The final bell rang, meaning the weekend was finally upon the Curtis twins. Bex was gonna meet Ponyboy at the track, as she always did. She walked to her locker to retrieve her biology book as well as her algebra book since she had homework for both of those classes.
Everyone was rushing to get out of there. Bex didn't mind them though. All she wanted was to meet up with Ponyboy so they could get home.
Bex walks outside of the building and starts making her way down to the track. She knew that Pony would be running at this time. That meant she could work on some of her homework while she waited.
She makes it to the track and sees that Pony was in the middle of a lap. Seeing her brother run faster than the others gave her great joy because she knew that he'd make it big one day as an athlete.
She sat down in the stands and set her books and stuff down next to her. The 14 year old greaser girl took out a cigarette that she was stashing and lit it up. Taking a long drag of it, she felt herself relax.
The twins had gotten back their tests for their history. Needless to say, they'd get one hell of a scolding from Darry once he sees them. Bexley had gotten a C on hers while Pony ended up getting a C-.
Their grades had been dropping pretty significantly since Dally and Johnny died. They haven't been able to concentrate on their school work as well as they did before. It wasn't their fault though.
She did a little bit of her homework before it was time for the twins to leave. Pony approached the stands in a jog. "Hey, Bexley!" Ponyboy called, his voice filled with joviality.
"Hey, Pone! You ready to get outta here?" Bexley replied, getting her stuff ready to leave. "Not quite yet. Gotta hit the showers first before going." Pony replied, backing towards the showers. "Alright, don't take forever in there!" Bexley said with a chuckle.
"No promises, Bex. No promises." Pony said with a grin, jogging into the showers. Bexley rolled her eyes at her brother. 'Man, he is a riot.' she thought to herself, lighting up another cancer stick.
He was in there for about 15 minutes before he came back out. "Man, I thought you'd never get out of there." Bex joked. "Hey, gimme a break. I can't help but love the hot water." Pony replied.
"Which explains why Soda, Darry, I are always popsicles in the shower." Bexley said sarcastically. Ponyboy got his sister in a headlock to which she quickly got out of. The twins share a genuine, happy laugh at their own expense.
They start making their way home. Since they were on their own, they kept looking over their shoulders to watch their backs for any Socs. It was now a habit that they carried.
As they were close to home, a feeling of dread grew in the pit of their stomachs. "So… Do I want to know how you did on your history test? It's gotta be better than mine." Ponyboy asked, trying to break the tension. "Eh, not so good. I got a C." Bexley swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Yikes." Pony said, sucking in a sharp breath. "You're telling me. What about you?" Bex asked. "A C-." Ponyboy answered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh man." Bex said, taking a drag of her cigarette, "Darry's gonna pitch a damn fit when he finds out about it." "Oh I know it." Pony said, lighting up a cigarette. They both knew that Darry didn't play around when it came to their schoolwork, especially their grades.
They both prepared themselves for that scolding.
Lucky for them, Darry wasn't home when they got there. However, they knew that he would want to look at their tests the following morning. They were in for a good scolding.
They were trying their best to rebuild their trust, and it was a brittle one. It could easily get knocked down with just a single push. It'd be just as good as rubble.
After their parents died in that car accident, Darry had been the one to take care of his three other siblings. He could've gone to college but he decided to give it up for his kid siblings sake. Most times he acts more like their father than their brother, throwing a heavy weight on their shoulders.
Needless to say, they weren't expecting the worst from Darry. He took one look at their tests and slammed it down onto the dining table. There was a fury in his icy blue eyes.
"You two can't be serious right now! I thought you two studied for this!" Darry yelled. "We did study for it, Darry! It was a hard one!" Ponyboy shouted back. "If you two did study for it, these would've been A's. Studying helps you become smarter!" Darry shouted.
"Darry, we already told you. We did study as hard as we could. Pony and I hardly get any sleep." Bexley argued back. "Sleep makes your brain work, you two need more of it!" Darry bellowed, his eyes narrowing and his voice getting more angrier.
Bex got frustrated and she sprung up from her chair, almost knocking it over. Pony was just as agitated about this as much as his sister. They were already dealing with stress to the point of them pulling their hair out.
"Darry, those are two different things! Why the hell can't you give Pony and I a break for once?" Bex yelled, turning around to face her pissed off brother. "Don't get mouthy with me, Bex. You know why. If you two didn't slack off by watching those movies and reading books, maybe you'd get somewhere." Darry replied.
"Those are the things that keeps us from going insane!" Ponyboy shouted for the both of them. There had to be some sort of outlet that they could hold on to. Becoming an adult was now a dreadful thought.
"Study more and play later. You two need to have priorities." Darry said, standing up from his dining chair. "Wait, so our wellbeing and health doesn't mean anything to you?!" Bex shouted, "God, this is so messed up!"
"School should be at the top. Both of you are fine. Don't make it up as an excuse." Darry said, not kidding when he said that. "You can't be serious, Darry! We can only take so much before our heads explode! Why do you gotta be so strict with us? We can only take so much!" Bex shouted, a rim of tears in her eyes from how frustrated she was feeling.
"Well, get an A and I'll think about giving you a break." Darry said. "Darry, we've been getting A's. But you never give us a break! We want to live our lives as normal 14 year olds! God, you're the worst!" Pony snapped, not realizing the consequences of what he said.
In a fit of anger, Darry hits Ponyboy across the face. The hit was so hard that he got knocked into a counter. Bex took a step back in shock and her eyes widened.
'Not again… Not again…' Bex thought to herself, her heart beating a million miles an hour. It didn't take long for Bex to get angry again. "What the hell, Darry?!" she yelled at him, coming towards him.
However, Darry is still heated and he ends up pushing Bex away from him, making her stumble back into the edge of the counter, hitting her ribs in the process. She groaned from the pain and held her ribs, feeling it starting to bruise up.
Then, things got quiet. It was as silent as the last time Darry laid his hands on his kid brother and sister. But the only difference was, it was because someone had witnessed what was going on, it was their social worker. She just happened to walk in when Bex was pushed.
(Bex's POV)
The three of us looked at the social worker, Mrs. North. Fear ran through me when I saw the shocked expression on her face. She saw what Darry did…
"It's not what it looks like, Mrs. North. Darry was just mad. We didn't-" Ponyboy said, trying to explain what happened. "What didn't you do?" Mrs. North said, "Care to explain, Mr. Curtis?" Pony and I looked towards Darry.
"They didn't finish their homework. That's all." Darry said, now sounding nervous. Mrs. North didn't look convinced in the slightest. "Don't fool me, Mr. Curtis. It's clear to me that they're not safe in this household. They need to come with me." Mrs. North said, making my blood run cold.
"Now hold on a minute." Darry interrupted, taking a step forward. All that she did was stare at him coldly. "Look, they must come with me. Since Sodapop is turning eighteen within a month or so, I can't do anything with him." she tells him.
I looked at my brothers with a frightened look in my eyes. Pony had the same look. I walked over to my eldest brother and gripped onto the front of his shirt.
"Darry, please do something. We don't want to go. This is our home." I said, looking at him with a pleading gaze in my eyes. "Go pack your things, you two. Otherwise you two will be at the youth home with nothing but the clothes on your backs." Mrs. North said strictly.
I waited a moment before letting go of Darry. "C'mon, Pony…" I said, tears in my eyes. Ponyboy follows me into our shared bedroom, where Soda was sleeping. "Soda should know what's going on…" Pony said tearfully, a few tears in his eyes.
Ponyboy shook our brother awake by shaking his shoulders. "Hmm? Pony? Bex? What's wrong?" he asked us tiredly yet worried. He saw the looks on our faces, he knew something was up right away.
He sat up straight and looked up at us. "What's the matter? Talk to me guys." Soda said. "It's the social worker, Soda… she's here." Ponyboy said, trying his hardest to not cry.
"She is? What's she doing here?" Soda asked us. "She… She's taking us away." I said with a quiet sob. "What?! She can't do that!" Soda objected, springing out of bed.
Soda ran into the living room, angry at something awful. After a bit, Pony and I had started to pack our stuff in two seperate suitcases. "No! You ain't taking them!" Soda yelled from the living room.
The sound of his voice broke my heart and I felt myself starting to cry, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I collapsed on the bed and hugged my stomach as it churned within me. This couldn't be happening… We can't leave our brothers…
Pony sat down next to me on the bed, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. "This can't be happening… Darry's not abusive. They can't take us from him and Soda." I weeped, leaning into Pony's shoulder. His wet cheek rested atop my head, he was crying also.
Soda then came back into our shared bedroom and he kneeled down in front of us. His eyes were red from crying also. He didn't hesitate to bring both Pony and I into a comforting hug, possibly our last hug we'd have with him.
"You guys are coming back to us, you hear? They ain't keeping you from us." Soda said in our ears. "Soda… we don't wanna leave." Ponyboy sobbed against Soda's shoulder. Soda pulled back from us so he could look at the two of us in the eye.
"I know, baby. But this is only temporary." Soda assured us, but it didn't make me feel better. "We're not leaving!" I objected. "Bex, you have to. Please trust me on this. We'll work something out tomorrow, okay? It'll be hard but I know that we can do it. You two understand?" Soda said, his hand on my cheek and his thumb brushing away the tears from my cheek.
Both Ponyboy and I remembered how we spent five days up in Windrixville. I wondered how long we'd be in the youth home for before it gets settled down. As much as I want to say it'll be alright, I knew deep down that it wouldn't be alright.
"Hey, hey, it's okay, you guys. Don't cry." Soda said, bringing the both of us into his loving and caring arms. "Sorry, we can't help it." Pony says, sobbing into Soda's shoulder, not wanting to let go.
We tearfully got our suitcases packed and we came out into the living room. "Are you two ready to leave?" Mrs. North asks. I shook my head and tried not to cry again; it was hard to stop.
"You two say goodbye to your brothers. Chances are, you two might not see them for a while." Mrs. North said, seemingly unsympathetic to how we were feeling.
We walked up to Soda and Darry, who were both teary-eyed still. "Darry… please don't make us go. We can't leave you guys." Pony sobbed, trying everything he could to keep him and I from leaving. That's when the tears came down on Darry's face.
"I can't, you guys. This is really happening." Darry said. My shoulders started to shake as more tears ran down my face. My eldest brother brought me into an embrace and I sobbed into his shoulder; he rubs my back.
Soon enough, the four of us were in a group hug. "We love you guys so much…" Pony sobbed softly. Both of them were too choked up to actually reciprocate those words, but deep down, Pony and I knew they loved us too.
"I'm sorry but we have to go now." Mrs. North said. We followed the social worker out to her car, Darry and Soda on each side of us. "Can you please give us a couple of minutes to say goodbye?" Soda asked Mrs. North, his voice thick.
She looked at us with an empathetic look before saying, "Two minutes." She then gets in the car. Darry and Soda walk up to Pony and I.
Darry hugged both of us tightly, an arm wrapped around both of us. "Everything's gonna be alright, you guys hear?" He tells us as comfortingly as he could. "Darry, why can't you say something? This isn't fair." I said, anger in my voice.
"I can't, Bex. I've tried reasoning with her. She won't listen to reason. But I promise you two that you're coming back to us. Remember that, okay? Hang onto that for us." Darry replied, rubbing our backs, "Look at me, both of you."
We pulled back to face him. "Take care of each other, whatever should happen, you hear?" Darry tells us. "We understand, Darry." Pony says for the both of us.
He then lets both of us go so we could say goodbye to Soda. I hugged him first in the same way of when we reunited after the church fire in Windrixville, my arms were around his neck. His arms were around my waist.
"I'm gonna miss the hell out of you guys…" Soda said in my ear. My fingers dug into his shirt when he said that. "We're gonna miss you too, Soda…" I cried, burying my face in his shoulder.
After a couple of more seconds, we broke the hug; I never wanted it to end. Ponyboy hugged Soda next, his sobs muffled in his shoulder. "We'll come to see you guys soon, okay?" he says. They soon break the hug after a few seconds.
Afterwards, we get into the backseat of the car. We take one last glance at our older brothers before the car starts and pulls away from the house. I look through the back window and watch as our brothers get smaller and smaller at the curb. Pony takes my hand and holds it tightly.
The whole ride to the youth home, Pony and I were crying our eyes out. As we left the house, I saw Darry and Soda on the ground. They were crying also.
The whole world seemed to crumble around us in a matter of only a few minutes. Darry wasn't abusive in any way. He was only angry; that Pony and I knew. He loves the two of us and we love him despite the hurt we feel after he hits us.
Neither one of us care about that though. We didn't care that he hit us. All we wanted was to go back home.
Mrs. North stared at the road. Pony and I silently debated whether or not that we'd jump out of the car however, the child locks on the doors prevented us from getting out. Last thing we needed was a broken bone or a severe concussion if we jumped out.
"Ponyboy, Bexley, you two are gonna love it at the youth home. We have a pool, a tennis court. You two can make a lot of friends there with kids your own ages. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Mrs. North said, making me feel sick with her sickly nice attitude.
"No, it doesn't." Pony spat. "We don't want to go to the youth home. We want to go to our home! Darry doesn't mean to hit us. Take us home, please…" I begged. "Look, it takes some getting used to. Kids tend to have a hard time adjusting when they're taken from their homes. You two will grow accustomed to it." Mrs. North said, making my stomach knot up.
"There's no way that we'll like it." I said, shaking my head as more tears ran down our face, "Are you gonna separate us?" I was referring to Pony and myself.
"There is a section for boys and another for girls. Since you two are fourteen, you two would have to sleep separately." Mrs. North answered. Ponyboy and I exchanged glances of shock. We've been sharing the same room with Soda since our parents died; we were used to it.
"Please, we want our brothers! We want to go home!" Pony yelled, still crying his eyes out. "You two know that I cannot do that." Mrs. North said, the tone in her voice showing that the argument was final. I leaned back against the seat and bit my lip so hard that I ended up biting through the skin.
Ponyboy squeezed onto my hand tightly, but not tight enough to break it. I could easily tell that he was stressed out just from how he's squeezing it. And the fact that we had to stay in separate rooms didn't help at all in this situation; Darry told us to look out for one another.
We pulled up to the youth home, other kids were out in the yard. I already hated it here. "When are we able to see our brothers?" Ponyboy asked. "I'm not sure yet. We will have to wait and see." Mrs. North said.
"What about calling them? Can we do that?" I added, making a last stitch effort of contacting Darry and Soda. "There's no phone calls allowed for anyone under two weeks. Saturday is usually mail-day. And for the next three weeks, you two won't be required to do any work. We have our school which is 9-1:30. So that should fit you two perfectly." Mrs. North said.
Ponyboy and I were taken to our rooms. Naturally, I didn't like it one bit. I went into the bathroom that was in the room.
I locked myself inside the bathroom and slid down all the way with my knees pulled up to my chest and hugged them close. Sobs racked through my body and I was shaking badly. I wanted my brothers with me…
Sure, Ponyboy and I would still be able to see each other during the day however, it wouldn't be the same during the night. What if one of us had a nightmare? There'd be no one here to comfort us through it.
(Soda's POV)
Darry and I went inside after about an hour. After seeing our kid brother and kid sister be taken away from us, we realized that there wasn't anything that we could do. My heart was broken in two and my emotions were running high.
I sunk into our bed, hugging my pillow to my chest tightly as I cried. Darry sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. This had to be a dream, it had to be.
Darry had told me that he had hit them again. How could he do that again? Even though he felt very bad for doing such a stupid thing, we both knew that he had to live on so that he could take care of me.
I couldn't get the images of Bexley and Ponyboy gripping onto Darry and I out of our heads. It absolutely broke my heart to see them in that state. It was as though Darry had failed our parents, he was supposed to take care of all of us, not let us be taken from him.
We decided to keep the promise of getting them back. We don't know how but we would get them back… somehow. I looked over at my eldest brother, a look of despair on his face.
"Don't worry, Superman. We'll get them back." I said to him. "I know. They will come home to us." he replied, his voice breaking. I grabbed him and pulled him into a hug and heard him sob hard against me. He hugged me back and I started to cry until we couldn't anymore.
(Bex's POV)
I ended up crying myself to sleep that night. I was hoping to wake up in my old room, staring at the familiar light blue sky but it wasn't. Instead it was a blank, white canvas hanging above me.
It didn't take me long to realize just how miserable I was feeling. The only one who'd understand was Ponyboy. Knowing him, he wasn't taking it so well either.
"Bexley? Breakfast will be ready in about five minutes." a woman said, walking into my room. "Have it without me." I spat, making it clear I wasn't in the mood. "Bexley, you need to eat something." she replied.
"I said I'm not hungry." I repeated, "What about my brother? Ponyboy Curtis? Can I see him?" I didn't want food; I just wanted to be with my twin brother right now.
"You can. He's in the courtyard." that woman agreed. 'Thank god for that.' I thought in relief. I got out of my bed, not bothering to clean myself up or anything. "Where is the courtyard?" I asked.
"Down the hall, take a right and through the exit. He should be there." the woman employee said, pointing in the direction she said. I turned and ran down the hallway to the courtyard.
I walked out and looked around for Ponyboy. Not many people were out today. Granted, it was still early in the morning and they were heading in the direction of the cafeteria I assume.
"Ponyboy?" I called, walking around the courtyard, "Where are you?" Before I knew it, I saw him sitting by the wall by himself. His arms were hugging his legs and he was hiding his face in his arms, hiding himself from the world.
I could see that he was trying to make himself smaller. The sight broke my heart. I didn't want to see him like that.
I walked over to him, a look of concern on my face. "Pony?" I say softly, "Are you okay?" He looked up at me, his eyes were red from crying.
"What's wrong, Pone?" I asked, sitting next to him. Without a word, he hugged me tightly with his arms wrapped around me. I hugged my brother back and rested my cheek atop his head.
"I hate it here, Bexley." he simply said, "I want to go home." I couldn't help but sigh shakily when he said this. "I know… I hate it too. It's not fair." I replied, hanging onto my brother.
This was heavy for us to deal with. Neither of us knew what to do. I wanted to go home as much as Pony did.
"What do you think's gonna happen?" Pony asks me. "I don't know. Maybe they'll see that what they're doing is wrong and will let us come back to Darry and Soda." I tell him, trying to think of a solution. But in all honesty, I don't know what was gonna happen to the both of us.
Would we go into foster care? Would we be separated from one another? I couldn't bear to be separated from my last remaining brother; the only one I got left.
That night, that same dreaded nightmare returned. The one of our parents' deaths, then it changed to when Pony was getting drowned in the fountain. I woke up in a cold sweat and felt that I was crying in my sleep.
I was shaking profusely, fear coursed through me. Nor Soda, Darry, or Pony was here to comfort me. I needed them… so much but no one was here.
I couldn't help but start to cry again. Not being with my brothers hurt me in ways that words couldn't express. It hurt so much!
What was Darry and Soda doing to get her and Ponyboy out of there? We needed someone to fight for us. They had to fight for us.
(Darry's POV)
During the week, I was trying to keep myself distracted by doing some housework. The pain of losing Bexley and Ponyboy was still there, it was as if it had just happened. It was still hurting Sodapop and I.
I go to my room and something catches my eye. It was something on the nightstand that I've failed to notice. I went around my bed and picked it up.
What was written on that piece of paper made me tear up badly. It was a letter from both Ponyboy and Bexley. I sat down on the bed and read it.
Dear Darry,
Bexley and I both know how hard this will be on you. To be honest, it's gonna be hard for all four of us. Please get us out of here. We will do our homework and study much harder. Neither one of us wants to leave you and Soda. We want to come home and stay with you guys. You guys are the best brothers that we could've asked for. We'll miss you guys. And we promise to look out for one another.
Love, Ponyboy and Bexley
It was then I realized just how much my kid brother and kid sister really needed us. We had to get them back as soon as possible. I can't imagine just how miserable they both are in that youth home.
I couldn't help but break down into tears for Ponyboy and Bexley. They're too young to be taken away. God, I want to hold both of them in my arms and tell them over and over again how much I love them.
(Soda's POV)
I had just gotten home from hanging out with Steve. Taking my shoes off, I heard Darry call me from his room. He sounded so upset, which alerted me. I ran to his room and saw him in tears, holding a piece of paper in his hands.
"What's wrong, Darry?" I asked. "Go to your room, look on the nightstand." he tells me. "Why?" I asked in confusion. "Do it, Soda." he barked.
His outburst surprised me and I did what he said. I did find a letter sitting on the side table, folded up neatly. I unfolded it and instantly recognized Bexley's handwriting. It was a letter from them.
Dear Soda,
Pony and I are so sorry that this happened. We should've known better than to let our grades slip up. We failed to keep that promise about not fighting anymore with Darry. Guess Ponyboy and I are too different from him. Pony and I love you a lot. And we love Darry too. Words cannot express just how much we're going to miss you. Don't forget about us. Come get us as soon as you can, we need you guys.
Love, Bexley and Ponyboy
Tears fell from my eyes and onto the piece of paper. Just reading this made my heart wrench to the point of it being painful. I had to get them back, I had to…
Heading back to Darry's room, I see just how distraught he really was. I couldn't help but sit down next to him and bring him into a hug. This was killing him much worse than me. We had to think of ways of getting our baby brother and baby sister back.
(Darry's POV)
Later on that night, I was exhausted from working all day. Both Soda and I had doubled our shifts so we'd make enough money to get Pony and Bex back. It was a huge load to handle but what else could we do?
Work was the only thing that kept my mind off of them. Sometimes I'd even forget that they were even gone. I would think they were at school, the lot, or at the Dixie watching a movie.
But I was wrong when I saw our answering machine light up, bringing me out of my thoughts. There was a message that we hadn't listened to yet. Soda was in his room, the door was open.
I pressed the button and started to listen to the message. Out came Bex and Pony's voices, making my heart drop. "Soda! Get in here!" I shouted for Soda, pausing the audio. He quickly did so without a second thought.
"What is it, Darry?" he asked, his voice distressed. "Listen…" I said, pressing the button to hear them speak again.
"Hey guys, it's Ponyboy and Bexley." Ponyboy spoke through the phone. Soda instantly knelt down in front of me with tears in his eyes. We continued to listen.
"We don't know if you guys are at work. But we couldn't go another day without calling you guys. We miss you guys so much. We need to hear your voices again." Bex said, her voice starting to break.
We could hear them crying on the other side. My heart was aching something awful at hearing them cry like that. "Guys, we hate it here. We can't take it anymore. We have one another but we want to come home… We don't eat, we don't sleep. Bex and I are having nightmares." Ponyboy sobbed, his tears making his voice thick.
"We hope you're doing everything you can to get us the hell out of here. Please… We want to come home… We love you guys so much. We gotta go now, they only give us a few minutes to talk. Give Two-Bit and Steve a hello for us. Goodbye…" Bex said, her voice breaking. "Goodbye… We love you…" Pony said before the line went dead.
Soda and I couldn't speak or breathe. Poor kids… they were living much worse than I thought. They were dying there…
*X*
(Soda's POV)
After the message, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I bursted into tears. I buried my head into my knees and sobbed brokenly. My heart was absolutely broken…
They were only fifteen, they didn't deserve this. My baby sister and baby brother were having nightmares, and we couldn't be there to comfort them. Darry had told me to go to bed.
I ended up falling into a fitful sleep after about an hour.
*X*
(Darry's POV)
When it was about 2 in the morning, I heard Sodapop screaming for Bex and Pony in his room. When I ran in there, I saw him looking like he was fighting someone or something in his sleep. He was having a nightmare.
I rushed to the bed and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Soda! Soda, wake up, little buddy! Wake up!" I shout, shaking my brother hard. He awoke with a jerk, "Pony! Bexley, no!"
"Easy, little buddy. You were only dreaming…" I tell him, holding him by his shoulders. He was shaking something awful while tears stained his cheeks. "It was Pony and Bex…" he sobbed, "They were all alone… I wanted to get to them but I couldn't. It was like a forcefield was keeping me from going to them. I miss them so much…" he cried even harder.
I couldn't help but hold him close to me and I let him sob in my shoulder. What has our family done to deserve all of this?
(No One's POV)
By the third week, neither Bex or Pony had heard from Soda and Darry. Even after they called them a few days ago, they still hadn't picked up and called them back. The twins wanted to hear the sounds of their brothers' voices again.
And Pony said that he thought he could hear them calling out to them, but he knew he was just hallucinating. Or was he? Bex believed it also.
During the school days, the twins grew to despise it. No one there would give them the time of day to ask how they were liking this place and stuff like that. The teachers there weren't any better, they were just as detestable.
They were heartbroken when they left that message for their older brothers. They were talking to them but they didn't hear their voices back. They only had each other, no one else in this vast, open world.
(Bexley's POV)
I clutched my knife in my shaky hand, the blade was open. The only thing that was keeping me into reality. It was the only thing I had of my other two brothers.
I feel hot tears run down my face and drug the blade against the skin of my arm. I groaned as warm blood slowly oozed out of the fresh wound and onto the sheets of the bed. Another cut, making me breath in sharply from the immense sting.
When did it become so painful for us that I'm resorting to self-harming? Was it to feel something? I don't know anymore…
What would my brothers think of me when they see these? I don't know. It hurt to think about.
Several cuts were littered on my right arm, covered in fresh blood… a lot of blood. The voices in my own head were telling me to do this, they were telling me bad things. Another cut, making tears fall down my face.
Deep down, I blamed myself for getting Darry so riled up. I blamed myself for Darry hitting her and Pony. I blamed myself for getting myself and Ponyboy taken away from them.
Dizziness started to swim in my head, making every sound fade away. I tried adding another cut but I froze when the door opened. My head turned towards the door and saw a woman standing there, her eyes widened in horror at what I was doing.
I mirrored the same look, as if I was a deer caught in the headlights. "Bexley! What are you doing!?" she screamed at me, quickly snatching my blade from my hand. "Give me that! It's mine!" I shouted hysterically, wanting my knife back, "Give me it!"
"No way in hell you're getting this back!" she yelled, rushing to the bathroom to grab some towels. She rushed back to my room and quickly covered the cuts on my arm to soak up the blood. I could hear her saying something frantically into her walkie-talkie but due to the dizziness, I couldn't make out what she was saying.
Soon enough, I passed out from the blood loss.
When I woke up, the first thing I heard was the sound of a heart monitor beeping next to me. My eyes were aimlessly darting around the room; it was white and cold. My entire body felt sore and I felt tight bandages around my right arm.
"Bexley?" a familiar voice said, making my heart leap out of my chest. That voice… it couldn't be. My head turned to my right and I was left speechless as I saw who the voice belonged to.
"D-Darry? Is that you?" I asked, my voice scratchy. He smiled through his tears, which were flowing down his face. "Yeah, it's me, sissy." he replied.
"Is Soda here?" I asked. "Right here, baby sister." Soda said, coming around the bed, having a huge grin on his face. "What about Ponyboy? He's here too?" I wondered. "Yeah, but he's at home right now. We will call home to tell him that you're okay. He's still freaked out." Darry tells me, making me feel relieved.
"Freaked out? About what?" I asked, confused. My older brothers exchanged the same looks of distraught. "About you… cutting yourself. After he found out, it scared him something fierce. It scared us too." Darry said, choking up.
However, that relief didn't last long. My emotions were running high and I started crying. I couldn't help it.
"Bex? What's the matter?" Darry asked. "I don't know…" I sobbed, not knowing the real answer. I cried even harder, regretting hurting myself. My brothers moved to the bed and they laid on the bed with me.
Darry wrapped his muscular arms around me and he enveloped me in a comforting hug. Soda hugged me from behind so that I was encircled by them. "It's been too long since we saw you guys… We missed you so much… I'm sorry for cutting myself…" I sobbed in Darry's shoulder.
They understood what I was saying and they held me tighter. "It's alright, baby sister. We're here with you. You and Pony both. Nothing is gonna happen to you both." Sodapop said, rubbing my back. More happy tears ran down my face when he said those words to me.
They tried releasing me from the embrace, but I quickly pulled them back towards me. I didn't want them to go anywhere. Never again.
"Bex? What's wrong?" Soda asked. "Don't leave me. Please… I have to know that you guys are here." I sobbed dryly, clinging onto them like they were my lifeline. "Oh Bexley… we're not leaving you or Ponyboy. We won't let you guys go again." Darry assured me, kissing me atop my head.
It amazed me that they were here with me. I loved them so much that it hurt. And it killed me knowing that I went to desperate measures just to get out of that hellhole; I'm gonna have to live with these scars for the rest of my life.
"Are you feeling better?" Sodapop asked me. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine now." I replied, looking down at my bandaged arm. "Are you sure? You don't seem fine." Soda asked, noticing how I'm staring down at my arm.
"Bex, why did you do that to yourself?" Darry asked me. From the tone of his voice, I could easily hear the worry. "I… wanted to feel something. Being away from you guys hurt me in ways I couldn't explain. I didn't want to feel the mental pain anymore. Physical pain felt good to me." I said with regret in my voice.
They had tears in their eyes. I could easily see that it hurt them to hear why I've cut myself. Honestly, it hurt me twice as much for putting them through that pain.
They hugged me again and their sobs racked through their bodies. I dug my fingers into the fabric of Darry's shirt. "I'm… sorry." I sobbed.
We held onto each other for a bit longer before letting go of me. "Are you tired?" Soda asked me, still holding onto my hand. "A little. Stay with me?" I asked, wanting my brothers to stay with me.
Without another word, Soda lay in bed with me and he wrapped his arms around me so that I was laying on his chest. My ear was over his heart, it was steady but hard so I could hear it loud and clear. That alone soothed me enough to sleep.
(Ponyboy's POV)
I waited anxiously for Darry and Soda to call me to let me know about Bexley. Glory, I wanted to see her. I wanted to see her so badly.
I didn't get any news about her condition since our brothers had gotten us out of that damn youth home. When I found out she had cut herself, I felt like I was gonna throw up. Bex wasn't the type of person to be doing such a thing.
She was hurting just as bad as I was and… oh glory, why did she do it? The thought of it made me shake beside myself. The only thing to compose me was a cigarette, which is something the youth home didn't let us have.
While staying there, she seemed so composed. She tried toughing it out unlike me, I hardly ate anything while we were there. She comforted me through the time we were there. I swear she's much stronger than I ever could be.
But I didn't realize just how much she was actually hurting. When she was being taken to the hospital, I wasn't allowed to go with her in the ambulance despite my pleas. Darry and Soda had been told that we could go home with them, which relieved me in a way that I couldn't describe.
Two-Bit stopped by to check in on me, not just because Darry had made him. I had said that I'm still freaked out. He tried to make me feel better by getting me to watch some of those Mickey Mouse cartoons that he likes so much.
My heart wasn't really in it. I think I was too focused on my twin sister. I wanted her to get better.
As for Steve, he couldn't care less about us being home. If anything, he looked irritated since he didn't favor either of us. Neither of us favored him just as much.
Then, the phone rang. I didn't hesitate to answer it. "Darry?" I spoke, a bit more frantic than I intended. "It's me, Pone." Darry spoke through the phone.
"Is Bex okay?" I instantly asked, my heart beating out of my chest. "She's fine. Don't worry." Darry assured me. I sighed in relief.
"How're you holding up, kiddo?" Darry asked. "Worried as hell. But, I think I'm okay now." I replied, feeling more relaxed since Bex would be okay, "Can I talk to her?"
"She's asleep right now. Probably will be for a few hours." Darry informed me. "Okay. Can you call me when you guys are coming home?" I wonder. "Sure thing, kiddo. You just take it easy for now and get some food in you. I'll let Soda know about you." Darry replied before hanging up. I sighed before putting the receiver down.
(Soda's POV)
Bexley was still asleep in my arms, she hadn't moved an inch. It felt so good to have my kid siblings back in Darry and I's life again. However, neither Darry or I had ever expected to reunite with them like this.
Ponyboy looked like he was starting to not eat anything, he was skin and bones. Everytime they asked him to eat, he refused. But after a much needed doctor's visit, the doctor told Darry and I to get him to eat so he can put on those extra pounds.
He just looked so sickly, much thinner than any of us had ever seen from him. He had dark circles under his eyes from his lack of sleep. Ever since going, he had stopped eating; I wonder if Bex had noticed this.
Meanwhile with Bexley, the sight of her had made my heart wrench. She looked just as pale as Ponyboy. I had seen the bandages wrapped around her right arm and knew why they were there.
Ponyboy had been told that Bex cut herself with that blade we gave her. I didn't see her pack it up when they left. He then told Darry and I, it made us both pale.
Hearing this made me feel physically sick, and it was obvious. Darry had sat down with me and calmed me down as best as he could despite him being just as upset. He was trying to play the tough guy role and not show emotion however, he did.
The door to Bex's room broke my thoughts and I looked upwards. It was the doctor. "Can I talk to you two outside?" he asked us.
Darry stood up from the hospital chair. I carefully slipped out of the hospital bed without waking Bex up. I covered her up with the blanket up to her shoulders.
Darry and I followed the doctor out into the hallway. "What's going on, doc?" I asked, hooking my thumbs in my jeans. "We have every reason to believe that Bexley and Ponyboy are going through depression. There are plenty of symptoms that prove this." the doctor tells us.
"Depression?" I wondered. "Yes, that's one of the reasons why Bexley decided to inflict physical harm to herself. And it explains why Ponyboy hadn't been eating. Before you two arrived, Bexley was asking for her brothers so I'm assuming she meant the two of you and Ponyboy Curtis." the doctor inquired. "Is that all?" Darry asked.
"Well, the amount of blood she lost is concerning. I think it's best if she had some donated to her. Not to mention, she hasn't eaten anything hardly for the last week. She has to eat something in order for her to regain her strength." he continued. Then, I jumped forward, "I'll give her some of mine. We have the same blood type."
Darry turned towards me, "Are you sure, Soda?" I put my hand on my eldest brother's shoulder. "I want to do this, Darry. It's for our kid sister." I replied confidently.
"Alright." Darry said. The doctor then takes me to another room. I wanted to do anything I could to help Bexley get better.
*X*
(Darry's POV)
While Sodapop was getting his blood drawn, I went back into Bexley's room. I had tears in my eyes when I saw my kid sister. Both her and Pony were depressed… I didn't want to hear that, but I did anyway. The doctor told Soda to head back home to rest afterwards, but Soda protested. I told him to go back home with Pony and I'd stay here with Bex.
Bexley turned to her side so that she was facing me. I leaned forward and brushed the messy bangs from her face. When I did so, I noticed a few tears streaming down her cheeks.
My first initial thought was, "She's having another nightmare." I reached towards her hand and carefully held it in mine, causing her to whimper. "It's alright, Bex… we're here. We're not leaving you guys again." I assured.
She continued to cry. I got into the bed with her and wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. That helped her calm down right away and she went back to sleep, so did I.
About an hour later, Soda was picked up by Steve after donating some blood since he couldn't drive. They brought the blood in and they gave it to her through an IV. That would certainly help her get better.
I was back in the hospital chair, nearly falling asleep in it, until I heard a fearful whimper come from Bex. "No… don't take us… Darry… Soda…" she mumbled in her sleep. I jumped up and put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to smack at me.
"Darry! Soda! Where are you?" she mumbled, her hand reaching for me and Soda. I shake her hard by her shoulders. "Bex, wake up! You're dreaming. C'mon, honey." I said.
She woke up with a jolt, her entire body jerking violently. Her eyes were wild and big, full of fear; she raised up and used her elbows to hold herself up. "Huh?! What-" she started, trying to catch her breath. "It's alright. You just had a nightmare. Everything's alright now." I tell her softly, making her feel as assured as possible.
She dropped down onto her back and covered her eyes, her breaths heavy and loud. "Are you alright?" I asked in concern. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she said.
"Are you sure?" I wondered, noticing the tone in her voice. "Yes, I am! Now drop it!" she snapped, her eyes filled with an anger that I've never seen before in her. I was taken aback by it.
"Okay, Bexley." I said. She then turned to her side so that she was facing away from me. I was confused by her sudden outburst. Both her and Pony weren't the types to get angry considering they're twins.
It didn't take long for her to start quietly crying, her fingers were digging into the blankets like it was her lifeline. It hurt me to see her like this so I crawled into bed with her and pulled her close to me. She didn't pull away from me, which seemed to be a good sign to me.
I held her close to me as she cried for a reason that I couldn't fathom.
*X*
(Bex's POV)
I couldn't tell Darry what my nightmare was about. I couldn't hate my elder brothers and I don't believe that Ponyboy would hate them either. It's just not like us.
But we were still mad at them. As I cried, I could feel Darry's arms around me. He even told me that Soda had donated some of his blood for me, which he didn't have to do.
The nightmare I had was of Pony and me getting taken away, which I didn't want to relive. Man, I detested being in this hospital; Ponyboy is lucky he doesn't have to stay in this hospital.
I couldn't hold anything down when they gave me. I really wanted to eat however my stomach said otherwise. When I vomited up some soup, Soda grew concerned.
"Soda, I swear I'm not making myself throw up." I tell him, a bit irritated. "It's fine. I know you can't help it." Soda assured, squeezing my shoulder. Hearing that made me calm down a bit, he always knew how to cool Pony and I down.
I glanced down at my arm, an IV was sticking out of it with blood being pumped into me. "Soda?" I say, getting him to look at me. "Yeah?" he replied.
"Why'd you give me some of your blood? You didn't have to do that." I asked, somehow knowing the answer already. "Bex, I did have to. You lost a lot of blood after you… you know. I wanted to make sure that you get better." Soda replied, his voice breaking a little bit. I could see that he was tearing up.
It broke my heart seeing him in this state. "Soda… please don't cry." I tell him softly. "I'm sorry… I can't help it." he said, wiping the tears away from his chocolate brown eyes.
I reached out to him, indicating that I wanted to hug him. He caught this and wrapped me up in one of his world famous embraces. I hugged my brother back, just letting him hug me.
"Please don't ever hurt yourself like this again… Please Bex… none of us can take it…" he said, his voice filled with anguish. Closing my eyes, I hugged him tighter. "I won't… I promise…" I sniffled, "I love you so much…" "I love you too, Bex…" Soda said in my ear, making me feel so guilty for hurting myself like this; I only hurt my brothers.
*X*
About a few days later, I was finally released from the hospital. Ponyboy had even come to see me, he was much thinner than when I last saw him. Needless to say, he was more than relieved to see that I was gonna be okay.
I was scared of having my bandages removed because I didn't want the rest of the gang to see the scars. Surely they'd be in disbelief that I'd ever harm myself.
When I arrived home, it was exactly how I remembered it. I didn't forget every single inch of it. It has been so long since I have seen our house.
"Are you tired, Bex?" Darry asked me, taking my jean jacket off of me. "A little bit. I'm gonna go lay down." I tell him, hugging my scarred arm close to me. "Okay, holler if you need me, okay?" he tells me, wrapping me in an one arm hug.
I then went to our shared bedroom and nearly cried. I missed this room, from the bed to the ceiling. No more would Pony and I have to spend our time staring at those blank walls and ceilings of the youth home. We were finally home.
I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, I looked at my arm and I traced each fresh scar with the tips of my fingers. Just looking at them was painful; I regret ever doing this.
"Care for some company?" Ponyboy asked. I glanced over and saw him standing in the doorway. "Yeah. Wouldn't hurt." I replied, sitting up and covering my arm.
He came over and sat down on the bed with me. He took notice of how I was holding my arm, as if I was guarding it. "Are you okay?" he asked me.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I lied, but he was too smart to believe me. "Liar." he said, taking my hand and rolling up my sleeve. I didn't want him to see and I tried pulling back.
He rolled up my sleeve and stared down at the fresh red scars. "I'm sorry, Pony… I don't want you to see-" I started but he enveloped me in a hug. For a moment, I was surprised but soon calmed down enough to hug him back.
"Don't ever do that again. I thought I would've lost you… just like Johnny and Dally." he said, his voice trembling in my ear. The string of those words hit me hard. I could've died from what I was doing.
I clung to him and started to cry again, feeling extremely guilty again. "Why did you do this?" Ponyboy asked me, pulling back.
I held my scarred arm close to me, my fist clenched up gently. "I wanted to feel something… Being taken away from Darry and Soda was too much for me to handle. For us to handle really. I forgot how to feel anything but the physical pain. Now, I'll never take this back…" I replied, my jaw trembling as I spoke. "But we're home now, Bex. That's all that matters." Pony said, trying to comfort me.
"Yeah… I know. And I'm glad we are. I couldn't stand being in that youth home for any longer. If anything, me hurting myself was my last chance of getting the hell out of there." I sighed, clutching my arm even closer to me, "How'd you… react when you found out about this? Darry said you were scared to death."
He paled and his breaths hitched in his throat. "Pone?" I say in concern. He looked like he didn't want to talk about that.
"I thought you had…" he said, his voice thick with tears. Even though I knew what he was going to say, I wanted to hear him finish. "What?" I asked in concern.
"I thought you killed yourself…" he sobbed, hot tears running down his cheeks. My heart stopped when he said that… "Oh god… I'm… I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to…" I stammered, covering my face with my hand as I cried softly.
Ponyboy leaned forward so that our foreheads touched. "I'm so sorry, Pony… I don't want to hurt you guys ever again. Not like this..." I say, each breath quivering. We hug again, much tighter this time. I didn't want to worry them; we'd be together, no matter what.
Later that night, I fell asleep in between Soda and Ponyboy. It felt so good to sleep in the same bed as them again. I was able to get some sleep without a single nightmare. However, someone else had a nightmare.
(Soda's POV)
Bex and I were woken up by a shrill scream at two in the morning. It was coming from Ponyboy, scaring us both to death. Bex tried waking him up but that only caused him to fight even more.
I grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard, "Wake up, Ponyboy!" "Ponyboy!" Bex screamed in his face. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, nearly running her over.
He was trembling like a leaf and he was covered in sweat. "What's wrong?" I asked, seeing how pale he was. He hadn't had a nightmare this badly in a while.
"Pony?" Bex said, taking him by his shoulders. He takes one look at both of us before dashing off to the bathroom. Bex shoots me an uneasy look before she jumps out of bed to chase Pony. I quickly follow the two of them.
When I get in there, I see that my kid brother is vomiting and gasping for air while Bex was kneeling next to him, rubbing his back. "It's alright, Pony. Take it easy." she spoke in a nurturing voice that she had inherited from mom. She glances at me and behind me.
"What's going on?" Darry asked from behind me. I look back at him for a second before back at my kid siblings. "He had another nightmare, Darry. A bad one." Bex said, still rubbing Ponyboy's back.
I felt my heart wrench when she said that and I walked over to them. I kneeled down next to them and hugged Pony from behind by hugging his waist gently. "Settle down, Ponyboy. You'll make yourself worse." I said, my voice coming back.
Darry went back to get Pony a cup of water. When he came back, Pony pushed himself back from the toilet and leaned against the tub. Bex took a hold of Ponyboy's hand gently and carefully as I still held onto him.
After a few minutes, Pony had stopped trembling and seemed more calmer. "Are you okay, Pone?" Bex asked him, her voice just as calm yet nurturing as before. Pony closed his eyes tightly as if he was trying to block something out and squeezed her hand tenderly.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked him quietly. His entire body violently shivered and he bit his lip, "Guys, it was horrible." He told us that his dream was about all of us dying in the car accident with our parents, leaving him as the only survivor.
This horrified Bex the most, her face had turned completely white. She looked like she was about to be sick as well. She had told me about the nightmares about when her and Pony were taken away, or when our parents, Dally, and Johnny had died.
"Even though we had one another, we were afraid we weren't gonna see you guys again." Ponyboy said, his voice breaking. "Yeah, we'd even forget what you guys look like…" Bex added, choking back tears.
Darry and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a minute. Our kid siblings threw themselves in our arms, hugging the life out of us. We all put our arms around one another.
We were gonna stay together. Nothing could separate us ever again.
(Bex's POV)
The following day, Pony and I went out to The Dingo to get out of the house. Two-Bit decided to join us, which was fine for both of us. I wore my jean jacket in order to keep the cuts on my arm covered; pretty sure that he's already been told about it.
Two-Bit decided to show off his skills in bowling, which he likes to boast about to us at least once a week. I didn't mind it though, it was always entertaining to watch. Plus, it'd do us good to get out of the house and do something to get our minds off our time at the youth home.
Pony and I had gotten a drink from the concession stand along with some popcorn. We found a table that was near the bowling lanes and watched as Two-Bit was getting ready to throw the bowling ball.
"Watch this, you two!" Two-Bit called, throwing us a sideways glance. He ended up getting a strike. "Aw hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Two-Bit yelled excitedly, doing a victory dance which looked ridiculous.
"I bet you anything that we can beat that score of yours." I chuckle, taking a drink of my soda. "Uh-uh, I don't think so, girl." Two-Bit said, wagging his finger at me. "C'mon, we all know that you're gonna get at least two pins." Pony teased.
"I beg to differ." I scoff, playfully shoving him. Time passed and it came around to our final game. Two-Bit was definitely winning, leaving Pony and I in the dust.
Honestly, that was definitely what we needed to get through our depression. But needless to say, that happy moment wouldn't last long. Of course something would have to ruin it.
We went down to the Dairy Queen to get us something to eat before heading back home. Little did we know, a group of Socs had followed us. I finished eating and told Pony and Two-Bit that I was gonna head out for a smoke since I desperately crave for one.
I sat atop the hood of Two-Bit's old car and smoked my cigarette, the familiar taste in my mouth again. When I finished, I tossed the cigarette butt aside and hopped off of the car. Two-Bit and Pony came out not a second later.
The next day at school, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was bothering Pony. He wouldn't tell me what it was though, which was odd. He would always tell Soda and me everything.
The fact something was on his mind was starting to bother me. I wanted to know what it was. I'd have to wait either in between classes or after school.
While I was going to my next class, I saw Pony walking down the hallway. More like stumbling, he looked extremely pale. In an instant, I ran up to him to make sure that he was okay.
"Pony?! What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked him, noticing just how unsteady he was. He looked so sick that he couldn't act like he was fine. "Bex… I'm fine… You don't need to worry..." he groaned, looking as if he was gonna pass out.
I put my hand on his forehead, it was clammy and hot. "Pony, you're burning up. I know for a fact that you're not okay." I said, not falling for his lie. "Bex, I…" he groaned, leaning against me.
"You're sick, Pone." I said, hanging onto him, "C'mon, let's get you to the nurse. They'll call Darry." At this point, he was too weak to protest. I threw his arm over my shoulders and I started walking him to the nurse's office.
We were about to make it there until I felt his full weight suddenly drop. Looking over at him, I see that he had passed out. "Oh glory!" I exclaim, slowly laying him on the floor.
"Pony! Wake up! C'mon!" I exclaim, shaking him by his shoulders. He didn't move, making me even more frantic. What was happening didn't go unnoticed.
"Bexley, what happened?" Two-Bit asked, kneeling down in front of us. "He passed out, Two-Bit! I was trying to get him to the nurse's office because he was sick." I answered him, my voice frantic and worried.
"Take it easy, Bex. I'll get him there. You get back to class." Two-Bit said, picking him up bridal style. How the hell was he so calm? I'm the one freaking out here!
"I'm not going. Darry can ground me for skipping class, I don't care. I'm gonna make sure that my brother is okay. Savvy?" I said stubbornly. Two-Bit's eyes widened a bit at my persistence. "Fine. Let's go." he said, walking the rest of the way, "Stubborn as always."
We made it to the nurse's office, she was in there luckily. I knocked on the door to get her attention. She came to the door straight away and opened it.
"What happened?" she asked, seeing Ponyboy limp in Two-Bit's arms. "He passed out in the hallway. He was already feeling sick when she saw him." Two-Bit answered for me. "Bring him in." the nurse said, stepping aside to let us in.
Two-Bit and I walked in and she shut the door behind us. "Set him down on the bed." the nurse instructed. Two-Bit does so and has Pony lay on his back.
The nurse checks him over and turns to Two-Bit and I. "I'm gonna call your brother to have him pick Ponyboy up. In the meantime, I want the two of you to get back to class." she tells us, but being the stubborn person I was, stood my ground.
"I'm staying. It's just one more class. It's not like I'm missing anything." I said, crossing my arms. Our nurse, although nice, was also strict most times. She wasn't as easy to submit unlike Two-Bit was.
"Bexley, I'm not telling you again. Your grades are already dropping enough as it is. One class is a big part of your grade." the nurse chastised me. "My brother's health is more important than my grades right now. I ain't leaving until he's home safe." I spat back, jabbing a finger into my chest.
"I understand your frustration, but-" the nurse said. "No, you don't! You don't got a damn clue of what we went through! His family needs to be by his side, not doing glory knows what! Now call Darry and tell him what's going on. As I said before, I ain't leaving here until he is home and safe. Don't push me." I spat, having a fiery glare in my green eyes.
Two-Bit was struck silent by my outburst. I was surprised at myself but I didn't show it. I'd never snapped at anyone like that before.
The nurse didn't even attempt to push me even further. Two-Bit as well as the rest of the gang knows that I don't mess around when it comes to my family. Even after all the hell that we've been through, my fiery nature was still there.
"Okay. I'll call him." the nurse said, walking over to the phone. I watched as she dialed our house number. Two-Bit squeezed my shoulder for a second.
"Damn, girl. Been awhile since I seen that." he said with a chuckle. "Seen what?" I said, crossing my arms. "You telling someone off like that. That was awesome." Two-Bit said, a grin on his face. "Well, you know I don't screw around when it comes to my family." I said, turning around and sitting down next to my unconscious brother.
He was still pale and the sweat was still on his forehead. I wasn't gonna leave him unless I know he's safe at our house. Two-Bit sat on the foot of the nurse's office bed, he wasn't gonna leave him either.
"Both of your brothers are on the way. You can stay if you want. As for you, Keith Matthews, you must leave." the nurse said, pointing a finger at Two-Bit. The look on his face showed that he didn't want to leave. "Go, Two-Bit. We'll let you know how he is." I tell him.
"Okay, kid. See ya later." he replied, standing up from the bed and walking out of the room. I leaned forward and looked at Pony. I worried for him, just like the last time he passed out when Dally died.
It worried all of us something awful. I don't even know if he would have to go to the hospital like the last time. If he did, we'd be right by his side.
"You're gonna be okay, Pone. Don't worry." I assure him, taking his hand into mine. About ten minutes later, both Darry and Soda walked through the door. "Thank glory you two are here." I said, looking at my two older brothers.
"Bex, what happened?" Darry asked, not worrying about me being in class. I told them the whole story of what happened. They knelt down next to him and we waited for him to wake up.
It only took about another five minutes. His brows knitted together and he groaned tiredly. He opened his eyes and he looked at me, then Soda, then Darry.
"Guys?" he said. "Yeah, we're here. You okay?" Darry asked. "I feel fine. Why?" he replied, oblivious that he had passed out in my arms about 30 minutes ago.
"Pony, don't you remember what happened? You passed out on me when I was trying to get you here." I tell him. He looked confused and said, "What are you talking about?" "The nurse called us and said you passed out. She said that Bex and Two-Bit helped you." Soda said.
"Guys, I'm fine, okay?" Pony said, "I just passed out. Nothing more than that." "Ponyboy! You were sick! I could clearly see it!" I shouted, not meaning to of course. He was sick when I saw him, how does he not remember that?
"Let's get you home now." Soda suggested as quietly and gently as he could. "No." he said simply, pushing Soda back. "What's wrong, Pone?" Darry asked. "Nothing is wrong! Leave me alone!" Pony shouted, pushing us all back and rushing out of the door.
"Ponyboy! Wait!" I shouted, quickly standing up and facing the door. "What the hell was all that about?" Soda asked in concern. "I have no idea." Darry said, worry in his voice as well. "C'mon, we gotta go get him!" I shouted, giving chase to my twin brother.
The three of us ran outside and off the school property in order to chase Ponyboy. I saw him sprinting down the sidewalk, in the direction of the lot. I was running a bit faster than Darry and Soda.
When I came around another corner, I saw that Ponyboy had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. He was about to collapse again when I saw a car speeding towards him, driving way too fast.
I went pale and my stomach did nauseating flips when I saw how fast that car was coming. Then, adrenaline surged through me, telling me to save him. And I listened to it.
Sprinting towards my brother, I shouted, "PONY! LOOK OUT!" Just before the car made contact with his body, I football tackled him out of the way. The car swerved right passed us in the nick of time, shouting curse words at us.
We were both on the grass across the street, laying on my back. I felt my heart pounding in my ears and I was breathing quickly. I looked at Pony, who was laying on his stomach.
"Pony!" I cried, rolling over and rushing to my brother's side, "Pony!" I felt tears streaming down my face when I hugged him close to me. It scared me to death that I nearly lost him thanks to that car.
Closing my eyes, I felt the strong arms of Darry and Soda enveloping the two of us. They were just as scared as I was when they saw Pony standing in the street. Something was very wrong with Pony, but we didn't know what it was.
(Ponyboy's POV)
I had to push the sudden dizziness away from my head. For a moment, I couldn't remember all of what happened. Last thing I remember is running from Bex, Darry, and Soda before waking up in their arms.
"Huh? What happened?" I asked, seeing the distraught looks on their faces. "Pony, you were almost hit by a car. Bex saved your life." Soda said, letting hot tears roll down his cheeks. Almost hit by a car? What was he talking about?
"Pony, you scared us to death back there! I had to tackle you out of the way before… you were struck. You just stopped in the middle of the road, looking like you were about to collapse again." Bex explained, trying her best not to cry but it was fruitless.
"Guys, I told you I'm okay." I stubbornly said. "No, you're not Pone! You looked sick in the halls, you passed out on me once already! Don't even pull that card! What is going on with you?" Bexley said. "Nothing is wrong, okay?!" I screamed back.
"That's it. We're getting you to a hospital whether you want to or not." Darry said firmly, picking me up bridal style. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" I shouted, his voice filled with fear. "We're not fighting about this. We're going." Darry said, using his I-ain't-playing-around voice.
We all get into the truck with me in between Soda and Bex. Darry made sure that I didn't pull any stunts. We then drive to the hospital.
(Bex's POV)
Ponyboy got checked over and the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him. We all stayed with him until the doctor said he needed to work alone with him. Turns out, he was feeling profoundly guilty about something, and it bothered the hell out of me.
After the doctor left us alone with him in his room, we knew that we had to get the truth out of him. "Pony, baby, tell us what's wrong? We want to help you." Soda said. Ponyboy didn't answer, only closed his eyes and let his head drop.
"Ponyboy, talk to us. The fact that you aren't saying anything about your problem is bothering me." I tell him, having an uneasy look in my eyes. "I feel guilty." he spoke, shocking all of us.
"About what?" Darry wondered. "For… for… killing Johnny and Dally." he replied. We were all stunned if anything. "Ponyboy, why would you say that?" I asked in shock.
"Bex, don't tell me you have forgotten about losing both of them in the same night." Pony said without looking at me. "Of course I haven't, Pony. I feel just as guilty as you. Dally and Johnny wouldn't want you to linger in the past. Remember what Johnny said in his letter? None of this is our fault." I tell him, a hand on his shoulder.
"She's right, Pone. You two were caught up in a terrible situation that neither of you could help. Neither of you didn't do anything wrong." Soda tells us in a pleading way. "Then how come I feel so lousy?" Pony said, tears in his eyes. Darry, Soda, and I hugged him in our famous group hug.
"It's okay, Pone. There wasn't anything that could be done to save them. None of this is your fault, or Bex's fault." Darry said, holding us as close as he could.
I hadn't forgotten about Dally and Johnny. I had learned to let them go. Pony believed what we were saying now, since he was having a much harder time dealing with it. But we helped him through it.
(Soda's POV)
It relieved me when Pony spoke up about what was bothering him. We brought him back home so we could take it easy for now. Because of that, both him and Bex were much more open.
Bex wasn't as insecure about the scars on her arm as much as before, which relieved all of us. Both her and Pony would be more open about the youths' home, but only to me. That was until tonight.
Bex was sleeping in her own bed, because that's what she wanted. I didn't mind it though; she was independent. Ponyboy was in my bed, sleeping without any nightmares. However, Bexley was different.
In the darkness, I could hear the sound of her shivering and crying softly. I thought she was asleep a while ago. As quietly as I could, I slipped out of bed as to not wake my baby brother up.
I walked over to her and gently touched her shoulder. At the contact, she tensed up and winced. "Bex, it's me hon." I softly tell her.
"Soda?" she whimpered, turning to face me. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw the tears falling down her face. I knew something was wrong.
"What's the matter, Bex?" I asked, using my thumb to brush the tears away. "N-Nightmare…" she whimpered in a broken voice. "Oh Bex…" I say, hugging her close to me, "Wanna talk about it?"
She clung onto my shirt as if her life depended on it. "I was back in the youths' home… It was so cold… so lonely. They wouldn't let Pony and I share the same room there. Everyone there didn't care, they saw through us. Of course, Pony and I had each other. But there were times where we couldn't be together. It was horrible…" she said, her face muffled in my shoulder.
"Is there anything else?" I prodded on. "Nobody wanted to talk to us, the teachers didn't care. I would cry every night, but it wasn't enough. I don't know about Ponyboy, but being away from Darry and you was so painful. We didn't mean for this to happen… Those people didn't know anything about us. Nothing…" she told me, "We just wanted to be with you and Darry again."
I squeezed my baby sister even tighter, showing that she and Pony were safe and sound at home. Hearing about the hell that they went through made me tear up badly. It was worse than I thought.
"You two are safe now. No one will ever take you from Darry and I ever again." I tell her, kissing her on her head. She turned her head so that her ear was over my steady heart beat. "I know…" she whispered, "Did you and Darry feel the same?"
"Oh yeah. Darry was crying a lot while you two were gone. And I kept havin' nightmares about the two of you. We couldn't get along without the two of you around here." I say to her.
After a bit, she calmed down enough to go back to sleep. I waited until she was asleep before going to sleep myself.
(Bex's POV)
The next morning, things went on as normal. Pony and I went to school. Other than that nightmare I had last night, I felt fine now. Pony didn't have any; he slept through the whole night.
While we were at school, I kept a close eye on him just to make sure that he didn't pass out again. I even told Two-Bit what went down. Needless to say, he was shocked but also relieved that Ponyboy was okay.
Steve had dropped by a few times since Pony and I had been back. He tried everything he could to get information about the youth home out of us. He even brought up the scars on my arm, which he knew bothered me.
Steve would just have a casual conversation with Ponyboy, like checking on our well-being and stuff like that. But then it shifted into something that pissed both of us off. I overheard what happened from the kitchen.
"You both know that your brothers didn't miss you two at all, right?" he said to Pony, causing me to freeze. Why would he say that? Soda told me that he and Darry missed the hell out of us.
"I know how much you two bother him. And since Bex cut herself, she only made things worse for them. Not only were they complaining about that, but they were complaining about the both of you." Steve said, making me angry.
I pulled up my sleeve to look at my scars, and I felt anger rising in my chest. I can't believe Steve would say that… I walked back in there, an icy glare in my eyes. "You shut the hell up right now, Steve! You have no right to say all of that! And you have NO right to bring up all the shit that we went through! So you shut your damn trap!" I yelled at him, spitting every word out like poison.
He was rendered speechless by my outburst. I didn't see Pony in the living room so I guessed he was in the bedroom. With a final glare, I went into our bedroom.
Ponyboy was already in there, his face buried in the pillow. He was crying his eyes out into it. I walked over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed.
His cries were absolutely heartbreaking and it angered me that Steve would even say that to him. "Pony? Are you okay?" I asked him, rubbing his back comfortly. He couldn't speak due to how hard he was crying.
Darry and Soda noticed all of this and they came into the bedroom, obviously hearing my outburst. I turned to look at them, they looked confused yet concerned at the same time. "What happened?" Soda asked.
"Steve's been an asshole, that's what happened." I said, making it obvious that I was pissed with him. "What did he do?" Darry asked. I shut my eyes shut and bit my bottom lip, turning my head away from them.
"What did he do, Bex?" Soda asked. "He brought up some things that didn't need to be rehashed." I said. "Like what? What'd he say?" Soda asked again, coming over to Pony and I.
"He said that neither one of you guys missed us and how you complained about us being here. Not only that but how… Bex cutting herself only added to it…" Ponyboy said, "We didn't want to leave. We missed you guys… a lot." I grabbed my scarred arm and held it close to me.
Soda brought both of us into a hug. I grabbed onto his flannel and dug my fingers into it. Darry was pissed off something awful, his eyes filled with icy daggers.
We all heard Darry storm out of the bedroom, his footsteps heavy and loud. Next thing we know, there was a loud crash coming from the living room, making us all jump out of our skin. It caused the entire house to shake.
"Don't you EVER say that to my kid brother and kid sister again, do you hear me?! In case you didn't know, Soda and I missed the hell out of them! And as for Bex's scars, don't you ever, EVER bring it up again! You don't know how painful it was for them! Now you get the hell out of my house before I throw you out!" Darry screamed, his voice booming off of the walls.
The front door slammed shut, making us flinch. I felt Soda tense up in the hug, so I'm guessing that he wanted to hurt Steve just as much as Darry. The fact that Steve even said all of that hurt all of us in ways that he didn't understand. He didn't understand…
Darry walked back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed with us. I heard Ponyboy whimper in Soda's chest, making my heart break. It caused me to let out a sob because of how broken it sounded.
"Pony, Bex, look at me." Darry gently said. We had to peel ourselves from Soda so we could look at our eldest brother, tears blurring my vision. "Listen to me. You two know better than to believe what Steve tells you both. We all missed each other. You're right, Bex. Steve was being an asshole and he paid for it." Darry tells us.
"We-We kn-know it." Pony stuttered. We all hugged for a minute before pulling back. Pony wiped his eyes from the salty tears and sniffled.
"I'm gonna get some fresh air guys. I'm needing a cigarette after that." I said, craving a cigarette after that. Both Ponyboy and I promised to cut down on our smoking, and Darry said we can't smoke more than five cancer sticks a week. Before I walked out, I glanced back at Ponyboy.
"Are you okay, Pone?" I asked. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." he replied, giving me a smile. For some reason, I didn't believe that he was but I left it alone. I went onto the front porch to smoke.
The longer I sat there, the more of what Steve said echoed through my mind. Was my cuts that much of a bother to them? I only added to the hospital bill that Darry and Soda are still trying to pay off from Pony and I's last visits.
Did Darry and Soda even bother to see us while we were in the youths' home? Neither one of us had heard from them at all since we were there. I tried to call them but there was no answer every single time. They said they would...
I looked at the scars on my arm and clenched my fists together, anger overtaking reason. Without thinking, I got up and picked up a stray bat that happened to be in the front yard. I walked over to a potted plant that was on the porch and started beating on it, breaking it to smithereens.
My anger overtook me so I didn't care how much of a mess I made. "Bex!" someone yelled, hearing the loud crashing noise. I was still beating on the now broken potted plant.
"Bex, stop it!" the voice, who I registered as Soda, yelled. I turned around quickly, holding the bat over my head to hit him. "Bex! It's me! Take it easy!" Soda exclaimed, holding his hands by his head as if to surrender.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Soda yelled, taking the bat from me. "You should know!" I yelled at him. Soon, Pony and Darry rushed outside at the sound of my outburst.
"What did we do?" Darry asked, confused. "You two never came to see Ponyboy and I! You promised you would! You don't give a damn about us!" I yelled, the words flying out of my mouth.
"Bex, it ain't like that-" Darry began. "Like hell it isn't! Even me cutting myself only added to the problem! Maybe I should've kept it up so I'd die! Which is what I wanted! You guys would've been better off without me." I growled, pushing passed my brothers. However Soda grabbed my arm but I violently ripped it away from him.
"Don't you dare touch me! I'm done with you and Darry! I'm done!" I yelled, angry tears streaming down my face. I then took off running from them. I didn't want to see them.
*X*
(Ponyboy's POV)
We watched as Bexley took off running, angry tears running down her face. I couldn't help but feel angry at Darry and Soda for the same reasons. Other than Bexley harming herself, I was actually starving myself to get out of there.
"Pony, hear us out. We-" Darry began but I cut him off. "Shut up, Darry!" I snapped at him. He stepped back in shock.
"She's right! You guys don't care that we were suffering badly in that godforsaken place! I cried every single night. So did she! We wanted you guys with us, but you didn't care! You left us to rot in that place! You didn't even bother to call us! No one cares about us, not even now! Steve was right." I snapped at them, running in the same direction as Bex.
*X*
(Darry's POV)
Soda collapsed on his knees, looking as scared as I felt. "They think… we hate them?" he asked, his voice filled with sadness. "It sure seems like it…" I sighed.
I hated that they would think that. I do often get angry with them, but that didn't mean I loved them any less. I couldn't hate them…
"But, we're their brothers… We have to tell them how much we love them, Darry!" Soda exclaimed. I rubbed my face and sighed, "I know, little buddy. But I don't think we did a good job of proving it."
"What? What do you mean?" Soda asked me. "We didn't call them, nor contact them in any way. Hell, they don't know that we did try to see them but those damn guards wouldn't allow it. We should've gotten them out of there when we had the chance. Damn, how could we have been so naive?" I said after a moment of silence.
Soda stood back up and put his hand on my shoulder. "Should we go after them?" he asked me. "Let's get 'em." I said and we took off running in the direction of our kid siblings.
*X*
(Bexley's POV)
I sprinted as fast as I could, tears still coming down hard from anger. There wasn't a place I had in mind but I just wanted to get away from there. I found it hard to breathe, my lungs were aching from the lack of air.
What stopped me was a damn lip in the ground, causing me to trip and fall. I tried catching myself, but I landed on my wrist wrong. Pain shot up my arm, my left wrist throbbing and aching something awful.
I hugged my aching wrist close to me and rolled over onto my side, just laying in the grass. Everything hurt… My heart was shattered, full of pain and sorrow. I wanted to die right there on the grass.
It wasn't long until the darkness that took me, and I let it. When I woke up, I found myself in my bed. I groaned from the pain in my head and from the pain in my wrist.
Before I could open my eyes, I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up. It was Soda. When I registered it was him, I instantly started to cry. I started to squirm and whimper in his grasp, but he didn't release me.
I tried fighting him with the little energy that I had awoken with but it didn't work. When I was drained of that energy, I hugged him while grabbing onto his shirt tightly, crying the most I had in months.
"It's alright, Bex. We're right here…" Soda comforted me in a whisper. He didn't have to tell me that Darry and Pony were right here with me. They must've sensed that I wanted to hug them because I felt their arms around me so that I was squashed between them.
"Bex, Pony, listen to us please." Soda said, getting us to look at him. I could see the love in his movie star like eyes. Pony and I looked at one another, we both realized that we did them wrong.
I regretted ever talking to them like that. "We love you both more than anything else in this world. You're our brother and sister, and we'll always be here whenever you guys need us." Darry tells us. "We're not gonna let you guys down again. Besides, we owe you two an apology." Soda said.
"An apology? For what?" Pony asked, knowing what the answer was already. "For not being there when you guys needed us before." Darry said. "You guys went through hell and back. We never understood just how much until now. But you guys are back now and you're safe…" Soda tells us, squeezing onto our shoulders.
"But there were a couple of things you were wrong about." Darry said, getting Pony and I to look at him confused. "Left things out? Like what?" I asked. "We did try to see you guys. Hell, we even tried to call you guys but those damn guards wouldn't let us." Soda tells us.
My heart leaped in excitement. Ponyboy had told me he had been hallucinating about hearing our brothers. I believed that's what it was too.
"When was this?" Ponyboy asked. "The second week after you guys left." Soda said. Ponyboy and I felt our hearts drop in joviality. "Th-That means-" Pony started in disbelief, looking at me.
"You weren't hallucinating at all!" I said bubbly, "You guys were really there! Why couldn't you-?" "Those guards wouldn't let us come see you guys. Plus, we had to work a lot hence why we didn't call you guys." Darry said. "Working a lot?" I asked.
"Yeah, we were working more so we could get enough money to get you guys home." Darry replied. "So… does that mean you still love us?" Pony asked, tears in his eyes. "Yes, we still love you guys. You're the best kid siblings I could ask for. And Soda too." Darry grinned at Soda.
"Fine, forget about me." Soda said, obviously trying to be offended. That got all of us to laugh, something we hadn't done in a long time. Darry patted his shoulder as we laughed.
"We love you both with all of our hearts. Sure we may not be good at showing it, but we can get better at it. Okay?" Darry said to Pony and I. I teared up noticeably which got us to group hug again.
"You believe us, don't you?" Soda asked Pony and I. I sniffled, letting a few tears slip out. "Yeah, we do." Pony said for the both of us. I tried grabbing onto Darry's shirt but a sharp pain in my wrist restricted it.
I winced and pulled it back against my chest. "What's the matter?" Darry asked worriedly. "My wrist. It hurts. I think I sprained it when I fell." I said, trying not to be a baby about it but it did hurt.
"Let's get that checked out at the doctors." Soda suggested to which Darry agreed. We headed for the doctors. "Guys, don't ever let us go…" Pony and I said to our brothers. "We won't." Soda smiled. "Never again." Darry whispered, hugging us both.
