A/N: Rather excited about this chapter! Hope you are as well!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders or the song Exo Politics.

Open the skies over me. I am waiting patiently. I'll wait for a sign. As conspiracies unwind. Will you slam shut? Or free your mind, or stay hypnotized. When the Zetas fill the skies, will our leaders tell us why?

The sand went in-between my toes. The sun was almost down now and everyone that was once on the beach had gone back home. They were missing the real beauty of this time. The time when the air was just right and the water gently came up to touch your feet and slip away ever so slowly.

I carried my shoes in my hand, following Peter's lead. He didn't say much on this walk, just worrying about Kathy. I didn't tell him it was my fault she was crying. My fault she was hurting this bad. I was the one who told her all those things. Kathy had been broken down. I watched like it was a car accident, not being able to turn away from it. I towered over her. Was this really what I wanted? I couldn't answer that question.

She shooed us out of the house, instructing Peter to take me for a walk on the beach. Just waved us outside. I would have protested but I wasn't ready to go back and face Soda empty handed yet again. So Peter agreed and toured me around the beach, picking up some shells here and there, not really saying anything.

"You down here for spring break too then?" he asked, turning around and walking backwards.

I nodded, catching up to him and leisurely walking beside him. "It was my brother's idea. I'm sorry...but I have no earthly idea who you are."

He chuckled, pulling on his shirt like I had embarrassed him. "You've never really talked to me before. I just know of you because of Kathy and I got transferred into your math class right before break. I'm her cousin."

"So you haven't been in class long then?" I asked. He shook his head. "Oh..."

He started racing up to where the pier was, waving for me to follow him. The wind was blowing my skirt in all different directions. I held it down the best I could with my hands. I thought about what Kathy was doing right now. Had she stopped crying yet? I couldn't tell if I cared or not.

Once I reached Peter, I found him sitting on the rail, a cigarette dangling from his thick red lips. He handed me the pack along with a lighter and watched as I put one in-between my lips. I leaned across the rail, staring out into the ocean that went on forever. "It smells like fish up here," I stated, wrinkling my nose up.

He giggled, swinging his feet back and forth. "It's all over this rail. Its bait probably more than fish."

"You fish a lot?" I asked trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, my dad has a boat back home. It's the family business. He goes off a lot. Like to Alaska and stuff where the real meat is." He blew out a trail of smoke slowly.

Peter carried on talking. He talked about his mom being a stay at home mom, his little sister who was eight, even his dog who he'd had for ten years named Ben. Then he talked about Kathy again and how close they were and how kind and nice she was for letting him stay with her. He was still wondering what she was so upset about.

"It's about my brother," I finally told him flatly. "My other one. I've got three. She was dating the oldest. They broke up a few days ago."

"She said you had a lot of brothers," he said, taking another drag. "The older one raises you guys, right?"

I raised my eyebrows. He knew an awful lot. I wondered what else Kathy had told him. "Yeah, ever since our parents died a few years back."

"That can't be easy," he stated, swinging his feet again. "I only got one sibling and I can't even babysit her without her getting some kind of cut or bruise."

"Darry's one of a kind." I moved the blowing hair out of my face and pinned it behind my ear. I put the cigarette back up to my mouth and inhaled the smoke.

Peter sneered, looking down at the bottom of the ocean. "You sound like Kat. You guys close?"

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "She's been there a lot for me...now especially."

He put his cigarette down by his side and knocked of the ash, the red embers glowing. "Your boyfriend dumped you, right?" he asked. "The one you dated for like a year?"

My hands began to tingle. I stared at them and then made a tight fist, pressing my thumb into my palm so they'd stop. "Yeah...yeah he did."

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I-I didn't mean to bring it up...I mean, not like that...shit."

I shook my head and grinned. "No, no. It's alright. Actually, you're the first person in a long time to bring him up." He paused, staring into the water again. We were both looking there now. "Coming here was a mistake."

"Why do you say that?"

"We came here to get Kathy and my brother back together, not just to have a vacation. Now look. Kathy's at home, crying, and I'm here. So there goes the plan. Kathy's never going to come with us now. Not after what I said."

"I figured it was you," he said with a slight shrug. "I mean, it was obvious. I just didn't want to mention it seeing as how neither of you were."

I hung my head and stared at the smoke coming from my fag. "I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what I meant to do, really. I haven't for days. I thought I had everything together and then this happened and Soda brought me here and...and I just wanted to hurt her."

"You've had a rough time, huh?"

"No," I said, smiling, though on the inside, my heart was pounding at an unbelievably fast pace. "I mean, sure it hurt, having someone you love just leave you, but it happens to everyone every day. Look at Kathy and Darry. They were perfect and now she's crying and Darry...he's just psycho. This happens."

He blinked a couple of times and tapped his finger on the pier."Yeah...it does happen."

"Life goes on though. You go to parties, dances, hang out with friends and carry on. That's what Kathy should be doing. She's the one that left though. It was her choice. She had a choice in the matter."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't?"

I continued with my rambling as I thought he seemed curious, "I didn't have one, no. It came out of nowhere. That's what hurts the most. I protect myself from these things. I've always protected myself. I messed up though. I let him do this. I trusted him and then bam! But I took it on. I'm doing just fine, aren't I?"

He playfully shrugged. "I mean, sure."

"I smile on like nothing's wrong," I said, the wind thrashing my hair in my face. "I carry on throughout the day, just smiling all the way, convincing everyone I'm just fine. I am fine. It doesn't hurt anymore. It's like a wound. A deep one. The pain goes away and it has. I'm doing alright."

He studied me. He causally slipped out another cigarette and took a drag from it. "You seem to be I guess."

I licked my lips, they tasted like salt. I put my thumb up to them and rested it there. "Everywhere I look, something ticks me off. Everything ticks me off. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it and what happened. I try. I do. I try and keep myself occupied on other things. Like coming down here. God, that was a mistake."

"You already said that," he pointed out simply with a slight nervous laugh.

"I don't know what I'm doing." I laughed. I shook my head and gripped the rail. I bent down and then came back up again, letting out a breath I'd been holding in. "Telling you all this. I just met you like five minutes ago if that! I don't even know your last name for crying out loud!"

"Smith," he said with a sly smirk. He stuck out his hand to me and winked. "Peter Smith."

I jerked my head, and then took his hand in mine and shook it. "Swell. Did you know who I was dating, Peter Smith?"

"No," he answered honestly, dropping his hand to his side. "He was named after a town though, right? Kathy mentioned it once."

"Sure," I swallowed the rising lump before it came out my mouth. "Dallas Winston. You know what's funny, Peter?"

"What?"

I turned and looked at him for the first time. He was watching me. His brown eyes set directly on me like what I was saying meant something to him. He was actually listening to what I was saying and he seemed to care. Someone cared about what I was saying. This guy, whoever the hell he was. I hadn't seen this look in a long time.

I watched as his lips twitched for the cigarette in-between his fingers. He stared at me, waiting for my response. My mouth watered. "That's the first time I've said his name. That's the first time I've said it in three months."

He raised his brow. "That's a long time to go without saying someone's name."

"Tell me about it," I said, dramatically acting exasperated. "He's in jail, did I mention that?"

He nonchalantly shook his head. "No, you didn't."

"Well he is," I made clear. "He got busted for unpaid parking tickets. Funny story really. You'd think it was hilarious. You know he promised me we'd get married. Me, being an idiot, I believed him. I believed every fucking word he told me. Every lie he told and he told many, believe me."

He closely watched the expression on my face, not turning away at all. "Doesn't sound like too hot of a guy."

"He wasn't. He was a pig. A dirt bag. He always was. Even when we were dating. He always had to win at everything. I thought there was more to him. I thought I saw something in him but I was wrong. God I was so wrong! I still don't know what happened. Maybe that's what hurts me the most that I just don't know."

His eyes softened a bit. He put out his cigarette and turned to me. "Danni..."

"He was the best thing I ever had," I said. "I loved him. I gave him everything! All I had I gave to him! Even after he told me what he'd done, I told him it was ok, we'd get through it. It didn't even bother me that much. You wanna know what he did?"

"Sure." He shrugged.

"He told me to get lost. Not in those words. Much harsher words. It was the last thing he said to me and that was when he finally answered me after all the letters and times I'd shown up to see him. He just told me to leave. He made me feel so pathetic and useless and I always thought it was my fault I let everything we had go to shit. It was something I had done. Everything we had...it really meant nothing to him."

I didn't feel the tears until now. Now that they were drowning me. I sniffled, trying to catch my breath from talking so much and so fast. Peter didn't say anything. Just stared. My growling stomach took my mind off my meaningless rant for a few minutes and I put my hand on it to keep it quiet.

I rested my hand there and sighed. "You must think I'm crazy. I am. I must be. I must be crazy to say all this...and to mean it. To tell a complete stranger things I haven't told anyone before, not my family, not my friends, no one. I cried...for months. I didn't want to. No one knew I did. I did it in my sleep when no one could see or hear me. I didn't want to ruin Christmas so I didn't. Then I didn't want my family to worry again so I lied. God...I've told so many lies."

I got the sudden urge to scream. My lips were shaking as if begging me to do it. My face was soaked with the many tears I'd held back. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to say these things. I kept them in for so long. I bit down on my bottom lip trying to keep it from trembling more.

"I don't want to go home. I don't want to see more faces of our friends and have to lie again. I don't want to see my brothers again and put on this smile. I've gotten good at putting it on. I'm just...I'm so broken inside and I don't know what to do. I feel alone...all the fucking time. And I don't want to feel that way. I just...I can't do it all. I can't make everyone and myself happy."

"Your happiness should come first."

I shook my head. "I don't know what that feels like anymore. I sound so...hung up. Hung up on a guy that treated me like shit! I'm angry. I'm so fucking angry and that's why I hurt Kathy. I wanted her to feel hurt. I wanted to hurt someone just like he hurt me..."

His fingers inched towards mine. They touched mine. It made me jump at first but then the gentleness of his touch hit me and his lips moved. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's ok to be angry. To be sad."

I studied his hand on mine. My mouth was open. His hand felt warm against mine. It felt inviting. It felt like reality setting back in. I jerked away and stared at him, not knowing what to say. "I-I...oh god..."

He jumped off the rail, standing in front of me. He put his hands on my shoulders to steady me. "Danni-"

"Oh god...I can't...I gotta go." I turned around quickly, not wanting to look at him. I didn't want him to hear my sob tale. I didn't want him to see my tears. My pity party was over. This was over.

I felt him following me. I wiped my face and picked up my pace to where I was running now. "Danni, wait!"

What have I done?

I was hoping to be alone when I got into the hotel room but they were all there, watching me bust through the door like a raging maniac and stare at them, my tears visible and face red. I wanted to bail but it was too late for that. They'd saw me. I couldn't get away. I couldn't hide it anymore. We stayed like this until someone got the courage to speak.

"You...ok?" It was Soda stepping up to the plate. My vision blurred. "How did it go with Kathy?"

I forcefully wiped my face, clearing away all tears. "Not good." I walked past him, going into the bathroom and washing my face.

He stood at the door, looking at me. "You didn't answer my first question."

I slammed my rag down in the built up water. I clinched the marble tile of the sink and breathed heavily. "I'm fine. I'm so fine I'm just perfect. Is that what you want to hear? How many goddamn times do I have to say so you'll believe me?"

"Danni," This was Jennie. She had joined the bathroom party of let's interrogate Danni. "C'mon. Let's go walk on the beach or something."

I could feel my face turning red. My grip on the sink tightened and breathing kicked up. "You really wanna know what I want? I want to be left alone. I want one fucking day to go by where no asks if I'm ok. I want one fucking day..."

Steve's turn. He was here. I'd imagine Two-Bit was right by the door too. "Let's go get some dinner then."

"Go," I said dryly. "I'll stay here. Go have fun with your friends. I'm fine. Did you hear that this time or do I need to repeat myself?"

"Oh quit with the 'poor me' act!" he barked. "We get it, Danni. Dally dumped you. You're sad. Boo-fucking-who! You try and convince people you're not upset and now it back fired on you. Well sorry. We all got problems!"

I felt the heat of my blood. My heart was racing. I lifted my head up slowly, seeing my torn reflection in the mirror.

Soda stepped into the bathroom, standing behind me. "Danni..."

"No wonder Evie's leaving you Steve." I turned and faced him, a new type of smile on my pure lips. "You're nothing but an ass."

Two-Bit held him back, Jennie blocking the door as Steve tried to bull his way into the room. Soda grabbed me, putting his arms around me to protect me from his wrath. I laughed at the look on his face. This look of anger and best of all, hurt. Hurt because it's the truth...and he knows that.

"Bitch! No wonder Dally dumped you!"

"Steve!" Soda screamed, making everyone stop. It was viscous, mean, and loud. It was something we rarely heard and we all stared. "Don't…don't say that. Just...just go outside and cool off!"

I wiggled out of his arms. "Allow me." I pushed through Jennie and maneuvered around Two-Bit and Steve. "Jerk." I slammed the door shut behind me, tears running down my face.

I picked at the red place on my knee. It was scabbing over and starting to get ugly. I tripped last week helping Darry pave the driveway. The cut was deep. Darry had to carry me inside and drown it with alcohol. He was surprised when I didn't cry. It didn't hurt. Not at all.

The back door swung close and I could hear footsteps behind me. I didn't turn around. I kept my attention on this sunset that I was getting a good view of from this spot by the pool. It was extremely warm out and I thought about jumping in and hiding out down below until I cleared my head.

Soda came up behind me and stood. "Mind if I sit with ya, Frankie my dear?"

I shrugged. He was probably going to anyway. "Sure, So."

His feet slid on the concrete and he sighed as he finally reached a sitting position. He leaned on his knees and looked out where I was. "Mighty pretty view from here. Ponyboy would kill to see this, huh?"

I smiled lightly and nodded. "Yeah, he would. Bet he can't see this stuff in California with all the stuff he has to do."

He chuckled. "You know he hates it too. I wonder how he's doing. He was really nervous about it."

It was silent for a while. He kept playing with his shoe laces and scraping them on the hard surface. I kept my eyes on the sun as the wind played freely with my hair. It was warm out here. It was getting hotter out. I was more tempted to jump in the pool.

"Steve still mad?" I decided to ask the obvious.

Soda stopped playing with his laces and sat up. "Nah, he's pretty cooled off now." I nodded. "So, uh, he said true?" I could feel his eyes on me. There wasn't anything holding it back now. I lassoed my hair and mumbled out a 'yeah'. "Why didn't you-"

"He killed him." The words rang like bells in my ears and I winced, hearing them again. "He killed him."

Soda stared. Then it hit him. "Wait, who killed who?" he jumped and then it came to him. "Dally and Sam?"

I nodded and took another sigh. "Yeah."

Soda stumbled over his words. He ran a hand through his hair. "No! No, you're kidding right? Dally really did kill Sam?"

"That's what he said."

"But the cops said-"

"They were wrong."

He didn't say anything for a while. He's mouth was open and he was just thinking about it. Thinking about how a guy he knew, who he was friends with, who he had practically grown up with, could kill a man. How Dallas could kill a guy - a guy who meant nothing to him. This is what I've wondered for months.

"Did he….he told you this?"

I pulled my knees up to my chest, feeling the memories. "At the jail. He told me right after I talked to Randy that day. Right before Christmas. He said he killed Sam and that was that."

"But…but..." His face dropped into his hands and he groaned as he rubbed his face. "What happened? Why did he tell you this?"

"He just wanted me to know the truth I guess," I said. "I really don't know why he said anything really. I'm still trying to figure it out myself. He keeps everything else to himself. Why in hell would he care?" I laughed out a little.

He swallowed. "He dumped you after this?"

I let my eyes close as more refreshing wind hit me. I breathed in the fresh ocean air. "I don't know. He told me not to come back so yeah, I suppose that's what he meant. I lied because...I don't know. I don't know how Steve knew. Dally must have told him."

"Did he tell you how…how he killed this guy?" he asked. "Like...what happened?"

I kept my eyes shut. "No," I whispered quietly. "No he didn't say what all happened."

His hand touched mine. "Steve didn't mean what he said. You know him. He says things without thinkin' sometimes. He just gets angry easily and doesn't know how to act. He's got a lot going on himself."

I combed through the front of my hair. "Yeah, I know. I ain't mad at him, don't worry. Kinda deserved it I guess."

He rubbed my back, trying to comfort when there was nothing to comfort. I let him do it anyway. "Why didn't you say anythin' before? I mean…. you usually talk 'bout this stuff."

I turned to him. I gently smiled at him. "Guess I didn't want to think about it. Thought maybe if I didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. I dunno, I didn't wanna believe it. It was a long time ago, So. I'm ok."

He looked down at the ground. He let his hand fall from my back. "Anyone else know….about the truth, what he did?"

Wind blew both of our hair as I turned and looked at him again, my eyes and head sore. "Jennie knows some of it. Not the last part. Just him dumping me and not just us taking a break part. Sarah knows everything and now you." I looked at him, his skin and scars. "You can't tell anyone. Not a soul."

He tilted his head and whispered, "Danni-"

"I mean it," I said quietly. I reached out slowly and touched one of his many scars. I breathed out. "Please, you can't. He's in jail. He's paying for it. It's dead. Let it stay that way. For me?"

He sighed deeply, his hand touching mine. "I won't." He paused and looked me square in the eyes. "So he didn't tell you the story?"

I brushed my hair back and turned back to the sunset. "No, no he didn't. I don't know what happened and I don't care anymore. I'm done caring about him and what he does. I'm done with all of this...with him."

Carried through the centuries. Secrets locked up, and loaded on my back, when it weighs me down. When the Zetas fill the skies, it's just our leaders in disguise. Fully loaded satellites will conquer nothing but our minds.

A/N: So we have some answers out. How do you guys feel now that Danni's finally spoken what's on her mind?

Thank you, as always, for reading! Please review!