Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders, not me. I don't own the song, A New Chapter.

Summary: "On the first page of our story the future seemed so bright. Then this thing turned out so evil. I don't know why I'm still surprise." The secret's out on the table now, staring them down. The journey of Danni and Dally continues on.

-"You talkin' bout that kid who died last week? Sam?" Jennie came over to us with a curious and concerned look on her face. "Did Randy know him?"

-"Yeah, Dally," Ronnie cooed. "Go on an' introduce me to your friends."

"Who is he?"

"He's my brother."

-Marten Dills. Sixty three years old. Grandfather, father, brother, flower shop owner...fifthly stinking rich bastard. He lived in a big brown house on the hill. He came from family money. His father owned most of the businesses in this town. Once he died, ol Marten collected.

He was worth thousands and probably more.

-Ronnie's face was pure white and hard. He respectfully nodded, and limped to the gate. "I'm sorry. I really am...for everything."

"The best thing you can do at this point is leave," Darry explained. "Get out...now!"

-I eyed him. "What does Ronnie's bail have to do with anything?"

"We never figured out who paid it," he said plainly. "It's just odd. Maybe they got family money he ain't tellin' us about. I don't know. It just seemed weird to me is all. No need to make a big deal about it I don't guess."

-"You're scaring me," I stressed. I tried to get closer. "Just say something!"

"I killed that Soc kid, Curtis. I killed him dead."

3 Months Later:

I hide out here sometimes. I watch the sunlight leave the skyline. Here I'm safe. I close my eyes and sleep. Tomorrow brings another journey that I will take. I read each line like it's the last. I know this book this time has passed. I need a new chapter to begin.

"What about Jimmy Hicks?"

"Sweat stains Hicks? No way."

"Matt Abby?"

"Flabby Abby? No thanks."

The boys did another lap, Pony leading the front. This was the last day of track practice before the big meet next week in California. Pony was going crazy with excitement. He leaves in twenty minutes. Lots of college scouts are going to be there and he's been training for weeks for this. This could be his future on a plate. You could say we were all on edge.

Sarah and I were on the bleachers eating lunch and watching them. I wanted to say good bye to Pony again before he left and wish him good luck. They were leaving soon. He was kinda bummed he was missing Spring Break this year. Soda and I promised we wouldn't do anything too fun without him though.

Sarah took another bite of her apple and studied the other boys again. "Logan?"

"No," I told her again.

Sarah rolled her eyes and deeply sighed. "You're never gonna get a date for the prom with that attitude."

Prom was on everyone's mind and it was only March. This year we were allowed to go for the first time and it's all the girls talked about. Dresses and dates, dresses and dates. Even Sarah had fallen into the completely warped group of girls.

"What makes you think I want to go?" I asked, sipping on the rest of my soda. "I don't really do dances anyway Sarah. Prom is just another thing to spend money I don't have on."

Sarah didn't buy it, as I expected. "I know you wanna go and you're going. We can go shopping for dresses together at this shop I know with really cheap stuff. It won't be a big deal, Danni. You can hang with me and Johnny. You only get one junior prom!"

They were still together...going strong.

I played with the chain on my neck, dragging it back and forth and watched the boys do sprints. "I don't have a date and I'm not going with some loser just to have one."

I could feel her eyes on me. They were glued on it like they had been since I told her. "Danni," she said softly. "I don't want to be mean, but maybe...maybe if you take it off, boys would ask."

I stopped playing with the chain, not looking at her. She was right. She'd been saying it for months. She'd been saying a lot of things that she was right about. I let loose of the chain and grabbed my books to meet Pony at the track entrance. "C'mon."

Pony waited for us by the bus, his hair soaked in sweat and his body smelling worse than he looked. I was second guessing this hug I was supposed to give him.

"Good luck," I placed my hands around his waist, avoiding what sweat I could. "Don't break a leg or anything."

He snickered, hugging me back and resting his chin on my head. He'd sprouted up in the past few weeks. He was taller than Soda now and a head taller than me. He looked older than sixteen. "I'll try not to. Don't hit the lake until I get back either!"

"I'll try an' keep Soda away."

He broke the hug and picked up his bags. He looked behind me at Sarah, studying her for a minute before smiling and waving good bye to her. Sarah grinned and watched him get on the bus and drive away as I stood by her.

It wasn't much of a secret any more who Pony had his eyes on. I just hoped he knew what he was doing. After all, he did have better luck than I do in that department. You can never tell what will happen anymore.

Darry's truck wasn't in the driveway when I got home. I sat on the sofa, eating chips and watching the blank television. It was quite around the house these days. Everyone has become consumed with their own lives that we rarely see any of the gang anymore. We'd all grown up and perhaps, we'd grown apart. Times were different now.

"Where's Kat?" Soda asked, coming into the living room and staring at me. I felt his eyes burning me. "What are you doing?"

I crunched another chip in my mouth. "Thinking. Maybe she went to the store or something. Don't you have a date?"

He kept his eyes on me for another minute before making a face and shaking his head. He left and went into Darry and Kathy's room. Jennie and he are never apart anymore and at times...I want to punch them both in the face. They're at the honeymoon stage. That's what Kathy keeps saying. Hell, every day is another day in paradise for those two.

Soda returned a frantic look on his face. I felt the wind as he rushed by me and picked up the phone. His fingers ran over the numbers as he tried to remember. I watched him. "What's going on?"

"Kathy's stuff's gone." He dialed as fast as he could. The busy tone came on and he slammed the phone down. "Damn. Did Darry say anything to you?"

I sat up, starting to slightly panic. "All her stuff is gone? You went through their stuff?"

"I was looking for a shirt for my date tonight, yeah. It's all gone, Dan."

I scrambled off the sofa, wanting to make sure of it myself. I felt my face get hot and I had a cold shiver down my spine. Kathy had been living with us for months now. She wouldn't have picked up and left in the middle of the night. She wouldn't do that to us like that. She promised me she'd be here so she was going to be. Soda was just doing his stupid pranks again. That's all it was.

Sure enough though, once I entered the bedroom, the house key lay on the dresser, alone.

"We broke up, guys," he repeated himself. "She moved out. I thought she'd say good bye or something. I'm sorry she didn't."

The interrogation began as soon as Darry stepped in the door. Soda was playing the bad cop, me the good. He wasn't saying much though. Soda was pacing back and forth in front of him, pressing on that Darry tell us more but Darry wasn't having it. I sat quietly and listened to Darry say the same things over and over again. His tone less than distraught.

"Why did ya'll break it off?" Soda questioned again. "Dar, c'mon! She wouldn't take off like that if nothin' happened. I mean, she didn't even tell us she was leaving! Give us more than a 'we broke up'."

Darry let out a sigh and rubbed his face. "It's my life, Soda. If I wanted to tell ya'll all about my relationship issues, I would." He stood up, brushing himself off. "Now I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

Soda gawked at him, his hands on his hips like a little old lady. He waited for Darry to say more but he just looked at Soda. "That's it? Darry Kathy is gone! What is going on?"

Darry turned his attention to me sitting behind Soda, keeping quite. He raised an eyebrow. "Have you talked to her?"

"No."

Darry went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and started rummaging around for food. Soda and I followed. Soda stood behind him, still waiting for more. "What's going on, Dar? Did ya'll have a fight or something? Is she pregnant?"

Darry rose up, his eyebrows raised. He smirked and walked over to the cabinets and started hunting there. "She's not pregnant, Sodapop. We just thought it was too much and we were growing a part and she went back home."

"So is she coming back?" I asked.

"You'll have to ask her that. Probably not though. No. She's not, Dan. Sorry."

"What is going on?" Soda shouted throwing his arms in the air. "Darry! Are you even listening to me?"

Darry turned back around. He eyeballed me and then Soda. He shrugged loosely. "I can hear you loud and clear, yes. Kathy is gone, I know. She told me. Look, I'm sorry she didn't tell ya'll herself but we've had some problems, she went back home. Simple as that."

"Are you high!" Soda gaped. "You act like you don't even care! You two were going to get married, have a bunch of kids, and all kinds of fluffy gooey stuff like you want to do! Darry, what is going on?"

Darry left the room, a bag of chips in his hands. He went into the living room, turned on the game, propped his feet up, and stuck a handful of chips into his mouth. "You wanna watch the game or what?"

"You've been up here for a long time." She entered the room. "Did you like your gifts yesterday?"

I peered out from under the blanket. I smiled at her. "Yeah, I did. Thanks. I just...I don't feel too hot today. Tell Darry I'm sorry I can't help take down the decorations."

She sat down on the bed, her hand landing on my knee. "Soda's making him keep them up until New Years anyway." She studied me. "Are you sure you're ok? You seem weird. Did something happen the other day with Dally?"

"No," I said with another smile. "Everything's fine. We're just on a break right now while he's in jail. That's all. I told ya'll that."

She studied my face, leaning closer. I looked away from her so she wouldn't see my eyes. "Danni..."

"Everything's fine, Kat," I answered. "Everything is just fine. Trust me."

A loud bang woke me up the next morning. I jumped up and searched my room. Cold sweat dripped down my face and I was sure I had yet another nightmare. I'd been getting them more and they had been coming in full force. I reached for the bottle of pills beside my bed when there was another bang and then the sound of a motor. I got out of bed.

My sock covered feet slid on the carpet. The banging grew louder and more frequent as I got closer. I got to the screen door, hearing the loud motor again. I stepped onto the porch to see the red Camino in my driveway.

"Danni!" Soda skipped over to me. "Nice outfit." I looked down at my overgrown shirt that came down to the tip of my knees. My face flushed. "Hey, go pack some clothes for about a week, change, and meet me back down here in like ten minutes."

I pulled my shirt down further as Steve came around the car. I narrowed my eyes at Soda, my face getting redder. "What are you doing? Why am I packing?"

"Just go do it!" Steve hollered, loading up the car with bags, explaining the banging I'd heard. "Jennie and Two will be here any minute and I'm not waiting on your ass to put on some fucking pants!"

Sure enough, Two-Bit rolled in on his bike. He lost his car right after Valentine's day. A girl got a little upset after their date ended.

He got off, slinging his helmet off. He examined me and his lips curled. "You know Dal's still in jail, right, Danni-bear? Wearin' no pants ain't gonna do you any good with us."

I pulled Soda by the collar, leading him inside and away from the boys. I slammed the screen door shut. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

Soda wiggled his eyebrows and beamed. "Get your shit, get a bathing-suit, we're going to go to Florida to get Kathy back."

The wind blew my hair. The air conditioner was broken, Two-Bit had gas, Steve was hungry, Jennie was smoking, and Soda was singing at the top of his lungs. Darry was still at home sleeping. I could picture him getting up right now. Soda left a note. I wondered what good that'd do right about now. Darry was probably already shitting a brick.

Jennie was up front, studying the map. "You take this next exit."

"You're crazy," I said. "I can't believe we're doing this." I couldn't believe I'd gotten in the car. I was still asking myself this fifty miles later.

Soda giggled and cranked the radio up a little louder making the car vibrate. "Well believe it baby sister! Don't tell me you're not excited to spend your Spring Break on the beach neither. I know you."

"I'm just picturing what's going to happen to us when we get home," I pointed out. "You may be too old to be beat but I sure as hell ain't. Darry is going to murder me."

Soda jammed out to the last bit of the song until the next one came on. "Live a little, will ya?"

I rested my head on the window. I let the cool air blow on my face and shut my eyes. I'd lived too much as it was. I didn't know if I wanted to live more or not. Life and I weren't too friendly these days. Life was a bitch.

Dear Dally,

Letter number five. It's almost February. Yes, I've caught on that you're never going to write me back. I've caught on that you're not going to see me either. I've caught on to the fact that you're an ass. I went and talked to Tim yesterday. He doesn't know anything. I guess I believe him. I know I shouldn't. I shouldn't believe anyone of the male race. I believe what you let Ronnie tell me. You got that in the other letter. No one knows. I don't why I don't tell. I want to. I couldn't get one damn letter from you. Not even one saying: "oh hey, I hate you, fuck off, you stupid gullible bitch." No, I couldn't even get that. That's Dallas Winston for you though, right? You really know how to leave a girl hanging. I was warned though right from the fucking beginning. I never listen, right? No, I never see what's right in front of me. That's right. I could write you letters about what I'm doing. What I'm doing at night when I'm home - alone, mind you. I could tell you what I tell people when they ask me what happened with us, hell, what happened with you. I could tell you about all the lies I've told for you. I could write you such wonderful letters about my life and we could have a grand old time. You don't care. You probably don't open these. I guess I'm just writing these for myself, even the tear stained ones I used to write. I'm supposed to thank you. You did it for a good reason is what I'm told. It's not the whole truth. I'm still figuring that out. I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to find out what you're hiding. I can't tell you how I feel right now because I don't really know how to put into words how I feel. I wish I could tell you what is going on inside my head so maybe, maybe, you could feel sorry for me. You could feel bad for what you've done to me but I know that's never going to happen. This is you I'm talking to. Sam's six feet under and well...I kinda wish you were right there with him.

-Danni.

...No, I don't wish that...maybe.

We stopped at a Waffle House. We'd gone about two-hundred miles so far. My legs were numb when I got out of the car and I stumbled, almost falling. I still wondered what Darry was doing right now. I'd imagine plotting my death, though, I could be wrong. He seemed pretty chill about everything. Darry is never chill. That's what worries me the most.

"How much money do we have?" I asked as I sipped on my chocolate milkshake. Everyone looked at each other for an answer. I shook my head and licked the end of the straw. "Good planning, Sodapop."

Soda wiped the ketchup off his mouth. "I've got money in the glove box I've been saving for a while. We all brought some but you." He looked to his sides at our companions. "Right?"

"I got five bucks," Two-Bit admitted. "It's bad times, my friend. I could barely get that."

"I thought you were saving up for a car?" Jennie pointed out. "Did some crazy red head ruin that for you too?"

Steve cleared his throat and got out his wallet as Two-Bit tried to kick Jennie from underneath the table, only kicking me. "Hey!"

"I've got about fifty." Steve threw a couple bills on the table. "Looks like we'll all be getting one hotel room and we'll have to go easy on the food and try and save as much gas as possible."

I wondered how Steve had some cash, better yet, I wondered where Evie was right now and why Steve was with us. "What about the way home?" I asked. "Did you think about that?"

Soda pushed his plate forward. "Alright, alright. I may have dropped outta school but I'm no dummy. I can do math. Steve's right, we get one hotel room when we get down there and take turns driving until then. We have enough for the way back once Kathy comes."

"What of Kathy doesn't come?" I asked. "Then what? Get the raging bull to come up and get us?"

Soda gave me a look. "Will you calm down? I've got this, Danni. If all else fails, I'll get Kat to loan me a few dollars for gas. Jesus, you're getting more and more like Darry with each passing day."

I chucked a fry at him. "I repeat myself: this is crazy!"

"What are we going to do for tonight?" Jennie asked. "I'll pay for a hotel because there is no way I'm sleeping in that car with four other people packed in there and with the poison this one is laying out." She motioned toward Two.

"Fine," Soda said, scooting Steve out of the booth. "We can only afford one room though."

"Oh no."

"I'm bunking with Danni-bear!"

I grabbed the bill and marched out of the restaurant. I stuck my middle finger in the air and walked. "I hate my life!"

I walk these streets alone. I see the world around me changing. I'm in a dream. Faces that I knew are slowly turning into strangers I've never seen. I read each line I turn the page. I laugh and cry at this true story. It's time for a new chapter to begin.

A/N: Surprise! I'm back! :) I can't wait any longer so I'm posting it today so I better get some reviews now! I'm not going to say a whole lot about this story and my plans other than I do plan to split it into two parts which you shall see later what that in-tells and what I plan to do for it. I do have a trailer for this story if you are interested in watching it. The link is hopefully on my profile by now.

Thank you for starting another journey with me. :) Please review your thoughts.