Brother

Prologue

Narrator's POV

    Hey brother
There's an endless road to rediscover
Hey sister
Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker

"Well," Soda said, "I'm cold. How about going home?"
"Race you," I challenged, leaping up. It was a real nice night for a race. The air was all clear and cold and so clean it almost sparkled. The moon was out but the stars lit up everything. It was quiet except for the sound of our feet on the cement and the dry, scraping sound of leaves blowing across the wind. It was a real nice night. I guess I was still out of shape, because we all three tied. No. I guess we all just wanted to stay together.

     That was three and a half years ago. The gang eventually moved on from the deaths of Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston. Of course there are times where the five boys will sit around the Curtis house and sulk, missing the friends that they had also known as family for many years. It was hard to get over something so traumatic. They buried both boys as if they had served in the U.S Army, with respect and honor. They deserved that much in the world they lived in, where they had gotten neither while they were both alive. Only the gang attended the funeral along with Cherry Valance and Marcia Whitehurst.

    Cherry had felt responsible for the whole ordeal, and eventually fell into depression. No matter how many times the boys said it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel even worse. It had gotten to the point where she wouldn't even leave her home to go to school, let alone leave her room. The gang soon got the message that Cherry didn't want to talk to anyone, so they left her alone. For good. They never spoke to each other, never saw one another, nothing. The gang and Cherry had no interaction with each other no more. Of course though, they would occasionally see Marcia, as her and Two-bit started to date after Randy and her had broken up. Randy soon left town to pursue a new life, one where there were no Socs or Greasers, just regular people. Just as Johnny had wanted much before that.

     Randy felt horrible about everything as well. Considering he was contributing factor to the problem. He left town and ended up becoming a hippie. He no longer wanted to cause trouble, no longer wanted to see people suffer. He saw this as a way to start over in life. No one knew him in the towns he went to, it was refreshing. No one saw him the same ever again. No one saw him ever again. It seemed as though he had disappeared, gone off the grid. Of course as a hippie, they never stayed in one place for long. Randy thought that if he chose this path, he might be forgiven for the sins he had committed. He regretted doing anything and everything that had to do with the Greasers and the Socs. They deserved more.

     Marcia and Two-bit were happy together. Two couldn't spoil her as much as he'd like to, but Marcia thought the sweet gestures he did give were enough. Although, there were times where she would be the one paying for dinner if Two didn't have enough money. He always did make up for it by stealing small things for her, it was just something he did. When they first started to date, he felt as if he had to do everything to actually deserve her. Marcia always reassured him that she was content with his humor and company. That always did make Two-bit feel better. Two-bit's family grew to love Marcia, as did her family with Two. Both families approved of their relationship. As long as the two were happy, that's all that matters anyways. It was incredibly rare for them to ever get into an actual fight. They would end up in each others arms in the end, apologizing over and over. They'd finish off the stressful night cuddled up at one of the twos houses on the couch watching Mickey Mouse. That always calmed them down. They would end up laughing at what the fight had been about the next morning.

     Most importantly The Curtis brothers. Johnny was Ponyboy's best friend and Dally, he was like a brother to the boys. But of course, with the Curtis's, life doesn't go as planned. That's why they only stuck with the gang so they wouldn't get so attached to someone outside of the seven boys. That didn't work as well as they thought though. Everyone needs someone, but they didn't expect it to be someone so close to them.

"You don't just stop living
because you lose
someone..."

     And as normal for The Curtis', there is always more pain. You can't have everything no matter how much you want it. All those three brothers want are happiness and love, not pain and suffering. They never get what they want. It's very clear to see. Especially with those three innocent boys, no one was prepared for what would have come next for them.