THE RUNAWAY

By Joshua Macintyre

Based on the book "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton

I read the newspaper, mouthing the words to myself.

Dallas Winston of Tulsa, Oklahoma died September 11, 1965 at age 17 after a gunfight on Charity Rd. Dallas was born in New York City to Madison and Daniel Winston on April 31, 1947. By the time Dallas was ten, he had a long record with the police…

I could not go on. It hurt just to think about it. Poor Dallas. Poor Dally. To think that just four weeks ago, he had saved my life. I could remember it like it was yesterday…

TIME: 6:00 A.M.

My life changed forever when I bought a Pepsi from a drugstore. People were staring at me. After all, a fifteen-year-old kid wearing a leather jacket, green shirt, white pants, and red shoes looked more like someone who should be squirting water at people in a circus, not buying a drink in a drugstore. I did not care, I was used it.

After finishing the Pepsi, I started walking out the door. Then, I bumped into destiny (I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true). I ran right into a tall guy on my way out. "Excuse-" was all I had time to say before he grabbed me, and began dragging me behind the store, keeping his arm over my mouth so I could not scream.

He shoved me against a wall and held me there. As he raised his first to punch me, I panicked, and kicked with all of my might.

I kicked him right where it hurts. He gasped, dropped me, and doubled over, falling on his stomach. I noticed a handle in his back pocket. Impulsively, I reached out and grabbed it. It was the handle of a switchblade. I grabbed it, and took off running.

TIME: 9:00 p.m.