A knock sounded from the closed door of the hospital room. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion because I had no idea who could've been here to visit. Dally, Two-Bit, and Steve had just left and Chrissy had been gone since I woke up this morning. She's been leaving for long periods of time through each day for some doctor appointment in another area in the hospital. I just assumed it was about her burnt hand.

"Come in," I said.

When the door opened, Darry appeared with a serious look on his face as he walked towards me and stood in front of my bed. I offered him a small smile as I said, "Hey Darry, haven't seen ya-"

"Cut the bullshit, Diana," Darry said, interrupted me harshly. My eyes widened at his tone. I was completely taken aback. He pulled out a newspaper that was rolled up in his back pocket and dropped it in front of me, the pages sprawling apart on my bed. "I read this around the same time you got here," He said, pointing at the headliner.

Bank Robbery At Grand Opening
A group of teenage delinquents banded together and robbed the new bank on Main Street during its grand opening. The group stole $50,000 worth of donations and has not been seen since. Police have been searching New York's streets, and ask that if anyone has any information on the group or the robbery to share it with the NYPD immediately.

The Smith Family will grant a small percentage of the donation money as reward for bringing the robbers into the police department.

I stared at the page, my expression void of emotion but my mind racing with all sorts of thoughts. I had a feeling where this conversation was going. I knew that the secrets from my past would catch up to me eventually, but I wasn't ready to own up to my own faults.

Darry threw another newspaper on top of the previous one, and I picked it up to read the header once again.

Robbers Found In Harlem
Police have found the location of the four delinquents who robbed the Smith's bank. The group of four consists of two teenage girls and two teenage boys, all around the same age. Descriptions are limited:

One girl is tall and has curly, blonde hair, while the other is average height with long, brown hair. Both boys are brunettes and roughly the same height and muscular build. Three of the four teenagers are caucasian, while one boy is of a darker descent.

The stolen money was not found in the warehouse the group was resided in, so the search for the group will continue. Please share any known information with NYPD.

I could feel Darry's burning gaze on me, and I began to feel an intense guilt overwhelm me. He knew too much already. Though he didn't have the full story, Darry was smart enough to put the pieces together. He took out one last newspaper and tossed it towards me.

One Bank Robber Located
Breaking news! Police have discovered the location of one of the delinquent group's members.John, or Jonathon Jones, has been found and remains in custody, awaiting further questioning from the NYPD. The group of teenagers seems to have split up after police found their warehouse.

The whereabouts of two members is unclear, but an Officer has mentioned that one of the two girls fled on a traveling train in an escape. The train she boarded was delivering cargo to Oklahoma. The said girl has been rumored to have returned to New York though to meet up with the rest of her group. NYPD will continue the search for this girl through New York, while they notify the police in Oklahoma.

Out of Todd, Erica, and I, I wasn't too surprised that John was the first to be found, especially after everything that he was going through at the time, which I still never got to find out. Still, I was shocked that so much had happened since I ran away from New York, and I had no idea about any of it. I was mostly confused as to why rumors of my return to New York were floating around, but maybe Todd or Erica fabricated a story to try and keep the police away.

"Are you her?" Darry asked, nodding towards the last article. He was talking about the girl that fled on the cargo train to Oklahoma. I sighed defeatedly. Did he even need an answer? Darry already knew the truth about me, but he continued to press me further. "Answer me," he demanded.

"Yes," I replied reluctantly. I kept my head hung low, staring at the newspapers before me. I couldn't meet his eyes. I just couldn't. I felt shameful for keeping my secret from everyone for so long, especially Darry, who was like an older brother to me.

"Who else knows?" Darry asked. I felt like he already knew the answer to that as well, but still, he waited for my reply.

"Just Dally," I said.

Darry nodded his head and shrugged. "I'm not surprised," he said with a sigh. "Do you realize how much trouble you could cause? Not even to yourself but to all of your friends?" Darry asked, his tone becoming more harsh. I finally looked back up at him and he wore an angry expression, one that he's never looked at me with. "The police don't side with people like us, Diana. They'll throw Ponyboy right into a boys' home, and Dallas back into the cooler just for being seen with you!"

"I don't want that to happen," I said, desperate for Darry to believe. I doubt he would ever trust me again after I lied to him about so much though. "I never meant to put any of you guys in danger."

Darry shook his head. I felt like I was a little kid again, being lectured by an adult for doing something stupid. "Were you ever going to tell us?" He asked. My lips parted but I hesitated to reply, which gave Darry his answer. "Of course you weren't. I cant say I'm surprised, considering you lied about pretty much everything you've told us about yourself."

"That's not true," I tried reasoning with him. "Apart from living in Tulsa, I haven't lied about anything else!"

"How am I even supposed to believe that?" Darry snapped.

"I don't know!" I replied honestly. "This wasn't my plan."

"Alright, Diana!" Darry exclaimed. He threw his hands up in the air in frustration, and paced back and forth for a brief moment before turning back to me. "Then, what was your plan exactly?"

"I- I don't really know," I admitted. Darry rolled his eyes at me as I continued to explain. "I just knew I had to get out of New York. When I got here, I didn't think I was going to be staying this long, but after all we've been through I couldn't just up and leave."

"Why not?" Darry asked sarcastically. "It's not like you haven't done that before."

I rolled my eyes and huffed. "Don't take it there, Darry. You wouldn't have kept me around if I had told you everything sooner."

"That's the point," Darry stated. "You are a wanted criminal in New York! I sacrificed my future to make sure that my brothers can get one, and you could've easily taken that away from them because of your mistakes."

I frowned and nodded my head slowly. He was right. "I'm sorry," I said quietly.

Darry sighed. "You're lucky the police here don't give a damn about any of us," he said bitterly. I watched as he turned his back on me and began to make his way out the door.

"Wait," I called after him. He paused and turned around. "Are you going to tell the others?" I asked.

Darry looked disappointed. "No," he said. Then, he turned around and left.

I sat on my bed with the various newspapers sprawled on top of each other, stunned by what had just happened. I wasn't ready to admit to what I had done back in New York, but that didn't even matter now. My secret was slowly revealing itself to my closest friends and worst enemies. I may have Dally's trust but who knew what the rest of my friends would think once they found out. Maybe Darry had a point. Maybe I should just tell everyone and be truthful, or maybe I should runaway again and never look back this time. My time in Tulsa was like a ticking time bomb, and word traveled fast.