No change was in their faces. I shut my eyes, biting my lips. I knew I shouldn't have told them. I was better keeping quiet. I was better dead so they won't have to look at a sin every day. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it. I repeated over and over in my head. I couldn't look at their faces.

Warm arms wrapped around me. My eyes snapped open to see Soda hugging me. He whipped tears from my eyes. I didn't know that I've started to cry. He cooed, gently, stroking my back.

"It's okay, Pony. I still love you." My heart was still beating from adrenaline. My scared tears felt more like they were happier. Soda accepts me. But what about the others? I shouldn't get my hopes up.

Two-Bit was smiling, spreading more warmth and hope into me. He looked like he was going to say something cheesy so I turned my attention to another… Darry. Once again my heart dropped. I had forgotten what the pain felt like for a second and it rammed into me again.

Darry's lips were stretched out in a thin line, eyes nearly emotionless. He stared at me for a short while as if pondering the idea. "Why?" he finally asks. "Why do you like boys? It's unnatural."

Unnatural? I'm unnatural? Soda hugged me tighter, glaring at Darry. "Are you kidding me? How could you say that?"

"But it is not natural. Guys are meant to be with girls."

"I'll have to agree with Darry. It's absolutely disgusting," Steve added.

"Steve!" Soda growled. Even Two-Bit was glaring at Steve and Darry. "I can't believe both you and Darry would say that about Pony."

"I never said anything about Ponyboy being disgusting," Darry argued.

"But you implied it. After all of what he's been going through and then having the bravery to come out with the fear of us rejecting him… and in the end you two do just that."

"I'm not rejecting him. It's just weird to have a gay brother. I wasn't expecting this to happen because gays are so…"

This time it was Johnny who spoke up. "Flamboyant? Man, you know that's a stereotype. Ponyboy's the same as he's ever been."

"But choosing to like other guys makes him different," Steve said.

"You don't choose. He didn't change from yesterday or a year ago."

Dally chose the time to stroll in, cocky smile on his lips dropping at the serious aura in the room. "What's going on here?"

"Ponyboy came out of the closet," Two-Bit answered.

"Kid talked?" Dally raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Dally, the kid's gay and you are surprised about him talking?" Steve asked.

"That's old news. I knew that for months."

"And you're okay with it?"

He shrugged. Steve left the room soon after, muttering something about how gross I was. Darry was still indifferent about me; still accepting the idea. He says he accepts me, but everyone knew that wasn't completely true. Everyone left my room, seeing how I could barely keep my eyes open.

Darry stopped coming in my room. He probably can't look at me to same way — probably hates me.

A knock on the door woke me up from my short slumber. Darry's loud voice greeted whoever was there. I could barely make out what they were saying.

"Ponyboy… days… arrest… school," were what I heard from whoever was there.

"He… back… sorry."

A shutter from the screen door made me cringe. Footsteps came towards my room and I smothered my face in my pillow right when the door opened. I shut my eyes.

"Ponyboy, get up," he ordered, shaking me. I looked up at his unreadable eyes. "You need to go back to school or you will be taken to Juvenile Court and I can be accused of educational neglect."

I was fully awake at that point, eyes wider than saucers; fingers shaking. Shawn once again made an appearance in my mind and his word. No, I can't go back. I shook my head rapidly. Please don't send me back. Please.

Darry's eyes softened — for a second I thought I saw pity — before turning back to what it was. "You're going, then we will discuss how to deal with what's happening at school." Without another word Darry left me alone. He was still disgusted by me and I was still afraid. Darry had left me shaking in the covers. I can't go back – it's worse than here. No, no, no. I can't do this. I need to stop this.

A tear dropped onto my pale hands as I got up from the bed.

Stop . . . .

I stumbled out the room, blinded by the filter of tears over my eyes. I have to stop this. I can't go back. I can't see him. I can't take any more abuse.

I made it to the bathroom, closing the door, hand slowly sliding off the handle. I scrutinized my puffy dull eyes with a tint of fear breaking through the cracks. I tried to tear my eyes away when an image of Shawn replaced mine, but I couldn't. I was frozen in fear.

Go away . . . . Go away . . . . Go away. . . .

I slammed my forehead into the mirror, closing my eye, screaming. The shards fell, cutting my face. Blood trickled down my face. I sank to my knees, joining the glass. But there were more of them now. Shawn was in every shard.

Go away…

'Fag,' his voice echoed in my head. I grabbed a shard, gripping it harder the more I heard his word. The glass cut into my hand but it didn't hurt. Why isn't it hurting? I gripped tighter. I felt nothing, but my tears were now freefalling.

The door slammed open. Didn't I lock the door?

"What are you doing?!" Soda screamed, rushing to my, grabbing my wrist, throwing the glass away. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my hand. "Why? What the hell were you thinking?" he sobbed.

I broke down and the next thing I knew, I was pressing my bloody face into his white shirt, crying my eyes out.

"Shh, shh, Pony, it's fine."

Soda carried me to the toilet; started to clean me up. He whipped the blood from my face, bandaging it up, then moved on to my hand. He cursed at the sight of it, muttering about stitches. He grabbed the needle, poking the string through the small hole. Though the needle pierced through my skin, I didn't feel anything. Before I knew it, he finished. We didn't move though. Soda just kneeled in front of me.

"What happened?" he asked.

"P-Please don't make me go," I choked out. "I can't go back."

o-o-o

That chapter lacked. But the next chapter probably will be better. But the finale is almost here. Next chapter, probably. But hey, I put up a poll for my next story. You can pick up to three. So that will be cool of you to check out.

Replies:

Okurr- Sorry for the wait. Hehe

Morning-Star57- Well some of them did and Darry just messed up.

BunnyluvsU- Shawn will make an appearance next chapter. Hmm… should I torture you?

Pony'sgirlfriend: The reactions weren't that good. It was actually really hard to write about. It was the hardest thing on this story so far.

White collar black wolf: It wasn't written well, I think. I know I could do better but *shrugs*