I'm back with another story! Unlike the majority of my Outsiders fics, this one takes place before the book so certain characters will be present.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or anything related to the story created by S.E. Hinton.

Certain chapters of this fic have mentions of injuries, blood, violence, etc. so read at your own risk.

(Ponyboy's POV)

I opened my eyes and immediately wished I could return to the land of unconsciousness. Even though it was dark outside, I squeezed my eyes shut anyway as I held back a groan of agony. In the midst of pain I was in, I forced myself to focus. You need to get up, Ponyboy. Get up and go home.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes again and forced myself to turn so I wasn't lying on my back anymore. I pushed myself up so I was on my hands and knees. It was when I noticed the grass between my fingers that I finally looked at my surroundings. It was dark enough that I knew it was at least after dinnertime, but there was no way to know if I missed my curfew or not. Either way, it was nighttime. The next thing that I noticed was that I had been shoved away from the sidewalk and through some bushes, so I was covered in cuts and scratches, some of which probably didn't come from the fight I was in.

I vaguely remembered fighting against the Socs, but it was mostly just them beating on me rather than an actual fight. I don't think you can call it a fight when it's four older Socs teaming up against a small greaser. Still, I couldn't force myself to regret standing up for those girls and telling them to get away from the Socs while I dealt with the consequences. Even though I didn't regret helping the two girls, I wished I put up a better fight, then maybe my body wouldn't have been smarting as bad as it was.

A sudden ache caused me to press my hand against my abdomen in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but instead, it felt like I sent jolts of electricity through my stomach and up to my brain. I sucked in a breath, moved my hand away, and looked down, trying to see what was hurting so bad. I quickly found my answer. Under the moonlight, I could see that there was blood covering not only my hand, but the front of my shirt was also covered in the thick, dark liquid. I think I'm going to be sick.

Even though the urge to vomit was intense, I forced myself to resist it, mostly because I was scared that vomiting would make my body hurt even more. Once I was sure I wasn't going to throw up, I pressed my hand back onto my bloody shirt in hopes of stopping more blood loss. How bad off am I? Am I gonna bleed out?

I ignored the throbbing pain that radiated from under my hand, and I mentally checked myself over. My head felt funny, everything hurt, and it was getting real hard to keep my eyes open. I was used to being sore or in pain after a rumble, but this was entirely different. I wasn't just hurt; I was badly injured. I need to get home. Just get back to Darry and Soda.

I slowly stood up, and as I did, my pain level increased exponentially. Everything was spinning, but I knew that I was only a few blocks from my house, so I hoped I could hold onto consciousness long enough to make the journey. I didn't know how I was going to manage to get home in the state I was in, but I didn't have a choice. If I didn't make it home, I wasn't sure anyone would find me before things got even worse for me.

I kept my hand pressed to my stomach, and the warmth under my hand told me that I was still actively bleeding. That's not good. With every step, pain shot up from somewhere in my body and into my head, causing my already impaired vision to become even worse. I kept stumbling, but I forced myself to stay on my feet. I was worried that if I fell, I would never get back up. I looked back once, just in case someone was nearby or maybe even following me, but nothing was behind me except a trail of blood.

The entire time I walked, it felt like energy was draining from my body with every drop of my blood that spilled on the ground. I knew I wasn't in good shape, but it was quickly becoming obvious I was in serious trouble. Once I realized there could be a real possibility that I wouldn't be able to make it home, I felt myself start panicking. It took every ounce of willpower I had to push my fears aside and focus on thoughts that would hopefully encourage me enough to make it back to my house.

You need to get home, Ponyboy.

Just get to Darry and Soda.

Everything will be alright once you get back to your brothers.

Step, breathe, repeat.

I was very lightheaded when a gate suddenly appeared in front of me and I stumbled into it. I looked up and found myself looking at my house. Glory, I made it.

My vision was swirling so much that it wasn't helping me navigate much, so I relied on my other senses, along with years of familiarity to my environment, to direct me. I struggled to open the gate, but once it was open, I hobbled through it and approached the steps to our porch.

You're home, Ponyboy. You made it. Just a few more steps.

Suddenly, my legs couldn't hold me up anymore. I fell to the ground, sending more jolts of pain throughout my body. Once the pain subsided, I had a sudden urge to fall asleep right then and there. Being outside and under the stars, it was almost a peaceful scene, and I just wanted to surrender to my exhaustion.

You can't stay here, Ponyboy. Get up.

I forced myself to open my eyes and get back on my hands and knees. Somehow, I managed to crawl up the steps to our porch. It felt like I was a baby or something, but given the circumstances, I couldn't make myself care much. I was able to pull myself up the steps, but before I could reach the door, my arms weren't able to hold my weight up anymore, and they gave out. My head hit the floor of our porch, sending tendrils of agony throughout my brain.

After all the pain I went through in an attempt to make it home, I stopped a few inches short.

I laid there, not able to move a muscle. I couldn't move my legs to walk. I couldn't raise my hand to knock on the door, or even press against my abdomen in an attempt to keep some of the blood in my body. All I could do was close my eyes and wait for my fate.

Darry… Soda… I'm sorry.