Dally's Baby Sister//Ponyboy Curtis

Eight//Somewhere, Someday

AMELIA

I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED of leaving Tulsa. Whether it be going to college, or becoming a gypsy, or becoming a struggling musician, I just wanted to get out. I hated New York. The people there were mean and nasty. I thought that life would be so much easier if I just ran away. You know, packing up all of the things you need, saying goodbye to the people you love that you can't take with you, taking all the money you've saved up and buying a train ticket to go somewhere—anywhere but where you already are—and meeting new people so you have so many stories to tell.

I knew that's what Dallas had always wanted. He wanted to live in a place without the fuzz chasing after him, without nasty headlines about him, without any worries about getting blamed for something he didn't do. He's never had to tell me. He knew that that's what I've wanted too. We don't usually think alike, but when it comes to running away, we have the same exact idea.

I've wanted to run away to Las Vegas my entire life. I don't really know why Vegas, though. I guess it's the pretty lights and the sounds and the movie stars—all of the things that I knew I could never be, see, or have. Soda belongs in Las Vegas, though. He has a pretty face and he could go anywhere, because he was fearless. I wish I could be that—fearless.

"Hey, Amelia, Dally's getting released from the hospital tomorrow. Wanna go see him before they take him off?" Two-Bit asked me at the dinner table. We were in the middle of conversation over dinner and I had just finished my homework.

I remembered Dally's release date. I had marked it all over the place and I kept counting the number of days. Ponyboy got better and he's going back to school tomorrow, so Darry told me that I could stay over there now. I decided to stay over just two more days so that Mrs. Mathews didn't feel like she was being used. I told her that I appreciated the hospitality and told her that Darry is offering me to stay with him and his brothers. Mrs. Mathews didn't object to my decision. Made me feel better about leaving her. At least Two-Bit could finally get his room back.

"Yeah. I'll be sure to wear something nice. When's his trial?" I asked. Two-Bit pursed his lips, thinking before giving me an answer.

"Well, they're taking him into jail for three days until they get the trial started. If Dally loses the case, they'll put him in prison the following afternoon. If Dally wins the case, he's gonna take you somewhere until he gets his own place. He's probably gonna keep you at the Curtis house and he'll probably stay at Buck's. Either way, he's gonna get his own place for you two to stay. I know for sure," he told me. I nodded. Dally was always super keen on getting a place for the both of us to stay. He used to talk about it all the time back in New York.

"Somehow," I sighed. "Someday."

Two-Bit let out a chuckle as he finished his chicken. I had finished before he did, so when he finished, I reminded him to throw away the bones and rinse his plate off. I've been trying to get Two-Bit into better habits. I told him his mom would really appreciate it if he started doing all of this by himself. It took a couple of days, but he started to get the hang of it.

"Hey, let's go over to the Curtis'. Ponyboy's probably been waiting to see you again," Two-Bit said, wiggling his eyebrows as if giving me a hint. I laughed and agreed to go over there with him to visit the Curtis boys.

—🖤—

"PONY, AMELIA'S HERE," Dally yelled as soon as he answered the door. Pony came running from the kitchen as soon as Darry yelled my name. He ran up to me and wrapped his arms around me, making me stumble back.