Twenty minutes after my brothers got here Johnny and Two-bit came then after then Steve and Dally came by. Johnny was talking with me while Dally and Darry were whispering back and forth by the window. Steve and Soda weren't really talking because I'm sure Soda wanted to talk about me and Steve didn't. Two-bit was sitting in a chair next to the bed with his feet propped up on my bed.

"My break is almost over I have to go." Darry informed us. "Yeah us too." Steve added. The three of them said their good-byes and left. "I guess that means we gotta go back to school." Two-bit piped up. "Yeah cya later Pone." Johnny patted my shoulder.

They got to the door and turned around. "You stayin' Dal?" He probably didn't want to hang out with some sick kid for the rest of the day and honestly I wanted to be alone to think. "Nah I got some place to be. Cya later kid." I nodded my head and they left.

So for a while I just sat there looking and breathing trying to process what my brothers told me. They didn't say what I had just that it was treatable. But that doesn't change anything. Darry said 'we'd get through it' but I don't see how. I can't possible see how I'd get over this. I have to be strong, after everything that happened I have to be strong now. My brothers already worry enough so it wouldn't be right concern them any more. I must stay strong.

Dr. Deerfield walked in and checked some of the monitors by my bed. "I'm hoping your brothers told about the STD." He said straightening out. I nodded my head. I wonder if they told him how I got it. "Well when you're ready to be discharged I'll give your brother the prescription. The medicince will be oral and you'll take it once a day. I'm sure the side effects won't bother you much. As for the recovery time form the surgery, you won't be able to participate in physical actives or sports for a couple weeks but after that you'll be back to normal."

I was getting tired of that word 'normal' everybody said thing would be normal and thing would be okay, but I won't be the same person I was before I can just feel it. It's like something in side me, something small but important…died. Gosh I must sound so despondent, and it is not the best feeling in the world.

I sighed and turned on my side then closed my eyes. I just wanted to sleep.

When I woke up I could see to outlined figures standing at the end of my bed. I blinked a few time to clear my vision. Then my eyes widen at the two new visitors.

It was two socs from the other night. One was the look out and the other was 'in line'. "W-what do you want?" No way were they going to violate me, give some diease, then see me break down because of it.

"We heard you were in the hospital and we had to talk to you." The one with curly brown hair was said. The other had curly red hair.

Brown hair had on a dark blue madras with red stripes and clean-pressed khakis. Carrot top wore a light green polo with ironed jeans. They both had black bookbags.

"What?" My voice surprised me it sounded kind of angry. "a-about the other night, It-we were drunk and I mean drunker than before-"

I cut him off. "And that's your excuse." I sounded like Darry right then.

"No it ain't. We don't have an excuse we just came to tell you we're sorry." The red head spoke.

"And that makes me feel a lot better. Thank you." My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"No we mean it, I swear we do. It just got to us what Thomas did. I don't know why we'd care about a greaser so much." The brown haired one said. The look in their eyes told me everything: They were ashamed, they were being sincere. But why would I trust them if I couldn't even trust my brothers and friends.

"Greaser got nothing to do with." I'm whispered. "I guess not kid."

"My names not kid. It's Ponyboy." Why the hell did I tell them my name? I guess Darry was right when he said I don't use my head enough. "Yeah we have some of the same classes. I'm Bob Sheldon. This is my buddy Randy Adderson." So red head was Bob and brunette was Randy. I nodded my head.

"What about Thomas, he your buddy too?" This whole ordeal made me just a bit bitter. A disgusted looked crossed their face. "No…Thomas has always been a little…off. He's kind of an extreme guy and when he's drunk it's even worse because he loses all morals whatsoever." I wonder why Bob said the last part so quietly.

For lack of anything better to say I just nodded.

"Heya Pony-" I looked behind the socs and in the doorway stood Soda and Darry with anger very evident on their faces. This is just perfect. "Who the hell are you?" Darry asked crossing his arms over his chest. Everybody's just ready to beat the crap out of any socs, weather they had something to with Friday or not.

"We go to the same school." Bob said looking at me, his eyes were pleading with me to save him from Darry's muscles. "What do you want?" Soda asked stepping up to Randy. An angry Soda could potentially hold as much danger as an angry Darry. "We just had to talk to him, a-about school." Randy said. Bob didn't say anything because of Darry's intimidating chest.

"What else?" My oldest brother stepped closer to Bob. "Nothing else just school." It wasn't a total lie 'cause it happened on school property. "Naw, I don't believe that." Soda asserted looking Randy dead in the eye. Then Darry turned to me. Oh crap, If I tell them what we were talking about then Bob and Randy will probably give a few good slams against the wall or a punch or two in the face. If I don't tell them I might lose their trust and then their overprotectiveness will be on maximum. I could try to sugarcoat it.

"Nothing, we ain't talk about nothing." Soda turned to me in disbelief.

"It time for you two to go" Darry said finally, I'd be pretty surprised if they any objections to his tone. "Yeah, we should get going Randy." They both looked at me I couldn't tell what they were thinking so I nodded my head and they left.

"Ponyboy what did they want?"

"To talk" I really didn't feel like talking about this but I know they won't drop it until they get answers. "About school" I turned on my left side with my back to them.

"About Friday?" Darry countered, I stayed silent there was no way out of this conversation unless I pass out. That's sounds sorta good right now. "Yeah"

"What did they say?" Soda asked I could feel them both moving closer to me. "They said they were drunk and…"

"And what?" Darry's voice sounded kind of weird, kind of different.

"and they were sorry." I whispered closing my eyes.

"They were sorry?! How can an apology make everything better!" Soda nearly yelled. I shut my eyes harder. "What else did they say?" I could tell Darry was clenching his jaw by the way his word ground out.

"The guy that…that hurt me, they said he was kinda out there. You know?" I looked over my shoulder their faces were blank.

"Bob and Randy didn't do anything. Not then, not now." I assured them. "They just wanted to talk to me about it."

"Ponyboy-" Soda started but I didn't let him finish I laid on my back staring up at the ceiling.

"I-I don't know maybe I'm crazy or maybe all the medication is getting to me but I want to believe them, I don't like the fact that they didn't try to stop him and no, them being drunk isn't an excuse, but want to believe them. I really, really want to believe that they-just them at least-are sorry. And I want to trust you two when you say it'll be okay. I want to know that I'm not alone and that I will be okay because if I don't believe in something…if I don't have confidence that this situation is only temporary I don't know what I'll do."

When I finished I couldn't look at them so I kept starting at the ceiling while silence filled the room. That was the most I've said in the past few days it felt good to get it off my chest like another huge weight was lifted off me, I can breath now, I can heal now.

"You don't have to say anything. I understand." If I was in their place I wouldn't know what to say either. "Ponyboy…you can trust us, we need you to trust us because this is only temporary. It's not something you can forget but you can move on from this and we'll be there the whole way helping you." Darry finally promised me.

"No matter what." Soda added even though I wasn't looking at him I could tell he was smiling. I took a deep breath nodded my head. "No matter what" I repeated finally looking at them. They stood only a foot away from my bed. Darry looked determined still clenching his jaw, Soda looked hopeful with a small smile on his face. I looked back and forth between them and smiled for the first time in what felt like years. "I love you guys." Was the only thing I could think of to say. "We love you too" Darry said with a smile tugging at his lips. No matter what I'll be okay, through all this I'll be okay.

Now I know for a fact that everything will be okay.

A/N: This sounds like the end but it ain't. ( I don't think.)

I have a question: Why is hurting PC so much fun? And I know I'm not alone out there.