AN: Hey, guys, I read your reviews and I tried to clean up a bit about the lawyer. You guys were right, it wasn't that realistic. Does this detail help? Anyway, sorry for getting this up so late. It's Easter, after all. Plus, I had to work. Busy, busy busy...

PS: Special thanks to Laughing for first constructive criticism.

Chapter 12

Within the next few days, nothing much changed. I stayed at the hospital and the gang came and went. The only interesting thing is that we found out something about Mr. Lilc's attorney. Turns out he's the guy's brother or something. Isn't that nice. I realized that in this case maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the psychotic tree and their whole family is a bunch of whackos. It's a theory, anyway. The gang tried to tell somebody what was said, but we had no proof and of course the law was going to side with the upstanding citizen lawyer over some stupid greaser JDs. That's just how the hand is laid. I'm waiting for Darry to come in and get me. He managed to talk the state into extending the trial date, giving us one month before the trial, which will be completely monitored by an official and a suggestion will be made as to whether or not Soda and I can stay with Darry. The door opens and the gang comes in, all of them. I grab my crutches easily and hop up without thought, I've already done the broken leg thing.

"Let's blow this place." I mutter. They roll their eyes and laugh. There's a man standing at the truck. Darry greets him with a firm handshake,

"Hello, I'm Darrel Curtis, you can call me Darry." He looks the man in the eye, a show of equality. I couldn't do that if I tried. Darry motions to Soda and introduces Soda. When he motions to me I lower my gaze instinctively. Various scenes of another hand motioning at me saying "this is the boy" flash in my head. I shake Soda off as he tries to help me into the cab of the truck. I can do it myself. I scoot as far over as possible and we pile in as many as possible. Dally and Two-Bit end up riding in the back of the pickup (that was still legal in the 60s, I think). We ride home and the official, who has yet to tell us his name, looks around the neighborhood with vague distaste. We drop off the members of the gang at their particular houses before driving up to our old house.

"I thought you sold it." Soda says in a low voice. Darry answers,

"I was going to, but I couldn't. There're too many memories here." So he does care. I allow Soda to help me out and Darry leads us into the house. He looks at me and demands, "Ponyboy, go lay down, I've already set your room up. You aren't supposed to move around too much." I nod silently and limp into my old room, taking in the sight of familiarity. Everything is just how it was before I moved, if I had ever bothered to clean up my room. I hear Darry ask Soda,

"Hey, Soda, would you mind bunking with Pony? Mr.…"

"Harrison" the male official supplies.

"Mr. Harrison needs someplace to sleep." Nobody's going to use our parents' bedroom, it would be too painful. I haven't actually thought about our parents in a while. I think this as I lay down and feel guilty immediately. Even if I was a bit distracted, to forget about them almost completely seems so wrong. I curl up in bed near the wall. This is my habitual sleeping stance. I stay as small as possible and as far away from any intruders as possible. I guess old habits die hard.

"Sure, Darry. I wanted to stay with him for a bit anyway. I don't…I don't wanna leave him alone…" Soda trails off and I hear Darry respond in a low voice,

"I know, Pepsi-Cola, I know." Soda comes into the room and sits on the edge of the bed, moving wisps of hair out of my eyes.

"Darry's gonna get you enrolled in school this week." My stomach sinks. I curl into a tighter ball.

"Soda, if I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad?" Soda's arm tenses on my head,

"Should Darry know whatever this is too?" I nod tightly, willing myself not to stutter as Darry and the official walk in to answer Soda's beckoning.

"What's wrong?" Darry asks in concern.

"Pony has something to tell us." Soda replies, his voice palpably controlled. Darry looks at me imploringly.

"Promise you won't get mad?" I ask once again.

"We promise honey." Darry whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Soda.

"I…I'm failing…I'm failing everything…" Soda's face drops in shock and an angry vein throbs in Darry's forehead. I feel tears start to fall from my face. "You're mad at me…I knew you would be. I'm sorry…I didn't want to…but he was so mad at me, 'cause the school was bugging him to move me up a grade. I…I thought that if I didn't do so well, he'd stop being so mad. I just…the stupid grades weren't worth the pain they caused…" I'm sobbing by this point trying to explain myself. Soda's arms find their way around me first and he hugs me comfortingly.

"Hush, Pony-baby, it's ok. We're not mad at you. You'll do better, right? Now that nobody's going to hurt you?" I nod,

"I promise…" Darry looks at me and I am surprised to see a measure of pride in them as he asks with a smile on his face,

"They wanted to move you up a grade?" I nod and his smile widens. His hand ruffles my hair and he says, "You brainy son of a gun." I smirk in joy. Mr. Harrison is writing on his pad. Let him write, there's nothing bad he can say about this. "I'll see if they'll let you take some kind of test." Darry informs me,

"But right now I can see you're tired, young man. You should be resting." My brothers turn to leave until I ask quietly, embarrassed even as I say it,

"Could…could you stay with me…just until I fall asleep?" Both of their eyes soften in compassion. I lay in between the two of them, they both hold me and wait for me to fall asleep. Truthfully, the pain medication they give me makes me real tired.

"Darry?"
"Yeah, honey?"

"Do I have to take the pain killers? They make me so tired…"

"It'll hurt you to be without them." He warns protectively. I smirk a bit at the irony.

"I'm alright with that."

"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, they make me feel funny…"

"Alright, baby, I won't make you take them if you don't want to. But if I think you're hurting too much, you go right back on them, understand?"
"Yeah" I answer, drifting slowly into sleep.

"Good night, Pony." I fall blissful sleep, finally losing the battle as the dark tiredness consumes me.