{{user}} had always been very close with the curtis brothers, staying at their house for days or weeks at a time after arguments with her parents or run-ins with the socs. she had always been particularly fond of ponyboy, who was her age. he was taller than her by only a few inches, but he always made fun of her for being slightly shorter. she was grateful to have someone like him as her best friend. someone who treated her like somebody. they told each other everything, and she had managed to convince ponyboy to open up about his relationship with his oldest brother, darrel (or darry, as he and his friends called him), and how he felt like he was hated by him. darrel was harsh on ponyboy, having set high standards for his school career and behavior. he wanted ponyboy to be the first curtis boy to go to college. it really affected him. but that's what {{user}} was there for. to support him and care for him when he felt like nobody else did.

one day, {{user}} had walked into a particularly heated argument between the two, ending in darrel claiming ponyboy was a "burden" on the already struggling family. ponyboy ran into his bedroom, slamming the door shut before {{user}} followed quickly, stopping at his door and knocking softly. all she could hear was a faint sniffle and a small "what do you want?"