A few weeks later in the Curtis household

I was more settled in with everyone.

Soda was like the big brother I never had. He was kind, caring, sweet and funny. He could make me crack up no matter what situation we were in. Pony was like the best friend and second brother I never had. He was sweet, smart and he loved to read just like me. He lets me borrow his books a lot and he reads me a story before we go to bed. Darry was like a father. He was overprotective, he worked and cooked and cleaned. Sometimes he asks me to help him. He never lets me go out with the boys though, I wonder why.

Sometimes one of the boys would come back with scratches or bruises and no one would tell me why. Johnny would usually come home with the most bruises and cuts and I would always ask why he got them but no one would answer me.

Everything was the usual today. I woke up, got dressed, Soda braided my hair, ate breakfast, Pony went to school, Soda and me were going to work (Soda was watching me while he worked,) and Darry went to work too.

Soda and I were walking back when we heard a scream.

"Sweetie I want you to go back to the house now, I'll come by in a few minutes okay?" I nodded and he started running.

I walked back to the house wondering what could possibly be the matter. I was reading a book when Darry and Soda came in. I sprang up.

"What happened? Where's Pony? Is he okay?"

Soda picked me up and put me on his lap. "Pony's fine, he just had an…accident, Darry will stay home with you tonight, Pony and Johnny went to go see a movie with Dally and Steve and I are picking up Evie and Sandy for the game."

I sighed and got off of his lap. "As usual"

I was walking towards our room. "Wait Carlie come back here."

I turned around to face him. "What do you mean as always?"

"Ever since I got here you never took me out to a movie or gone out with me to dinner with me, I'm always stuck here with Darry."

I pouted at him and he came to me and put an arm on my shoulder. "Ok how about this, tomorrow we can go out and watch a movie, maybe Pony can come too."

"Just the three of us?"

"Yes just the three of us"

"ok!" he winked at me but Darry coughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Darry can we please go to the movies tomorrow?!"

He looked at me like he was thinking. "Well…"

"Pretty please! With sugar and ice cream and sprinkles and whipped cream on top!! Puh-leeze!!"

"When you put it that way…ok you can go" I smiled and Soda winked at me.

"Ok bout you have to promise me you'll be a good girl for Darry tonight" I smiled, he always knew I behaved.

"I promise."

"Good" He left to go get ready for his date.

I walked up to Darry and looked over the paper he was reading. "Watcha doing?"

He looked at me and sighed. "Reading…what do you want to eat for dinner?"

"I want grilled cheese please, can I help bake a cake for tomorrow?"

He stopped reading and looked at me "only if you practice you're spelling."

Ever since Darry got the idea of home schooling me he makes me practice every day.

"Fine…" I sat down at the table and did my spelling work.

A little while later Darry called me to help make the cake and then I ate dinner. A little while later Pony still wasn't home, Soda was though; he was watching TV with me. I was lying down on Soda's lap and he was playing with my hair, when Darry said that I had to go to bed.

"Aww come on Darry, Pony isn't even home yet!"

"Well I don't know why Pony still isn't home but you still have to go to bed."

I looked at Soda hopefully. He shook his head. "C'mon Carls, you should go to bed, it is pretty late."

"Great you've retreated over to the dark side."

When I wasn't looking he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"Dark side eh? Well then I guess I should use my special dark powers to destroy you!"

He threw me on the bed and started tickling me. "Gah Soda! S-s-top!!"

"Fine, fine, but you must go to bed."

I grumbled a "fine" as he kissed my head and I got into bed. I slept very well until I woke up and it was still dark outside.

I heard yelling outside. Who could be yelling this early in the morning? I crept out of the room and saw Pony was home but Darry was yelling at him.

"Pony? Soda? What's going on?"

Darry spoke up. "Go back to bed Carlie."

I stayed where I was though and Darry kept yelling at Pony.

"I said I didn't mean to--"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"

I couldn't take it anymore; this wasn't the Darry that I knew. "Darry, stop yelling at him!"

Darry turned around to me and he looked angry…

"I thought I told you to go to bed! Go right this instant Carlie!"

"Darry…" Soda looked upset at Darry because he yelled at me and Pony; I could tell this wasn't a side of Darry they were all used too.

"Keep your trap shut! I'm sick and tired of hearin' you stick up for him!"

"You don't yell at him!" Ponyboy shouted.

Before I could calculate what was going on, Darry raised his hand and smacked Pony into the door. I gasped and Pony looked scared. How could Darry smack Pony for no reason like that? It reminded me of my…my…father. Pony ran out the door and I could hear Darry trying to get him to come back, he didn't go after him though.

I ran into the room and put on a sweatshirt and some jeans. I knew Soda and Darry wouldn't want me to go after Pony so I crept out the window. If Soda and Darry wouldn't go after Pony then I would.

I ran through the cold night until I saw Pony. He was walking in the park with…was that Johnny? I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. He looked shocked to see me.

"Carlie what the heck are you doing here?!"

"I came to get you, you have to come home! And…Darry scared me, he reminded me of my father…"

Pony bent down and picked me up.

"Its okay Carlie, we have to get you home now, it's dangerous for you to be out here this late at night."

Suddenly we heard a car come up. A couple of boys pushed Johnny to the side and they pulled me from Pony's arms so they could get him. I was pushed to the side as I saw them hurting Johnny, and one of them was trying to drown Pony. I rushed up to help him but someone grabbed my shoulders.

"Hey look, they brought a kid with them, probably got some girl knocked up…"

I tried to pry away from his hold. "Let go of me! I have to help Pony!"

He pushed a blade up to my neck. "Quiet brat or else you die."

I hushed up immediately. Was this the end for me? How about Pony? I felt the guy release his hold on me and I fell down his blade dropped too and scratched me on the knee. I got up to find that the boys ran away.

I went to Pony, he was soaked, head to toe. He put his arms around me, he was freezing!

Johnny looked scared and awestruck. "I killed that boy"

I glanced over next to him and there was a pool of blood with the boy that was drowning Pony.

"w-what?"

Pony let go of me and threw up on the side.

"I killed him," Johnny said again.

I was shaking and I'm sure it wasn't because it was cold. Pony came back and put his arms around his shoulders.

"You really killed him, huh, Johnny?" Pony whimpered.

Johnny looked terrified. "Yeah, I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. They had a blade. And one of them was trying to hurt Carlie."

I went off to the side letting them talk; I didn't want to hear any more of this. I wanted to go home, back to bed where it was warm and safe

. I sat down and before I knew it I was crying. A few minutes later I could feel Pony's arm on my shoulder.

"Everything will be all right Carlie, we'll be okay."

"No we won't be okay! Johnny killed someone! I don't want to get in trouble, I just wanna go home."

"We can't go home Carlie, do you want me or Pony to get in trouble?"

I shook my head no. "Then please you have to be a good girl and listen to me and Johnny, whatever we say okay?"

"Okay Pony" He pulled me onto his back and carried me all the way over to some place I haven't seen before.

He knocked on the door and some creepy guy came out. Pony said that they wanted to see Dally. What could Dally do to help us? I can't believe why Pony would want to have Dally as a friend anyway. We went inside and saw Dally. Pony and Johnny told him our situation.

I could dent hear much because I fell asleep, hoping this was all a very bad dream.