Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS! A/N: I don't know the name of Two Bit's little sister =\ so yeah.
I woke up with a pounding headache. I guess I had had too much to drink from yesterday and last night. A groan escaped my lips and I looked around my so called "room". I was in my house and I heard rustling in the kitchen. It was probably Ma, and my little sister Kate out in the kitchen making breakfast. I sat up carefully feeling my head pound like crazy.
Footsteps caught my attention, though.
"Keith! Keith!" it was my lil' sister, Kate. She pranced into my room and jumped onto my bed, making me laugh a bit. I could smile and laugh at anything my sister did. She was only ten years old.
"Get up breakfast is being made!" she said with a grin that she must've got from mom and me. Her eyes came from dad and her hair from mom. I know ma used to have a grin like mine but she doesn't have much of a grin anymore; Just a sweet, warm smile. Even Ponyboy says so.
I smiled and nodded. "Okay let's go." I said getting up easily and to the kitchen. It was still early only 8:30 in the morning. "Oh Kate you got me up this early?" I whined and Kate laughed.
"Quit whining Keith and enjoy some pancakes." Ma said with a warm smile. I chuckled and took the plate from her and sat down, hoping to get rid of this hangover soon. Kate took a seat next to me and chatted up a conversation. I only nodded and 'mhmed' every once in a while. I wasn't really in the mood to talk. I yawned as I ate my delicious and warm, good pancakes that I covered in thick syrup.
"Okay Ma, I'm headed out. " I said kissing her cheek and hugging Kate before walking out the door. We lived near the park so I wasn't so far away from Darry's house. I zipped up my jacket a bit. It was chilly. I glanced around as I walked down the sidewalk and looked at the park. But as I looked at the playground, the fountain and at the many dozens of trees that covered it, something caught my eye.
A body.
A body was swaying gently from a tree, hanging from a rope.
My body froze and a hard knot formed in my throat. I had never seen a dead body before. My feet slowly made me walk over to the corpse and as I got closer the sunlight was in my eyes so I couldn't see. But getting closer and closer the sun moved making me see who it was.
I gasped and nearly let out a scream and cry.
It was my buddy and Sodapop's best friend, Steve Randle.
It has been a week since Steve's death. Sodapop was devastated that he lost his best friend since grade school. He was literally in shock when he found out.
We had been lounging around miserably when Sodapop came home late that night.
"Soda where have you been?" Darry demanded like usual. Always being concerned for Ponyboy and Sodapop whenever they were doing something and going past curfew and what not. But that's Darry being Darry.
Soda sniffled and Darry softened. He could tell that Soda had been crying.
"S-Steve's dead." He said and collapsed down on the couch next to Ponyboy, curling up into a ball. "T-The police came to the D-DX today and told me." He cried quietly and hid his face. Darry frowned and sat down back in his chair. I sighed miserably and looked around at the gang. Ponyboy was comforting Soda who was choking on small sobs and sniffles. Dallas had a look in his eyes that showed he wanted to kill whoever did this to our friend, Johnny sat there in silence but I knew he was grieving for the love of our friend. Darry was trying to tough it out but when he found out he was shaking a bit. I was silent for the rest of the day. Ever since Steve's death the gang seemed to be traumatized by it and I couldn't blame them.
We had all gone to his funeral, shed lots of tears and sad and fun memories and gone home. His death was even on the news and we couldn't even stand to watch it, especially me, when I was the one who had found him in the first place. I was sitting around with the gang but something was looming in the atmosphere…something strange.
"Do you guys feel that?" I asked out of nowhere. Johnny looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and Ponyboy looked at me like I was crazy.
"Feel…what?" he asked still looking at me strangely, along with Johnny. I sighed and looked around the neighborhood.
"Feel something strange." I said.
"Okay Two Bit, I think you are losing it. How much did you drink today?" Pony asked with a serious, half joking look on his face. Though, I wouldn't see the need to joke around. I glared at him.
"I'm not kidding, Pone." I said and stood up before walking away and back home. It was getting late and I figured, might as well go home.
I had walked home and checked the mailbox. A letter sat in the metal, rusting container. Ma must've forgot to get the mail today. I pulled out the small envelope carefully and written on it in scrawled, child like letters were the words:
Two Bit Matthews
I looked around then back at the envelope. I had a bad feeling but slit open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper and read the letter.
Be Careful
Oh please it's probably just some joke from the guys. I thought with a smirk. But then a new thought came upon me. What if someone was really trying to warn me? I shivered a bit and stuffed the note in my leather jacket pocket.
I need a drink.
Buck's Place
Having a fourth beer I was close to getting drunk, on the verge. I needed to get my mind off of that letter. I sighed and gulped down the last of my drink when Buck came over.
"Two Bit that's your fourth one." He said eying me warily. I smirked.
"Yeah I know, but I aint drunk yet." I said and laughed. Buck rolled his eyes and I smirked in triumph, winning into staying at the place. I had seen Dally somewhere with Sodapop trying to cheer him up by taking him out. I sighed a bit and ordered up another one when the sound of a shot gun made my head jerk up.
"Two Bit Matthews?" a voice questioned over the quietness of the crowd. I gulped and tried to slip away, but the voice pointed out.
"YOU!" BANG!
The gun was really close to hitting me! I turned and saw a hooded cloak figure, whom gave me shivers.
"I'd run now Mr. Matthews." He said and laughed, making me stumble and run out of Buck's place. I started to run down the gravel pathway and down the street, having my way only lit up by the street lights. I had to get to my house quickly. I looked around for any sign of my neighborhood and wasn't any where close near it.
Shit.
Bang!
I screamed but clamped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from being revealed. I was soon home and running in the direction of my house.
"Don't bother going home Two Bit! Your family wont be there to save you!" his laugh cackled on and I felt tears in the corner of my eyes. Tears? I hadn't cried in ages. I bursted through the door of my house.
"Ma? Kate?" I looked around frantically and in every room. I pushed the door open to Kate's room and shuttered at the site. A bullet wound was in her forehead and she was bleeding from her stomach.
"K-Kate." I said shuddering and heading to Ma's room. There she was on her bed lifeless. Three bullet wounds were impacted in her body; one in her forehead, her stomach and her chest.
"Why are you doing this to me!" I shouted with fury, my cheeks heating up with anger. My body was trembling with fear and sweat. I ran to the front door but it shut when I was five feet away.
"What the hell?" I said surprised and a new emotion to me: scared. The hooded cloak figure stepped out and I could see his grin appearing through the darkness.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way Two Bit. I'm sure your friends will miss your wise cracking and great sense of humor." I heard him de-activate the safety of the gun he had and he was going to shoot me. My life ended here, with my family and I couldn't say good bye to my friends.
"Say good bye, Two Bit!" he said before pulling the trigger making a loud bang go off and a searing pain rush through my chest. I was gasping as I fell to the floor, blood spitting and draining from my chest.
I watched and heard the cloak headed figure leave and lay on the floor in pain, in my own pool of blood. And slowly but surely felt my soul leave my body forever.