Y'all Were Heroes From The Beginning. You

They Grew Up On The Outside Of Society. They Weren't Looking For A Fight. They Were Looking To Belong.

I Had It Then. Soda Fought For Fun, Steve For Hatred, Darry For Pride, And Two-bit For Conformity. Why Do I Fight? I Thought, And Couldn't Think Of Any Real Good Reason. There Isn't Any Real Good Reason For Fighting Except Self-defense.

I'm A Good Judge Of My Own Work.

... Hey, I Didn't Know You Didn't Like Baloney." I Went Cold. "i Don't Like It. I Never Liked It." Soda Just Looked At Me. "you Used To Eat It. That's Why You Wouldn't Eat Anything While You Were Sick. You Kept Saying You Didn't Like Baloney, No Matter What It Was We Were Trying To Get You To Eat." "i Don't Like It," I Repeated.

Suddenly It Wasn't Only A Personal Thing To Me. I Could Picture Hundreds And Hundreds Of Boys Living On The Wrong Sides Of Cities, Boys With Black Eyes Who Jumped At Their Own Shadows. Hundreds Of Boys Who Maybe Watched Sunsets And Looked At Stars And Ached For Something Better. I Could See Boys Going Down Under Street Lights Because They Were Mean And Tough And Hated The World, And It Was Too Late To Tell Them That There Was Still Good In It, And They Wouldn't Believe You If You Did.