8. Protection

Pony woke up screaming on Wednesday, and for once, when Soda grabbed her shoulder to shake her awake, she screamed harder, jerking away from the hands holding her and sobbing when her unwitting brother played the role of Bob in her dream. It wasn't until Darry called for her, his voice breaking into a memory where it didn't belong, that she jerked awake with a gasp. They were both looking down at her, beyond concerned, and Soda reached for her again, pulling her into his arms. This time, she let him.

"Pony? You alright?" Darry asked, voice low and serious, and she nodded into Soda's shoulders despite the fact that she couldn't stop crying. After a moment, his hand landed on her back, his thumb rubbing back and forth comfortingly across her nightshirt, and she wanted to be strong enough to tell them to go back to bed…to just let her cry herself back to sleep on her own before one them asked her what was going on and she accidently told them. Instead, she clung to Soda until she was too tired to keep her eyes open anymore and he shifted her back down to her pillow, smoothing her hair back and asking if she was okay.

She stayed awake just long enough to nod, and none of them talked about it when they woke up a few hours later. She went through her day in a daze, taking notes and avoiding Allen who glared at her but didn't say anything, and even going to the DX with the guys at lunch to see Soda. Her brother looked worried, but she was too tired and wrung out to do anything about it, instead listlessly eating the sandwich he gave her from the cooler. That night, she went to bed early, hoping she'd actually get to sleep.

She didn't wake up screaming that night. Instead she woke up gasping for air and crying, trying to forget the feeling of Bob's body pressing down on top of her.

Once more she did her best to pay attention in class, and she somehow won most of her races during track practice, but by the time Johnny walked her home at the end of the day, all she wanted to do was crash. Instead, she sat at her desk and worked on her homework until she dropped off, face in her book, pen falling out of her hand and rolling onto the floor and under her chair.

It was Darry who woke her, his hand a little too rough on her shoulder as he shook her, and she gasped, jerking away before she realized who he was. He just took a step back, looking at her funny as Sodapop poked his head around him. Darry was looking her over, eyes narrow, and she thought it just figured that he'd be mad at her for falling asleep.

"You alright, Pony?" Soda asked, pushing Darry out of the way and ruffling her hair. She batted him away, smiling.

"Fine. Just kind of tired." She shrugged. "Math is boring."

"Tell me about it," he laughed, and Darry gave her another long look.

"Let me know when you're done so I can check it," he told her simply, turning and leaving the room, and she huffed out a breath, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," she grumbled, and Soda cocked his head, dropping onto her bed and leaning back against her pillows, wrinkling the comforter and pushing a few out of place. She winced but didn't say anything.

"No one said you did."

She just shrugged. "Darry's mad."

"He is not. He's just tired."

"He doesn't need to check all my homework. I'm not stupid."

"Aw, Pone, he don't think that. He just wants to make sure you're doing good, you know? You're smart enough, you'll get a scholarship with your grades." He grinned, proud, and she ducked her head, trying to hide her smile.

That was the plan. Get a scholarship. Go to college, Get out of Darry's hair. And, now that Bob was dead, away from Tulsa and anyone that might suspect she had anything to do with Bob's death.

Just three years. She could avoid Darry for that long. Right?

The thought made her chest ache again and she looked around for her pen.

She did her level best to stay awake for dinner, bringing Darry her homework after and doing everything she could not to roll her eyes at him when he looked it over. She knew it was right. She always double checked everything before she brought it to him anyway in the vain hope that he might stop asking her to. Just like always, he handed her the paper back with a distracted 'good job,' his attention already straying to the newspaper again.

After her homework was done, Pony grabbed a book and climbed into bed, hoping to get a few chapters read, but the next thing she knew, she was back at the drive-in, laying on the gravel and trying to scramble to her feet before Bob was climbing on top of her, forcing his mouth against hers and calling her a good girl as he reached for her pants, and she wanted to scream but if she screamed her brothers would find out…they'd know that she'd gone off on her own and that she'd…

She'd stabbed him.

She'd killed Bob Sheldon.

And suddenly he was laying beside her in a growing pool of blood and she was waiting for Dally because Dally had come but…but he didn't. She was just sitting there and she knew her brothers would find her there and they'd know and the police would come and…and she could already hear the sirens!

Pony gasped, sitting bolt upright and clutching her blankets as she looked wildly around her room, the sound of a siren fading into the distance. Tears ran down her face and she pressed a hand to her mouth, closing her eyes and curling up on the bed, desperate to stop crying before Darry or Soda heard her. They already thought she was acting weird. Her heart was pounding so loud that she was surprised Soda couldn't hear it from across the hall, and she did her best to breathe slowly, trying to get herself under control. Putting a hand on her chest, she closed her eyes and dropped back onto her pillows, hot tears running down the sides of her face and ears as she tried to keep quiet.

Rolling over, she squinted at her alarm clock that told her it was just past 1 in the morning. She wished she could crawl into bed with Sodapop like she had when they'd been little, but she didn't want to wake him. Because then he'd start asking questions and asking if she was okay and she was afraid that if he did that, she'd spill everything. And she wanted to! Despite Dally's warning and despite the fact that they'd be horrified, she wanted to tell her brothers what had happened. She wanted Soda to hold her and she wanted Darry to promise her that everything would be okay.

But that was impossible.

Instead, Pony climbed out of bed. There was no way she could get back to sleep just yet, so she headed to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water from the sink, downing it in a couple of gulps. She was just about to go sit on the porch when she glanced into the living room and saw Darry asleep in the recliner, a blanket thrown haphazardly over him.

She didn't really think about what she was doing. Her feet just took her to the recliner, and her hand was almost to his shoulder before she stopped herself. She didn't need to be waking him up. Not when he was working two jobs and was probably already irritated with her for something or another. No…she wasn't going to wake her brother because she'd had a nightmare. She wasn't a baby. Instead, she curled up on the sofa, as close to him as she could get. It was cold but she didn't care. Darry might hate her. He might resent her, and he might want to get rid of her. But he'd still protect her. She was as safe with him in the room as she could possibly be. So she closed her eyes and fought the urge to sit on the floor beside the recliner instead.

The couch was close enough.

She woke briefly, although she didn't know how much later or what time it was, to a hand brushing her hair back and something being placed over her. She blinked into the darkness of the room, shivering and huddling under the warm blanket as someone pressed their hand to her forehead. When she squinted up at the person, for a second, her breath caught.

Her dad was there.

"Dad?" she asked, lips trembling as the hope just about killed her. She had to be dreaming! Her dad couldn't be there.

There was a long, stricken silence, and the hand moved to her shoulder.

"It's me, kiddo," Darry murmured, and she closed her eyes, reality crashing over her. Of course it was Darry. Her dad was dead and Darry hated her. She couldn't believe she'd let herself hope otherwise. She wanted to apologize or explain herself, but she was so tired she couldn't begin to figure out how…not for something like that. They didn't talk about their parents. Not ever. Darry was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was gentle. "You okay, Pony?"

"Mhm." She nodded, not opening her eyes again. She was so tired…she just wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe she could dream about her parents, or a time when her family had been whole instead of broken, or literally anything other than Bob Sheldon.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Nightmares?" he asked softly, sounding oddly worried.

"Yeah. Wanted you." She hadn't meant to say that. Hadn't meant to admit that she still needed her big brother, even when he didn't want her. How pathetic was that, she thought sometimes when the thought surfaced, that she was still so desperate for him to love her again?

But Darry didn't seem mad. Instead, he tucked the blanket around her and rested his hand on her hair, and when he spoke, it was like before, back when he liked her. "I'm here, honey. You're alright now. Go back to sleep."

So she did.

When she woke again, she was surprised to find Darry still asleep in the recliner, this time under a different blanket. The one he'd been sleeping with was draped over her now. She could just barely remember him covering her up, but she wondered why he hadn't gone back to bed like he usually did.

She took a shower, hoping that would wake her up, and by the time she was out, Darry had started on breakfast. Neither of them spoke about the night before, or her sleeping on the couch, but he patted her on the back as he handed her a plate of food, and she thought maybe they could get along for a little while.

The school day flew by, and she was glad for once that she didn't have track practice because, despite the extra sleep she'd gotten on the couch, she was still tired. And it wasn't like she could sleep in the same room as Darry every night. So she was just going to have to do what that doctor had said. Keep busy. Tire herself out. Think about literally anything else than Bob and her nightmares all day and hope that she was too tired to dream by the time she went to bed. It had never really worked before, but she didn't know what else to do.

Allen and his buddies were always around, but ever since Steve had chased him off on Monday they'd left her alone. She knew the cops were still looking for who had killed Bob, but so far they didn't really have any leads. No one had questioned her much, and anyone that asked accepted her answer that she'd been with Dally at the concession stand. They were all more interested in gossip about Dally anyway, so she obliged them, telling them stories he'd told her about getting in fights in New York and, when she ran out of those, making some new ones up. And that tended to steer people away from questions about the movies. No one there had been paying much attention to her, anyway. The only people that knew she'd been to the bathrooms on her own were Dally and Johnny.

And, she realized suddenly as she was walking home after school, Cherry and Marcia.

But they hadn't said nothing. Right?

Her mind raced as she made her way home, eyes on the sidewalk rather than her surroundings. What if they'd told Allen that she hadn't been with Dally? Was that why he thought she knew something? What if they told the police? Could she just say they were lying? That they'd misremembered? Or had they forgotten all about her? They'd found out about Bob just a few minutes after her and Dally had come back. Maybe they'd forgotten that she'd gone off on her own…that she'd told Dally she was going to the bathroom, and that she'd acted like a smartass and asked if he wanted to come.

All of that to say, she wasn't paying attention until it was too late, and the car had already stopped beside her. Only this time, the guys inside didn't just yell things at her. This time, Allen Russell, Randy Adderson, and two more of their buddies climbed out of the car. But before they could say a word to her, she was running.

"Hey!" one of them yelled, and she heard pounding footsteps behind her, but she hadn't gotten enough of a head start, and she stumbled, going down hard when Allen tackled her. Her hands and knees scraped the concrete and she yelped, trying to get back to her feet, but he had a hand fisted in her hair. She felt a thrill of triumph when she brought an elbow back and felt something in his face crack, his strangled scream cutting off when she brought it back again with a vicious pleasure.

For just a second, she wished she had a blade. She'd cut his face open if it meant getting him to leave her alone.

"You stupid bitch!" he snarled, and she almost managed to get to her feet again, but there were four of them and only one of her, and almost instantly they had her flat on her back.

Pony had never been jumped before. Sure, she knew that plenty of other guys around the neighborhood got jumped, and she knew about rumbles and the mischief that Dallas got up to. And she'd seen Johnny after those socs had gotten to him. She knew that neither of her brothers had ever lost a fight…but the girls were almost always left out of it, and that went double for little sisters. But now Allen was on top of her just like Bob had been. He brought a fist back when she lifted her head to try again to get up, glaring down at her like he hated her, and she screamed when it made contact with her eye, hurting more than she'd thought a punch to the face would…not that she'd ever been punched in the face. No one had ever dared. But she saw stars, vision lighting up with little dots that exploded right in front of her eyes, and she wasn't sure if it was because he'd hit her or because he'd slammed her head into the concrete in the process.

What if she ended up like Johnny? What if they beat her half to death and left her here?

She screamed then, as loud as she could, and they all flinched.

"C'mon man…" Randy, who was holding one of her arms, muttered. "I thought we were just going to scare her!"

"This bitch knows something about Bob and she's going to fucking tell us!" Allen snapped, still glaring. "You hear me! You're going to tell us. Now! Or I'll break that pretty little face of yours!"

"Seriously, man…" Randy started, looking worried, but Allen wasn't listening.

"Now. Who was it? Was it Winston?"

"Help!" She screamed so loud her throat hurt, but that was the least of her problems. "Please! Someone help!"

"You've got to shut her up!" the other guy, one of the ones whose name she didn't know, hissed.

Heart racing, she screamed again, twisting and swinging wildly at Allen who was still on top of her, biting down hard when he went to put his hand over her mouth and not letting go until he hit her again, this time in the side of the head, hard enough to make her see stars. She wasn't sure if the blood in her mouth was because she'd bitten her tongue or because she'd broken his skin with her teeth, but she hoped it was the latter.

"Little bitch!" he snarled at her, and she spit blood right in his face, trying again twist her hips and get out from under him

She didn't even have a blade this time.

"Soda! Darry!" she screamed, her throat aching as she forced the words out. "Help! Steve! Keith! Help!"

"Shut her up!" the guy hissed again, looking around nervously.

"Shut up! You'd better fucking tell me…"

"Help! Soda!" Soda would come. Of course Soda would come! Or…or Johnny! Or Dally! Someone would help her!

"Here, put this…" A rag pressed against her face and she jerked her head to the side, just managing to close her mouth before they could stuff it inside, but before he could even finish that sentence, Randy's eyes widened and he let go of her arm, jumping up and taking off.

"Oh shit!" the other one cried, and he managed to jump to his feet too, and the fourth guy scrambled back, just managing to get to his feet in time, but Allen barely had time to look up before he was tackled, a familiar form registering before she realized it was Soda, still wearing his DX shirt. The two went down hard a few feet away from her, Allen's eyes wide as he tried to bring his hands up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sodapop shouted, looking angrier than she'd ever seen him. He looked mean, like a hood. Like Dallas Winston. And she realized with a jolt that this must be how strangers and socs saw her favorite big brother. He brought back a fist and got the soc right in the mouth, then the eye just as Steve came around the corner, skidding to a stop as he took in Pony still crumpled and bleeding on the ground, and his buddy who seemed hell bent on killing Allen.

"Jesus kid," he muttered, and she brought hand up, tenderly touching her eye and realizing for the first time that she was crying. She started to sit up and he held out a hand that she took, pulling her upright. To her surprise, he didn't go after the other three. Instead, he knelt down beside her, looking her over and wincing. But before he could say anything more, Soda punched the soc again, making them both look up.

"I said, what the hell is wrong with you? What do you think you're doing, going after my sister? Huh?"

Allen didn't get a chance to answer because Soda slammed him against the ground, his head bouncing a little against the concrete like Pony's had, and her heart stuttered in her chest.

"Soda…don't kill him!" she cried, and although her words didn't seem to reach him, they apparently snapped Steve out of his stupor. He raced over to her brother, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him back before he could land another blow.

"Alright…okay man…that's enough. He's done."

Soda panted like he'd just run a race, then dropped the soc's shirt with disgust. "It ain't enough," he snapped, and Steve squeezed his shoulder.

"It is if you don't want to go down for murder." He grabbed Soda's arm and pulled him to his feet, but Soda didn't waste any before time hurrying over to her side, leaving Steve standing over the barely conscious asshole. Allen started to sit up, his eyes dull and unfocused, but Steve planted a foot on his chest, face going hard.

"Stay down, pal."

"Pony? Hey…honey, you okay?" he asked, dropping to his knees beside her and bringing a careful hand to her cheek, and just like that, he was Soda again. She nodded, trying to tell him she was fine…trying to be tough instead of acting like a baby, but a sob escaped despite herself, and Soda wrapped his arms around her, holding her tighter when she clutched the back of his dirty DX shirt.

"What the hell happened?" Steve asked, sounding more bewildered than put out with her, which would have been a nice change if she hadn't been so scared she was shaking.

Soda just shook his head, rocking her a little on the sidewalk. "You're okay. They ain't gonna hurt you no more. You're alright," he murmured, rubbing her back, and she wondered if was trying to reassure her or himself. He pulled back a little, his hand cupping her cheek as his eyes flew over her face, then the rest of her, obviously checking for injuries. She was pretty sure she was going to have a black eye, and her head was killing her, but at least she didn't think she was bleeding. "What the hell is his problem?"

"He…he said I knew who killed Bob Sheldon," she whispered, trying not to look guilty.

"Why does he think you know something about that? You were with Dally, right?"

She just shrugged, wiping her eyes when she couldn't stop crying. "I don't know," she sobbed, desperate to sell it. It wasn't hard since she couldn't stop crying. "They…they knew I was there….but I don't…I don't know…"

Soda shook his head, squeezing her shoulders and giving up on that line of questioning immediately.

"Okay….it's okay, honey. Don't worry about it right now. Let's get you home, huh?"

To her surprise, Steve hovered over them as Soda pulled her to her feet, looking more concerned than she'd ever seen him..

"Hey, I'm gonna run back to the DX. I'll clock you out later. Get her home."

She didn't have time to be surprised at Steve's concern because Soda was already leading her home, arm tight around her shoulders. "You sure you're okay?" He tried to smile. "You're gonna have a tuff bruise, you know? He got you good, kiddo." Soda was doing his best to keep his tone light, but she could see how mad he still was. How scared. She thought he might want to go back and hit Allen a few more times for good measure.

And if he wouldn't get in big trouble, she might just want him to do it.

"How'd you know where I was?"

"We heard you from the DX. Well, Steve did. He came to the back and got me." He squeezed her closer. "How come you were walking on your own, kiddo?"

She shrugged. "Johnny wasn't around. Keith was probably taking Susie home, and Steve left early, I think."

"Why didn't you get a ride with Two-Bit and Susie?"

Pony shrugged again, uncomfortable. She really didn't want to have to explain her fight with Susie right now. Or ever. Or admit to walking on her own any time she thought she could get away with it.

She was saved from answering when they turned a corner and just about ran into Dally and Johnny. They both started to grin and say hi, then stopped short when they saw her, their jaws literally dropping. It would have been funny if her face hadn't been throbbing, her head pounding in time with her pulse. Soda kept his arm around her, his other hand shoved in his pocket, and she was glad for the support since the world was spinning…or maybe it was her head.

"What the hell?" Dally demanded, glaring at her like it was her fault, and Soda bristled.

"Allen Russell. A buddy of Sheldon's. He jumped her," her brother bit out.

"What?" Dallas snapped like he'd heard wrong.

"Pony? You okay?" Johnny asked softly, stepping a little closer and ducking his head to try and meet her eyes.

She nodded, trying to keep herself from bawling again. "I'm fine," she told him, her voice smaller than she would have liked.

"The hell you are," Dallas snapped, looking her up and down. "He jumped her? Jesus Christ. Were you walking alone?"

"Back off, Dal," Soda snapped, a warning clear in his voice as he pulled Pony closer to his side, and Dally hesitated for a second, then softened a little.

"What's going on, kid?"

"He thinks she knows something about Bob."

Dally went real quiet then, and when she looked up at him, she knew he could see how scared she was. He pressed his lips together, shaking his head and turning to Soda. "She don't know nothing. She was with me the whole time."

Johnny met her eyes, his own full of questions, but once more he was quiet, and she was grateful.

"I know," Soda told him with a sigh. "I'm gonna get her home. I'll call you later, Dally."

Dal nodded, and the two of them headed home. Pony was pretty sure he wasn't done with Allen Russell, but she didn't want to know about it if there was going to be a rumble or something. So she just followed him into the house, washing her face in the sink. She wasn't bleeding anymore but her face felt swollen and tight, so she figured she was going to have a black eye. He cleaned her hands where she'd once more scraped them on the concrete and wrapped them up, but there was nothing he could do for the bruises blooming on her face.

"We're gonna take care of him, honey. Don't worry."

"Don't get in trouble, Soda. Not over me."

"Don't you go telling me what to do, you hear?" he scolded with a grin, punching her gently in the shoulder.

"Darry's gonna be mad."

"He ain't…"

"Yeah he is. He's always mad at me."

Soda sighed, shaking his head. "He's just gonna be worried, honey. And sure, he'll be mad, but not at you. Some asshole jumped his baby sister. He ain't gonna be happy about that."

She just shrugged, sure that the brief ceasefire between her and Darry was about to be over.

Unfortunately, she was right.

Darry got home around 5:30, walking through the door looking ready to drop. He was halfway through hanging up his tool belt before he saw her sitting on the couch, a bag of frozen peas pressed to her face that Soda had given her. They were pretty much thawed by then but they still felt good on her aching face. She wasn't sure how exactly this was her fault, but one look at Darry and she was sure it was about to be.

He dropped the tool belt by the door, not even taking off his shoes as he hurried over, tracking mud on the carpet. He crouched in front of her, one hand hovering over his face where she guessed the bruises had formed. "What happened to you?" he demanded, voice soft and, of course, angry.

"Got jumped," she muttered, and he shook his head, incredulous, like he must have misheard her.

"You what?"

"I got jumped."

"You got jumped?" he repeated, repeating every word like it was a sentence, voice cold and clipped. "By who?" He obviously couldn't believe anyone would dare, and she had to agree. Usually, no one around town would.

"Allen Russel," Soda put in, coming in and dropping onto the sofa beside her.

"Why?" he demanded, still staring at Pony.

"Because he's an asshole?" she grumbled, pulling away.

His eyes narrowed just as Soda leaned in, taking up his usual role as middleman. "He thinks she knows who killed Bob."

"Why would you know that?"

Pony felt her stomach drop.

Why would she know that? Because it had been her! Because she'd done something stupid and he'd attacked her and then…then she'd killed him. And Allen suspected that she knew something and what if he told people and what if he talked to Cherry and what if the police found out?

Pony jumped to her feet, jerking away from both of them, hands shaking as she tried her best not to start crying again. She didn't want to go to jail…didn't want to get sent away. Even if that's what Darry wanted.

Darry wanted to get rid of her.

She'd killed Bob Sheldon.

Someone was going to find out sooner or later.

Her heart pounded too hard in her chest and the walls felt like they were closing in around her. She backed away, shaking her head and ignoring how worried Soda looked.

"I don't know, Darry!" she half shouted, then spun on her heels, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

She dropped onto the bed, a hand over her mouth to try and muffle her too-loud breathing. She didn't know how she was going to keep doing this, especially if Allen wouldn't leave her alone. Why did he think she knew something? Had Cherry and Marcia told him that she might know who killed Bob?

Pony was crying when Soda knocked on her door. She felt like she was always crying, or on the verge of crying, ever since what had happened with Bob on Saturday. Like she just wanted to scream and cry and throw things until she stopped feeling his hands on her, or the knife going into his back. But she couldn't do that. She couldn't even talk to Sodapop. Before, he'd always been the one that got her better than anyone. And when she was upset, he was always the one she wanted to talk to. But not now. Now she just wanted him to go away. Because if he started asking her questions, she was afraid she might just answer them. So she ignored his knocking, and his soft pleas for her to open the door. She couldn't do it…couldn't get out of bed and make herself face him.

He gave up after a few minutes, and she heard him sigh from her spot on the bed. "Alright, honey. Come find me if you want to talk, okay?"

She didn't answer. But when he was gone, she got up, then moved over to her locked bedroom door, holding her breath to try and stop her breath hitching as she pressed her ear against the wood.

"You need to ease up." Soda's voice was harder than usual, low and urgent, but she could still hear him just fine. "You're too hard on her Darry."

"How the hell was I being hard on her? I just want to know what happened!"

"You acted like you're mad at her!" Soda hissed.

"She was walking on her own, wasn't she?"

"That ain't the point!"

"Look, when I want my kid brother to tell me how to deal with my kid sister, I'll come right to you, kid brother," Darry told him dryly, and she heard him grabbing a pan from the cabinet.

"Something's wrong with her, Darry."

"Yeah, she won't quit walking alone," he muttered. "A kid got murdered less than a week ago, and she won't ask somebody to walk with her."

"Darry!"

"What? She won't pay attention, she's always got her head in the clouds…it's like she never thinks…"

"He had her on the ground, Darry," Soda hissed, and their brother went quiet. "This wasn't messing around. They jumped her. She's got a knot on the back of her head where he must have slammed her against the concrete. He was sitting on top of her and punching her in the face. I don't give a shit if she was walking home alone. What the hell is going on? Why are socs coming to this side of town and attacking our sister?"

"I don't know," Darry told him after a moment, and he didn't sound irritated anymore. Now he was quiet and cold and that meant he was madder than before. "But it ends. Right now. I'm going to find that Russell kid and take care of this. Tell the guys. She ain't going anywhere alone. I'll drive her to school next week…or we can ask Steve to. Why ain't she walking with Susie, or getting rides with her and Two-Bit?"

She could just picture Soda shrugging. "I asked her. She didn't say anything."

"They fighting?"

"Two-Bit ain't said nothing if they are." Soda sighed. "There's something going on we don't know about. And why does that soc think she knows something about Bob Sheldon?"

"I don't know, little buddy."

She heard him sigh, then heard one of their kitchen chairs slide on the linoleum. "We need to talk to Dally. Maybe she's covering for him? What if he did something…got her caught up in it?"

"If he did, I'm gonna skin him…" Darry sounded mad enough to do it too, and she wanted to go out there…to tell them the truth, if only to keep them from getting mad at Dally. She didn't even like Dallas Winston much, but he'd saved her. He'd gotten her out of there…had given her a cover story. She needed to talk to him. Alone. She had to warn him that her brothers knew he was involved somehow. But as far as she knew, he was staying at Buck Merril's place and she wasn't allowed within a square mile of it. And it wasn't just Darry who'd told her that. Soda too. Hell, even Keith had warned her away from that place, although he'd been nicer than Darry about it.

"It's not a place for little sisters, Pony."

That didn't matter now, though. What mattered was figuring out what the hell she was going to do. And to do that, she'd need to talk to Dally.

Thanks for reading!