The young lovers ( ponyboy fanfic)

35

• A couple weeks later •

Lately, Ponyboy and I have been writing letters back and forth, including pictures and updates on each other's lives in each envelope. He tells me he misses me and Baby and the gang. The best thing is, he only has about two and a half months left.

I've pretty much gotten over the mini depression stage. Now I'm always anxious to whether or not he's okay.

But in a letter, he agreed we should have a car. So I took Darry with me to go pick one out a few days ago. Now it's ours.

Johnny and I have gotten over that one moment. I felt awkward about it for about a day. Then I got over it because nothing happened.

He's been in and out of the house since. I don't know what he still thinks about it. Maybe he's just busy.

Baby's first birthday is soon too. I feel really bad Pony's gonna miss it. I guess we can send pictures, but it wouldn't be the same. At least she's too young to understand anything.

We don't know what we're gonna do. Probably just a family thing. Nothing big. Just a little tiny cake for her.

"Hey, Kaylee, are you about done with that painting?" Darry asks while we're sitting in the kitchen.

I'm beside the table with the canvas facing me rather than the boys. Darry, Soda, Dally, and Steve are sitting down with Baby and Tucker sitting up, and they're playing with them.

"Almost. Be patient," I reply, putting the finishing touches on the picture. I add a couple more details and put my paint aside.

"Where'd you learn all this art stuff anyway?" Steve asks.

"Back home, they had a really good class for kids who could do this stuff. They thought I was really good so they put me in the class. I was never really passionate about art until I realized how beautiful it really was, you know?"

"How is it beautiful?" Soda asks.

I think for a minute, chewing on the bottom of my paintbrush.

"It's... colors, lots of colors mixed together to create something you have to interpret or feel. You never know whose pain is in that paint. You never know whose life story is being poured out through the colors and patterns. It's one big mystery to me," I reply.

"Well, are you gonna show us, or what?" Dally asks.

"Way to ruin the moment, Dal," I tease.

I pick up the canvas.

"Alright, ready?"

They all nod.

I turn it around.

"Wow... That's... amazing," Darry says.

I look down at it again. A single silhouette of a soldier stands tall on the top of a hill with a pink, purple, and golden sunset behind him fading into dark blue and black night sky with stars speckling the scene.

The others nod in agreement.

"Boo!" Tucker says.

"Yeah, Tucker. That's blue," I say, pointing to the color.

"Good job, buddy," Dally tells him.

"Well, we ought to put the kids down," I butt back in.

I take Baby and Tucker upstairs and put them in the crib. I go back downstairs and sit at the table with the others. Somehow we get on the subject of Tucker. Dally begins to take the conversation elsewhere.