Chapter 11

(Acceptance Letter Reception Day)

Harley's POV:

It had been a long day at school, working on homework, and tutoring, but I had to make one final stop at the post office to pick up my mail at the P.O. Box. I was looking forward to my weekly letter from my grandmother and I was anxiously waiting for my acceptance letters. Steve, Two-Bit, and Soda had been accepted into technical school already and were awarded scholarships. We had parties already to celebrate it. We just had to make sure that Soda passed his GED test so he could go. There was so much pressure on me to help make sure that Soda got there. Pony told me not to stress but how could I? When I opened my P.O. box, I saw my weekly letter from my grandmother, and in the box were all the letters from the schools that I applied to. I felt my heart beat quickly in anticipation. I decided to look at them at home. I was so anxious that I sped home faster than I should've on my Vespa.

Ford wasn't home yet, he was probably at a friend's house which was a relief and my parents were still at work. I still went to my room and quietly shut the door. My hands were shaking as I opened all the letters. The one that I was most worried about was my first choice which was USC. It had a great law and journalism program, but it was insanely hard to get into, let alone a full ride. So far, I have gotten into all of the schools I applied to with some sort of financial assistance, but no full rides yet. Once I got to USC's letter I froze, but I finally got the courage to open it.

Dear Ms. Harley Cooper,

We were impressed and moved by your personal statement, academic prowess, and motivations. We are happy to tell you that you have been accepted into our journalism program and are permitted to double major in journalism and pre-law. We are also pleased to announce that, based on your academic merit, we will grant you a full academic scholarship to attend USC. We look forward to your decision by May 1st.

Sincerely,

USC Admissions

My heart jumped and I felt tears streaming down my face and I didn't even feel the letter tumble to the top of my desk. All I knew was that I needed to tell my friends and Pony. But God, how could I leave Pony? I pushed that thought to the side. I could figure it out later. I quickly shuffled out the window of my bedroom and burst in through Curtis's front door.

Everyone in the gang was there watching the television and doing homework and jumped up when I came in. I must have scared them. I must have been a mess because Pony got up and approached me like a wounded animal. "Harley, are you ok," Pony asked with concern in his voice. He then brushed away the tears streaming down my face. "I got into my first choice," I said hoarsely. "I got a full ride to USC for journalism and pre-law." The whole room was deadly quiet. The gang was looking at me with wide eyes and their jaws hanging. They broke out of their trances though in a heartbeat. Pony was beaming at me, while he picked me up and twirled me around. "I'm so proud of you," Pony said with tears streaming down his face. Steve patted me on the back and said, "Proud of you Motorbike." Two-Bit barrel-hugged me and was whooping and hollering so close to my ear that I thought I would lose my hearing. Soda got me into a headlock and ruffled my hair. "Good job, Motorbike," Soda said. "We knew you had it in you." Darry just stared at me for the longest time and then came up to me and my surprise gave me a tender hug. "I'm so proud of you kiddo," Darry said with a hint of emotion in his voice. "Let's party!" Two-Bit shouted. Then Steve started blasting the radio on full volume. This got me to chuckle. Gosh, I'm so lucky to have friends like these. And even luckier to have the boyfriend that I have.

As the night wore on Steve and Two-Bit got the most drunk. "We are surely going to miss you Motorbike," Steve slurred. "We sure are," Two-Bit said between hiccups. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys," I said. "I'm not going anywhere at this moment. I still have the rest of the school year and the summer. Even then I will be home for the breaks." Pony just stared at me with tears streaming down his cheeks. "What's the matter Pony," I said with concern. "I just don't want another one of our gang to leave," Pony stammered. "Oh baby," I said while caressing his cheek. "I promise this won't be a goodbye or me leaving when I go. I will still be around and you will still be my boyfriend. I promise. You don't understand how much you all mean to me, but especially you Pony. You helped me find my voice and helped me see the wonder in the otherwise bleak world." Pony nodded and then gave me a big hug. Then my heart filled with dread as I heard "Harley… Oh, Harley" coming from outside. It was Ford. I looked at the gang. "I'll go deal with that," I said rolling my eyes. "You guys continue partying and I will be back inside soon." Pony stared at me in concern. "You heard Motobrike boys," Two-Bit hollard. "Turn up the music!"

The music was blasting as I went out the front door. Ford was leaning against the car we shared in front of our house and his boot cast around his foot was reflecting the light of the street lamp. He was obviously drunk though because of the way he was swaying. "What do you want Ford?" I said as I descended the front steps. Ford held up the acceptance letter and my heart dropped like it was made of lead. "So you got a full ride huh, to USC," Ford slurred. "Ford, give that back," I said with a whimper as I closed the gap between us. Ford tsked at me. "Not so fast little sister," Ford said in an angry raised voice. "Why should my sister get a scholarship to a school for academics and I can't have anything? You need to pay for that and have it taken away from you like my scholarship was taken from me!" I then saw a glint of a knife as Ford pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. "Ford…" I started to say in fear, wondering what he was going to do. Then all I hear from behind me is Pony saying, "Is there something that I can help with?" Then Ford spun me around and had me held against him with one arm around my neck and the knife pushing up against my back. "Nothing you need to be concerned about you little brat," Ford spat at Pony. "Pony," I said with a whimper. "Go back inside, this is between me and Ford." I pleaded with Pony with my eyes. He needs to go now. "Listen to your girlfriend," Ford said with a sneer. Pony stayed in place though and didn't budge. Ford made the tsk sound again and I gulped. "I might as well continue then with an audience," Ford said. "Like I was saying, I want to take away from you what was taken from me." Then I felt the blade plunge into my back. I let out a little gasp. Then Ford took out the blade and pushed it into my back in another location, pulled it out again, and let it drop to the ground. Then he let me go. I reached my hand to my back and pulled it away, it was covered in crimson red blood. Pony stared at me in horror and tried to move towards me as I crumpled to the ground.

"Not so fast, you bugger," Ford said with a sneer. Ford picked up Pony by the neck, threw him to the ground, and put his foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up. "Let him go, Ford," I begged. "He has nothing to do with this." I tried crawling forward but there was a searing pain in my back that had me gasping for breath. "He has everything to do with this little sister," Ford said his voice rising. "Without him, you would've not had the courage to stand up to me like you have been these past months. You wouldn't have found your voice. It's all because of him!" Then Ford started pummeling Pony with all his might. I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Stop it, Ford, stop it!" I said crying. Ford looked at me with an evil smile and said, "I don't think I will, I'm going to make you hurt more than I have hurt," Ford said. "I'm going to take away your precious boyfriend, your love, like football was taken from me." Ford pulled out a gun and started to point it at Pony. Somehow I felt a surge of adrenaline and threw myself in between Pony and Ford as Ford fired three shots. I felt the three shots hit me in my chest and my stomach. I crumpled on top of Pony wheezing. Ford just stared at me wide-eyed. "Well I guess that works," Ford said in surprise. "That makes sure you don't get anything, you bitch," Ford spat at me. Then I heard the guys start running out of the house, or what I thought to be the guys. I couldn't tell because I felt myself losing consciousness. Something was being shouted and then I heard a loud bang. But, I couldn't do anything as I slipped into blissful darkness.

Pony's POV:

Today had been a long day due to having an extra long track practice today and Two-Bit being late to pick me up from track practice. It was after dinner and I was finishing up homework for tonight. To my surprise, I missed Harley being here, but she had a long tutoring schedule today and she probably wouldn't be over tonight. I hadn't realized how close we had gotten. It felt like we had known each other for a long time given how much has changed. I mean, Soda was getting his GED and going to technical school with Steve and Two-Bit granted they graduated, and Darry got a new job that got him home at a reasonable hour. Darry seemed to be a little less stressed with the better financial situation. This had all occurred since Harley had arrived in the fall. Looking back at my progress, I had started to open up again for the first time since Dally and Johnny's death. It just made me wonder what they would have thought of Harley and if Harley would have been friends with us if Dally and Johnny were here. Then all of a sudden Harley was standing there with tears streaming down her face in a state of shock and it scared the shit out of the gang when she banged in through the door. "Harley, are you ok," I asked her with concern in my voice. Harley just looked at me blankly and I reached out to brush the tears from her face, but it didn't seem like she noticed. She was really scaring me. "I got into my first choice," Harley said hoarsely. "I got a full ride to USC for journalism and pre-law." The whole room was deadly quiet. What did she just say?! What did she just say?! The gang was looking at Harley with wide eyes and their jaws hanging. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks and I was beaming at Harley and started spinning her around in my arms. This caused her to chuckle, and it was music to my ears. "I'm so proud of you," I said with tears streaming down my face. I couldn't help myself. I'm so proud of her. But then she will be leaving us. She will be leaving us. That thought just rang in my head. I could barely hear the gang congratulating Harley with that thought floating in my head. Shouldn't I be happy, and not sad? "Let's party!" Two-Bit shouted. Then Steve started blasting the radio on full volume. Harley just stood there shaking her head and smiling at me. She will be leaving us like Johnny and Dally did. Like my parents did, but the difference is she will be alive but still out of reach.

As the night wore on Steve and Two-Bit got the most drunk. "We are surely going to miss you Motorbike," Steve slurred. "We sure are," Two-Bit said between hiccups. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys," Harley said. "I'm not going anywhere at this moment. I still have the rest of the school year and the summer. Even then I will be home for the breaks." I just stared at Harley with tears streaming down my cheeks as she said this. I wanted to believe her so badly, but I couldn't convince myself. "What's the matter Pony," Harley asked me with concern. "I just don't want another one of our gang to leave," I stammered. I didn't even recognize my voice. "Oh baby," Harley said while caressing my cheek and tears streaming down her face. "I promise this won't be a goodbye or me leaving when I go. I will still be around and you will still be my boyfriend. I promise. You don't understand how much you all mean to me, but especially you Pony. You helped me find my voice and helped me see the wonder in the otherwise bleak world." I nodded and then gave her a big hug. Please let this be true. I don't want anything else to change. Then my heart filled with dread as I heard "Harley… Oh, Harley" coming from outside. It was Ford. Harley looked at the gang with embarrassment. "I'll go deal with that," Harley said rolling her eyes. "You guys continue partying and I will be back inside soon." I stared at Harley in concern. She really shouldn't be going out to see him considering. "You heard Motobrike boys," Two-Bit hollard. "Turn up the music!"

I watched Harley go out to Ford across the street. He seemed drunk, but the gang didn't seem to notice as the music was so loud and they were all kind of drunk. Even Darry and he didn't drink much. I started biting my nails as I watched through the window nervously. Something was going on because it was getting tense between them.

I decided to head outside. I slipped outside without anyone noticing and padded up to Harley and Ford without them noticing. Is there something that I can help with?" I asked trying to sound tough and more grown up than I was. Then Ford spun Harley around and had her held against him with one arm around her neck. "Nothing you need to be concerned about you little brat," Ford spat at me. What did he just call me? I felt my blood start to boil. "Pony," Harley said with a whimper that made my heart break. "Go back inside, this is between me and Ford." Harley pleaded with me and her eyes begged. There was no way I was leaving her to be hurt by her brother. The boy who was supposed to protect her but never had but had been the source of her pain. "Listen to your girlfriend," Ford said with a sneer. I stayed in place though and didn't budge. Ford made a tsk sound which made Harley more distressed and me more worried. "I might as well continue then with an audience," Ford said. Did he just say audience? What the hell was going on? "Like I was saying, I want to take away from you what was taken from me." Harley's body lurched and jumped as Ford pushed something up against her. Harley let out a little gasp. I felt my heart drop. Ford dropped what looked to be a switchblade out of his lazy hand. Then he let Harley go. I couldn't move, I was frozen. Why can't I move, why aren't I doing anything? Harley reached her hand to her back and pulled it away, it was covered in crimson red blood. I stared at Harley in horror and tried to move towards her as she crumpled to the ground.

"Not so fast, you bugger," Ford said with a sneer. Before I could move, Ford picked me up by the neck, threw me to the ground, and put his foot on his chest to prevent me from getting up. I couldn't breathe. I tried flailing and getting up, but he was crushing my chest. "Let him go, Ford," I heard Harley beg. I'm coming Harley, I'm coming. "He has nothing to do with this." "He has everything to do with this little sister," Ford said his voice rising. "Without him, you would've not had the courage to stand up to me like you have been these past months. You wouldn't have found your voice. It's all because of him!" Then Ford started pummeling me with all his might. I tried blocking his punches, but I couldn't, they were coming too fast. All I could feel were the biting sting of Ford's kicks and punches all over my body. I heard Harley scream at the top of her lungs, but it felt distant. "Stop it, Ford, stop it!" Harley said with a shriek. "I don't think I will, I'm going to make you hurt more than I have hurt," Ford said in a tone I had never heard before, almost pure evil. "I'm going to take away your precious boyfriend, your love, like football was taken from me." Ford pulled out something and started to point it at me. I couldn't tell what it was because my vision was blurry and one eye was starting to swell shut. Then all of a sudden I heard three pops of what sounded like three gunshots. I tried bracing myself for the impact but felt nothing. Then I felt the sudden dead weight of a body land on me, and then I was swallowed into peaceful darkness as the breath was knocked out of me and the pain in my body took over.