Hey everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted anything up for such a long time, but fanfiction.net wasn't working!!! Argh. . . well anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Killslay: omg!! That was the longest review I've ever received!!! THAAANK YOOOUU!! and yes I've never heard of a case in which the punishment is to foster a child, but I couldn't think of any other reason why Pony would be under Kevin's care. . . the social worker is going to visit their home in chapter 12! Heehee~ thanks for the compliment! I was jumping up and down- my friends were like. . . wtf? Oh and thanks so much for answering! I wuz getting really curious~ lol.
Porcelain Princess: yea~ Kevin Hugo Skinner is a horrible name! Suits his personality! Hehe. erm. . . he's supposed to prove that he's changed after his 10 years of prison, I guess. I don't know! it just goes along with the story. . . whatever! Teeheehee~ I'll try to put more Ponyboy POV in it.
Hanah: Thanks for clearing that Mary Sue thing up!
Also, thanks to DBZ gal, Estelle Yavetil, Ann, Jess S, Mandy aka Uni, Hell- Flame, MarLyG Riddle, RemusLover and MissLKid for reviewing!!! You guys are great :o)
Erm. . . okay I am aware that I missed out a few people, but I deleted the review alerts in my email inbox after I received them cos I thought they'd show up on fanfiction.net. they still haven't, so I'm REALLY sorry if I missed anybody out. . . I'll mention you in the next chapter if it finally shows up!!! SORRY!!
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters; they're all SE Hinton's.
~*~STEVE'S POV~*~
Life was strange without Ponyboy. It would be strange without any member of our gang, but it surprised me that I would feel any emotion for Pony's leaving Tulsa.
To me, he had always been an annoying, tagalong kid. Soda had been my best friend since grade school, but I knew he cared more about his kid brother than he would ever care about me.
I've just always hated Pony. My animosity toward him came as easily as I breathed. I guess I have to admit I've always been a bit jealous. Pony may be an orphan, but that's a helluva lot better than having to go home to a drunken father every night. At least Pony had two brothers that loved him and would always take care of him. I had had to fend for myself for as long as I could remember.
I hate to say this, but I knew it was true. I just had to yell at someone to get rid of the anger I had bottled up inside of me toward my father. I picked on Pony because he was the youngest, and the most vulnerable. If I did anything to Johnny, I'd have the whole gang on my back. But I knew Pony would never say anything. Firstly, he loved Soda and would never tell him that he hated me, his best friend. And secondly, Pony always kept his problems inside. He had always been a quiet kid; shy, too, which wasn't a good thing to be in our neighborhood. I guess that's why the Socs kept picking on him.
I sighed. The problem was, I was just so used to him being there, I felt kind of strange inside, as if part of me was missing. I frowned. Was I actually beginning to miss Ponyboy Curtis?
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
I washed my face, brushed my teeth and went back to my room to sleep. I opened the door to Soda's room as I walked past it, checking to see if he was okay. He was still sleeping. I quietly closed the door.
As I went into my room, I accidentally tripped on something small, rectangular and solid. I looked down. It was Ponyboy's paperback copy of "Gone with the Wind". I sighed as I bend down, picking it up. I had bought a copy for Pony for his twelfth birthday. I flipped through the worn pages. Pony loved that book.
I grinned as a sudden idea came to me. I'd send the book to Pony. I was pretty sure he was going to bring it with him to Murray anyway, but forgot. I carried the book back to my room, put it on my bedside table, and fell asleep.
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I let out a whimper of pain in spite of myself as the belt descended on my back.
"I'll teach you not to try to run away, kid!" Kevin shouted.
I stifled another cry of pain as the belt fell across my back again. I felt as if my back were on fire.
"Apologize!"
I gritted my teeth. There was no way I'd ever apologize to that pig.
I cried out as the belt hit me again. Kevin had switched to the side with the buckle. I felt the cold metal tear flesh from my back. It sickened me to see a small pool of dark red blood around me. My blood.
"Say you'll never do that again, kid!"
The belt hit me again. I shut my eyes tight, trying to put Soda's face in my mind. I couldn't. I opened my eyes again quickly when the image of Kevin appeared behind my eyelids instead.
I took a deep breath, knowing I'd get it worse for what I was about to do.
"Go to hell, you bastard," I said, with the last of my strength. (A/N: sorry I know Pony wouldn't swear like that, but I can't think of any other insult!!! If any of you guys have a better idea, I'll change it later. Thnx.) I knew Darry would probably skin me alive for using language like that, but I had never met a person that so accurately fitted that description.
"So it's gonna be that way, is it, kid?" Kevin said in a dangerous voice.
Please, I prayed. Anybody. . . somebody. . . help me!
I knew my prayer wouldn't be answered. Our closest neighbors lived miles away from us.
The belt fell again and again. . . my world turned into a burning, red haze. . .
Finally, the merciful darkness closed in on me, and I lost consciousness.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
I woke up the next morning wondering briefly why I felt so unhappy. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered what had happened with Sandy. I put my head under the pillow, blocking out the rest of the world.
I head the door open a few minutes later, and Darry walked in and sat down on my bed. He put a hand on my back.
"You gonna get up, Pepsi-cola?" he asked softly.
"I don't want to," I said miserable. Darry just sighed.
"Okay. I'll call you in sick."
I was surprised that Darry had given in so easily.
"You okay, little buddy?"
I nodded wordlessly. I wasn't, and Darry knew it. The question was merely rheorretical (A/N: spelling??).
He sat with me for a while, and then got up and went out to the living room. I heard him on the phone seconds later, calling me in sick.
Then the front door opened with a loud crash. It was the gang. I sighed. I really didn't want to face them at that moment.
"Mornin' Dar!" I heard Two-bit shout. "Where's Soda?"
I felt a rush of gratitude as I heard Darry reply, "He's sleeping in. Don't disturb him."
"Is he okay?" I heard Steve ask. There was silence.
"He will be," said Darry after a while.
"I'm goin' in to see him," said Steve. I heard footsteps approach and then my door opened.
"Steve?" I asked softly.
"It's me."
I lifted my head up from under the pillow, and Steve sat down on the side of my bed.
"What's wrong?"
I really didn't want to go through it all again, but Steve was my best friend. I took a deep breath.
"I proposed to Sandy yesterday," I began. I was grateful when Steve didn't interrupt. "She said. . ." I swallowed. "She said no."
Steve jumped up angrily.
"What?" he shouted. "She said no? Man am I gonna go crack her head. . ."
"Steve," I interrupted painfully. "She's in Florida. And she's not coming back."
I started bawling again. Steve sat back down on my bed, awkwardly giving me a hug. I understood; Steve had never been the comforting type.
After a while, I heard everyone else come in too. They stopped at the sight of us.
"What's wrong, Soda?" asked Johnny finally.
"Okay everyone," said Darry, coming up. "Out. Leave him alone. He'll explain later."
He herded everyone out except Steve.
"You'd better get to work, Steve," I said quietly. "It's almost time."
He looked at me. "Will you be okay alone?"
I nodded tiredly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." I sounded like Pony talking to Darry. I felt like bawling again as I thought of Pony, but I hid my tears from Steve, putting my head on the pillow again.
"Go to work, Steve," I mumbled. After a moment, Steve got up.
"I'd better get going then. Call me if you need me, okay?"
I nodded, and he walked out of the room.
I lay there in my bed for a while after everyone left for work or school. Memories of times in my life with Sandy flashed through my head. . . the first time I saw her. . . the first time we watched a movie together. . . the first kiss we shared. . .
I jumped off my bed. It was no use moping around. The silence in my room wasn't helping. It was even easier to slip back into daydreams of Sandy.
I got out of the house, not knowing where I was going. I walked blindly for a while, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, I looked up. I found myself in the park.
Sitting down on a bench. I could faintly smell the sweet scent of roses. I sighed. Sandy always smelt like roses. I closed my eyes, breathing in the aroma, allowing myself to think of her one last time. I smiled softly as I pictured her long, thick eyelashes, like a veil, partially covering her sparkling crystal blue eyes . . .
Sorry I haven't posted anything up for such a long time, but fanfiction.net wasn't working!!! Argh. . . well anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Killslay: omg!! That was the longest review I've ever received!!! THAAANK YOOOUU!! and yes I've never heard of a case in which the punishment is to foster a child, but I couldn't think of any other reason why Pony would be under Kevin's care. . . the social worker is going to visit their home in chapter 12! Heehee~ thanks for the compliment! I was jumping up and down- my friends were like. . . wtf? Oh and thanks so much for answering! I wuz getting really curious~ lol.
Porcelain Princess: yea~ Kevin Hugo Skinner is a horrible name! Suits his personality! Hehe. erm. . . he's supposed to prove that he's changed after his 10 years of prison, I guess. I don't know! it just goes along with the story. . . whatever! Teeheehee~ I'll try to put more Ponyboy POV in it.
Hanah: Thanks for clearing that Mary Sue thing up!
Also, thanks to DBZ gal, Estelle Yavetil, Ann, Jess S, Mandy aka Uni, Hell- Flame, MarLyG Riddle, RemusLover and MissLKid for reviewing!!! You guys are great :o)
Erm. . . okay I am aware that I missed out a few people, but I deleted the review alerts in my email inbox after I received them cos I thought they'd show up on fanfiction.net. they still haven't, so I'm REALLY sorry if I missed anybody out. . . I'll mention you in the next chapter if it finally shows up!!! SORRY!!
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters; they're all SE Hinton's.
~*~STEVE'S POV~*~
Life was strange without Ponyboy. It would be strange without any member of our gang, but it surprised me that I would feel any emotion for Pony's leaving Tulsa.
To me, he had always been an annoying, tagalong kid. Soda had been my best friend since grade school, but I knew he cared more about his kid brother than he would ever care about me.
I've just always hated Pony. My animosity toward him came as easily as I breathed. I guess I have to admit I've always been a bit jealous. Pony may be an orphan, but that's a helluva lot better than having to go home to a drunken father every night. At least Pony had two brothers that loved him and would always take care of him. I had had to fend for myself for as long as I could remember.
I hate to say this, but I knew it was true. I just had to yell at someone to get rid of the anger I had bottled up inside of me toward my father. I picked on Pony because he was the youngest, and the most vulnerable. If I did anything to Johnny, I'd have the whole gang on my back. But I knew Pony would never say anything. Firstly, he loved Soda and would never tell him that he hated me, his best friend. And secondly, Pony always kept his problems inside. He had always been a quiet kid; shy, too, which wasn't a good thing to be in our neighborhood. I guess that's why the Socs kept picking on him.
I sighed. The problem was, I was just so used to him being there, I felt kind of strange inside, as if part of me was missing. I frowned. Was I actually beginning to miss Ponyboy Curtis?
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
I washed my face, brushed my teeth and went back to my room to sleep. I opened the door to Soda's room as I walked past it, checking to see if he was okay. He was still sleeping. I quietly closed the door.
As I went into my room, I accidentally tripped on something small, rectangular and solid. I looked down. It was Ponyboy's paperback copy of "Gone with the Wind". I sighed as I bend down, picking it up. I had bought a copy for Pony for his twelfth birthday. I flipped through the worn pages. Pony loved that book.
I grinned as a sudden idea came to me. I'd send the book to Pony. I was pretty sure he was going to bring it with him to Murray anyway, but forgot. I carried the book back to my room, put it on my bedside table, and fell asleep.
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I let out a whimper of pain in spite of myself as the belt descended on my back.
"I'll teach you not to try to run away, kid!" Kevin shouted.
I stifled another cry of pain as the belt fell across my back again. I felt as if my back were on fire.
"Apologize!"
I gritted my teeth. There was no way I'd ever apologize to that pig.
I cried out as the belt hit me again. Kevin had switched to the side with the buckle. I felt the cold metal tear flesh from my back. It sickened me to see a small pool of dark red blood around me. My blood.
"Say you'll never do that again, kid!"
The belt hit me again. I shut my eyes tight, trying to put Soda's face in my mind. I couldn't. I opened my eyes again quickly when the image of Kevin appeared behind my eyelids instead.
I took a deep breath, knowing I'd get it worse for what I was about to do.
"Go to hell, you bastard," I said, with the last of my strength. (A/N: sorry I know Pony wouldn't swear like that, but I can't think of any other insult!!! If any of you guys have a better idea, I'll change it later. Thnx.) I knew Darry would probably skin me alive for using language like that, but I had never met a person that so accurately fitted that description.
"So it's gonna be that way, is it, kid?" Kevin said in a dangerous voice.
Please, I prayed. Anybody. . . somebody. . . help me!
I knew my prayer wouldn't be answered. Our closest neighbors lived miles away from us.
The belt fell again and again. . . my world turned into a burning, red haze. . .
Finally, the merciful darkness closed in on me, and I lost consciousness.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
I woke up the next morning wondering briefly why I felt so unhappy. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered what had happened with Sandy. I put my head under the pillow, blocking out the rest of the world.
I head the door open a few minutes later, and Darry walked in and sat down on my bed. He put a hand on my back.
"You gonna get up, Pepsi-cola?" he asked softly.
"I don't want to," I said miserable. Darry just sighed.
"Okay. I'll call you in sick."
I was surprised that Darry had given in so easily.
"You okay, little buddy?"
I nodded wordlessly. I wasn't, and Darry knew it. The question was merely rheorretical (A/N: spelling??).
He sat with me for a while, and then got up and went out to the living room. I heard him on the phone seconds later, calling me in sick.
Then the front door opened with a loud crash. It was the gang. I sighed. I really didn't want to face them at that moment.
"Mornin' Dar!" I heard Two-bit shout. "Where's Soda?"
I felt a rush of gratitude as I heard Darry reply, "He's sleeping in. Don't disturb him."
"Is he okay?" I heard Steve ask. There was silence.
"He will be," said Darry after a while.
"I'm goin' in to see him," said Steve. I heard footsteps approach and then my door opened.
"Steve?" I asked softly.
"It's me."
I lifted my head up from under the pillow, and Steve sat down on the side of my bed.
"What's wrong?"
I really didn't want to go through it all again, but Steve was my best friend. I took a deep breath.
"I proposed to Sandy yesterday," I began. I was grateful when Steve didn't interrupt. "She said. . ." I swallowed. "She said no."
Steve jumped up angrily.
"What?" he shouted. "She said no? Man am I gonna go crack her head. . ."
"Steve," I interrupted painfully. "She's in Florida. And she's not coming back."
I started bawling again. Steve sat back down on my bed, awkwardly giving me a hug. I understood; Steve had never been the comforting type.
After a while, I heard everyone else come in too. They stopped at the sight of us.
"What's wrong, Soda?" asked Johnny finally.
"Okay everyone," said Darry, coming up. "Out. Leave him alone. He'll explain later."
He herded everyone out except Steve.
"You'd better get to work, Steve," I said quietly. "It's almost time."
He looked at me. "Will you be okay alone?"
I nodded tiredly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." I sounded like Pony talking to Darry. I felt like bawling again as I thought of Pony, but I hid my tears from Steve, putting my head on the pillow again.
"Go to work, Steve," I mumbled. After a moment, Steve got up.
"I'd better get going then. Call me if you need me, okay?"
I nodded, and he walked out of the room.
I lay there in my bed for a while after everyone left for work or school. Memories of times in my life with Sandy flashed through my head. . . the first time I saw her. . . the first time we watched a movie together. . . the first kiss we shared. . .
I jumped off my bed. It was no use moping around. The silence in my room wasn't helping. It was even easier to slip back into daydreams of Sandy.
I got out of the house, not knowing where I was going. I walked blindly for a while, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, I looked up. I found myself in the park.
Sitting down on a bench. I could faintly smell the sweet scent of roses. I sighed. Sandy always smelt like roses. I closed my eyes, breathing in the aroma, allowing myself to think of her one last time. I smiled softly as I pictured her long, thick eyelashes, like a veil, partially covering her sparkling crystal blue eyes . . .