A few weeks later Charlotte is sitting at Darry's house hanging out when the phone rang.
"Baby, can you get that?" Darry called from the bathroom where he was taking a shower.
"Yeah," she called back and picked up the phone just as Soda came inside, "Hello Curtis residence...Okay we'll be right down thanks doc." She hung up and sighed as she went to the bathroom. She opened the door and went inside, "Dar, that was the hospital, Pony's there."
"Be right out," Darry called and finished rinsing his hair out of conditioner.
"I'll be in the living room," she told him and went to the living room.
"Everything okay Char?" Soda asked from the couch where he was sitting.
"Pony's at the hospital, when Darry gets out we're going," she told him. He got his shoes on to wait for Darry. A few moments later Darry came out, fully dressed. Char and Dar got their shoes on and the three of them went to the truck and headed to the hospital.
The three of them arrived at the hospital and the moment they were parked Soda and Charlotte were already heading inside. Darry parked the truck, pulled his keys after shutting the truck off and ran inside also. When he went in he saw Pony and Soda hugging.
"Darry," Pony said and ran to his oldest brother and the two of them hugged.
The night went by and they all headed to Darry's house, Darry carried Pony inside and put him to bed.
"You're in my room tonight, you are tired as heck," Darry told Char who nodded and followed him to the bedroom.
The day of the ruble finally came and as Charlotte was sitting in Darry's living room waiting for the guys to come home. She knew Johnny and Dallas wouldn't be since they both are in the hospital. Everyone came in and Char was confused on why Pony wasn't there.
"Where's Pony?" Char asked kindly, worried over him at the same time.
"Dally came and got him, not sure what's going on," Darry told her as she cleaned his knuckles out with peroxide he brought out.
"Dally? He's supposed to keep his butt in the hospital," Char said with a sigh, she knew Dally would do something like that, he never did like hospitals.
A few moments of silence Pony came in, "Pone, what's wrong?" Soda asked.
"Johnny-he's gone-he told me to stay gold and he died-Dally can't take it-he's going to blow," Pony said as he went to his room.
"Dally?" Char whispered and left the house without saying she'd be back. After getting into her truck she pulled out of the drive way and headed down town, spotting Dallas enter a small store she pulled her tuck over and jogged into the building after getting out.
She went up to him, "come home," she ordered.
"I can't, Johnny's gone," Dally cried to her, "Char, I've never lied to you have I?"
"No, tell me what's wrong?" Char asked.
Suddenly Dally brings her into a hug and kisses her, "I lied about how I felt about you, I love you more then a sister, but you're with Darry and the way you treat me is more of a brother, I love you, don't ever forget me," he told her and took his necklace off and slipped it around her neck, "now go, I don't need you hurt."
"Not without you, you can't stop living since you lost someone, I swore I lost you when I left, I have you back, I can't lose you now," she cried and gave him a hug feeling the gun, "Don't."
"Just go," he demanded.
With the tears in her eyes she left, worried as hell about Dallas. She drove to the vacant lot, she had a lot on her mind and didn't want to deal with the gang. As she sat there she heard the guys running her way along with sirens and gun shots going off. Glancing around she saw Dally glance her way and run towards her. She got up and ran to him, just as he was shot down she got him.
"Dally, no, come on don't leave me now, I love you," she whispered to him and felt him take his last breath in her arms. She held him close and cried, not caring if she got blood on her shirt or not.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder she glanced up and saw Darry there, "Let's get you home," he whispered.
She slowly laid Dally's lifeless body down, reached into his pocket and took his knife and Two-Bit's knife both out of his pocket and slipped them into her own. She jogged to her truck and got in, all she could do was cry at the moment. She wished she could turn back time and keep Johnny and Pony from running away that day.
She heard her door get open, "scoot over," she heard Two-Bit demand, she did as he told her and he drove her home, "need company?"
"If, if you want," she whispered and went into the house not caring if she had someone there or not, "the couch is yours, the room down here is off limits."
Two-Bit took her into his arms and allowed her to cry, he knew the truth on how close she and Dally were, he was the one they both would talk to about the other if needed.
"He loved you, you know," Two-bit told her and that made her cry even harder.