Times Change [UNDERGOING EDITS]

Chapter Twenty One (Ponyboy)

It was my first night back home after spending a week in the hospital. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I was woken up in the middle of the night by a terrible hair raising scream echoing through the house.

I sat straight up in alarm, almost falling out of bed, to see Sodapop up and already out the door. I stumbled down the hall after him into Allison's room. Darry was already there sitting on Allison's bed. He had pulled her into his lap and was holding her while she sobbed. Blankets and pillows were strewn about as if she had been tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay Sissy, we're here," Darry whispered. Soda sat down next to him and wrapped his arms around Allison too.

"Night terrors," he told me, seeing my terrified expression, "It's happened every night since the night of the rumble."

Darry looked up, "Soda, get Ponyboy back to bed. I'll take care of Allison."

Soda got up and steered me out of the room. Allison's crying became fainter as I followed him back down the hall.

"Soda," I croaked, "What's making her wake up like that?"

He sighed, "Ponyboy, Allison lost her best friend. And apparently Dally was her boyfriend and she lost him the same night. Then you were in the hospital the past few days. On top of losing mom and dad, she just can't take it anymore."

But Johnny wasn't dead.

"Did she come to the hospital at all while I was there?" I asked curiously.

"Once," Soda replied, "But she had another breakdown so Darry had me bring her home. She spent so much time in the hospital with Johnny and Dally before they died, I don't think she could stand being back there."

"She must be hurting a lot," I whispered.

Soda nodded, "Dally asked her to marry him you know, pressed that ring of his into her hand right before he died. That just makes things that much more painful for her."

"They were going to get married?"

"Dally knew he wasn't going to make it, Ponyboy, he wanted to be dead," Sodapop said grimly, "But he wanted Allison to know he loved her anyways."