For the 다음 few days, Ponyboy and I took turns 읽기 Gone With The Wind. It was a pretty good book. I should have went to see the movie with Johnny and Pony. And it passed a lot of time. I finally got used to our hair, even though I still hated mine. It was the same blond hair of many of Two-Bit's girlfriends. At least it's a little longer than I thought they would cut it. It was a few inches longer than my shoulders. But like I said, I still hated it. One 일 I woke up and saw Ponyboy walk outside. He went to smoke a cigarette. I followed along and started smoking too. It was before dawn and still dark. It was also cold. I knew what he came out here for. It wasn't to smoke a cigarette. It was a tradition we had. Every morning we didn't have school, Ponyboy and I would go out before dawn. We would wait for the sun to rise. Sometimes Sodapop tagged along too. I had almost forgotten. Johnny came out about a 분 after we had. Just in time. The sun was rising. It was especially pretty on 상단, 맨 위로 of a moutain. Johnny must have thought so too. "Golly, that sure was pretty. The mist is what was really pretty. All gold and silver. To bad it can't stay like that all the time." "Nothing gold can stay.", Ponyboy said. "What?", Johnny asked. "Nature's first green is gold. Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower. But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down today. Nothing gold can stay.", 조랑말 recited. "Where did 당신 learn that? That's what I meant." "Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I didn't know what he meant 의해 it.", 조랑말 explained. "You know", Johnny said, looking around, "I never noticed clouds and 색깔 and stuff 'til 당신 kept reminding me. It's like they didn't even exist in my world." "Well, I can't tell the rest of the gang stuff like that. Just 당신 two and Sodapop.", 조랑말 said. I smiled. "Maybe were different.", Johnny said. "Shoot kid, maybe they are", 조랑말 said laughing. I had to laugh too. We all burst into a fit of happy laughter. Not too loud, we didn't want anyone to know we were here. But loud enough to make me the most happy i've been in a long time. That night there was no laughter. We weren't even close to being the slightest bit happy. Johnny kept talking about how Two-Bit should have been in that little store. He could have swiped everything. Then Ponyboy started talking about how a few days we watched a movie with Dally. "Just a few days 이전 ol' Two-Bit was wisecracking when we were hanging out with 체리 and Marcia. Just a few days ago.." But Johnny cut him off. "Will 당신 shut up about a few days ago? I killed a kid a few days ago. He couldn't have been older than seventeen 또는 eighteen and I killed him!" He stopped for a moment, tears sliding down his face and onto his jacket. 조랑말 and I started crying to. It hurt to remember. "I didn't mean to. They were drowning you. They knocked Carli out. There sure is a lot of blood in people." Now there were oceans of tears streaming down our cheeks. We couldn't stop them from coming. "You know", Johnny continued, "This is my fault for bringing two thirteen 년 olds along with me. 당신 know 당신 two oughta get home. I mean 당신 guys didn't kill him." "No! We're fourteen and we've been fourteen for a month.", 조랑말 yelled. 의해 now our faces were dark red and soked. "I..I didn't mean it like that. Come on don't cry.", Johnny said real gently. But we couldn't stop. Neither could he. We kept crying and crying. I hadn't cried this much since Mom and Dad died. Soda, Pony, and I broke down crying. Darry just had this awful sad and helpless look on his face. We all cried ourselves to sleep. The 다음 morning, I woke up to someone puling on my hair. "Hey blondie, heh heh, wake up. 저기요 Johnny, 조랑말 wake up." I knew that voice. Who was it? When I sat up I knew. It was Dally! I never thought i'd be so happy to see him. I felt like running up and hugging him. But I didn't. We started shooting 질문 at him. "Are the fuzz after us? Do the boys know were here? How's Darry and Soda? Is it 안전한, 안전 to leave?" "Hey 저기요 hey, slow down one thing at a time. Are 당신 hungry? I'm starving man." "You're starving?", Johnny asked. I remembered the baloney and almost got sick. I hate baloney. "Hey I got a letter for Ponyboy and Carli Curtis." "A letter? From who?", 조랑말 asked. Who would send us a letter? Nobody knew where we were. "The President of The United States. It's from your brother, Soda." "Soda? But how did he..did 당신 tell..?", I asked, my mouth nearly touching the ground. "I told him I didn't know where 당신 were, but he didn't believe me. He wanted me to give 당신 guys that." I leaned over Ponyboy's shoulder and read the letter. "Ponyboy and Carli, I guess 당신 guys got into some trouble, huh? We went crazy when 당신 ran out. Then 당신 two and Johnny went missing. Darry is awful sorry he pushed you, Pony. 당신 know he din't mean it. Dally got hauled in the station. We were all scared something awful. I wish 당신 guys would turn yourselves in. But I guess Johnny could get hurt if 당신 do. We miss you. Darry is taking this awful hard. 당신 know he loves 당신 guys. Take care. Say hi to Johnny for us. Sodapop Curtis." I felt a tear trickle down my face. I blinked the rest back. It hurt to have them worry so much about us. "Why did 당신 get hauled in?", 조랑말 asked. "Them boys down at that station know me 의해 now. While I was there I kinda let it slip that 당신 guys were heading to Texas. So that's where they went. Texas man, Texas. Look at these two and thier hair man. Blondie, heh heh." I'm glad he thought it was funny. My face was red and I gave Dally such a look, I think it through him off guard. He just doesn't expect that from me. 또는 Johnny. "Come on let's go get something to eat man, i'm starving.", Dally said. "Ya let's go."
당신 were actually close to Soda. Danny played with Grace and Logan all the time. 당신 couldn’t even begin to imagine how they felt.
당신 hear the front door open. Darry was 집 now. 당신 take another deep breath, and sit at the 부엌, 주방 table.
Just breathe.
He walks into the kitchen. “Hey babe, what’s wrong?” He asks, setting down his wallet and keys.
당신 swallow. “I got a call.” Is all 당신 manage to say.
“About?” He asks, eyebrows raised.
“Soda’s dead.” 당신 blurt out.
The look on Darry’s face would haunt your memory for the rest of your life.
He just sat down on the floor in pure shock, mouth open, eyes wide.