Marianna's P.O.V.

I sit there in my room I guess well for now, I pull a piece of paper and start to sing,

"I can't take your hand and

Lead you to the water."

I stop and hum the tune, until I think of the next chunk of the song,

"I can't make you feel what you don't feel

But you know you wanna

Find out how to crack me

Log in try to hack me."

I pause for a moment but only a slight one and then I sing as I write breathe by breather word by word.

"Underneath the surface

There's so much you need to know

And you might feel like you're drowning

But that's what I need to let go."

I scream out the song in my lovely voice'

"Tell me what you got to break down the walls

You just might need dynamite

Tell me what you got to break down the walls

Kick senseless, my defenses

Tell me what you're gonna do

I need you to light the fuse

Tell me what you got to break down the walls

You just might need dynamite

Got dynamite?

Got dynamite?

I can't paint this picture

Just so you can hang it

I can't wait for you to understand

If you just don't get it

Find out how to crack me

Log in try to hack me"

I hear a knock on my door but jump out and stop singing, "hey it's Darry, may I come in?"

"S-s-sure,"I stutter.

"Hey, kiddo I heard about what happened, and you need some place to stay," Darry tells me.

I nod my head them he answered, "so it's true you don't talk but, I just heard you singing this beautiful song you sang."

I smile to answer back then Pony walks in and asks, "can she stay Darry huh?"

Darry looks at me and asks, "do you want to?"

I nod and smile yes then whisper, "well my mom is moving next door soon, so I'll move there then."

"Yay!" Pony yells happily and jumps up running, out of the room.

"May, I see Soda?" I ask.

"Will you talk to him?" Darry giggled.

I simply smile not knowing what the answer is.

Soda's P.O.V.

"Hey, Soda Marianna wants to talk to you," Darry yells down stairs.

"Ok, only me or somebody else too?" I ask hoping the answer is only me, she seems nice.

"Yup, you and only you," Darry informed me.

I dash upstairs but, slowly walk into her room, "Hey Marianna."

She smiles and waves but, keeps her mouth closed. "Are you ok?" I ask her.

She shakes her head no and I see a slight tear fall from her eyes. I wipe away her single tear and whisper, "don't cry Marianna."

She laughs which makes me laugh. Then we hear Darry, "dinner!"

I look over to her and ask, "you hungry?"

She shakes her head no then asks, "when you're done with dinner can you come back up? I actually have a few questions for you, also can I borrow a top from you for pajamas? Then lastly can you sleep with me tonight well if you don't can you find somebody to, I've never slept in this neighborhood?"

"Yes to all three of those. My tops are in the top draw of the dressers next door," I answer.

She looks up at me and smiles as I walk out the door. I sit down for dinner and all the boys ask, "did she say anything?"

"Yea but, not much," I respond not letting out to much in case she doesn't want them to know.

"What did she say?" Darry asks.

"She wanted to know where something she could sleep in was, if after dinner I could come back up and, if I could sleep with her or somebody could. Then when I answered her she went back to mute," I reply honestly.

When we stop talking we hear Marianna singing, "Underneath the surface. There's so much you need to know. And you might feel like you're drowning. But that's what I need to let go. Tell me what you got to break down the walls. You just might need dynamite. Tell me what you got to break down the walls. Kick senseless, my defenses. Tell me what you're gonna do. I need you to light the fuse. Tell me what you got to break down the walls. You just might need dynamite. When the walls come crashing down. I hope you're standing right in front of me. Where my past lies all around.'Cause all you need to save me is to intervene. And make the walls come crashing down. Got got dynamite. Tell me what you got to break down the walls.You just might need dynamite.Tell me what you got to break down the walls.Kick senseless, my defenses. Tell me what you're gonna do.I need you to light the fuse. Tell me what you got to break down the walls.You just might need dynamite." She stopped for a few minutes I guess thinking then she finishes up the song by singing, "Got dynamite? Got dynamite? Got dynamite? Got dynamite?" She was a great singer and as the song finishes she comes down stairs, smiles and sits next to me.

"Hey, Marianna," I say but, like always she only smiles and nods.

Cherry's P.O.V.

I knock on the door of the Curtis house with Marianna's mom I ran into her next door buying the house, I helped her pay for it, she didn't have enough money even with the loan.

Marianna answered the door and looks at everybody smiling and gesturing. Why isn't she talking? She opens the door and the first thing I say is. "why aren't you talking?"

"Strength," is all she says and what she's saying is she isn't letting her walls down.

"What do you need to prove to these boys?" I ask a little infuriated.

"Everything," she says and now I know her walls are up for me too or maybe her mom.

I look to her mom and ask, "May we talk alone?"

"Sure thing," her mom replies and walks away.

"What's up?" I ask hoping for an honest answer.

She says something strange,"got dynamite?" then I see a piece of paper with "Got dynamite" written on it and now I know it isn't her mom it's me.

"Why are your walls up for me too, I'm your best friend," I yell.

"Because you can't be my best friend anymore, I'm sorry Cherry I love you but, I can't," She replies to me while taking the picture of us out of her locket and handing it to me, "I just want to forget."

"How are you going to forget 16 years of your life?" I ask.

"I will now bye Cherry," she says then leaves me standing on the Curtis porch.

Steve's P.O.V.

We hear Cherry yell, "why aren't you talking?"

Then we don't hear Marianna say anything but we hear Cherry again, "What do you need to prove to these boys?"

We hear Marianna this time, "everything."

We hear long silence then Cherry once again yelling, "what's up?"

We don't hear Marianna I guess she either isn't talking to Cherry either or is whispering. Then once again we hear Cherry screaming, "why are your walls up for me too, I'm your best friend?"

This time we hear Marianna yelling too, "because you can't be my best friend anymore, I'm sorry Cherry I love you but, I can't." There's a pause before she continues, "I just want to forget."

"How are you going to forget 16 years of your life?" Cherry asks.

She opens the door as she says, "I will now bye Cherry."

Shd slams the door looks at all of us with tears in her eyes, gives us a broken smile and dashes upstairs as fast as she can.

Marianna's P.O.V

With tears in my eyes, I smile at the gang and run upstairs. I slam the door behind me and as it closes I slowly slide it holding my now blue, I wipe off my red lipstick, and with my other hand I hold my golden locket that no longer has the picture of Cherry and I in it. Tears run down my cheeks washing off my cover up, exposing my bruised cheeks. Then I hear Soda knock and ask,"Marianna may I come in.

I don't answer for a while and not because I don't want but, I have to slow down my breathing. Once my breathing is slow I try to make sure my voice doesn't crack as I slowly say, "um, not right now Soda, maybe in a bit."

I hear him yell back, "ok see ya in a bit."

I wipe away my tears and touch the bruises left from my dad then, the one left from Randy, with that I run down stairs.As I reach the bottom of the stairs everybody is staring at me but, I don't care then I ask, "do any of ya'll have a bag that's plenty big?"

Darry replies extremely confused and also pretty slow,"yea, sure, I'll get it." I smile and nod to indicate a thank you.

"What are you doing?" Dallas Winston asked the question everybody wanted the answer to and trust me as soon as he said that everybody's eyes went on me but, I just shrug in response. I don't want to tell them I'm going to see my dad, I mean he isn't home, so what does it matter. As Darry walks back into the room he throws me a bag, I yell, "thanks." Then I run out of the house ready to get my stuff back and come back...home. What even is home at this point in my life?