Krystal Curtis| Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade

The Call.

TW: DEATH

About five months later from the incident with the Socs, the same phone rang. Last time, it was the Socs trying to scare us. This time, it was someone different. But I'll tell you a little more first.

I was fifteen about to turn sixteen and Soda, Pony and I had just been dropped off at our house. Ever since the incident with the Socs, Darry has made sure that we had a ride home everyday. Anyway, when we got home, Pony and Soda immediately left the house.

"Me and Pony gotta meet some friends at the theater. We'll be back soon, maybe a few hours," Soda said, putting on a jacket.

"It's Pony and I," I said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye," Soda said with a smile and left.

"Bye K," Pony said, following.

I sat down at the table and started doing my homework. It was pretty hard stuff, but I didn't mind. First, I did my math and Spanish homework. Get my two hardest subjects out of the way. Then I worked on biology and history. Two subjects that I was pretty good at. And then I started my English essay. English is my favorite subject by far. Reading and writing is something Pony and I love. We read each other's books and correct each other's essays. All this homework took three hours. And the boys still weren't home.

At about 4:00, the phone rang loudly. I picked it up.

"Hello? Curtis residence," I said into the phone.

"Hello. This is Officer Derek Smith from the Tulsa Police Department. May I ask who I am speaking to?" A man asked.

"This is Krystal Curtis. Daughter of Mr and Mrs," I said.

"Is there an adult I can speak to?" He asked.

"My parents and older brother are at work now. Can I take a message?" I asked.

A moment of silence.

"May we send an officer down to your house? What time will your brother be home?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. His hours vary," I answered.

"Okay. We will be sending an officer down in the next ten minutes. Will YOU be home then?" He asked.

"Yes sir. May I ask what this is about?" I asked.

Another moment of silence.

"The officers will tell you everything you need to know," he responded.

That sent chills down my spine. "Sure. I'll be here," I said.

"Good. See you then. Goodbye," he said and hung up.

As soon as he did, I dialed the number for Darry's workplace. It rang three times and then someone picked up.

"Hello?" Ed, Darry's boss, said.

"Hi Ed, it's Krystal," I said into the phone.

"Hi Krystal. How's it going?" He asked.

"Good, thank you. Could you put Darry on the phone? It's very important," I said.

"No problem. Give me a second," he said.

I waited impatiently. I tapped my foot against the floor.

"Krystal? Is everything okay?" Darry suddenly said into the phone.

"Darry. Everything is okay but the police just called and they're sending an officer down to talk to us," I explained in a calm tone.

"Aw shit. Did one of the goons get in trouble again?" He asked.

"Probably. I just don't like talking to the fuzz alone," I said nervously.

"Okay. I'll be home in 15 minutes. Where are the knuckleheads?" He asked.

"They went to hangout with friends like three hours ago," I said.

"Okay. I'll see if I can pick them up. I'll be home soon okay?" He asked.

"Okay," I answered.

"I love you," he said.

"Love you too," I said and hung up.

I sat down on the couch and waited for either my brothers or the police to show up. About fifteen minutes later, I got my answer.

A loud knock sounded at the door. I got up and answered it. There were two police officers standing there.

"Krystal Curtis?" One of them asked.

I nodded. "None of my family is home yet," I said.

They looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"What's going on? Which one of my friends is in trouble?" I asked.

They looked at each other again and then took off their hats.

"Ms. Curtis. I'm afraid it's not your friends," he said.

My heart jumped to my throat. My first thought was my brothers.

"My brothers? Are they okay?" I asked.

"They're fine, Ms. Curtis. It's your parents," One of them said.

I stayed quiet for a moment. "My parents?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. I am sorry to be the person to tell you, but your parents were killed this afternoon," The officer said.

I remember almost everything that happened after that. I remember Darry, Pony, and Soda coming home and talking to the officers. I remember Soda crying until no more tears came, and I remember Pony locking himself in the bathroom. I can also remember the ringing in my ear from Darry's screams.

But most importantly, I remember the four of us not being able to sleep that night. We just sat in the living room and cried. We'd stop crying and then someone would start. The cycle kept repeating over and over.

One of the worst nights of my life