Darry and Sodapop head to work, and Ponyboy and Two-Bit go to the Tasty Freeze to buy some Cokes. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry Sodapop because he is so young. Ponyboy asks about Sandy, and Sodapop explains that she got pregnant and is now in Florida living with her grandmother. While he never remembers the substance of the dream, he always wakes up in a severe panic. Ponyboy says that the previous night he had a recurring nightmare, one that he first experienced after his parents’ funeral. The others in the group reassure Ponyboy that this won’t happen and he and his brothers will be able to stay together. Also, both he and Ponyboy will be send to juvenile court, and Ponyboy could be forced to spend time in a boys’ home. The papers report that Johnny will be charged with manslaughter. They also talk about Ponyboy’s success in school and on the track team. They bring the morning papers, in which Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy are said to be heroes for saving the schoolchildren. Ponyboy is making breakfast the following morning when Sodapop’s best friend, Steve Randle, and Two-Bit arrive. He might die, and even if he survives, he will be permanently and seriously disabled. When the doctors finally approach the group, they say that Dally will recover but Johnny suffered a broken back. Sodapop is able to keep the mood lighter than it would be otherwise, by making jokes with the hospital staff and reporters. Ponyboy, Darry, and Sodapop are interviewed by the police and reporters in the hospital waiting room. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs. Reasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs.