Soda, Darry, Steve, and Two-Bit were all sitting around the living room watching television when Dally walked in a few hours later. It was already dark outside, and Soda was starting to feel numb… as if this had all been a nightmare… until he saw Dally and remembered the sweatshirt. He sat up and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, shoving it towards Dally.

"Here. Take it. Give it to Ponyboy when you see him."

Dally said nothing, shoving the letter into his pocket but not once taking his eyes off Darry. He tried not to show it, but he was stunned that Darry hadn't leapt up to shake the truth out of him, and he realized that what had Soda had said that afternoon had been true. He'd never seen Darry like this. Even when Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had died, he hadn't been in a trance like this. He was sitting in that chair, staring at ground and not talking to anyone. He definitely knew Dally was there, but it was almost like he'd realized he wasn't going to get anything out of him, so he wasn't even going to bother trying. And that was not like Darry at all.

Dally let out an explosive breath and walked right back out. He would have stayed. He wanted to. But he knew Soda knew, and he also knew that unless he delivered Pony safely to that house, he wouldn't be welcome there any longer. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but there was nothing to do for it. He shook it off and went back to Buck's. If he needed help forgetting all of this, he could definitely find it there.

Meanwhile, the other four sat in the living room. Steve and Two-Bit didn't want to leave Soda or Darry, but they also knew that they probably wanted to be alone, so after a few more minutes, they stood up, muttered something about being back in the morning, and banged out the screen door.

For a few minutes, the brothers sat in silence, and then Soda said, "I think I'm going to try to get some sleep, Darry. You are going to sleep tonight, right?"

Darry finally looked up. His eyes were so haunted, but his expression was the familiar one of responsibility and constant worry.

"Yeah, little buddy. I'll sleep tonight. Go on. We'll work on this more in the morning."

Soda stared at him for a minute. He wondered if Darry had even realized that Dally had been there… that Dally knew where Pony was… but he was afraid to ask. He was afraid of what would happen to them if Darry really were that far gone. He went to bed.

Darry also went to bed, but when he closed his eyes, the first thing he saw was the red mark on Pony's face, and he jerked himself awake. His breath came in quick gasps, and he forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply. Once his breathing was regular again, he stared at the ceiling. The last time he remembered being afraid to close his eyes had been months earlier after his parents had been killed. Soda and Pony thought Ponyboy had been the only one having nightmares, but that was because Darry had managed not to scream through his. But every time he'd closed his eyes for a month after that accident, he saw mangled cars and his parents crying out for help. And now he'd let them down. It was the thought that had been at the edge of his conscience all day, and now that he was lying alone in the dark, it forced itself to the front of his mind. He turned on to his side, but he couldn't avoid it that way either. He couldn't remember either of his parents ever raising a hand to him or his brothers. And now he'd hit Pony. And he might never see him again. As the guilt washed over him, he felt the now-familiar tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and he pushed his face into the covers, letting them seep out for only the second time that day.

Soda couldn't fall asleep either. He needed Pony there beside him, and he felt the lump rising in his throat. Turning his face into the pillow, he tried to muffle his sobs. He didn't want to worry Darry any more than he already was. He just… he needed him to be Superman. It was that simple.