Mean Socs ||Darry Curtis||

Chapter 22

Darry's POV:

You know that guy that said "It's better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all"? Yeah, well, he was wrong. So very wrong. I lost Elizabeth.... for the second time. I never expected it to hurt as much as it does. It hurts more now then it did the first time.

Elizabeth Ramsey-Curtis is the most amazing, perfect woman I've ever met. She's the only one I've ever been in love with, and probably the only one I ever will. I don't think I'll ever be able to get over her...

Will she be able to get over me? Is she already? I might never know. I don't even know how to live without her. She's been the one that was there for me when my parents died, when I had to help out with Pony and Soda, everything.

I guess I thought after we got together that we would just... stay together. It doesn't always work out like that.

At first I thought she was bluffing, I never thought she would leave. But that Elizabeth has a mind of her own...

I watched her storm off into the bedroom, and I went to go follow her, but Soda stopped me, saying that she was just trying to defend him, and there was no reason to get mad at her. He said I should give her some time to cool off.

But, when she came out of her room carrying a big suitcase stuffed with clothes, 10 minutes later, I knew she was serious.

"Bye, Darrel," She says coldly, not even looking me in the eye.

"Wait, Elizabeth. You can't go. You and Darry love each other," Ponyboy exclaims.

She gives him a sad smile before saying, "Sometimes love just isn't enough."

She hugs Ponyboy and kisses Soda's check before walking out, not forgetting to slam the door before. I stood there, frozen, with my eyes wide open and my eyes agape.

"No..." I whispered to myself.

"No, this can't be happening." I feel my heart breaking from inside of me. There's that moment of denial, a second of anger, and then it's just a numb yet still painful saddens.

I sit down on the couch, and put my head in my hands. The world freezes for a while, and I'm not ok with it. I'm stuck in my own thoughts, lost in a world without Elizabeth and I can't help but wonder what it would be like without her. If I had never asked her out, if she hadn't been there, if we had never even met. Would things be better? Easier?

"Darry," Soda says, putting a hand on my back. I don't say anything, or even move.

"S-she'll come back, right, guys?" Ponyboy asks. That's when I finally muster up the strength to speak.

"No, little buddy, I don't think she will," I tell him, trying to say it gently. I know they were close. Suddenly, Ponyboy bursts into tears. My heart cracks a little bit more, but I don't even go comfort him. Soda does.

"I'm goin' to bed, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," I say. I try to let it go, to be happy, or at least think about something else, but my mind is fixated on the thought of her not being here anymore. It's hard to believe that just this morning Elizabeth and I were happy together. We were going through so much, yet we were so in love that we couldn't let ourselves get too worked up. Why can't it be that way now? We love each other so much. Why isn't that enough? I drift off to sleep trying to figure it out, and wake up with the same thought in my mind.

•••

I yawn, and stretch out, looking for Elizabeth. It was all just a nightmare, right? No, there's still that dull, "why isn't love enough?" playing in the back of my mind.

"What did I even do?" I wonder to myself. But I do know, I hurt her. Hut her in a way that I could never forgive myself for, and that she might never forgive me for either. Soda and Ponyboy are just as much her responsibility as mine, that's what she told me she wanted from the beginning. And I was ok with that, grateful even. So why did I get so upset the minute she tried to go against me? She was just sticking up for him, right? One of us had to be over reacting... Or maybe it was both of us, but either way, she isn't coming back.

Where would I find her, anyways? She could be anywhere in Tulsa, or even back in New York with Beka and Dally. I might never know.

I spend the rest of my day working, and I even take an extra shift at the diner. I work until midnight instead of 10, just to keep my mind off of everything.

"Darry, what are you doing home so late?" Ponyboy asks me. I don't even ask him why he's still awake.

"Don't ever fall in love, kid," Is how I respond instead.

He looks me in the eye and says, "Yeah, but I already have. With Emily." I smile. Pony's still so young. He probably doesn't really get what I'm saying. But either way, Emily seems like a nice girl. Maybe they will have the picture perfect relationship. The one I always thought I had....

Emily is my best friend PonygirlCurtis722 She was in the Christmas chapter and Ponyboy are OTP.

A/N: Next chapter is the last one.... What do you think will happen?