myhubbyisob: well, I'm sorry that you can't understand it. But let me explain it: there's something going on with Pony, but I won't say much more, because you'll know it the chapter after this ;)

animalsarelife: thanks for your review :) well, here's the next chapter...

3. The destiny takes its course

Ponyboy walked to school. There he endured the lessons bored. It was quite impossible to him to concentrate on that, what the teachers said. He still had stomachache.

"Ponyboy Curtis! Would you mind to answer my question?" He was torn out of his thoughts.

With wide opened eyes he stared at his teacher and stammered, "Um, sorry, Ms. Winter. I didn't listen..."

"I noticed that." she replied and looked at Pony strictly. But when she noticed that there was something wrong with him, her face relaxed and she asked, "Are you all right, Ponyboy? You look terrible pale..."

"No, Ms. Winter, I'm not feeling very well. I've stomachache for a few days..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you should go home and see a doctor."

"Maybe..." Pony agreed.

"Yes, that will be the best, I think. Shall I let someone know?"

"No, thanks, I wanna call my brother to pick me up." Ponyboy said and left his class room.

He really would follow the advice of his teacher and go to a doctor, but he wouldn't call his brother. That was why he set off lost in thoughts to a doctor.
So he didn't notice that he was pursued.

He just turned around when he heard somebody talk behind him, "Well, well, what do you know! Ain't that one of the Greasers, who stabbed our friend Bob in cold blood?" The voice made him wince.
He turned around scared and saw them: 3 Socs in a just too well-known blue mustang!

Pony swore quietly to himself and thought about how he should get out of this situation, because he really wasn't now in the mood to pick a quarrel with the 3 Socs, above all not with 3 at the same time.
He remembered still too well how this ended last time.
And he didn't have a knife or something else with him, with that he could defend himself.
So he stared at the 3 Socs with pinched eyes and full of hate.

"Hey, you're right, that's he! Well, Greaser, you still wanna regret to kill our friend!" With that the car stopped and the 3 climbed out. Pony used this and ran away.

"He make off, the small rat! Just you wait! We'll already catch him!" one of the Socs swore and they took up the pursuit.

"Hey, wait. Let's chase him with the car! This little rascal won't escape from us!" another answered and so swung again into the car and drove after Ponyboy.

"Well, great, today really seems to be my lucky day!" Pony murmured, while he ran away from the Socs.

"There, there he is!" he heard one of the Socs shout and he speeded up his flight.

He didn't notice that he directly ran to a hospital. To that hospital Johnny died! Just when he was shortly in front of it and looked up, he noticed it. He only made a face and ran straight to it.
He hoped that the Socs wouldn't dare to attack him in the hospital. So he ran into the hospital and waited uncertain behind the door for the reaction of the Socs.

These just stopped with the car and one scolded, "Shit, he got away!" And he spat at the ground, while he stared at Pony.

"That's nothing helpful for this damned Greaser. One day we'll catch him, alone and without his Greaser-friends, that could come to help him. Then he'll be done for!" another one growled.
And so they drove away with a last glance at Pony, who breathed out relieved and turned around.

"Well, I wanna see a doctor and now I'm in a hospital. Certainly I'll find here one, too..." he said and ambled through the hospital.

"Hey, boy! Wait!" Ponyboy turned around frightened and looked at the doctor, who came up to him.