I Was A Tomboy And Most Of

My Mother Was Physically And Emotionally Abusive. My Father Was An Extremely Cold Man.

We Couldn't Get Along Without Him. We Needed Johnny As Much As He Needed The Gang. And For The Same Reason.

... Hey, I Didn't Know You Didn't Like Baloney." I Went Cold. "i Don't Like It. I Never Liked It." Soda Just Looked At Me. "you Used To Eat It. That's Why You Wouldn't Eat Anything While You Were Sick. You Kept Saying You Didn't Like Baloney, No Matter What It Was We Were Trying To Get You To Eat." "i Don't Like It," I Repeated.

Suddenly It Wasn't Only A Personal Thing To Me. I Could Picture Hundreds And Hundreds Of Boys Living On The Wrong Sides Of Cities, Boys With Black Eyes Who Jumped At Their Own Shadows. Hundreds Of Boys Who Maybe Watched Sunsets And Looked At Stars And Ached For Something Better. I Could See Boys Going Down Under Street Lights Because They Were Mean And Tough And Hated The World, And It Was Too Late To Tell Them That There Was Still Good In It, And They Wouldn't Believe You If You Did.

Stay Gold, Ponyboy, Stay Gold.