(Tuesday, September 29, 1965, 7:40 PM, At the Curtis House)

(Ten minutes earlier)

(Ponyboy's POV)

Time for me was running short. It was starting to get dark outside, meaning it was getting closer for me to face those Socs. For those last two days, Johnny and I had kept my secret about the Socs from Bexley. She had tried to pry it out of one of us, but neither of us could tell her. I wanted to protect her as much as Johnny did.

We even tried every way that we could think of to get me out of this mess, but nothing we did had worked. The only choices that I had were to either go and face the threat head-on, or stay to see what happens next. If I were to face them on my own, there's a tiny chance of me getting out of there in one piece.

Even Darry came home from work just a bit earlier so he could check on me, Two-Bit arrived shortly after him. Dally came also, having a few bruises and even a black eye from a fight with Shepard earlier that morning. Knowing him, he was looking for some action. However, Steve, Soda were still at work and Bex had decided to go with them.

It worried me because they should've been home a while ago. Bexley had wanted to stay with Soda while he was working. While the others brushed it off as them being just late, I had a terrible feeling that something awful had happened. And I was correct.

Suddenly, the front door bursts open, Steve leaning against the frame. He rested his hands on his knees as if he had run a marathon, gasping for air. He had a few bruises on him along with a bloody nose. Darry saw him and bolted to his side.

"What's wrong? Where's Soda and Bexley?" Darry asked, voice filled with fear. "We were… coming home…" Steve breathlessly said, hands on his knees, "Socs jumped us… Soda and Bex are still… out there. Came back for help." And with that, everyone jumped to their feet, even me.

'Please no… not them. Not my brother… not my sister.' I thought in fear. My hands shook and my breathing became faster. I knew that the Socs had hurt them, killed them even. I was about to run out of the door with the gang, but a hand pushed me back by my bicep.

"No, Pony. You stay here." Darry commanded, "You hafta rest your shoulder. Last thing I need is for you to get hurt again." "But I-" I started, but Darry shot me a firm stare. "Pony, I'm not gonna tell you again!" he shouted, scaring me a little. The sound of his voice made me cower down a little bit.

Darry caught this and his ice teal eyes softened. "Stay here, Pony." he says, lowering his voice. They then rushed out of the door, galloping down the street. Johnny looked at me empathetically, hesitating for a moment before he chased after the others.

I tightly hugged my chest, feeling my heart pounding in my chest from the anxiety I was feeling. I paced back and forth across the living room. I knew that the Socs were punishing me. They jumped them to warn me of what would happen if I didn't show up to finish this. Whatever they did to Soda and Bexley was my fault.

Unconsciously, I start clawing my own bare arms, unable to deal with the burden of this. My head started to spin, heart fluttering in my chest. I was scared to death that those Socs were gonna beat Soda and Bex up the same way they did with me. It brought back the memory of when they jumped me, how I kept my brothers and sister safe by not screaming. But, what point did it make now?

Less than ten minutes pass by, the silence around me suffocating me. It was broken by many voices coming to the house. I couldn't take a second to breathe when Darry ran through the door, an unconscious Soda in his arms. Behind him, Johnny was helping Bexley walk.

"No… Soda! Bexley!" I shouted, incapable of holding it back. Soon, the rest of the gang followed behind Darry and Johnny, looking furious. "Don't worry, Pony. Soda's got a minor concussion. Thankfully Bex doesn't have one, just a few bruises." Darry soothed, laying Soda on the couch.

I started backing away from them, making my way to my room. After locking the door, I pressed my back against it and pulled my knees up to my chest. I laid my arms atop my knees and hid my face into them, sobbing softly. I couldn't help but feel guilty about doing that to Soda and Bex. I did this to them… I couldn't stand this guilt…

Then, the guilt was replaced by fury. The Socs had crossed the line by touching my brother and sister. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let them get hurt. I couldn't let this hell continue for any longer. I had to make it stop, even if it means putting my own life at risk. Nobody is going to lay their hands on my brothers and sister. Never again.

I sat down at my desk, holding a pen in my right hand. There was a blank sheet of paper lying on the desk in front of me. I still had a couple of hours to go before I had to face the Socs, and I hadn't felt more sick in my life. I was gonna write them a letter, just in case I don't make it back. Needless to say, I was scared to death, but this was going to end tonight.

From the living room, I heard the gang laughing at something. Soda's lighthearted chuckles filled the air along with the sound of Darry's baritone voice. I even heard Bexley using the sink in the bathroom. Those sounds alone relieved me.

Johnny was the only one to know what was gonna happen. He also knew that it was my fight, and I needed to face it alone. I didn't want to make the gang suffer anymore. Things would only get worse if they all knew.

Each word that was written on the paper was ripping my heart out. It hurt me to write this, to tell them how much I loved them. I couldn't bear not being in Soda's loving arms whenever I had a nightmare, never hearing Darry rip my head off for not using my head, and not being able to confide in Bexley anymore. The thought of that hurt me so much that I had to force the sobs down my throat.

Just as I was finished, the door opened up and Johnny slipped inside. "You ready?" he asked me. "Yeah." I answer, folding the paper and leaving it where my brothers and sister could find it. Johnny sat down on the bed beside the desk and neither one of us said a word. "I don't want to do this, Johnny… I'm scared." I say, knowing the truth of that was eating me alive from the inside.

"Don't talk that way, okay? You gotta show them that you ain't scared of them. You're gonna be okay. Show them that you're stronger than they think. You've got some fight left in you." Johnny said, his dark eyes burning with determination. He squeezed my shoulder in a comforting way.

That's when I remembered what I was fighting for. It was for my friends, my family. Knowing that the gang is my family gave me the strength I needed. As long as I had my own two feet, I would have to stand on them. "Thanks, Johnny." I reply, smiling weakly at him.

That's when I opened the bedroom window and leaped over to the outside. The cold night air brushed against my burning hot face. It took me a moment to see what was in front of me. The silver moonlight from above helped me light my way, it gave me the courage to go. Before I ran off, Johnny called to me, "Stay gold, Pony!"

I looked at him, a little bit confused by what he said. "You'll understand later. Now go." Johnny said with a grin, giving me a chuckle. I smiled back at him before dashing off into the night, ready to take back what those Socs had taken from me.

(Bexley's POV)

I had just finished washing the blood off of my face in the bathroom. After I turned the water off, I glanced up at my reflection. It stared back at me with a broken, fear-filled expression. Seeing myself like this made tears cloud my vision, blurring my reflection.

I couldn't stop thinking about Ponyboy, surprised that he was able to sleep with the radio and TV turned up to full blast. It worried me that he'd suffer another nightmare and we wouldn't be able to hear it.

Not only that, but I also heard Two-Bit rambling about some girl that he had dated. God, if he kept that up, surely Dally would put him out of his misery. I heaved a sigh, my shoulders dropping. Then, I opened the door and turned out the light.

I made my way back in the living room, my ears throbbing from the loud noise. "She has finally emerged from her cave!" Two-Bit announced, making everyone to look in my direction. "Oh, thank god you're here, Bex. I was about to smother Two-Bit here if he spent another second talking about that broad and how big her jugs were." Dally scoffed, blowing out a smoke ring.

I groaned at that, not wanting to hear any of that. "I could've lived the rest of my life without that image in my head." I say, crossing my arms.

"But it's true, man! Aren't they the most stand out features of a girl? You can answer that easily, little sister." Two-Bit continued. I rubbed my tired face and groaned again, not wanting to hear anything about that. "Hey, watch it, Two-Bit. That's my sister you're talking about." Soda warned, sitting up on the couch.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just playin'." Two-Bit laughed. He stood up and walked over to me, throwing a bare arm around my shoulders. "Besides, this girl's like a sister to me, y'know. Got that cut throat attitude that I can't help but adore. Not to mention, she's growin' up so fast." Two-Bit laughed, cupping his mouth with the back side of his other hand. He did that so I wouldn't be able to see him say that.

"Two-Bit, I'm gonna kill ya if you say anything." I groaned, shooting him a glare, pushing his arm off of me. "I'd like to see ya try, little sister." Two-Bit dared. I would've wrestled with him, but it was stopped by Darry before it started. "Don't even think about it. Besides, you need to go to bed, Bex. You gotta rest up too." Darry tells me, pointing towards the bedroom.

As if on cue, I stretched my back, bending one arm behind my back and the other in the air, causing me to yawn. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty needs her sleep." Steve teased. "Oh, shut your trap, Steve. I'm going." I huff, turning towards the bedroom.

I walk down the hall to our bedroom, the sound of the gang starting to get quieter by the second. For some reason something in my gut was telling me something wasn't right. It made my hands shake as I reached for the door knob. When I did reach it, I clasped my hand around it and pushed it open.

Instantly, I see that the only person in here was Johnny. The window was open, letting the cold air inside the room. Johnny didn't seem to notice me opening the door, because he was leaning out of the window. My heart started to pound in my chest because I didn't see Ponyboy anywhere.

"Johnny?" I said, my voice sounding a bit frantic. Johnny tensed up at the abruptness in my voice. He wheeled around to face me. I noticed that he had a nervous twitch to his eye.

"Johnny, where's Ponyboy?" I asked, my tone sounding anxious. There was fear in Johnny's dark ebony eyes; I could tell that he was hiding something. "Johnny, where is he?! Tell me!" I huffed, stomping up to him. I had to know where my brother was. And I knew that Johnny had the answer I was looking for.

"Please, tell me… Don't keep this from me…" I begged, tears in my green eyes. Johnny looked down, eyes glued to the floor in profound guilt. "H-He didn't want me to tell you. He just wanted to keep you safe." Johnny replied, his voice broken. "Keep me safe from what?" I question, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"He had… to meet the Socs tonight. He's gonna go finish this… I had been sworn to secrecy in order to protect you. He doesn't want you to follow him." Johnny confessed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. My heart sank into my stomach… No, he couldn't fight them! He was still healing from the rumble!

"I gotta go after him." I protest, sidestepping him to reach the window. Ponyboy couldn't fight them on his own; he needed someone there. I then feel a pull on my wrist, restraining me from moving any further. "Bex, no! He wanted to do this alone." Johnny said, sounding fearful.

"Johnny, I gotta go after him! I-I need to…" I protested, tugging my wrist free. "Bex, you can't go!" Johnny squeaked, tears in his eyes. "Johnny, please… Why don't you want me to go?! Ponyboy needs me!" I demanded. I felt my throat tightening up as the urge to cry was creeping up.

He then let go of my wrist and gently grasped my cheeks. He pulls me into a 7-second kiss again, which I reciprocated. After breaking away, he stares into my eyes. "It's because… I love you, Bex. If anything happened to you, I couldn't forgive myself." he admitted, gently holding my face with his warm hands.

When he said those three words, my heart skipped a couple of beats. 'Johnny… loves me?' I thought to myself. "Johnny… I… I love you too…" I repeated, my cheeks heating up.

I never thought I'd ever share this kind of feeling for a boy that I've known since we were really little. Guess I should've guessed that when we had that first kiss a few nights ago. I really did love Johnny Cade.

"Johnny… please. I need to go help Ponyboy… He's still weakened from the rumble… I need to go help him… Please let me go…" I begged, wanting to go. He sighs in defeat, bringing me into an embrace. "Please be careful. And stay gold, okay?" he tells me, holding me as if he'd never ever let me go again. I hugged him back, my fingers digging into his denim jacket.

We broke the hug and I jumped out of the window, going to where Ponyboy would be at. As I ran through the night, I thought about what Johnny said, 'Stay gold. What did he mean by that?'