The Outsiders: A New Place

Chapter 22

Dally's POV

before i could even realize what was happening, ash was running up to the fight and throwing one of the guys off of the beaten man. i frantically yelled "ash, what the hell are you doing?" but it was too late. she dove into the fight, trying to pry the four boys off.

i knew i couldn't leave her there to fight (as much as i really wanted to) so i ran up to the fight. of course, me being me, i was running and i tripped and fell. my ankle was in agonizing pain, and i just rolled over and held it. all of a sudden, i saw red and blue lights next to me, and i look to see a cop car. my eyes grew wide, and i turned to the now over fight and saw ash with her head hanging down over the dead body. she didn't manage to save the man.

i saw cops running to ash, taking her arms and flinging her to stand up. i tried to stand as well, but i unfortunately couldn't. i tried screaming at them to stop, and that she was innocent. that didn't work either, my shouts just sounded like quiet whispers coming out. i saw the cops putting handcuffs on her, and she was led to the cop car.

there is no way ash is being charged of murdering that man when she was only trying to help. i thought to myself. my suspicions were confirmed when one of the cops was writing on his notepad and saying aloud, "ash sanders, charged of murdering mr. robert paxton."

my jaw dropped as the cop got in the car and drove off with ash in the backseat. i struggled to stand, but when i eventually did, i started to run. at that moment, i didn't care about the extreme pain in my foot; i just needed to tell the gang.

"what has happened to you dallas winston?" a voice in my head said. "why do you care about a little girl?"

i shook off that voice and ignored it, because if im being honest, i didn't know the answer myself. i continued running until the pain was almost unbearable in my foot, but luckily for me, i was already running into the curtis front door.

"we have a huge emergency!" i yelled, out of breath.

"what is it?" darry asked, with concern in his eyes.

i tried to speak, but i just ended up gasping for air over and over again.

"take your time." johnny whispered. i couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or serious.

"dally, what happened to ash?" pony said, noticeably trying to keep calm. (it wasn't really working.) and how did he even know something happened to ash?

i finally caught enough breath to start talking. "before i say anything, you cant get mad at me for this happening. you guys promise?"

slow nods came from the group. "we were at the drag race, then a fight between a man and four boys broke out. ash tried to save the man, but he died before she could. the cops came and the boys ran, leaving ash with the man. when the cops arrived, they thought ash did it and arrested her."

the looks on their faces were something ill never forget. they had looks of shock, fear, anger, and the worst one of them all, disappointment. their disappointment was in me.

"she said she had a bad feeling about those boys, but i didn't listen. i wanted to stay. i take back what i said about not being mad at me. you all have every right to be angry."

the room stayed silent for a bit longer with thoughts of all sorts buzzing around the room.

darry then stepped forward, saying, "dally, we all may be angry at you, but thats not our main priority right now. right now, we need to go to the police station."

Ash's POV

we arrived at the police station, with the police officer grabbing my arm and pulling me out. i wanted to scream out "it wasn't me! i was trying to help!" but i knew that if i stayed quiet, i would be in less trouble.

"i would expect this from an older boy, but a young girl? sheesh, the youth these days are getting meaner and tougher." the cop said, pulling out a cigarette. all i could do was glare at him, i couldn't even think of anything to say to him.

we walked into the police station and i was put into a holding cell. it had a small toilet, a small cushion for a bed, and a shelf. it smelled really bad, and the floors were dirty with dead insects and dust.

"you'll stay in here until we can figure out what to do with you." the cop said, spitting and walking away. i sighed and sat down on the cushion. now that the anger has worn off, shock and fear have set in. what would the gang think of me? how long will i be in jail for?

it wasn't long after i almost had a mental breakdown when i heard footsteps and voices running, and the gang was now in my view.

"hey guys, uh, fancy meetin' you here." i said, producing the best smile i could.

"dally told us what happened. whatever you do, just know that this wasn't your fault." ponyboy said, stepping up to the bars.

"yeah, i know. where is dally anyway?" i asked.

"people who were there say that dally was a witness, so he was taken in for questioning. he injured his foot pretty badly, it's probably broken." soda said, joining pony at the bars.

"wait, when did he hurt his foot?" i wondered.

"he said he was running to help you, but he tripped and fell and couldn't get up until he realized you were arrested. then he ran all the way to us while on a broken foot." soda said.

dally ran all the way to the gang for me? that was hard to believe.

i held my fear in this whole time the gang was talking to me, but now i couldn't hold it in anymore. small tears started to drip out of my eyes, and the gang noticed.

"ash, why are you crying?" johnny asked, joining soda and pony.

"i-im scared. i dont w-want to be here anymore." i said with small sobs appearing occasionally.

"its ok to be scared. but you have to be hopeful and strong. if you think you will be in jail for a while, then you will be. if you think that you will get out of jail and everything will be ok, it will. i do that when my parents beat me all the time. at times when i think it can't get worse, it does. when i tell myself to keep fighting and to stay alive, i do." johnny explained, with tears coming out of his eyes too.

"i love you guys so much. and dally too." i said, smiling. i walked up to the bars while the rest of the gang that wasn't already there walked too. i held pony's hand and johnny's hand, and it was a sweet moment until a cop came in and said, "you have another visitor."

i knew what that meant at that moment. we all knew who it was even before they walked in. who else would come visit me? we all looked at each other with wide eyes, knowing who it was.

"well, well, well, ash. it looks like you've finally done it." the mystery voice said.

hey guys! thank you all so much for 2k reads! thats amazing! as you may tell, this story is coming to a close soon and i wanted this event of ash being put in jail to be the last hurrah. im guessing three or four more chapters, but im not sure. as you also may know, im releasing my new story soon after this one ends, and im super excited for it and i hope you guys will like it as much as you liked this story! alright i think im done now, but don't forget to vote, comment, and follow, and thanks for reading!