I was able to get to the New Year, 1965, but things still weren't that great. Dallas was still missing and I still didn't know what to do with myself. Things were just not going as planned.
I was home alone today. The rest of my family was out doing things I was not sure of but I didn't want to join them. I was reading a book for my English class, so the house was quiet. All you could hear were birds chirping and cars passing by. I almost jumped out of my skin when the phone rang. I walked over to the side table, where the phone sits, and answered it.
Typhani: Hello?
Steve: Typhani, its Steve.
Typhani: What's wrong?
Steve: Soda's parents…
Typhani: What about them?
Steve: They're… dead.
Typhani: What? How'd it happen?
Steve: Their car was hit by a train.
I gasped; scared they had to go that way.
Typhani: Don't worry; I'm coming over right now.
I'm sixteen now, so my parents got me a car. It was a Chevy truck, I loved it. My parents said I could only drive it with an adult in the car but now was not a time to spend looking for adult supervision. Besides I'm not a bad driver. So I used my truck to get me there.
Everybody was there but Dallas. Soda and Pony were crying hard. Darry was hardly crying at all. It couldn't think of anything better to do but hug and console them. Seeing them cry made me cry. I went over to where Steve and Johnny were.
"When did it happen?" I asked quietly.
"Earlier this morning. Man, I've never seen Soda this upset." Steve explained. I gave him a look, like he was stupid. Of course Soda has never been this depressed; he hasn't lost his parents before.
There were two police officers there at the house and they talked to Darry about what happened, Soda and Pony were too upset to talk about it or much less hear about it. Sue and Darrel were like my second parents and losing them was hard for me too.
We all stayed for the rest of the day. I didn't leave until nine o' clock that night. I knew, and expected, that my parents would kill me when I got home but I was in no mood to be yelled at. I said one last good-bye to everyone and whispered, "I'm so sorry" in Soda's ear as I hugged him good-bye.
I walked out to my car. I sat down in the driver's seat and broke out into tears. For some reason I wasn't able to cry much with everyone watching but now, since I was alone, I was able to cry as hard as I needed to. I drove home. It was kinda hard to see with my eyes filled with tears as well as running down my cheeks.
My family was home now and I wasn't ready to face anybody. I tried to be quiet but that wasn't working well. My truck was already pretty loud and the front door squeaked when it was opened. My parents were standing at the door, obviously waiting for me.
"Where have you been?" Dad asked impatiently.
"Please not now, you can lecture me tomorrow, just not now." I begged. I ran upstairs to my room. Someone followed me.
"Typhani, what's wrong?" It was my mom.
"Sue and Darrel… they died this morning. They were hit by a train." I was bawling so hard my head was beginning to hurt.
"Ah, honey I'm so sorry." Mom rubbed my back and kissed the back of my head.
"The funeral is next Saturday; you guys are welcome to come." I managed to say.
"Okay, get some sleep, Sweetie." Mom left me to sleep. Before closing my eyes I remembered one thing Sue said to me, "Typhani, you are the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter, so you are part of our family. I love you like my own." To keep from crying again, I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.
For the next week, everyone was out of it. Soda and Pony missed a couple days of school for court hearings about whether or not Soda and Pony were to be put in a boy's home or let Darry have custody of them. Steve, Two-Bit and I were not ourselves the whole week. We were quiet and did not socialize with others as we normally did. Nothing ever was going to be the same, I could already tell.
Then it was the funeral. Most dressed in the traditional black but my friends and I just dressed in our regular attire. There were only close friends and family that came. So it was really only Sue and Darrel's brothers and parents, and the parents of all their friends, including mine. We all gave our respects and put flowers on the graves. I stayed a bit longer with the three of them, knowing none of our other friends would not console them as I would because they're guys and aren't comforting when it comes to sad times. I did a better job at consoling then their family did.
At the end of the ceremony, I went home with Soda, so they wouldn't do anything stupid. I drove because Soda could hardly walk because he was crying too much, not that I wasn't crying, just not as hard, not in public. Darry and Pony went in the car that used to be Darrel's but was given to Darry. It was confirmed that Soda and Pony would live in the custody for Darry only if they behaved. So that meant that couldn't turn into a Dallas Winston or they would be put in a boy's home and that's the last place they would want to be.
Soda was always so happy and now he was only sad. I hated seeing him like this, it just wasn't normal. Pony was quieter than Johnny; and Johnny is as quiet as a mouse. Darry still had his regular keep-to-himself attitude.
It was now February, the most romantic month of the year, ugh. Dallas was still nowhere to be found. That's when I decided to go on a hunt for him. I started at Soda's house. I knocked silently and Darry answered the door.
"Hey, it's good to see you finally out of your room." He said, trying to be friendly.
"I just need to know if Dallas has been here." I asked.
"No, he hasn't been here." Darry said.
"Okay, bye." I walked away and to Dallas' house. I walked right in. "Have you seen Dallas?"
"I haven't seen him in three months and I really don't care." Jack made no eye contact with me.
"Why don't you care about him Jack, he's your son." I asked.
"Why should I care about someone I never wanted? You weren't invited here so, get out of my house!" Jack still refused to look at me. I left and went to my house. I hoped that Travis might be home. I went through the front door but ignored my parents downstairs. I could hear Travis on the phone in his room. I stood in the doorway watching him. He hung up and turned to look at me.
"Well, looks like the bear came out of hibernation." Travis joked.
"Mhmm, that's cute." I said sarcastically. "Have you seen Dallas anywhere?"
"He's been in and out of here." He said.
"Of where, your room?"
"Yeah, he'd climb up through the window and we'd talk and sometimes he'd go in your room because he doesn't want to get any closer to you." He explained.
"I'm gonna stay in your room until he comes back up here." I demanded.
"Typhani…" Travis sighed.
"If he's not gonna see me, then I'm gonna see him. Please." I begged.
"Fine but you can't sleep in here." Travis left without letting me say anymore.
A week later, while I was sitting in Travis' room, Dallas came crawling through the window. He didn't notice me at first but when he did, he almost went back.
"Dallas, wait, I want to talk to you." I grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving.
"Aren't you afraid I might hurt you again?" Dallas showed fear; fear that he might hurt me again.
"I trust that you won't. But, please, let me talk. Just sit and listen." I paused and took a deep breath. "I will never forgive you for what you did but I will not hate you. I love you Dallas, like a brother." I looked at him, waiting for him to say something.
"Only the stupidest person on earth—you are the stupidest person." Dallas finally said. He was right; he referred to me as one of the stupidest people because the decisions I make for myself and how I constantly get into trouble. "Why would you ever love someone like me?"
"Let me explain. I could never forgive you for what you did but I could never hate you. You have been my best friend since we were kids. What you did was definitely stupid but I can't get myself to hate you. And I also want to say that I'm sorry too." I said.
"What? Why are you sorry? You have no reason to be sorry. I put you in the hospital; I'm the one who needs to be sorry. No best friend would beat up his best friend. " Dallas shouted.
"But subconsciously you knew that if you were to beat up someone, it would have to be someone who would forgive you, won't hate you and won't call the cops. And you knew that that person would be me." I explained.
"But you're not forgiving me." Dallas stated.
"You know what I mean." Dallas left after our conversation but he was back to normal, kinda.
As time went by, Soda started to goof up in school. He was taking this really hard. Nothing we ever did got him back to his regular self, it worried me. Darry was turning into a father figure for Ponyboy, making sure he did his homework and not letting him go out on school nights. Soda got a job at a gas station after dropping out of school a month earlier and to help support the three of them, too. Steve got a job there too because he needed the money. This was something we would all have to adjust to.
It was a nice spring day in April and I was at home with nothing to do after school. I felt too lazy to even do my homework. I was home alone which made things worse because nobody was there to entertain me. While I was watching TV I fell asleep. I woke up when the phone rang.
Typhani: Hello?
Johnny: Hi, Typh, it's Johnny. Are you busy?
Typhani: Not really, why?
Johnny: Well I just wanted to know if you wanted to be my company. I'm kinda lonely.
Typhani: I don't know Johnnycake.
Johnny: It's alright then. See ya later.
Typhani: Sorry maybe tomorrow. See ya later Johnny.
Johnny: Alright.
I felt bad that I wouldn't hang out with Johnny but my dad was going to home in less than an hour so I had to at least start my homework. I turned off the television and went to my room to start it. My eye lids felt heavy and kept closing because I was so sleepy. My eye lids shut closed and my head fell back on the pillow. My books fell on the ground with and loud thump and woke me up and so did the phone. I noticed that it was almost four-thirty and my dad would be home any minute.
Typhani: What?
Steve: Johnny was beat up by some Soc and his face is all messed up!
Typhani: Oh, my gosh! Is he okay?
Steve: Not really, he seems to be half unconscious.
Typhani: Is it okay if I see him?
Steve: Yeah, he's actually been asking for you.
Typhani: Alright, I'm coming over.
I didn't even have to ask where they all were because no matter what was happening, they always seemed to be at the Curtis house. It was almost like our home base. I think it's only there because Steve, Dallas, and Johnny's parents were not very fond of us. Two-Bit's mom loves us but their house was so messy.
When I got there I sprinted to the door and found Johnny on the couch. He looked terrible, his face was all cut up and bleeding. He could hardly move or talk. He managed to call my name but that was really all he could say.
"Johnny, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." I sat beside him on the floor by the couch.
"How is this your fault?" Two-Bit interrupted.
"Johnny called me earlier asking me if I wanted to hang out but I said no because I had to do homework and my dad was coming home soon. I could've stopped this from ever happening.
"So you're telling me—" Two-Bit started to yell at me but Steve stopped him.
"She has a good reason. If her old man found Johnny at her house, he would've killed both of them. So calm down, Buddy." Steve defended me.
"It's not your fault." Johnny managed through the pain to make things okay. "It's my fault that I was walking around by myself."
"Ah, Johnny, it's not your fault." I took the blame once again.
"Let him rest." Darry picked me up off from the floor. We all followed Darry to the kitchen. I stood in the doorway, staring at Johnny, feeling guilty of what happened. On the outside I just looked worried, like everyone else, but on the inside I was bawling and begging on my knees for forgiveness. I knew Johnny said that it wasn't my fault but no matter what was said; I was still someone to blame.
"This is my fault isn't it?" I asked, still facing toward Johnny.
"It's not your fault unless you told that Soc to come beat Johnny up. You didn't tell him to do that right?" Pony said.
"No, no I didn't say anything to anyone about Johnny." I argued. "It's getting late, I'm going home. I'll check up on Johnny tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, you mind just watching him after school?" Darry asked.
"It's the least I could." I agreed.
I got home and no one was waiting at the door for me. Travis and Max were up in their rooms and Mom and Dad were downstairs in the living room reading the paper. I stood there for a moment watching my parents, wondering why there was no fight over where I was. Then they caught me standing there
"Oh, hi, dear, did you have a good day?" Mom asked, still looking down at the newspaper in front of her.
"Good, how was your day?" I hesitated to say "good" because it was not a good day.
"It was okay. We arrested a couple of boys today. How is Johnny?" Dad shocked me with that last question. I guess the boys he arrested were the guys that beat up Johnny.
"Uh, okay, I guess. How do you know about Johnny?" I wondered.
"When we took the boys down to the station for questioning, one of the boys knew the kid's name. It took us awhile to get him to tell us the name but we got the name and he said they beat up a kid named Johnny. I don't know how he knew his name but he did. Some of us went looking for Johnny but couldn't find him and then you weren't home, so I figured that you were with Johnny at the Curtis house. " Dad explained.
"If you knew that why didn't you come and get Johnny?" I was still confused, not about what happened but what my dad was up to.
"I figured: let him be. I let you off the hook this one time but I'm never letting it happen again." He warned.
"Okay but thank you." I said and left the room. I went to my room and found Travis waiting for me there. He was sitting on my bed doing homework.
"Oh, hi, I was waiting for you and didn't know how long I'd have to wait, sorry." He said.
"No, its fine, what's up?" I went to sit next to him.
"Johnny, is he okay?" I guess Travis knew about Johnny too.
"He's pretty bad off. His is all cut up and bruised; he's weak and can barely speak. How did you find out?" I asked.
"It's all around town; you'd have to be living under a rock not to hear about it." Travis told me. "Well, I hope he gets better soon." Travis added.
"Do you know who did it?" I questioned.
"If I told anyone, I'd get my head knocked in and you don't want that happening do you?" He said.
"No." I laughed.
"Well, I'll let you be." He got up and walked out of my room. I smiled and nodded.
I sat on my bed, wondering what was going to happen next. All Dallas wanted was revenge. Both he and Johnny would kill the next person to even lay a finger on Johnny's fragile body.
The Curtis parents dying and Johnny and I getting beat up was only the beginning to a bad year. I could tell that only bad things would come our way and that my luck has changed. Soda was taking it harder than anyone else. He was not himself. He never wanted to do anything, he would go to work, come home, watch TV, eat dinner, shower, and go to sleep.