Soda took me home that afternoon. After a year I was finally home. Ponyboy was the only one there. When he saw me he jumped up.

"Oh my God, Coke, your back!" He grabbed me and swung me across the room.

"Yeah. Hopefully for good. I've missed you, Pony. You didn't visit."

"I wanted to, but.but.Darry wouldn't let me."

"My God! What the hell is wrong with Darry? What does he think? Insanity is contagious?"

"I don't know, but I really wanted to go. I begged and begged but he wouldn't let me."

"Well, whatever, I'm back now. Well I'm hungry. What's to eat?"

"Nothing right now, but we could all go out to eat," Soda said.

"Okay," I said. "Where at?"

"It's up to you I guess. I mean we are here to welcome you, so make it our welcome back present. It doesn't matter if it's expensive or not. We'll find a way to pay for it."

"Well, I guess we could eat at an Olive Garden. You know that famous Italian food place. It's not that expensive."

"Okay, then that's where we'll go."

"Where's it at?" Ponyboy asked.

"Um.In the Socs side I think, but I'm not so sure," I said.

"Hey we gotta wait for Darry though and he won't be back for hours' or I could write him a letter," Ponyboy said.

"Write him the letter then," I said.

"Okay, hold on." Ponyboy went to go get paper and a pen, and then wrote the letter.

"Okay, come on. Let's go," I said.

We all went to the West Side of town. It was actually the intersection between the East Side and the West. There, there was a nice little Italian restaurant called The Olive Garden. I remembered about it because when my grandma was alive, we used to go there all the time. I was like 8 years old then, but I still remembered. They had really great food and service. I really liked it, and I hadn't been there for years. After Granny died, my parents completely ignored me. Well they ignored me before, but after she died they completely ignored me. It was like I wasn't even there. Like I didn't exist, so that's when I ran away for the first time. I was ten, then, but I still remember. I guess I'm kind of glad things turned out the way they did, or else I never would've met the Curtis brothers, but then again I wouldn't have been sent to a mental facility. Well, I'm out of there now, so I have to be happy for that.

We finally went inside and they attended us immediately. It wasn't very crowded, and I wondered why. I ate a plate of Pasta Alfredo. It was really good. I hadn't eaten Italian food for ages, and I had nearly forgotten what it tasted like.

"You all finished?" Soda asked.

"Yeah," Pony and I replied.

We finally got out of the restaurant.

"You wanna go somewhere else or go home, Coke?" Soda asked.

"Um.I wanna go home. I'm kinda tired."

"Okay."

We walked home and I went straight to my room. It was the first time I saw it since Dally died. It had been the first place where I saw an illusion. It had been the first room I ever had for myself. It had been the first place where I actually slept on a comfortable bed. Now it was the first place that I actually felt like I was home.

I walked to my bed and just collapsed. I fell asleep instantly.