(This is about the night when the Curtis siblings lose their parents due to a terrible car accident and they have to learn how to cope with their loss.)

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were going out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. They were set to leave at around 7 pm. Just as they were about to leave, their mother had promised Bexley and Pony that they'd bake a cake together the following morning, which was one of their favorite things.

They were always excited to do that with their mother but little did any of them know, they wouldn't ever do that again. Their parents were supposed to come back by ten pm, which means Ponyboy and Bexley would be asleep in their shared bedroom.

By the time that rolled around, there was no word from their parents. Sodapop didn't go to bed, he lounged on the couch. Darry was in the kitchen, making some coffee to keep himself awake. Soda slept on the couch, or rather half asleep.

Ponyboy and Bexley went to sleep about a couple of hours ago since they were both tired and they wanted to get some sleep. As for the rest of the gang, they lounged around at Two-Bit's place for the evening. They'd be coming over tomorrow.

About fifteen minutes later, Bexley woke up with a bad feeling that she couldn't shake off. She got out of bed and walked into the living room while rubbing her eye tiredly with a fist, looking younger than thirteen years old. Darry heard her coming into the living room and went to meet his baby sister.

"Bex, what're you doing up?" he asked her. "Where are mom and dad, Darry? Weren't they supposed to be home by now?" she asked him, her big green eyes looking at her older brother. "They're not home yet, honey. They were supposed to be an hour ago." Darry replied, sounding worried.

Then, as if on cue, there was a heavy knock on the front door. Bex's stomach dropped in fear as she looked towards the door. "Stay here. I'll see who it is." he tells her, walking to the front door.

They were all confused as to why their parents would knock on the door, usually they'd walk in and announce their arrival. But when Darry opened the door, they found it wasn't their parents; it was a police officer.

"Can I help you?" Darry asked, pulling a small smile. "Is this the Curtis Residence?" the officer spoke, "The home of Darrell and Cheryl Curtis?" "Yes sir. They're my parents." Darry replied with a nod.

"And you have three younger siblings? Sodapop Patrick, Ponyboy Michael, and Bexley Lynn?" the officer asked without emotion. Darry nodded once again. "Bring them here please." the officer said.

"Bex, can you get Pony?" Darry asked, looking back at her. However, Ponyboy was already up, apparently hearing the knocking at the door. Soda had woken up from the knocking as well. The younger siblings walked up by Darry's side, their hair tousled.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy asked. "We didn't do anything wrong!" Bexley said, protective of her family. "I know. None of you did anything wrong. I'm here in regards to your parents." the officer said.

All of their hearts froze, the roads had been pretty dangerous the last few days. "Wh-What happened? Are they okay?" Soda asked, a look of panic on his face. "They have been in a car accident." the officer said, his voice filled with sympathy.

Bexley and Soda shook their heads. "No..." she said, finding herself starting to panic. "Are they alright?" Soda asked, his brown eyes hopeful and innocent.

"I'm afraid there were no survivors. They were hit by an on-coming train when they tried crossing the train tracks. The warning sign was broken. It occured at 9:30 pm tonight." the cop said, shaking his head.

Bex felt herself starting to tremble, dizziness overwhelmed her and her heart was racing. She was starting to have a panic attack, something that hasn't happened before. Pony felt his knees shaking and Soda grabbed his arm protectively.

Darry watched as his siblings were crying their eyes out. He had this angered feeling rise in his chest. The law couldn't be bothered to fix a damn sign?

"I'm-I'm gonna need one of you to identify the bodies for the funeral and to go to the morgue tomorrow morning." the officer said solemnly. "I'll go." Darry said. The cop gave a single nod before leaving.

(Bex's POV)

My body couldn't stop shaking from the news that we just received. I wasn't cold from what I could tell. I also couldn't breathe at all, it was as if all the air was stolen from my lungs, causing my chest to hurt.

It started to hurt so much that I had to sit down on the couch. I gripped my ears and closed my eyes tightly. Mom... Dad... they couldn't be dead! There's no way that they were dead...

Soon, I felt the embrace of my brothers, holding me tightly. I let go of my ears and clung to Sodapop, who was holding both Pony and I as we sobbed our hearts out. The only one not crying was Darry.

He was mourning too despite not showing it. He had to be brave for us, but it wasn't easy. Darry would have to take care of us now.

There was no way he'd even think about giving us up. Knowing my brother, he'd keep us all here in Tulsa. He would pick up where our parents left off, starting now.

I then felt hot tears fall atop my head. I instantly knew that it was Darry. He kept his sobs suppressed unlike Soda, Ponyboy, and me.

He had planned to go to college; he even had an athletic scholarship. But he couldn't leave us, we needed him. He was only twenty years old.

The next morning, Darry and Soda were already up. I barely got any sleep the rest of the night, hoping and praying that our parents were alive. They'd come walking in through that door and call out to us.

It hurt... It hurt so much. I didn't want them to be dead... I got out of my bed, tears blurring my vision so I could barely see what was in front of me.

I sauntered over to their room, unknowing that Darry had seen me. "M-Momma..." I started, opening their door. But when I looked inside, no one was in there. It was empty... like a shell of what it once was.

I sat down on the bed, which was still unmade from last night. Dad had a habit of forgetting to fix up his side of the bed whenever he woke up. He forgot to do it this time...

I took one of their pillows and hugged it close to my chest and started to cry. I wasn't crying very loudly, but it was audible. I didn't want to look like a baby but at this moment, I didn't care... I just wanted my parents back.

Not long after, Ponyboy noticed that I had left and he came into the bedroom too, tears in his eyes. He was just as distraught about what had happened as much as I was. The way I looked up at him showed that I wanted him with me; he didn't hesitate to sit down with me, his arm around my shoulders.

(3rd Person)

Bex's absence didn't go unnoticed. Darry saw her walk into their late parents room with tears in her eyes. They knew that they had to go in there to check on her.

When he walked into the bedroom, they walked into the bedroom and saw the devastating scene of their younger brother holding their younger sister, who was hugging one of their parents' pillows, her face buried in Ponyboy's shoulder while crying.

Darry felt his heart break for them, they didn't deserve this. None of them did. He went over to his kid brother and kid sister and embraced them tightly.

They were only thirteen. They were barely teenagers. Hell, Darry might as well be raising them from infancy.

"Darry..." Bex whimpered, "What's gonna happen now?" The strain in her voice was painful to hear. It was hard not to cry to it. Darry was trying so hard to bottle up his emotions. "Ain't you going to college? Soda's graduating in a couple of years." Ponyboy said, his jaw trembling.

Darry hugged his kid siblings close to him and said, "I ain't going to college. If I did, they'd throw you guys in the youths' home faster than you can blink." Bexley pushed him back so she could look at him.

"Darry, you worked your ass off for that scholarship! You can't just throw it away now!" Bexley exclaimed, remembering just how hard her brother worked for that scholarship. "Listen to me. Both of you." Darry said in a voice that showed he wasn't playing around.

"This scholarship is not gonna get in the way of my family. Believe me when I say that. Sure, I can go to college sometime in the future when you three are grown up." Darry said to them.

"That would mean you'll be joining us whenever we go?" Ponyboy asked, smiling a little bit. Darry gave a weak laugh at what they said, playfully shoving them, "I guarantee you guys will. Me, you, and Bex." "Boy, I bet people will get one hell of a kick outta that." Bex joked, getting a laugh out of her two brothers.

"What's going on, Darry? I hear you're not going to college?" Soda said, standing in the doorway. "Do I need to repeat myself, Soda? I'm taking full custody for the three of you." Darry said, standing up from the bed. Soda's eyebrows knitted together.

"Darry, you can't replace mom and dad..." Soda said, his voice breaking. "I ain't doin' that, Soda. We both know that I'd never, ever, replace them. But I can't let you be sent to a youth home." Darry sighed, rubbing his face.

Soda couldn't say anything. "First things first, I'm gonna go to the crash site with that officer, then I'm gonna head down to the morgue. Then, I'm gonna sign some custody papers. Most likely there'll be a hearing to see if I am fit to be a guardian. Plus, I'll be looking for a job. Saw some openings for a roofing company." Darry tells them.

"But, Darry, you're only twenty years old." Bex says. "Yeah, you shouldn't have to worry about what an adult does." Pony agreed with her. Darry looked back at his kid siblings, seeing just how smart they really are for 13 year olds.

"I've got that part time job at the DX. It can help pay for the funeral and all those other costs. You ain't giving up on college though, right?" Soda asked. "No, I ain't. When they go to college, I'm going with them." Darry said with a sigh.

That statement got Soda to chuckle. "See? What'd I tell ya?" Bex said, standing up with Darry. She was referencing people getting a kick out of Darry attending college with his twin kid siblings. "Both of you think that this is funny?" Darry said.

"I don't know. Is it, Superman?" Soda said, picking up a pillow that was on the chair and throwing it at Darry, hitting him in the face with it. Bex and Pony were laughing like hyenas. "Okay, you two just signed your death wish." Darry said playfully, tossing the pillow backwards.

Darry got Pony and Bex in headlocks with both of his muscular arms. "Ack! Hey! Let me go, Darry!" Bex gagged, trying to rip herself from her brother's iron grip. "Holler uncle and maybe I will!" Darry laughed.

"We'll never give in!" Pony said, his eyes growing wide from their sockets. Soda leapt onto the bed to pry his younger siblings loose, which he was successful. They all collapsed onto the bed, laughing.

"What the hell, Darry?" Pony asked through shocked laughter. "Did ya really need to do that?" Bex added, rubbing her neck. "Yeah it was. Better get used to it, since I'm gonna become y'all's legal guardian." Darry said with a grin.

Bex and Pony exchanged glances for a moment before glancing at their eldest brother. "You know what? You'll do alright." Pony said with a smile. "You'll be the best guardian that we've got." Bex agreed, sitting up on the bed.

"Aw, may I ask when this wedding is?" Soda piped in, squeezing between his two brothers and sister. "Hush up, Soda. None of us are gettin' married." Ponyboy laughed, pushing his brother away. "I'm just sayin'. Maybe this would be a three way marriage?" Soda joked with a mocking glee.

"You're beginning to sound like Two-Bit." Darry laughed. The four siblings shared a good, honest laugh, something that they needed after yesterday.

Later on that day, Darry had left to go to the morgue to identify the remains of his late parents. After he arrived, the way they looked is something that he'd never be able to get out of his head. The mental image would forever remain in his mind.

Due to the severity of the crash, they were rendered unrecognizable. It was a sight that he wished that he could take back. Just seeing their lifeless bodies was like something out of a horror movie.

On the way home, he could recognize what remained of his mother's beautiful golden hair. The very thing Soda had inherited. He could easily identify his father's broad shoulders and dark, short hair.

Afterwards, he had picked up his kid siblings so they could resign full, legal custody to him. They made their way down to the office to sign some paperwork. The social worker, Mrs. North made the decision to give Darry full custody of his kid siblings after a lot of explaining and convincing after being in the court hearing. They couldn't be anymore relieved to hear that.

The next week was the funeral. The lids to the coffins had to remain shut, not letting the people see their lifeless bodies sitting inside the small box. Four seats were lined up at the wake for immediate family, which included Darry, Sodapop, Ponyboy, and Bexley.

Later on that night, Bexley couldn't sleep at all. Sure, she was tired but sleep wasn't welcoming. Everything that has happened the last week and a half was weighing heavily on her young mind.

She kept hearing the sound of her mother's voice, the last words that she ever said to her and Ponyboy before they left. "Tomorrow, let's make a big cake for the family. How does that sound?" That statement kept replaying in her head over and over again.

When she closed her eyes, she was instantly greeted with the sight of them getting hit by that train. That fucking train... She didn't want it to be true.

Why was the world so unfair? It wasn't fair to them that the world took their parents away from them. She felt anger rise in her chest, an anger that she's never felt before in her life.

She hated the driver of the train, she hated the entire world. Hell, she didn't even hate the socs like her twin brother.

The common sense portion of her brain spoke to her saying things like, "It wasn't the conductors fault." or "The sign was broken." She wanted to reverse time and prevent it from ever happening.

When she did fall asleep, she was awoken by the sound of an ear-piercing scream. It scared her something awful. She sat up and turned around to look at her twin brother. He was thrashing around in his sleep and screaming.

She didn't waste any time jumping out of her bed to wake him up. "Ponyboy! Wake up! Wake up, dammit!" she urged, shaking him by his shoulders. When she touched him, he thrashed out even more.

Bex even caught tears falling down his face from the fear of his nightmare. She had never seen her brother so scared like this before. She even started to cry herself, tears filling her eyes.

"Ponyboy! Please wake up!" she cried, still shaking him. All of this didn't go unheard from the rest of the house. Soda charged into the bedroom and saw the heart wrenching sight in front of him.

Darry was right behind him, baseball bat in his hand. He had thought the screaming was because someone had broken into the house. But seeing Ponyboy having a nightmare proved him wrong.

Soda rushed to his kid brother and kid sister's side. "What's wrong?!" Soda said in a panicked tone. "H-He's having a nightmare, Soda! I can't wake him up!" Bex replied, visibly distraught.

Soda shook Ponyboy awake hard, this time he woke up. But he woke up with a scream, scaring more than himself. When he comprehended where he was, the thirteen year old greaser boy broke down into tears. Soda held his trembling brother in his arms.

While Darry stood at the end of the bed in confusion, Bex was left shaken up by Pony's nightmare. She stared as her twin brother bawled in Sodapop's arms. Not a few hours ago everyone was sound asleep, now the young greaser was awake and crying his eyes out.

"Are you alright, baby?" Soda asked him softly. "N-Nightmare..." Ponyboy said, his face buried in Soda's shoulder. "What was it about?" Darry asked, causing his younger brother to shiver.

"Mom and Dad... Train... killed them... They were in the car and..." Pony said with a tearful gasp. His eyes were glistened with tears of fear, looking at his three other siblings. "And what, Pony?" Darry asked in concern.

"I... I can't remember the rest of it." Ponyboy said, looking down at his hands, which were shaking. "Oh, well. The three of you try to get some sleep." Darry sighed. Bex was still shaken up to the point where she didn't want to go back to sleep.

"Bexley, you okay?" Soda asked her, his hand on her knee. She looked up at him for a second before looking at Ponyboy. "I... I need some fresh air." She simply tells them before slipping out of bed.

Her brothers watched as she walked out of the bedroom, hugging herself while shaking like a leaf. "I'll go check on her. You two go back to sleep." Darry tells his younger brothers. They were worried for their sister, but they complied.

Darry left the bedroom and followed his sister out on the front porch. She was sitting on the steps without a coat on. She didn't care though, but Darry sure did.

He picked up a blanket that was sitting on the couch and went outside to join her. At first, she didn't seem to notice that Darry had followed her outside. He carefully puts the blanket over her shoulders, causing her to jump a little bit.

Bex looked over her shoulder to see Darry standing behind her. "Jesus, Darry! Don't do that!" she gasped. "Sorry, Bex. Didn't mean to scare ya." he apologized, sitting down next to her with his elbows resting on his knees.

Bex pulled the blanket tightly over her shoulders, silently appreciating the kind gesture from her brother. "What's wrong? You seemed pretty shaken up back there." Darry asked, looking at Bex with a concerned expression on his face.

Bexley, for a minute, remained quiet. She only shivered, but not just from the frigid winter night. "I can't hear you unless you speak up." Darry said, waiting for an answer.

"It's just... Pony never had a nightmare that badly before. I know he's had them many times when we were kids but... none like this. It scared me, Darry." Bexley answered, her fingers gripping into the fabric of the blanket as if her life depended on it.

Darry wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. "It'll be alright, you hear? We're gonna get through this." he assured her, rubbing her back comfortly. "What are we gonna do?" she tearfully asked.

"If they get worse, then I'll take you guys to see a therapist." Darry replied. "But, won't that cost money?" Bex asked, pushing back from him. "Maybe, but we'll work that out. Soda's got his part time job at the DX. I start that at the roofing company the day after tomorrow. We'll save up for it." Darry promised.

"What if I start havin' them?" Bexley asked, fear lingering in her tone. "Chances are, you might. But we will be here to help you through them just like how we helped Ponyboy tonight." Darry said bluntly. There would be a chance that she might have the same nightmares as her twin brother, but it made her feel reassured that she can confide in her brothers if it were to happen.

"C'mon. Let's get inside. Don't want you to catch your death in the cold." Darry said, helping his baby sister to her feet. "Okay." she nodded, smiling at him a bit. The two siblings wrapped an arm around one another as they went in the house.

"Get some sleep, you hear? If you get a nightmare, we're within ears reach." Darry said, patting her on the shoulder. "Okay. Thanks Darry." Bex replied, heading back to her room. She went back to the bedroom and instantly saw her two brothers sleeping in the same bed.

It warmed her heart to see them cuddling together in Pony's bed, which was big enough for two people. There wasn't any room for her though so she resided in her own bed. She pulled the covers up to her shoulders and had her back to them, falling asleep within fifteen minutes.

(Bex's POV)

I was the first to wake up after a long night. That shaky feeling of Pony having that nightmare didn't leave me, no matter how much I willed it away. I peeled myself outta bed and made my way into the bathroom.

While I was in there, I knew I'd be the one having to cook us breakfast. Darry had established a new rule in the house now that he was our guardian. Whoever gets up first has to be the one to make breakfast, whoever else has to do the dishes.

After I got out of the bathroom, I made my way into the kitchen. I grabbed some eggs from the fridge. I knew how we all liked our eggs since we eat them differently.

Ponyboy likes to eat them hard, mine with white country gravy atop it, Darry likes his in a bacon and tomato sandwich, Soda likes his with grape jelly.

There's even some chocolate cake left in the fridge. Mom normally wouldn't let us have it with breakfast but... no. No, don't think about mom. Don't think about her.

It has been a week and a half since they died. I don't think I'll ever get over it... I just needed to focus on fixing breakfast.

Much to my surprise, I ended up fixing it pretty good. My brothers were impressed with my cooking. Guess I get my cooking expertise from a certain someone.

After my brothers did the dishes, we all decided to head down to the bowling alley to play a nice game of bowling so we could get our minds off of mom and dad's death. Johnny and Two-Bit would be joining us. As for Steve and Dally, Steve had to work at the DX while Dally was in the cooler.

"Before we start the big game, why don't we get some grub?" Two-Bit asked, looking hyped up for this bowling match. "Yeah, let's eat. I'm starvin'." Johnny agreed, hands in his faded jean jacket.

And that's what we did, we got some food from the concession stand before Two-Bit would be a show off in our first match. If you have a buddy like Two-Bit Matthews, chances are he'll entertain you more than any hollywood movie out there.

Whenever we bowl, Two-Bit likes to brag about it at least once a week or month. We found ourselves a table that was next to the bowling lanes. "Two-Bit, you're up first." Darry called, looking at the chart with our names written on it.

"Alright, step down, debbie downer! Let me show y'all how it's done." Two-Bit laughed, dancing his way to the bowling lane. He picks up a bowling ball and throws it down the lane, getting a strike.

"Wow, nice shootin', Tex." I say in an exaggerated Texan accent. "Aw yeah, I'm bad! I'm such a badass!" Two-Bit laughed, doing his victory dance which made us all laugh.

"We're just gonna say that that was a case of beginners luck." Johnny said while cracking a smile, which was rare for him. "Uh-Uh, don't think so, Johnnycake." Two-Bit replied.

"Bex, you're up." Darry said. "It's my pleasure." I say, standing up and walking to the balls. I ended up knocking down a few pins, which pissed me off.

About a few hours passed by, Sodapop was winning this last round but Johnny was a hair behind him. Pony and I were left in the dust. "Yes, I won!" Johnny boasted.

Afterwards, we went home to spend a few hours with the gang. We all played a game of poker that lasted for an hour. Soda ended up winning that game.

The gang left the house at around midnight, we had lost track of the time. After they left, I had decided to go to bed since I was feeling pretty tired from today's whirlwind of endless fun. But unfortunately, sleep would be interrupted.

(Third person POV)

Later on that night, around four in the morning, the sound of whimpering broke the silence. It ended up waking up Sodapop out of a dead sleep. At first, he thought it was Ponyboy, but he was fast asleep.

The sandy haired greaser turned around and found the owner of the whimpering. It was coming from Bexley. Tears were running down her cheeks and she was trembling in fear.

"No... Please don't go..." she talked in her sleep. Soda got out of bed to console her, his heart breaking when he realized just how terrified she was. "Bex?" he said softly, shaking her by her shoulder. She didn't wake up, whimpering louder.

She then started reaching out for something, something that he couldn't see. She then grabbed onto Soda's arm, completely unaware of doing so. "Bex, wake up." Soda said, shaking her again.

Her green eyes shot open and her entire body jerked violently. For a moment, she didn't seem to recognize who he was. "Bex, it's me, honey. It's Soda." he whispered in a soothing voice.

Bex sighed in relief and covered her tear-covered face. "You okay, Bex?" Soda asked, helping her sit up. She hugged her pillow close to her, both arms wrapped around it.

She only kept her gaze towards the bed, biting her bottom lip. Soda could see that his kid sister was scared of what she was dreaming of. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asks carefully.

Bex looked up at her older brother, her eyes glistened with tears of pain and sorrow. Soda could swear that he felt his heart break in two. "N-No... Too scary." Bexley explained but her voice broke half way through.

Soda wrapped his arms around her and hugged her gently. Bex waited a moment before hugging him back, sniffling in his shoulder. He rubbed her back gently, his hand movements going clockwise.

The siblings sat there in each other's arms for another five minutes or so. Bexley then pulled away, wiping what was left of her tears. "Thanks Soda. For helping me, I mean." Bexley said, giving him a weak smile.

"You're welcome, sissy. You feeling better?" he asked, squeezing her knee tightly. "Yeah. I'm glad you were there. Don't know if Pony and I could've managed." she replied. "Don't think about it too much." Soda whispered, ruffling her hair, which she hated.

"Stop messin' up my hair." she whined, pushing his hand away. "What? What good is it to be your big brother if I can't mess with ya?" Soda said with a quiet laugh. "Hardy har." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Get some sleep, kiddo." Soda said, getting up from Bexley's bed. Just as he was about to get back in bed, "Soda?"

"Yeah?" Soda replied, turning back towards her. "Can I sleep with you and Pony? I don't want to have another nightmare." she asked, surprising him. He simply smiled and waved her over.

Feeling joviality, she got out of her bed and got into Ponyboy's bed. She was in between her two brothers. Soda got into the bed after her and wrapped his arm around the both of them, falling asleep instantly without another nightmare.

The following week, Darry had started that job with the roofing company and he wouldn't be home until five that night. This was his start of being the adult in the house, that would mean paying the bills as well as keeping his kid siblings in line and out of trouble.

As for Sodapop, he knew for the longest time that he wasn't too sharp when it came to school. His report card didn't get any higher than a D. When it was handed to him, he knew that Darry would skin him.

He was supposed to go to join Ponyboy, Bexley, and Johnny to the moviehouse however, he had some business to take of with Darry. The drive home from school seemed much longer than Soda had predicted.

Normally he'd be with his buddy Steve and Two-Bit. But they were off busy doing glory knows what. Soda made the decision to drop out of school, not just because Dally had done it a couple of years ago.

Soda pulled up in front of the house, he sat there for a moment before facing his older brother. He walked through the front door, but it felt much heavier than he thought. He was dreading telling Darry that he was gonna drop out of school.

Soda was only sixteen, and he could make that decision on his own. He saw Darry sitting at the dining table, sorting out some bills. Darry didn't seem to hear Soda come through the front door, report card in his hand.

"Hey Darry. Got my report card." Soda tells him nervously. Darry looked over his shoulder to look at his kid brother. "Soda, can't you see I'm busy? Besides I thought you were going to the movies with Pony, Bex, and Johnny?" Darry sighed.

"This is important, Darry. It's got something to do with school." Soda instisted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Darry sighed in defeat and turned around completely to face Soda, "Make it quick."

"Long story short, I got F's on it. We both know that I ain't good in school. I'm not as smart as you, Pony, and Bex." Soda sighs. "What? What're you sayin'?" Darry asked, his eyebrows raising. "I'm gonna drop out of school so I can help you with those bills. It's not fair that you have to do it all on your own." Soda said with a miserable sounding sigh.

As expected, Darry was furious with this news, his eyes becoming icy with rage. "Why in the hell would you consider that, Sodapop?!" Darry questioned. "Darry, we both know that I'm terrible in school. I can see that these bills are weighing heavy on you. I want to help you with it, not sit around and continue to get those bad grades." Soda argued, tears threatening to come out.

"Don't even bother. I'm doing just fine without your help. You should be finishing high school. You're only sixteen, Soda! You're smart enough to get them grades bumped up." Darry said.

"I can't, Darry! I've been trying to bump up my grades but it's gotten me nowhere. I can ask my boss if he can change my schedule at the DX to full time." Soda pleaded.

"Soda, I've been working my ass off all this week to let you, Ponyboy, and Bexley have a future for yourselves. There's no way in hell that I'm letting you throw it away." Darry said, shaking his head.

"But, I have the potential to make an honest living with being a mechanic! They make some good money." Soda says. "A mechanic? That's what you wanna do? Fine, you go ahead and waste your life by doing that. I wanted you to go to college, Sodapop Curtis! I've already given up my future for the three of you and I won't let you do the same." Darry scowled.

Soda was awestruck by what he just heard. Is that what Darry really thinks of Soda's passion? Just a wasted opportunity to get somewhere?

"So that's how it is, huh? That's how you really feel about mechanics? Who's gonna fix up that car so Pony and Bex can drive when they are my age? Not you apparently." Soda spat. "Don't be so overdramatic. Why can't you be more like Ponyboy and Bexley? At least they have more common sense than you do." Darry hissed.

At this point, Soda was drained of all emotion. He could not believe that his own brother was trying to change who he was. He was the middle child and had tried his hardest but it didn't seem to be enough; he always felt left out.

"Fine, maybe I'll go live in one of those boys' homes. At least I know I'll be treated fairly unlike here." Soda said coldly, storming out through the front door. He left Darry in shock and hurt, just how he wanted it.

Soda made his way down to the shop, completely lost in his thoughts. He didn't have any idea just how long he was out for. He already downed five to six cokes, which didn't seem like enough for him.

He had never felt this lonely before. The words that Darry threw at him kept repeating in his head, "Why can't you be like them?" It was as if he was stabbed in the heart.

Be more like his younger brother and sister? Hell, they weren't any more perfect than himself. Maybe they had a few qualities that he didn't possess. Ponyboy had been to the hospital countless times for reckless acts and Bexley one time had to get stitches in her head when she was eleven years old. Not to mention, they've been out passed curfew a lot.

While Ponyboy was smart and contained and Bexley was caring and spunky, Soda was living on the wild side. They shouldn't be compared in any way. Despite being different, they were the best of friends.

After buying seventh coke, he hung around outside. "Isn't that your seventh one, kid?" someone said, getting Soda to look up. It was someone who worked at that shop, who was watching Soda very closely.

"My name is Soda. It's in my nature to have this." Soda said with a weak smile. "Oh wow, that's a unique name. Your parents must be very original. I'm not that creative to name my kid that." the young man said, standing next to Sodapop.

"Yeah, neither would I. But my parents are dead." Soda said, his tone dropping with sorrow. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." the guy said, "Who's takin' care of you then?" "My big brother Darry. I've got a younger brother and younger sister. They're twins. Their names are Ponyboy and Bexley." Soda said, feeling anger by bringing up Darry's name.

"I'm sure that your brother is taking good care of the three of you." the young man asked, not reacting to their unusual names. Then, something sparked inside of him. He was overwhelmed with guilt about what he said to Darry.

Darry had a lot weighing him down for the last couple of weeks. He's now got a job that he has to go to, and he has to pay bills to keep a roof over their heads. Soda made the decision to drop out of school, but when he's ready to.

Being a mechanic and fixing up cars is what Soda's good at and it keeps him sane. Darry wants his siblings to be happy, but he failed to see that Soda was fine with doing what he loves. "Yeah. I believe you're right. I've gotta go home. Thanks." Soda said, smiling at the man. He then made his way back home.

Darry had really messed up. He was afraid that Soda would tell CPS that he wanted to go live in the youths' home. If that happened, Ponyboy and Bexley would have to go with him.

He couldn't let that happen. His two brothers and sister were the only people that kept him from falling completely apart. What did he just do?

He wanted to take back what he told Soda. Those words shouldn't have been said. It hurt him more than it hurt Soda.

Darry loved Soda for exactly who he is, he loved his twin kid brother and sister for who they are. Just before he could get too deep into his thoughts, he heard the front door open. The oldest Curtis brother looked behind him to see Sodapop with a bottle of partially drunken Coke in his hand.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Darry." Soda said, taking a deep breath, "I've come to realize that you only want what's best for me. You're right, I was being overdramatic. I've made my decision that I'm gonna work at the DX full time and drop out of school, but when I'm ready to. Who knows? I'll become a professional mechanic. Fixing cars makes me happy, Darry. And you want me to be happy, right? It took me some time to think about but I finally got it."

Darry was relieved to hear that Soda wasn't mad at him. "I've thought some too, Soda. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You're fine the way you are. If you wanna be a mechanic, then go for it." Darry smiled.

"You really mean it, Dar?" Soda said, "You're gonna let me drop out of school?" "We could use a professional mechanic for when Ponyboy gets stuck on the side of the road or something. Bexley might even end up ramming the truck into a tree or something." Darry said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That won't happen." Soda smiled. "If being a mechanic is what makes you the happiest, then do it. I won't stop you from doing what makes you happy." Darry said. Soda felt joviality as he embraced his older brother. He was so happy that Darry understood his unique reasoning technique.

Then, Ponyboy and Bexley came in through the front door. Ponyboy threw his bag onto the couch while Bex kept hers on. "Hey, Darry, we-" Ponyboy started.

The twins stared at the scene of their two brothers hugging. "Um, did we miss something?" Bexley asked, raising her eyebrows. "No, you guys didn't miss anything guys. What's going on?" Soda said with a grin.

Bexley looked at her twin brother, "Should I tell them or should you?" "I'll do it." Ponyboy offered, pulling out their report cards. "Our report cards are in and we got some good news. I got straight A's. Bex on the other hand got A-'s." Ponyboy said for the both of them.

"Also, our principal needs to see you this Saturday afternoon, Darry. It's something rather important." Bexley said, taking her backpack off and taking it to their shared bedroom.

Darry had gone down to meet with the principal of their middle school. They couldn't have done anything wrong; they were great students. Turns out, he was worried for nothing.

Because of their exceptionally high grades, the principal decided that it'd be best for the both of them to skip eighth grade and go into high school. At first, Darry was shocked to hear this. Both of them were only thirteen; still kids.

The principal understood their current situation with their parents' sudden death therefore he would let them take their time with the decision. They still had at least four months before the year was over, they had plenty of time to think it over.

Both Ponyboy and Bexley were excited to hear that they could possibly be skipping a grade. He thought they'd protest against it, mostly Bexley since she's the more stubborn one of the two.

Later on that night, Ponyboy didn't sleep. His mind was too awake for him to fall asleep, like a rollercoaster constantly looping in his head that didn't slow down. His head turned to the left and he saw Bexley asleep in her bed.

She laid on her chest with her head facing towards him and her left arm laying over her back. It seems like nothing could ever wake her up. He looked back up into the ceiling and stared into the white cracked canvas.

He kept thinking of his parents and how they plagued his dreams. Some of them weren't bad though, sometimes they were sad. He seemed to be getting them a lot more than Bexley; she would occasionally have them too.

He tried his hardest to push out those lingering thoughts, but they always kept coming back. Eventually, he lost the fight with sleep. He immediately started dreaming.

Bexley had woken up about an hour or so later to hear her twin brother shivering and whimpering in his sleep. She unraveled herself from her mess of blankets and went over to him. She shook her brother by his shoulder.

"Ponyboy. Pony, wake up." she said, shaking him hard. He did so and saw that Bexley was by his side. Soda and Darry were right there with him too.

Ponyboy was in a cold sweat and he was breathing hard. For a second, he still thought he was still in that crazy dream. "It's alright now, Pony. We're right here." Soda comforted, stroking his little brother's auburn hair back.

"You were dreaming, Pony." Bexley told him, sitting next to him on the bed. "No, I wasn't." Ponyboy said between breaths. "How do you mean?" Darry asked, scaring Ponyboy for a second.

"Mom and Dad talked to me in my dream. They were sorry for giving me and Bexley nightmares. I saw the accident." Ponyboy said, making it sound more insane than he intended. Soda wrapped his arms around his baby brother.

"Pony, you haven't gone crazy on us, have you?" Soda asked. "If he's crazy then so am I." Bexley said, knowing exactly what her twin brother was talking about. All three of her brothers looked at her in unison.

"I've been having the exact same dreams. Soda, remember when I had that nightmare and I wouldn't tell you what it was?" Bex rehashed. "Yeah?" Soda replied, vividly remember when she woke up from that dream. "That dream was about mom and dad when they had the accident." Bex said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

To say that they were shocked was an understatement. She doesn't normally get nightmares. Not even when she was a little girl.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. Or that I didn't tell any of you about it." Bex sighed, rubbing her face in guilt. All three of her brothers hugged her tightly for a minute.

"There's no need to need to be sorry, little sister. You were just scared." Soda said. Bex felt relieved and assured that none of them were angry with her about what she dreamt about. It made her feel better.

"You guys believe us, right?" Ponyboy asked them. "Of course we do." Soda said, "But, how about I move in here with you guys for a little while, so I can be here in case of any more nightmares?" The twins looked at one another for a moment, both liking the idea.

"For how long, Soda?" Ponyboy asked, looking back at his big brother. "It's only temporary until we can get this sorted out. Might help out the both of you." Soda answered, squeezing their shoulders.

"What do you think, Bex? Darry?" Pony asked, looking at his twin sister. "I think it's a wonderful idea. But we ain't moving our books. Don't even try to make us." Bex said, making her brothers laugh. "I think it's a great idea too." Darry agreed.

Bex looked at her loving big brother's eyes. He was the brother who made the decision to drop out of school to help support his family. Soda had given up his future for his twin kid siblings' sake.

"It's settled then. By tomorrow, you two got yourselves a new roommate." Soda said, slapping their knees.

After a couple of months, Soda had moved into Ponyboy's and Bexley's room. It was a nice arrangement to say the least. If either twin had a nightmare, Sodapop would be there to help them through it.

Things seemed to return to normal after that. The gang would come over and they'd hang out like they used to. They came over on a Saturday morning about 9 in the morning.

Darry had to work but he'd only have half a day; Soda had to work also. It was Bexley's turn to do the dishes with Ponyboy. Two-Bit then decided to play a trick on Bexley while she wasn't looking.

He had a glass of his beer that had ice in it so he was gonna use that to his advantage. "Hey, watch this." Two-Bit whispered to Dally, Johnny, and Steve. He scoops out a couple of ice cubes from his cup, snuck up behind Bexley as quietly as he could behind her, and quickly stuck the ice cubes down her shirt.

She instantly reacted by letting out a sharp yelp and her body tensed up from the sudden chill of the ice. Two-Bit started to laugh at her reaction along with the rest of the gang, including Ponyboy. "Oh, that's it! You're so dead!" Bexley laughed, dropping the dish she was washing.

"You're on, little sister! Bring it on!" Two-Bit laughed, setting his glass of beer on the table. What happened next was so fast. "Get him, Bex!" Ponyboy cheered, now focused on the battle between his sister and friend.

Bex onto Two-Bit's back and wrapped her arm around his neck. The two tussled around with one another while the others were cheering them on. Their wrestling match shifted to the living room where they weren't paying attention to where they were going.

"Hey, watch out!" Johnny yelled at the two of them. But it was too late, they had knocked over a lamp that was sitting on the side table and it completely shattered into a million pieces. Bex instantly jumped off of Two-Bit's back, her face beat red.

"Well shit. Way to go, you two." Dally said, seeing just how much of a mess they made. "Hey, I didn't start it! Two-Bit put the ice in my shirt! So he started it!" Bex exclaimed, pointing at Two-Bit. "Hey, hey, now! I didn't think a wrestling match would happen! All I did was play a joke!" Two-Bit said defensively.

As quick as they could, they cleaned up the mess. Although they wouldn't get away with it for very long. It'd be the first thing that Darry and Soda would notice when they walked through the front door.

As expected, Darry wasn't happy that their mother's favorite lamp shattered due to the recklessness of his sister and friend. But because of what they went through the last few months, he decided to let it go much to everyone's surprise.

Later on that night, someone in the house had a nightmare. But this time it was neither of the twins. At first, Bex was awakened simply out of thirst.

She got out of her bed, swung her bed over the edge of the bed and rubbed her tired eyes with an enclosed fist as she stretched her small body. Adjusting to the darkness, she could see her two brothers sleeping in the same bed with Soda's back facing her.

As quiet as she could, she made her way down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. On the wall, the clock read 2:45 a.m. She'd go back to bed once she was done drinking the water.

She was half way through with it, her throat was feeling much better than when she woke up. That's when she heard the sound of crying and whimpering coming from one of the bedrooms. Her first thought was that it was coming from Ponyboy.

She went back down to their bedroom to check on him. But when she gets in there, she sees that both him and Soda were sound asleep. If it wasn't them, then... it had to be... Darry!

She bolted out of the room and towards her big brother's room. What she saw made her heart wrench and tears welled up in her eyes. Darry was in the midst of having a nightmare.

He was breathing rapidly, he was sweaty and looked flushed, he was crying. For a moment, Bexley didn't know what to do; her feet felt like they were stuck in concrete. Darry had never, ever had a nightmare; it was usually her or Ponyboy having them.

She had to force her feet to move towards him. "Darry? Darry, wake up." she said, her voice breaking as she shook him with both of her hands. He awoke with a yell that echoed throughout the old house.

The way he yelled scared Bexley a little, causing her to back up a little bit. Darry shot straight up and breathed heavily and looked around his bedroom with wide eyes. His eyes then looked upon the figure of his kid sister that stood a couple of feet from the bed, having a frightened look in her eyes.

"B-Bex?" he panted, trying to catch his breath as his heart was beating out of control. "Are you okay, Darry?" Bexley asked, her voice trembling something awful. "I-I think so. Why are you askin'?" Darry asked, regaining his composure.

Without answering him, Bexley walked over and hugged her big brother with her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. "You were having a nightmare, Darry... It scared me..." she said, clinging onto him and burying her face into his shoulder.

Hearing those words come from his kid sister made his own heart break. He hugged her back, his muscular arms wrapped around her small body. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." he said, his voice shaky, making Bexley cling onto him even more.

Darry's scream had woken up Sodapop and Ponyboy. They immediately run into Darry's bedroom to see what was causing it. The two younger brothers see that Bexley and Darry were sitting up in bed, hugging each other for dear life.

"What happened, Darry? Did she have a nightmare?" Sodapop asked, walking over and sitting down on the bed with Ponyboy behind him. Darry looked up at his kid brothers with tears in his eyes.

"No. It wasn't her. It was me." Darry admitted, much to the shock of his kid brothers. They both knew that Darry never had a nightmare, not a single one. Bexley heard Soda's voice and let Darry go to face him.

The four siblings stayed quiet for a little bit as they figured out what Darry's nightmare was about. He had dreamed of the day of his parent's death. The third month anniversary of it was coming around.

"Can't believe it's been three months since... Since..." Soda said, his bottom jaw trembling. The eldest Curtis wrapped an arm around him as well as his twin kid siblings. He remembered being in this same situation the night that their parents died.

He remembered how he didn't cry. He wanted to be strong for his two brothers and sister. But, it had been three months since that tragic night so it was okay to cry. Right?

"Darry, you don't have to hold it in anymore." Ponyboy said, his small yet vulnerable voice breaking the silence. "It's okay to cry..." Bexley said, finding herself crying herself, unable to control the tears.

"I know... I know." he said, his voice splitting as a sob came through. He hugged his three kid siblings close to him as he held them close to him.

The four siblings were crying for a different reason now. These weren't tears of sadness, but of happiness. They remembered that they were still here.

They had each other to hold onto. The healing process wasn't complete, but at least they had each other. And they wouldn't let each other go.