The Outsiders Stuff!

Rex (Oneshot)

Trigger warnings: Angst: Animal death. You've been warned.

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First Person POV: Ponyboy (Before the events of The Outsiders)

I walked into the living room to see Darry crouching over our dog, a golden retriever named Rex. He was shaking him. Rex was just lying down, so I was confused on why Darry was shaking him.

"Darry?" I asked, as I walked over to my oldest brother. Sodapop walked out of the room too and watched the scene from behind me.

Darry didn't respond to me calling out his name. He was still shaking the dog. I heard his breath. It was shaky, almost as if...

"Darry?" I asked again, putting my hand on his shoulder. I looked down over at him, trying to figure out what the fuck he was doing. He spoke finally, but I wish he hadn't.

"...he's dead."

I felt a physical pain in my heart when Darry said that. His voice broke, and I knew he was holding back tears. Now it was my turn to shake Rex relentlessly, trying to get a reaction out of him.

I couldn't lose my dog. He was the only one who listened to me without judgement. Soda was a good person to talk to, but dogs are different. They are incapable of being mean. They're pure.

I only stopped shaking Rex when Soda pulled me off of him. I was in tears now, muttering "He can't be dead" and stuff like that. Soda hugged me, and I cried into his chest. It was kind of muscular, but my thoughts weren't on that. They were on my deceased golden retriever.

Soda went over to Darry and pulled him into the hug, too. We all hugged each other until our parents walked in.

"What in the Sam Hill is goin' on in here?" Our dad asked, confused on why we were hugging and why I was crying. Darry was the one who spoke, repeating his earlier phrase.

"He's dead."

That's when our folks noticed Rex lying motionless on the floor. I could've swore I heard my mother gasp.

I was still crying at this point. I tried to toughen up and wipe away my tears, but it was useless. You can't just act like nothing happened when a dog as great as Rex dies like that. Not unless you're Dally or something, but I'm sure he would've felt at least something. His heart can't be totally black.

"Oh... oh no..." I heard my mom say. She kneeled down and got a better look at Rex to see if he was dead or just sleeping. I hoped it was the latter, but I knew deep down he was gone.

Our father shook his head and sighed. He loved the dog just like we all did. Rex was a real happy pup. He was kind, lovable, and so damn sweet. That's why it hurt so much to see such a pure little thing lifeless. Just yesterday he tackled me to the ground and covered my face in slobber. I miss that. I miss him.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Soda asked. He was the most stable of us right now, but I know he'd cry his heart out later.

"Grab a shovel," our dad said. "We'll bury him in the yard next to that tree he always sat under.

We nodded and went into the backyard shed. Darry, Soda, Dad, and I grabbed shovels and dug a pit near Rex's favorite tree. Mom brought Rex out of the house and laid him in the hole. We all said our goodbyes, and closed up the hole. I put a big rock over it as a makeshift tombstone. It wasn't much, but it did the job. We all put the shovels back in the shed and went inside.

After burying our beloved pet, the entire family cried their eyes out. Soda called Steve to tell him what happened, and pretty soon the entire gang was there. We all talked about deep topics that night; even Dallas Winston, which I found out of character. Maybe he does have a heart after all.

The sky turned black as time went on. Our folks let everyone stay over. They must've known how much we needed the comfort. They're good people. I wouldn't trade my folks for nothing, not even for getting a chance at getting Rex back.

I still miss him. But I know he's doing okay up there in Heaven. Maybe he's keeping Johnny and Dally company. Who knows? I won't until I pass.

But that's enough about that story. I cried too much while writing it, so I'm going to go outside and hang out with Darry, Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit.

See you later, Journal.

-Ponyboy Curtis