OMG I JUST WANT TO THANK xImperfectlyX SOOOOO MUCH! DURING ONE OF YOUR REVIEWS U INSPIRERED ME WITH A BRILLIANT IDEA! SO HERE IT IS! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!

Ponyboy's POV

As I sat in the back of the car I thought a lot about how much my life has changed in a period of only about 2 months. I thought about the new adventures at the boys home, new friends, new enemies, but mainly how most of it made me horribly sad. Thinking of that made me think of Dally and the one thing he said to me in the car, "You'd better wise up, Pony . . . you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothing can touch you, man." That has stuck we me since, but I've never really believed it, until now.

Hours later, after filling out police reports, I was on my way to a new boy's home. We did the whole introduction thing but I didn't bother to be nice, I simply was a teenager standing there with a dull expression on his face, I didn't care what they thought of me cause I sure didn't care about them.

"Ponyboy! Phone's for you hun!" Called my new foster mother. I didn't rush to the phone, I simply walked, unexcited for whoever it could possibly be. "Hello?" I asked into the phone. "Ponyboy!" An excited voice met on the other end, Sodapop. "Ya?" I answered coolly. Soda seemed taken aback by my lack of enthusiasm in my voice. "We've missed ya like crazy bud, why haven't you called?" He asked in an almost as excited voice, although it was obvious that I hurt him with my last comment. "Ya, I'm sure ya missed me, that's why I'm still stuck in a boys home after 2 months and maybe I don't want to talk to you therefore I wouldn't call." I replied coldly. Soda was quiet for a minute. "Ponyboy, what's wrong? You always use to talk to me" he said sadly, he sounded like he was about to cry. "I use to always talk to you because I didn't know any better, but now I do" I snapped into the phone as I hung up on him.

Soda's POV …

My heart sank as I heard the line go dead from Ponyboy's end. My eyes welled up in tears, I missed him so much but he didn't believe me. The whole gang was watching me, knowing that something was wrong. I put the phone back on the receiver and I knew that it wouldn't be so easy to put Ponyboy and I back together again. "He hung up on me" I said quietly as the gangs curious faces turned to sadness. "Darry" I began. Darry turned to look at me, "I think we're loosing Ponyboy…"

Ponyboy's POV

Two more weeks went by uneventful. I didn't strive in school, I didn't help out around the boy's home and I didn't hang out with the other kids, pretty much, I was Dallas without the gang. The social worker came by later that day saying that she had some bad news for me. I wondered what happened now. "Well Ponyboy" she began. "Your legal "mother," Mrs. Cole has regained custody over you. She has started to take therapy classes and since we have only eye witness proof of that one time that she hit you, it is not serious case in the government's eyes. She has made great progress in therapy and has agreed to continue 3 days a week there as long as you are in her custody. You will be going back to her today. I'm so sorry sweetie" she finished as she hugged me. I didn't hug back, and for once, I didn't feel sadness. I had turned off my emotions, and it made me feel stronger than I ever have before.

I packed my bag and saw the social worker downstairs in about 20 minutes; I simply mumbled a goodbye to the boy's home and walked out the door without a second thought. As we arrived to the Cole's house once again I had no idea how things were going to turn out. Before I stepped out of the car the social worker gave me her card, "now Ponyboy, if she hurts you again all you have to do is call this number and we will try and get you out of there as fast as possible. But remember, someone else has to see it or else she will state that you are lying and that you just want to go back to your brothers. Do you understand?" I nodded in response and got out of the car. The front door flew open and Mrs. Cole emerged. She engulfed me in a hug but I did not hug back, nor did I flinch. "Oh sweet heart, I missed you" she exclaimed as she placed a kiss on each one of my cheeks. Maybe this will be different.

Two days later I realized it was different, she was still a complete bitch, but I fought back. I didn't cower down to all of her commands, I fought them. When she told me to clean the yard I'd scream at her to do it herself. I wasn't gonna let her walk all over me without me standing my ground hard and secure. Unfortunately she was impossible to beat. I woke up last night with a thunderous pain in my back and when I looked up from my cement bed I realized that she has throw the frying pan at me from last nights dinner. She was very angry; you could tell it in her eyes, so she didn't stop there. The throw whatever she could at me and I dodged most of it, until I felt a snap in my ankle from where the hammer was thrown. I think that it was sprained. I was in so much pain that I couldn't avoid anymore of her flying objects so she simply beat me with anything in sight. I woke up, not remembering when I had blacked out or how long afterwards she threw things at my limp body.

I started going to school the next morning, trying to walk as normal as possible. When anyone asked me what happened to my ankle, I simply said that I got into a fight with some guy who I pissed off. I started making some "friends" from the first day I was there. They weren't exactly the nicest people in school though; they smoked, did drugs and mainly got into fights for fun. They were perfect for me. They helped me keep up my wall of emotions so that no one could break through. If Darry was here he would have killed me, I tried cocaine last night, man did I like it. I couldn't feel the pain from my bruises or cuts for about 40 minutes, it was great.

When I arrived back to the Bitch's home last night, I was still drunk. I was also in a foul mood so it wasn't exactly a great combination. I got on her nerves pretty quick when I wouldn't do the dishes left over from her dinner, she hit me a few times, but I punched her right back. She was only about 3 inches taller than me, but since I don't eat much anymore since living here, I've lost a lot of weight along with a lot of muscle so it was pretty even. I was stronger but she was more aggressive. We were wrestling on the floor as I screamed at her telling her that she should do her own fucking dishes, while she was calling me every dirty name in the book. I looked up just as she swung at my head with the rolling pin. My vision blurred for a few minutes and I couldn't move. I could feel my head bleeding and the carpet stinging my raw cuts. She was hovering over me with, yet again, the largest metal frying pan that she owned. It's her favorite thing to beat me with, I guess that's because it's the largest, strongest and causing the most amount of pain then anything else. She first swung at my chests as my insides cringed in pain, yet I didn't show it, I would never let her know her satisfaction, she next swung at my shoulder as I let out a whimper of pain as I could feel my bones breaking away, then before she could swing again I used the last of my strength and I kicked her in her knees as hard as I could. Her old knees buckled as she staggered backwards as her head hit the countertop. She lay unconscious on the floor within seconds.

I left the house as quickly as I could, and went to the one place where I knew the pain in my body wouldn't last, my friends basement where he had all the drugs anyone could ever want. I got so high within a matter of minutes that I can't really remember too much besides walking back to Mrs. Cole's hours later and being dragged into the police station by a cop who saw me.

I woke up with a piercing headache as my vision was still slightly blurred. I heard voices talking, about me. "Thank you for coming, I know that this has been a horrible few months for you and your family, but we think that this might be Ponyboy's only chance back to recovery. He has damaged himself beyond believe and we need to you help him." "So you mean he can live with us from now on? With no troubles from the government?" Asked a voice, I vaguely recalled that voice but I was still a little high to remember. "Yes, you can take your brother home for good Mr. Curtis."

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! Ok so this is defiantly NOT the end, there is still LOTS of chapters to come! REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!