Tuesday, October 11, 1965, 6:35 PM)
(At the Lake)
(Ponyboy POV)
The evening sky was an ocean of yellow and gold, the sun's rays carrying some orange and red. There was a cool mist lingering in the evening air. It was as if the earth painted it right in front of me, mesmerizing me. Bexley and I were sitting on a fallen tree branch, watching the sun start to vanish below the horizon.
"Hey, Pony. Hey, Bex." Bex and I glanced over our shoulders to see Johnny coming up to us, his pockets sitting in the pockets of his denim jacket pockets. "Hey, Johnny," I say, giving him a smile. Bexley smiled warmly at him. He came and sat down in between Bexley and me, giving Bexley a kiss on her cheek in an affectionate manner.
The silence was reposeful, giving us time to just enjoy each other's company. We didn't have to talk to understand what the other was thinking. All we did was watch the sun drop, the colors became brighter and richer.
"Golly, that's sure pretty," Johnny said, eyes glued on the golden sky. "Yeah." I breathe, my voice calm. "It's the prettiest sight I've ever seen. Don't you guys wish it'd never end?" Bexley sighed, a smile laced on her face. "Yeah," I reply, wishing that life could remain like this.
"The mist was what's pretty. All gold and silver." Johnny implied, having his hand in Bexley's hand. "Hmm-hmm." I sigh, unable to look away from the beautiful sight in front of me.
"Too bad it can't stay like that forever," Johnny said.
It made me think of how Bex and I just wanted to get away from the real world on this particular evening. Ever since mom and dad died, things hadn't been smooth between us and Darry. We would feel that he was overbearing of the two of us, so we'd want to get out and clear our heads. We didn't have to talk; just having each other's presence was good enough.
This evening was one of those times. Darry yelled at us for something that I couldn't remember. The golden sky made me forget, taking our worries with the setting sun.
"Nothing gold can stay." I utter, the words fluidly coming out of my mouth. It was from a poem that I remember reading one time. Bexley and Johnny glance at me, their brows furrowed.
"Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay."
Both Johnny and Bexley were surprised. "Pony, where'd you learn that?" Johnny asked. I broke my gaze from the sunset and looked at my best friend and my sister. "Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never knew what he meant by it."
"It's very beautiful, Pony. I can see why you remember it so vividly." Bexley chuckled. I smiled back at her, my ears becoming hot and red.
"Johnny, you said something about us staying gold. What'd you mean by that?" Bexley asked, catching my attention. Did Johnny tell her the same thing? Now I was curious to know what he meant by those two words.
"Exactly what I meant. The guy that wrote it means you're gold when you're a kid, like green. Everything's new when you're still a kid, dawn. Both of you are gold. Even when the Socs were after you Pone, and Bex, you were willing to put yourself out there to keep him safe. There's no other girl like you who'd be willing to do that. Don't ever change, you two. Always Stay Gold." Johnny preached.
Needless to say, Bex and I had tears in our eyes. We were both warmed more than words could ever do. Johnny had to lead me through the rough waters that were utter terror. He was there for my sister when she needed him, even when she was sick. He didn't give up on either one of us, fixing the pieces after they were shattered. He had helped us back on our feet again, and I couldn't be more grateful for him.
(Soda's POV)
(At the Curtis House)
Later that evening, I had just finished taking a shower after a long day at work. When I stepped into my room, there was a touching scene right on the bed. Ponyboy and Bexley were curled up on the bed, fast asleep from the world around them. They were facing one another with their foreheads touching. It warmed my heart because they've always slept like that, even when they were babies.
Their hair was messy, tufts hanging over their foreheads. Their cheeks were back to their normal shade of red. Both looked so much better than before. From where I stood, I thought I could see both smiling; that incessant fear no longer there.
Darry came in behind me but he stopped when he saw the wonderful sight of our little brother and little sister sleeping. There was even a small smile on his weathered face, having a sense of relief in his eyes.
"Man, they're real lookers, yeah? The girls' will soon swarm Pony." I say, getting Darry to smack me on my shoulders. "I don't think so, Soda!" Darry scolded, "And our kid sister already has a boyfriend that I can trust." Darry was flabbergasted that I'd say such a thing at this moment.
"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from smothering that blonde-haired chick," I say with a smirk. Darry's face became red from embarrassment. He was about to say something but focused his attention on our kid brother and kid sister again. We watched their chests move ever so faintly.
"They're something special, aren't they?" Darry said, his voice filled with joviality. "Yeah... if only they knew that." I said, feeling my throat close up from the emotions. Quietly, Darry walked over to them and pulled the blankets over their shoulders. They snuggled deeper into the blankets and closer to each other. Tears were brought to our eyes.
They were still kids, still growing up. Neither one of us wanted them to grow up.Never...We never wanted them to grow up...
This is the last chapter of this story. It's been quite a journey to get this finished. Thank you so much for reading. Let me know how you liked it.
- Iceearth12_OutsidersSheGrease
