Two-Bit's POV
"Hey, Two-Bit! Look, it's your favorite!" Soda said as a Mickey Mouse commercial came on. I watched intently. I had to see what the next episode would be about.
"Where's Pony?" Johnny asked quietly.
I looked to Soda. He always knew everything about his little brother. They were real close.
"He was writing, but I figure he's gone to bed now. He didn't get much sleep last night." Soda said, his voice getting quieter at the end.
"Another nightmare?" I asked. We had all heard about it. The poor kid was still having them? I had once spent the night and had heard the screams coming from the kid. He sounded like he was being murdered. I shivered just at the remembrance.
"Yeah." Soda said quietly. It really tore him up when Pony had those nightmares. Those brothers sure loved each other a lot.
Darry came in and sat down. We all seemed surprised because he was joining us. Usually, he'd be in bed around now.
"Something wrong?" Soda asked him.
"Hmm? No, nothing." There did appear to be something wrong with Darry. He looked even more stressed than usual. I wondered what was going on.
Soda still eyed him with concern, but he let it go after a while.
"Hey, ya'll." Dallas said as he came through the door with Steve falling in behind him.
"Hey, Dally." I called out.
Dallas came and flopped down on the floor, holding a beer bottle in his hand.
"Not too much, man." Darry said, gesturing to the bottle.
"Shit, man, I ain't gonna get drunk." Dallas argued.
"Okay." Darry said.
We sat there and watched Gunsmoke for an hour.
"I'm gonna go to bed." Soda said, groggily getting up.
"Night, little buddy." Darry said.
"Night." I said absently. I was too busy watching the show.
"Night, ya'll." Soda said before he went in his bedroom with Pony. But he was back in less than a minute.
"Darry!" He yelled. Darry jumped to his feet.
"What? What's wrong?" He said, panicking.
"Ponyboy's gone!"
Pony's POV
I ran through the dark, silently cursing myself for forgetting to hide the note I got from the Socs. What if Darry or Soda found it? Then they'd know where I'm going! I had to face this alone. I can't keep letting them fight my fights. I was scared to death, but the thought of the Socs and how they hurt Soda gave me strength and courage.
I was getting close, and it was scaring me. In ways, I was hoping to get there first. I wondered if they'd even show.
I got to the park and squinted to read my watch. I wished I had brought a flash light, but all I thought to bring was a blade.
It was 11:40. I still had plenty of time. I looking around and found the play area and decided to stay behind the slide until the Socs showed up. I didn't want to be in plain sight, incase I decided to chicken out. But I wasn't planning on running away. Not this time.
"God, what did I get myself in to?" I breathed. I wish I had told Soda or Darry where I went, but in ways I didn't. What if they came after me and then they got hurt? I'd never be able to live with myself. But, then, what if they killed me?
I heard the car before I saw it. The Socs' mustang came up the parking lot, stopping conveniently close to the slide.
"You think the Greaser will show up?" One of them said, his voice slurred from his drunken state.
"I don't know. The little bitch will probably chicken out. Or at least go get his big brothers to come save him." Another said.
"Hey!" I called as I stepped out from behind the slide. I couldn't take them talking about me. The four Socs turned to me. One of them smiled devilishly.
"Well, well, well. The baby showed up after all." The first one said.
One of the Socs looked a little nervous or something. He didn't seem like the rest, and I hoped I could have him on my side. There was a softness to his eyes, and I figured he didn't really want to be here either.
"Yeah. I'm here." I said, sounding braver than I really was.
"Well, let's get this over with." The guy I thought looked nicer than the others said.
"What's the rush, Randy?" The drunken one said.
"Any last words?" One said.
"Yeah. First off, I'm sorry." I said.
One of them looked taken aback.
"Sorry? For what?" Randy said.
"I'm sorry for what I did to Bob. I'm sorry I was smarter than him. I'm sorry I rubbed it in his face. I'm sorry my friend shot and killed him, but he had it coming. And I'm sure as hell sorry that because I was being a smart aleck you decided to torture me and my friends." I said. There, my speech was over.
Randy, the nice one, looked confused.
"What are you talking about?" He said, clearly not understanding what I was talking about. I remembered him as Bob's best friend. He didn't have any classes with me, but he followed Bob around like some puppy dog or something.
"That's why you've been attacking us. Because of that day when I knew the answer and Bob didn't. I was smarting off to him after that and I talked to his girlfriend."
"Oh. I remember that." Randy replied. It was just me and him talking now. The others looked confused.
"Wait. That wasn't why you were beating up on me?" I asked.
"No. We just saw you there in the lot that day and we wanted to stir up trouble. It's nothing personal, just that you're younger than most and we knew about your brothers. After that it just got out of hand." Randy said, looking down to the ground.
"Shut up, Randy. Let's just get this over with." The drunken one yelled, running toward me.
I ducked as he swung his fist at me, but one of the other Socs got me in the stomach. I could barely breathe, but I couldn't afford to double up.
I was grabbed by the arm and it was twisted behind my back. I swung my elbow, hitting one of the Socs hard in the stomach. But the others had me by the arm and one was hitting me in the stomach. I was loosing my breath too fast and I thought I'd be passing out soon. Then, the Soc who was hitting me in the stomach got punched in the face. Darry?
"What the hell, Randy?" The one with the bloody nose exclaimed. I smiled in spite of the pain. I had someone on my side after all.
Darry's POV
Cold fear went through my body. What happened to Pony?
Two-Bit tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around to face him.
"You may want to read this." He said.
Dear Darry and Soda,
I hate doing this to you, but I have to. I'll be gone for a while. Try your best not to worry. If I'm not home in a few hours, you know who did it. I love you both and don't want to see you suffer any more on my behalf. I'm going to try and fix this. Don't stay up for me and don't come looking for me. I may not be back.
Love,
Ponyboy
Fear clutched at my heart and I couldn't breathe. I sank onto Pony's bed and I felt myself begin to shake.
"You okay?" Two-Bit asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"No." I said quietly.
Soda looked over at me, breaking out of his scared state.
"What is it? What does it say?" He asked, snatching Pony's letter from my hands.
He silently read it and then looked up at me, those tears making another appearance.
"What does he mean, "I may not come back?" What does he mean, Darry?" He pleaded, looking to me for the answer.
"I don't know." I said.
Soda sank down on the bed beside me. He stared ahead in disbelief for a few moments. Then he turned and buried his face in my shoulder and sobbed.
The rest of the gang was in the bedroom with us. They looked as lost and concerned as we were. I just wish there was some clue as to where he was!
A piece of paper on the floor caught my eye. I gently pushed Soda off my shoulder and got up and went to pick it up.
A shiver ran through me when I read those words. But that was all I needed. We'd find Pony now.
"Let's go." I said, motioning toward the door.
"Where?" Soda asked, a note of hope in his voice.
" Indian Hill Park."
Pony's POV
I thought I was ready to die. I had to fight so hard just to keep from getting myself killed. There was no time to catch my breath. No time to prepare for what was coming next.
Pain went through my body, but by sheer determination, I continued to fight. All the pain, anger, sorrow, I poured into that fight. And, with a little help from Randy, we kept up pretty good.
The Socs didn't even pull blades out or anything. I was relieved, but I still considered taking mine out a few times.
I punched the drunken Soc in the face, and then kicked him in the shins. The only reason he was still up was because he was drunk, making him numb to the pain.
Exhaustion began to sink in, and I fell to my knees. I was kicked hard in the stomach, and I sank to the ground, laying flat on my back.
I looked up into the eyes of a Soc. He looked mean, cold. He wasn't the drunken one; Randy was fighting him. The other one was on the ground, knocked out cold. Then there was this guy. The one above me.
"This is the end of the line for you, Greaser." He snarled. I gulped, as I feared what he'd think to do to me.
He reached for something in his pocket, and I knew it'd be a blade or a gun. I acted quickly, reached into my back pocket and withdrew my blade. We stabbed at each other, but mine was a better mark.
Soda's POV
We all ran as hard as we could after we parked the truck along the edge of the Soc's territory. We had to get to Indian Hill, and fast. If Pony was supposed to meet them at midnight, he'd have already been there almost an hour.
When we came upon the park, our speed increased. Darry and I pulled ahead, fear and love making us faster. The Socs were around Pony. There were four of them so we could take them.
We all screamed as we ran up to them, and three nearly jumped out of their skin.
"Let's get out of here!" One of the screamed as he hobbled to his car. Blood was gushing out of his leg as he tried to get to his car.
Darry and I caught up before they could go anywhere, and I bashed one of their heads into the car. Damn them for trying to come near my brother!
Darry was nearly killing the Soc he got his hands on. They slipped away, and I let them go. They looked horrible anyway.
Steve, Dallas, Two-Bit, and Johnny all came up behind us, and they broke the windows out of the Socs' car using an old tree limb. Dallas reached in a pounded a Soc in the head, but they started to drive off, so he couldn't do much more. As they drove away, they all grabbed rocks and threw them at the car. Some of them hit their target, and the back window was busted, too.
All but one left, and the car pulled away without him. I was confused as to why they'd leave one, but I didn't care. I charged at him, but Pony's quiet voice stopped me.
"Don't, Soda. He's on our side." He said hoarsely as he fell back to the ground.
Darry ran to Pony's side, and I followed suit. Pony looked awful, but somehow he smiled through the pain.
"I got 'em good, didn't I?" He said.
I smiled sadly. "Yeah, baby. You got 'em good."
I brushed Pony's hair back.
The gang encircled us, all looking down at Pony.
"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked hoarsely.
"I don't..." A wave of pain ran across his face, and he lost all consciousness.
Steve's POV
We all walked back to the truck. We didn't want to run now, since Darry had to carry Pony and be careful not to hurt Pony anymore.
I smiled to myself as I remembered how those Socs looked. Pony was a better fighter than I thought. I was proud of the little kid.
"So, you're a Soc, right?" Two-Bit asked the guy named Randy.
"Yes." The Soc replied.
"And you helped Pony...why?" Two-Bit sounded confused. It was all way over his head.
"Because I didn't like what we were doing to him. Bob's dead. There's nothing we can do to change it. We can't avenge his death. He's gone, and he'll stay gone."
"And so you're just now deciding to stop beating up innocent kids?" Dallas growled. He was clearly not happy with Randy.
"I know you probably hate me. But I didn't do much of anything to Pony, if you can believe it. It made me sick to see the things they would do to him, to you. After Bob shot you, I couldn't take anymore of it. We had crossed a line. I hadn't done much to hurt you since. I didn't even show up at the rumble."
"It's okay, man. At least you did something." Soda said, though I was surprised he could actually take a second to realize we were talking. Soda'd been walking close to Darry ever since we started walking.
"Thanks." Randy said.
We walked on for a few more minutes, and then Randy spoke up.
"My house is just down there. I'd better be going. Take care of Pony." He said and then headed off.
"Thanks, Randy!" Soda called.
We were stepping up to the truck when Pony began to stir.
"Pony? You okay?" Soda asked.
"They were... they were everywhere. The knife. I got...I stabbed him." Pony mumbled. He was unconscious still, but he began to talk about some things.
"Let's get in the truck, guys. Soda, you get in first, and I'll hand Pony to you."
The rest of us climbed in the back. I saw the sadness written on Soda's face when he held Pony in his lap. It was killing him to see Pony like that.
Darry climbed in on his side and started up the truck. We drove home smoothly, except for a few rough turns when some of us would get knocked into each other.
I was glad the kid had held his own. It makes him tough enough.
Johnny's POV
We entered the Curtis' house without any trouble. We had left the lights on so we could see where we were going. It was 1:30 in the morning, and we were all exhausted.
"Get me the supplies." Darry said.
"I know the drill by now." Soda said. It was true. He'd been through it so much lately; I don't know how he'd forget.
Darry looked down at his shirt and for the first time noticed the blood splattered all over it. Pony had been bleeding quite a lot.
" Dallas, you may need to start stitching again." Darry said as he searched for the main cut.
"No problem." He said.
Pony tossed in his sleep, fighting off something.
"Johnny, will you hold him for me? He can't be thrashing around like that." Darry asked me because Two-Bit and Steve were nodding off. Dallas was wide awake. Sometimes I wondered if he even slept. It was just one more thing I liked about him.
I got up and held down Pony's arms. Soda came back with all the medical supplies.
In the light of the living room, I could see the bruise that began to darken on Pony's face. He had a shiner on his left eye and I noticed the scar on his cheek. It had been a bad cut. I shivered at the remembrance of how he looked that first day.
" Dallas, I found it." Darry said a note of fear in his voice. The cut was on Pony's left thigh. It ran down the side of his leg, and ended just above the knee. It had been a bad cut. Blood spilled from the wound, drenching the blanket that was underneath Pony.
"Give me the sewing kit." Dallas said. Soda handed him some thread and a needle over. Dallas expertly threaded it.
"I never knew you to be a seamstress, Dally." Two-Bit said drowsily. He was half awake, but he still told his jokes.
"Shut up or I'll be stitching you up, too." Dallas growled, and then turned back to his work.
The wound was clean, and not quite as deep as some. Pony whined in his sleep as he felt Dallas sew him up.
"It's okay, Pony." I said to him.
"I'm done." Dally said a few minutes later.
Darry stooped beside Pony, searching for the other wounds. Many bruises appeared on Pony's chest and arms. There was no sign of a break or anything, which relieved us.
Soda got an ice pack for Pony's eye, and that was it. Darry easily lifted Pony in his arms and brought him to his room.
Darry's POV
I sat up with Pony all night. Soda had finally fallen asleep around 2:30. Pony hadn't stirred lately, and it worried me. I just hoped there was no other damage done that I couldn't see.
I almost nodded off when I heard someone say my name.
I looked over at Pony, whose eyes were fixed on me.
"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.
"Like I got run over by a bus." He said, chuckling without much humor.
"I know, baby."
"My arm hurts." He said, holding his wrist.
"Let me see." I said, extending my hand to him so he would place his wrist inside.
I felt around it for a while, and when I hit a certain spot, Pony gasped with pain.
"Sorry. It seems like you sprained it. You want me to wrap it up for you?" I asked.
Pony nodded his consent, still holding his aching wrist.
I got up and got some bandages to hold his wrist in place. I figured I'd make a sling, too, so I added some more.
I was surprised at what I found when I came back. Pony was sobbing into his pillow and shaking all over.
"Pony! Are you all right?" I exclaimed, the panic seeping into my voice.
"No." He shook his head.
I gathered him in my arms and held him close to me. I stroked his hair and said soothing words to him, trying to calm his sobs.
Soda woke up, and seeing us, he started.
"What happened?" He asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, continuing to rock Pony back and forth.
"Pony, baby, what's wrong?" Soda asked, patting him lightly on the shoulder.
Another cry escaped Pony's lips and I tightened my hold around him.
The three of us sat there for a long time and then Pony pushed away from me. He wiped at his tears with his good arm, and then he spoke.
"I was just thinking, about how it would have been so different if this hadn't happened to me. If it happened to Darry, the Socs would have been gone after the first time. If it happened to Soda, Steve, Dallas, or Two Bit, then you'd use your heads and fight them off as best you could. And they wouldn't know you'd be afraid. But if it happened to Johnny, it'd kill him. He's been through so much in his life. His parents are abusive, and he's already quiet. If that happened to him, he'd be afraid of his own shadow. But it happened to me. . .and I'm glad."
Soda and I looked shocked. Why would he be glad?
"I know you don't understand why I'm glad, but I am. It showed me who I am, and how I can handle these situations. Those Socs won't be bothering us again, because I used my head and fought back. They threatened to hurt you two, instead of me. And instead of letting you two take care of it, I took the pain. Because I love you. Nothing could ever change that. And I'm proud that I made that choice."
Tears filled my eyes as I thought of how Pony had been beaten so badly, just to keep me and Soda safe.
Soda and I hugged Pony.
"You're the best brothers." I whispered, holding Pony close against me with one arm, and Soda with my other arm.
"Tough enough." Soda clarified.
