Young Blood ⏤ Ponyboy Curtis | ✓

28 | new beginnings

"Have you heard from Curly? How is he doing?" Ponyboy asks Billie, splayed across the sofa in the Curtis' living room.

"He sent a letter to us for Christmas," Billie answers, smiling at finally receiving contact from her twin. "It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing at all."

"Before you know it, Curly will be back home," Ponyboy says, trying to comfort her.

"A year is a long time," Billie replies.

"Curly might be let out early on good behaviour," Ponyboy offers, trying to be positive.

Billie snorts, "Curly? Good behaviour?" She and Ponyboy both burst into laughter at the unlikeliness of Curly being on his best behaviour. Knowing her twin almost as well as she knew herself, Billie can imagine the trouble Curly is causing during his stint in reform school.

"You miss him, don't you?" Ponyboy asks, once their laughter has subsided.

Billie nods her head, the mood deflating. "Yeah, I do," she admits somberly. "But," she adds, "I know now that what happened.. that's on Curly and nothing I could've done would've stopped Curly from being caught."

"Now I know what Darry feels like," Ponyboy says. Billie turns his way as he elaborates, "I tend to lose track of time when I'm out and Darry freaks out when I come home late. I always thought he was being stupid and overreacting, but now I know why he was so worried."

"He doesn't want to lose you," Billie says, remembering how Darry had a smile on his face as he spoke about Ponyboy last month in the car. "He's scared about something happening to you and Sodapop." She doesn't add 'just like your parents', but knows that Ponyboy understands.

"He's worried that he'll lose us just like we lost our parents."

Billie squeezes Ponyboy's arm in a gesture of comfort. She wakes up with that same crippling fear everyday; that she'll lose her siblings and she'll be all alone.

Ponyboy rests his hand on Billie's, "you've got me. I'm not going anywhere," he says, as though he can read Billie's mind. Billie knows he can't, but it's a comforting feeling to know that Ponyboy knows her so well.

Ponyboy changes the subject, clearing his throat. "Are you excited for New Year's?" He asks.

Billie nods, a smile blooming on her face, "of course. It's the first New Year's I'm not spending inside the house."

"Johnny and I always spend New Year's Eve down in the lot. Most of the time someone lights up fireworks and we can lie down and watch them," Ponyboy explains.

To celebrate the end of the year 1965, the teens were spending New Year's Eve down at the lot. Ponyboy had asked Billie and the others if they wanted to come, joining him and Johnny. All four teenagers had jumped at the chance to celebrate with each other. Scott had asked if Dean and Lloyd could come too. Billie had bit her tongue at Lloyd coming, but stayed quiet out of respect for her friendship with Scott.

Angela would be out celebrating at a house party with her friends, while Tim would be joining the rest of the Curtis gang at the Curtis' house for New Year's Eve. The three Shepard siblings agreed to celebrate New Year's with each other by having lunch together the next day.

"It's going to be weird not having Curly here," Billie admits, "he's probably the one setting off fireworks."

"I'm sure he'll make up for missing out on this New Year's next year," Ponyboy replies, laughing. "He'll probably set off double the fireworks."

"Anything for attention," Billie agrees. Her twin was a show-pony who basked being in the limelight and the centre of attention. For Curly, if people weren't talking about him, he was doing something wrong.