Penny curled her grey hoodie over her head and around her shivering frame. "Why me?" She mumbled hoarsely. A gentle yet deep voice shocked her out of her frozen stupor.
Two-Bit Mathews extended a friendly hand to the girl. "Ain't you Pony's girl?" He asked, helping her up.
Penny was glad to see a familiar face. She shook her head slowly. All of the colors around her swirled before her eyes and she stumbled, Two-Bit grabbing her shoulders to steady her, her sweatshirt hood falling and returning to her back.
That's when he noticed. One eye was purple and swollen. There were three or four holes and tears in her jeans, and a yellowish bruise decorated her right wrist.
He muttered a curse. "What happened to you, huh?"
Penny suppressed a chuckle. "Too much"
Two-Bit gave a sorry smile. "Let's get you home," he offered, helping her to his car.
Penny sighed, knowing what would happen.
And she was right.
She slipped through the door, hoping to be as silent as possible. "There she is!" A masculine voice groaned from upstairs. His feet came thundering down, and Penny pressed herself against the closed door. Her father grabbed her cheeks in one of his strong hands, puckering her lips at him. "Where have you been!?" He demanded, searching her face as she offered no response. He stared at her a moment and spat insults at her, before throwing her to the ground and thundering back up the stairs. Penny sighed and got up, dusting herself off and retreating to her own room across the hall.
She crawled into her bed and fell asleep.
Ponyboy met Two-Bit back at the lot. "Didja find her?"
"Yeah I found 'er"
"And?"
"And she went home."
"Is she okay?"
"No."
"What!?"
"She scared and hungry, Pony, what do you expect?!"
Ponyboy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…"
He still loved her. Really he did. He knew that couldn't have been what it looked like, but it couldn't have been much else either.
That night…
Penny shook, struggling to stay awake as blood drained from her pale frame. A piece of glass lay on the ground beside her, stained red. She looked up at the brick walls surrounding her, too weak to stand, or shift from the crumpled heap she formed in the dark alleyway. Suddenly, Ponyboy, equipped with a jar of fireflies, was at her side. "Penny!" he wailed.
She shivered in response to his touch as he pulled her into his arms.
"Penny…I'm so sorry…"
She leaned her head against his chest.
"Stay with me…we'll get help, it's gonna be okay, I promise it'll all be okay…"
She shivered and shook.
"Please, Penny, hold on…"
Penny took a gasping breath. "Pony" she coughed.
"Shhh. Don't talk to me Penny, save your energy." She fell back into his arms, weak from loss of blood.
"They beat you up real good didn't they…" Ponyboy winced, examining her torn skin and clothes.
Her eyes were dropping shut.
"Penny! Penny please, don't, please, Penny stay with me."
Johnny put a hand on Ponyboy's shoulder. "Don't worry about her Pony. Its alright."
Dally opened the jar of fireflies, letting them escape into the night sky.
Penny went limp in Pony's arms, and the world went dark.
Penny woke up shaking in a cold sweat.
Ponyboy screamed himself awake.