Look Around You, All This People Didn't Make It.

I had enough of it. I couldn't wait. It couldn't wait. Not another day, not another second. I had been spending all day over at the hospital with Two-Bit, since last night. I didn't even bother to go to school. He needed someone there, and I was not going to let him go through all of this alone just because I had to learn some stupid shit. But when Blair and Jamie and Brooke and the rest of the gang, except Darry and Sodapop who were working, showed up, I figured Two-Bit was well taken cared of. So I decided to do something that had been bothering me for some time now. I went over to the first pay phone I could find and called Talan. I only requested one thing. His care and a bit of luck. I was kind of tired, but that could wait, while what I needed to do, couldn't. Not if I wanted to succeed. I sneak around the hospital and don't ask how, but I got hold of a nurse's costume. Mission: Get Ponyboy out of there for a ride he will never forget. I avoided the gang's whereabouts and headed to Ponyboy's room. Yes, they were in the same hospital. Lucky me. There was no one there. I almost felt bad for Pony. But he didn't mind, he was asleep. I shook him to wake up and told him to get ready. Of course he was like: "What the fuck KitKat?!" I didn't look at him, I just got him out of bed and placed a 'disguize' in his place. I threw him some clothes and once he was dressed, I grabbed him by the shirt and got out. He kept asking questions over and over again, but I kept shutting him up. You just can't stay quiet can you Pony? We almost reached the elevator when another nurse bump into us. Pony frooze and I'm pretty sure I did the same, but immediatly let it go. The nurse eyed Pony and then back at me. "Where are you taking young Mr. Curtis?" She asked. I'm pretty sure Pony was about to scream: "She's kidnapping me!" But I stepped on his left foot and spoke. "He needs check-up. I'm taking him to Dr. (I made the name up) Hamilton's office. He's been under observation far too long and the purple lids under his eyes are sign of uncessfull recovery." The nurse smiled and I did the same. Thank god I took health class once. "Very well. See you later Mr. Curtis." She said and went her way. I pressed the elevator's door and once it opened got in, dragging Ponyboy with me. He chuckled and said: "You could make a good nurse." I didn't even look at him, but with a cold tone just said. "Shut up."

I took him out of the hospital through the back door. He was still confused but I figure, still too drunk to make sense out of anything. I smiled as Talan was there, waiting, leaning on his car door. "Hey." He said. "Hi." Pony looked at me with a face of 'and this is?...' "Talan this is Ponyboy, my younger brother. We're going for a ride and I need someone to cover for him. Would you mind?" I said as Pony and Talan shook hands. He looked from me to Ponyboy and then back to me. "I guess that explains the nurse's costume. Don't worry Kit. I'll cover for him." I smiled and got closer to whisper in his ear what he needed to do. He smiled and hand me his keys. "Don't worry. Easy enough." I smiled and watched Talan walk back to the hospital. I got Pony on the passenger's seat and got in myself. I turned the engine on and started to drive. Finally Ponyboy said: "Where the hell are we going?" I kept my glanze straight in the road. "You'll find out soon enough." It took me ten minutes to get to my destination. I don't usually drive around town, and it kind of pissed me off when I had to stop at EVERY SINGLE red light. But anyway, we got there. I shut the door behind me and Pony looked at me with an expression that clearly said 'WTF?!' For all of you who haven't figured it out. We were in a graveyard. Yay. "Just walk." I said to Pony and he followed without question. Good boy. We went around the graveyard for a long time. Through rows and rows of tombstones. Until we finally reached the line I was most interested in. I turned to look at Pony. "What do you see?" He turned to look at me with another 'WTF?!' expression but answered. "Tombstones? I guess." "What do you see in the tombstones?" "Names." I was pretty sure Pony thought I was retarted, asking all those questions, but they had to be asked. He needed to understand once and for all. "These are tombstones of people. People who died." See what I mean? "People who any day would love to switch places with you. People who didn't make it. Whose luck wasn't on their side. People who like you, thought nothing could happen to them." I took a deep breath and started to read the names in five tombstones. "Lisa Patterson. She died at 15. Got hit by a car, drunk." I pointed to another tombstone. "Richard Auron. Died at 19. Alcoholic." Next. "Betty Williams. Died at 13. Alcoholic." Next. "Dwayne Wright. Died at 16. Car crash while drunk." I walked over to the last tombstone. This one didn't have a name on it. Or a date. It was just there, waiting for another helpless soul to protect. "And you, if you continue to do what you are doing." Ponyboy looked at me with fear and confusion. He was speechless. Probably horrified. And that was a good thing. If it took a good scare to finally make him come to his senses, then a scare was what he was going to get. "I'm going to tell you this as an adult. You're are going to die if you don't cut it out. And your name will be encripted into this stone. You want that? You were lucky to survive this one. Don't push your luck Ponyboy, 'cause luck is famous to turn its back on you when you most need it. This people drank for the same reasons you and I drink. 'Cause it helps us clear our mind. It helps us forget we're greasers. I'm sorry for the way I have been leaving my life. I'm going to stop too. And it's not going to be easy. It's going to be really tough, but I'm willing to do it, 'cause I want to be a better person. And so should you." There was a long pause. But then, I continued. "It's not worth it, Pony. Life's too short to waste it on getting high. And I'm sorry I realized it so late. Maybe, if I had realized it before, I could have prevented this. But it didn't and I just got to deal with it. When you passed out and ended it the hospital, that was the biggest wake-up call I ever had. It's the biggest wake-up call you ever had. Choose the right path Pony. Don't make the sames mistakes I did, or that this people did. I can't rewind the past and change it, but I change the future. And so can you." I walked towards Pony and hugged him. Hugged him as hard as I could. And never let go. "Now, you're going to get back to that hospital and you're going to get better. Or I'll beat the hell out of you." I said and we both laugh.