Dally's Baby Sister//Ponyboy Curtis

One//Pony Comes Home

AMELIA

I walked up to the Curtis house. I didn't really feel like getting too dolled up since I knew Pony wasn't going to be home. He hasn't been home for almost a week. I was worried sick about him and Johnny.

I got to the porch and heard people yelling inside. I hoped Dallas, my older brother, was in there. I heard he was in the hospital, but he called home to make sure I wasn't coming. But, nothing stopped me from hoping. I hated hospitals and they scared the tar out of me ever since Johnny got jumped. That was the first time in a long time I actually went to a hospital, and I never wanted to go again.

"What's it like being a hero?" I heard Steve say out loud. I couldn't mistake Steve's voice. He was over at my house as much as Ponyboy smoked, which was a whole darn lot.

"A what?"

That voice.

I know that voice.

I lived for that voice.

I yanked open the door and ran inside, my skirt and hair flying behind me as I ran through the Curtis' house and made my way into the kitchen, finding a blonde Ponyboy at the stove.

"Pony! You're home!" I yelled, running up to him and hugging him. He hugged me back. "You're really home! I thought I would never see you again!"

"Amelia, dear God, you scared me. Next time, say that you're coming in," he said smiling. We just stood there for a few seconds just hugging each other. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you again, too. Johnny and I missed you a whole lot."

I looked up into his eyes, and then to his hair. My heart kind of crumbled. "What happened to your tuff hair?" I asked, running my hand down the back of his head where his long hair used to be.

"Had to cut it off. You never heard about the whole thing with the Soc that tried to drown me?"

I heard. I heard about it all the time. People at school would look at me weird in the cafeteria when I would be walking down the aisle to find a seat. They would all be "taken." I sat in the bathroom and cried for Pony and Johnny, and Soda would find out I was crying from people at the gas station.

Soda was a big help through all of this. He knew that I couldn't live without him, Darry, Pony, or any other members of the gang. Us greasers stick together, even if we're not all tough and hard on the outside and all soft and quiet.

Whenever Soda would hear that I would be crying, he would come to my house and hug me tight, telling me that everything was going to be okay, even though I think he wasn't so sure.

"Yeah, I heard. I don't feel bad for him, the Soc, I mean. He shouldn't have jumped you two," I reasoned. "Where's Johnny, how's he doing?"

"Amelia, he's in the hospital," Two-Bit said to me. I widened my eyes in both fear and surprise. Johnny's in the hospital? Why? How? When?

Steve noticed my expression and sighed. "Kiddo, he got burned up. Him and Ponyboy were in an abandoned church down on Jay Mountain down near Windrixville and they saved a bunch of kids from getting burned to death. Dally went in to help out Johnny when a piece of timber fell down on him and Dally's arm got burned up pretty bad. Johnny, on the other hand, might have a broken back and he might be paralyzed, from what Darry told us."