Here you all are! Enjoy and please leave reviews…the last ones were so great! I will hopefully be updating again tonight if time allows. So keep reading…a few more chapters and this will be at an end!
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You know what to say, you know what I said
You know what I dream sleeping in my bed
You hold all the keys, you know all the roads
Why don't you guide me in, if I'm such a lost soul?
I'm spinnin' 'round, I will make you ill
Since I'm so broken down, why don't you fix me?
Such a shame that I wouldn't know by now
Your revelations
Cut me in, I don't wanna live without
Your revelations
I am haunted when I am sleeping
Try to give without receiving
It's in the apple bite
It's in the days and nights
In the afterlife we'll reap
-Audioslave
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Ponyboy's POV
Hearing a loud crash from the back of the house I smiled to myself and glanced up from my book just in time to see Darry freeze in the kitchen; coffee pot suspended in mid-air as he filled his mug to the brim.
"Everything ok back there?" he called out loudly. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, knowing Darry was trying his hardest thinking about what in the world my brother and Steve were doing back there and trying his damnest not to yell at them.
I set my book aside and patiently waited.
One…two…three…And then BAM! Another huge crash and silence.
Darry muttered to himself and took a long sip of coffee. The doorbell rang and I slumped in my seat, remembering my last visitor. Mrs. Nichols.
Darry stared at me impatiently, unfamiliar with my current memory. "You gonna get that?"
"Might as well," I sighed. "Who knows, maybe it's the state." I said this more to myself than to my brother but his sharp ears picked it up.
"Hey," he said with a prickly edge to his voice. "Something you want to tell me?"
I turned to look at him before opening the door. "No." I swung the front door open and instantly stood up taller. "Hey Sarge," I greeted Caplan.
He shot me a brisk grin. "Curtis. How're you holding up?"
I brightened up a little; I could tell Caplan. Lowering my voice I began, "Sarge, something bad happened. Somebody knows about-"
And then Darry was there and I snapped my mouth shut. "What're you doing here?" he grumbled.
"Darry," I warned, elbowing him in the ribs. He shot me an amused look, as if my measly elbow could do him any damage and then targeted his hard stare on Caplan again.
Caplan held up textbook and ran one of his hands down his grizzly beard. "Came to give him this."
Taking a quick look at the book in his hand I saw it was entitled World History: War, Then and Now. I wanted to groan, wondering what on earth Caplan was thinking coming around here with that.
And then seeing the small smile on Caplan's face I understood. He was making Darry think, making him acknowledge what I had done and how Caplan fit into the picture.
Darry, between clenched teeth, said, "You shouldn't have done that."
"Nothing to it," Caplan responded easily.
"Pone, get my wallet." Darry fixed his eyes on me.
Caplan frowned, not liking my brother's new tactic. "Darrel, that's not necessary-"
Darry stuck his hands in his pocket. "Sure it is." His voice was heavy. "We'll reimburse you. Ponyboy." Darry nudged me.
I turned my face up to the ceiling, ready to spit nails. Glory. I knew Darry had his pride, but this was something else. He just plain didn't like Caplan.
And then I figured out how to get his plan to backfire on him.
"It's ok Darry. I'll pay for it. After all it's my book." I shot him an innocent look and crossed the room to the couch where my wallet lay.
Darry's shoulders tensed; if you would have blinked you'd have missed it, but I knew my brother. "Ponyboy…really-"
A blur of colors took me down as Soda and Steve flew into the room. Steve dived for my legs and I went down with an Oomph. Soda pointed at us, cackling with laughter. "That's not the football, Stevie!"
I scowled at both of them and rubbed my head. The football lay in a corner of the room, my legs still pinned under Steve.
"Steve," Darry snapped, suddenly embarrassed by us, despite the fact that the person at our front door was Caplan, "let him up. Ponyboy's…" the words stung his tongue, but it was either that or Sergeant "…professor is here."
I jumped up but Steve, with a smug smirk on his face, still had a hold of my shoe. I leaned backwards, trying to pull myself away from him. "Steve, leggo."
Steve grinned maliciously and shrugged. "If you say so, kid."
Darry seeing what was about to happen opened his mouth but before he could say anything Steve released me just as I gave my leg a violent tug and I toppled over our coffee table.
I pulled myself back up as Soda shot me an apologetic smile. "Right here, Steve," I said, holding up my middle finger.
"Ponyboy!" Darry was rubbing his head, his face stony.
"Keep him on his toes, boys." Caplan nodded at Steve and Soda.
Steve beamed proudly. "You better believe it."
Getting my bearings, I finally found my wallet and pulled out some cash. Darry shifted uncomfortably as Soda watched us.
"Here you go, Sarge."
Caplan took my money, but this time he accepted it without comment. His hands transferred the textbook into my own.
"So, does this mean I have homework?"
"Do you think you need it?" He tilted his head at the book.
I laughed at him. "I hope not." The textbook was heavy and I bounced the weight in my palms, in disbelief that soon I would actually be taking a college course.
Who would have thought?
Darry chose to butt in. "Pone go check on breakfast."
You weren't making breakfast, I wanted to snap back but I didn't.
"Bye Sarge," I said. As I brushed past Darry I muttered, "Way to be subtle, Dar."
"See you in a few weeks, Curtis. Don't let things get to you too much." Caplan called out gruffly as Darry exiled me to the kitchen. "They'll fix themselves."
"Heads up!" Steve shouted, snapping the football down the hall as he and Soda darted after it.
Darry moved to follow me, but before he could I heard Caplan say to my brother in a low tone: "You don't like me and I understand that. I even admire that; I'm not sure I'd act differently in your situation. But for his sake, suck it up son. Give the kid – not me – a break. He needs the both of us."
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"Darry? Soda?" I called out to the empty house. And it wasn't just empty it was deserted. No one in sight. Panic brewing in my stomach I ran for the front door, my clammy hand whipping it open.
On the other side of the door I met a purple sky. Dark purple, clouds swirling, the air silent and heavy. My street was deserted as well. No cars, no wind, no…noise.
I ran into the vacant street. "Hello?" Where in the hell was everyone?
"Over here, Ponyboy," Johnny said as he quietly strode up to me, Dallas following him.
I pointed at the sky. "Something's not right."
"You mean besides the fact that you're talking to us?" Dallas raised an amused eyebrow. "We're dead you know."
"No shit, Sherlock," I snapped, not in the mood for his sarcasm.
"I take it you want to wake up then?" Dallas growled.
I nodded and bit my lip. Everything felt wrong.
Johnny suddenly had an apple in his hands. It was shiny and golden, round as a baseball. He juggled it, watching me with dark eyes. "Ponyboy, things change. We won't always be here."
"You haven't been here for a while," I muttered forlornly. I met his eyes and sighed. "I know. I need to get over it. Let go."
Dallas's mouth twisted into a wry smile. He held his hand out and snapped. "Johnnycake."
Johnny tossed Dallas the apple, it smacking into Dally's palm. Dally turned his eyes toward me. "Give me your knife."
"Dal, you know I don't carry a knife."
"Check your pockets."
I did and found Jimmy Logan's switchblade there. "Figures." I laughed and flicked the blade open, the metal glinting in the dusky light.
Very carefully, Dallas approached me and took the blade. He began peeling the apple in long, slow cuts, the golden skin coiling down. "Get used to it Pony. You'll be seeing a lot more of us before you see a lot less."
"Do I need to pencil a time in on my calendar?" I quipped.
Dally's eyes glittered as he raised the knife and abruptly stabbed the apple which emitted a smoosh sound.
A moment passed; I watched my friends with confusion.
And then it happened, a piercing pain shattering the left side of my stomach. My eyes widened and my legs crumpled, causing me to fall to my knees in the middle of our street.
"Oh!" was all I could say.
Standing over me, his dark shadow enveloping me, Dallas twisted the knife.
The pain came again. "Stop Dal," I said with a dry mouth.
He twisted it again. I flinched.
And again.
"Dal! Stop!" I screamed as unbearable stabbing tore through me and the apple began to bleed.
Red droplets spattering the asphalt.
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"Dallas! No!" I screamed again, kicking off my covers. "No, no, no," I mumbled incoherently as I felt sturdy hands encircle my shoulders.
"Ponyboy, it's alright. Relax. Shhh." The hands smoothed my hair back, touched my sweaty face.
I forced my eyes open. Soda was crouched over me, still wearing his DX clothes, his hands smeared with mechanic grease.
"Hey," Soda shook me gently, his fingers digging into my shoulders. His grayish-green face made me blink. He almost looked sick.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, unclear as to what time it was.
"I just got home from work. I heard you screaming when I was on the porch." Soda breathed heavily. "God, I didn't know what was happening in here. Scared me shitless."
Flustered, my hands clutched my stomach, reassuring myself that it was still in one piece. "My dream…" I began distantly, "Dallas…"
Soda sat up straighter and frowned at my words.
"Dallas…" I continued, a frown spreading across my own face, "…he was…killing me."
I stared at my stomach.
Soda softly pried my hands away and held them firmly between his own. My brother looked unsure of what to say.
A knock at the door made us both turn. Darry and Dana stood in the doorway watching us. Darry stared at Soda his eyes asking: Another nightmare?
Soda nodded. "Yeah, Dar."
Dana peered at me. "Are you alright, sweetie?"
"What time is it Darry?" I asked my brother randomly, tuning Dana out.
Caught off guard, Darry stuttered, "Oh um, four." He coughed and stared at me as if I had just asked the oddest question in the history of questions.
Through my window I could see that the sky was so dark it almost seemed as if it were midnight. Darry followed my gaze. "It's storming outside," he told me.
I rubbed my mesy hair. "I must've dozed off," I mumbled. And then, as my eyes caught the edge of a book, I remembered that I had been reading Caplan's textbook before my afternoon nap. Quickly, I tugged the sheets over the book before either of my brothers could spy it.
Dana tugged at his arm and brushed her black hair out of her eyes. "C'mon Darrel. We're going to miss the movie."
I smiled and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. "Really? Darry you're going to a movie?"
"Are pigs actually flying?" Soda asked me, pretending to check the skies.
Darry rolled his eyes at us. "Ha ha." He shot me a forced smile and stuck his fists in his pockets. "Well we were…but I think I'll stay home for the evening."
Sodapop was up and off the bed faster than you could count. "Stay here," he told me and then said to Darry. "Can I talk to you?"
It was amusing to see Sodapop order Darry around. As they stepped into the hall I heard Soda say angrily, "Darry for god's sake go out. Ponyboy had a nightmare but he's fine. I'll stay with him tonight."
Darry tried to protest, "But if he has another one I should be here."
"I'll be here."
I had a funny feeling in my stomach as I realized I was being argued over by my brothers. Clearly Darry didn't want to let go and Sodapop knew it. As I got older, I had thought that it would be Sodapop who would have had issues with my growing up…but in the end, it was Darry.
Surprise, surprise.
I groaned, wanting to tell Darry and Soda that I didn't need either of them to stay with me but I didn't have the energy to interject myself into their disagreement.
They were speaking lowly but not lowly enough because Dana and I could both hear them. "Soda," Darry said sternly, "It's not a big deal. I can cancel."
Soda was silent and then chuckled. "Damn. And I thought I had issues with women."
My eyes widened and I snuck a glance at Dana. As soon as I saw her face I felt bad for her. She looked sad but also angry. Whether it was with me for always causing trouble or with Darry for being callous I couldn't tell.
She caught me watching her and stopped twisting her hair. "Was your nightmare very bad?"
"Yes."
Something passed across her face. She almost seemed glad to hear that. Then she crossed the room and sat next to me. "Darry doesn't tell me a lot, but from what I gather these aren't good to have."
"I know."
The back of her hand touched my sweaty forehead, feeling for a fever. "They make you sick. If you have them too much."
"I know." Drawing away from her, I stood up. "Go to your movie. Darry will enjoy it."
She laughed uncaringly and cocked her head. "Sometimes I wonder."
I met my brothers in the hallway, both of them returning from their talk. "I'm going to Shakes'," I lied.
But I really wasn't sure where I was going. I just wanted to get out of there and let my brothers enjoy their night. Lord knows, I wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon.
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