Pony's POV
I felt the arm wrap around me. I began to panic. They were back! I whined and squirmed, trying to break the Soc's hold.
"Sh. It's okay. You're safe, baby." I heard a deep, soothing voice speak from behind me. I figured it wasn't the Socs, but Darry.
Darry stroked my hair and I began to calm down. My heart beat regularly now, and I knew I was okay.
"Darry?" I choked out.
"I'm here, Pony." He replied.
"I'm c-c-cold."
Darry wrapped his arms tighter around me and I stopped shaking so much.
"Do you think you could take some medicine for me? You'll feel better once you do." Darry asked.
I nodded my consent, and Darry got up to get Soda and the medicine.
"I'll hold him up; you just get the medicine in his mouth and give him some water to wash it down." Darry said.
"Okay. Hey, Pony." He said as he sat by my bed.
"Hey." I said quietly.
Darry lifted me up and held me against him. I was limp, unable to even hold my posture to sit up. Darry placed a hand on my back and one on my chest to hold my upright.
"You ready?" Soda asked.
I nodded and he placed the pills in my mouth.
Soda set the glass against my lips and I drank, trying to force the pills down my throat.
I got them down, but drank too much water. I began to cough.
"Good job, baby." Soda said as Darry patted me on the back to stop my choking.
I slumped against Darry, completely exhausted from such a simple task.
"You can go back to sleep now, honey." Soda said.
Darry slipped his arms under me and laid me down on the bed and covered me up. I had gotten a chill from being uncovered for those few minutes.
Soda and Darry got up to leave, but I made a whimpering sound and they turned around.
"Pony? You okay?" Darry asked.
"Ssstay. Please." I said, though I was already nearly asleep.
"Okay." Darry climbed in bed from behind me and placed an arm around me. Soda got in on my other side, and threw his arm across my chest. I felt safe and warm with my two brothers with me. It was just what I needed to get better.
Hot! Why am I so hot? I felt covers on me, and I pushed them away. Sweat poured down my face and neck and I couldn't get enough air.
I looked over and saw Darry and Soda were still in bed, sleeping soundly. It was the middle of the night, but I still crawled out of bed. I got up and went to the bathroom and began to take a cold shower.
Soda's POV
I woke up in the middle of the night. I was just going to try and fall back asleep. No sense getting up now. It was still dark out. I reached out for Pony, but all I found was Darry.
"Pony!" I gasped, looking around for Pony.
Darry woke up at the sound of my voice.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Pony's gone!"
"What!" He got up and ran into the living room and kitchen, finding no trace of Pony. We both panicked, but then we both noticed a light on in the bathroom.
"He got up?" I asked.
"I guess so."
"But earlier he couldn't even sit up by himself."
"Maybe the medicine worked." Darry suggested.
"That well?" I couldn't believe that that would be it.
"I don't know. It's the only thing I can think of."
We went back to bed, and waited for Pony to come out of the bathroom to make sure he was okay.
Soon Pony came out of the bathroom and back in our room.
He was wet from taking a shower, and when he saw us, he kind of stumbled back.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He said, climbing back in to bed.
"Are you all right?" Darry asked him, touching Pony's forehead.
"Yeah. I feel fine." It was such a dramatic change. It was nothing short of miraculous (there you go, RockerLane)
Dallas' POV
The cops came around again today. Surprisingly, they hadn't taken me into custody yet. They were letting me off the hook since I only shot for defense, not for murder. Hell, I'd never killed anyone before. But I didn't really care that I had now. The bastard deserved to die.
I wouldn't mind going to jail. I've been so many times that it's become a second home to me. But I wouldn't appreciate them trying to put me away for murder when Bob could have just as easily murdered me. I just happened to have better aim.
The Socs still haven't made their come-back. I keep expecting it, but nothing has happened yet. I'm glad, but I'm always prepared for them when they want to rumble again.
Johnny's POV
I've been staying with Two-Bit a lot lately. I'm afraid to leave my house alone, for fear of the Socs jumping me or something. Two-Bit doesn't seem to mind. Other nights I stay with the Curtises, but not for too long, because I basically get ignored there. I don't mind, because Pony is so sick and he needs all the attention. But it gets boring after a while.
I walked into Pony's room again. I was looking after him while Darry and Soda worked. For once, they were going to try and get a full day's work in. That rarely happens, or at least not with both of them at the same time.
Pony was feeling better, but Darry and Soda made him stay in bed, so he wouldn't pull his stitches loose. Dallas said they could come out around next week. Pony kind of freaked when he saw the thread in his arm. But Darry and Soda reassured him that it was okay. I think he's still a little scared at seeing his arm in stitches. He should see his back.
"Hey, Pony." I said as I came to sit by him on his bed. He was just staring at the ceiling again. He always does that. I never did figure out what was so fascinating about the ceiling.
"Hey." Pony said quietly. He was still pretty silent. I worried about him. We all did. I think even Dallas worried about him, but I know he'd never say anything about it.
I looked over at Pony.
"Are you okay, man?" I asked.
"Why do people keep asking me that? I'm fine! Just leave me alone!"Pony yelled. He turned over and buried his face in one of his pillows.
I flinched at his scream. I hadn't expected such a reaction. And because of it, I knew he was anything but okay.
I stayed with him until Darry came home. For once, he came home before Soda. He walked in, carrying a carton of chocolate ice cream.
"Hey, Johnnycake. You want some ice cream? I bought Pony's favorite to try and cheer him up.
"Darry? Can I talk to you a minute?" I said. Darry looked at me, and I was saddened to see the joy erased from his face.
"What is it?" He said as he sat down in the arm chair, forgetting the ice cream in his hands.
"Pony kind of blew up on me today. I asked him if he was okay, and he yelled something about being tired of being asked that and everything. He said he was fine, but because of that, I got the feeling that he wasn't."
Darry nodded, and I saw something close to relief written on his face.
"Thanks, Johnny." He said, and got up to go check on Pony.
Darry's POV
I walked over to Pony, who had his face buried in one of his pillows. I could tell he was crying. I sat down beside him and rubbed his back.
He flinched at my touch, and then calmed at the familiarity of my touch.
"Pony?" I said. He wouldn't turn over.
I finally took hold of his shoulder and turned him to face me.
He tried to hide his face from my view. He covered his face with his hands, but not before I could see the tears that continued to stream down his face.
I picked up for a hug, but he shoved at my chest and continued to lie across the bed, burying his face anywhere he could, as long as I couldn't see it.
"Pony, it's okay." I said, trying again to comfort him.
"No! It's not okay! Everyone's pretending that it is, but it isn't! It's all my fault, and nothing you do can change that!" He screamed, his voice breaking over the sobs.
What was he talking about? This wasn't his fault. It was the Socs.
Or was it?
Pony's POV
Flashback
I walked into my classroom, like any normal day. It was time for math class and today we were doing a basic ruling of statistics. I was still in a room full of Socs. I hated that feeling, but most people had accepted me by now. They don't like me any more, though.
I sat down at my desk and looked around the room. Everyone was here it seemed. The teacher walked in and we started class.
Class was boring, as usual. Half way through, the teacher started asking us questions.
One of the kids in my class, Robert, I think, was the smartest of all of us. He kept raising his hand for all the answers, and he knew them all. Except the last one.
"Statistics have shown that the number of rapes goes up during the summer, as well as ice cream sales. Can you make a connection between the two?"
Robert raised his hand yet again.
"Maybe because there are things in ice cream that make people worse than usual." He tried.
What? I thought to myself. That doesn't make any sense.
"No, I don't think it's that." The teacher said.
I raised my hand.
"Yes, Pony." She said, pointing to me.
"It's seasonal."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, that it depends on the season."
"You got it." I ended up with an A in that class.
Robert was big on his intelligence. Everyone knew that he was smarter than the rest of us, but that one thing stumped him.
After class, I walked down the hall, grinning from ear-to-ear. Then, Robert came up to me with his friends behind me.
"You think you're pretty smart, don't you, Greaser?" He said, his voice as cold as ice.
"No." I said as they pinned me against the wall.
"Yeah, right. You're going to pay for that, Greaser."
"I didn't think you'd be able to do the math." I said, daring to sound braver than I was.
Robert punched me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground, doubling over.
"That's just a taste of it, Greaser."
"And it tastes like ice cream." I said without any breath.
He kicked me in the ribs and then stomped off, too stupid to come up with a good enough come back.
Later that day, I was talking to one of the girls in my class. Her name was Cherry, or at least that's what people called her since she has red hair.
"Wow. You seem so smart." She said, after I told her about how I'm not really supposed to be in these classes since I'm so young.
Just then, Robert came through the door. He saw me with Cherry and his eyes blazed with anger.
"You talking to my girl?" He asked, his voice deadly.
"I didn't know you could own someone." I said.
"Bob, stop." Cherry said.
"You stay away from her, Greaser. You know what you are? You're nothing. And you always will be." He said, grabbing Cherry's arm and storming outside.
"Well at least I'm not white trash." I said to his back. I didn't know where I'd gotten my strength from, but I had had enough with this guy.
He turned back to me, about to hit me, but then he smiled and stopped.
"No. You ain't worth the time. I'll get you later, Grease. When you're least expecting it."
I had been living in fear ever since.
End of Flashback
It was my fault. No matter what they tried to say. It was all my fault.
