Okay. I felt bad that I hadn't updated in a while. SO I made this chapter EXTRA long. I was going to split this into 2 chapter but I just thought, "What the heck!" So you're welcome. You know how to pay me back? REVIEW! Please?

Hold on to your hats... Drama ahead!

-Jasmine

I slumped down next to the phone and started to cry again. I hope that Soda will come soon. All I want right now is a hug. It's times like these that make me want a big older brother like Darry so he could beat Dallas' head in. Dallas wouldn't stop calling. Every ten minutes the phone would ring though I stopped answering half and hour a go. Finally after a long while I could hear someone running up the steps. The was frantic knocking on the door not even a second later.

"It's open." I croaked out. Next thing I knew the door was flung open. I looked up and to my horror it was NOT Sodapop... It was Dallas.

"Susan I need to talk to you!" He told me.

"Get out!" I screamed.

"Susan just let me talk! I'm-"

"OUT!" I yelled again. I grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be a spoon and threw it at him. He caught it.

"Susan!" I grabbed the next thing on the drying rack, a frying pan. I ran at him, hitting him over the head a few times while pushing him out.

"I-" WHACK "HATE-" WHACK "YOU!" I finally pushed him out and locked the door. I slumped down and started to cry again. After about ten more minutes there was a small knock at the door.

"Susan open up. It's Soda." I sighed and unlocked the door. Though I still had my pan raised. When Soda walked in he held his arms up in defense.

"Whoa there! I come in peace!" He told me. I sighed and let the pan drop to the floor with a large CLANG! I started to cry again and Soda soon wrapped my up in a big hug. After a while he looked at me, confused. His eyes darted from my puffy eyes to the dried blood in my hair.

"What happened?" He asked me.

"He... He... Hit me." I managed to get out through my choked sobs. Anger overcame Soda's features. It didn't look right. It almost scared me.

"He hit you?" He asked, clearly outraged. I just nodded. He fingered the dried blood in my hair.

"Is that was this is from?" I nodded again, my crying not really helping with the whole communication deal but I tried my best to explain what happened.

"He pushed... me into the... booth... I hit my head... I didn't mean too!" I cried. He hugged me again and started to lead me up to the sink. He put my head in.

"Let's clean you off." He told me. When the water was flicked on. I hissed, it hurt but after a while it felt better. He then started to take me upstairs.

"Come on. Let's get you into some nice cloths." He pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a large shirt. He left so I could get change and when I was finally able to get my crying under control I called him back in. He came in and sat on the bed with me.

"Do you want anything?" He asked. I opened my arms for a hug. I had the most horrible empty feeling in my chest. All I could think about was how to get rid of the hole. I held a hand over my heart and suddenly had a feeling that ice cream would help. I looked up a Soda.

"It hurts." I told him. He gave me a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel... Like there is this... hole... in my heart." I tried to explain. He held me in his arms while I held my hands to my heart, trying to stop the hurt. I was just about to fall asleep when the phone rang.

"I bet thats Dallas." I told Soda.

"Want me to get it?"

"Please." He got up and grabbed the phone. (Luckily there was one in my room.)

"Hello?"

…

"Who is this?"

…

"Soda."

…

"Because she wants me here. Unlike YOU."

…

"No. She wants you to stop calling her."

…

"Why?

…

"Jail? How'd you end up in JAIL?"

…

"Tim Shepard?"

…

"Fine." Soda then put a hand over the phone. He turned to me, "Susan, Dal really wants to talk to you. Will you just listen for a minute?" I nodded and went over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Susan just listen to me." I felt the hole in my heart throb though lessen at the sound of his voice. When I didn't say anything he continued.

"Look. About what happened... I'm... s-sorry." He said that last word quiet, like it was one of the worlds largest secrets.

"I would be calling you no more." He told me.

"Why?"

"I got hulled in... "

"Why?"

"Tim. After you left..."

"You STILL beat him up?"

"Susan... he took the first swing. After that I had to teach him what happens when you make moves on my girl."

"I'm not your girl Dallas."

"Susan..."

"No Dallas. We're over."

"Susan... I love you." I felt my breathing hitch at his words. He loved me. I yearned to say it back but I was scared. He'll hurt me again. I know it.

"I used to love you too, Dallas." My voice broke on his name. "Goodbye." I hung up the phone and turned to Sean. The hole in my chest growing once more.

"I hope I never see Dallas Winston again." I told him. Taking his ring off and giving it to him.

"Did he hurt you that bad?"

"That is just it. He didn't hurt me enough. I've I ever see Dallas again... Well I'll probably fall in love with him."

…

Two weeks ago Mum and Rachel gave up trying to get me out of the house. I spent all of my time in my room. I was looking at collages. I need to get out of this damn town. If I ever got accepted it was clear what the problem would be. Though if I sold Jay... Maybe after that I could get two jobs and work my way through collage. It was worth a shot. I had decided that would work weeks ago. Jay was on the market now. I didn't mind as much as I thought I would. Every time I would see Jay I would think of Dal- him. Jay wasn't enough but he sure did help. I had applied to a few collaged though I didn't tell anyone.

The only people I'm really talking to are Soda, Pony, and Johnny. Johnny had come rushing over when he heard what happened. Now Johnny wasn't mad at D- him. He was Johnny's hero. Idol maybe. Though Johnny was great at comforting. He was a good listener.

What was really surprising was when Pony came over. It's not like I minded... I just didn't see it coming. My relationship with Pony was much like my relationship with Steve. We didn't hate each other or anything but we weren't really friends. We were just neutral. I was better friends with Two-Bit than Pony... Then again, Pony did come over when Two-Bit had not. When ever Pony came (which was probably once a week) we talked about what was going on with the gang. It was a nice change. Whenever Soda and Johnny came over I would talk about myself and how things were going with me. I was glad to hear about what everyone was doing. Though one week Pony didn't come over... No one did... Finally on Friday I'd had enough. He shouldn't be out of jail yet... right? It was safe to go into town?

I was a bit reluctant to go to the DX. Soda had told Charles that I was couldn't come in because of medical problems. If I came back in just fine I'd have to start going back to work. Oh well, I'm going to have to start working a lot more I might as well get used to it.

When I got to the DX I quickly found out where Soda was. I couldn't see him though. He was being mobbed by his usual fan club.

"SODA!" I called, waving my arms and trying to get his attention. I had to call a few time but after a while he saw me.

"Hey Susan!" He called waving. The girls all turned and, when they saw it was me, grumbled away. I was thankful, they were a bit scary.

"Where have you been?" I asked him, "You Pony and Johnny haven't been around in a while." Soda's small and clearly fake smile left.

"We don't know where they are... One night Darry... Pony came home real late because he and Johnny fell asleep in the lot... Darry was real mad... He didn't mean it... He feels real bad... He... He hit Pony. He and Johnny ran after that... We haven't seen either one all week...Dallas. He knows where they are. I KNOW he does. He wont tell me where though... And Sandy... Oh Sandy. We're just all so worried." He didn't say more he was now crying on my shoulder. I couldn't believe this... Pony and Johnny... Gone? Dallas. If he knew where they were why wouldn't he tell Soda? Couldn't he see it was breaking him? It must be hurting Darry pretty bad too. Sandy... What did he mean, 'Oh Sandy' ?

"Soda, what happened to Sandy?" Soda just started to cry more.

"She left me... She got pregnant and it wasn't mine... She ran away to Florida!" He sobbed out. Poor Soda. Heartbreak was hard enough and with this to happen with Pony and Johnny gone too? Poor thing. We just stood there for a long time in each others arms. Though we jumped apart when the phone rang. Soda grumbled and went to answer it. He had stopped crying but his eyes were still red and puffy.

"Hello?"

…

"This is Soda."

…

"WHAT?"

…

"I'll be right over!" Soda slammed the phone down and turned to me. There was a true smile on his face. It wasn't fake like the smile he had given me earlier. He pulled me by my arm and started running out the store. Calling "Family emergency!" to a very confused Charles.

"What happened?" I asked. He gave me another huge smile.

"They found Pony! He's at the hospital!"

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