"YOU GOT EVERYTHING, Dre?"
"I ain't have much to begin with, anyways."
Carrots let out a snort, grabbing my hands as he lifted me off of the hospital bed.
"And you're sure you're okay to leave?" he questioned, his ginger eyebrows furrowing in doubt.
I rolled my eyes, nodding my head before slipping a cloudy blue jacket that Carrots had let me borrow over my bandaged arms. "I'm fine, the hospital wouldn't let me out if I wasn't, idiot."
"I seriously doubt that, they're probably letting you because of financial reasons-"
I turned to him with a glare. "Just shut up."
Carrots held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, sorry for caring about your well-being."
I punched him in the shoulder before walking towards the door to the hospital room, taking a deep breath as I stepped outside into the hallway. I turned back and looked over my shoulder at Carrots.
"Think they'll let me see 'em?" I questioned with a hopeful look.
He shrugged, walking up to me. "I don't know, I'm not sure if they're allowing anyone."
I sighed. "Not even Dallas?"
Carrots squinted his eyes in concentration. "Maybe, he'll probably be, uh, what's a nice way to put this-"
"Violent?" I suggested with a small smile.
"That's one word." Carrots chuckled with a slight nod.
I looked back towards the hallway and bit my bottom lip. "Did they let Pony go home?"
"Yeah, yesterday, I think," Frank answered. "He was in here the entire time you were unconscious. Darrel and Soda had to practically drag him out of the hospital."
I let out a small laugh, feeling my heart rate speed up a bit at the thought.
Carrots narrowed his eyes at me, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "I know that face."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What face... ?"
"That one." He pointed at me, his smirk growing. "You like Pony."
My eye widened in surprise, my breath hitching in my throat. "Wh-what?"
"You do, admit it!" Carrots exclaimed.
"What are talking about-"
"You do! And you have since 8th grade!"
I stared at Carrots in shock, my mouth agape as he looked at me expectantly.
"You're not saying anythinggg," he teased. "Andrea (L/N) has a crush on Ponyboy Curtis!"
"Hey!" I shouted, harshly clamping my hand over Carrots mouth. "Are you naturally an idiot or do you do this on purpose?"
He mumbled something, swiping his tongue across the palm of my hand, causing me pull it away in disgust. I aggressively wiped it on my jeans, rolling my eyes.
Carrots cleared his throat before the same smirk from earlier rolled onto his lips. "I said that you're the idiot here."
"I said that you're the idiot here," I mimicked in a high pitched voice, pushing Carrots' face away as I made my way further down the hallway towards the receptionist desk.
"You didn't deny it!" Carrots shouted after me, quickly scrambling after me.
I rolled my eyes, replacing my annoyed expression with a small smile as I approached the desk. "Hi, um, which room would Dallas Winston be in?"
The lady checked a list in front of her, flipping a page up. "Room 146."
"Thank you."
She nodded as I walked away, passing by Carrots as I grabbed his wrist and dragged him along behind me. I counted the rooms we passed, my nerves increasingly getting worse as we got closer to 146.
144, 145... and 146.
I stood on front if the door, taking a deep breath before turning my head to look at Carrots. "Stay here."
"What, why?" the red head questioned with furrowed eyebrows.
"Dally doesn't really, uh, like you," I stuttered out.
"What?"
"Yeah, sorry, can't be helped." I dramatically lifted my shoulders and shrugged, turning the handle to Dally's room before stepping inside.
He laid on the bed in the middle of the room, the white hospital blanket draped over his bare chest as he slept. My breath hitched, not used to seeing Dally in such a predicament. I quietly made my way to the side of the bed, leaning over to press a small kiss onto his forehead.
"See you, Dal," I whispered, a small smile making it's way onto my lips as I left his room, softly closing the door behind me.
"Aw, that was so-"
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes, walking past Carrots as he threw his hands up in exasperation.
"What did I do?!" he exclaimed.
"Just shush!"
—
After I had checked out of the hospital, Carrots and me made our way through our neighborhood.
We took a longer path to avoid the risk of coming into contact with any Socs, and made it home.
One of the nurses (sadly, Andrea had been given the night shift so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye) had given me a bag of bandages and ointment, along with instructions on how to properly treat my burns.
I walked Carrots to his house, hugging him as a "thank you" for helping me in the hospital. He walked inside as I turned around, staring at the Curtis house across the street.
I made my way over, stepping onto the porch as I heard the sound of whistling coming from inside.
I smiled, yanking open the screen door before setting down my bag of medical supplies on the floor besides me.
"Hello?" I called out, excitedly walking past the couch of the Curtis house and towards the kitchen.
The whistling ceased, a blonde head of hair poking around the corner as I was met with the confused face of Ponyboy.
His eyes lit up, a grin etching its way onto his lips as his eyes rested on me standing in front of him.
Pony wasted no time in rushing towards me, throwing his arms around my torso before hoisting me into the air.
I laughed as he spun me around, wrapping my legs around his waist as he stopped spinning and held me up.
"Hey," Pony greeted with a cheeky smile.
"Hi," I replied, carefully resting my bandaged arms around his neck.
We just stared at each other with smiles resting on our lips, overjoyed to be able to finally see each other without being inside of a hospital.
"How've y'been?" I questioned, fiddling with the bleached hairs on the nape of Pony's neck.
He let out a small laugh, gently placing me back onto my feet. "Couldn't be better, you?"
"Life's kicking my ass, but I'll get through it. I'm a tough greaser."
Ponyboy smiled again before his eyebrows furrowed, noticing my bandaged hands peaking out through my jacket.
He carefully picked up my hand, running his thumb over my lightly scarred knuckles. "Jeez."
"It's not as bad a it looks," I reassured, flexing my fingers a bit to show him that I was okay. "See? Perfectly fine."
The blonde boy didn't look convinced, but he nodded nonetheless before gesturing behind him. "I'm makin' breakfast, want some?"
"Boy, do I ever." I nodded, sighing. "I forgot what real food tastes like."
Pony chuckled before wrapping his arms around me one last time, burying his face into the crook of my neck. "I'm so glad you're okay."
I smiled softly, placing a hand in the back of his head and wrapping my other around his torso. "And I'm glad you're okay."
We broke away from the hug, Pony moving back over to the stove to continue cooking as I took a seat at the table.
I brought my leg up to rest on the chair, fiddling with the laces of my PF Flyers before hearing the sound of footsteps approaching the front door.
"Anybody home?" A loud voice exclaimed, peeling open the door.
"Yeah, in here," Pony answered back, cracking an egg into a pan. "Don't slam the door."
The person ignored his command as the door loudly slammed shut, causing me to lean forward to see who was there. I smiled as the figures of Two-Bit and Steve entered, their eyes widening as they noticed me.
Smiles immediately broke out onto their faces as they ran towards Pony and I, Two-Bit lifting me up from my seat and spinning me around.
I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck as he smothered kisses onto my face and head.
"Gross, your lips are wet!" I laughed, playfully pushing his face away.
Two-Bit put me down and ran at Pony, lifting him up in a back hug before spinning him around.
The action made the eggs that Pony was cooking fly out of the pan he was holding, plopping onto the floor, along with knocking a spoon off of the counter.
"Ponyboy Curtis!" Two yelled, laughing loudly as Pony shouted out in protest about his eggs.
Steve came from around the corner and wrapped his arms around the two boys, squeezing them into a quick and aggressive hug before making his way over to me. I smiled at him, opening my arms as he pulled me into his chest.
"Hey, Steve." I chuckled.
"Hey, Dre." He smiled, rubbing my head before turning around back to Pony.
"Look at the blonde-headed monkey!" Two-Bit exclaimed, a cackle leaving his throat as he yanked open the door to the fridge and fished out a beer. "Oh, and Andrea just became Andre!"
I rolled my eyes, running a hand through my newly cut hair.
Wonder how long it'll take for them to leave me alone.
"I wouldn't have believed it, if I didn't see that in the paper, there," Steve commented, pulling out the newspaper he had stuffed into the front of his jeans. "Hey, tell me, guys. What's is like being heroes, huh?"
"What?" I questioned, moving next to Pony as Steve handed him the paper.
"A hero, man," Steve answered. "You know, like a- like a big shot, even."
I stared at the article in Pony's hands, wincing at the photo of myself they had printed.
"They couldn't have used a better picture... ?" I mumbled to myself, skimming through the page.
"I think you look really pretty," Pony mumbled, glancing at me before directing his attention back on the newspaper.
I smiled a bit. "Thanks."
He nodded, his face blooming into a light shade of pink.
"What I like is the 'turn hero' bit there," Two commented, taking a sip of his beer.
I read a bit further, widening my eyes at the words printed into the article. "They're charging Johnny with manslaughter?"
"What do they mean 'if he recovers'?" Pony questioned, slapping the newspaper.
"Also says how you guys saved them kids," Steve revealed, throwing a piece of bread into his mouth. "Had they burned to death hadn't been for you."
"Dallas'll be mad when he hears they didn't even mention his police record," Two-Bit joked.
"Ain't that true," Steve agreed as he walked back towards the living room.
"... It's all about us," Pony stated, glancing up at me in awe. "Darry, me, and Soda."
He paused, looking back down at the article. "They're thinkin' 'bout putting me and Soda in a boys' home? No way, they ain't putting me in a boys' home."
"Oh, hell, Ponyboy, they don't do that to heroes," Steve teased. "Now, uh, where is Soda and Super-Dope, anyhow?"
I picked up the paper from the table as Pony threw it down and walked into the bathroom.
Soda stepped out of the shower and Darry had said something to Steve, but I wasn't really playing attention as I skimmed over some of the article.
My gaze came to a stop at my name, the paragraph titled "Foster Mother Arrested." I read the text, my breath hitching in my throat as I furrowed my eyebrows, running a hand through my hair.
"My foster mom was arrested?"
The boys all halted what the were doing and turned to me, their eyes staring in sympathy.
Pony furrowed his eyebrows. "She was?"
I nodded, letting out a breath. "For 'child neglect'. Guess word got out that she never took care of me and Chris."
I threw the paper back down on the table and walked into the living room, passing by the boys as I made my way to the porch.
Pony followed me, silently standing behind me as I took a seat on the stairs. I ran a hand through my hair, resting my elbows on my knees and sighed.
"You okay?" Ponyboy questioned, slowly shuffling to sit next me.
I nodded, staring out at the road as a rusty Studebaker Lark drove by. "I'm fine."
He stared at his shoes, digging his heel into the old stairs before turning to look at me. "You know, it's okay to not be fine."
I bit the inside of my cheek, shaking my head. "Really, I'm fine. She didn't care about me, why should I care about her?"
"I ain't saying you should care," the blonde boy responded. "I'm just sayin' that it's okay if you do."
I huffed, burying my face into my arms. "I don't wanna care... she was terrible."
"I know." Pony nodded, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
Sighing, I leaned closer into Pony, feeling heat rush to my face as he leaned his head on top of mine.
"On the bright side," he started, rubbing my arm, "at least you can get away from her."
"I was never really with her, in the first place." I laughed lightly. "But, I guess you're right."
Pony chuckled, breaking away from our embrace as he stood up. He grabbed my hands, helping me stand before tucking a short strand of hair behind my ear.
"Pony! Dre!" Darry called from inside, making the two of us turn to the door.
We headed back inside, my hands lightly clenching into fists as Darry approached us. The broad man looked down, noticing my tenseness and sighed.
"Dre, I-I'm real sorry," he stuttered out, looking down at the floor before bringing his head back up. "I have no idea what came over me that day- and I-"
I cut off Darry by wrapping him in a hug, his breathing hitching before he slowly wrapped his arms around me.
I looked up at him and gave a small smile. "It's okay, we all did things we regretted that night."
He let out a small chuckle and nodded patting my back before letting me go. "You know, I hate to leave you guys here. Maybe I oughta take the day off."
"We'll be okay, we've got each other," I reassured.
"Besides, we can't afford it," Pony added, tucking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.
"Yeah, but I- you know, I really oughta stay-"
"Don't worry 'bout it Darry, I'll babysit 'em," Two-Bit commented, not moving his eyes from the TV. "Make sure Dre don't end up pregnant."
Pony turned to him and slapped the boy upside his head, resulting in the two tumbling around the floor in a wrestling match.
I widened my eyes before shaking my head, stepping over the two to head into the kitchen.
I opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. It was almost empty, so I took a sip and walked back to the living room, stepping over Pony and Two once more before sitting on the couch.
"Keith, lay off." I chuckled, taking another sip.
"Yeah, Keith, lay off," Pony choked out, breathing hard as the Matthews released him from his chokehold.
"He ain't lookin' so good," Darry added, helping his younger brother off of the floor.
"And don't call me that," Two spat, pointing a threatening finger at Pony.
"Lazy bum," Pony mumbled back, earning a light laugh from me.
Darry and Pony had a small conversation involving skinning each other, Pony moving to sit next to me on the couch.
"Hey, say hi to Johnny," Darry called out, earing nods and words of agreement from the three of us.
"Later, guys," Soda mumbled before leaving with Steve and Darry for work.
"Come on, we gotta clean up the house," Pony ordered, walking over to the dinning room table. "Cops and reporters are gonna come by and, besides, it's time for the people from the state to check on us."
"Shoot, this house ain't messy," Two-Bit commented, moving to stand next to Pony. "You ought to see my house."
"Oh, we have," I replied, walking over to the two before picking up a plate of biscuits from the table. "And if you had the sense of a billy goat, you'd start cleaning your house instead of bumming around all of ours."
"Shoot, kid, if I ever did that, my mom would die of shock," he joked, picking up the plate of chocolate cake before heading back to the living room, taking a swing of his beer after plopping himself down in front of the TV.
"Thanks for helping, you ass!" I called back to him, moving to help Pony with the dishes as Two-Bit shouted back, "Anytime!"
I shook my head with a small smile, looking over to Pony who rolled his eyes. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. "I say we lock him out."
Pony laughed and nodded. "I think that'd be better for everyone."
I chuckled, standing besides Pony before grabbing the sponge residing on the end of the sink.
"Hey," Pony started, glancing at me as I picked up a plate and started wiping it. "I'm glad you're okay."
I looked over at him with a smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Me too, Pone."
He smiled, his face turning a light shade of pink as he turned back to the sink.
"Quite being all lovey-dovey, I'm tryna watch Mickey!"
"Shut up, Two!"