Light at the End of the Tunnel

(Tuesday, October 11, 1965, 7:10 AM)

(Pony's POV, Three Weeks Later)

"Pony, Bex! Time to get up!" Darry's baritone voice broke through the silence of the bright morning. I heard Bex moan tiredly and felt her move around on the bed. "C'mon, Pone. We better get in there before Darry blows up," she tells me, her voice heavy with sleep. She patted me a couple of times before rising from the bed.

All I did was moan, not making a move to get up. Truthfully, the blankets were too warm and cozy for me to get up. I was a cocoon in these blankets; the mattress felt so soft underneath me.

Knowing Soda and Darry, they would use the tickle monster against Bex and me if we didn't get out of bed. "Pony, I hope you're out of bed!" Darry called. I turned over and buried my face in the pillow, showing no desire to listen to my big brother.

You wouldn't want to get out of bed if you felt as comfortable as me in the bed. Today I was going back to school for the first time in a few weeks. It's not that I was afraid; I didn't feel like moving.

"C'mon, Bex. Let's double team him." Soda eagerly said. "Right behind you," Bex replied, keeping her voice hushed. They walked down the hall, sounding as if they were racing to reach the bedroom. All I did to hide from them was to hide under the blanket so they wouldn't see me.

For a second, I thought they wouldn't find me, or I thought they'd leave me alone but I was wrong when I felt the mattress sink a little. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Bexley exclaims, finding my shoulders under the blankets and shaking me quickly. I buried my face more into the pillow and tried to sleep again.

"Pony, it's a school day! You can't stay cooped up in bed all day!" Soda said, excitement in his voice. "Nooo… I'm too tired…" I complained. Then, I could hear their footsteps leaving the room. For a moment, I believed that they'd leave me alone after that.

But I was wrong when I felt a body slam into mine, causing me to let out a yelp of the sudden pain. "Ow…!" I groan, my body aching. "Did that wake you up?" Bexley giggled, trying to pull the covers off of my head. "Bexley…" I moaned a bit annoyed she pile driven me.

Even though she did that, I was still too stubborn to get up. "Fine, you leave me no choice. I'm breaking out the big guns," she said, walking out of the room. She had left for a moment but returned with Soda and Darry. I heard the door groan as it was pushed open and multiple footsteps were coming towards the bed.

"Pony, we gave you plenty of chances to get out of bed. And you know what happens if you don't get up, don't you?" Darry said, trying to hide the laughter in his tone. "Huh?" I mutter, my voice muffled from the pillow.

"The tickle monster comes!" Soda and Bex shout, ripping the blankets off of me without warning. Before I knew it, I was feeling fingers running up and down my sides and belly, making me laugh uncontrollably. My brothers and sister were laughing as well, poking me mercilessly.

I tried kicking to escape, but it was fruitless. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe and tears rolled down my face. Bex grabbed my bare feet and started tickling my feet. "No, stop!" I laughed, twitching and squirming. "You give in?!" Bex said, still tickling my feet.

"Alright, I give in!" I cried, my stomach starting to ache from the endless laughter. "That ain't all, Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" Darry laughed. What else was there for me to say let alone think? I tried thinking of the right words to say.

"I don't know! You three are the best siblings in the world, maybe?!" I shouted through my laughter. And with that, they stopped tickling me but the laughter remained. "That's the right answer, Pony," Bex said, having the biggest grin on her face.

When things calmed down, Darry pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I couldn't begin to describe how warm that made me feel, having my oldest brother hug me like this. He then pulled back to look me in the eyes.

"You sure you're ready to go back to school, Pony?" he asks me, more serious this time. His eyes were filled with honesty. All I did was smile at him, "Yeah, I am. You guys don't gotta worry about me." "You'd tell us if you weren't, yeah?" Bexley asked, now sitting next to me. "You guys know I would," I admitted, taking my sister's hand.

I was a little nervous about going back. It was as if I was ripping off a bandage. I had to go back, whether I wanted to or not. Needless to say, I had missed so much school work, I'd be lucky if I finished up the year and passed. I knew that I'd be able to handle it; I had to stand on my own two feet again today.

"Awesome, Pony! Johnny and I have been so lonely there without you." Bex said with a smile. I took notice of how Bexley blushed when she said his name. She had been telling us of how she and Johnny were a thing now, which made all of us happy. Johnny was so good to her, and we couldn't ask for anything more than for our only sister to be happy.

Darry smiled at us and got up off the bed with Soda behind him, having abounded in his step. "You got a big day ahead, kiddo." Soda beamed, bouncing out of the bedroom. "C'mon, let's go, Pony!" Bex laughed, pulling me off of the bed with both hands. At top speed, I run past my brothers and sister to the bathroom.

I had taken a shower, feeling all the worries wash away. Afterward, I dressed in a dark red t-shirt and my jeans before greasing my long auburn hair in its usual style. With great haste, Bex and I only had minutes before Two-Bit would come to get us in that busted-up car that breaks down a lot.

Bexley was dressed in a white t-shirt with her denim jacket & red flannel that was rolled up to her elbows, her jeans that had holes in the knees, and her old converse shoes. Her dark brown hair was in its normal style, some loose bangs hanging over her bangs and the rest like a mop on her head. She hardly greases it as well.

"Pony, Two-Bit's gonna be a bit late this morning. So sit down and eat some breakfast." Darry called, getting me to turn around. My stomach growled in anticipation, making me realize just how hungry I was. I had to catch up on my food intake.

I sat down at the table next to Bexley and scooted myself up to my plate. I wolfed down everything on my plate. During breakfast, the front door opens and Two-Bit walks in. "'Ello Curtis family!" he exclaimed in a goofy way. Johnny and Steve came in behind him.

Johnny gave me a couple of pats on the shoulder before going to greet Bexley with a kiss to the cheek and wrapping his clothed arms around her neck to hug her. Bexley smiled and wrapped her arm around his, turning up and giving him a quick kiss.

"Alright, you two. Not at the table." Darry said, stopping them before they could kiss again. "Aw, c'mon, let the love birds have some fun, Super dope." Two-Bit teased, patting Bex and Johnny. Darry gets up from his chair, picking up his plate to take to the sink. "You heard what I said. None of that, especially not to the next level. I'll skin the two of you if that happens." Darry said, pointing a finger at Bex and Johnny.

"Don't worry, Dar. We won't go that far. You can trust us." Bex laughed, getting up from the table to put her plate up. "We'll meet you guys outside, yeah?" Two-Bit said, heading towards the front door. Bex and Johnny quickly kissed before heading outside with Two-Bit and Steve. As usual, they slammed the screen door shut.

I finished my food and put my plate in the sink. Afterward, I hurried to the bathroom to not only brush my teeth but to give myself a last glance. When I did, I saw… me. It wasn't a ghost of my old self. The dark circles under my eyes weren't there anymore. I was catching up on sleep, the nightmares weren't around as much.

My cheeks were back to their normal, rosy color. But what did remain were the scars on my skin. However, they represented something else. They said that I'm a survivor, a warrior of a terrifying event. If anything, they were rewards to show that I was a strong, brave person. I wasn't scrawny anymore, I was healthy again. All I could do was smile at my reflection, a genuine, authentic smile.

"Pony, c'mon! You guys are gonna be late!" Darry called, bringing me back to reality. I rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed my backpack. Before Bex and I left, Darry and Soda pulled the both of us into their arms. We were both content and happy.

"We can't tell you just how proud we are of you two," Darry tells us, getting me to smile as happiness rippled through me. We all then pulled away after a few minutes. "Thank you guys so much. For being there with me." I say, waving goodbye as I headed to Two-Bit's car with Bexley behind me.