(August 15, 1965/9 PM)
(Bexley's POV)
I felt relieved as the temperature started to drop this evening. Darry had given me the okay to stay out until 9:30, and it seemed like it had just hit nine. I was chilling with Johnny Cade and Two-Bit Mathews, two of our closest buddies from our gang.
Once we left the Dingo, we went our separate paths. I was heading home, aware that my twin brother Sodapop would be giving Darry a massage after a tiring day at work. I had made a promise to Darry that I would find a job when I turned 17 to help him with the expenses. Sodapop is already employed at the DX alongside his best friend Steve Randle.
I hope Ponyboy will be home too. Darry always tells Pony that he doesn't use his head whenever he goes out on his own. He sometimes does the same thing with me. But ever since our parents passed away in that car crash, Darry had to mature quickly. I know he's just trying to keep us all together so we won't be apart.
I know Pony is smart enough to get himself through college - Darry had to let go of his dreams and sacrifice everything to make sure our family stayed together.
I was almost home when I suddenly felt something was off. As I turned into an alley just a couple of blocks away, I noticed a person lying completely motionless on the ground.
I walked towards the body, my stomach feeling queasy as I got closer. When I was just a few inches away, my heart skipped a beat as I saw that it was my little brother lying there.
"Oh, God, no! Pony!" I shouted. I rushed towards him and knelt down, feeling shocked. It was so heartbreaking to see how badly hurt he was. I couldn't help but cover my mouth and tears started welling up in my eyes. My little brother was covered in blood and looked so pale, with tear marks on his face.
I noticed that his shirt and jacket were all messy with blood, and I could see that the fabric was torn. I knew those socs were the ones who did this to him. I got really mad and just wanted to kill every single one of them.
I used my trembling hand to lift up his ripped shirt and check the injuries. My stomach churned when I saw the dark bruises and blood on his body. There were also bruises on his wrists that I noticed.
I remember how tough he was, so I knew he was fighting against the socs. There was a big cut on his face and blood was still coming out. It would leave a scar just like Johnny's.
The saddest thing I saw was the handkerchief in his mouth, showing he needed help. We didn't hear him... That moment made me cry. I couldn't stop. We weren't there to help him when he needed us.
Darry and Soda were busy working while I was hanging out at the Dingo with Johnny and Two-Bit. I wish I had invited Pony to join us. "Pony… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" I sobbed, dropping my head, unable to hold back my tears.
I was relieved to see that he was still breathing, knowing that if something had happened to him, Darry, Soda, and I would be lost and not know what to do.
As soon as I heard the noisy truck engine coming from behind, I got startled and quickly looked back with my eyes wide open. It was Darry driving up in the truck. The bright headlights lit up the gloomy alley.
Darry quickly jumped out of the truck and left the door open. He rushed over to me, asking, "Bexley, what happened to him?" I cried and told him, "The socs got him, Darry. I found him like this..." as I wiped away my tears.
Right after that, we heard more footsteps approaching us from the back. It was the rest of our group rushing over to find out what was happening. Sodapop seemed really sick, like he was about to vomit. His brown eyes were watery and full of terror.
When he saw how terrible Ponyboy looked, he dropped down to his knees. It made all of us really sad to see. Soda held Pony's hand and wiped away his old tears from his face.
Soda asked with tears in his eyes, "What happened to him?" Darry, who also had tears in his ice-teal eyes, replied, "He was attacked by the socs, little buddy." "I found him like this, Soda," I said, it made me realize just how small he looked while he was unconscious.
We couldn't figure out why the Socs would go after him, besides the fact that he's a greaser. It didn't make sense to any of us. He was too young to handle this kind of situation.
Darry carefully examined Pony to see if he had any broken ribs. He gently pressed his fingers against Pony's side, which made Pony move and open his eyes slightly. At first, Pony seemed confused and appeared to be in a lot of pain.
As soon as he noticed us kneeling over him, he seemed extremely scared. It really hurt their hearts to see him like that. What did those socs do to him to make him so frightened?
Johnny seemed just as frightened as Ponyboy. He knew exactly how Ponyboy felt because he had been jumped a few months ago and hadn't been himself since then. Would Ponyboy ever be the same again?