, socking the tattooed greaser in the cheek. Gary's head snapped to the side as he stumbled backward a few steps. He huffed, smirking before turning his head back to Archer.

Gary charged at Archer. It all happened so quickly. In one quick moment, Archer was tackled by Gary. His head slammed into the tiled floor, sending bright veins across his vision. A punch impacted with his face, causing him to yell out in pain. His nose throbbed, gushing out blood. Another punch came down at him and through his daze, he managed to move his head away just in time. Gary's fist punched the floor, causing a sickening crack to be heard. The greaser cursed, pulling his fist back and before cradling it.

Taking the opportunity, Archer flipped them over so that he was the one on top. It was like that back and forth between them. They rolled on the ground, trying to get a good hit on the other person. It was like two rabid animals were fighting each other. It looked like they were going to kill each other but for different reasons. Archer because of jealousy and Gary for revenge for being attacked first.

It was getting way too out of hand. Ponyboy had to step in or they probably would end up killing each other. He knew that Gary was most likely going to go that direction when he saw him reach for his back pocket where his switchblade was hiding. Hairs standing on their ends, Ponyboy rushed forward. He hugged Archer, trying to pry him away from the greaser.

"Archer, stop!" he screamed, but it sounded like his own voice was far away. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as everything became a rush. He continued to try to separate the two, but Archer stayed put. "Please, just stop! Don't fight anymore!"

It wasn't working. Archer didn't react to him. Where was the school faculty when he needed them the most?

Eventually and miraculously, he managed to pry Archer off. The Soc struggled, looking like he was about to punch Ponyboy as well, causing the younger boy to flinch. Noticing the reaction, Archer snapped out of it. Taking a long, deep breath, he dropped his fist.

Behind them, Gary stood up again. He glared daggers at Archer who mirrored the expression. "I'm going to skin you alive," he hissed, taking a step forward.

"Gary, no!" Ponyboy exclaimed. "Just stop."

The tattooed greaser pointed angrily at his nose. "Do you not see what he did to my nose? I'm going to kill him. So, get out of my damn way."

Before Gary could take another step forward, Archer pulled Ponyboy up to his feet, grabbing his wrist tightly. He ran, dragging Ponyboy along with him, who let out a surprised gasp. Archer pushed through the crowd that had gathered around the fight, ignoring the jeers. As they were running, Ponyboy remembered that he was supposed to not be around Archer. He struggled against the tight hold, much to the Soc's annoyance.

The skin where Archer was holding felt hot. It made his heart involuntarily flutter but that only reminded him of his heartbreak.

Push it down. He had to push it all down. He needed to suppress everything. Ponyboy put on a straight face, feeling hollow on the inside—so much so that his chest felt freezing cold.

"Let go of me, Archer," Ponyboy commanded monotonously as he was dragged to the bottom of the very familiar staircase that they've hung out under before. Johnny ran up behind him, having followed the pair after the fight. He stared cautiously at Archer. Ponyboy was glad that he was there. Johnny provided him with a lot of comfort. "You can't just do this anymore."

Archer pressed his cracked lips tightly together. "Why not?" he grumbled, still holding onto Ponyboy.

"Because we aren't together."

The Soc finally let go of him, placing his hands on his hips. He staggered, however, when he saw how blank Pony's eyes were, not used to the expression. "Well…" He swallowed thickly. "He shouldn't be acting like that with you."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Touching you and being so close to you." The Soc let out an annoyed growl. "Who is that bastard anyway?"

"Like it matters to you."

"How did you even meet an asshole like him?"

Snorting, Ponyboy leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "How did I even meet an asshole like you, you mean."

Mouth slightly ajar, Archer huffed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're the asshole," Ponyboy challenged. The coldness in his chest was spreading like a spiderweb to his fingertips. They twitched, pressing into his skin. He clenched his jaw. "You know, for what you did… a part of me wishes that I never met you in the first place. My life was pretty great before you entered it."

"Ponyboy…" Archer started but Ponyboy didn't let him finish.

"You once said that you would never let harm come my way, but you're the one who hurt me. You're a big liar and I can't stand liars. So just leave me alone. I can be around who I want to be with."

Archer shook his head defiantly. At that moment, Gary walked under the staircase, glaring. Archer pointing a finger at him. "But I know that being with that greaser is going to hurt you, so listen to me."

Ponyboy scoffed. "Who gives you the right to choose who I'm with? It's not like we're friends or in a relationship or anything."

"But—"

"I don't want to hear it." His eyes were so blank. They used to be so open and full of emotion, but now there was a wall in the way and Archer couldn't see past it. It wasn't right to see him with that expression and he was the one that had caused it. It was his fault that Ponyboy was acting like this; why he was broken and different. He thought that he was making the right choice when he rejected him, but Archer was beginning to see that he was wrong. He made a huge mistake. It was never supposed to be like this. "Leave me alone. I don't want to see you ever again."

Again, Archer shook his head. His heart hurt as his bottom lip wobbled pitifully. "Don't push me away," he pleaded. "We've talked about this. You're not supposed to push me away."

"Well, you weren't supposed to hurt me."

"Ponyboy…" Johnny cut in. Like Archer, he noticed the blank expression on his face. He also noticed how cold Ponyboy was being. This wasn't like him at all. He was a completely different person than he was when he stepped into the school. "Something's wrong. This isn't you."

Ponyboy didn't respond to him. He only shoved his hand into his pockets, turning his attention to Gary who was seething. "Let's go, Gary," he said. "I'm taking you up on the offer right now."

"What offer?" Archer and Johnny asked together, but Ponyboy, again, didn't respond.

The anger that consumed Gary shifted in an instant. He smirked and wrapped an arm around Ponyboy's shoulder, pulling him away from Archer. "I'm glad that you're coming to your senses."

o-o-o

Steve walked into the school that morning after finally finding a parking spot. It didn't take long after entering the facility before Curly walked up to him. Usually, he would have an aloof expression on him, but that morning, he looked serious.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"How's he doing?" he questioned. "Curtis, I mean."

Steve narrowed his eyes suspiciously. If he was asking that, did that mean he knew about Ponyboy drinking? "He's fine. Why?"

"He looked pretty broken the other day, so I let him drink some." So, he did have something to do with it.

"So, you were the one who got him drunk." Steve crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't angry at Curly. He had no reason to be. He was more annoyed if anything. "He couldn't even stand."

Curly nodded. "It got out of control, I know. Especially with the drugs."

Steve's eyes widened at the new information. "Drugs?" he repeated. Ponyboy never said that he did drugs. But why would he?

Again, Curly nodded. "That's why I'm talking to you. This one guy... I didn't know him well, but he was there too. He was being really touchy with Curtis. His name was Gary and he was the one who supplied us with the drugs, to begin with. He goes to school here."

"So, you're saying that he has an interest in the kid?"

"Maybe. I just wanted to warn you about him. He gives me an uneasy feeling."

At that moment, Johnny jogged up to them, looking worried. That's when Steve noticed that Ponyboy wasn't with him. "Johnny, where Ponyboy?" he asked. They were supposed to be together.

Johnny looked nervous. He looked over Steve's shoulder, chewing on his underlip. "He just went off with a guy named Gary."

Instantly, Curly and Steve exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing.

"Shit," Steve cursed.