The streets of this side of Tulsa were empty, it was the middle of the day and the sun was up in the sky, the heat was felt everywhere as it was the middle of summer.
Johnny walked beside him, the little jump he had on his step being his signature mark as he walked. They were both bored out of their minds and nothing seemed to be interesting anymore.
"Wanna go to the lot?" Ponyboy asked as a last resource. Maybe they could smoke until the day passed to do something, anything was better than being bored during summer.
"Sure man." replied Johnny and they both headed towards the lot.
There was nothing to it except dirt and dry plants that seemed dead. You could see some cigarettes butts and maybe some used matches but nothing more than dry dirt and rocks. As they reached, Ponyboy went to the spot they always sat down and waited for his friend.
"Hey Johnny." Johnny nodded his head in response as he took a seat next to his friend. "Bet ya I can smoke ten cigarettes before getting sick."
Johnny just laughed "Ya' done that before Pony."
Ponyboy thought about it and came with a -for his judgement- better idea. "Yeah? Well, this time fast, and no stopping between them."
Johnny laughed while shaking his head. "What?" said Ponyboy "No deal?" Johnny continued shaking his head. " 'Kay, three bucks I can smoke fifteen fast and straight, what'ya say?"
"Where you gonn' get the smokes man?" reasoned Johnny with a smile on his face "And the cash, because we know you'll ge sick by the third one."
"When we played poker, I got around two more smokes and I got a pack yesterday."
"Jeez Pony, you're a chimney." Pony slammed his elbow to his friend in a playful matter
"Shut up Johnny, ya got smokes so we can do this deal? I need three bucks."
Johnny smiled smugly "I ain't gonn' giv' you shit." but he still checked his pockets for any left cigarettes.
"C'mon Johnny, ya got a better idea?" Pony said taking out his pack of cigarettes, only four left. But he had six because of the two he had won at poker
Johnny found four and a half and handed them to him.
"What's that? that ain't one." said Ponyboy taking the cigarettes from his friend and eyed the half of one, the bottom half.
"ya don't want it? best fo' me." said Johnny and took the little one out of Pony's hand and back into his pocket, for later probably.
"Only ten so what's the deal?" said Ponyboy, lining the ten cigarettes next to him on the dirt, making them as close to each other as they could.
"Smoke them all, but you can't let out the smoke." said Johnny with a glint of enthusiasm on his voice as he worded his idea to make Pony sick and win the three dollars.
"So I gulp it down? I'll get cancer."
"You scared, Pony?" answered Johnny with the smug smile on his face again.
"I ain't, but I don't wanna get cancer." joked Pony, not scared but excited about the idea of this challenge.
Johnny knew this and started to pick up the smokes, knowing his friend was up for it. He lit up the first one and handed it to him "I'll light them for you okay? that way you'll smoke faster."
"Take time." Ponyboy taking the first one and taking a deep breath before letting out and putting the first one to his mouth, inhaling the smoke in fast and letting out as little as possible.
He was by the fifth one and barely anything had come up from his mouth when he started feeling nauseous.
"You sick?" asked Johnny with the sixth one in his hand, waiting for Pony to be halfway nearing the end of his current one to light up the other.
Pony shook his head and laughed letting out a bit of smoke and soon was handed another, he was halfway through when his head started to ache and had to stop.
"No more Johnny, I gonn' vomit" said Ponyboy and handed him the cigarette, Johnny smiled triumphant not even worried about his friend, they've played the game of smoke-til-you-get-sick plenty of times so no reason to worry about his friend. He took the cigarette and started to smoke it. A rule between friends then was to never let one smoke go to waste.
"Told ya so Pone." said Johnny and took the four cigarettes left into his pocket, leaning back against the wall as his friend stood up and walked to breath some fresh air in his lungs as his nausea grew stronger.
Johnny laughed at that and said loudly, but that only his friend would hear "Told ya Pone, you're sick and owe me three bucks." and continued laughing at his friend that wore a stupid grin across his face.
"Shut up Johnny." said Ponyboy laughing "I don't owe you shit."