A/N: Okay, before we start off, let me just tell you that I'm SUPER SORRY about not updating in, well... a very long time. Let me tell you what I've been up to:

1. End of term (UGH!)

2. TWO tests the day after a band concert for school!

3. Going to a MARIANAS TRENCH CONCERT! :D :D :D :D! It was AMAZING and I just wanna live that night again! :D

4. I'm sick :(

So I hope you guys can forgive me, and I'm doing the songs for this chapter at the end so I don't accidentally give anything away. :)

"Caitlyn, wait-" I suddenly blurted out, but it was too late. She'd already hung up. I swore under my breath and slammed the phone into the receiver.

"Ponyboy, you'd better come and get your breakfast, or else Soda might gorge it down," Darry called.

"I won't!" I heard Soda's voice cut in defensively.

"I'm coming!" I told them. I walked over to the dining room while mumbling under my breath "You idiot, Ponyboy! What have you done?"

"Here, have some bacon," Soda's voice broke me off as he shoved a plate full of bacon to me.

"No thanks," I snapped.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" he asked in a playful voice. It sickened me.

"I'm sure!" I told him.

"Somebody's PMSing," he said to himself. I was about to say something, but decided to keep my trap shut. I didn't need to be told I was in a mood at the moment. The only thing that really mattered to me was the fact that what I feared most was probably about to happen. I gulped and felt slightly nauseous.

I was forced to eat against my will that morning. I decided that I would have a bowl of cereal. I was constantly stared at by Soda and Darry with strange looks on their faces all through breakfast. I tried not to think a thing about it, but I still felt uncomfortable. It was hard not to yell in their faces, let me tell you, but I coped with it anyway. When I was finally finished, I decided to skip the rest of the morning routines and told the others I needed to go somewhere.

"But what about-"

"I'm not in the mood," I interrupted Soda.

"Alright, do what you need to do," Darry said. "Come on, Soda, let's go do the dishes."

Soda gave me a long look, a look of concern, but turned to go with Darry anyway. I went to change, and I guess you could say that I was a bit nervous, seeing as I put my clothes on completely wrong and took about five minutes to figure out my socks and had a hard time getting my shoes on right, but I got it in the end. I slammed the door behind me and started for the park.

The walk there seemed to go on forever and I sweating something fierce, even though it was getting close to winter. I could see my breath escaping from my lips in front of my face. I shivered and walked faster, my clammy hands stuffed into my pockets. My eyes jumped around everywhere, almost as if I was waiting to get mugged. My head started pounding and I felt dizzy. I closed my eyes for a minute or two, and I hadn't realized until I opened them that I was in the park. I looked around nervously when I saw Caitlyn sitting on a park bench, looking down at her feet, her hair covering her face. I walked over and said her name. "Caitlyn?"

She looked up. "Ponyboy?"

"Yeah..." I responded. "Look, is there something wrong?"

"Well... Ponyboy, I really don't know how to say this..."

"No... please, no, I'm sorry, Caitlyn, please, let me explain..." I started to beg, realizing what was about to happen. She looked at me, and there was a pained look in her eyes, and I had a feeling that she'd somehow known this was about to happen.

"I'm sorry, Ponyboy..." her voice broke as she said this, "but... oh, I'm so sorry..."

"Caitlyn, no, please, I'll do better next time!" I pleaded.

"There won't be a next time, Ponyboy. You hurt me, and it's time to go... I'm so sorry, Ponyboy, but this is for our own good..." she was crying by now.

"No!" I cried. "No, no, no! Caitlyn, please, don't let it end, please, please, please..."

"No, Ponyboy, it has to end. You promised me something important, and you broke that promise, and I'm terribly sorry about this, but..." - she took a deep breath - "goodbye, Ponyboy," and at that, she got up and started walking away, still crying. She placed her head in her hands as she walked. She seemed to walk faster than usual, as if she was trying to get away from something. She continued to speed up until she broke into a run. I couldn't stand it anymore and started walking back home.

I could still hear her soft weeps as I walked... well, not like she was there with me, but you get the idea. As I walked through the door, I was asked by my two brothers what was wrong, and I only shrugged in response. When they didn't stop, I told them I only needed to go to my room and think for a bit. They finally laid off me and let me be. All I could think about was what she said and what she did... my pleading, her crying... 'this is for our own good', as she'd said, as if we were still one... what did that mean? I didn't know, and I was too tired to bother figuring it out. I stayed in my room for a long time.

I passed the time by doing homework, which I'd finished pretty fast. I didn't have much to do in the first place, and when I picked up any book, I found that I couldn't read it. I just couldn't. So I spent most of the time just thinking. After a while, there was a knock on the door.

"Ponyboy? Can I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "It's half your room, remember?"

"Oh, right," Soda said as he came in. "I guess I'm just a bit tired today."

"You're tired? How do you think I feel?" I questioned. It took a moment for me to realize how stupid that was, so I quickly added "Sorry" to that statement.

"You shouldn't be," he told me. "You look like you've been through a rough day, can you tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know..." I started, but I soon realized how stupid it was to think they wouldn't find out sooner or later, so I sighed and said "it's Caitlyn."

"She was on the phone this morning, wasn't she?" he asked me.

"Yeah, and she wanted to talk at the park."

"So that's where you went?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"What did you guys talk about?"

I looked up at him, his brown eyes flooded with concern. "Well... let's just say that she probably won't come 'round here anymore..." my voice choked off, the knot in my throat too great to bear.

"You don't mean..." his voice trailed off. I was only able to nod. "Oh, Ponyboy... I can't believe it..." he sat down beside me and pulled his arms around me in an embrace. His hold was so firm and knowing...

It wasn't before long that I was bawling my eyes out. At that moment, I really did feel like a girl who was PMSing like Soda had said that morning. Let me tell you, that didn't make me feel too hot, but what was I to do? I loved her, and now... she was gone. Forever.

We stayed that way for a few minutes until Soda pulled back and said "Come on, I bet you're hungry. You skipped lunch and ate way less than usual at breakfast." he smiled.

It was then that I realized my stomach was rumbling. "Yeah, I guess I am a bit hungry," I told him. He helped me up and we walked over to dinner together where Darry was waiting. He looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped at the sight of my face.

"What's goin' on?" Darry asked. I sat down as Soda told him. Darry turned to me, but I raised my hand to stop him and Soda told him I probably didn't want to talk.

Despite of how hungry I was, I didn't have much of an appetite that night. I didn't even finish my dinner and as soon as I was done with eating, I walked straight to bed and lay down, staring out the window. When Soda came in, I pretended to be asleep. He lay down beside me, wrapped his arms around me, and whispered in my ear "I know you're not asleep. You'd think I'd know after all we've been through together." Before I could comment, he continued. "Just get some rest, don't worry. We'll get ya through it."

In a moment I could hear his steady breathing and I lay there, staring at the wall, for what seemed to be a long time.

A/N: Okay, this is probably not my best AT ALL, but I'm sick at the moment. Sorry if it was a little cheesy. Again, I'm SO SO SORRY about not updating in FOREVER, but as I said I've been REALLY busy lately.

Now it's time for the songs for BOTH chapters 7 AND 8:

Ch. 7:

"Haunted" by Taylor Swift

"Breathe" by Taylor Swift

Alright, I know I'm getting a bit outta touch and I'm not using as many artists, but just so you know I won't accept ANY comments insulting Taylor Swift here, in case you don't like her. I know there's some people out there like that but I'm not in the mood to hear it, so... yeah!

Ch. 8:

"Fix Me" by Marianas Trench? (Okay, not so sure about that one. It MIGHT be good for chapter 6, though? * shrugs *)

Well, that's it for now! Can't wait till I can work on the next chapter! :D

Oh, and remember to keep the reviews POSITIVE. But if you have any writing advice, let me know NICELY and I'll accept it. :)