From Weakness to Strength

The Hearing

Darla almost didn't see it coming, but the very next day was the Court hearing for Bob's murder. It went from a trial to hearing since Johnny had died. Darla promised the boys she would go, not for the sake of them, but for the sake of Johnny. She remembered what he had written in his letter. And what Johnny wanted, Darla obeyed. 

Darla also made sure not to dress too shabby. She wore a white t-shirt with jeans and a tennis shoe for her good ankle. 
It was only the three Curtis boys and Darla since the others weren't much involved. The only other people she recognized that were there were Cherry Valence with two adults that she figured were her parents. She also noticed Randy there as well with his parents and some of the other guys who were there that tried to drown Ponyboy. They had looks of extreme guilt upon their faces. 
The judge entered the room and asked for Ponyboy to speak up first. Darla felt really nervous as she watched Ponyboy walk up to a desk where a man was sitting opposite of him with a clipboard and a pencil. The man started to ask Ponyboy questions and Ponyboy got to the story where the Socs came after us. 
"They chased us and caught us. They threw me in the fountain and tried to drown me. They were gonna beat up Johnny Cade and they knocked my friend Darla unconscious," Ponyboy explained. Darla's breathing faltered as Ponyboy said her name. She never liked her name being said out in public places even though it was changed. 
Then Randy came and told his side of the story. 
"It was Bob and I. Just thought..uh, you know, we'd teach them a lesson."
Then it was Cherry's turn. 
"Sherri. Your name is Sherri?" the man with the clipboard asked. Cherry nodded. 
"But, your nickname is Cherry?"
"Yes," Cherry replied with a nod. 
"And there was an argument that started this whole thing?" asked the man. 
"Yes, there was an argument because my boyfriend showed up and, uh, well, he was upset that we were with the other boys," Cherry explained. "I could've made it simpler for the fight not to have happened in the first place."

Once Cherry was done speaking, there was small recess to discuss the hearing results. Darla was nervous because whenever Darla was mentioned, the judge would looks at her curiously, which gave Darla a sick feeling in her stomach. 
Most of the recess was spend twiddling her thumbs nervously, but once the recess was over, the judge returned to her desk with a vacant expression on her face. 
"Defendent not guilty. At this time, I will place him in the custody of his older brother Darrel. This court is adjourned."
Darla couldn't of heard the words better herself. 
"Alright!" Darry, Soda, and Darla exclaimed as they all engulfed Ponyboy in a hug.

The court room started to empty. Sodapop handed Darla her crutches and she followed the boys out. 
"Excuse me, Ms. Darla?" came the voice of the judge. Darla froze, but didn't turn around. She heard the footsteps. 
"It is, Darla. Isn't it?" the judge asked. Her voice was a lot closer. Darla slowly turned around. 
"Yes," Darla replied. 
"Darla Minnie Hood, is that correct?" the judge asked. 
"Of course. Who else could I be?" Darla asked. 
"Hmm. That's strange because during recess I looked for your name and there's no Darla Minnie Hood on file."
Darla froze. How could it not be? She signed the document herself! She gave the certificate to Darry who said he'd turned it in!
"That's impossible," Darla said, shaking her head. 
"And how so?" 
"I just know, okay. My name doesn't matter. It never has. Now can you please leave me alone? I wanna go home," Darla said. 
"And where exactly is that?" the judge asked. 
"With Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy..." Darla trailed. 
"And where are your parents?" the judge asked. 
"That's none of your business, lady! Leave me alone!" Darla exclaimed before she turned back around and headed out of the courtroom. 
"Guards!" the judge exclaimed. 
Right as Darla headed out the door, two security guards caught up with her and grabbed her arms. 
"Darry! Soda! Ponyboy!" Darla exclaimed. The three boys turned back and saw Darla getting handled by the two guards. 
"Hey!" the boys yelled as they started running towards Darla and the guards. 
"What's the big idea? Let her go!" Darry exclaimed. 
"Mr. Curtis, I ask that same question to you," came the voice of the judge as she stepped outside the doors. 
"What do you mean, your honor?" Darry asked. 
"Oh, I think you know, Mr. Curtis. Why is this girl staying with you and where are her parents?" the judge asked. 
Darry froze. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to blow Darla's cover, but he also didn't want to lie to a judge. 
"Darla's parents are gone. Our parents looked after her too before she died, now it's my duty to keep her safe," Darry explained. 
"Gone as in how, Mr. Curtis?" the judge asked. 
"They're gone. Dead. Like our parents," Darry explained. 
"And how come there's no record of Ms. Darla's whereabouts? How come she hasn't been brought here? There's a lot of information missing, Mr. Curtis and I want answers. And I don't get them soon, I'm going to have to send Darla to a girl's home."
"--NO!" Darla, Darry, Soda and Ponyboy exclaimed in unison. 
"Then I want answers. Come inside, the four of you," the judge insisted. 

Darla, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy followed the judge back inside the building, back into the courtroom.  
"Sit down, please," the judge requested. The four sat down at the table in front of the judge's podium. 
"Now, while looking through files for Darla, I have found nothing on a name. But, I did find something of a picture. It's old, but I think it's accurate."
The picture the judge brought out scared Darla. It was her Missing and Wanted poster from when her parents were murdered. 
"Now this little girl looks a lot like the young woman I am looking at right now. Are you Bella Jackson?" the judge asked. 
Darla said nothing. She avoided eye contact and looked at the ground. 
"What will be the consequences if I tell the truth?" Darla asked. 
"If you tell the truth there will be less negative consequences," the judge replied. 
"Yes. I'm Bella Jackson," Darla sighed. The judge nodded at Bella.
"Do you care to tell me how you ended up in the situation Bella?" the judge asked. 
"Haven't you heard enough from the Chase family? They accused me for the murder of my parents when the Chase family are the real monsters!" Darla exclaimed the last part. 
"Yes, I have heard of the Chase family's accusations against you, but I never looked into the case because it involves a missing person and usually, I'm not in charge of those cases. But, now since I am face to face with the source itself, I've gotten interested in learning the other side of the story. Now, can you tell me Ms. Jackson. What happened the day your parents were murdered?"
The word murdered made Bella swoon. She didn't want to think about such things and since she was so young when it happened and it was traumatizing to think about. 
"I was walking home from school when Elaine Chase and her friends chased after me. They tackled me to the ground, shoving grass in my mouth, calling me cowbell. Just then, Ponyboy, Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston came to my rescue and chased them away and walked me home. I thought the bullying would stop after that, but I was wrong. Later that day, Elaine's father came with a heater. I saw him through the window, so I hid. I heard to separate gunshots and screaming. I heard the footsteps of a man and he called for me to kill me too. Once he couldn't find me, he left. I came out of my hiding spot to see Elaine Chase's father through the window. I came out of my room to see my two parents dead. Blood was everywhere. I looked out the window to see Elaine Chase's dad leaving the front porch. I didn't want to be put in a girl's home, so I ran away. I ran into Dallas Winston. I told him what happened and he took me to the Curtis house. And that's where I stayed. Even when their parents found out about me. They let me stay and protected me until they died. Darry did a great job in protecting me and even changed my name to prove it," Darla exclaimed. 
"Uh, Darla...about that..." Darry trailed. Darla cocked her head to Darry. "I...never turned the certificate in..."
"What?" Darla asked. "Why not?" 
"I was afraid it would come back to bite us in the ass. I was afraid if they saw your name, they'd take you."
"You lied to me, Darry! I could've cared less if you actually turned it in. But, no, you made me believe everything was okay when it wasn't!" 
"I was just trying to protect you!" Darry exclaimed. 
"You could've at least been honest! I would've still have gone by the name Darla any day! Any other name that reminded me that I was a wanted criminal!" Darla exclaimed. 
"Calm down. Both of you. It doesn't matter now. But, thank you for coming clear with me, Ms. Jackson. We will have a court date set for you in about three days tops. I will get in touch with the owner of Tulsa's Home for girls."
"-What?" the four asked in unison. 
"I'm afraid you've been having an unauthorized person living in your home illegally. Since she is wanted by authorities and you are not a legal guardian for her, she's going to have to live in a girl's home once the date is set and until she has her day in court."
"But, that's not fair!" Darla exclaimed.
"I wish I could help you, but by Tulsa law, I have to send you to a home. Once the court date is set, you'll be sent to live there. You have three days to spend time with who you've called family and friends. Spend it wisely and I'll see you in three days."

The four got up and Darla grabbed her crutches. She scooted herself out as quickly as she could. She didn't want to talk to Darry. She was too angry at him to even talk to him or look at him. She got in the backseat of Darry's pickup and didn't talk on the way home. No one talked. They were all too shocked to talk. If Darla was positive about anything, she was positive about one thing. She did not want to go to a girl's home.