Disclaimer: I dont own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton does. I also don't own the song lyrics in the beggining and end of the chapter. It's the song "Photograph" by Nickelback. (i just hought that it fit well with this chpater)
Thank you's : I'm not making these long because i am thanking everyone in the next chapter.
tikagem
dakota
Kal's Gal
XAmberX
sokkazukofan
UrnotSethCohen
Dramatic Angel
QTpie4
and now, here is the last chapter of A Walk In The Park
Look at this photograph
every time I do it makes me laugh
How did our eyes get so red
And what the hell is on Joey's head?
This is where I grew up
I think the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we ever went without
The second floor is hard for sneakin' out
And this is where I went to school
Most of the time had better things to do
Criminal record says I broke in twice
I must've done it half a dozen times
I wonder if it's too late
Should I go back and try to graduate?
Life's better now than it was back then
If I was them I wouldn't let me in
Oh, oh, oh...
Amber's POV
"What's wrong guys?" Soda asked as he and the rest of the gang neared the door. Neither Pony or I answered. We just stood there motionless, not moving a muscle.
Darry pushed past us to find out what we were looking at. When he reached the door, he backed up a little and said "Oh my. Stay behind me guys." We all stepped inside and looked around. The living room was a wreck. Paper, clothes and shattered picture frames were scattered about on the floor. Glass from the picture frames was everywhere and the dinning room table and chairs were knocked over. Someone had broken in. The weird thing was that nothing was missing. The person that broke in was looking for something… or, someone.
Walking through the mess on the floor I tried to find a trace of the person that had been in the house, or possibly was still in the house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the blade of a knife sticking out from under the couch cushions. I went over a pulled it from under the cushion. Inspecting it, I found that it was a brown handled switchblade that had a picture of a gold eagle engraved into the handle. It looked exactly like the one my father owned. I turned the knife upside down and on the bottom saw 2 initials engraved in gold writing. CB. Calvin Baker. Those 2 initials had confirmed my fear. My father was the one that had broken in, the one who might still be in the house, waiting for us to stumble upon him. I had to tell the gang about this.
"Guys" I said. They all turned and looked at me.
"I, I think that my father was the one who broke in. This is his switchblade; I found it in the couch cushions. It even has his initials on it."
"Do you think he was looking for you? Could he still be in the house?" Pony asked nervously. I shrugged my shoulders, signaling that I didn't know. Out of nowhere, we heard a loud 'crash' that sounded as if something had just shattered. Grumbling and grunting, we saw a man walk down the hall towards the living room. It was too dark to see his face, but I had a pretty good idea of who it was. Darry and the rest of the gang started forming a circle around me.
"Stay behind me" I heard Darry whisper.
"AMBER! GET OVER HERE NOW!" the man shouted as he stepped into the light. It was my father. I made a funny noise and started to shake. Pony and Johnny walked over to me and put Johnny arm on my shoulders. Darry and Dally stood in front of me and Two-bit, Steve and Soda pulled out their switchblades.
"What do you want?" Dally said.
"Who are you and why the hell are you all with my daughter!" my father said.
"We, are her friends. And unlike you, we actually care about her" Steve spat back.
"Well I want you all to get away from my daughter!" he said stepping towards us.
"One more step and your mince meat buddy" Two-bit said.
"How did you find me?" I asked, finally getting the courage to speak.
"You had this address written down on a piece of paper in your room" He said nonchalantly.
"What do you want?" I cried.
"I want you, to get over here NOW. You are coming with me. We are leaving this place so no one can find us!"
"NO! I will not go with you." I said stepping out from the circle that the gang had formed around me.
"You do NOT control my life! I do. You're a horrible father! You don't care about me and you never will! You can't, you WON'T make me go with you" I screamed at him. It felt so good to finally give him what he deserved.
"oh yes I can!" he said as he lunged forward to hit me. Dally pushed me out of the way and caught my fathers wrist. He punched hi min the stomach and my father fell to the ground. He growled and got up.
Then he said "You'll get what you deserve you little witch! I'll hunt you down, and I'll find you! I'll be your worst nightmare, and I can make your life a living hell. Mark my words. I'll be there, when you least expect it" he said. With that, my father ran out the door leaving the gang and I standing there in shock.
"I better go call the police" Darry said quietly.
"I, I can't believe it. He was right under our noses…and we let him get away?" I said in disbelief.
'It's ok Amber, everything will be fine" Soda said.
The whole gang had moved onto the couch when Darry came back from the kitchen where he had phoned the police.
'They'll be right here. But, they have some bad news for you Amber. They said" he paused. "They said that they think it would be best if you went to live somewhere else. Like with a relative or something. They wouldn't tell me where. No one is supposed to know. They only told me that you'll be in a different state with a different name and everything." He said, studying my face to see my reaction.
"Why?" was all I managed to choke out.
"The police are afraid that your father will come back for you, and possibly kill you." I started to cry, I didn't want to leave Tulsa. That would mean leaving Johnny and the gang. My only true friends.
"When do I leave?" I said, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"In three days. I'm sorry" Darry said, then he walked into the kitchen and started cleaning up.
3 days later
I sat in my room getting the last of my stuff together. I'm gonna miss this place so much, I thought. I dreaded stepping out of my room, because that meant facing the reality that I was leaving.
"Amber" I heard Soda yell. That meant that the taxi was here. It was going to take me to the Tulsa airport. I took one last look at my room, grabbed a letter off my bed, and walked into the living room. The letter that I had with me was for Johnny. I knew I wouldn't be able to tell him everything I wanted to before I left, I'd be crying to much. So I wrote him a letter that ended up like this:
Dear Johnny,
This is really hard for me to write, because writing this letter means that this whole mess is real, and that's something that I don't want to believe. I remember when I met you in the park a little over a month ago. You were so shy and quiet. Now, well, now your more open and...not so quiet. I love you so much Johnny. You're an amazing person and I never could have survived my time in Tulsa without you. So I just want to tell you thanks. For everything. But please, don't be sad and don't stop your life. Move on, and don't wait for me.I don't want to leave you, or any of the game for that matter. Your all so close to me and I'll miss you all dearly. Tell Pony that he is a great kid and he should never change because you don't find many people like him in Tulsa. Tell Soda to always keep that grin on his face; it makes everyone happier. Darry, stay strong. You're a great brother to Soda and Pony, and compared to everyone else, you are superman. Two-bit, your so funny. I'm gonna miss your wise cracks all the time. Steve, you're a great mechanic and a wonderful friend but please try to be nice to Ponyboy. And Dally; don't hold in your emotions. It isn't healthy. I know that behind your tough guy image, your not really as bad as people make you sound.
Well, I guess I should stop writing now because I am crying and my tears will make the ink smudge. I'll never forget any of you, or the time that I spent in Tulsa. Don't forget me. Remember, this isn't goodbye, because goodbye means forever. This is just see you later, because one day, I will return to Tulsa. And you better all still be here!
Love always,
Amber Baker
Along with the letter, I had a picture of me and Johnny at the park. Stepping into the living room, I was greeted with sad faces.
"Please don't cry" I said upon seeing that Johnny and Pony had tears running down theur faces.
"Your gonna make me cry" I said laughing.
"We'll miss you Amber" Soda said as he gave me a hug.
"I'll miss you too." I said.
Steve, Darry, Pony and Two-bit also gave me hugs. Next was Dally.
"Take care kid" he said as he hugged me, something that I thought he'd never do.
"You too Dally"
Johnny was the last to say goodbye.
"Don't forget me Johnny" I said as I handed him the envelope. He took it from my hand and enveloped me in a hug.
"Never" he answered. We heard the car horn honk ouside and Darry said that I'd better go before the taxi driver had a fit.
The whole gang walked outside with me and watched me get into the car. The driver started the engine and began to drive away. Sitting in the backseat, I stared out the back window watching as the gang and the Curtis house slowly faded out of view. I felt warm tears rolling down my face and I knew it was silly to cry. One day, I would come back here; whether it be 1 year, 2 years or even 10 years from now, I'd return to Tulsa.
Someday….
I miss that town, I miss the faces
You can't erase, you can't replace it
I miss it now, I can't believe it
So hard to stay, too hard to leave it
If I could relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change
Every memory of lookin' out the back door
I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye
Every memory of walkin' out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was lookin' for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye
Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
Every time I do it makes me...
well, hope you liked my story. and i hope the ending satsifyed you all. look for the author's note to be posted sometime tommorrow. review! i have 89 reviews! 11 more and i have 100! I know i can make it to 100 because you all love me so much and i love you lol. so, make me happy! review! xoxxox
xohugsndkissesox