Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to S. E. Hinton. Italicized quote at the start of the prologue from "The Outsiders", page 56.
Prologue
"'I killed him,' he said slowly. 'I killed that boy…'"
That was what I told him to say. My God, I don't know why, though. I mean I had to do something, dammit. I couldn't let the kid drown. And I couldn't let Johnny get wailed on like he did.
Of course. As soon as it happens, the second I get back to Buck's and I'm just about to fake like I was sleeping the whole time, there they come. So I give them the best advice I could. Train to Windrixville, the old church…I knew it right off the top of my head. It was like Johnny knew nothing. It was like he forgot everything.
Like he really believed he killed him.
No way in hell could he have really. Johnny couldn't kill nobody. Not even a damn bug or something. He saw me. I handed him back the knife, for God's sake…
And now he's dead. The truth died with him.
I still can't believe how it all happened…