(Ponyboy's POV)

The moon above me was helping me guide my way to the lot. I could feel the beads of sweat trailing down the back of my neck, and my cheeks. The wind was cold, brushing over my hot skin. My lungs were aching, longing for air desperately.

My own heart was beating erratically as I started to feel a little panicked. I was now wondering if I had made the right decision of going to the lot. I could've easily turned around while I still had the chance. 'No. I ain't a coward. I have to do this. I ain't afraid…' I thought to myself.

Partly, I was lying to myself because I was scared to death. However, I couldn't let said fear take over; it wasn't going to win. As I got closer to the lot, my stomach knotted up. It only reminded me of when those Socs held that blade up against my throat, ready to cut it. I felt the frigid, dark water closing in on me.

I also remembered how Bexley was taken away from me, fighting to get to me. She had those bruises on her face, and the faded ones on her neck. There was a sudden warm, sticky feeling on my shoulder. The stitches must've popped out as I was running.

I should've felt the pain but I didn't. It was as if I had become numb to it. The only thing I was feeling was fear. The one thing giving me the courage to do this was my brothers and sister. For a reason, they kept me going. If anything else happened to them, I'd never forgive myself.

Soon enough, I had arrived at the lot, a single shudder crawled up my spine. I'm thankful that it wasn't at the park, the place where I thought I'd take my last breath. But I was ready to fight them. I was done being a coward. I needed to be tough, brave. I have to fight against my worst nightmare.

I enter the lot, standing by the tree with the car seat underneath it. The only thing I was happy about was that the fountain wasn't here. Just thinking about being almost drowned in that fountain scratched my nerves. The water was shining under the moonlight eerily. I could feel the water entering my mouth, leaving me no choice but to swallow it.

All I did was hug myself, trying to shake off the feeling. I sucked in breath and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get a hold of myself. I couldn't let the fear make me lose my sanity. I hid behind the tree, so I wouldn't be in sight of the Socs when they arrived. I carefully peeked around, my back pressed against the bark. Every single muscle was frozen, the silence hanging in the air uncomfortably.

"Pony! There you are!" Bexley's voice made me jump. 'No, she can't be here! Why is she here?!' I thought to myself, my heart pounding in my chest. I looked ahead and saw her sprinting towards me, a look of panic on her face.

"Thank god, you're okay!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. "Don't scare me like that again-" she started, but I pushed her off of me. "Bex, y-you can't be here!" I exclaim.

"Pony, I had to come. You ain't well enough to do this." she retorted, sounding a bit panicked. "I told Johnny to not let you come. He wasn't supposed to tell you." I replied, a bit cross. She doesn't realize that I just wanted to protect her.

"You shouldn't have kept it from me. Why did you?" she asked me, looking a bit teary-eyed. I hugged myself to keep myself from shaking too much. "Go back home. This is my fight. I have to finish it." I vaguely answered. I didn't want her to get hurt anymore.

"Pony, tell me why you kept this a secret from me." she demanded, "Pl-" The purring of the Socs crimson colored car cut her off; my heart jumped into my throat. They were here… "Bex, get out of here. Go!" I demanded, starting to push her back. "No, Pony. I'm not leaving you." she stubbornly replied.

She had already gotten hurt twice at the hands of the Socs; there wasn't going to be a third time. I couldn't believe how stubborn she was. "Where's that grease-ball at?" one Soc, Daniel, asked. He staggered into the lot with his friends at his sides. His eyes were so cold, avoiding any sense of real feeling.

It begged the question of how they got any joy of tormenting kids like me or my sister? They laughed at our painful expense. The biggest difference between us was just that. We were like fire, and they were like ice. They couldn't feel a damn thing, meanwhile us Greasers could feel it all. It didn't matter if money was involved.

"Hmm, looks like he's too much of a wuss to show up." another one taunted, sounding like he was drunk. "Bex, please go. I don't want you to get hurt." I whispered to her, wanting her to leave so that she'd be safe. However, she didn't listen to me. Instead she got angry at what those Socs said about me.

"Hey! You want to repeat, asshat?!" she shouted, her voice sharpened. She stepped around the tree, fists balled up. I could hear them starting to laugh. "What do we have here? I don't believe we wanted you here, she-grease." Daniel sneered. "What, you come to fight for him?" that other Soc snickered, "Maybe we can give you more than just those bruises, what do you say?"

This was it; no turning back. This was my chance to gain myself back. There were pieces that I had to fix, the shattered ones. As much courage as I could gather, I stepped from behind the tree. I had to keep my sister safe from these Socs; they weren't going to hurt her a third time. I wasn't going to let her fight this for me; I had to be the one to do it.

"Hey! You touch her, and it'll be the last thing you'll ever do." I called, keeping my head held high. I stood in front of Bexley, staring down at the bickering pack in front of us. There was a surge of nervous energy coursing through my veins. Yes, I was scared, but I'm not giving them the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Well, what do you know? The wuss actually shows up!" Daniel blurted, a smug grin on his face. They looked to be just as tense as I was. "You have any last words to say, Greaser?"

(Bexley's POV)

I looked over Pony's shoulder, watching as he flexed his fingers in anticipation. "Yeah. I wanted to say I'm sorry." Pony stated, his voice steady and calm. My eyebrows furrowed when he said this. Why was he apologizing? "Pony, what're you doing?" I whispered, but he held out an arm in front of me.

The leader Soc was about to say something, but Pony cut him off spitefully. He wanted to say something else. "I'm sorry for doing what I did to you. I'm sorry that it still bothers you. You couldn't let it go, so you decided to go after me and make my life a living hell. But, you had no right to go after my family. You hadn't got a right to torture me, making you think that you have broken me. It was a stupid mistake, and can't say that you didn't deserve it." Ponyboy preached.

I was left speechless at what he said, so were the Socs. Most of them had dropped their mouths agape and their eyes widened. "Look, I don't want to fight you guys. It ain't gonna solve anything. But if that's what you want, then it's one you'll get. But, you cannot go after my family again, especially my sister. You leave them out of this. It's me you want." Ponyboy finished, still glaring at them.

I felt my heart flutter in amazement. He sounded braver than I've ever heard from him. I couldn't be more proud of him; I know Darry and Soda would be proud of him too. He was ready to let that fear go, I saw it in his eyes.

"Who said we weren't going to fight?" The leader said, "Tell you what, we will stop bothering you and your family when the sun comes up, just as we promised. But that doesn't mean you're getting out of this unscathed, Greaser. Once we take care of you and that sister of yours, we'll be doin' this town a favor in getting some more dirt off of the street."

"No, she isn't going to be involved." Ponyboy bluntly said, getting me to jump. "What? Pony, you can't do this on your own. I will fight with you." I said with determination. Ponyboy shot a glare towards me, showing me that he wasn't screwing around. I understood that he didn't want me to get hurt, but I had to be there with him.

"No, Bex. This is my fight, not yours. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Not again. Go back home." Ponyboy replies. "You better listen to what he's telling you, she-grease. Nobody asked you to be here. So you best get your ass outta here." the leader Soc spat, taking another step forward. I understood that he didn't want me fighting his battles for him, but I didn't want to leave him here… He could get killed and I didn't want to lose him.

"Pony. We're in this together, okay? I know you don't want me here, but I am NOT going to lose you." I said with determination. I was just as serious as he was; I was gonna fight with him whether he liked it or not. "Heh, you got a death wish, She-Grease." The lead Soc laughed, bobbing his head towards his friends.

Pony and I stand our ground, ready to beat these Socs heads in. There was a flash of adrenaline in my veins, eyeing each of the Socs. Ponyboy had the instinct to fight them; he wouldn't run from them. And neither would I. We weren't going down on their terms.

In a flash, the leader Soc took a swing at Pony's cheek, but he was quick to dodge it. Ponyboy punched him hard in the chest. The Soc's eyes went as wide as pie-pans from the force of Ponyboy's punch.

There was a fist coming in my direction, but I quickly ducked before the fist made contact with my cheek. At this moment, Pony and I both knew that the fight was on.