Unfortunately, I don't own The Outsiders or it's characters. They belong to S. E. Hinton herself.

Bexley belongs to me.

On with the show. :3

(Tuesday, October 19, 1965, 7:30 AM)

(The Curtis House)

"It's time to get up! School day!" Darry called from the kitchen, making a start on breakfast for his three other siblings. Ponyboy let out a groan, not wanting to get out of bed. Bexley, being in her own bed, begrudgingly complied. It was the first night she was able to sleep without a nightmare, and she trusted herself to sleep in her own bed instead of bunking down with her brothers.

She pushed herself up on her bed, setting her bare feet on the cool carpeted floor and she stretched her body with a squeak. Sodapop b got up shortly after Bexley did but Ponyboy still didn't make an attempt to get out of bed. "C'mon, Pone. Darry'll pitch a fit if we don't go in there for breakfast." Bexley said, pushing herself off of her bed.

Sodapop was already in the shower, getting ready for work for the day. If Ponyboy or Bexley were still in bed, Sodapop would use the tickle monster against them. It worked every time. Usually, Ponyboy would be up when Darry called; he, Bexley, and Sodapop would race to the dining table to get their plates first. However, this morning was different.

Bexley walked over to Pony and shook him a little to wake him up. When she did that, Pony knew something was off. His head was pounding and his throat felt like he swallowed sandpaper. He made a face of pain, which caught Bexley's attention. "Pony? You feeling alright?" she asked, placing a hand on his forehead.

His forehead was much hotter than usual. Bexley immediately became worried because he had been sick like this before, leaving him bed-ridden for a whole week. "Pony, you getting sick?" she asked worriedly. Last thing Ponyboy wanted was to worry his siblings; they had other things to worry about.

"Bex, I'm fine," Ponyboy answered, pushing himself up off the bed. Before Bexley could respond, Sodapop walked into the bedroom in his DX uniform. "Glad you two are up, Darry is gonna flip if neither of you is in there." Soda said to the twins. Bexley sighed, feeling uncertain that Ponyboy was telling the truth of him feeling fine.

She glanced back once more before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. Soda caught the uneasy look on her face and couldn't help but feel concerned. "You think she's feelin' alright?" he asked. Ponyboy groaned when he sat up, his entire body feeling like it was being pricked with a thousand needles.

"You alright, Pone?" Soda asked. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I'm up, okay?" Ponyboy croaked, cringing at how he sounded. He was hoping Soda wouldn't catch on, but he did. Soda leaned down to feel his younger brother's forehead. Ponyboy grinned inwardly, he didn't want him to worry so much.

"Pony, you're a little warm. Guess that's what Bexley was worried about." Soda started, "Darry needs to know." Pony sat completely up to show that he was fine, but he could only try. "Don't do that, Soda. Darry's got enough on his plate right now. It might be just a small cold. I'll take some aspirins before Bexley and I go to school. And, I'll tell Bex too." Pony tells him.

Soda felt unsure about Pony having a cold; he was now worried. "Pony… the last time you said that…" he started. Bexley knew that Pony was sick after they left the hospital. Granted, she had passed out while visiting Johnny in the hospital, but she was fine afterward. Pony looked sick before the rumble.

After it happened, they barely mentioned it. Ponyboy had been delirious in the hospital for 72 hours, then was bedridden at home for the rest of the week since it happened after Johnny and Dally died. Just hearing about it was hard to think about. Nobody was allowed to talk about what happened that night.

"Soda, I'll be fine." Pony said, trying his hardest to convince Soda that he was fine to go to school. Soda sighed and patted his younger brother's shoulder, deciding to leave it at that. "If you're really fine, then hurry up. We don't want to upset Darry by letting breakfast get cold." Soda said, walking out of the bedroom.

When Soda left the room, Ponyboy stood up. He stood up a bit too quickly though. The second he was up, he was instantly struck with a dizzy spell, causing him to lose his balance for a second. Both his head, stomach, and throat ached horribly. Just swallowing alone felt like he was swallowing nails.

'Nothing that a little aspirin can't fix. I should feel better throughout the day.' Ponyboy thought to himself. Despite him feeling a little dizzy, he was fine enough to go to school. He didn't want to miss school; both he and Bexley were already having a hard time trying to catch up on their school work. Not to mention, Ponyboy had an important track meeting. He couldn't afford to miss it.

Bexley soon came out of the bathroom, dressed for school, and her bleached hair, now back to its normal length, was pulled back to a loose ponytail with messy bangs hanging by her face. Some strands were hanging over her green eyes. Afterward, she went to the kitchen to eat.

Ponyboy made his way into the bathroom to himself ready for school. He wasn't pale, which was a sign that he was sick. But he didn't look sick at all. 'Maybe it's my lack of sleep.' he thought, blinking his glassy eyes. He then swallows down four aspirins from the bottle in the medicine cabinet. "Pony! Breakfast is done! Come out and eat!" Darry called from the kitchen.

"Alright, gimme a minute." Ponyboy curtly said. Usually, Darry would've scolded him or Bex for getting mouthy with him, however, everything was mediated ever since the twins returned from Windrixville. They're getting along way better.