(August 28, 1965, 6:27 pm)
(Ponyboy's POV)
Consciousness kept leaving me and kept coming back to me. It made me lose my sense of where I was. Memories of what happened kept replaying in my head; it was as if I was trapped in my own exhausted state and couldn't find a way out. All I could hold onto was the hope that it was just a nightmare. At the same time, it was all too real.
I could feel the inky black frigid water, trapping me from every side. There wasn't any air that I could breathe in, not even a gasp. There was only the black water, and the hands that kept me submerged. They were drowning me, taking the very breath from my lungs.
Whenever I tried to breathe in, all I swallowed was water. It scared me to death. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. I was trapped in the fountain forever.
During that time, Bex had been on my mind. Where was she? Was she okay? Were the Socs doing anything much worse to her than what they were doing to me.
Then, I could feel a warm hand on my cheek, holding my face ever so carefully. I couldn't tell if it was real or just another dream. There was another arm around my waist, but I didn't know who it was. In my unconscious state, voices broke the silence, multiple voices. Sounded like Soda and Darry's. But I couldn't hear Bex's voice.
Soda's voice I recognized instantly because of how soft it was. Darry's voice was different; it sounded more gentle than I thought. He never talks like that unless something was wrong with me or Bexley. Was something wrong with me... or her?
"It's alright, honey. We're here. Nobody's gonna hurt you guys." they said, running a hand across my forehead, my cheek, and on my jawline. Tears were streaming down my face out of my control. The arm around my waist tightened a little bit, as if I'd shatter into pieces if they did let go of me. I couldn't open my eyes no matter how hard I tried to.
"We're right here with you guys. Just rest now..." the voice said again, causing my racing heart to settle. I ended up giving in to my exhaustion, my body was aching and I felt hot and cold at the same time. My world went black again, and I hoped that I wouldn't see those memories in my dreams.
(Bexley's POV)
(August 29, 1965, 1:30 pm)
When I woke up again, I could see that the sun was starting to rise, bringing in a beautiful sunset with it. The room had been painted by a flaming orange color from the sun rays. But I wasn't able to take it in because I found that I was drenched in sweat.
Darry probably turned up the heat, or it must've been Pony's fever making me feel so hot. It took me a second to realize that it wasn't me sweating. It actually was coming from Pony. His complexion was still pasty white but his cheeks were a little bit red. Other than that, I think that his fever was starting to break.
But, I wasn't so lucky. I was shivering from how cold it felt in here, despite my shirt sticking to my body like tape. All I would need is a new shirt and I'd be okay.
As carefully as I could, I threw my aching legs over the edge of the bed and pushed myself to my feet. My legs were shaky and a bit heavy, so I waited a minute to steady myself. I walked around the bed quietly so I wouldn't wake Pony up. After his nightmare last night, I didn't want to wake him up, he needed the rest more than ever.
I took off the damp shirt and grabbed one of Pony's shirts, slipping it over my head. Afterwards, I grabbed a jacket because I was still shivering incessantly and I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on. I would've loved to crawl back into bed with Pony but my throat was much too dry to even allow me to sleep.
I walked out of our room and into the kitchen, luckily no one was in the living room so I could get a glass of water. I grabbed a cup from the cabinet and started to fill it up with the cool tap water. When I finished, I turned off the water and sat down at the dining table to drink it.
After I took a drink, I grimaced at the water hitting my throat. It felt like I was swallowing sand instead of water. The sounds around me sounded muffled, as if there were cotton balls stuffed in my ears. It actually caused my head to start throbbing.
I tried to keep drinking the water to distract my throbbing head but it wasn't working. I set the cup down and gripped onto my ears and rested my elbows on the table.
"Bex?" someone said, "Bexley?" I couldn't tell who it was because of how muffled everything sounded around me. Then, I felt someone shake my shoulder, causing me to jump a little bit. I look up to see none other than Darry standing next to me.
"Oh, Darry. You scared me." I said, letting my hands drop onto the table. "Sorry about that, hon." he apologized, sitting in the chair on my right side. "How's Pony doin'?" he asked me. "Well, other than that nightmare he had last night, I think his fever broke. And he was covered in sweat when I woke up." I answered him, taking another sip of my water, "Where's Soda?"
"He had to work today. But he'll be home soon." Darry replied. Out of the corner of my eye, Darry wouldn't quit staring at me, which made me a tad bit irritable.
"What? What are you looking at me like that for?" I asked, taking another sip of the water. "Are you feelin' alright, Bex?" he asked me, his icy teal eyes melting into blue eyes of concern. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I said, obviously lying to not worry him.
"Well, your face is red and I heard that you almost threw up last night." Darry replied. My heart sank as he said this; I didn't want him to know about that. "Did anyone tell you that?" I asked. "They didn't have to, Bex. I know well enough when you're getting sick." Darry replied, reaching up to feel my forehead.
When his cool hand touched my head, I ended up flinching. It was then I realized that I couldn't hide how horrible I was actually feeling. I let out a groan, instantly blowing my cover. A shiver ran through my body, causing me to hug myself. Darry understood this quickly without me saying a word.
"C'mon, Bex. I'll have Pony take a shower. Then, I'll change the sheets on the bed. Okay? You need to be in bed." Darry offered, sounding more worried than he was trying to. All I could do was nod, but my head hurt so much that it made me grimace and wince.
(Darry's POV)
It struck me very hard that Bex ended up getting sick also. It was no surprise that if one of them got sick, then another would follow shortly after. The thought of my kid brother and kid sister being so sick like this concerned me. Not only did they share a room, but both of them and Sodapop shared the same bed as well. Bexley did have her own bed however she slept with Soda and Pony most times.
We made it into the bedroom, where Pony was already awake but was trembling, hugging his bruised arms. His eyes were widened in fear, as if he had a nightmare. "Bex, wait for me in the living room. I'll be along in a minute." I tell Bexley, hoping she'd make it at least to the couch. "O-Okay..." she said, her voice a bit raspy from her coughing. She was struggling to catch a breath in between.
I watched as she left back into the living room, hacking and coughing. Afterwards, I walked over to my kid brother and knelt down in front of him. "Pony? Are you alright?" I gently ask him. His eyes were glossy and glassy as tears rose up. "Another nightmare?" I elaborated, to which he slowly nodded.
My heart split in two when he started to cry again, making him look so much younger than fourteen. Gently, I brought him into my arms and held him close to me. He trembled in my arms, whimpering in between breaths. "Shh... it's okay now. No one's gonna hurt you... It's okay." I whispered in his ear.
He tucked his arms under his chest, starting to cry again. I kept holding him, protecting him from what he was so afraid of. After a few minutes, he seemed to calm down enough to take a breath.
"Pony? Honey? Do you want to take a shower? Your fever broke and I want you to cool down." I said to him, pulling him back so I could look at him. I gently held his tear-stained face in both of my hands. He looked down, as if he was afraid to look at me in the eyes.
"Can you look at me?" I asked gently. He does so, his glossy eyes staring at me. "It's alright, Little Colt. I'll be right there with you." I tell him softly. He nodded slowly and I helped him out of bed.
When he tried to stand, his legs were still weakened from the other night. So I bent down and scooped him in my arms with one arm under his knees and the other under his back. He instantly nuzzled his head into my chest as I walked into the bathroom. From in there, I could hear Bexley coughing hoarsely from the living room.
The sound of it made me worried. While Pony's showering, I'd go check on Bex to see if she's just as sick as Pony. I set him down on the closed toilet lid and turned on the shower to a lukewarm temperature. While the water was still warming up, I turned to the medicine cabinet to retrieve the thermometer.
"Here, we need to see what your temperature is." I say, kneeling down in front of him. He opened his mouth and I slid the thermometer in. We waited until the mercury stopped increasing. It stopped a little bit below 100, which made me feel a little better. I shook the thermometer to help it settle, then I felt the water, which was now at the right temperature.
"Alright, you can get in. Do you need help undressing?" I asked him, wanting to make sure if he needed help or not. "N-No. I can do it, Darry." he replied in a small, timid voice. I grinned at him a bit and stood back up. "Alright, if you need help, just holler for me, okay?" I told him, rinsing the thermometer under the sink water.
After Pony was undressed completely, he carefully stepped into the shower, wincing at the achiness of his bruised and battered body. "Pony, I'm gonna check on Bex. I'll come back in a few minutes to check on you, okay?" I say to him, letting him know that I wouldn't be in the bathroom with him.
"O-Okay..." he timidly replied, his voice shaky. I take the thermometer and walked into the living room and saw Bexley sitting in the living chair, knees tucked into her chest with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
She was shivering under the blanket, her teeth chattering and her bottom jaw trembling. I knelt down in front of her and saw just how glassy her eyes were. In the light coming from the window, I could see the discolored bruises that were on her throat. Seeing them filled me with anger because of the Socs attacking both her and Pony.
But I had to suppress that anger for their sake and focus on their health. "Bex, we need to take your temperature. Can you open up for me?" I asked, and she did without any complaint. After a few minutes, the mercury stopped rising and I took it out of her mouth.
The line reached just about 101, worrying me something awful. If Bex had got just as sick as Pony did, CPS would be on my neck. Not to mention, I didn't want to see any of my siblings get this sick ever again. Seeing what was in the cabinet before grabbing the thermometer, I saw that there wasn't very much medicine, especially for two sick teenagers.
"Can you tell me what's hurtin' you?" I asked her. She pointed to her stomach, neck, and head. "Okay, do you feel like you're gonna throw up?" I asked, needing to know what was bothering her so I'd know what medicine to get. "A little bit..." she replied, her voice small and hoarse.
"Sit tight. I'll get some medicine to help you." I say, standing back up to get what I needed for Bex. When I went in there, the first thing I did was check on Pony. To make sure that he was okay in the shower. "I'm f-fine, Darry. Gimme a f-few minutes..." Pony replied on the other side of the shower. "Alright, kiddo. Holler if you need anything." I told him, getting some stomach relaxers as well as some aspirin, some cold medicine, and some water.
I came back to the living room, medicine and water in hand. Bex was leaning back against the chair, trying not to fall out of it. She looked so exhausted. I knelt down with a grunt and set the medicine down on the side table.
I gave her some aspirin before giving her the stomach relaxer then the cold medicine. While she was taking the medicine, I went to go change the sheets on the bed. After I was done, I made my way back to the living room to help Bex into bed. When I got back in there, I saw that she was already dozing off in the living chair, her eyelids were heavy.
"C'mon, let's get you to bed, little sister." I said, scooping her up in my arms. I didn't want to make her walk, she looked too dizzy to do so. Bex nuzzled her head into my chest as I walked. The way her head was turned into my chest made me believe the bright light was making her headache even worse.
There was heat radiating from her body, which alarmed me a little bit. I laid Bex down back in the bed and covered her up so it'd settle her shivering. "You need anything, Bex?" I asked quietly. She shook her head and pulled the covers up further as she continued to shiver. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" I said quietly, trying not to worsen her headache. She was already asleep before I could finish that sentence; I then quietly walked out of the room and left the door open ajar.
(Ponyboy's POV)
I felt the warm water drops from the shower hit my bruised back, making me shiver a little. Hearing that Bex has caught what I got made me feel so guilty. It was my fault that she had gotten sick, it was my fault that the Socs got ahold of her. And I still don't know what they had done to her, which made me feel so much worse...
Tears ran down my face, mixing in with the water from the shower. I thought of the nightmare that I had, it scared me to death. It was about what had happened at the park, and this time, Bexley had been drowned too. I wanted to help her but my nightmare was keeping me from doing so. I couldn't stop shaking...
"You ready to get out, Pony?" Darry asked from the other side of the shower. Hearing his voice break into my thoughts made me cry out and jump outta my skin. "Sorry I scared ya, Pone." Darry apologized, taking on a softer tone. "I-It's okay. I'm ready to get out." I say, shutting off the water. Darry tossed a towel over the railing for me to grab.
I turned off the water, and wrapped the towel around my waist. I then step out of the shower, still shivering. Darry had gotten me a t-shirt that was too big on me along with some pajama pants. I slipped them on, wincing at the soreness in my body.
"Are you getting hungry, Pone?" he asked me. I shook my head in response, not feeling like eating anything. Even though my eyes were locked onto the floor, I could feel Darry's disquiet gaze on me. "Alright, little buddy. I won't make you eat if you're not up for it. Drink some water at least." Darry said. "Alright." I sighed. I followed him into the kitchen.
After drinking some water, I told Darry that I wanted to head back to my bedroom to be with Bex. He understood and helped me back into bed as quiet as to not wake Bex up. But, he sat down in the desk chair to see if I had actually gone to sleep, even though I didn't want him to.
Just minutes after covering me up, his eyes widened as he looked over at Bex. It was as if he was seeing something horrifying. He walked around the bed, and placed a hand on her forehead, quickly pulling away as if he got burned. "Wh-What's wrong?" I asked, not realizing just how dumb my question was.
"She needs to wake up. She's burning up badly. And her skin is bone dry." Darry said, voice filled with worry. I felt my chest tighten in concern and started to panic a little bit. I turned over carefully and gently shook his sister awake. "Bex, please wake up." I stammered.
Her eyes opened and she slowly sat up, groaning with every movement she made. "Ow... Oh god..." she moaned, trying to take a breath but found it hard to. Her voice sounded higher pitched than normal; it scared me.
"Easy there, Bex. Don't push yourself. You need to have a bath to help cool you down." Darry said, taking control of this very easily. She only nodded, obviously too weak to protest. He helped Bex out of bed and helped her stand up. I wanted to go too, but Darry had told me to stay in bed. I had no choice but to comply, letting my head sink into the pillow. I didn't want to stay here alone; I wanted to be with Bex...
(Darry POV)
'Now we're back to square one.' I thought as Bex sat on the closed toilet seat. She looked even sicker than the last time she was awake. Her skin was a pasty white but her cheeks looked pink, the bruises on her neck sticking out like a sore thumb. Both of her eyes were red, glassy, and unfocused. It was common when either one of my siblings were really sick. Despite that, she seemed to hear what I was saying.
I took her temperature again, seeing that it had gone up a little bit more. Seeing this concerned me; the medicine should've kicked in by now. Her fever was so high that it burned right through the medicine. Normally, I'd let a fever run it's natural course but it was way too high to let that happen.
It wasn't at a dangerous level, but nonetheless, I'd have to cool Bex down in order for them to get some sleep tonight. Normally I wouldn't stay in the same room as my kid sister while she wasn't dressed. But she would have nothing on but her bra and underwear, so I really wouldn't be seeing anything.
"D-Darry... I don't want you to see me... naked..." Bex whimpered, hesitant to get undressed in front of me. "Bex, keep your bra and underwear on. I'll get you new ones while you're cooling down." I tell her, turning the water to lukewarm, letting the tub fill up a little over half way.
She undressed until she was down to her underwear and bra. Afterwards, she clung to my neck, like they did when they were very little. That action alone concerned me. Both her and Pony were clingy whenever they were sick, this was no exception.
When the water reached over halfway, I turned it off. "You ready to get in?" I asked. She nodded as she reached out towards me, both arms outstretched. I scooped her up with one arm under her back and the other under her knees. I carefully set her down in the water.
But, the second the water made contact with her skin, she cried out and wrapped her arms around my neck quickly and tightened her hold. "I-It's too cold, Darry." she whimpered, trying to climb out of the tub. "It's alright, hon. It's just gonna cool you down." I whispered to her, biting my lip. Hearing this made my eyes widen a bit, the water was at room temperature, but it feels like icy needles to her.
I pulled both of my arms out from underneath her but she didn't let go of me. She started sobbing against the nape of my neck, breaking my heart. "Pl-Please... I wanna get out... It ain't w-warm..." she sobbed, tears wetting my skin. "I know, hon. But we need to cool you down. Your temperature is too high." I reply, feeling heartbroken. She must've been really hurting to be crying about the bath water.
I took her wrists and unraveled them from my neck. I saw the tears streaming down her pink cheeks, biting her lip. She curled into a ball and trembled in the water, her teeth chattering. I felt so bad for her, seeing her in this state absolutely broke my heart. With a washcloth that I gathered, I wet it in the bath water and carefully dabbed it on the back of her neck, her face, and chest.
"C-C-Can I g-get out? It's so cold..." she whimpered, her body tensing at the wet washcloth touching her skin. "Give it one more minute." I tell her softly. When that one minute was up, I scooped her up again, one under her back and the other under her knees. I placed her on the closed toilet seat and drained the water from the tub.
She sat there shivering, hugging her arms. I handed her a towel so she could start drying off. "Here, dry yourself off. I'll get some warm clothes for you." I said. There was a pair of underwear for her in the laundry room. I would've gotten some from her, Pony, and Soda's room but I didn't want to disturb Ponyboy if he was sleeping. I grabbed a red t-shirt with some black checkered pajama pants. I also brought in a glass of water to help her hydrate.
After she was dressed, she drank the glass of water before I helped her back into bed. When I placed her back into bed, I covered her up with the comforter. She turned to her side to face Pony, who had also turned to face her. The two put their foreheads together, relying on each other to survive their sicknesses.
I then went into the living room, sat down in the living chair, and started to look through the paper. Soda would be home within a few hours so he'd help me keep an eye on Pony and Bex.
(August 29, 1965, 8:30 pm)
(Bexley's POV)
When I woke up, my stomach was endlessly churning as the agonizing uproar of nausea took over. I didn't have a grip on time either. I shot up to a sitting position and hugged the life out of my stomach, my entire body was aching, covered in sweat, and I felt immense heat radiating off of me. All I knew was, I needed a bathroom and quick.
It hurt so bad that I started crying from the pain, but no tears flowed down my cheeks. My crying had woken up Pony, who had been asleep beside me. I could feel his frightened gaze on me. "Bex, what's wrong?!" he frantically said, now scared to death.
"I... I think... I'm..." I moaned, feeling my stomach lurch again. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, fighting the urge to gag. But I knew that I'd lose this battle. Then, I felt the bile starting to come up. That's when I bursted out of the bed and blindly stumbled to the bathroom.
I shut the door and collapse in front of the toilet, immediately throwing up the second I make it. My throat burned as it came up, making me moan in discomfort. My entire body shook as I continued to heave. I gripped the toilet bowl so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
Tears were streaming down my scorching hot cheeks, making a small river trail to my chin. I began to sob uncontrollably from the anguishing pain that coursed through my body. "Bex, y-you okay in there?" Pony said from the other side of the door, voice worried and timid. "G-Go away... Go-" I started before I vomited again, more coming up than the last time. That's when the door opened.
I turned my head to look up at who was standing at the door. I saw Ponyboy standing at the door with tears in his eyes, looking like they were about to fall. After seeing his face, I closed my eyes tightly as I'm unable to look at him for much longer.
A cry of anguish escaped my lips, unable to hold it back any longer. It hurt... Oh god my stomach hurt so badly. Next thing I knew, I felt two arms gently around my aching body. My body tensed at the touch and my breath hitched in my burning throat. "N-No... Do-Don't look..." I whimpered feebly between my pain-filled sobs.
From the arms, I could feel that it was Ponyboy hugging me. I was amazed that my twin brother, who was in way more pain than me, was making sure that I wouldn't hurt anymore. He didn't want me to hurt, like Soda and Darry.
Neither one of us said a word, just each other's presence was enough. I felt ashamed that I was like this, being all weak and frail. Greasers never show any signs of weakness.
Then, I felt another hand touch my face, wiping my tears away from my face. The softness in the hand gave me the answer of who was doing that; Soda. "Sshh, it's alright now, baby girl." Soda's soft, gentle voice in my ear. I opened my bloodshot eyes and saw the genuine, softhearted expression in my brother's eyes.
"It hurts... please make it stop..." I begged, feeling my stomach lurch again. Soda looked as helpless as I felt. "It's alright, baby girl. Just breathe through it." Soda muttered, keeping his voice soft and gentle so it wouldn't irritate my head anymore.
My body curled into itself instinctively, making me sob, my eyes squeezed shut.
"Pony, let me have her." Soda gently said to Ponyboy. Next thing I knew, I was in Soda's arms, holding me in an embrace that would surely take all of my pain away. Pony wrapped an arm around my shoulders, to which Soda wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"What's goin' on?" Darry asked, his voice coming from the bathroom doorway. "Bex threw up, Darry. She ain't feeling well." Soda replied, rubbing my stomach as if he was massaging it. My stomach had begun to tighten up so bad that it was making it hard to breathe. My lips thinned out to a straight line, more tears ran down my cheeks. Pony rubbed my shoulder to comfort me. Even though it was a small gesture, it helped me a lot through the pain.
"Bex, can you open your eyes for me?" Darry coaxed, his voice no higher than a whisper. I cracked open my eyes to see that, even though my vision was blurry, he was sitting in front of us.
The way he talked gave me security, the look on his rough face showing no signs of harshness. His ice teal eyes softened and showed just how worried he really was. I closed my eyes again, the weakness in my body making me feel so tired.
It wasn't until I felt a wet and freezing washcloth touch my skin, holding it down on the sides of my neck firmly. The touch made me jump with a gasp from how cold it was. "Easy, Bex. Relax." he muttered, wiping the sides of my mouth from the remnants of vomit that was still on my chin and around my mouth.
"There you go... does that feel better?" Darry asked. I nodded feebly, the coolness of the washcloth relieving my scorching hot skin. More tears flooded down my face, and I let them.
To be honest, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the attention that I was getting. Both Pony and I were receiving a little too much attention. "Bex, do you wanna drink some water for us?" Darry asked, wiping my hot tears away. The color drained from my face, and a part of me knew that it wouldn't stay down.
"S-Sure..." I said, giving in to what Darry said. I then ended up tuning out the sounds around me, not trying to make out what was being said around me. All I did was turn my head until I was on the side of Soda's neck, feeling myself relax just a bit.
I felt a hand gently brush my hair with their fingers, Pony was now holding onto my hand with both of his, encasing my hand in a safe embrace. There were multiple voices saying comforting words in my ears. However, there were other voices, more worried voices. Those voices helped me relax a lot, making the pain and fear in my body wane away. I knew I'd be safe and secured with those voices alone.
"Open your eyes for us, honey." someone softly said. I forced my eyes open to look at whoever spoke to me. My eyes were so heavy that it was hard to keep them open. I couldn't see clearly, my vision was blurred and cloudy. But I did see two figures sitting with me, the third one holding me close to his chest.
In Darry's hand, was a glass of water that was half full. "Here, drink this. It'll help you." he said, starting to hand the glass to me. My stomach was twisting already when my eyes locked onto the transparent liquid in the clear glass. Hesitantly, I reached for the glass with my free hand, my fingers trembling.
"Don't drink too fast." Darry told me. I glanced up at him for a second before bringing the glass up to my dry lips and taking a few sips of the water. The liquid slid down my throat carefully. When the water touched my stomach, it lurched in disagreement. I immediately shook my head and pushed the water away.
"No... it ain't gonna stay down..." I moaned raspily, feeling the panic in my body clash with my very senses. More vomit started climbing up my throat and I hovered over the toilet again, trying to suppress a heave. My stomach started knotting up, making me cry audibly from the pain.
Someone was rubbing my shoulder to soothe me, but it was futile. I felt two arms wrap around my waist again, gently hugging me so as to not agitate my stomach anymore. "Don't fight it, baby girl. Let it out." Soda tells me, his gentle hand rubbing my shoulder. "I don't wanna throw up again... it hurts too much." I whimper, voice cracking as I struggle to hold in my heaves.
"We know, baby. Just breathe." Darry replied, his breath against my ear. Pony had his cheek resting on my back, cheeks having tears on them from silently crying. Then, with a final agonizing gag, the water came back up, accompanied by another slimy substance.
When it did, I coughed up more vomit, allowing my body to rid itself of the toxic contents inside. The pain only intensified when I kept gagging, more tears flooding down my already wet face. "Take a deep breath, baby girl. We're right here with you." Soda said, gently kissing my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to take control of my breathing, my entire body was still aching with pain.
After a while, all that pain had drained me physically and mentally, it was difficult to keep my eyes open. After my body relaxed, I unwillingly fell into a pair of arms. I was too tired to hold myself up anymore. "You tired, hon?" Darry asked me, his voice sounding like he was further away.
"Mmm-hmm..." I faintly said while gently nodding. My insides had settled down enough for me to go back to sleep. As careful as he could, Soda picked me up off the floor with one arm under my shoulders and the other under my knees. For a moment, I opened my eyes to see the face of my laid-back older brother before they shut once more, my head resting on Soda's chest.
Soda's arms were enough comfort to help me feel relaxed and safe. My fight to stay awake was cut off. Just before I fell back asleep, I saw that Pony was lying next to me, his body turned towards me so that his face was only inches from mine. A weak smile stretched on my face when I saw this. I snuggled up close to him and fell back asleep.
(Soda's POV)
I watched as Pony and Bex laid together in the same bed. Both looked much sicker than before under the moonlight. My eyes had worry in them and I looked over at Darry. He looked so guilty for what happened the other night, he even blamed himself.
Dally told us about the rumble and how it would take place the following weekend. Hopefully Pony and Bex would feel better by then. I didn't want them to go, but both Darry and I knew that they had to. "Darry? Do you want to sleep here tonight?" I asked, sliding into the bed beside my little brother and little sister.
"Sure, might as well." Darry said, laying down beside the three of us. Darry kept close to us, protecting us from whatever danger is out there. At first, I didn't sleep because the thoughts of the socs attacking them ran through my head. Pony gets attacked twice in one week, and Bex gets attacked as well. Seeing them like that broke my heart in multiple ways.
Even now, I fear that something much more horrible is going to happen soon.
