Firstly, thanks to everyone who reviewed!!
Lillia: *grinz* this chappie is dedicated to you! Thanks for your THREE reviews for one chappie!!! (go you!)- they really made me get my lazy butt back onto the computer and start typing! Hehe.
Killslay: thanks so much for your review!!! Hehe- Darry and Soda are gonna find out about what happened to Pony in this chapter~ I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to include the gang, but then- who knows?
Squid-holes: hehe- I feel bad for poor ol' Pone too~ and thanks for reviewing!
Joce: LOL *joins Joce in happy dance* *starts singing with Joce at top of lungs, "PONY GOT AWAY FROM KEVIN! WHOOOO!!!"* *ppl start edging away. . .* hehe!
Pony's girl: thanks for your review. As to your question, Pony's just kinda confused right now, because he also had to put up with Kevin's verbal abuse, telling him how nobody loved him, etc. I'm sorry if I didn't explain that clearly enough in the last chapter!!
Lisa: hey! This must be my fastest to update in a long while! Hehe. thanks for your review!
Lizzy Halliwell: thanks for enjoying it- u make me so happie*~! Hehe.
Porcelain Princess: I WAS going to follow your advice and not wait for 20, but as I was writing this chapter, the 20 just showed up~ hehe. that wuz pretty cool. . .
Amanda: thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Latinagal: aw~ thanks for the compliment *blushes*
Trinity Star and her Muses: LOL thanks for the review- it made me laugh!
TwoBit-Gortez: thanks for reviewing!
CrazeLilDreamer: hehe- thanks for reviewing too!
Anon: Cliffhanger?? What cliffhanger? *runs back to story and checks endings of all chapters* What cliffhanger?? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
David: LOL thanks for writing that review- your longest ever!! :o) don't worry~ I'll go and review yours later~ hehe. hey, I should write more trial scene- emails to you!! I didn't know they'd make you review so fast! Hehe. *evil, sadistic grin* oh- and I put meeting of the nations, NZ as one of my choices! The others are horseback riding in Australia, and sea-canoeing in Thailand. What are u doing??
Terri: Thanks for luving it!!! hehe. and thank you for reviewing.
Battosai Yuriko: sorry if I spelled your penname wrong!! but I'm kinda rushing right now~ need to study for my stoopid biology test!!! ARGH! Well anyway, thank you soo much for your review! Ooh and I downloaded those songs you mentioned on kazaa! Thanks! I luv 'em now! :o) and best of luck in your fanfiction! I'm sure it's gonna be great.
Sarah7777: hey! Thanks for reviewing!
Ellina: yup! I'M UPDATING!!! YAY! Hehe.
[ps. I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry if I left anyone out, but as I said somewhere before, I'm in a rush~ once again, SORRY if I left anyone out!!!]
A/N: sorry if this chappie is a li'l confusing; I keep switching around the three Curtis brother's POV's, so PLEASE review and tell me if it didn't quite flow!!!
Oh and also, I've changed my penname from 'litzy bitsy' to 'li'l litzy'! sorry for any confusion, if anyone noticed. This is still the same person. :o)
Chapter 16:
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
My back throbbed constantly, and my whole body ached. I felt freezing cold one second, and then burning hot the other. All I wanted to do was rest.
It was dinner and the smell of food was making me feel like vomiting. I was picking at my chicken, feeling guilty that I wasn't eating that much because I knew Soda had cooked my favorite food on purpose. I tried to block out the pain and nausea by listening to Soda's incessant chatter. I was trying to avoid all questions about Kevin and Murray as much as I could, although Soda questioned me about it more than once.
I stifled another yawn. I was ready to fall asleep right then and there.
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
I couldn't bring myself to look at my youngest brother throughout dinner. All I could feel was the guilt rushing through me. Pony blamed me. I couldn't stop thinking about the way he had looked away from me at the airport. It was all my fault. I had broken my promise to mom and dad all those years ago. I had let a member of our family get taken away from the state. I hadn't been strong enough, or capable enough of taking care of him. Even now the chances of him staying were slim. The trial was in a week, and the state seemed to be hell-bent on tearing our family apart. I knew that nothing we said or did would change their minds.
I could vaguely hear Soda talking excitedly to Pony, and the occasional quiet sound of Pony's voice, but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. I heard my name a couple of times, but I just nodded absently.
"Darry, Darry!"
Suddenly, I became aware of someone insistently calling my name, and looked up. Soda looked at me bemusedly.
"You're really out of it today, Dar," he grinned. I just raised an eyebrow, a trick Two-bit had taught the gang to do. Behind Soda, I saw Pony stifle a yawn, one hand coming up to rub his eyes. I almost unconsciously assumed my parent role.
"It's getting late. Ten minutes till lights out."
"Aaww!" Soda complained, bouncing up and down. "Do we haaave to? Pony, you don't want to go to sleep yet, do ya?"
Pony shook his head, at the same time letting out a jaw breaking yawn.
"That's it," I ended the argument. "Get into bed, both of you."
Unable to face Pony any longer, I quickly piled the dirty dishes in the sink (I'd do them tomorrow), and went into my room. I took off my shirt, not bothering to change my jeans, and lay down on my bed, closing my eyes tightly, trying to shut off the guilt.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
Pony had been awful quiet since had gotten back to Tulsa. I mean, he normally didn't say much, but I don't think I had heard him say more than a 'yes' or a 'no', or an occasional soft sentence since I had seen him. I shrugged. Maybe he was just shy after not seeing us for so long. I shook my head. That couldn't be it. Sighing, I turned off the lights in the house and got back into the room Pony and I shared.
Pony was already in bed, fast asleep. He was lying on his side, curled up into a ball. I frowned. I had never seen him sleep like that. I shrugged. But then, I had never really kept track of his sleeping habits. I got into bed quietly, and stretched out, lying on my back, with my arm flung over Pony.
I couldn't fall asleep. I was too excited about Pony's coming home. I turned my head to look at my kid brother, grinning affectionately at him. I watched him for a while. His back was toward me, and his arms covered his face.
All of a sudden, I heard a soft whimper come from him, and I sat up in bed, my eyebrows furrowing. Was he having a nightmare? He wasn't making a lot of noise, or moving around, like he did when he normally had nightmares.
Pony shifted a little, curling up tighter. "No. . . No. Stop. Please. . ."
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I was lost in a red, hazy world. Images flashed through my mind, each vivid and real. I could see blood. . . my blood. . . everywhere. . . Kevin was standing over me, laughing. . . the belt came down on my back, leaving red, painful welts. . . there was nowhere to run. . . there was no escape. . .
"No," I pleaded. "No. . . stop. Please. . ."
I almost sobbed at my helplessness.
Suddenly, I felt strong hands grasp my shoulders. I cried out in terror, struggling to get out of Kevin's firm grip. His face loomed closer to me. . . You're worthless! Nobody loves you! Nobody cares for you! The cold words echoed around me unceasingly.
The hands were shaking me. I tensed, expecting pain, but they were gentle. Soft, urgent words were coming through Kevin's hard voice.
"Pony, Pony! It's just a nightmare. Wake up!"
I struggled to get out of the dream I was in. My eyes popped open with a start. Instead of Kevin's cold, black eyes, as I was so fearfully expecting, familiar warm, chocolate brown ones were looking down at me worriedly.
I started shaking, partly from relief, and partly from the aftereffects of my nightmare.
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
Ridden by feelings of guilt, I had not been able to sleep, and I sat up in bed as I heard a soft sound of distress from the room Pony and Soda shared next to me. I strained my ears to find out what it was, but everything was silent. I shook my head. Stop imagining things, I scolded myself.
Lying back down in bed, I closed my eyes again, only to open them a few seconds later when I heard Soda's voice.
"Pony! Pony, it's just a nightmare. Wake up!"
I jumped out of bed, running into Soda and Pony's room.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
Pony's green eyes snapped open, and for a second they looked fearfully around the room, and then looked back at me, his eyes wide and scared. I resisted the urge to frown. I had felt that there was something wrong the second I had seen Pony again. An annoying nagging at the back of my head. And I intended to find out what it was. However, I gave him a reassuring smile and wrapped my arms around Pony.
I frowned when I caught his muffled gasp of pain as my arms tightened around him, and his forced attempts to steady his breaths. I loosened my arms, looking down into his wet eyes worriedly.
"Ponyboy, what's wrong?"
At that moment, the door opened. I looked over my shoulder, but Pony just buried his head into my chest, shaking.
"Nightmare?" Darry mouthed at me. I nodded. Darry crossed the room, flicking on the small table light, lighting the room with a soft, orange glow. I turned my attention back to Ponyboy, talking softly to him as his shaking slowly subsided.
Suddenly, I noticed the unnatural heat that radiated from his body. I drew away from him a little, pressing the back of my hand to his forehead worriedly, confirming my suspicions. And then I kicked myself mentally for not noticing his fever earlier.
"Ponyboy, you're sick," I said softly. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Pony looked alarmed at my words, jerking away from my hand, which was still on his forehead. I sighed, deciding to ask him again later, and pulled him into a hug again, my hand rubbing small circles on his back.
Immediately, I felt him tense, and gasp softly. I stopped. I was starting to get genuinely worried. That had been the second time Pony had flinched from my touch. And he had barely touched his food at dinner. Now that I thought of it, he looked as if he had lost a lot of weight during the past month. He seemed tense all the time, and I could feel his tension as I held him in my arms. Every breath he drew out was too controlled, too regular to be normal. And they did not match his wildly thumping heartbeat, or the clamminess of his hands, or the cold sweat on his back. He was scared of something, and he was trying to hide it from us. That much I was sure of now.
I looked over at Darry, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. We had gotten a lot closer since Pony had gone, and I understood in that single glance we shared that he knew something was wrong as well.
I lifted one hand up to brush away a stray strand of hair that was in my face, but my hand froze in mid air as I noticed a dark, rust-colored stain on it. I knew immediately it was blood. Ponyboy's blood. I don't know how I knew. Maybe it was just some of Darry's big brother paranoia that had rubbed off on me.
I stared at my hand in shock. From the sharp intake of breath and sudden movement behind me, I knew that Darry had seen it too.
A/N: omigod ppl! I'm sooo sorry! I left you at a kind of cliffhanger. . . okay fine, Anon, I do have some! But only a few!! :o) sorry!!
I just wanted to get this chapter posted asap but I promise I'll try my best to find time to write the next chapter REALLY REALLY REALLY SOON!!! Once again, SORRYYYY!!! I really didn't' mean to leave you all hanging. . .
Lillia: *grinz* this chappie is dedicated to you! Thanks for your THREE reviews for one chappie!!! (go you!)- they really made me get my lazy butt back onto the computer and start typing! Hehe.
Killslay: thanks so much for your review!!! Hehe- Darry and Soda are gonna find out about what happened to Pony in this chapter~ I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to include the gang, but then- who knows?
Squid-holes: hehe- I feel bad for poor ol' Pone too~ and thanks for reviewing!
Joce: LOL *joins Joce in happy dance* *starts singing with Joce at top of lungs, "PONY GOT AWAY FROM KEVIN! WHOOOO!!!"* *ppl start edging away. . .* hehe!
Pony's girl: thanks for your review. As to your question, Pony's just kinda confused right now, because he also had to put up with Kevin's verbal abuse, telling him how nobody loved him, etc. I'm sorry if I didn't explain that clearly enough in the last chapter!!
Lisa: hey! This must be my fastest to update in a long while! Hehe. thanks for your review!
Lizzy Halliwell: thanks for enjoying it- u make me so happie*~! Hehe.
Porcelain Princess: I WAS going to follow your advice and not wait for 20, but as I was writing this chapter, the 20 just showed up~ hehe. that wuz pretty cool. . .
Amanda: thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Latinagal: aw~ thanks for the compliment *blushes*
Trinity Star and her Muses: LOL thanks for the review- it made me laugh!
TwoBit-Gortez: thanks for reviewing!
CrazeLilDreamer: hehe- thanks for reviewing too!
Anon: Cliffhanger?? What cliffhanger? *runs back to story and checks endings of all chapters* What cliffhanger?? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
David: LOL thanks for writing that review- your longest ever!! :o) don't worry~ I'll go and review yours later~ hehe. hey, I should write more trial scene- emails to you!! I didn't know they'd make you review so fast! Hehe. *evil, sadistic grin* oh- and I put meeting of the nations, NZ as one of my choices! The others are horseback riding in Australia, and sea-canoeing in Thailand. What are u doing??
Terri: Thanks for luving it!!! hehe. and thank you for reviewing.
Battosai Yuriko: sorry if I spelled your penname wrong!! but I'm kinda rushing right now~ need to study for my stoopid biology test!!! ARGH! Well anyway, thank you soo much for your review! Ooh and I downloaded those songs you mentioned on kazaa! Thanks! I luv 'em now! :o) and best of luck in your fanfiction! I'm sure it's gonna be great.
Sarah7777: hey! Thanks for reviewing!
Ellina: yup! I'M UPDATING!!! YAY! Hehe.
[ps. I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry if I left anyone out, but as I said somewhere before, I'm in a rush~ once again, SORRY if I left anyone out!!!]
A/N: sorry if this chappie is a li'l confusing; I keep switching around the three Curtis brother's POV's, so PLEASE review and tell me if it didn't quite flow!!!
Oh and also, I've changed my penname from 'litzy bitsy' to 'li'l litzy'! sorry for any confusion, if anyone noticed. This is still the same person. :o)
Chapter 16:
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
My back throbbed constantly, and my whole body ached. I felt freezing cold one second, and then burning hot the other. All I wanted to do was rest.
It was dinner and the smell of food was making me feel like vomiting. I was picking at my chicken, feeling guilty that I wasn't eating that much because I knew Soda had cooked my favorite food on purpose. I tried to block out the pain and nausea by listening to Soda's incessant chatter. I was trying to avoid all questions about Kevin and Murray as much as I could, although Soda questioned me about it more than once.
I stifled another yawn. I was ready to fall asleep right then and there.
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
I couldn't bring myself to look at my youngest brother throughout dinner. All I could feel was the guilt rushing through me. Pony blamed me. I couldn't stop thinking about the way he had looked away from me at the airport. It was all my fault. I had broken my promise to mom and dad all those years ago. I had let a member of our family get taken away from the state. I hadn't been strong enough, or capable enough of taking care of him. Even now the chances of him staying were slim. The trial was in a week, and the state seemed to be hell-bent on tearing our family apart. I knew that nothing we said or did would change their minds.
I could vaguely hear Soda talking excitedly to Pony, and the occasional quiet sound of Pony's voice, but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. I heard my name a couple of times, but I just nodded absently.
"Darry, Darry!"
Suddenly, I became aware of someone insistently calling my name, and looked up. Soda looked at me bemusedly.
"You're really out of it today, Dar," he grinned. I just raised an eyebrow, a trick Two-bit had taught the gang to do. Behind Soda, I saw Pony stifle a yawn, one hand coming up to rub his eyes. I almost unconsciously assumed my parent role.
"It's getting late. Ten minutes till lights out."
"Aaww!" Soda complained, bouncing up and down. "Do we haaave to? Pony, you don't want to go to sleep yet, do ya?"
Pony shook his head, at the same time letting out a jaw breaking yawn.
"That's it," I ended the argument. "Get into bed, both of you."
Unable to face Pony any longer, I quickly piled the dirty dishes in the sink (I'd do them tomorrow), and went into my room. I took off my shirt, not bothering to change my jeans, and lay down on my bed, closing my eyes tightly, trying to shut off the guilt.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
Pony had been awful quiet since had gotten back to Tulsa. I mean, he normally didn't say much, but I don't think I had heard him say more than a 'yes' or a 'no', or an occasional soft sentence since I had seen him. I shrugged. Maybe he was just shy after not seeing us for so long. I shook my head. That couldn't be it. Sighing, I turned off the lights in the house and got back into the room Pony and I shared.
Pony was already in bed, fast asleep. He was lying on his side, curled up into a ball. I frowned. I had never seen him sleep like that. I shrugged. But then, I had never really kept track of his sleeping habits. I got into bed quietly, and stretched out, lying on my back, with my arm flung over Pony.
I couldn't fall asleep. I was too excited about Pony's coming home. I turned my head to look at my kid brother, grinning affectionately at him. I watched him for a while. His back was toward me, and his arms covered his face.
All of a sudden, I heard a soft whimper come from him, and I sat up in bed, my eyebrows furrowing. Was he having a nightmare? He wasn't making a lot of noise, or moving around, like he did when he normally had nightmares.
Pony shifted a little, curling up tighter. "No. . . No. Stop. Please. . ."
~*~PONYBOY'S POV~*~
I was lost in a red, hazy world. Images flashed through my mind, each vivid and real. I could see blood. . . my blood. . . everywhere. . . Kevin was standing over me, laughing. . . the belt came down on my back, leaving red, painful welts. . . there was nowhere to run. . . there was no escape. . .
"No," I pleaded. "No. . . stop. Please. . ."
I almost sobbed at my helplessness.
Suddenly, I felt strong hands grasp my shoulders. I cried out in terror, struggling to get out of Kevin's firm grip. His face loomed closer to me. . . You're worthless! Nobody loves you! Nobody cares for you! The cold words echoed around me unceasingly.
The hands were shaking me. I tensed, expecting pain, but they were gentle. Soft, urgent words were coming through Kevin's hard voice.
"Pony, Pony! It's just a nightmare. Wake up!"
I struggled to get out of the dream I was in. My eyes popped open with a start. Instead of Kevin's cold, black eyes, as I was so fearfully expecting, familiar warm, chocolate brown ones were looking down at me worriedly.
I started shaking, partly from relief, and partly from the aftereffects of my nightmare.
~*~DARRY'S POV~*~
Ridden by feelings of guilt, I had not been able to sleep, and I sat up in bed as I heard a soft sound of distress from the room Pony and Soda shared next to me. I strained my ears to find out what it was, but everything was silent. I shook my head. Stop imagining things, I scolded myself.
Lying back down in bed, I closed my eyes again, only to open them a few seconds later when I heard Soda's voice.
"Pony! Pony, it's just a nightmare. Wake up!"
I jumped out of bed, running into Soda and Pony's room.
~*~SODAPOP'S POV~*~
Pony's green eyes snapped open, and for a second they looked fearfully around the room, and then looked back at me, his eyes wide and scared. I resisted the urge to frown. I had felt that there was something wrong the second I had seen Pony again. An annoying nagging at the back of my head. And I intended to find out what it was. However, I gave him a reassuring smile and wrapped my arms around Pony.
I frowned when I caught his muffled gasp of pain as my arms tightened around him, and his forced attempts to steady his breaths. I loosened my arms, looking down into his wet eyes worriedly.
"Ponyboy, what's wrong?"
At that moment, the door opened. I looked over my shoulder, but Pony just buried his head into my chest, shaking.
"Nightmare?" Darry mouthed at me. I nodded. Darry crossed the room, flicking on the small table light, lighting the room with a soft, orange glow. I turned my attention back to Ponyboy, talking softly to him as his shaking slowly subsided.
Suddenly, I noticed the unnatural heat that radiated from his body. I drew away from him a little, pressing the back of my hand to his forehead worriedly, confirming my suspicions. And then I kicked myself mentally for not noticing his fever earlier.
"Ponyboy, you're sick," I said softly. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Pony looked alarmed at my words, jerking away from my hand, which was still on his forehead. I sighed, deciding to ask him again later, and pulled him into a hug again, my hand rubbing small circles on his back.
Immediately, I felt him tense, and gasp softly. I stopped. I was starting to get genuinely worried. That had been the second time Pony had flinched from my touch. And he had barely touched his food at dinner. Now that I thought of it, he looked as if he had lost a lot of weight during the past month. He seemed tense all the time, and I could feel his tension as I held him in my arms. Every breath he drew out was too controlled, too regular to be normal. And they did not match his wildly thumping heartbeat, or the clamminess of his hands, or the cold sweat on his back. He was scared of something, and he was trying to hide it from us. That much I was sure of now.
I looked over at Darry, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. We had gotten a lot closer since Pony had gone, and I understood in that single glance we shared that he knew something was wrong as well.
I lifted one hand up to brush away a stray strand of hair that was in my face, but my hand froze in mid air as I noticed a dark, rust-colored stain on it. I knew immediately it was blood. Ponyboy's blood. I don't know how I knew. Maybe it was just some of Darry's big brother paranoia that had rubbed off on me.
I stared at my hand in shock. From the sharp intake of breath and sudden movement behind me, I knew that Darry had seen it too.
A/N: omigod ppl! I'm sooo sorry! I left you at a kind of cliffhanger. . . okay fine, Anon, I do have some! But only a few!! :o) sorry!!
I just wanted to get this chapter posted asap but I promise I'll try my best to find time to write the next chapter REALLY REALLY REALLY SOON!!! Once again, SORRYYYY!!! I really didn't' mean to leave you all hanging. . .