Time had moved on. It was hard, but the boys learned how to keep going on with their lives.
They knew it's what their three friends would've wanted.
Time went on, the seasons changed. The boys slowly grew older.
Darry missed the three members of the gang. It was hard for him to cope with the loss. He had always felt responsible for the safety of his friends, so the deaths he dealt with had torn him up. Although he was hurting, he still kept going on with his life. He still worried about the gang as always. He cared for them and he protected them, because he wanted to hold on to the people he still had.
Steve saw how Dallas and Y/n stuck together even though they were struggling from problems. It inspired him, and he eventually got back together with Evie.
Two-bit had graduated highschool. He did it for Y/n. Y/n had made him believe in himself. She made him believe that he really had potential. He continued to smile and laugh, because it's what Y/n would've wanted.
Thomas and Cherry stopped worrying about their labels. They stopped worrying about popularity and had instead dedicated their time to helping others. They befriended the kids who were going through a lot at home or didn't have anyone to turn to. They had seen the effects of what happens when people lose others and run out of people to turn to first hand. They saw the toll it had on Y/n when she was dealing with loss. For a while she had no idea who to turn to and it hurt her horribly. They didn't want anyone else to have to suffer that fate, so they helped everyone they could.
Robert was shocked to hear about what happened to the girl he had spent years with and her friends. He had surprisingly strong feelings about it. He had started a movement and fought to make it so greasers weren't treated so horribly by cops. Cops had always been extra harsh with people who were poor, and he wanted to put an end to it. People got killed over it and Robert didn't want to stand for that anymore.
Randy cut off all of his mean soc friends and isolated himself from all of the socs except for Thomas and Cherry. He began talking to the same kids as Cherry and Thomas, the ones who were in need of genuine friends. They created a solid friend group and believe it or not, they all eventually dropped their labels of soc or greaser and became hippies. (Randy becomes a hippie in that was then, this is now so I thought it was a nice detail to add)
Eventually, greasers and socs didn't even exist anymore. People were just plain, ordinary people. Johnny, Dallas, and Y/n had shown what labels could do to people. How destructive they could be.
And Ponyboy? He kept his friends's stories alive. He wrote about it, he told people about it. He had spent most of his teenage years writing and rewriting the story of his friends, trying to include every single detail he could. When he grew up, he published it.
The book had become popular all over the world, and Ponyboy's question that had gnawed at him for years was finally answered.
Ponyboy had pictured hundreds and hundreds of boys living on the wrong sides of cities, boys with black eyes who jumped at their own shadows. Hundreds of boys who maybe watched sunsets and looked at stars and ached for something better. He could see boys going under street lights because they were mean and tough and hated the world, and it was too late to tell them that there was still good in it, and they wouldn't believe you if you did. He saw people who lost it all, who went from having everything to nothing, who in the end just wanted people who truly loved them.
He had always wondered if there was more people like Johnny, Dally, and Y/n out there. He wondered if there was people out there who were exactly like him even. Who all ached for the same thing, whether it be safety, no labels, hiding their emotions from the world, or validation. He wondered if there was people out there who longed for the things him and his friends wanted.
He had gotten thousand of letters from people who had read his books. Each one contained someone else's story, the way they related to a certain friend of his or how they ached for the same things as him and his friends. He had finally gotten his answer through the people who read his book and saw that there was so many people out there who related.
-
Now, Ponyboy was the last gang member left. He was old and grey, but his mind was still as young as ever. He had remembered all these years to stay gold and not lose his childlike wonder and his childhood hopes and dreams.
He stood in front of the old house of his. The Curtis house. He hadn't been here in years, but it still felt like home.
Darry had recently passed away, which left just Ponyboy. Darry had still lived in the house after all these years, he hadn't wanted to let go of this precious house even after Sodapop passed away in the Vietnam war and Ponyboy left for college.
Now, Ponyboy had returned to go through some of Darry's old belongings to see if there was anything he wanted to hold onto.
Ponyboy opened the rusty gate, making his way up the steps and he now stood in front of the old door.
He opened the screen door, and used his key to unlock the door. He entered the house and was shocked to find that it looked exactly as it had when he had lived here in his younger years.
Ponyboy wandered around, looking at the framed pictures in the house. That was one difference; Darry had put way more framed photos of the gang around the house.
Ponyboy picked up a framed photo of him and his two brothers with their parents. They looked so young and happy.
He spent time just carefully studying all of the pictures.
He found one from Two-bit's graduation. He had his arms slung around Steve and Sodapop, a huge grin on his face as he smiled at the camera. Ponyboy was standing in front of them, crouched down so everyone else in the picture was still visible.
Eventually, Ponyboy had found old boxes full of things that belonged to Darry. He was digging through a box when he found an old photo album that looked like it hadn't been touched in years.
Ponyboy opened it and saw pictures of him and his brothers when they were really little. He flipped through and saw pictures of the gang when they were a bit younger. As he continued flipping through the pages, it was like he saw the gang growing older before his eyes.
Once Ponyboy had made it to the last couple pages, Y/n was included in the pictures. There was the picture of Y/n and Sodapop sitting together on the steps, smiling at each other. He had remembered when he secretly took the picture and smiled to himself.
Then, he saw the picture of Y/n slow dancing with Two-bit. She was in the middle of laughing about something and she looked so genuine in the picture.
There was lots of pictures of her and Dallas, smiling at each other, completely unaware of the camera. They really were in love.
Finally, he looked at the last picture. It was a picture of the whole gang. Ponyboy wasn't in the picture, meaning he must've been the one that took it.
The gang was all in the very living room Ponyboy was sitting in now. They were all smiling at the camera. Y/n was sat between Two-bit and Dallas on the floor. Darry was sitting in his rocking chair. Johnny, Steve, and Sodapop were sitting on the couch.
Ponyboy recognized Y/n's DX outfit, something she had only ever worn at the Curtis house once. She had always gone home after work to change her clothes, except for one night. He realized this picture was taken the night of the rumble, right before Y/n had gone home to get ready for the rumble and change into her brother's letterman jacket.
The picture gave Ponyboy a certain feeling. It was bittersweet, really. It was the last picture of the whole gang together before everything changed.
Ponyboy set the photo album to the side, knowing he'd be taking it home. Then, his eyes landed on an old, worn book at the bottom of the box.
He picked it up, studying the book. The cover was slightly faded and covered in creases. The pages had turned yellow with time.
Ponyboy opened up the book and a piece of paper fell out. Intrigued, he reached for it and unfolded it.
Ponyboy, I asked the nurse to give you this book so you could finish it...
He didn't have to read anymore to know what it was. Tears pricked his eyes and he folded up the letter, slipping it into his pocket.
Ponyboy grabbed the photo album, heading for the door. He opened the door, but turned to take one last look at his house. The Curtis house.
He absorbed every little detail as best as he could, and then slipped out the door, taking all of the memories and nostalgia with him.
He would never forget the time he spent there, and he would never forget the stories of his friends.
wow. the end. I can't believe it's over, guys. I just want to apologise for such a sad ending, I tried to make it a little happy in this chapter, or bittersweet I should say. I just want you to know I love all of you guys and I want to thank you for all of your support from beginning to end.
I hope you liked this story.
thank you again :')