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I knew it was a bad idea to go to the park this late. But when I saw the panicked look on Ponyboy's face, I knew he needed to run somewhere. To find that escape. I’ve felt it a bit too many times. And then everything just went wrong from there.
“You guys know what greasers are?” Bob spit out. “White trash with long greasy hair.” Bob swigs the tainted drink at us. This is all going wrong. Ponyboy takes a breath.
“You know what a Soc is?” I glare at Ponyboy. He was always a little bit too reckless.
“What?” Bob draws out the word laced with poison and evil.
“White trash with mustangs and madras.” Pony spits at them, and before I know it, the Socs start charging. They have the rings. We’re going to die. We’re gonna-
“Stop moving!” One of the guys yells. I whimper as he starts to try to slug me. I move my head to try to evade his hand from making contact with my face, but I realize there’s three of them and one of me.
“Ponyboy!” I cry out. They try to shut me up by shoving something in my mouth, I'm guessing a shirt. This is getting so bad. I manage to look to the side for a split second and see Ponyboy getting drowned in the fountain. They keep pushing his head up and down into the water, and I can see his grip on the fountain slowly loosening. I immediately start trying to wiggle away from them to get to Pony. I need to get to Pony. I hear him cry out, and then a yell from someone else. Randy.
“Bob, stop! You’re gonna drown him!” I feel one of the Socs grasp loosen, and start crawling away from them the moment I can.
“That’s what he deserves!” Bob musters out. I catch a glance of Ponyboy flailing and moving sluggishly against the water. One of the Socs grabs me and suddenly I’m back against their hot sweaty bodies. I want to get out of this hell hole.
“Bob, we can’t go to prison!”
“Who cares Randy! Enjoy the fucking ride!” He sounds like a crazy person as he keeps banging Ponyboy against the fountain. And then there’s Randy starting to push Bob away from Ponyboy, trying to give him a chance. A chance to run. The other Socs start panicking and let me go. When I turn my head, I don’t see Bob and Randy tackling each other. I see Bob aiming a gun at Ponyboy. One second I’m teaching Ponyboy how to grease his hair, and the second, there's a bullet in his stomach. I hear Randy cry out, and then Bob starts breathing louder.
“What the hell did you do?” Randy sobs, his voice cracking. Bob shakes his head frantically, the other Socs backing up. Bob runs, and the socs run with him. Except Randy. I run towards Ponyboy before he falls to the ground, catching him in my arms. He’s swaying, and his face is sagging. I stare at Randy with fear in my glossy eyes. He puts his hands up, and takes off his jacket, throwing it towards us.
“Wrap it around him. It’ll slow down the bleeding.” Before I can respond, he runs. I look at Ponyboy, who’s making these small sounds that sound like the only thing he can manage right now. I lean him more against me, and start wrapping Randy’s jacket around his stomach where the gunshot was. When I tighten the knot, he winces and tries to back away from me. It’s like his reactions are delayed. I grab his hand and try to guide him to his house. I need Darry, or Soda, or anybody. Ponyboy starts falling forward, making me catch him. I start sobbing. I look at my palms, colored with blood. Ponyboys blood.
“Darry!” I yell, my voice cracking. “Darry please!” I’m screaming now. Ponyboy’s barely moving anymore. His feet are trailing on the ground, and his mouth is foamy. I keep screaming as I try to drag Ponyboy to the Curtis house. Pony’s knees buckle a bit and I just do down to the floor with him. Randy’s jacket is starting to get soaked. “Ponyboy, we have to keep moving. We need to keep moving.” I whisper to him, trying to get him back up.
“Am I gonna die Johnny?” He mumbles, his words slurring. I choke back a sob.
“No. Never in a billion years.” Please let that be true. Pony nods, and I try my best to get him back up. Pony doesn’t really walk, and I’m still trying to figure out how to get him to the Curtis house. I start bawling, screaming peoples names. “Soda! Steve! Anybody!” Pony stops moving, and I almost give up.
“Dally!” Ponyboy mutters. I look over and see Dally rushing over. He arrives next to my side, takes one look at us, and almost throws up.
“Holy shit what happened?!” He breathes out. I try my best to stop my tears.
“We got in trouble with the Socs, and they started fighting us, and then the guy with the rings shot Pones.” I sob. Dally makes this frowning face that tears at my heart strings, and he immediately starts helping me get Pony to the Curtises. We wobble there, and when we get to the start of the street, I notice Darry sitting on the front porch. I stop walking, and scream. “Darry! Help!” He immediately looks over, and I can see the terror in his face for a second before he runs to us. He grabs Ponyboy, avoiding the gunshot wound, cradling the back of his head. He starts sobbing, begging for Soda. Dally helps Ponyboy get inside with much less urgency than the mourning Darry. Soda, Steve and Two-Bit are there. The minute they see Ponyboy, things just explode. Two-Bit and Dally run to try to find the first aid kit and something to stop the bleeding, muttering curses under their breath, while Steve tries to get car keys. I highly doubt we would get to the hospital in time for Pony to still be alive though, and by the look Dally gives him, he realizes that too. Soda hugs Ponyboy so hard I’m scared he’s making it worse, fitting Ponyboy’s head into the crook of his neck while he bawls into the back of his neck. Darrel cradles his head, hugging both of them. I’m still staring at the blood on my hands before I hear Ponyboy’s voice again.
“I’m sorry.” He croaks out. Darry shakes his head frantically.
“You didn’t do anything.” He weeps. Soda nods in agreement.
“You’re my little baby.” He smiles sadly with his eyes glossy and sparkling. “You know Mama let me name you right?” He coos softly, trying to savor Ponyboy. Darry laughs softly.
“Soda always wanted a horse when he was little, you were the closest thing to one I guess.”
“That makes a lot of sense now.” Ponyboy groans. They start laughing while Soda gently guides Ponyboy to the couch. Darry sits down on the couch facing the other end of the couch, and Soda helps Ponyboy lay down with his head in Darry’s lap while he sits under Ponyboy’s feet. Randy’s jacket is stained red with blood as Steve slowly pulls it off him. Pony bawls, wrapping his arms around him. I try to comfort him, rubbing his shoulder. Dally and Two-Bit finally find towels and loads of things to try to stop the bleeding. Dally takes one look at the gunshot and gags. Two-Bit does the same thing and tries to press the towels against the wound as fast as he can. It turns red so fast my head spins. I can see Soda look so lost, staring at his dying brother. Darry turns to me, his eyes pleading.
“What happened?” He whimpers. I gulp.
“The socs jumped us, and then one of the guys that jumped me last time was drowning Ponyboy, and then he shot him.” I stammer. Soda makes this sort of inhumane noise that makes me regret saying anything in the first place. Ponyboy’s head falls forward, catching everyone’s attention. He starts coughing violently, coughing up blood. Darry grabs Pony around his chest, trying to get him to stop. Dally gets Pony to sit up, trying to stop him from coughing out too much blood. At some point, Pony stops and lies back against Darry, making everyone release the breath they were subconsciously holding.
“I think I'm gonna die.” Pony coughs out. Everybody stares at Ponyboy, who's leaning against Darry, and only being held together by the couch and Darrel’s chest. Steve starts crying.
“Don’t say that! Please don't say that.” He sobs. But when everybody looks at Ponyboy, who's staining the couch red, and who cannot breathe correctly without wheezing, we know he's right. And it makes everybody go ten times more hysterical. I go over to Ponyboy and just squeeze his hand really hard, connecting my forehead with his hands.
“I love you so much Pones.” I whisper-sob. “You’re my best friend, no matter what happens.” Ponyboy sniffles, and makes a tight-lipped smile. Steve goes up to him and takes a shaky breath.
“You’re not so bad off Horseman.” Steve chuckles heartbreakingly. “I’m sorry.” He croaks. Ponyboy shakes his head.
“Don’t say that. You make Soda happy. So I’m happy.” Soda in question lets out a sob and tries to hide his face, but it’s obvious he's ugly crying. Two-Bit waddles over, looking like somebody just tore the ever living life out of him.
“You’re so amazing Pony. You make all of us just a little bit brighter every single time we look at ya Pones. Don't ever lose that charm.” His voice cracks at the end, and he just sits down leaning against the couch, looking like nothing could ever fix him. Which could go for almost everybody right now. Everyone looks at Dally, who's crying so hard it doesn't seem like Dally. Dally looks Ponyboy straight in the eyes and just starts sobbing.
“Thats not fair man.” He blubbers. Everybody stays silent while Dally tries to get his words out. At some point Dally seems to calm down a bit, and he takes a deep breath. “Life isn't fair, man. You were too good for this world.” Dally never got emotional. He got mad, or defensive, or vengeful. So this surprised everybody a little more than they would have liked to admit.
“You’ll be in Heaven with Mama and Dad, Pones.” Soda whispers. Soda grabs his hands and holds them for as long as he possibly can. “I love you so much. Forever and always.” He chokes out. Darry nods.
“You’re our pride and joy.” Darry adds. Suddenly, I remembered something. I run into Ponyboy’s room and search frantically for the paper. I finally find it and race back to the living room where Ponyboy’s barely conscious, lying against Darry, barely breathing.
‘What was that all about?” Steve chuckles.
“It’s Pony’s favorite poem.” I mutter. Everybody collectively takes in a breath. “I was thinking we could um, read it to him?” There's a pause before Darry speaks.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Darry speaks softly. “Why don't you read it Johnny?” I stammer, but end up agreeing anyway. Before I can speak, Pony mumbles something.
“Darry I don't hate you. I didn't mean it.” Nobody speaks for a bit until Darry sobs quietly.
“I know baby, I know.” After a small silence, I take in a shaky breath and start speaking.
“Natures first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.”
When I finish the poem, I turn to see Pony’s hand that was holding Soda’s is slowly slipping. Everybody's staring at their hands. And when Pony’s hand completely falls, it feels like the world stopped spinning for a moment. And when it continued spinning, it was spinning the wrong way. Darry started sobbing and hiccuping while playing Ponyboys hair, and Soda was wailing loudly. Two-Bit and Steve were bawling too, trying to find comfort in each other. Dally came up to me and wrapped his arms around me, softly crying. I looked at my hands that were still red, and thought about washing away the red. Washing away the one thing that held so many of us together. Ruined by one thing that dug so deep that it dug through other people.The world would never spin the same after the bullet killed the one person that kept me spinning. All of us spinning.