"As with anything you set out to learn in life, you don't get from point A to point Z without touching upon all those letters in between."
{Jill Whalen}

//

"SO, WHERE DO you think this Lead guy would even hide the letter at here?" Dally questioned while lighting a cigarette.

We walked further into the park and Ponyboy shrugged. "Honestly, with this person, he or she could've hidden it anywhere."

I nodded in agreement and scoffed. "This person wants to put us through hell, and he told us that he doesn't keep his promises. So, I bet there's some catch to him taking us to the park."

"Wait, how do you know it's a guy?" Pony questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well, for one, there is not one girl in this town who hates my dad. Call me crazy, but all of the girls in this town love my dad. It made my mom so pissed off. Plus, the handwriting is definitely something I recognize. I just can't match the face with the handwriting, but I know it's a guy that wrote this."

"So you do know this person?" Johnny asked while shivering. "I got the chills just thinking about it being someone we know."

I sighed. "I have a feeling some of us won't even be able to see the person who did this because we won't be alive." I turned towards Johnny and Dally again. "Are you two absolutely positive you still want to do this?"

They both nodded their heads, causing Pony and I to shake ours. "You two have got to be kidding me. Trust me, y'all want to back out." Pony spoke in a serious voice.

It didn't work.

"We're doing this. Now, shut up and let's go find this letter." Dally announced and we started looking for the letter.

We looked in trees, slides, mulch, swings, lunch tables, benches, but the letter wasn't anywhere to be found. "I swear if he's doing the same thing he did by making us go to the carnival, I'll be pissed." I snapped.

Pony groaned. "I hope not."

"There is one place we haven't checked though." Johnny spoke up, making Pony and I snap our heads towards him.

"The water fountain."

"I don't see why it would be in a water fountain, but whatever you say, John." Dally chuckled.

Pony and I raced towards the water fountain and checked all around it. We looked in the water and I sighed. "I honestly can't see anything. It's too bright."

"Then stick your head in there." Dally retorted while rolling his eyes.

I stepped back while giving a nervous laugh. "I'm not exactly a big fan of water."

"It's only like a foot deep, Kieran." Dally started cracking up and I smacked him on the side of his shoulder.

"I. Don't. Care." I exclaimed while crossing my arms. "Pony, can you do it?"

He hesitated. "I guess so."

Johnny leaned over and whispered in my ear. "You know, he really loves you if he's willing to stick his head in that fountain again after Bob and them almost killed him by drowning him."

My eyes went huge. "They almost killed him?"

Johnny nodded and I cracked a grin. Dally must've noticed because he looked at Pony, then back at me, wiggling his eyebrows. I started giggling and hit him again, "Stop it, Dal!"

"Do you still love him?" Dally asked.

I was silent for a moment. Did I love him?

"Kieran?" Johnny furrowed his eyebrows.

"Found it!"

We all shot our heads up to a soaking wet, Pony.

[LMAO THIS IS THE FIRST THING I PICTURED WHEN I SAID THAT]

He held the letter up and we ran over to him. "The letter is in a box." Pony shrugged and handed it to me.

"What I don't understand is why he would go through all of that just so he could put a letter in a water fountain. It would've been way easier to have just put it in a tree." Dally rolled his eyes, causing us to laugh.

I opened the small box and dropped it, my hands shaking. "No, no, no, no."

They all looked at me, waiting for me to explain what I was freaking out about. I picked the box back up and handed the picture to Pony. His eyes went wide.

"I told you two that you should've backed out of this while you had the chance."

Dally snatched the paper away. "What the hell are y-" Dally paused and stared at the picture in horror.

The photograph displayed a picture of Dally and Johnny with the words, 'YOU SHOULD'VE LEFT WHEN THEY OFFERED.'

Johnny looked as if he was about to get sick again. "This war isn't over. It's just beginning." I whispered, picking up the letter.

This war isn't over it's just the beginning.

Dally and Johnny wanted to join in on my little scavenger hunt?

I could definitely make room for two more victims.

But, since you wanted to have more people help you, I guess I should just make finding the letters even harder and dangerous.

Good luck finding this one without getting caught.

Bob.

Yes, I need you to sneak into Bob's house and find the letter. There's no telling where it'll be, so you may want to work fast and quiet.

Otherwise.....

-Lead

I muttered a cuss word under my breath. "You've got to be kidding me. We have to break into Bob's house?"

Johnny shrugged, "Hell yeah. This is probably the best one yet."

Dally and Pony started laughing. "Well, Dally and Johnny, you two make sure to not go outside by yourselves. I don't want this Lead guy getting you, alright? I already lost Gramps and Derek, I don't want to lose you two."

Pony scoffed. "Yeah, this guy is killing us...... literally."

"More like torturing us WITH killing." I shook my head.

Johnny and Dallas left, only leaving Pony and me. We started walking side by side to his house in a comfortable silence.

"Kieran?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to go to the Dingo and Jay's with me tomorrow night?"

I smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

His cheeks started getting red and he turned away from me while laughing. "No, it's just we haven't got to relax... you know?"

"Yeah, okay." I replied sarcastically. "Yes, I'll go. Are we going before we break into Bob's house?"

He nodded his head. "I figured we could have one nice dinner together before we probably go to jail."

I chuckled. "You're somethin', Pony."

He flashed me a grin. "And you're not?"

"Touche."

We started laughing and entered in the house. We were met with Soda and Steve arm wrestling across the table and Two-Bit sprawled out on the floor, watching Mickey Mouse. I chuckled and lay down beside Two on the floor, while Pony joined Soda and Steve.

Two-Bit looked towards me. "What's up, Ki?"

"What's up, Two?"

"Watching Mickey Mouse before I go get so drunk that I can't even talk."

I started laughing. "I love you, Two-Bit."

"But you love Pony more." He smirked, causing me to smack his forehead.

"Hey, Kieran, do you and Pony want to come to the Nightly Double with Steve and I tonight?" Soda asked.

I nodded. "Yeah that sounds fun."

Steve clapped his hands together. "It's about to be so lit tonight."

//

LMAO IDEK IF THEY USED THE WORD LIT LIKE THAT BACK THEN, BUT OH WELL