TRIGGER WARNIG: CUTTING

"Ponyboy, Where's Sodapop?" Darry opened the door. "Pony are you okay come here," He said piking me up. I was slipping in and out of conciousness. I remember that he called Steve's house and then called Buck's.

Soda came home a few minutes later.

"He is in shock stay away from him. Steve's dad told me where you were," Darry said to Soda.

"Is he gonna be okay what all happened?" Soda asked.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say a drunken Two-bit," Darry said. Soda looked at the floor.

"Darry why didn't they just kill me?" I asked.

"You told me you'd watch him. If you didn't go to that stupid party then Pony wouldn't be asking for his own death now would he? But you had to go to your party becsuse you are terriblely heartless," Darry said and reached out and slapped Soda across the cheek. Soda didn't react.

"I'm so sorry Darry," Soda said. I passed out again on the ouch.

When I woke up Darry was sitting by my bed. He looked like he had been crying.

"Darry, it wasn't Two-bit who destroyed the house. I saw that someone wrecked their car and I wanted to help them. I asked if they wanted to use my phone and they said they did but then they pulled out a gun and..." I didn't finish. I burst into tears. I could see the scene again.

"Are you guys okay? Do you need to use a phone?" I yelled. The pickup truck they were driving was crashed into a pull. It was black but I couldn't tell what kind of car it was. I bet Soda or Steve could've told you what type it was. One of the men turned around at my voice. He was pretty tall and looked about 20 or so. He had a black buzz cut and black stubbly beard. He was wearing black sunglasses so that I couldn't see his eyes. He was wearing a blue varsity jacket and khakis. He smiled up at me and walked up to the porch. The man behind him was smaller. He had brown hair and black eyes. He was wearing a plad shirt and blue jeans. He looked about the same age. I was pretty sure he was a greaser. I remember asking myself why a greaser was driving around with a soc. I sat up a little, stopping my tears. Soda stood wearily in the doorway as if he wasn't sure if he should enter.

"Soda come here," I said. He looked up with wide eyes as he entered the room. Darry shot him a glare as he sat by me on the hospital bed. That day, Soda was different. There was no smiles to light up the room. No laughs that make even the most serious people smile. No bright eyes that whisper "Everything's gonna be okay." Just sunken eyes, a blank face and I notice that nothing gold can stay.

He reached his hand out to touch my face. I looked down and noticed the scars painting his wrists.

"Soda..." I started but he raised a finger to his lips.

"You need some sleep," Soda says and he and Darry leave the room.

I thought to myself alone that night of a poem by Robert Frost. It was called "The Road Not Taken,"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

If I had just not opened the door. Then none of this would've happened.

An: Sorry it's short but the next chapter will be a lot longer and better. This is a filler between two important chapters.