Author's Note: Ok, I thought I wouldn't update until the New Year, but I was wrong. Here's chapter seven. The last half was brought to my attention by JamesDeanisMyGod, you brought it up and it made me think about it. So here's his reaction to the death of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis...the ending's a little bleak and perhaps too emotional for Dally. But oh well. I forgot to mention in my last chapter that the reason he was looking at a sun rise was because in Johnny's letter it says "I want you to ask Dally to look at one. I don't think he's ever seen one" refering to the sun rise. I took the 'I don't think' part as he may have caught him looking at one, but Dally said he wasn't. Thank you all for reviewing! P.S. I made up Sylvia's last name.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders.

Chapter Seven

Sylvia, the Shepherds, and the Hospital

Dally walked around town. He was fifteen now, not quite a man, but definitely not a boy. He liked being a teenager; he couldn't be tried as an adult yet, but no longer was he a kid to the cops. He got his picture and his police record in the paper often too. He liked being tall as well, he was taller than most of the gang, not Darry though. He also had a good build. For living on the streets and all he was muscular and he could tell that when he walked down the streets, girls checked him out. Of course, the socy girls stayed far away from him. He'd made a name for himself five years ago for confronting a soc on their territory and living. Not to mention, he'd beaten the kid without a knife, just words and a few moves of his hand.

Dally didn't mind that the soc girls stayed clear of them. He didn't like them. They were too goody-goody for him. Which was probably why he'd ended up with Sylvia Moore. The blonde girl who swore and flirted with anyone she could. Yet, being tied down gave Dally an advantage that most boys didn't have. He could order someone around. Often, Sylvia didn't follow his orders therefore she got in trouble with someone else or worse. Dally didn't mind. He didn't care if she planned to leave him one day…he wasn't itching to fall in love with her. He'd rather fool around and have someone to fall back to if it didn't work out. Yet the major problem was that she'd made him give her his St. Christopher. Without it and without a ring girls assumed he was taken (which was correct, but he didn't want them to know that!) He vowed to get himself a ring so he could continue to flirt with others.

Sylvia wasn't all that bad…but still, she wasn't the type of girl Dally wanted to spend forever with. They'd hooked up at the Dingo last year. Dally still went to school, since he wasn't sixteen he couldn't drop out yet. But he was a sophomore and that meant class rings. Most girls preferred a class ring from their boyfriends because it spelled his name out on the ring. Yet, Dally couldn't get one. He had no hope of raising enough money to buy one when they came in. And he definitely wasn't calling his father and saying, "Hey, pop, listen, we haven't spoken in years…but can you ship me some money for a class ring?" No way…

He thought about asking the Curtis family for some money but they hadn't even bought their eldest son one and he doubted Mrs. Curtis liked him enough to buy him one. So that was out of the picture. Nope, Dally was going to have to roll a senior or junior or even a sophomore for it. He'd eye everyone's he saw and think about jumping them for it. He'd get the one he wanted, too, he wasn't going to settle for something less.

He stopped thinking when he saw out of the corner of his eye a boy trailing him with his switchblade out. Dally made a motion of relighting his cigarette so he could pull his switchblade out. Be sneaky, he reminded himself of all the jumpings he'd taken in New York. Dally heard the sound of speeding footsteps right behind him and he whirled around, blade out.

"Yikes!" the boy yelled and stumbled backwards. Dally rolled his eyes and helped the boy up from the ground to which he had fallen to.

"What's the matter? Not expecting anyone to fight back?" Dally sneered in the kid's face, ready to beat the tar out of him. He raised his fist to do so when another boy grabbed his arm. So this was it, huh? He thought, trick me with a boy who acts like this and get me from behind!

He jerked his arm away and prepared to fight them off.

"Damn it, Curly, you'd think you could pull off a simple jumping, eh? It's not that hard, stupid!"

"Who the hell are you?" Dally asked angrily.

"Name's Shepherd, Tim Shepherd, and this here's my brother. We run the Shepherd gang, perhaps you've heard of us?"

"Nope, and I've been in this place for five years now…you're not so significant." Dally sighed. He wished he knew everyone here like he did in New York. Now he had to learn how tough this gang was.

"You know," Tim said, eyeing Dally up and down, "you're quite the fighter. Want to join our gang?"

"No," Dally snarled, "I've got a gang, and I don't need you. I'm my own leader." Dally turned away.

"All right," Tim said after slapping his brother's arm a few times (to which Curly yelled, 'Ow!') "But if you ever want to join my gang, invitation's still up."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Dally rolled his eyes and continued walking away.

---

(Two Years Later)

"Hey, Steve," Dally grinned at Steve Randle. Steve had the look on his face that he normally had on when his father kicked him out. "What's up?"

"Found a note on Sodapop's door," he said in a strangled voice.

"So?" Dally wasn't concerned. He struck a match and lit his cigarette, noticing that he was now down to his last cigarette.

"It said that they…went to the…hospital," Steve choked.

"What?" Dally reached for the piece of paper and read it for himself.

Guys,

Mom and Dad are hurt. They're in the hospital. We've been with them for some time…Doc's not sure if they'll be ok…Darry let me go home and post this note.

-Sodapop Curtis

The paper was flecked with tears. A mixture of jumped thoughts ran through his mind but one thing screamed the loudest:

Mom and Dad are hurt.

Mrs. Curtis and Mr. Curtis were the only people who actually cared for Dally. He remembered his first day in Tulsa and how Mrs. Curtis had cared for him. He also remembered Soda's green pancakes. He tried to act like he didn't care, but his voice broke as he spoke.

"Let's get Johnny and Two-Bit and head down there," he said and he cursed his voice.

---

"Hey, are they ok?" "What happened?" "What's wrong?" the boys asked Darry, Soda, and Pony. Pony looked like he was going to bawl. Soda had tears in his eyes and Darry looked like he was watching his best friend tell him he was leaving. A pleading look…

"They went for a drive…" Pony choked on his tears. "You know…their anniversary and they got in an accident."

"How bad?" Steve asked, sitting next to Soda and rubbing his back in what he hoped was a comforting way. Sandy sat on Soda's other side, holding his hand. Soda burst into tears. "Bad…the doc doesn't think they'll make it."

Pony began to cry louder and leaned against Darry. "Say they'll be ok, Darry!" he pleaded. Johnny hugged Ponyboy while Darry just stared at him.

"I don't know, baby, I just don't know," his voice was quiet. He shuddered and looked at the floor. Everyone was quiet, even Two-Bit who couldn't crack a joke. Dally looked at the wall, wishing to punch it. He couldn't take losing someone else. Not someone who had helped him.

A nurse in a white coat walked over to the Curtis boys and said, "I'm sorry, boys, they didn't make it."

Sodapop gave into his tears and cried. Sandy laid her head on his shoulder, crying silently too.

Ponyboy wailed and wailed. Johnny hugged him and Darry stood there silently. He seemed too sad for tears. Two-Bit even began to cry. Dally saw Steve burst into tears, but didn't make a noise. Dally didn't cry or anything, though he hurt enough to cry. He just couldn't cry, he'd forgotten how to. He slammed his fist into the wall and kicked at the window, it didn't shatter like he had hoped it would. Instead of staying to comfort them…he ran down the stairs.

Dally just didn't think he could stay there to see them all dissolve…to see everyone cry.

---

(The Funeral)

Dally wore the best outfit he had, which wasn't much. He listened to the sermon and saw Pony and Soda bawl. Darry just stood there watching with a pleading look upon his face.

Dally had actually paid for two roses. It was the least he could do for them. He paid his last respects to Mr. Curtis and laid the flower into the casket. He was awfully sorry for the boys and hugged them all even though he wasn't the hugging type. He walked over to Mrs. Curtis and placed his rose in her hand.

You were the closest thing to a mother I ever had…thank you. You cared for me when no one else would…I won't cry, I'll stay tough for you. I'll try to make it seem like I don't care…because if I do care then something awful will happen. Like how you cared for me and looked what happened to you! No good deed goes unpunished, that's the truth. No more good deeds for me, you can't win in this life and I bet you knew that, didn't you?

Ok, enough of this mamby-pamby baby crap. I'm a man, I can deal. No problem.

He left that funeral home a changed man. Not for the better…but for the worse. No good deeds for him…not ever again!