Okay everyone. I shall not leave the story like that. With you all wondering, hmm, wahts going on. Yeah no ones wondering that, You all just want me to update again And I understand. So rather then make you wait a week, i'll update now .

THANKS TO:

Rikki K - Yes yes someone is pissy And of coarse I will make it up to you readers .

Alex - Well you'll get the answer to your question about her being used to small spaces in this chapter. And i would answer your other question, no it's not retarded, but that would spoil the ending You'll just have to read to find out .

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS OR ANYTHING FROM THE OUTSIDERS. I DO HOWEVER OWN EDEN, THIS STORY, AND THE PLOT TO THIS STORY.

CHAPTER #4

COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET

PONYBOY'S POV

After Two-bit made his little comment Eden stormed out of her closet and right up to him.

"Look buddy, crack your little jokes on someone else alright? I am getting so sick of it being me with feminine jokes alright. So go find yourself another blonde bitch to drag home and shut up!" Eden yelled.

She then stormed out of the house. We didn't know where she was going, or when she planned to come back. But even though she was pissed, we all knew she'd come back.

"I didn't mean to piss her off like that." Darry said.

"We know. But we still don't know her all that well just yet. So lets give her some time okay? There's buttons we need to push and buttons we have to learn to never push. And we just found one, so don't worry about it." Soda comforted Darry.

"Allright then. Well, c'mon Pony. I'm taking you to school today." Darry said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because i'm signing Eden up for school today. So I figured i'd give you a lift." Darry said.

"Okay. Let me get my stuff." I said.

On the drive to school I couldn't help but look for Eden on the way. I really wanted to talk to her. I dunno. Maybe she'd talk to me about her past better then to my brothers. We were closer in age after all. I mean, she's only a few months older then me. I guess i'll just have to give it a whirl later on.

Once we got to my school there weren't any socs waiting to bother me like normal. In fact, they all backed off the minute they saw my brother was with me. But getting Eden signed up wasn't as easy as we thought it would be.

"Whats the name of the student?" The office worker asked.

"Eden Larka." Darry said.

The woman wrote down the name and told us she'd be back in just a minute. Not even two minutes later her and the principal were standing before us.

"I'm sorry, but she's not allowed into this school." The prinicpal said sternly handing Darry the piece of paper with eden's name written on it.

"What do you mean she's not allowed? This is a public school, everyones allowed." Darry said.

"Not her. She's not permitted to go into any public school in the state of Tulsa or New York. I'm sorry but I must bid you good day. I have a rather busy scheduale, this conversation is over." The principal said before walking away.

Me and Darry just looked at each other for a minute. Well there's one more question to tack onto the list of things to ask.

LATER THAT NIGHT AT THE CURTIS HOUSE

EDEN'S POV

Everyone's been acting so strange today. This morning I ran off to a local public records building. But I couldn't find anything about him...yet. There were still quite a few records to go through. Hopefully he was still here. But ever since I came home, and the boys got home, everyone's been looking at me funny and just acting strange.

"Hey Eden, I went to sign you up for school today." Darry said casually over dinner.

"That's nice. I'm not going." I said.

"No your not actually. Because for some strange reason your not allowed in any school in the state of Tulsa, or New York. Now why would that be?" Darry asked.

I just shrugged my shoulders. I can't tell them the truth. I can't lie to them either.I need to just avoid the subject, thats it. Avoid talking about it and junk. That should keep me clear for a while, right?

"Eden, please. We just wanna know you is all." Ponyboy said.

I looked up to see he was dead serious and calm. Not angry or nothin'. I guess it wouldn't hurt. Wonder why I changed my mind. Probably cuz pony asked.

"It's a long story okay? But, some things happened, my parents knew some people, so, rather then make a big deal over it, they just took me out of school. I'm not allowed in anymore okay?" I said.

The boys nodded thier heads. I hoped it was a good enough explination.

"Why are you used to small spaces?" Ponyboy asked.

This was gonna be hard. I could tell them the truth, but not the whole truth. If I worded this carefully.

"My parents. Never got along all that great. So, when I was younger, they figured. Put me somewhere that I won't hear them or see them fighting. So they'd put me in the downstairs closet. Every now and again they'd forget I was in there. So it's no big deal." I answered.

Everyone was real quite now. This is what I didn't want to happen. I knew they'd be asking me more questions now. And they'd be questions I couldn't answer.

"What happened? What happened to where your no longer allowed in school?" Darry asked.

"Ask me no questions and i'll tell you no lies." I resited.

"Eden I want an answer." Darry said loudly.

"Well then you'd better learn how to raise the dead." I said getting up and begining to clean the living room, maybe he'd drop it.

"What the hell does that mean? I am so sick of this. I didn't have to let you stay here ya know? I would at least like to know who I am letting stay here!" Darry yelled.

"Well i'm not talking." I spat out turning to face him.

PONYBOY'S POV

The next thing that happened had me and Soda jump up. Darry raised his hand and brought it down to slap Eden. But what happened next made me and Soda freeze. Eden caught Darry's hand like it was nothing. She was staring at him with a look i'd never seen from anybody before.

"Lets get a few things striaght." Eden spat out.

She then twisted Darry's hand, and it looked like he was actually in pain.

"First off! I don't gotta tell you anything I don't wanna got it! Secondly! I didn't ask you to take me in, if I would have known that there was a price to be paid for someone's so called kindness, I wouldn't be here! And lastly! Don't you EVER! Ever, go to hit me again or so help me god you will turn out to be like everyone else who has hit me!" Eden yelled then let Darry go.

"Get out! I don't care if you end up on the streets. I don't ever wanna see you near me or my family again you got that!" Darry yelled walking to get ice for his hand.

"Darry!" I yelled.

"Shut up Ponyboy. It's bad enough he was gonna hit me for some stupid shit. Don't want you getting hit for sticking up for me." Eden snapped not even taking her eyes off of Darry.

"But-" I tried.

"No buts. I'm gone." Eden snapped.

She walked right past me and to her closet. She grabbed what little cloths she had and headed for the door.

"Eden please!" Soda called.

"I'll see you all around. Later Soda, Ponboy, Dick." Eden called as she shut the door.

I couldn't beleive it. She had left as quickly as she'd come. I didn't want her to go. I don't know why. But...I didn't want her to go. Maybe it was just because everyone I met had left my life so quickly, and in a moment of anger. It never turned out good.

"Ponyboy get ready for bed, you've got school in the morning." Darry said from the kitchen.

"Fuck you!" I yelled.

Even I was shocked at what had just come out of my mouth. But apparently I wasn't finished yet.

"Excuse me?" Darry asked in a whisper.

"You heard me! I can't beleive you just did that! Who cares if she's got secrets! She doesn't know you! And even if she did, if I were her, I wouldn't tell them to someone like you anyways!" I yelled then ran at bolt neck speed out of the house.

I needed to find Eden, I don't know why, I just couldn't let her walk out of my life like that. I wanted to get to know her. The curiosity was too much. I knew if I didn't find her that the curiosity would eat away at me forever. Taking a chance I ran down Pine Avenue. There she was. In the middle of the road walking calmly away from me.

"Eden!" I called out.

She stopped and turned to face me. It was just like the night we had found her. But this time she wasn't bloody and bruised, she did however have a scar that ran from just above her eyebrow to right below her lips on the right side of her face.

"Ponyboy? You okay? Why'd you follow me?" Eden asked worridly.

I took a minute to catch my breath before answering her.

"I wanna come with you." I blurted out.

"What? Ponyboy, your a little mad right now. You don't know what your sayin'." Eden said.

"Yes I do! I don't wanna stay there anymore! I wanna come with you!" I yelled.

"You don't know what your asking for! Living out on the streets is not a game Pony! It's hell! Your always dirty and hungry and cold! No one gives a damn about you! No one cares about your past, thats good for me, but it's not for you Pony!" Eden yelled at me.

I looked at her for a minute. It was now or never.

"What happened that was so bad that you left?" I asked.

Eden stared at me then grabbed her hair. She walked in a circle before coming face to face with me. She reminded me of Dally when she did that.

"I am not answering that." Eden spat out.

"Why are you so afraid? Stop running away and answer me!" I yelled.

"I never ran away!" Eden suddenly yelled pointing her finger in my face.

"Then what happened?" I yelled.

"I killed my parents! Okay? Thats the big secret you've been waiting to hear! I killed them!" Eden yelled.

It suddenly got very cold. She didn't really just say that. This was not happeneing. Eden wasn't a killer, was she?

"Ponyboy get over here." Darry said just above a whisper behind me.

I looked to see him and Soda were white as a sheet. So they heard her too? I looked at Eden. She was looking at Darry and Soda now. She got a horrible grin on her face as she lit her cigarette.

"Thats right. I killed them. The night you boys found me, I had just beaten the shit out of myself. I had been in that house,a week after I murdered them, enjoyed it. And then I freaked out, went back to the house and I beat the hell out of myself. Then I tried to burn the house down. So I left. And that's about when you found me." Eden said calmly.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why? Because I was tired. So sick and tired, of being locked in that closet everyday. Taken out only when they wanted to beat me or let other people beat me! I wouldn't have it anymore! I wouldn't see the monsters in the closet! I wouldn't get thrown around like a fucking chew toy! It was thier turn to pay! They deserved what they got and I don't regret what I did! I won't apologize for it!" Eden yelled.

"I'm calling the cops." Darry said.

"Go ahead. It won't do you any good. Haven't you asked yourself already why i'm not in jail? My father was chief of police here. All his cop buddys used to join in on the fun of beating me. They won't pick me up. Thier too afriad i'll squeal on them." Eden called to Darry.

"Thats why i'm not allowed in school. My mother was head of the schoolboard. All her work buddys would join in too. Sick ain't it? Well one day I fought back, in school. I started beating the shit out of my science teacher. I put him in a coma." Eden said, malice dripping on every word, with that horrible grin on her face.

I couldn't help but stare at her. This wasn't supposed to happen. I can't handle this. It started to rain now.

"You don't ever have to worry about seeing me again. Thanks for the room." Eden said and began walking away.

And I didn't stop her. I just sat there. Watching as she walked away. Everything she had said playing over and over again in my head. The mystery that was Eden was solved. Inside she was not as beautiful as the garden of Eden, Inside she was a mess, a deserted wasteland of misery and hate. Funny how Ironic that seems.

SO WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF THIS CHAPTER? NO IT'S NOT THE END. THERE IS STILL PLENTY MORE TO COME. YOU STILL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, WHERE DID EDEN GO? WILL SHE FIND THE GUY SHES BEEN LOOKING FOR? WILL SHE EVER SEE THE CURTIS BROTHERS AGAIN? FIND OUT NEXT TIME. UNTIL THEN, SEE YA LATER.