Flames soared up in the air along with dark smoke. I felt my heart stop as my breath hitched in my throat. My eyes went wide and welled with tears. I slowly got to my feet and walked towards the building. I had no clue what happened to Dally or Johnny. I wasn't sure if they made it out of the church before it fell.

Sirens blared in the distance as ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks drove quickly to the scene. I rushed back to Ponyboy, who was still unconscious. Although I desperately wanted to search for Dallas and Johnny, I knew that I had to stay with Pony. He was my main concern right now.

Fireman worked together to try and distinguish the flames that were still burning the church. Police officers were scattered everywhere, checking in with the little kids and speaking to the two adults here. I didn't understand why they had even brought a bus full of young kids to an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere. No one could foresee this happening though.

Paramedics made their way towards the children and asked them questions. One walked over to me and Ponyboy. "What is the name of the patient?" The EMT asked. He skipped formalities and got right into business.

"Ponyboy Curtis," I answered. "He's fourteen."

"Do you know what happened to him?" The paramedic asked. He called over a team of his fellow workers to help move Ponyboy onto a stretcher.

"He ran into the fire to help save the kids," I explained. "When he came out, he just fainted."

The paramedic nodded. Now, Ponyboy was safety secured onto the stretcher and being rolled towards an ambulance. I followed quickly beside him as he was rolled into the back of the vehicle. I slid into the back seat in the truck of the ambulance. I peered our the window and saw Dally and Johnny on stretchers. I felt a bit relieved knowing that they had made it out safely.

The man who was talking to the woman before appeared at the end of the ambulance. He tried sending me a small smile, but I just couldn't return the gesture. "Mind if I join?" He asked politely.

I shrugged. "Be my guest," I said with sighed. The man nodded curtly and climbed into the back of the ambulance with me. It was kind of a tight fit between the two of us and the stretcher that held Ponyboy, but it would have to work for now.

"I'm Lance," the older man introduced himself. He held his arm out to me.

"Diana," I said, shaking his hand. I tried my best to not be rude to the man, but I wasn't in the mood for a conversation. To be fair, whatever happens to Johnny and Dally would be his fault. If he hadn't taken little kids to an abandoned church, none of this would have happened.

"That was very brave of you.. To run into that church and save those kids," Lance spoke up after a few moments of silence. The ride to the hospital was a long one, and I could tell that this man was a talker. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"You should be thanking Pony and Johnny," I said. "They were the ones who helped those kids."

"You did too though," Lance reasoned with me. "I saw you save that little girl. You're a hero."

I shook my head in disagreement. "I'm no hero," I said with a soft sigh. "I went in to make sure my friends got out, and I couldn't even do that."

"What happened to that boy wasn't your fault," Lance spoke. He was trying to comfort me but it wasn't working. The more I thought about what happened, the more I'm beginning to realize that this is also my fault. I should've let Johnny escape before me. I should've been the one to get caught under the flames. I was a wanted criminal. My life already had a time limit. It was just a race between a lifetime in jail or death, and I knew that running away couldn't save me this time. Johnny is younger than I am. He has so much more to live for. I've been around long enough and although there were still things that I wanted to do or see, he deserved it more than I do.

"It feels like it is," I spoke softly.

»»——⍟——««

Time seemed to stand still as I sat patiently in the ambulance with Lance, who had finally stopped talking, and Ponyboy, who was still knocked out. The sun had set by now and the hospital was only a few more miles away. I felt my eyelids become heavy but I refused to fall asleep. I wanted to stay awake for when Ponyboy finally woke up.

"Johnny.." Ponyboy mumbled. "Dallas." The younger boy began to stir awake.

"They're okay," I assured him. Ponyboy attempted to sit up, but I pushed him back down carefully.

"They're behind us," Lance added. "They're in another ambulance." I felt like he was trying to comfort both Ponyboy and me now. I just couldn't relax until I knew everyone was okay. "You guys are some of the bravest kids I've seen in a long time.. What are you guys?" Lance asked, trying to shed some light on the situation. "Professionals heroes or something?"

Ponyboy stared Lance. "We're greasers," he stated. He said the word with strong distaste.

"Are you kidding me?" Lance asked.

"No, I ain't kidding you," Ponyboy replied.

"Surprised?" I remarked. Lance glanced at me but didn't answer.

"Take us to town. You'll find out pretty fast," Ponyboy spoke softly. I frowned at the reality of his statement.

»»——⍟——««

Finally, the ambulance pulled into the hospital. Ponyboy was rolled out and released from the stretcher after a quick checkup. A paramedic checked me too but I told him that I felt fine.

Ponyboy and I, along with Lance, made our into the hospital. We all sat down on some seats against a wall. It was strange being a visited and not a patient here. I hated this place nonetheless though. Just when I get out, I'm brought back. The halls all felt too familiar to me. It was only a couple of days ago where I was roaming around with Chrissy as we ate ice cream and talked about nonsense. I missed her a lot and wondered how she was doing. I hoped everything worked out between her and her girlfriend. Chrissy was probably shipped off to some mental institution by now. I just hoped that she got my note and wouldn't forget about me.

Ponyboy pulled out a pack of Marlboros and handed me a cigarette after pulling one out for himself. I used my lighter and lit both of the sticks. Both of us took a well needed drag of our cigarettes. Our faces were covered in black ash from the smoke, and our clothes wore torn and charred.

"You know, you two shouldn't be smoking," Lance spoke matter-of-factly.

"Why not?" Ponyboy asked. Although I knew the repercussions of smoking, I didn't really care. I had been smoking almost my whole life.

"Cause you guys are young, that's why," Lance answered. "It's a bad habit to get into."

I scoffed. "There are worse habits." Like stealing or lying. "Besides, you're smoking too."

"I'm older than you," Lance said with a shrug. He glanced at the cigarette in his hand. "I've been smoking for a long time, too."

I averted my attention from Lance and this conversation to the doctors and nurses who were rolling stretchers down the hall. Ponyboy sat up in his seat as the two of us watched our friends pass with worried expressions. Johnny was the first to be rolled by us. He was already hooked up to a bunch of medical equipment that I kind of recognized from my time here. His skin reminded me of Chrissy's burnt hand but way worse. The flesh was melting off of his body in a disgusting way. It looked extremely painful and I was starting to get nervous for him.

Then, Dally was passed Ponyboy and me. I sighed in relief when I saw that he didn't appear to have been injured too badly. He only had a burn where his jacket sleeve caught on fire. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'm gonna kill you," he said, pointing at Ponyboy. The blonde just took a drag of his cigarette as he leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling above. Ponyboy's eyes filled with unshed tears. I placed my hand on his shoulder and offered him a small smile, just trying to comfort him and let him know that everything is going to be okay.

"Ponyboy," Sodapop exclaimed. Both of us glanced down the hall to see Sodapop walking towards us with a grin on his face. Ponyboy immediately got to his feet and ran towards his brother. They hugged each other tightly. I smiled at the two of them, watching from afar. "Oh, look at your tough hair!" Sodapop said, ruffling Ponyboy's hair.

Darry appeared suddenly. He walked over to his brother slowly and unsurely. "Pony," Darry spoke. He was hesitant and worried that Ponyboy would still be upset with him.

"Darry, I'm sorry," Ponyboy said as he ran over to his older brother. Darry pulled him in for a hug with Sodapop joining in shortly after.

"I thought we lost you like we did mom and dad," Darry cried. His voice trembled with worry. This was the first time I had ever seen him so emotional.

"Don't you have someone to pick you up?" Lance asked me. "Any family?"

I turned towards him and felt my eyes become glassy. Although he didn't know me or anything about my life, his question hurt. I didn't have any family to pick me up. I was alone in Tulsa, until I remembered that I really wasn't. All this time, I was never truly alone. I had friends and a boyfriend, who all cared about me. I didn't need my shitty mother or my father who didn't care enough to stay.

With that final thought, I stood up from my chair and turned around, starting to walk towards the nurses' desk to find out which room Dallas was in.

"Diana!"

My footsteps paused.

"Wait!"

I turned around.

Surprisingly, Darry was the one to call after me. He made his way towards me with Ponyboy and Sodapop following behind. I was nervous that he was going to yell at me again, but instead he hugged me. I stood there in utter confusion, until I finally hugged him back. "I'm sorry," he spoke quietly. "I shouldn't have pushed you away."

When he let go of me, I took a step back and met his eyes, still not believing what I was hearing. "It's okay, Darry. You were right about me."

Darry shook his head. "Maybe.. but you're still family, Diana," he said. "And family shouldn't push each other away, no matter what happens."

My lips parted but no words came out, so instead I just smiled and he smiled back.