The moon hung high in the sky, casting a dim glow over the park’s empty expanse. The air was thick with tension, the only sounds being the distant hum of traffic and the steady rush of the fountain’s water. Ponyboy stood frozen, his breath sharp in his chest as the Socs closed in, their sneers twisting into something cruel.

Then, they lunged.

Ponyboy barely had time to react before they grabbed him, shoving him backward. His arms flailed, desperate to break free, but they were stronger, their hands rough as they forced him down. Ice-cold water swallowed him whole.

Panic surged through his chest. He kicked, twisted, but the weight of the Soc pinning him down was relentless. The water burned his lungs, his vision blurring as he fought against the inevitable. He barely registered Johnny’s voice shouting his name—then the sudden absence of him altogether.

Johnny had run.

Ponyboy’s limbs grew weak. The world tilted, darkness creeping in at the edges of his mind. Then, just as the last of his breath slipped away—

A voice cut through the night.

“Get off him!”

A new force crashed into the Socs, ripping them away from Ponyboy. He gasped as he was yanked from the water, choking and sputtering as the fight exploded around him. Fists flew, bodies slammed into the pavement, the furious shouts of the Greasers filling the air.

Darry, Sodapop, Steve, Dally, Two-Bit, even Johnny came back—the gang was here.