Revenge

Love's POV

Shoving Pony playfully as we made our way back from the movies I grinned. He and Ang were doing fine, and the summer was in full swing. Parties every night, daily football games in the front yard and all the time with Tim I could sneak in. Pony and Ang we're going strong, and working at the Rx I knew way more about their relationship than I needed to. She had come in the other day to pick up a prescription for birth control, and I had nearly chocked to death on the Coke I had been sipping. The boys were wild about Pepsi, but I had always been more partial to the brown liquid with the red and white logo.

I guess I couldn't really talk considering I had gone on the pill myself last month. Tim and I had been sneaking around for two months, and he'd been true to his word. Treating me like the princess he often called me in jest.

" So Dally's going to be home in a couple of weeks huh?"

"Yea, Tim and me are going to go pick him up from the cooler," I said carefully avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk.

"Step on a crack break your mama's back," I said laughing as I skipped along.

" I swear I think you and Soda got brain damaged in the womb together," Pony said laughing at my child like antics.

"You splitting?" She asked pausing as we reached the park.

"Yea, I'm told Ang I'd spend some time with her after the movie," He said blushing at my knowing look.

"See you later Pony," I said waving as he headed toward the Shepard's, and I made my way to the park.

I'd spent a lot of time here as a kid. My mom always brought me and Soda and Darry here growing up, and later I had brought Pony. Heading for the swings I grinned, I loved that feeling you got when you were high in the air, like for a brief moment you could fly. Pumping my legs I leaned my head back letting the wind blow my hair where it would. Hearing the purr of an engine I slowed myself suddenly nervous. It was getting late, and I should be heading home before Darry worried.

Paling when I saw a blue Mustang slowly making its rounds up and down the street I broke in to a run. That was the car Pony had described to a T in the composition he'd let me read. Swearing when I heard them reeve the engine I increased my speed. They must have spotted me. Running full tilt for all I was worth I swore when a flying tackle brought me down, from what was probably a member of the football team.

"We finally got her boys, Johnny's little greaser girlfriend," A drunken voice leered making me shiver.

This was about more than just Soc's beating up a greaser this was a revenge mission, and I didn't fancy being the target.

"Keep your filthy hands to yourself," I Said struggling to break free from the arms, locked around me like chains.

Screaming as a hand ripped my shirt open I bean to kick and scream, yelling for Darry, and Soda, hell any one as I struggled to get away. Throwing I blind punch I felt a sick sense of satisfaction at the yelp it caused. I knew I was outnumbered, and overpowered, but at least I was going to go down fighting.

"Shut her up!" Hissed a voice before my head was slammed back in to the grass, leaving me dazed. Breathing heavily I tried to keep my dignity as the boys leaned over me. Trying one last time to make a run for it, I screamed as I was kicked in the stomach, and thrown on to my back.

: So this was how it was going to end: I thought curling in to a ball to avoid the kicks reigning down.

Hissing when I was kicked in the almost healed ribs, a kick to the head sent me quickly in to the darkness.

Pony POV

Walking in to the house I frowned when I couldn't find Love. Maybe she had gotten board being home alone, and gone somewhere with Two- Bit or something.

"Where's Love?" I asked Darry who was sitting in the armchair watching a late night movie.

" I don't know, but we're going to have a little talk when she gets home."

Shaking my head I took a seat on the couch, worried. I had left her hours ago and I had no ideal why she wouldn't have just come home.

"Something's wrong," Soda said making me jump when he rushed in to the house, face pale scanning the room quickly.

"What's wrong little buddy?" Darry asked walking over to lay an arm on his tense shoulders.

"Love!" He yelled growing more agitated when he received no answer.

"We were hanging out a Buck's when he just froze and said he needed to come home, left the girls' we just met too," Steve said shaking his head.

"She's not here little buddy," Darry said, voice calming.

"Something's wrong with Gloria, I can just feel it, we gotta find her," He said rushing out the door with us right behind him.

A lump formed in my stomach as I thought of how Gloria had known something was wrong with Soda when she was ten. She'd been the one to find him in the lot, leg broken from landing wrong on a play. So if he said now that he had a feeling more than likely she was out there hurt, and I had a feeling the cause would be a Soc. They were always all over my sister like flies on honey cause she wasn't like most greaser girls. She didn't dress slutty or rat her hair, and she had the same movie star looks her twin possessed. They hated her more cause they couldn't have her.

"OH god, Oh god!" Soda murmured as we all froze.

Shaking as we spotted the unmoving body lying beside the fountain I felt myself sway on my feet. It was like I had been placed back in time, only this time it was my sister lying by that fountain instead of Bob. Forcing my legs to move I knelt beside Soda who was gently turning her on to her back.

"Gloria," He whispered shaking as he wiped the blood of her face with his sleeve.

She had been beaten badly and her face bore cuts from rings, her arm lied at an odd angle, and there were rust colored stains all along her clothing. She looked like Johnny that night we found him in a lot.

"She needs a hospital," Darry said eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Let's get her to the car," I said not bothering to hide the tears that ran down my cheeks at the sight of Gloria in Soda's arm like a broken doll.

The fifteen-minute ride to the hospital were the longest minutes of my life. Even worse than the five days I spent in the church. Love was still out cold refusing to respond to anything we did. Blood continued to ooze from the gash on her forehead, and all I had never felt more helpless than now when I held her hand unable to do anything else.

Sitting in the plastic waiting room chair I rested my head against Soda's shoulder. The silence was deafening as we all sat in a row waiting for Love to get out of surgery. We still hadn't heard the full extent of damage, because the minute they had said internal breathing we had consented to her going under the knife. Suddenly remembering Tim I felt sick, he wasn't going to kill some one, and their relationship was bound to come out.

" I'm going to make a phone call."

Tim's POV

Looking up at Curly when the phone rang I swore. There was never any good news when the phone rang at three.

" Don't look at my cards," I said setting down the hand as I went to answer the phone.

"Shepard."

"Hey Tim , its Pony boy, listen you should get up here to the hospital, Love got hurt really bad… "

"What!" I asked feeling the red haze of rage.

"We- we found her in the park , she was beat up pretty bad."

"Look kid, I'm on my way," I said hanging up the phone as I used every swear word in the book.

"What happened!" Curly asked backing away when I slammed my fist in to the plaster.

" Love's hurt," I growled knowing I was probably going to go back to the cooler if I ever got a hold of the people responsible.

"Damn," He said at a loss for words as he grabbed a jacket and proceeded to follow me out the door.

Driving to the hospital, I ran ever light, and broke at least three traffic laws; it was a wonder I made it there without being pulled over. Jumping out I rushed to the waiting room, knowing everything was going to come to a head now.