Winston sister~Ponyboy love story

Leaving New York

TW: abuse, negative talk

Emma's POV
I walk my way home from school alone, since nobody bothers to come around me I guess people have heard I'm a Winston and don't come near me. Some think I'm scary, others think I'm just trouble. Wrong. I try to never cause trouble or fights, only because my old man would beat me if I ever did.

On the other hand, I remember my older brother, Dallas, was only trouble. I believe he's in Oklahoma or something now. I hadn't seen him in 3 years after he got arrested when he was 14 and I was 11. I'm proud to be a Winston though, I can always hold my own if I need to.
My mom took off when I was 3.

Anyways, I finally made it to the old apartment my Dad and I live in. I wouldn't call it an apartment, it's basically just a run down building with trashy people and drug dealers.

I walk up the stairs and quietly open the door. Looking to my right, I see my father asleep with empty beer bottles around him. He lounges out on the couch.

I quietly walk to my room and shut the door. I figured I'd start some homework as I take out some papers from my bag. Suddenly, my door flew wide open, slamming right into the wall.

I look up to see my angry, drunk old man with a belt in his hand as he looks down on me. I guess he somehow heard me come in. "You bitch! Your just like your no good mother!" He yells at me. He never needs a reason to yell or beat me, he just does it.

"Please dad, I didn't do anything" I say looking down at my feet.

"BULLSHIT! Your worthless! Just like your mother!" He shouts. He starts hitting me with the belt everywhere, causing me to yelp in pain. Tears were beginning to fall down my cheeks.

Flash back~
"Don't cry baby, don't cry, it's gonna be okay, I promise" Dal says as the cops put hand cuffs around his wrists from behind. Tears kept streaming down my face.

"Can I at least talk to my sister for a minute? ..Please!?" Dal asks the officer behind him.

"Make it quick" the officer says.

"Emma listen to me, when I'm gone I need you to stay tough, stay tough and don't let anything touch you, Okay?" He asks looking into my eyes.

"Okay....I love you, Dal" I pull him into one last hug. "I love you to emmes" Dal says.
The officer then comes back and pulls dal away and into the back off a cruiser.
~End of flash back

That was the last time I saw Dallas. My old man was still beating me. Eventually, he put down the belt as he begun kicking me, twice in the stomach before I was given a punch to the face.

He stumbled out of my room and back into the living room. I tried to hold back the tears as hard as I could, thinking about what Dal had told me "I need you to stay tough".

I just sat there sobbing for about 10 minutes. All I wanted was Dal right now, I just wanted to hug him again and for him to tell me everything would be okay.

I decided to get up and get cleaned up. I struggled to stand because my stomach was bruised with belt marks and red marks that would later turn into dark coloured bruises.

I walked the best I could into the bathroom and started to clean my face with alcohol and bandages. I couldn't do anything with my stomach so I just left it alone.

After, I went back into my room quietly because usually after a beating my dad will be passed out again. I rummage through my old dresser to find an old post card Dal had sent me a few months after he got arrested. I finally found it and pulled it out, I opened it to read it for the 100th time.

Dear Emma,

It's Dal, I'm in Oklahoma now and have meet some great guys. I miss you a lot, but your life isn't going anywhere with me in it so I think it's best if I leave for both of us, for now anyways. Don't tell our old man I wrote you, he'll be pissed. love ya Emma. Stay tough.

Love, Dal :)

I always loved the smiley face he wrote at the end, it reminds me of his famous smirk he always does. I've had this card for 3 years now, I think it's about time I use it and try to get the hell outta here. I'm so sick of my so called 'father' beating me all the time. One day he's gonna kill me and I sure as shit won't let that happen.

I grab my backpack and dump my school stuff out onto my bed. I rummage through my dresser and grab a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, a couple shirts and shorts, and some undergarments, and throw them in my bag. I then grab the last thing I needed which was the postcard. I walked out of my bedroom, through the living room, and out the apartment door.

I was more then ready to go find my brother.