Chapter Text
Sorrow calls with the evening
With the wind beneath your door
Shadows pause at the window
Meet their gaze
Their grief is yours
It all happened too fast for Ace to fully process.
One moment, they were on cloud nine. Their bones ached and muscles cried out for rest. But their heads were held high in victory.
Ace was wrestling with some kid who she was, like, ninety percent sure didn’t even live in Tulsa. Her clothes clung to her body due to the rain and her left shoulder was stiff in a way that would be concerning. Luckily, the adrenaline was numbing any uncomfortableness she might’ve felt. But then, like complete cowards, the Socs all retreated and left the Greasers to lick their wounds.
Two-Bit laid on the ground, sprawled out like a starfish. He was fine, for the most part. Just being dramatic. It was hard to tell if any of the bruises littering his face were a result of today’s rumble or from his previous beating at the hands of the Socs’. Sodapop was having a hard time staying steady on his feet. But he had a giant smile on his face, nonetheless, and stood upright with the help of his older brother. So he couldn’t have taken too much damage.
Dally kept putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to move it. He and her probably had mirroring injuries there. Hopefully nothing more than a sprain or else healing will be a real hang-up. Ace did not like being put out of commission and Dally was the same way. Both were too stubborn for their own good.
Steve, actually, looked relatively okay, nothing but a tough looking black eye that he’d probably flaunt around for the next week. He had one of the little guys, she’s pretty sure— the kind that got one hit to the face and was down for the entire rest of the fight. They were boring. But a real ego boost. Ponyboy was teetering back and forth, not looking too hot. But Ace didn’t think it was anything of concern. The fight really roughed him up. That’s what the kid gets for being the youngest and smallest (next to Ace) in a rumble. He could’ve sat it out. But he held his own. She had to give him credit where credit was due.
Mud caked her skin… or maybe it was dried blood. Hard to say. The street lamps weren’t bright enough to clearly define the color. Ace could hear Steve and Two-Bit screaming bloody murder at each other from behind her while she wedged herself between Soda and Dally’s huddle. Soon they were all hollering out to no one in particular from excitement because, glory, they won. The Greasers beat the Socs. That meant they got the park and the Socs would stay off their turf.
Ace wasn’t too dense to acknowledge this was about their pride more than anything else. But glory, if that win didn’t feel good.
They went to the hospital to share the good news with Johnny and from that moment on, everything spiraled downwards. Ace had never seen someone die before. Death was supposed to be peaceful. But Johnny didn’t look peaceful as he laid there.
Ace did her best to comfort Sodapop, who’d crumbled beside her after Dally rejected his touch. That was about all she was able to do. She couldn’t seem to make her legs move. Not soon enough, at least, to stop Dally from bolting out the door like a muscle car in a drag race.
Sodapop and Two-Bit were the first to jump into action and the rest soon followed after. But the thing about Dallas Winston is that when he wanted something, he got it. And he didn’t want anyone to catch up with him, so none of them were able to.
At some point, while in the heat of the chase, Ace realized he was heading for the tracks. She thought he was getting outta Tulsa. She would’ve preferred that with no goodbye to what actually happened. Because now, there was no chance she’d ever see Dally again. He ran head first in front of the train.
Darry was calling out for him to stop. Sodapop tried to speed up. But his muscles were still worn from the fight. Someone screamed and Ace thought it might’ve been Ponyboy. But he was much further back, seemingly already out of steam. (Wasn’t he a track star?) When she noticed Steve shot her a quick glance, it registered that the voice was her own. She brought a shaky hand to her cheek and her fingers came back wet. But it wasn’t from the rain.
In a matter of minutes, two of the people Ace called family were dead. Ace thought she understood death before. She was so young when she was introduced to the concept after her father never returned from work one day. He was just trying to get home. But he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This was different. This was so much more real. Ace had known Johnny for longer than she knew her own father and she had to witness the life leave his eyes. And Dally— he taught her how to protect herself. Did he know he’d one day leave her on her own to fend for herself? Was that why he was so worried about making sure she could hold her own?
How was she supposed to go on without them?
Ace barely had time to recover from what just happened because Ponyboy’s knees buckled and he dropped to the ground from the weight of everything that just happened. Or that’s why she thought he was on the ground. Except, looking over, she saw his eyes were shut and his brothers’ attempts to wake him were failing.
“Glory, he’s burning up!” Darry pulled his hand back from his brother’s forehead like it was on fire. Ace knew she should do something. Call for help— check his pulse— anything other than just stand there and gawk. But she couldn't move. It was like her brain was no longer connected to her body and she was frozen in place. All she could think about was that he couldn’t join their friends. Ace never prayed once in her life. But in that moment, what ran through her head on repeat was please, God, not him, too.
Frankly, none of them seemed to know what to do. Darry’s pleas for Pony to wake up were futile. Sodapop was too still where he kneeled, a fist twisted in the fabric of Ponyboy’s shirt. It was unnatural to see because Soda was someone who was always in motion. The same went for Two-Bit, who stood completely silent next to Ace. However, his breathing was stuttering, a sign he was crying.
Steve just had a look of stone on his face. Something told her that if Pony was actually dead, (which he wasn’t, he couldn’t be) Steve wouldn’t bat an eye. Not because he didn’t care about the kid. Moreso, adulthood wasn’t promised to Greasers and he knew that. He was the cynic of the group. But Ace wasn’t. She couldn’t be because if she was, she’d be able to handle the fact her friends were dead and Pony might be next.
Two ambulances were called in by the conductor or whoever was on the train Dally derailed. She knew that only because it sure as hell wasn’t any of them who called it in. Passengers filed out of the car. One older woman ran over and told them help is on the way. She didn’t mention that their friend would be okay. Probably because that would be an empty promise. It didn’t take someone very educated to see Dally was done for. The lady froze when she saw Pony in Darry’s arms.
“Was he hit, too?” The color drained from her face. Apparently, a hood dying was only tragic when it was a fourteen year old boy. A child dying was sad. But once they stopped looking so young, a Greaser dying was just life.
“No. Just passed out.” Steve was the one to speak. That level of annoyance towards a stranger they just met could only come from him.
“He’s real pale. I reckon he’s very ill.”
No shit, Dally would’ve sarcastically replied if he were there.
“Let me go make sure they know that we have a boy here who needs a hospital. You kids just sit tight.” No one corrects her on the fact that none of them were kids, not really, because hoods didn’t get to be children. Ponyboy was the closest. But even he had hardened since coming back. Seeing someone die did that to a person. Lord knows what Johnny and Dally’s deaths will do to him. Or any of them.
Darry fished the keys for the truck out of his pocket and tossed them at Two-Bit with instructions to meet him at the hospital. Ace didn’t even realize Darry was speaking until the set of keys was flying near her face. Luckily, Two-Bit had been more aware of his surroundings and caught them. “I’m gonna ride with Pony.” Two-Bit’s car was still in the shop. He totaled it two weeks ago by being an idiot. Ace promised him they’d never speak of the event.
The four remaining Greasers took a silent trail back to the house to pick up the truck. The weight of everything they’d endured not just that night, but the whole week, had caught up and piled on like a ton of bricks. It was especially rough on Sodapop, who had a horrifyingly blank look on his face the whole way. If she thought he was bordering on shut down when Pony was gone, she worried he may go catatonic if the kid doesn’t immediately wake up now.
None of them dared to ride with Dally’s corpse. Ace felt guilty for leaving him all alone. But it was too much for her to handle. She hoped his spirit wasn’t watching them load in his mutilated body. That instead, he was in the truck driving to the hospital with them, squished between Ace and Steve.
He would've thrown a fit if he were actually there over being expected to sit in the middle when Ace was very clearly the smallest. She could imagine him, shoulders hunched together and a brooding pout on his face. One of the reasons Dally always got his way, even with the small stuff, was because when he didn’t, he became the most miserable person to be around. She missed his attitude.
Ace had forgotten where they were even heading until Two-Bit put the truck in park. She wondered if Two-Bit even remembered driving them all there or if Soda would remember… well, anything that night.
No one was immediately jumping out of the vehicle. In fact, none of them even moved a muscle. Ace’s gaze was fixated on the business that was just the entrance to the hospital. People were rushing in with stretchers. A man no older than her own mother was sobbing and holding a little girl to his chest. The poor girl looked confused, but frightened. She didn’t understand why her father was crying. Just that he was sad and it was making her sad. Or maybe she did know. Little kids always had a knack for understanding more than adults wanted them to.
The scene felt a little too familiar for Ace’s comfort.
“We should-” Steve paused to clear his throat. “We should head in. Pony’s outta have got a room already.”
No one responded. The action of exiting the car was enough of a reaction to convey understanding. Excep Sodapop. He didn’t budge. His eyes didn’t even flicker to the rearview mirror to catch Steve’s eye. He gave no indication he heard a word out of his best friend’s mouth. Ace and Steve exchanged worried glances and Steve gave her a nod, which she took as the go-ahead to try and help him out of the truck.
Soda jumped when the passenger side door opened, like he’d just come back into his body. He blinked the blank look away and made eye contact with Ace. “We’re here,” she said, softly. She wasn’t sure if he actually realized why they parked.
Ambulance sirens rumbled her eardrums as it drove past. The red and white lights interrupted the dead of night. For such a busy building as a hospital was, the outside was very unassuming. The streetlights did little to flood the darkness of the parking lot.
Sodapop nodded, slowly, at her words, and lifted himself from the seat. She threw an arm around his waist for no other reason than just to act as an anchor for him, providing the comforting support he needed. Soda leaned into the touch and put his own arm on her shoulders. He had at least a head of height on her and was not really putting any of his physical weight on her. But she was still supporting him.
There was very little chaos inside, which Ace didn’t expect. She was imagining doctors running around everywhere, pushing bloodied people on gurneys and almost crashing into each other. But it was eerily quiet. The father she saw when they’d parked never came back into the hospital. He took his little girl elsewhere.
There were only two people in the waiting room. A mother and her son, who was cradling his very bent-out-of-shape arm. Ace had seen enough broken bones to know his most likely wasn’t. Definitely a bad sprain and based on how his shoulder sat, most likely dislocated. But not broken. In some ways, that was better. But it was gonna be killer when they popped his shoulder back into place. Ace knew from experience. She had a high pain tolerance. But, boy, did she scream bloody murder when Darry once had to do it to her.
A lady flipped idly through a magazine at the front desk. She had on scrubs, but no gloves. Most likely someone who could point them in the right direction, so Ace approached. “We’re looking for a patient who was recently checked in. Wondering if you might know where he’d be. Ponyboy Curtis.”
“I remember him. Hard to forget a name like that.” She chuckled, like his name amused her. But amusement was better than pity, which Ace would’ve gotten if Pony was announced dead on arrival, so that had to be a good sign. “They brought him in not too long ago. Room one fifty seven.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Ace nodded. She’s not sure why she did. She felt like a cowboy. All she was missing was the hat to tip.
The quiet was probably the worst. Sure, the overhead lighting took time for her eyes to adjust and was giving her a headache. However, she could hear nothing but the incessant beeping of heart monitors and that reminded her they were actively monitoring whether or not Ponyboy’s heart stopped. It was a dark thought.
There was a nurse who had dark bags under her eyes, standing outside Ponyboy’s room. Her shift had probably started hours ago and she was counting down the minutes until she could clock out. She looked up from the chart she was writing on when the four teens approached. “May I help you kids?” They weren’t kids, Ace wanted to correct. But it wasn’t the time.
“We’re here for Ponyboy,” Steve answered. “We’re friends of his.”
The nurse sighed, which Ace didn’t take as a good sign. “He’s asleep right now. Got a real bad fever, along with a concussion and a myriad of injuries from being jumped.” That must be what Darry told her to explain what the rumble left behind. “I can let family stay with him— his brother is already sitting inside— but no one else until he wakes up.”
“I’m his family, too. Sodapop Curtis.” She was studying him now, like she thought he may be lying. But Soda didn’t shrink from her interrogating eyes. “My older brother, Darrel, is in there right now. You can check with him.”
She breathed heavily out of her nose, probably too tired to be having to deal with a bunch of stupid “kids,” as she referred to them. But Ace was tired, too. And they probably had a hell of a worse night than her. “Fine.” The nurse left them to loiter in the hallway for a couple of seconds. Once she returned, she just nodded at Sodapop and held the door with strict instructions to not cause trouble. She probably wouldn’t have said that if they weren't very clearly Greasers. Not to mention, they were all covered in grim, bumps, and bruises. They screamed “trouble.”
“We’ll be in the lobby,” Ace added quickly, before Soda disappeared into the hospital void that was Ponyboy’s room. She could see Darry, hunched over in an uncomfortable plastic chair at the edge of Pony’s bed. He looked absolutely exhausted.
She didn’t realize she was staring until she felt a tug at her arm. Steve nodded his head in the direction they’d entered from. “Come on.”
Who did the run into when they rounded the corner? None other than Cherry Valance. Her red hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, more unkempt than she’d ever seen any Soc. The girl looked almost as tired as Ponyboy’s nurse. But she didn’t lose the friendly aura she always had. “Hi, Ace. How are you?” It was clear she knew what had happened, or at least had an idea of what they were going through. That much was obvious from the sad and pitiful smile she gave Ace.
“I’ve been better,” Ace answered, truthfully. There was no reason to try and save face or seem tough in the moment. She knew they all looked awful and not even a fool would believe her if she tried to brush off Cherry's concern.
Cherry walked over and put a gentle hand on Ace’s arm. Her comforting presence was almost enough to push Ace over the edge. But she didn’t let herself crack. “I’m really sorry about Johnny Cade.”
Ace scrunched her face. “How did you know?”
“I’ve been volunteering here for a little while now. Johnny was such a sweet boy, I found myself spending all my extra time in his room to just keep him company.”
“You did?” Cherry spending time with the person responsible for her ex-boyfriend’s death was not something Ace saw coming.
Cherry nodded with a sad smile. “The first time I stopped in, I don’t know what I expected— well, yes I do. I was expecting the man that killed Bob. And Johnny may have done it. But he wasn’t a murderer. He was just a boy. I couldn’t be angry at him. He was too nice, too innocent for what he experienced.” That was Johnny. Even in the worst pain of his life, he was still shining so bright that he could attract anyone to him. Ace wanted to laugh at the memories of his smile. But she couldn’t because if she did, she may just start crying.
She tried to think of a good response. But all she ended up with was “oh.”
“You don’t meet many of them— genuine, good fellas. He was a real special one.” Cherry hummed. “Are you all on your way out?”
“Nah. We’re gonna sit in the lobby,” Two-Bit replied. Those who didn’t know him well would hear the lightness in his voice and not know he was experiencing such emotional pain. But Ace knew him like the back of her hand. It was all a front. She could see the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’ll come by later and check on you guys once I’ve finished my rounds.” Cherry really was too good for the world. The same with Johnny. That’s probably why she’d enjoyed spending so much time with him. And why Marcia was her best friend. Despite how she was raised, she still turned out alright.
“Thanks, Cherry.”
There was nothing they could do except wait. Ace has never been a very patient person. She hated having to just sit by and do nothing. She was always up and about as a kid and when she got older, it somehow only got worse. Except Marcia. Marcia might be the only thing she’s ever been patient about… but that's probably just because she never imagined in a million years that she actually had a chance. If someone told freshman year Ace she would kiss Marcia in two years on the steps of the Curtis’ house, she might’ve called them crazy (and also questioned why the hell their first kiss happened at the Curtis’ of all places.)
Waiting for any news about Ponyboy seemed impossible. And yet, somehow, despite feeling like her mind might explode, she was still handling the not knowing better than either of her two friends. Patience was a skill none of them possessed. While Two-Bit had been quiet, in total shock from everything, she could see now he was starting to grow incredibly antsy. And by that, she meant his fidgeting was worse than the incessant beeping of various heart monitors and drove her up the walls.
“I swear, Two-Bit, I will start chopping off toes every time your foot taps the ground.” He stopped at Ace’s threat of violence. However, the moment of peace lasted all of ten seconds.
“Do you guys think he’ll-”
Steve glared. “Don’t say it.
“Come on. I can’t be the only one-”
“The kid is gonna be fine,” Steve snapped with a tone sharp enough to cut someone. “He’s like a cockroach. Got twenty seven lives or whatever. He’s impossible to get rid of. I should know. So don’t even think it. Savvy?”
“Sorry.” He wasn’t done speaking. He never was. “I don’t think Darry and Soda could handle it. I think one of them would blow like Dally did.” The frustrating part was that Two-Bit’s concerns were valid. He was saying what the other two were too afraid to think of. But their gang already lost so much. He said it best after Johnny died. They could handle any one of them going. But not the kid. He was a light. He held them together without even realizing it and everything dimmed once he was gone.
“I think I always knew he would, eventually.” Two-Bit was still talking about him. “Even Dally has a breaking point and this was it. But knowing that didn’t make any of this easier. It all still sucks.”
Steve wasn’t known for his ability to provide comfort. But this week, he’s become a real rock for the group, especially the way he looked after Sodapop throughout everything. It was a different side that Ace respected. She watched as Steve threw an arm around Two-Bit’s shoulder, despite how aggravated he’d gotten by the other’s incessant yapping, and leaned in to rest his head. He didn’t say anything. But his physical presence was helping hold Two-Bit together.
Two-Bit leaned back in his seat and, catching Ace completely off guard, started to laugh. It wasn’t full out, nothing like he’d give after Steve had successfully stolen a hubcap and outran the Socs’ who were trying to get it back. But he was still smiling and that made the other two crack as well. “That bastard. He’s so dramatic. Couldn’t just go quietly into the night. Had to make a whole show of it.”
“How do you reckon he’d feel about the fact the kid tried to one up him and make it about himself?” Steve asked.
Ace rolled her eyes. “He’d say something like ‘go pass out on your own time, would ya’.”
“Probably sulk in the corner for an hour. Make sure you knew he was unhappy,” Two-Bit added. “Or cause trouble to make himself feel better. I swear he got off on breaking the law.” The guy was in and out of jail so much, he probably had his own cell residency program. Send him right back to the same cozy home.
They did laugh. But it didn’t last long. Died out quickly. The tension was too heavy. It was like no amount of joy could hold up in comparison. Unsurprisingly, Two-Bit was the first to crumble, unable to stand the tension. Ace and Steve could probably sit in the uncomfortable silence and grieving thoughts for a little while longer before they needed a change of scenery. But Two-Bit was like Sodapop. Staying in one place didn’t work well.
“I think I’m gonna go for a walk. This place is too stuffy and I need some air.” Two-Bit stuffed his hands in his pocket and stood, letting the arm Steve had rested collapse.
“You want company?” Steve offered.
“Yeah, sure,” He replied with a shrug. He acted nonchalant with his answer. But his eyes had been begging for someone to join him. “How ‘bout you, Ace?”
It would probably do her some good to get out of the hospital. But the idea of leaving filled her stomach with dread. She’d never forgive herself if anything went wrong while they were out and she wasn’t there to help. She had to stay for the Curtis’. “I think I’ll hang here. They’re gonna have questions about Dally’s-” Ace froze. She couldn’t find it in herself to finish what she was originally going to say. Taking a shaky breath, she continued where she left off. “About Dally. I wanna be here to answer if they do. Darry and Sodapop got enough to worry about with Ponyboy.”
Steve looked like he wanted to argue with the way his brow furrowed. But he probably figured it wasn’t worth the fight, so he let her be. He stood from where he was sitting and looked down at Ace. “Take it easy, savvy? We’ll be back before you know it.”
“Don’t get yourselves thrown in county lockup.”
Ace swatted Two-Bit’s hand away. But he’d already succeeded in ruffling her hair. “No promises.”
“Well then, enjoy the stay because I ain’t bustin’ y’all out.”
“We’ll call you from cooler,” Two-Bit says as the two walk off. Ace hoped he was joking. But with those two… hard to say.
With her two friends gone, that left Ace alone in the lobby with the lady at the desk, the mother, and her son with the dislocated shoulder. Ace was bored. She thought she would be too anxious to be bored. But she was wrong. She felt like she had to do something to be productive and, while she put off doing it as long as she could, she decided she had to suck it up and go make the arrangements for Dally’s body.
He had no next of kin on any charts because of the nonexistent relationship he had with his parents. Ace wasn’t sure what the hospital would do without instructions and she hated that. She couldn’t just let the body of someone like a brother to her be buried in the dirt with an unmarked grave. Johnny’s parents were horrible. His father was an abusive man and his mother was almost as bad, except she weaponized words over fists. But they would have the last say and there was nothing Ace could do about it. What she did have a say in, though, was what happened to Dally.
“What can I do for you now, hon?” the lady asked before Ace could even say hello. She had her face buried in a magazine. But she must have the ears of a bat because Ace didn’t think her footsteps made that much noise.
“I’ve got a question about another patient, a different buddy brought in same time, I believe,” Ace paused and swallowed hard. “He passed.”
Great, there was that pitying stare that made Ace want to crumple to the ground and never move. “Heavens. I’m so sorry for your loss.” It was always unnerving when adults treated her like a child (even if she still was one). They see the dirt covered skin, unkempt hair, and ripped clothing and automatically know she’s hood. Hoods get nothing but suspicious stares and judgmental words from the town. But here she was, being pitied and showered with sympathy.
“Thank you. I was hoping I could be put down as the point of contact for his personal items and—… He doesn’t have any family. Just friends.” The lady nodded, understandingly. Probably wasn’t shocking to find out a hood kid didn’t have family.
“Of course, hon. What’s the name?” She then took off her glasses, slipping them on top of her hair, just to close the magazine because the moment she did, she put them back on to read a bunch of files full of cursive Ace couldn’t begin to decipher.
“Dallas Winston.”
The lady clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as her finger trailed down the chart. Once she paused, she squinted her eyes and leaned in real close, making Ace wonder what the point of the glasses were if she still couldn’t read the writing. “It appears I already have someone written in for his point of contact. Do you know a Darrel Curtis?”
Of course Darry would have beat her to it. The man would run himself ragged as long as it meant making sure the gang was taken care of. She doesn’t even know when he would’ve had time to arrange that considering she swore he never left Ponyboy’s side. But there was a reason they called him “Superman”, she supposed. “There wouldn’t be any possibility I could get that changed.”
“Not unless I get approval directly from Mr.Curtis to make that change.” Ace wanted to correct her that Mr.Curtis was dead and Darry would have a heart attack if he heard himself being referred to by his father’s name. But she supposed he was Mr.Curtis, too. He was an actual adult, afterall. As weird as that was to think about. An adult. But barely.
Ace knew Darry would never go for it, letting her take on the responsibility of Dally’s person. He’d argue that she was too young to have to worry about something like that. Too young to watch someone get flattened by a train, too. “Thank you for your help.”
“Anytime. I’ll be here if you have any other questions.” The lady gave her a once over. “Before you go, is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, I’m alright.”
The woman frowned. “Maybe I can have a nurse look you over?”
“That really isn’t necessary.” Ace hated being fussed over and she wanted to shrink under the lady’s gaze.
She sighed, slipping her glasses back atop her head, pushing all the wispy hairs out of her face. “I’m not gonna question what you kids were doing before coming here because that’s not my job. But you’re covered in black and blues and your shoulders have been sittin’ weird ever since you walked through that door.”
“I appreciate the concern, ma’am. But I’m fine. I don’t need no doctor to look me over.” Ace hated doctors more than she’d admit. They always tried to dig too deep into her personal life. He’d probably charge her an arm and a leg, too, just to tell her she sprained her shoulder during the rumble and to put ice on it. She didn’t need a medical professional to tell her what's wrong with her own body. She’d patch herself up later, once she didn’t feel so exhausted.
The lady at the front desk was very clearly satisfied with Ace’s stubborn answer. However the Greaser wasn’t gonna budge and she must have recognized that, admitting defeat by simply putting her glasses back on and resuming her magazine reading.
Ace went back to sit down, dropping to her chair like a ton of bricks. Now what? Half her reasoning for staying was to settle all affairs relating to Dally. But Darry took that away from her like the self-sacrificing big man he was. She could go home. But her house would be empty as her mother worked late hours and the idea of being alone filled her with intense dread. Not to mention, she’d just spend the whole time worrying about Ponyboy and be unable to fall asleep because what if he died in the night and she never got to say goodbye- Nope. Don’t think like that, Ace.
Ace missed Marcia. She wished the Soc (her girlfriend?) was there, keeping her company. She would have let Marcia fuss over her, even though she’d pretend she found it annoying.
Somehow, the stress was enough to convince her eyes to close when she got a little too comfortable with her head resting on her knuckle and elbow on the chair arm. Or maybe her body was just over exhausted from the rumble and everything that followed and shut down in protest.
A tall, somewhat familiar, but blurry man smiles at her with a warm expression. He towers over her little stature, but not in an intimidating way. He is a person that if she saw him walking down the sidewalk, she’d run straight into his arms and demand to be picked up. “I’ll see you tonight.”
But Ace doesn’t want him to leave. She is hysterical, screaming at him, begging him not to go. “You won’t come home!” She isn’t sure why she feels that way. But there’s a pit in her stomach and she’s certain that if he walks out that door, then he’s gone forever and she is terrified of that happening.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he repeats calmly, as if she isn’t having a complete breakdown right now in front of his very eyes. He straightens his tie and places a fedora atop his buzz cut.
Ace feels powerless, unable to do anything more than cry as she watches him complete the last step required to leave the house: putting on his suit jacket. “You can’t go! Please don’t leave me-”
But he walks out without even letting her say goodbye. And then everything goes black-