Chapter 2: The Bits and Pieces Remembered Of Carla's Funeral

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own The Outsiders? No. The real owner of The Outsiders is the best author ever, S.E. Hinton. I also do not make a profit from the stories that I write on this site.

A/N: Please tell me what you think! Criticism is welcome, but no flames please. Flames killed Johnny. ;) Suggestions are always welcome, no matter what they might be. Thanks.

Police Officer Johnson's POV (January 31st, 1967)

When kids get murdered it's always the hardest. The victim was from the East Side. It's the roughest neighborhood around here where drugs flowed freely and girls' cherry's popped at just thirteen, which made sex and drugs obvious motives.

You got a team fighting for you, kid, I assured her mentally. I won't give up, but you can't either.

This wasn't just another case to me and my team. Emotionally, kids were different in a murder case or any crime, really. You can't charge someone any different for an adult homicide or child homicide, though.

Even if Miss Curtis was a drug dealer or something like that, she was a sixteen year old drug dealer with no parents and no females in the house. What sane person wouldn't need a little release. I couldn't judge her.

"Get that autopsy report and bring it back here," I instructed in a hard voice, biting back my emotion.

Ponyboy's POV (February 4th, 1967)

Strangely, Darry decides to have the funeral with on what would have been my older sister's seventeenth birthday. I'm not sure why; it just hurts more, but maybe he thinks having something to do will distract us or something like that.

With funerals it's all just bits and pieces; flashes that always stick with me, but I just can't remember them all together clearly. Carla's was kind of like that. It leaves an aching hole in my chest that just won't go away. It began when mom and dad died and then Johnny and Dally. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year it seemed.

The minister's words floated in and out and I barely comprehended anything he says. He talked about what a great person Carla was, that she had dreams of a better life and was going to be something and that she shouldn't have died so young and violently. It was frustrating though, because he didn't really know her. Not at all. She was more than any words that he's probably recited over and over to heartbroken, dolorous families.

Flashback (Third Person POV):

Ponyboy was nine years old when mom told Sodapop to pick him up from school. Darry couldn't take his youngest brother home, he had football practice, plus being fifteen he was in a different school a few miles away

Soda found Carla in the halls that afternoon. "Carla, can you take Pony home tonight? I met this really cute new girl, Sandra Evans and we were gonna hang out tonight. Please," the twelve year old begged her.

Carla smiled at her older brother. "Yeah, I'll take care of him. Have fun, Soda."

"Don't tell mom," Soda warned her and she nodded back in understanding, heading back to class.

That afternoon, while Sodapop laid on his charm thick to the new girl, Carla and Ponyboy walked home.

"Hey, girly. Wanna ditch this greaser and take a ride around town," One of Bob's older friends, Brandon, called suggestively to the pair walking. Ponyboy started walking faster.

"Leave her alone," he growled.

"Aww, the little greaser thinks he's so tough. Don't-"

"Hey!" Soda and Sandy came around the corner and spotted the Socs bothering his younger siblings. Flicking out his switchblade instinctively, the boy got closer to the Socs and told Sandy to stay back where she was. The girl obeyed silently, worried for her new crush.

"Great, Bob, there's four of them and just two of us. My dad'll kill me if we get caught," The more reasonable of the two Socs suggested. Bob got up in Carla's face and growled in her ear, making the girl flinch back.

"Don't think I'll forget this. You ain't off the hook yet, Carla Curtis. Remember that."

End flashback

"I'm sorry, boys," the minister said to Soda as we prepare to leave. All Soda did was nod, signaling that somewhere deep down inside of him he actually was still alive.

"Thank you," Darry told mom's old pastor hoarsely.

A/N: Sandy never cheated on Sodapop and was never pregnant. I didn't want to add in too many OC's, so my apologies to the Sandy haters out there, but please stick with me. Any ideas on who you guys think did it?

Word Count: 835 words

Aufenthalt Gold,

~Alee xXx