Author's Note: This is an alternate ending to the book The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (I do not own any of the characters). This version of mine includes some pieces taken from the book and it starts off at the end of chapter 9. I hope you like it!

...Johnny's eyes glowed. Dally was proud of him. That was all Johnny had ever wanted.

"Ponyboy."

I barely heard him. I came closer and leaned over to hear what he was going to say.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…" The pillow seemed to sink a little, and then deep silence enveloped the room.

Dally was frozen and I almost shook with terror. Everything seemed to stop; time, Earth… The clock was faintly ticking in the distance, as Johnny's heart was once beating. My mind went blank. I couldn't think. I didn't dare breathe.

Suddenly, Johnny's finger seemed to twitch. Hallucinations? I thought. I thought I was dreaming; Johnny seemed still alive. Breaking the deep silence, the machine suddenly started beeping, and Johnny's eyes fluttered open. The world seemed to start turning again as I stood there motionless. Dally stood frozen in the doorway, with tears in his eyes. He turned his head slowly towards Johnny, gasping for air. It's a miracle, I thought, watching Johnny blink.

"It's a miracle!" screamed the doctor as he rushed into the room. "There is hope. He will live! He leaned over Johnny, and whispered, "It's going to be all right, kid. Hold on." The doctor straightened up and said quietly, "However, it is still not clear if you're going to be able to walk, buddy. But, still, better alive. Wouldn't you agree?" He winked cheerfully and walked out of the room. I was so overjoyed I couldn't even speak. All I could do was grin and shake happily.

Dally still stood in the doorway, and I could now see tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Johnny…" he whispered weakly. "We did it." Dally swallowed the lump in his throat. "You did it…" He gasped for air as his legs bended lifelessly, and he fainted.

Dally finally opened his eyes as me, Soda and Darry were sitting beside him in the hospital. We couldn't see Johnny, because the doctor asked us to leave so he can get some rest.

"Dally, you alright?" Soda asked quietly, as Dallas' eyes were slowly circling around. "Can you hear me?"

Dallas was breathing heavily. He looked at us, and mumbled weakly,

"Johnny… Is he… Is he…"

"He is totally fine," Darry cut him off. "Johnny's sleeping, recovering. He probably won't walk, but he's not going to die." Dally sighed with relief, and closed his eyes.

"I'm in the hospital again, aren't I?" he grinned weakly. "Great. Just like old times." I smiled, recognizing the good ol' Dally in his voice. Dallas turned to his side and in a couple of minutes the room was filled with his calm snorting.

"Alright, now we go," said Soda cheerfully, as we walked out. "Get some, rest, buddy," he whispered to Dally, who was deep asleep.

Me, Soda, and Darry walked home. "Exercise's good for you," Darry said when we got out of the hospital.

"So when are Dally and Johnny gonna return from the hospital?" I asked Darry and Sodapop.

"Well, Dally's fine and he'll probably be able to go home about tomorrow. Johnny, though, is gonna be there for a while." Soda answered. I was happy. I just couldn't imagine Johnny dead. Although it did sadden me that he wouldn't be able to walk again, as the doctor said. I remembered the times when we climbed the fences together, when we were running away from the dog that was chasing us… Stop being selfish, I told myself angrily. He could've died, you know. Johnny's alive, and that's all you need. Yeah, I replied to myself. This wasn't about me but about Johnny.

Just that night I realized, how important Johnny was to Dallas. The boy, whose own father did not care about, had only Johnny, and no one else. Not even us, I thought. Why Johnny? I pondered. Why him, and not Soda, or Steve, or Two-Bit, or Darry? The question bothered me. A lot. What would Dallas do if Johnny died? Would he kill himself? Would he try to get killed? Would he find hope and go on, the way life is? I fell asleep with these thoughts in my head.

Dally, just like Soda predicted, got out from the hospital on the next day. His face was shining from joy, even though he looked like he was trying not to show his excitement.

"So, anyone up to see Johnnykid?" he asked cheerfully. We were all at our house when Dally came.

"We can't visit him today," I said. "I'm sorry, the doctor told us not to." Dally frowned a little. "Well, it's for his own good," he replied a little bit less cheerful this time. "When are we going then?"

"Tomorrow," Darry replied. "Johnny will be really glad to see you, I'm sure."

"He'll be quite glad to see us all, why don't we go together?" Two-Bit offered.

"I'm working," said both Darry and Soda at the same time. "Me and Soda will go later in the day," Darry finished. So we all agreed on that.

"Wassup, Johnnycake?" Dally stormed in cheerfully. "How you feelin', buddy?" Johnny grinned, and tried to sit up, like it wasn't as hard for him already.

"Hey y'all!" He greeted us. "Boring in here. No one to talk to."

"Well, now there is," Dally said, and sat down on Johnny's bed. "So, how are things goin'?"

"Are you going to walk, Johnny?" I asked. The boy's big eyes saddened. I wasn't actually surprised, although it still cut me deep inside. Johnny's not going to walk, I thought. What can be worse, other than death? Dally's face suddenly sorrowed.

"It's alright, buddy," he patted Johnny on the shoulder. "You're alive, aren't ya? That's the best thing." Johnny sniffed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I went into that fire. I should've just died. Why didn't I?..." Dally's eyes opened wider. "Don't say that," he said quietly. "We're all so glad you didn't die, Johnnykid. Do you even know how happy we all are?" Two-Bit and I just stood there, nodding energetically.

"Well, it was me who went into that burning church first after all," I said. "Still, look how many kids you saved! Just look in the papers; you're a hero, Johnny."

"You are a hero," Dally repeated. "A true one. And we're all really proud of you. And don't you ever regret what happened. Ever." Johnny nodded.

"Ay, it's gonna be okay, buddy," Two-Bit said. He then told us that he will go get some Pepsies for all of us. As soon as Two-Bit left, Dally said quietly, but firmly,

"Johnny… Please understand… Do you know how important you are to all of us? To me?!" his voice quivered. "I don't care if you can't walk, I only care if you're alive and here with us. Do you know why I didn't want you guys to turn yourselves in? And do you know why I went into that stupid church to drag you out?" Dally looked into Johnny's eyes. "We need you, Johnny. We can't make it without you." Now it was my turn to bawl. I didn't want to, but my eyes started to swell up with tears. I turned away and went to the bathroom. Shoot, I thought. What if Johnny would have died? What would we do? What would Dallas do?

Soon enough, Darry, Sodapop and Steve came into the hospital.

"Congratulations, Johnny," Darry said cheerfully. "You made it!" Soda and Steve grinned happily. Johnny was glad to see all of us, we knew it just by looking at his face.

"I'm so glad to see you guys!" he said, as though he had read our minds. "Thanks for coming to visit."

"Glory, you scared us all to death, kiddo," Soda noticed. "We thought we'd never see you again. But thank God!" he gave Johnny a bag of apples, who wheezed and dug into one right away.

"So you guys won the rumble, huh?" he asked, remembering what Dally had said to him earlier. We all nodded.

"The Socs ran away with shame," Steve said.

"Good," Johnny smiled. "I just can't stand them anymore."

As Johnny said this, into the room walked in the last person we thought we would see - Cherry Valance.

"Hey Johnny… How do you feel?" asked Cherry. Everyone turned around and looked at her. It was dead silent.

"I could feel better," Johnny's voice broke the silence. Cherry was uncomfortable; it could be clearly seen. Actually, we all were. She then finally got enough courage to lift her eyes up from the floor.

"Well…" she started. "I - I just wanted to check on you, that's all."

"Thanks," Johnny replied. "Good to see you." Another minute of deep silence went by. It felt like an hour. No one in the room had anything to say, until Cherry mumbled silently,

"I'm sorry you're not going to walk, Johnny. It was so brave of you to go into that church." Another pause. My eyes were drilling her head. Don't you dare talk about Bob, I thought. Johnny was too weak to worry. Cherry didn't even dare to try, though. She clearly felt the tension in the room.

"Well…" Cherry continued. "Perhaps, there's anything I could do for you guys?"

"We need Johnny to be justified at the hearing," Darry replied to her. "It might sound selfish, since…" he cut himself off, so he wouldn't say anything about Bob. "But… We would be really grateful." Cherry sighed.

"I will do as much as I can. I understand everything." She glanced at Johnny with her sorrowed eyes, then at Dally, and then walked out of the room with her head down.

The doctor said Johnny will have to stay in the hospital for two more weeks. His mother came again not a long time ago, just to see her son lie on the bed speechless and emotionless. We were all so angry at Johnny's mother - the selfish woman who only valued something when it was already lost. Or, in our case - close to being lost.

"I'm not going back," Johnny told us. "That ain't my home. That ain't my family." We didn't blame him. It was too late to forgive.

The hearing would be held almost as soon as Johnny was let out of the hospital. I was pretty sure that Cherry Valance would help us get justified. Even if it was her boyfriend who died, it was still self-defense.

I was walking to the park after seeing Johnny one day. When I got to the fountain where he killed Bob, I found that Cherry was already standing there alone. Cherry Valance was standing by the fountain and looking in the water.

"Bob was a nice guy, you know," she said in a quiet, desperate voice when I walked up to her. "He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly. But when he got drunk… It was that part of Bob that beat up Johnny. Why do people sell liquor to boys? Why?" Cherry closed her eyes. "Bob was something special. He had something that marked him different, maybe a little better from the crowd…"

I knew what she meant. Cherry saw same things in Dallas. That's why she was afraid of seeing him, afraid of falling in love. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I have to get over it, you know," she said. "For some reason, I'm not angry at Johnny. It's all Bob's fault." Cherry swallowed a lump in her throat and bit her lip. We stood there for a couple of minutes silently, watching the still water in the fountain. It was getting dark.

"I've always wanted to help you from the start. You're a nice kid, Ponyboy."

I suddenly felt very guilty about something. I really wanted to help Cherry, but I just didn't know how.

"Cherry," I started. "Can I help with anything?" The girl lifted up her eyes and glanced at the setting sun. The sunset was beautiful, golden and pink.

"No," she said quietly. "Thanks, Ponyboy. Thanks for listening." Cherry then walked slowly to her Corvette and I watched her drive away.

The next day me and Dally went to see Johnny again.

"By the way, I saw Cherry yesterday," Dally noticed. "She stopped by when I was walking home from the movies." I suddenly remembered her standing by the fountain, looking into the water. "She said she'll get over Bob's death." Dally lit a cigarette. "She also said I'm cool. What d'ya think of that?" I didn't say anything.

When we walked into Johnny's room, we saw Cherry, who was already there. As soon, as she saw Dally, the redhead turned away her glance and bit her lip.

"Hey," Johnny started. "We were just talking…" he cut himself off and Cherry flushed. Dally's eyes followed her as she quickly walked out of the room.

"Is she always like this?" he asked. Johnny and I shrugged. Dally still looked out the doorway. "Gonna go get a Pepsi," he said and walked out. We stared at the empty hallway.

"In short, Cherry laid her eyes on Dally," Johnny explained.

"I noticed that," I replied. It was also clear to both of us that Dallas was trying really hard to act indifferent to Cherry.

"They're letting me out of here in four days," Johnny said. "Gonna need a wheelchair…" the boy looked down at his lifeless legs. He already pretty much got over the thought of him not being able to walk. If only Cherry could get over Bob's death as quickly, I thought.

"You know that the hearing is in five days, right?" I reminded Johnny.

"Yeah, I remember," he replied. "We gotta make it through without injuries." He sounded strangely calm. Better than scared to death, at least, I told myself.

As I walked out of the hospital and looked around to see where Dally might be, I saw him standing with Cherry on the far left side of the building. They didn't even know I was there. Pepsies, huh? I thought, and, trying not to look like I saw them, turned in the opposite direction and went home.

Cherry did help us before the hearing, after all. Four days later, when Johnny was getting out of the hospital, she pushed in a new wheelchair for him.

"Here," she let the air out. "A little gift from me." We were so grateful. What a person, I thought.

"Woah," Johnny was excited. "Thank you so, so much, Cherry!" He was as optimistic as never. I don't even know if I ever saw him that way before. "What can I do to thank you?" Cherry laughed.

"Don't even bother," she said. "This is completely selfless." I felt like Cherry changed, too, in a good way. Did she get over Bob's death already? Iwondered. Enough, I told myself. I didn't want to think about death and murder anymore. I was so fed up with all this, that I just wanted to have some fun. So we all did. Everyone seemed so happy and carefree, that I totally forgot about the hearing tomorrow.

But it didn't mean it wasn't there anymore.

The hearing wasn't anything like I thought it would be. Other than Johnny, me, Darry, and Soda, there was Cherry with her parents, Randy with his, and a couple of other Socs that jumped me and Johnny in the park. And Dally; he went with us to keep us company. That was pretty much it.

First, Randy was questioned about Bob. He looked stiff, and clearly needed a cigarette. I did too, actually. I guess I looked very nervous, because Darry was constantly telling me to stop chewing my nails. That's a habit I have. Then, the Socs were questioned about the jumping itself. They pretty much stuck to the truth the whole time. After, Johnny was asked to tell about the murder in detail. When the turn to talk came to Cherry Valance, she told the judge everything that happened before and after Johnny and I had been jumped. The judge questioned everyone carefully, and nothing significantly emotional or exciting happened, as I imagined. Well - I was grateful to that.

I thought the judge would never get around to questioning me. And you know what? He never did. Although I could've put in a few words if he'd let me. So, in the end, the murder was decided as an act of self-defense, Johnny was acquitted and the whole case was closed. Just like that. Didn't even give the chance to talk. But that didn't bother me none. Instead, a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and, I'm sure, from Johnny's too.

I can even say everything went back to normal. Almost. Johnny couldn't walk, but he could still move around in the wheelchair that Cherry gave him. He didn't regret anything, he became stronger and wiser. He was grateful to us, and we were grateful to him. He called us his family. We called ourselves family. To be honest, it felt good. Cherry Valance was visiting pretty often, we all became good friends. She even got to speak to Dally more often, which she did. "I just want to do what I want," I once overheard her talk to him - "I don't want to be exactly what I have to be. In fact, I don't have to be anything, right?"

I began seeing Cherry and Dally together more and more often. Sometimes they just stood and talked, sometimes they went to the movies. It seemed so interesting to me, how such incompatible people could be so compatible.

"That's what makes it interesting," Soda told me. "Sometimes completely different people understand each other better than those with the same brains."

"What are you, a relationship expert?" I smirked at my brother.

"Of course," he replied in a low, deep voice. "Ask me anything, child, and I will direct your life for the better!" and then he tickled the hell out of me.

I saw Dally at the front porch. He was smoking and staring at something in the distance. I walked up and sat down beside him, and tried to spot whatever he was looking at.

"Hey, what's up between you and Cherry?" I asked. Dallas threw away his cigarette.

"She's a great girl, man." He didn't say anymore. I didn't push him, even though I was curious to death, it was still the-mighty-Dally I was talking to. About a minute later, he got up from the steps and went in the direction of the park.

I'm not the kind of boy who eavesdrops and stalks everyone, but at that moment I was curious as hell. So I followed Dally into the park, keeping at a great distance from him. As we (Dally didn't know I was there) got to the park, my expectations turned out to be correct: Cherry Valance was waiting by the fountain. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, not only because I was far away, but I could also see that they kept their voices down for some reason.

The sunset was beautiful that day. The golden light hit the leaves of the trees and bushes from the west side. The bright fiery red sun was shining in the middle of the pink sky. I couldn't see that well, but it looked that Dallas' and Cherry's faces got close for a couple of seconds. All the way home and after that I was thinking about Dally and Cherry. What did Dally mean by "she's a great girl"? What were they talking about in the park? Did they kiss? I pondered. But I would never dare to ask. I would never know.