The Outsiders: Before My Time Part III

Wanted: Three Juveniles from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Goldie's POV

Nothing in particular woke me up that morning. No birds were chirping outside, there was no delicious smell of a greasy breakfast being made, and no grunts or yells from wrestling coming from the living room. I just knew it was early.

I sat up and my back ached from sleeping on the hard floor. I cracked it, and looked up to see my siblings still sound asleep in the bed, and ran a hand through my hair. Usually, back home, I'd be checking my reflection or making sure my hair looked right before heading out, but today I just groggily stumbled down the hallway.

When I hit the living room, the atmosphere was thick enough to choke on. Darry was anxiously pacing the floor, looking like a caged tiger. Dad was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, and Two-Bit was right next to him, staring blankly at the wall. They had a stamp of worry on their faces. I could feel in the pit of my stomach that something wasn't right.

"Morning, boys." I casually leaned against the wall, right in between two framed photographs of the Curtis family. I crossed my arms and asked, "what's going on? Who died?"

Everyone's head to snap towards me. Even Darry stopped pacing. His eyes were red and his dark circles that told me that he didn't sleep at all last night.

"The kids are gone," Two answered. For the first time ever, his voice was sober and sincere.

"I'm sorry, gone?" I asked to make sure I heard him right. "Where's M— um, where—where's Bri?"

"After you went to bed last night..." Dad raised his head. I could see the dried tears that he didn't wipe off his flushed face. His voice was tight, like it was going to break at any moment. "Pony ran off... and um... Bri went with him, and they ain't been back since. We ain't even seen Johnny."

"We've called over at every place they could be," Darry said, chewing his pinky nail. "Ain't no one's seen any of 'em."

"Oh, shit," I muttered. The weight of the situation hit my chest like a freight train. If this went wrong, my entire future was done. But looking at Dad's broken expression, I forced myself to be solid. "Hey, look, we gotta call somebody. What about the cops? Get a search party going?"

"Can't." Darry shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked, my voice rose in frustration.

"If the fuzz find out Ponyboy's missing, they'd throw me and him in a boys' home," Dad explained with a soft voice. "They can't know."

I gnawed on my bottom lip. I needed to stay optimistic, because everyone else was spiraling. "All right, all right. That makes it harder, but they'll turn up. Ponyboy's smart, and Bri... Bri wouldn't let anything happen to him. I'm sure of it."

"A Soc was found murdered at that park a few streets away. Deader than a doornail," Two told me flatly.

My breath hitched. "Murdered? Come on, Two-Bit, don't sell me a dog."

"Can we go five minutes without your weird slang?" Two asked exasperatedly. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He looked pale, almost grey, and extremely hungover, but the underlying worry was what made him snap.

"I can't help but think they got tangled with the guy that did it," Darry said nervously.

"Glory, I hope they're okay," Dad said and he dipped his head back down to his hands.

"Have you heard from Dally?" Darry asked, looking between us. "Bri said he walked her home. Maybe he bumped into them on the way back."

"I ain't heard from him," Two-Bit spoke up.