Pony thinks to himself, "So Cherry Valance, the , Bob's girl, the Soc, was trying to help us. No, it wasn't Cherry the Soc who was helping us, it was Cherry the who watched sunsets and couldn't stand fights."
The three boys continue their , then Johnny announces that he and Pony are going to turn themselves in. This is to Ponyboy, but he doesn't disagree. He wants to go home too. Johnny reasons that the was self-defense, so he might not be punished too severely. At first Dally is angry, then he starts pleading with Johnny. He has been in , and he knows how terrible it can be. He says he knows he has become a hard, unhappy , and he doesn't want that to happen to Johnny. Ponyboy listens to this, amazed. He never knew Dally thought that way.
Before Dally can say any more, the boys see that the is on fire. Ponyboy immediately thinks that he or Johnny must have started the fire with a lit . At first, everyone just stands watching the building burn, but then someone realizes that are inside the church! Without thinking, and Johnny run toward the fire. Inside the church, Pony notices that Johnny doesn't seem like the shy, scared boy he usually is. "That was the only time I can think of when I saw him without that defeated, suspicious look in his ." He orders the children around, taking charge of the situation. Everything is confused, and Ponyboy gets a few kids out before he leaps out the himself, burning falling all around him. He hears Johnny scream inside the church. Then Dally hits him across the and he passes out. When he wakes up, he's in an . A man tells him that Dally is all right, but has a broken back and was badly. Ponyboy passed out because Dally hit him to put out the on his back. The whole town thinks the boys are . Pony begins to laugh at that idea.
In the waiting room of the , Pony sees that Dally is all right, but Johnny is severely hurt. Darry and come wait with him to hear more about the other two boys, and he is very happy to see them. When he sees Darry's face, he knows that does love him after all--he is just overprotective, because he wants Pony to be successful. He bosses him around because he cares about him. Pony realizes, "I had taken the long way around, but I was finally . To stay."