(Sunday, September 27, 1965, 8:20 AM)
(Ponyboy's POV)
The next morning, I was woken up by a bright light shining in my eyes. The bright sunlight appeared from the slit of the unclosed curtains. It colored the bedroom walls with yellow and gold. I blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness.
Memories of last night echoed through my head. The last thing I remembered was feeling this horrendous pain in my body and feeling gentle hands comforting me. And I also remembered my sister laying right beside me. I remembered begging with my life, "Please let me go! I won't say anything!"
I shook at the thought. I covered my face with both of my hands, struggling to take a breath. For a brief moment, I wanted this to be nothing more than a bad dream. I wished that I didn't remember, but I did.
'Listen up, Greaser. If you want this to stop, then meet us back in the lot in two days at 10 at night.' the Soc spat, getting up and kicking me hard in the head, knocking me out instantly.
The very thought made my stomach twist. Because I knew that it was a trap. Six against one isn't fair; I wouldn't stand a chance. Going would be suicide for sure. I did my hardest to will those thoughts away.
I needed to talk to someone to get this off of my chest, and I knew the people to go to. Johnny; I can go to him and he can help me. I couldn't tell Bex about this because I didn't need her to worry. And I didn't want her to get hurt anymore by those Socs, especially after what that Soc had said in the rumble about her.
When I moved my arm, a sharp pain held me back, causing me to yelp. Looking down, I saw that my shoulder had a thick bandage around it.
It didn't take me long to recollect that I had been stabbed there, and my other hand subconsciously rubbed my shoulder, remembering feeling the cold metal of the knife puncture my skin. I also remembered the smell of alcohol on the guy's breath. The disgusting smell made me choke and it caused my head to spin.
That soc had stabbed me after he tried to… No, don't think about what he tried, don't do it. I pushed the blankets off of me and found that I wasn't wearing pants, only my shirt that was big on me.
Okay, that part I didn't remember. Carefully, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up, causing me to moan in discomfort. I went over to the dresser to get some clothes; and I found a white t-shirt, and some jeans. It hurt some when I put my shirt on, and I was a bit unsteady.
After I was done, I went over to the window and opened the curtains. The sky was a deep golden color with bright yellow and pink clouds. It was like the sky was painted with the most vibrant colors. I wondered if that would be the last thing that I'd ever see, but I quickly turned away from it.
(Bathroom)
I quietly made my way to the bathroom, not wanting to alert anyone that I was awake. Everyone was making their usual racket in the living room, so they wouldn't notice me. I shut the bathroom door behind me and locked it.
Afterwards, I turned on the faucet and washed my sunken, pale face with cold water. Oddly, the cold droplets felt good against my skin, sending a chill down my spine. I turned off the water and grasped the sides of the sink, watching the water drip from my face and into the sink bowl.
When I looked up at the mirror, the boy looking back at me I didn't recognize at all. The sight of my reflection caused me to jump back against the adjacent wall. Sure, it was me but not me.
My grey-green eyes didn't have their vibrancy, they were dull and have lost their luck. Instead, they carried a nervous look to them and dark circles stuck out like a sore thumb under my eyes. My cheeks were pasty white, having no color whatsoever.
It shows how much sleep I have lost since then; and shows how the Socs broke me. It was at a point where I didn't want to sleep, because I knew that a nightmare would plague my dreams.
I also saw that I was much thinner than before. The scar across my cheek was there, sticking out under the black and blue bruises on my face. The cuts on my arms had turned to visible scars, making me quiver.
I was even so pale that I was basically a ghost. Seeing myself now caused me to shiver and tears started spilling over, as if a dam had burst. I couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror, I couldn't bear to see what the Socs had done to me.
They've destroyed me, broke me, and what was staring back at me was the ending result. I wiped my face with a towel so that no one could see that I'd been crying. I couldn't bear to look at myself anymore, it was too painful.
(Livingroom)
With my hands trembling, I unlocked the bathroom door and walked back out into the living room. There, Two-Bit was watching Mickey Mouse on the TV as usual while drinking a beer, having a black eye.
Darry was sitting in the arm chair with a newspaper. Soda and Steve were playing a nice game of poker while having some chocolate cake. Looks like Steve stayed over last night after the rumble.
Two-Bit was watching Mickey Mouse with a can of beer in his hand, having a black eye from the rumble. Johnny and Bexley were sitting on the couch, watching the TV with him. I noticed just how close they were next to each other, each one blushing. They weren't like that the other day.
Two-Bit was the first person to notice my appearance and he sported a friendly grin at me. "Well, Sleeping Beauty's finally awake." he said, causing everyone to look at me, "How're you doin', kid?"
I rubbed my clothed arms and shuddered, looking down at my feet. "I'm fine." I lied, feeling absolutely broken inside. It was as if each shattered piece became more broken than they already were; I couldn't be fixed.
Soda, Bex, and Johnny noticed the look on my face and immediately came to my side. "You okay, Pony?" Soda asked me, his voice was so gentle and caring.
He gently hugged me for a moment, before letting me go.
Darry got up from the chair and he looked at me, "You hungry, Pony?" I hugged my abdomen, feeling it knot up anxiously. I was hungry however, my heart wasn't into it.
All I did was shake my head and look at Johnny and Bexley. I remembered that I didn't want to get Bexley involved with the Socs. Even though they've broken me in any way they could, I still wanted to protect my sister.
Bex had gone to go to the bathroom, giving me an opportunity to talk to Johnny alone. "Johnny, I-I need to talk to you for a minute." I say, my voice hoarse. "Yeah, sure." Johnny replied, "But shouldn't we wait for Bex to come back? You can tell the both of us." I suddenly grabbed Johnny's wrist, catching him off guard.
"No! This is just… between us. Please…" I begged, a pleading look in my eyes. I didn't want Bexley to know about this because she'd want to fight the Socs herself in order to keep me safe. But I just couldn't risk her getting hurt anymore; she was almost killed by the Socs once before.
"Okay." Johnny replied, catching the fear in my voice. I led him onto the front porch.
(The Front Porch)
"What's wrong, Pony?" Johnny asked. I spun around to face him and he saw the fear in my eyes. "The Socs want me to meet them in the lot in two days." I replied, feeling panic sweep over my bruised body.
"I don't want Bexley to follow me. I can't risk those Socs to hurt her." I tell him, my entire body shaking, "Johnny… Please don't tell her that's what's happening…" Johnny looked back in the house for a moment before looking back at me. "Okay, I won't tell her." Johnny promised.
