Chapter 3

Ponyboy didn't say anything until that night, when we were alone in our room.

"Listen, Ames, don't feel bad about this morning." he started. I raised my head. I was on my bed reading a book.

"Oh, yeah? And why shouldn't I? Just because my goddamn health ruined our game?" I said sourly. I was wheezing. Pony noticed.

"You sure you're okay? You don't sound very good." Pony asked cautiously. He knew that I was tired, and in a bad mood. When I'm tired and in a bad mood I'm likely to snap at people without meaning to.

"I'm fine, Ponyboy." I turned back to my book. Truth was, I hadn't been feeling well for a few days. My throat ached and my head pounded. I wanted to sleep so badly, but I knew Ponyboy would know I was sick if I fell asleep.

"Amy...there's some things you ain't gonna be able to do...like play football. Don't feel bad about it. There's some things I can't do, either."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" I countered. There was an edge to my voice. I felt bad. I didn't mean to seem so annoyed.

"Like cock an eyebrow, like Two-Bit can." He had a point there. But still, it wasn't the same.

"But I ain't able to do those things 'cause of my disabilities. You ain't like me." Pony grew real quiet after that.

"Amy...I don't know what havin' a disability is like. Even I tried real hard to understand, I couldn't. 'Cause I ain't in your body. But I'm thinking it's tough. Havin' people stare at you, not being able to do stuff...havin' those awful cramps in your legs that you sometimes cry 'cause the pain is so bad. But don't feel sorry for yourself, Ames. Self-pity ain't gonna get you nowhere. You know what Mom used to say: Ya gotta get up and keep going even when you just feel like bawlin'. So you gotta get up from this funk, Ames. I wanna see my twin sister Amy, smiling and laughin' like you always do." I cracked a smile at that.

"'Atta girl!" Pony said. Then we just sorta' fell into each other's arms. Ponyboy pulled back and put a hand on my forehead.

"Ames, you have a fever. I knew you wasn't feelin' well." I sighed.

"It's nothing, Pony, I just need a little rest. Please don't tell Darry and Sodapop. I don't want them fussing over me." Pony considered this for a minute.

"Please, Ponyboy." I pleaded. Pony finally nodded.

"Alright."

"I think I'm gonna go take a walk, OK? I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright. But if you start feeling worse, you come back straightaway." Ponyboy warned, and he sounded so much like Darry that I almost laughed.

"Alright. Tell Darry and Soda that I went out for a bit."

I walked to the park and sat on the edge of the fountain, watching the first bright stars appear in the sky. The park was peaceful, quiet. Why can't life just be like that? I wondered. Peaceful and quiet, no fighting or anything. No rumbles between Greasers and Socs. We're all people, after all. What's so different 'bout that? We all see the same stars every night in the sky. We're all just kids wise beyond our years. As a matter of fact, I don't see much difference between us and the Socs at all. One of us has long, greasy hair and the other don't. That's about all the difference I see. I suddenly realized that this must be how a little kid thought. No difference between all the people, just people plain and simple. No hate, no prejudice. Just...peace. I was so absorbed in my thoughts I almost jumped out of my skin when a red Mustang drove up. Oh yeah, that's another thing the CP does to me. It makes me jump a whole lot at noises. It's called a startle reflex. Three Socs climbed out of the Mustang and started towards me. I knew they were drunk, and they couldn't be planning anything good.

Run, my brain urged me. Run for it. You ain't a bad runner for short distances. You can get a good start on them. But I couldn't. I froze, held in place by my spastic muscles. Damn my disability. The Socs lurched unsteadily towards me. One stopped so close to me that I could smell the booze on his breath.

"Well, well, well it's a little girl greaser." he drawled. "Just as greasy and dirty as her little greasy pals. You're a pretty girl." It wasn't a compliment. "We don't like pretty greasers. Maybe a nice dip in the fountain will wash some of that greasy grease out of your greasy long hair." I finally thought of something to say to that.

"No!" I screamed, wishing wildly that someone-anyone would hear me and investigate. The Soc merely grinned and nodded towards one of his buddies.

"Rob here's gonna give you a bath. Dunk her, Rob." Rob lurched towards me and grabbed me by the back of my shirt. The next thing I knew, I was plunged into the icy cold fountain water. I sputtered and choked, trying to inhale, but breathing in only water. This is it,I thought wildly. This is the end. I'm gonna drown here and no one will ever know what happened, 'cept maybe Ponyboy 'cause he's like that. I'm gonna drown. This is it. I'm gonna get killed, all 'cause I'm a goddamn greaser. I hate you, Socs. I hate you...I hate you. My spastic muscles slowly relaxed and I went limp as the world went black.

SODA'S POV

Darry paced the floor nervously. Ponyboy and I watched him silently from where we clung to each other on the living-room couch. Amy had gone for a walk hours ago, and never returned.

"What if she got jumped? Dammit, I shoulda made her carry a blade! She's not safe out there by herself, 'specially in her condition! What if she has an asthma attack? Or if she falls and can't get up? Dammit, that girl has no common sense!" The phone rang shrilly, interrupting Darry's worried tirade. He snatched it up.

"Amy? Ames, is that you?" I couldn't make out the words that the person on the other end said, but it sure as hell wasn't Amy, I could tell by the way Darry's shoulders sagged and the look of hope vanished from his eyes.

"Uh-huh. Right. Alright, we'll be right there." Darry hung up the phone slowly...so slowly. His face was a greenish-pale color. I hadn't seen him look that way since the day we found out Mom and Dad were dead. Shit, maybe that's it, I thought. Maybe Amy's dead. Maybe we'll never see her again. Maybe...Darry finally spoke. His voice was shaking, but he seemed relatively calm.

"Two-Bit found Amy." he said.

"What?"

"Where?"

"Is she OK?" Darry held up a trembling hand to stop the flood of questions coming from me and Pony.

"He found her in the park, lying next to the fountain. She's alive, but just barely. Two-Bit thinks that the Socs jumped her and dunked her in the fountain, but then heard something and ran away. Goddamn Socs." I'd never seen Darry this upset. Usually Darry bottled up his emotions, tucked them all away neatly so he wouldn't lose his self-control. This was one of the first times I had seen him visibly shaken. A soft sound from beside me made me look at Ponyboy. He was crying softly, the tears rolling down his cheeks. I put an arm around him.

"Pony, baby, what's wrong?" I asked in concern.

"It's all my fault!" he bawled. Darry and I exchanged puzzled glances. How the hell could Pony think this was his fault?

"She...she was sick!" Pony continued, the tears falling faster and faster now. "She had a fever! The Socs probably took advantage of the fact that she was sick to jump her!" Now the glance that I exchanged with Darry was worried.

"Pony, honey, why didn't you tell us before?" Darry asked, sitting on the other side of Pony.

"She...she made me promise not to tell you guys!" he cried out. "She didn't want you fussing over her!"

"Goddammit." Darry breathed softly. "I don't like the sound of this. Come on. Let's go. Two-Bit's meeting us at the hospital." Darry dug around in his pocket for his car keys. I gently took them from him.

"I'll drive." I said. Darry shook his head.

"No. I'll drive. You're not of driving age yet, and I don't want you to get in trouble with the fuzz. I don't want one kid sister in the hospital, and one kid brother in jail. Goddammit, don't I have enough problems!"

"Fine. Let's just go." Darry took the keys back from me and we started for the hospital, all of us wondering whether we'd ever see Amy okay again.