Soda's POV

I watched as my baby brother fell asleep, tears trickling down his pale face. He shivered and shook, but I knew it wasn't from cold. Whatever the Socs had done had scared him to death, and I wondered if he would ever be the same again.

I was battling the guilt inside me. How could we let this happen to Pony? He was only fourteen. He'd been through too much already without this. I knew these wounds were going to take some time to heal, and I wasn't talking about the physical ones. It was the mental ones that I was worried about. Johnny's never healed.

I looked up at Johnny. His eyes were wide and he looked almost as pale as Ponyboy. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Johnny. This would only bring back memories of what happened a few months ago.

"Two-bit, could you bring me a blanket?" Darry said softly.

Two-bit nodded, heading down the hallway. Never had I seen such a storm going on in his grey eyes. The last time I'd seen that was when Johnny was jumped.

I turned back to Ponyboy, running my fingers through his long hair. I wished that he wasn't a Greaser. He isn't dirty. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He has so much more to live for. He is smart. He has a future. He is gentle and he cares about things. He isn't like the other Greasers; you can tell just by looking at him. He isn't wild and reckless like most and he's thoughtful and he's a dreamer. Mum used to always say that he was the little quiet angel of the family. He still is, although he would kill me for calling him that.

Two-bit came back with a white blanket in his hands. He gave it to Darry, who carefully placed it over Pony's shaking form.

"We won't move him tonight," said Darry and I nodded. It was better to let him sleep on the couch instead of moving him to his bedroom where we risked waking him. He'd been through enough tonight and he really needed to rest.

Out of the blue, Dally stood up and stormed over to the front door.

"Where are you goin'?" Steve asked.

Hatred burned in Dally's voice when he said, "To beat those Socs' heads in."

"Wait, Dally -" Before Darry could finish, Dally was gone.

"You want us to stay round here?" asked Two-bit, looking down at his feet.

"Nah, it's ok," said Darry. "Come check on him tomorrow. He's overwhelmed enough without everyone hovering around."

Quietly, they all left. As Steve was about to walk out the door, he turned around and gave me a look that said more than words. If you need me, you know where to find me.

Darry and I walked into the kitchen. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I burst out tearfully, "How could we let this happen? He's just a kid. He doesn't deserve this. He shouldn't be punished just because he's a Greaser."

"I know, little buddy," Darry said, pulling me into a hug. "Pony's a tough kid though. He'll get through this."

I wasn't so sure.

~~~

Hey guys!

I just want to thank you all for the amazing support I'm getting for this story. It really inspires me to write the best I can when I read all of your really supportive comments. It means the world!

Thank you!

I hope you liked this chapter,

M. Elyse Lynch