My dearest subscribers,

After many, many months of absence, I am finally back. I have no tangible excuse for not updating. To be very honest, instead of writing, I have been spending my time on tumblr, and thus experienced a very, very bad case of writer's block. Ever since my last update in November, I have gone through many hours of exams, got accepted to all the colleges I applied to (save for one, but I didn't really want to go there anyway), graduated, and most importantly, grew up quite a lot. At the end of September, I am finally going to college (: But enough of my rambling. It's all thanks to my boyfriend, and the anons I got on tumblr, that I have gotten off my ass and decided to finish off this chapter. I'm still experiencing a slight case of writer's block, and I don't know when the next update will be. But I want to thank each and every one of you lovely individuals who have subscribed, favourited, and reviewed I Get Around. I wrote about you guys in one of the college essays I did. As an aspiring writer, you mean so, so much to me, and I cannot thank you enough for still sticking with this story after all these months.
And now, here's the next chapter to I Get Around (:

"Kat." The voice was desperate, and its owner was shaking me hard. "Kat, baby, wake up."

I mumbled 'fuck off', turning away from the person, but he didn't stop; instead, he shook me harder, his voice becoming more desperate.

"You have to get up, the cops have been waitin' for fifteen minutes."

I sat up so fast that my head began to spin, and I waited a couple of seconds before looking at Soda. But during that time, memories of the previous night came rushing back to me. And last time the cops came, Mama and Dad…

My twin saw the stricken look on my face, and he quickly shook his head. "No, no, Pony ain't dead. It's just… Just… Hurry up an' get dressed, they're getting impatient.

He kissed the top of my head before running out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I stumbled out into the living room, wearing a dark grey blouse, a black skirt, nylon stockings and penny loafers, my makeup lightly done and my hair let down. Two cops were standing in the living room, looking grim, dark shadows under their eyes like they had had a long night.

Darry waved me over, but I just gave him a dirty look, and sat down next to Soda, who wrapped an arm around me. He was trembling slightly, but his gaze was cold and hard.

"Now that you're all here," one of them said, one with shortly cropped blond hair, "we have some rather unfortunate news for you. A dead teenager by the name of Robert Sheldon was found dead, stabbed, in the park, very early this morning, and his friends tell us that your brother... Ponyboy?" He looks at us for confirmation, and we nod. "Was there, along with his friend Johnathan Cade, and the latter is the one who murdered the boy."

I gasped, digging my nails into Soda's arm. Johnny? Murder someone? Poor, innocent, beaten down Johnny? Our Johnny? No... How... Why?

"Officer, there has to be some mistake," Soda said, his eyes wide.

"Our sources are very certain that it was Mister Cade, young man. Now, if you three would be willing to answer-"

"Hey guys, what's with the fuzz-" Two-Bit and Steve burst through the doorway, but stopped in their tracks as they noticed the cops.

"And you are?" The blond one asked, looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Steve Randle and Keith Mathews," the other one, "friends of theirs," he added, nodding at us.

"What's going on?" Two-Bit wondered, looking from us to the cops, then cracked a grin. "Anyone get killed? Hey, where's Pony-"

"Enough with the jokes," the blond one ordered, not looking amused by my friend's attempt at humor, and Two-Bit actually looked surprised, and kept quiet. "Would you two mind stepping out while I ask these three some questions?"

"How long will it take?" I asked, glancing up nervously at the grandfather clock.

7:30.

"Depends on how willing you are to cooperate with us."

His voice was threatening, and I gulped, nodding. I've never been picked up by the cops before, and I decided to be as truthful as I could. "Miss Curtis, if you would come with me to the kitchen."

I wasn't used to being ordered around in my own house, and forgot my anger towards my older brother for the moment, glancing at him for permission. He nodded, his eyes hard. He looked like he didn't like the fact that they were telling me what to do either, but I could see their reasoning for choosing me first. I was the only girl and therefore, in their eyes, the weakest of the group.

I sat down, and the cop leaned against the counter, looking at me with pale green eyes. "Where were you last night Miss Curtis?"

"At my school's football game."

"And you go to Will Rogers High School?"

"Yes."

"And your younger brother… Ponyboy Curtis? Was he there?"

"No officer," I answered, fiddling with a loose thread of my skirt. "He was with Johnny and Dally."

He snapped his head up, looking alert. "Dally?"

Fuck.

"A friend."

"Last name?"

"Why is it important?."

"Miss Curtis," he said sternly, "if you don't comply, we can be here for a long time."

"Winston," I whispered, already feeling the shame building up inside of me.

"Parker!" He barked, and the blond cop poked his head through the doorway.

"Yes sir?"

"Get someone to get Winston, he may have information on the event."

"Right on it sir."

I could feel myself burning with shame when the cop who was interrogating me turned back to me. "What did you do after the football game?"

"Got milkshakes and came back home. Pony wasn't home yet, and Soda and me fell asleep waiting for him. Then we woke up when Pony and Darry started fightin' when he came home really late. And Darry…" I tailed off, thinking. I wasn't going to tell him that Darry had hit Pony; I didn't want to risk us getting thrown in a home.

"Yes Miss Curtis?" His eyes were shinning with anticipation, and I could tell that he felt like I was going to reveal something important, but I just took a deep breath and looked at him, trying to put on the same, sad look Pony had the previous night. "Then Darry started yellin' and Pony couldn't take it anymore, an' left."

"That's all?"

I nodded, and he studied me for a few seconds before looking down at his notebook. "Send your brother in, Darrel."

I felt like everyone was looking at me as I sat back down on the couch, staring down at my lap. Oh God, what if they decided to put Dally back in the slammer for whatever reason? I wouldn't be able to handle the fact that I was the one who got him back there again.

"I didn't mean to!"

Soda quickly closed the space between us and crouched down so were eye to eye, running his hand through my hair.

"What do you mean, you didn't mean to? Didn't mean to do what?"

"Tell them about Dally," I answered, feeling the tears well up. "What if he goes back to the slammer?"

"Don't worry about it kid," Two-Bit told me, coming over with a confident air, though there was still the unwelcome, odd look in his expression. "He's been lyin' low since last night, Shep busted a couple of his ribs. If they do haul 'im in, it won't be for long, he ain't got nothin' to say 'bout this. Bastard's probably still sleeping' off his hangover."

"But-"

"Dallas is smart, he knows how to deal with the boys at the station," Steve said reassuringly, sitting down next to me and wiping away a stray tear with a small grin, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry yourself about it."

Fear.

That was what in Two-Bit's eyes. He was never scared, and this situation somehow brought that feeling out of him.

xXxXxX

It was about an hour before the cops were finished questioning us and checking our alibis. Darry and Soda sped off to work, leaving Two-Bit, Steve and I without a ride.

"Get in the car kids, we'll drive you to school," Parker told us.

I looked at my friends, almost expecting them to refuse, but they went out the door, Two-Bit pulling me by the hand. I sat in between them, resting my head on Two-Bit's shoulder, a hand across my aching stomach.

The ride was quiet, and when we got the the main office, the secretary almost fell out of her chair seeing us with the cops. They talked for a while before finally letting us go to class.

"You okay?" Two-Bit asked as I leaned against the lockers, clutching my stomach. "You don't look so well."

"It's just… The stress of all this…"

"Pony's a smart kid for his age, I'm sure he's okay," Two-Bit said, giving me a comforting smile. "They're going to be back before the week finishes, trust me."

I hope so…

The bell rang, and a few seconds later the hall was filled with students. I pressed myself closer to Two-Bit, who wrapped an arm around me, pressing his lips to the top of my head.

"What the fuck?"

I snapped my head up and saw Michael storming towards us, looking furious. A choked gasp escaped my lips, and my friend's grip around my shoulders tightened, but Michael yanked me away.

"What the-"

Two-Bit tried to pull me away, but Michael slammed me against a locker, putting his hands on either side of me.

"Where the hell were you this morning?" He growled, leaning in close to me, his sea green eyes hard.

"A-at hime, the cops-"

"Yeah, the cops fuckin' came and interrogated you about what your brother and his stupid friend-"

"Johnny's not stupid!" I tried to push him away from me, but he stood firmly, refusing to move. "Why are you so mad? I didn't do anything!"

"This shit needs to get solved quickly. I don't care how you do it, but get your brother to confess what he did so we can put this behind us. God," he looked like he was going to lose it soon, and I wanted nothing more than to get away. "I didn't think that being with you would create all this drama, but-"

"Hey man, leave her alone!" Steve and Two-Bit tried to pull Michael away, but Michael punched them both, making me scream in anger.

"Calm the fuck down!"

"No!" He spat, and I felt the tears coming to my eyes. "You will solve this shit as soon as you fucking can. I was the-"

He was pulled off of me, and screams filled the hallway as he fell to the ground, his hands to his nose. A leather clad figure was standing above him, his shoulders moving up and down rapidly. My gaze went from the scruffy black boots, to the tight dark blue jeans, the worn leather jacket, the long scar on his face and finally to the cobalt eyes that I knew so well, that were at the time clouded over in anger. They softened as we locked eyes, and I felt the air from my lungs escaped.

"Ohh…"

My knees gave way, but someone grabbed me before I hit the ground.

"Katherine? Kat?" Someone was shaking me slightly, and I looked up, trying to focus on Steve's eyes. He looked worried, and I was about to say that I was okay, but caught sight of Tim. He wasn't paying attention to the crowd of students around him, who were yelling and calling their friends over, shoving each other to get a better view. Like Steve, he seemed concerned, and looked like he was going to come over and see how I was, but was stopped by Michael, who had a bleeding nose and landed a punch to the back of Tim's head. The crowded erupted into screams and cheers, but I just felt sick.

"You look really pale… JESUS CHRIST!"

xXxXxX

The school nurse fretted over me, making sure that the blanket was wrapped tightly around me as I laid down on the bed, shaking with cold and sobs, as her assistant called the number that Two-Bit provided her.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you're going to go home soon. You can rest all you want and come back when you feel better."

Steve moved right out of the way just before I got sick over him, and he and Two-Bit lead me to the nurse's office, leaving the fighting boys and crowd behind us.

"Mrs. Mathews is going to be here in twenty minutes, okay sweetie?" The nurse told me, handing me a box of tissues and an empty bin. "Your brother knows what happened but is unable to come pick you up."

I just nodded and blew my nose, trying to stop the sniffling. She gave me a sympathetic look and squeezed my shoulder before going to her assistant to review some papers.

The twenty minutes that it took for Elizabeth to come felt like an eternity, and her motherly instincts kicked in as soon as she saw me on the bed trembling and wiping away stray tears. She immediately took off her coat and handed it to me after feeling my temperature, then after signing a couple of forms, took me to her car. When we got to her house, she shooed me to bed after making me drink a large glass of water.

"Darry's going to come pick you up as soon as he gets off work," she said as I got comfortable in Two-Bit's bed. The thought of the number of girls he had had sex with on that bed didn't occur to me at that moment; I was just happy not to be standing up.

I nodded, letting her know that I heard her. As soon as she closed the door I let my eyes close, and fell into a restless sleep.

xXxXxX

I opened my eyes, blinking to adjust to the darkness that surrounds me. Within seconds, shapes, shadows began to appear. I squinted at my alarm clock, notice it's a little past midnight. My stomachache and headache were gone, but I was feeling pretty hungry.

I swung my legs over my bed, jumping a bit when my feet touched the cold floor. When I was comfortable with it, I grabbed my bathrobe from the back of my chair, and made my way to the kitchen.

For Kit Kat

I smiled as I took the bowl of soup from the fridge, and poured it into a small pot, turning on the stove. As I waited for it to heat, I grabbed a bowl and glass out of the cupboard.

I don't remember much about when Darry came to pick me up, except that I almost let out the contents of my stomach on him when we got home, and Elizabeth being there. It's then that I noticed I was wearing a nightgown, and figured that it was probably her who changed my clothes.

The glass almost slipped from my fingers as I fill it with water; I could hear footsteps coming from outside the kitchen. My eyes darted around the kitchen for something to defend myself with, and I grabbed a bread knife that was lying on the counter. My fingers gripped it tightly, and my breathing became harsher as the footsteps got closer. I tried to focus on my breathing, slow down my racing heart, which almost stopped as a tall blond came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He quickly raised an eyebrow and his lips curl into a smirk as he looks me up and down.

"Some site Curtis. You in a nightgown holding that knife like your life depends on it."

I ignored his comment and set the knife down.

"You're not at the station?"

"Why would I be?"

"The police... Oh, never mind, you're out." I threw my arms around him and he stiffened for a second, only to hug me back in return.

"Yeah, they were pretty rough, but it's cool. I don't know nothin' 'bout what happened. But the boys are safe, they're smart. 'specially that brother of yours."

I managed a grin, but felt the tears pricking my eyes. I turned away and opened the cupboard again to get another bowl, quickly dabbing my eyes.

Silently, I poured the soup into two bowls, and Dally took his without a word. He looked beat. He had a black eye and a busted lip, and he winced as he sat down. Shepard must have gotten him bad.

"Two-Bit told me that Shepard came in an' saved you," he said the name with some contempt, "from that asshole boyfriend of yours."

I made no attempt to tell my friend off for calling Michael an asshole, and spoon some soup into my mouth.

"Yeah, he did."

"Always get the bad boys, huh Curtis?"

"Dallas, just... Shut up, alright? I had a long day." I snapped this at him and he glared at me, but didn't do anything.

I pushed my soup away from me, and buried my head in my arms. Images of Pony's face from the previous night fill my mind, and his expression filled me with pain. Pain, terror, and even a bit of hatred filled his grey green eyes after Darry had hit him.

When Dally taps my arm, saying my name softly, it's only then when I realised that I was crying. I tried to muffle a sob, shutting my eyes and putting a hand over my mouth, but it didn't help, and I started to cry harder. The chair scraped against the linoleum floor, and Dally wrapped his arms around me, sitting me on his lap.

"C'mon kid, don't cry. They'll be fine, the both o' them. Don't worry about it."

"But-"

"No buts. The boys are alright, they ain't hurt."

I buried my face in the crook of his neck, letting his jacket soak up my tears. He patted my back awkwardly, until the tears stopped.

"Thanks," I whispered, wiping away stray tears with the back of my hand.

He just nodded, and pointed his thumb to the hallway.

"You should get back to bed."

I got off him, but held onto his hand, biting my lip. Deep blue into forest green. Slowly, he got up, and trailed behind me, turning off the kitchen light. Our paces were light, practiced, having snuck around the house multiple times before. We avoided the creaky floorboards, stepping around them.

The click of the lock to my bedroom door could barely be heard. I swept the covers off my bed, laying down on it, and Dally threw his jacket off, not bothering to pick it up when it fell to the floor. He pulled the covers over us, wrapping an arm around me. I snuggled closer to him, inhaling the scent of Kools and soup and worn leather. I sighed lightly as he pressed his lips to my forehead, lazily running my fingers through his hair, a smile playing on my lips as he said the last words of the night.

"Sleep tight kid."