𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙰𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

| 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 |

I  don't know how long I was out. When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed with nurses hovering over me. The one calmly placed a hand on my arm, offering me a soothing smile.

I was now sitting up, following the light as the Doctor instructed.

"I don't see any signs of head trauma." He hums, placing the little flashlight back into his coat pocket. "Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"

I squeeze my eyes shut. The image of Bob's body was burned into my mind, the blood pooled out around him. I didn't want to remember that image. I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Can you tell me what it is?" He prompts slowly.

"T-the body of Bob Sheldon... dead at the base of the fountain in Pershing Park," I whisper, the tears filling my eyes.

His face is full of sympathy. "There's an officer outside, he wants to ask you some questions, is that okay?"

I nod, unable to use my voice anymore. I didn't trust that I wouldn't break out into sobs.

He steps away from my bedside and to the door, pulling it open.

Officer Randle, Steve's dad, steps in with Darry and Soda in tow. I can't look at them. Looking at them reminds me of what was supposed to happen tonight and the fight between Darry and Ponyboy.

Soda rushes to my side, hugging me tightly. "We didn't even know you'd left the house. What were you doing out so late Sun?" He questions quickly, taking my face between his hands.

I can feel the familiar sting behind my eyes and the wobbling of my chin before I break down. I didn't wail like I did in the park, I don't think I had that in me.

"We got a call at 3:15 this morning reporting the murder of a boy in Pershing Park, when my officers and I showed up, Ms. Curtis was holding the boy's body and crying." Officer Randle explained, keeping his steely eyes on me.

Darry shoots me a look. "Sunny?"

I lick my lips and nod slowly. "His name is... was... Bob Sheldon. I went to meet him at the park. I'd been seeing him since December." I admit softly, my hands starting to shake. They were still covered in Bob's blood.

My brothers both shoot me a look. Soda's eyes were wide, and Darry had a look on his face that I couldn't read. It was somewhere between disappointment and surprise.

"We'd been dating up until May when we had a fight about his drinking. Last night, we were at the Night Double with his friend Randy. We had been planning on telling my brothers about us after the movie, and that's why I went to the park. The plan was that I was going to tell Darry, Soda, and Pony about Bob and that I wanted them to meet him, then I was going to the park to grab Bob and Randy who was coming along to run interference if things took a turn and the three of us would go back to my house." I take a breath to compose my emotions before I continue. "When I got to the park, I could feel that something was off. Bob's Mustang wasn't there and I could smell alcohol and something else metallic. Bob was there at the base of the fountain... dead. That's when you found me."