Well, I'm pretty proud of this. It was my first ever response to a writing challenge (it was written for the WSOTTA July Rumble) and my first ever piece about Johnny. I think it turned out pretty well. And if by any chance the readers of Running Away are reading this, I know I should update! I'm working on it, but this just needed to get out.

Everyone in the gang thinks they have to protect Johnny. Especially after he was jumped. We had all watched out for Johnny before that, with his folks and all, but afterwards, all of the gang was worried sick about him. It's calmed down lately, but I guess that there's something about Johnny Cade that makes people want to protect him, because Johnny's the one who people watch out for the most. I mean, even Dally gets protective over him and that's saying a lot.

But what's gettin' me is why? Johnny's lived 'round here just as long as everyone else. He's just as tough as everyone else, and he's part of the gang. Well, I guess that means that we all look out for him, but we all look out for each other in general. We wouldn't be a gang if we didn't.

Maybe it's the lost puppy look that he always seems to have. I'm not sure if anybody else has noticed it, but it's always there. At least, if you know him well, if you know that he carries that switchblade to defend himself instead of to look tuff and attack people with.

But I guess I'm not really allowed to be thinking this. It made sense a few weeks ago. I thought the same thing, that Johnny couldn't get on without the gang. And maybe he can't, maybe none of us could.

But he can defend himself without any of us being there. They know that, too. Johnny takes care of himself in rumbles and the like. But maybe they think that he wouldn't be able to cope with some Socs if none of us were there.

Johnny can cope alone, though. I know that now. Ever since I saw him with that Soc.

I had been walking home quite late at night, talking a shortcut down one of the back roads which Socs never use. They're too scared of us greasers, which, when you think about it, is strange because we hardly ever use that road. Tim Shepard's gang is nowhere near it, and I know Soda and Steve use it to get home from dropping their girls off sometimes, but I thought I was the only one who used it often.

So, even though it's one of the scariest looking roads around here, it's honestly one of the safest. I use it to get home whenever I'm in the area around my school. It's the quickest way, and when it's late – like it was then – it's a way to stop Darry from hollerin' at me.

So there I was, hurrying because it was near midnight. I had been at the bowling alley with some guys from school and we had only just left. Darry was gonna be mad, but I was hoping not too mad. I had called him on a payphone a little more than an hour earlier to make sure he knew where I was. He told me I could stay a little longer, but I don't think he meant until midnight. But he knew where I was – for once I used my head. It was a good thing it was a Friday night, though. I cut down this street and saw Johnny walking ahead of me. I started hurryin' to catch up, but Johnny suddenly walked straight into a Soc.

He was small, around my height and probably my age. He looked like a regular Soc, wearing madras and everything. I stepped forward, ready to go help Johnny out, but he had already flicked out his switchblade and the Soc took a step backwards. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Was somebody – a Soc, nothing less – actually acting wary of Johnnycake? His eyes were huge.

They were staring at each other, and though I was looking at the back of Johnny's head, I could imagine his expression. He'd have that slightly scared look on his face, the one where his eyes become even darker and slightly cold, wary and large, and he's breathing real slowly. It's the same expression he gets whenever Dally becomes dangerous.

Then the Soc spoke. It wasn't an insult. It wasn't even a threat. Instead, he simply said, "Um. Evenin'."

Why would he say that? Of all things, he wishes Johnny a good evening?

Then Johnny replied. But it wasn't in his usual soft voice, the one you have to strain to hear. It was a low voice, sure, but it wasn't Johnnycake speaking. It was Johnny Cade, the tough hood. I've never thought of Johnny as a hood or a JD or anything like that before, but this was a Dallas Winston kinda voice – dangerous. "What're you doin' here, Soc?"

And suddenly the other guy is trippin' over his tongue trying to reply. "Look, I'm just passing through. I just want to get home." Glory, he's pleading with Johnny! I realised with shock. "I'm not gonna try anything. Just let me go, please, I'll just leave, that's all." It's almost like he expected Johnny to jump him or something. Well, I guess that switchblade is rather scary lookin', but he's Johnny for cryin' out loud!

Then for a second, I half expected Johnny to threaten this kid. He didn't move, apart from flexing the hand which was holding the blade, and suddenly the moment was over. Johnny jerked his head. "Get outta here, kid."

The Soc stared at him as if he couldn't believe what Johnny was saying, then ran. I ducked into the shadows as he ran past me – not hard to do, seeing that most of the lights on that street weren't working – and turned to look at Johnny. I was expecting to see him looking at the Soc fearfully, but he wasn't. His black eyes were wary, sure, but they were cold. Not slightly cold like I had been expecting, but cold and hard like Dally's. Scary eyes. They actually made me shiver.

But when the Soc stepped at the end of the street, there was a flicker of fear in Johnny's eyes as they, once again, stared at one another. Then Johnny turned and started walking away, out of the circle of flickering light he had been standing in, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets after putting his switchblade away, and the Soc turned and ran. I caught up with Johnny and we walked to the lot together. He didn't mention the incident and neither did I. It felt like I had witnessed something too personal to talk about, plus I still couldn't believe that Johnny had scared a Soc away. I kept hearing that cold rough voice he had used and thinking of it made me shiver, just like his eyes had.

But none of the gang had ever heard that voice or seen Johnny's eyes that cold. They had never seen him as the tough hood the Soc and I had seen that night. They didn't know that Johnny was capable of scaring someone that badly. I had seen that Soc's eyes – he had been real frightened.

Johnny, though, hadn't taken advantage of it. Maybe he didn't realise just how scared the Soc was, but he hadn't even threatened him to stay out of a greaser neighbourhood. Well, maybe flipping out his blade could be seen as a threat, but I know that Johnny just hadn't wanted to be caught unaware. He had just let the Soc go. Steve or Dally would have given him a punch at least, but Johnny, after the initial shock, didn't just see a Soc; he also saw a scared kid who didn't deserve to be beaten up.

Well, I guess that's Johnny Cade for you.

Well, what did you all think? Hopefully, you liked it! But I'd love to know.