So this is the last part of the three-shot. I hoped you enjoyed it!
I walked back to park, dazed. I could hear bits of Sodapop's speech, somehow able to make everybody laugh. But that's just the way he is, able to make any frown a smile. I sat down next to Darry and he looked at me and gave me a soft smile. Telling him about Two-Bit would break his heart, so I smiled back.
"-those rascals." Soda finished and the crowd chuckled. He came over and patted me on the back. "You're up, Pony."
I paced up to the front, my hands sweating. Looking at everybody, I took a shaky breath. "I'm surprised at the turnout- I didn't realize that so many cared about a couple o' hoods. Although, Johnny never was like the rest of us. He wasn't bad, he just wanted a place to fit in. Johnny, he never carried a switchblade until he had to. Kind and scared is what I'd call him. And Dally, he had some great things 'bout him too. Sure, he was the hardest kind they come in, but he also cared for his friends, cared about our dreams. These are the kind of friends you search your whole life for. The ones that will stay, the ones who will fight for you. I had these friends, and for as short as our time was I'm satisfied. I got to meet them, be with them. When me and Johnny were up at the church in Windrixville, we spent a lot of time lookin' at sunsets. I said to him:
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
This is a poem by Robert Frost. His message was that nothing perfect can stay forever. But good things will always come again. Johnny's last words to me- to anyone- were 'stay gold'. This message I take to heart, for as perfect as Johnny and Dally may be, there are other things worth waiting for."
When I finished all my jitters and nervousness had melted away. The crowd had been silenced, with hopeful looks on their faces. I rushed back to my seat next to Darry, I was embarrassed with myself, it took so much courage to get up there. I thought I was just gonna crack a anecdote from happier days, but I ended up with a speech. "Pony, that was great!" Soda said, welcoming me back to my seat.
"Yeah, guess it was."
Maybe there were better things to come. The past is behind us, and I can do anything with my life. Being with those two was great, but many more things are to come. And I can't wait to do them.
Goodbye!