Part one of the multiple part ending of Hope.

Lydia's POV:

"So then what happened?" Hope asks me.

"What do you mean?" I respond.

"After the first date," she says. I laugh.

"I think you should know what happened next, sweetheart. He and I are married now," I joke. Hope smiles at me.

"Really though," she says.

"Really, we weren't very serious in the beginning. Every Friday night we would go out, but it was more like us hanging out as normal. Sometimes we went to see movies, and every once in a while he took me out to dinner, but I hated him spending so much money on me, so most of the time we would just walk to the park, hang out on the swings or sit around at the lot and just talk. He used to love sunsets, so some nights he would make us sandwiches and bring a blanket to the lot and have a picnic while watching the sunset," I tell my daughter. We weren't very serious, but I still remember every date, and how important each and every one of them was. We used to think we knew everything about each other, but each time we went out learned something new about each other, and it was absolutely magical.

"How long were you guys together before me?" Hope asks. I do a quick mental calculation in my head before responding.

"About a year, and then I screwed up, big time," I explain. A screw up, but the best mistake I've ever made. I was 14 when it happened, but I'll never regret it even for a moment.

"How did that even happen? Did Dad even know that you liked Dallas?" She asks.

"Nope, I never even mentioned it," I admit.

"I wonder how that went down, then," Hope says with a sigh.

"Wanna hear about it?" I ask. I know she does, so why I even asked is beyond me.

"Well, don't just leave me hanging! Of course I do," she says. And then I start my story, possibly the most painful one of all.

*Flashback*

"Missing? What do you mean they're missing, Sodapop? That's impossible!" I exclaim over the phone.

"No, Lydia. They're gone. They were the ones that killed that Soc, Bob. I swear," he says. Tears form in my eyes. My boyfriend and his best friend did not kill someone. They're home, safe and sound.

"That's impossible. They could never kill someone, those boys wouldn't hurt a fly," I argue.

"I know, Lyd. I'm sorry... I don't know what else to say. I'll let you know if I hear anything, 'kay?" He asks.

"Sure, Soda. Thanks for calling," I say sadly. When Ponyboy wasn't at school today, I figured he had to be sick, and when Johnny wasn't there either, I guessed that something might be wrong.

Johnny was absent a lot, though. All the time, sometimes just because he didn't feel like going. He never really had a proper education, and you could tell when he read things. Other than that, Johnny Cade was smart, but didn't care so much for school.

Ponyboy, on the other hand, wouldn't miss school if he had a fever and was throwing up, unless Darry found out he was sick, and he was usually pretty good at hiding it. I keep telling myself that he just has the flu, but I know it's not true. Which hurt.

Why would he or Johnny ever do something like that? It just doesn't make any sense!

Back at school, it was the talk of the day. Bob Sheldon was murdered by some "no good Greasers", and Randy Adderson and some kid named David were there to watch it. Those two were suspended from school immediately, but the Greasers were nowhere to be found. I should have known something was up last night when I heard Dally up talking to Ponyboy and Johnny last night, but honestly, I thought that was a dream.

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As soon as I hear Dally come in this afternoon, I tackle him. Literally. for a second, he lays there, and I sit on his chest so he doesn't move, but after a second of this he gets annoyed.

"What the hell do you want, Lydia? Get off of me, God," he says, annoyed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demand. He looks confused.

"Tell you what?"

"About Ponyboy and Johnny," I yell at him.

"There's not much to tell. They killed a Soc, so they ran away. I dunno anything else, I heard that at school, man," he tells me.

"You're lying," I accuse.

"So what if I am?" He says in response. My eyes narrow at him.

"Dallas Winston, I want to know what's going on and I want to know now. Don't you dare lie to met because I can see right through it. Tell me everything you know," I scream at him.

"Jesus, calm down, kid. They went to Texas. Cops won't find 'em there. When it's safe, I'll go down and get them back so you can have your precious boyfriend. Now get the hell off of me!" He yells back. Tears stream down my face. How could this have happened.

"I heard Cherry Valance talking earlier about 'the boy that killed Bob.' Why was she talking about them?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"I dunno. None of my business, anyways. Wouldn't want to get involved with the lovely couple's problems," he says, suddenly sounding angry.

"What's that supposed to mean, Dallas?" I demand.

"...Doesn't matter. I was flirtin' with the dumb broad last night and he was defending her. He probably had a little crush on her, if you want the truth." I could feel my eyes flash with jealousy.

"You're lying. Ponyboy loves me," I tell him.

"I'm not lying, Lydia. Ponyboy loves you, but it seems like there's a new girl in his life too," he says. I shake my head. That's not right. I'm his only girl...

"Whatever, Dallas," I say, standing up, in tears.

"Hey, don't cry," he says, watching me walk into my room. But that's exactly what I do: cry my eyes out, hoping that this could just be a dream.

A/N: End of part one of this chapter. Part two coming soon!