♡ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴀʏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ♡

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I thought I was alone until I got closer to the park, revealing two figures on top of the jungle gym taking long drags from their cigarettes. The angle of the streetlight only let me see the tops of their heads and a little bit of their shirts, but that was enough for me to know who it was.

Ponyboy and Johnny.

I rushed towards them, a million thoughts running through my mind. What were they doing at the park, smoking, at two in the morning? I started to get angry, but calmed myself, thinking that there must have been a good reason. But what good reason was there?

When I approached them, they turned their heads to look at me. They came down from the jungle gym, shivering.

"What on earth are you two doing out here? Do you know what time it is?" I said, my voice coming out in angry bursts. I never spoke like this, not with Ponyboy or Johnny. Not with anybody. I was shocked at myself.

They said nothing. Johnny just drove the toe of his shoe into the grass and Pony took a long drag from his cigarette. They were shaking like chimes in an earthquake.

"It's two in the morning, for your information. You two aren't planning on sleeping out here, are you?"

Pony tossed the butt of his cigarette on the ground and smashed it with his heel. He took a deep, quivering breath, and then I knew something was wrong. He opened his mouth to say something before breaking down into tears. My stomach dropped and my mind went to the worst, thinking someone was hurt real bad.

I dropped my purse and gently put my hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Pony?"

"Darry hit me," he whimpered, "I came home late and he got mad and he..." he sobbed, "he hit me. He hit me..."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Darry hit Pony? Sure, they had bad fights, but I never thought Darry would hit him. Never.

"He—what?" I finally sputtered out.

Pony just looked at me, the streetlight glinting off of his teary eyes. They were so full of fear, confusion, anger, betrayal...

I remember how I felt the first time Jonathan hit me. It was a different kind of hurt I had never felt before, a feeling of a part of your foundation being ripped out from underneath you. A feeling that, now, one of the only things you thought you could trust wasn't trustworthy anymore. I almost bawled. I hated that Pony felt that way—I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. It breaks you.

I just stood there, trying to process it all before I finally broke out of my daze and picked up my purse. I sighed. "Let's just go home."

The two of them silently followed me down the sidewalks. When we approached the house, all of the lights were on.

Ponyboy rubbed his arms as he walked up the steps, and I knew it wasn't just because he was cold.

Before we walked in, I peeked through the window to see Darry and Soda sitting on the couch. Darry leaned his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands while Soda sat next to him silently, staring at the floor in front of him, his face solemn and his eyes glazed over. I had never seen Soda like this. It scared me.

I opened the door and they both looked up. Darry shot up and dashed towards Ponyboy, who flinched before Darry wrapped him in a hug tighter than I've seen him hug anybody.

"I'm sorry, Ponyboy, I'm so sorry..." he sobbed, gripping Pony as if his life depended on it.

When he finally let him go, Pony just stood there. Darry looked at me as if asking for help, but he got himself in this situation.

"You hit him, Darry?" I asked quietly, confused anger slowly building up inside of me.

Darry stood there silently, his hands anxiously balling in and out of fists.

I wanted to yell, scream at them, saying is this how we're gonna live? What would Mom and Dad say? But I didn't. I just shook my head and let out a bitter chuckle. "Y'all figure this out, I'm too tired for this. I'm going to bed."

And with that, I retreated to my bedroom and shut the door. As I got ready for bed, I listened to them talk.

"You really did hit him, huh, Darry?" Johnny asked, his voice quiet and slightly bitter.

They always say silence is the loudest sound. I never knew what they meant until now.

Finally, I heard Soda's voice. "Come on, Pony, let's go to bed." Then I heard footsteps go up the stairs. After what seemed like forever, I heard Darry's bedroom door open and close, and the house was once again silent.

I fell asleep instantly.

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Okay, so this story is REALLY blowing up and it is blowing my mind. I'm getting like 20 views everyday which is really unusual for me.

SO that being said, I will thank you all by doing my best to put out chapters faster, if school work allows it of course.

Love y'all. Stay gold.