Chapter Eight: Answers

Pony POV

I'd just gotten home from track practice. I was exhausted, but managed a 'hey' when I walked in.

"You're in trouble."

I was confused. I hadn't done anything that I could think of.

"Why? What'd I do?"

I saw Cam stand up, and she looked mad.

"What's all this about a murder?"

I felt all the color drain from my face. Since her coming in had been a distraction, I hadn't thought much about it.

"I..."

"Well?!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick..."

I ran to the bathroom. I had an overwhelmingly nasty taste in my mouth, which tasted a lot like bologna. I emptied the contents of my stomach. As I was still dry heaving, I felt a hand on my back doing circles. I assumed it was Two-bit.

"I don't know how I'm suppose to talk about this again..."

"I'm sorry..."

I pushed myself away from the toilet a little startled and sat against the tub. She sighed, flushed the toilet, and grabbed washcloth and wet it. She gave it to me and I wiped my face. I had broken out into a sweat. She sat next to me.

"Listen, whatever you've heard, it's not..."

"I haven't heard anything..."

"Then... How?"

"All I know is that the counselor wanted to take me away because of some rumors about you, but Mrs. Brenda told him the real story. All I know is that it has something to do with a murder..."

I sighed. She stood up and helped me up.

"I'm sorry... I just... I couldn't believe no one had told me anything about a murder."

"Darry and Soda don't even know the whole story."

She looked at me surprised.

"Why haven't you told them?"

"If they knew the whole truth... About everything I went through... They'd... They'd be even more upset than they already are."

"At you?"

I shook my head.

"No, the Socs..."

"Oh..."

A thought occurred to me. I grabbed her arm, and yelled at Two-bit that we'd be back later. I dragged her to the park, and went to where the fountain used to be. They'd removed it since then.

"It's a long story... You sure you wanna hear it?"

"Ponyboy, if you don't wanna tell anybody..."

"I do, it's killing me. I just didn't wanna tell any of them..."

I sat down, and she sat down beside me.

"It started the day I first got jumped. So far, it's been the only time I ever have been..."

It took about two hours to tell her everything. I told her about the drive in, Darry, Johnny, the fountain, the murder, finding Dally, Windrixville... I told her everything. She never interrupted, not once. I finally finished with her coming and distracting me from holding everything in. She didn't say anything for a while.

"No wonder you have nightmares... You remember them, too, don't you."

It was a statement. I nodded. I didn't remember the dreams I'd had after mom and dad died, but I did remember the dreams I'd had ever since that whole mess had happened.

"Rumors still going around in school?"

I shook my head.

"I thought it'd died down."

She looked guilty. Like she was hiding something.

"Something you wanna tell me?"

"If the rumors have stopped, then I think I know who told the counselor that you're the one who killed Bob."

"Who?"

"Danny..."

Cam POV

I honestly felt drained after he'd told me what had happened. If I felt drained just from hearing it, I wondered how he felt living it. The next day at school, I decided to confront Danny. I walked up to him after school and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I need to talk to you."

He nodded and we walked away from his friends.

"I know it was you who talked to the counselor."

"And?"

"Why'd you do that?"

"He killed Bob. He should be in jail, not walking the halls, let alone living with you."

I glared.

"Okay, buddy. I want you to stop hitting on me everyday. Leave me alone. And you know he didn't kill Bob."

"That Johnny kid dying helped him because he could blame it on him. How do you know he didn't do it? Were you there?"

"No, but I was."

We both turned to see a guy I'd never seen before. He stuck his hand out and I took it.

"I'm Randy."

"Cam."

He turned to Danny.

"You, and everybody else knows that Johnny killed Bob. And you know it was because Bob was drowning Ponyboy."

"He's a greaser. He should've died instead of Bob."

I felt myself getting hot, and I don't even know what happened next, but Danny was on the ground holding his nose, and my wrist felt like it was on fire.

"Don't you ever talk about Ponyboy like that again! He'd never kill someone unless it was self defense, and you know that Bob wasn't drowning him out of self defense!"

Randy pulled me in another direction.

"What're you doing?!"

"Just come on!"

I stayed quiet. He pulled me around to the back of the school where Ponyboy was talking to some friends. He saw us and looked very confused. He started to say something, but Randy cut him off.

"Get her outta here before she gets in trouble! Now!"

He nodded, grabbed me, and ran me to Two-bit's car, who was waiting for us anyways.

"Howdy!"

Pony shoved me in and told Two-bit to hurry up. He did. Pony turned to look at me.

"What the hell happened?"

"I... I think I punched him..."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"You think you punched him? And who's him?"

"I don't... I just..."

"She must've blacked out."

That came from Two-bit. Pony sighed.

"Go by the DX."

We pulled up to the DX, and Pony ran inside. After a minute or so, he walked out and got back in.

"Soda's getting off early."

I groaned.

"Why?"

"Cause he needs to."

I crossed my arms and pouted. About twenty minutes after we got home, Soda and Steve walked in.

"Hey."

No one said anything. He looked around.

"Okay, so who's gonna tell me what happened?"

Pony looked at me.

"We don't know what happened. Randy dragged her to me and told me to get her outta there before she got in trouble."

I glared. Soda looked at me.

"You hurt your wrist again?"

I looked down. I didn't even realize I'd been holding it.

"Let me see."

He started moving it around, and I pulled in a sharp breathe.

"You sprained it again, only this time it's worse."

Two-bit spoke up.

"You must have hit that kid hard."

Soda's eyes guy wide.

"You hit somebody?!"

I didn't say anything. He groaned and went and got the first aid kit.

"Wait, Soda."

Steve looked at my wrist and moved it around. It hurt so bad.

"It's not broken, but this sprain needs a brace, not just be wrapped. I have one, I'll go get it."

Soda started wrapping it and Steve brought a brace from his house. For two hours, we all argued because I didn't wanna tell them what happened. By the time Darry got home, I'd had about all I could take.

"Cameron, what the hell happened?!"

I was shocked that Darry had yelled at me, that I snapped.

"SOMEONE SAID THAT PONY DESERVED TO BE DROWNED AND DIE JUST BECAUSE HE WAS A GREASER! ARE YOU FREAKING HAPPY NOW?!"

Everyone was staring at me wide eyed and I ran out of the house. I ran for a while until I finally had to stop. I had no idea where I was but I collapsed down on a curb. A while later, a truck pulled up and someone got out.

"What're you doing out this way?"

I looked up.

"Mikey?"

He helped me up.

"Everybody's looking for you. Your gang has our outfit helping. You're almost in Soc territory, how'd you get all the way over here?"

"I ran..."

He whistled.

"Impressive."

I didn't feel impressive. I wasn't a runner, and my legs were burning while feeling like jello.

"Come on, let's get you home. What happened to your wrist?"

I told him what happened on the way. Except I left out Danny's name. We all went to school with him, I didn't want anyone I hung out with to get involved.

"I don't blame you for that. I remember when that happened. Pony boy went through a lot."

When we got there, he walked me inside. The only one that was home was Steve.

"Jesus, Cam! Where have you been?!"

"She was out by the old mill."

"That's about ten miles from here, how'd you get there?"

"She ran."

I sat on the couch, groaning as my knees bent.

"Thanks for helping us, Mikey."

"No problem. I'll drive around and tell anybody I see that she's home."

He left and Steve was staring at me.

"How do your legs feel right about now?"

"Shut up... What time is it?"

"About 2:30 am..."

He laughed, but sat next to me and got serious.

"Someone really say that about Pony?"

"You think I'd punch someone for the hell of it?"

"I would."

He grinned at me. I couldn't help but grin back.

"My legs feel like they're on fire."

"Go take a bath. That'll make them feel better."

I nodded. I decided I would stay in there as long as I could. I knew I'd be in trouble once Darry got home, and I wasn't necessarily looking forward to that.