Hello! I know that chapter was super long...and this one is too! Sorry if you hate long chapters!

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Chapter VI

"Johnny, Johnny, she's dead," Ponyboy couldn't even grasp it. Avianna McKeehan died. No, no she can't die. Not now. Dally came running over.

Johnny looked up at Jason. "You killed her. I loved that girl and you killed her." All Jason did was just stare at her.

"Hey, I didn't want her to die," he said unconcerned. "But people-especially greasers- don't touch my car."

"Avianna," he almost cried. "Come on kid, let's go. Get up now, we're taking you to the hospital." He shook her arm. "Come on Anna, you gotta get up." He shook her arm even more, making her head move.

"Don't do that!" Johnny screamed at him. "She's dead, Dally. Avianna is dead." Those three words punched Ponyboy hard. He stared at her lifeless body. Her hand was still on his. Dallas was beating the life out of Jason, hard.

"I'm so sorry, Anna. That I did this to you. Me and Johnny fought over you, and I was so selfish. Anna, I'm sorry. But please, don't die. Please Avianna, don't die," he pleaded with her.

"You said you'd do anything for me," Dally was crying so hard, and he looked sick. "Now, I'm just asking you to get up, Avianna, just get up, kid." Nothing.

"Just do one thing for me, Anna, one thing."

She made a slight gasping breath, and opened her eyes. Darry came down. "Avianna, can you stay awake for me?" he picked her up. "Can you stay awake for me, Sugar?"

"I'll try," she almost gasped. She was going to fall asleep again, when Darry said, "can you stay awake for Johnny and Ponyboy?"

"Yeah, I'll stay awake for them…" she was drifting off, when Darry carried her inside. She cried. He set her on the couch. "Darry, I'm bleeding on your couch."

"It's alright, Sugar. Just stay awake." he tore off his shirt and tied it around her side to stop the bleeding.

"I want to see Johnny," Avianna said blankly. Darry replied with, "Okay," and opened the front door and screamed, "Johnny come here!" Both Johnny and Ponyboy raced inside. Johnny just stopped in over me, while Ponyboy was crying.

The socs had driven away, and an ambulance was called. By then it had been raining for about ten minutes. Avianna put her hand on Johnny's face. It was bloody because she had touched her side.

"I love you Johnny Cade," she was crying, and so did Johnny. He just cried.

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead, and held her hand.

"Ponyboy," she motioned. "Ponyboy I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he was still crying, "I already knew." The ambulance had came to the house, and took Avianna away. Johnny started to cry.

"Don't take her away from me!" he screamed. One of the ambulance nurses put his shoulders down.

"It's okay."

The people ran out, and got into the ambulance, the siren firing. Ponyboy ran out the door. "She's in hypovolemic shock," he heard one of the nurses shout. They shut the doors, and drove away, faster than he ever had seen an ambulance drive. Ponyboy just sat there, and Darry had his head down. He looked at Darry, and the rest of the gang, and ran after the ambulance. Johnny saw him leave and ran after him, not even thinking to change his bloody clothes.

Johnny and Ponyboy managed to get into the hospital and chase down Avianna's stretcher. "Stop! Don't go! We need you here!" Ponyboy cried as some more nurses blocked his way and held him down. "Tell me she's gonna be okay." Johnny just shoved himself through the nurses and tried to get into her room, but more nurses grabbed Johnny, who shouted to them, "You gotta let me see her. She needs me."

Johnny and Ponyboy were in Darry's car. Nobody said anything. They didn't have to. They pulled into the house. No one at dinner. All was silent. Everyone was thinking the same thing. "At least she's alive," Darry broke the silence.

"Yeah but for how long!" yelled Steve, who came out of the bathroom from throwing up for more than a half an hour.

"She'll be alright," Soda tried to brighten the situation. "T-the hospital's going to take good care of her."

"Think realistic Sodapop!"

"Avianna's strong, she'll get through this!" Two-Bit screamed. Dallas got up.

"She'll hang on for us, you know."

"Yeah, but what if it's not enough!" Steve screamed. "What if she ain't strong enough?"

"Don't you dare say that!"

"Think realistic, guys. She ain't doing good."

Ponyboy just sat down on the couch. Johnny, Steve and him had thrown up, but Steve had thrown up the most, surprisingly. Dally puked, too. He loved Avianna like he loved Johnny.

"The nurse said something about hypovolemic shock, whatever the hell that means," Dally swore like crazy.

"She's in shock from blood loss," Johnny said blankly. Sodapop came over and messed up his hair.

"She said she loved you, kid." Johnny jumped up.

"What does it matter, Soda! She's dying, and now there's no point!" he sat down back on the couch. "I've seen what a knife can do to someone." He was talking about Bob.

"Kid, she's livin', she said she'd hang on for you-" Darry shot a glance at Ponyboy- "...and Pony."

"Yeah, well what the hell's the point of living if she's not here!" Johnny exploded. "If she dies, I will kill myself, and I mean it this time."

Nobody said anything for the rest of the night. There were now two concerns on all of their minds: Avianna's life. And now Johnny's.

...

The next day, Two-Bit and Ponyboy went into the hospital, but there were no visitors whatsoever. Extremely critical condition. Two-Bit and Ponyboy came into the hospital room, despite what the nurses and doctor had told them. They didn't care if there was no visitors, or if she was in extremely critical condition. They had to see her. She meant too much to Two-Bit, too much to the gang, too much to Ponyboy for them to not see her. They found her room and walked, in, quietly. It was awfully quiet. She looked dead. Her eyes were shut tight, and she seemed like she wasn't breathing. It looked like she was on life support, and she was. She was as white as the floor, and looked like she was going to just crumble and die.

"Now, don't you cry now," Two-Bit commanded, even though his eyes were already welling up, "We'll cry when we get out, got it Pony?" Ponyboy nodded, and brushed up his eyes. "Hey, Sugar," Two-Bit said to her, "Hey Sugarcube."

Ponyboy gulped. She didn't answer. She was just deathly still. But the heart monitor said she was alive. She opened her eyes, very faintly. "Hey Two-Bit," she managed to gasp out. She sounded like she was dying. Her heart monitor was low. "Where's Ponyboy and Johnny?" she didn't see Ponyboy come in.

"I'm right here Anna," he told her. She smiled. That was one thing about her-she was always smiling-even in a situation like this. Ponyboy didn't know what else to say. Are you alright? Of course not, she's dying, pretty much. Howya doin'? She's dying, pretty much.

"Are you O.K. Ponyboy?"

His mouth gaped open. Of all the things to say, he thought. I should be the one to ask that question, but its a dumb question. Asking a question you already know the answer to. I do that a lot. I bet everybody does it once in awhile. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Sugar."

"And Johnny?"

He stiffened. Johnny, her thought. It's always Johnny. But he didn't have time for jealousy. "He's fine." he felt stupid when he said this, "Why do you ask?"

"You were crying so bad"- her voice broke- "and Johnny looking like a zombie and Dally bent all down in shock to do nothin. I didn't even know what hit me at first"-she winced.

"Sugar, you okay?" Two-Bit was tense.

"Yeah"-she was lying. And they both knew it. It hurt for her to talk. Just to talk. But she continued with her story. "I went to sleep when Johnny told me to...I was bleeding everywhere, and my head hurt so bad everything was just a blur. I heard Two-Bit losing his mind and screaming for help, and between those other socs trying to call for help and betraying their own...I didn't know what else to do. You guys must have thought I died."

"Yeah, Sugar, we did." Ponyboy never heard a calm tone in Two-Bit's voice before. They just let her talk about the incident, even though it made Ponyboy sick just thinking about it.

"Then I heard you Ponyboy, just talking to me. Then I coughed, and Darry picked me up and took me inside-I didn't know what to do."

"The doc said we ain't supposed to be in here," Two-Bit said with a fake grin. Avianna smiled again.

"That's just like you, always breaking the rules. She turned her head to Ponyboy. "Is Johnny coming?"

"He's taking it pretty hard 'Anna, but I'm sure he'll come and see you sooner or later."

"What about Dally? Did he get hauled in?"

"No, Darry told them the whole story, Sugar. He's watching over Johnny-"

"Why?"

"Well...he ain't feeling too good. He'll be alright. You just get better Sugar," Two-Bit told her. They couldn't tell her that Johnny would kill himself if she died. Avianna pretended to believe him. She knew something was up.

"Hey, guys," Two-Bit and Ponyboy whipped around.

"Hey Soda," Avianna cheerfully waved. Sodapop shuddered. No wonder. She was so white, had bruises all over her face, a wide gash on the right side of her head, a black eye, and her light-brown hair was stained red on the side of her head where Jason had kicked her.

"Hey 'Anna," Soda came over.

"The doc said I have a good chance,"-of living or dying? Was the question they were wanting to ask- "Of living and dying, but nothing's confirmed yet." Everyone heard the noise Soda made in his throat. She started to cry.

"I don't want to die," she shook. "I want to stay here with all of you instead of just being dead. I had so much more things in my life that I wanted to do, and I just...I just don't want to die."

Ponyboy's face began to blur. He couldn't take it. He burst into tears, and came over to her.

"Ponyboy, tell Johnny that I have to see him. I won't die unless I see him. Even if I have to go through hell I won't die. Not without seein him, but everything's going to be okay," she touched his cheek, wiping away his tears. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not ever.

When they came home, it was deathly quiet. Darry was pretending to read the newspaper, Steve was pacing back and forth, and Johnny and Dally were just sitting on the couch. Johnny had that same blank zombie look, staring at the wall. Dallas had his hand on the temples of his head, just looking at the floor, holding a half-emptied pop bottle. They all jumped up when they came in.

"How's the kid?" Dallas asked first. Sodapop looked at them with a concerned glance.

"Well...she's...not well Dally." Soda sat down next to Johnny. "She's in extremely critical condition. She didn't look too good. She asked for you, and Ponyboy, she didn't see him at first, but she mainly asked for you Johnny."

"She was sleeping when we came in. I really didn't know what to do. She just talked about the incident. I told Ponyboy not to cry until we got out, but we all broke. She has a fifty fifty chance," Two-Bit looked down. Steve banged the wall.

"She's fifteen!" he screamed. "Only fifteen years old. Jumped by a soc, and then beaten half to death because she shattered his windshield. Dying because she shattered a soc's car windshield. Now that's something to die for." Steve was crying. Hard.

"Did she ask for anything?" Johnny said without looking at Ponyboy.

"She asked for you Johnny," he just sighed. "She wanted to see you."

"Ponyboy I don't know what I'll do if I see her like that," Johnny looked at him. "She- she's dying, and I know it. I know what can happen with a knife in someone's side"- Johnny looked so white. Darry got up. His eyes looked sad.

"I think we all need to say goodbye to her."

Dallas threw his pop bottle, shattering it on the floor. "We ain't gonna say goodbye because she ain't gonna die Darry!"

"Face it Dallas, she's gonna die and there's nothing you can do about it."

Steve started to cry harder.

"I'm gonna go see her," Johnny stared blankly. "She needs me,"- Ponyboy stiffened again. She wasn't holding on just for Johnny. She was holding on for all of us, right? He thought. Not just for Johnny. She was holding on for Dallas, too. And me. Ponyboy stopped. Johnny was holding on to her as much as she was hanging on for him. He was going to go say goodbye to her. And kill himself after she died.

"Now, I signed as her legal guardian, and if the hospital calls, I don't want any grief," Darry firmly stated. Dallas got up and everyone thought he was going to belt him.

"Don't you dare tell us what to do," he growled, punching every word.

Ponyboy was dreaming about Avianna. About her dancing in the moonlight, asking him sweetly about his name, and starting their friendship with a game of tag. How her light-brown hair looked golden in the moonlight, with her gray-blue eyes shining with innocence.

He remembered how she had dressed in a white dress with her black flats and her hair all done up and makeup on, she looked like something out of a fairytale, hollywood. Higher than a greaser, higher than a soc. Yet she refused to leave the East-side city of Tulsa. She'd rather wear Johnny's jacket, a T-shirt and blue jeans than the most expensive dress in the world.

Remembering how she loved nature, bringing a rabbit in the house. Her singing, doing the dishes, being such a good friend. Teaching Johnny how to paint like a teacher. Avianna reminded Ponyboy too much of his mother to let her die now.

But then, the dream changed. It was dark. Ponyboy and Johnny were fighting, and when Avianna came over to split them apart, it was Ponyboy who stabbed her. He killed her.

"That's what you get Johnny," he said. "Avianna should have loved me, and since she didn't, she's dead, and you are too." And he killed Johnny.

Ponyboy woke up screaming bloody murder. Everyone ran into the room, where Sodapop was trying to hold him down. "I killed her," Ponyboy sobbed. "I killed Avianna. I killed her."

"Pony, you didn't kill her."

Ponyboy was sweating so bad that his hair and the front and back of his shirt was wet. The phone rang. Johnny started bawling and ran out of the house, but no one saw him.

"Hello?" Darry answered the phone calmly. "Yes, okay. Thank you."

"Well?" Dally demanded.

"That was the hospital. Avianna's doing better."

"Where's Johnny?"

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Sorry to the people who hate cliffhangers, but you'll have to read on to find out! Thank you so much for reading!