A/N: (PLEASE READ! IT'S IMPORTANT!)

Hey guys!

I have two messages to all of you: One, this is the rewritten version of this story, so I ask of you to read from the beginning if you read it before, please!

As for my second message: I'M SO, SO, SO DAMN SORRY THAT I DIDN'T UPDATE ANYTHING IN THREE MONTHS!

Three months already, sheesh! And I promised you that I'd update regularly! I'd probably be done with the story by now if I had kept that promise! I'm so sorry for making you guys wait!

The thing is, my Junior year has been busier than I thought it would be, especially since this year, I've been involved in theatre! I really love it!

And guess what? We're performing a play about the Outsiders, and I'm in it! *squeals* I wanted the Cherry role but another girl got it, and since I stunk at performing Marcia, I didn't get her either; I got the nurse role! If it gets posted on Youtube or on our school's website, I'll let you guys know for sure!

But anyway, I'm in three theatre pieces, including Footloose the Musical, Annie the Musical and Outsiders, AND not to forget to mention that I'm playing in small concerts in school and the teachers all give homework at the same time, so between all that, my time off has been very limited, and I use it to spend time with friends!

I announce that I'll be here as much as I can, and I'll try to update as soon as I can! For now, I'm mostly updating my chapters to the rewritten version of them, and posting the next chapter that you guys have been waiting so long for! After that, well, it will all depend about how theatre goes since in Footloose, I have to dance and I'm a lousy dancer so I need practice, and for Outsiders, I need to memorize my text and since I have a bad memory, I want to focus on my lines!

One thing that I make clear is: I will NOT leave this story unfinished!

So, back to this story:

The summary: What if the night Bob and his gang went after Johnny and Ponyboy at the park, Johnny hadn't killed Bob, only injured?

Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders and the first few paragraphs of this chapter! However, the idea of the fic is mine!

Note: I won't have A/N's for my chapters except to notify you of something.

Read on now!

..oOo..

I started to say something about the film of ice developing on the outer edges of the fountain when a sudden blast from a car horn made us both jump. The blue Mustang was circling the park slowly.

Johnny swore under his breath, and I muttered, "What do they want? This is our territory. What are Socs doing this far east?"

Johnny shook his head. "I don't know. But I bet they're looking for us. We picked up their girls."

"Oh, glory," I said with a groan, "this is all I need to top off a perfect night." I took one last drag on my weed and ground the stub under my heel. "Want to run for it?"

"It's too late now," Johnny said. "Here they come."

Five Socs were coming straight at us, and from the way they were staggering I figured they were reeling pickled. That scared me. A cool deadly bluff could sometimes shake them off, but not if they outnumbered you five to two and were drunk.

Johnny's hand went to his back pocket and I remembered his switchblade. I wished for that broken bottle. I'd sure show them I could use it if I had to. Johnny was scared to death. I mean it. He was as white as a ghost and his eyes were wild-looking, like the eyes of an animal in a trap.

We backed against the fountain and the Socs surrounded us. They smelled so heavily of whiskey and English Leather that I almost choked. I wished desperately that Darry and Soda would come along hunting for me. The four of us could handle them easily. But no one was around, and I knew Johnny and I were going to have to fight it out alone.

Johnny had a blank, tough look on his face—you'd have had to know him to see the panic in his eyes. I stared at the Socs coolly. Maybe they could scare us to death, but we'd never let them have the satisfaction of knowing it.

It was Randy and Bob and three other Socs, and they recognized us. I knew Johnny recognized them; he was watching the moonlight glint off Bob's rings with huge eyes.

"Hey, whatta ya know?" Bob said a little unsteadily, "Here are the little greasers that picked up our girls. Hey, greasers."

"You're outta your territory," Johnny warned in a low voice. "You'd better watch it."

Randy swore at us and they stepped in closer. Bob was eyeing Johnny. "Nope, pal, yer the ones who'd better watch it. Next time you want a broad, pick up yer own kind—dirt."

I was getting mad. I was hating them enough to lose my head.

"You know what a greaser is?" Bob asked. "White trash with long hair."

I felt the blood draining from my face. I've been cussed out and sworn at, but nothing ever hit me like that did. Johnnycake made a kind of gasp and his eyes were smoldering.

"You know what a Soc is?" I said, my voice shaking with rage. "White trash with Mustangs and madras." And then, because I couldn't think of anything bad enough to call them, I spit at them. Bob shook his head, smiling slowly. "You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we've got all night to do it. Give the kid a bath, David."

I ducked and tried to run for it, but the Soc caught my arm and twisted it behind my back, and shoved my face into the fountain. I fought, but the hand at the back of my neck was strong and I had to hold my breath. I'm dying, I thought, and wondered what was happening to Johnny. I couldn't hold my breath any longer. I fought again desperately but only sucked in water. I'm drowning, I thought, they've gone too far...

~Johnny's POV~ (This is where my writing starts)

I ran but the Socs caught me, throwing me on the ground. Some of them punched and kicked me, but I didn't even try to protect myself. I watched Ponyboy out of the corner of my eye. That David guy was drowning him, and I couldn't do anything! My best friend was being drowned in front of my own two eyes!

The Socs let me go and walked back to the fountain where they helped the other Soc drown Pony. I struggled to get up, and finally, after a few seconds, I managed to get on my feet. The leader of the Socs, Bob Sheldon, the one who had given me the scar on my face months before, was laughing wildly while Ponyboy was struggling against the other Socs.

I grabbed my blade in my back pocket and crept behind Bob, unnoticed. I grasped the handle tighter and in one swift motion, I stabbed him, right on his right shoulder. He screamed in pain and slumped on the ground. The other Socs stopped, wide-eyed.

"Shit," one of them screamed, "that kid's crazy! Get Bob and let's git outta here!" Two of them took Bob as carefully as they could, being that his shoulder was oozing blood really fast, and the five of them bolted in their car. They drove off in a hurry seconds later, but I didn't pay attention; I bolted toward the fountain.

Ponyboy lay limp on the side of the fountain, his back leaning against it. They had dropped him on the ground instead of leaving him in the fountain in their haste to leave, at least. He was soaked and completely motionless.

I kneeled next to him and tried shaking him awake. "Ponyboy." He didn't move. I nudged him harder. "Ponyboy!" He stayed still, not twitching an inch. "PONYBOY!" Still nothing. I was starting to panic. I checked for a pulse, and was relieved when I found one, although very weak. But he was still unmoving.

"C'mon, Pony," I pleaded, "stay with me! Please Pony, wake up!" Seeing as it didn't work by talking to him and nudging him, I began pumping is chest wildly, hoping he would wake up. I was freezing cold and my sides were smarting, but I didn't care; my main priority was to wake Pony up, make sure he's alright. Then I'd get help.

Suddenly he jerked, coughing and coughing madly. I patted his back gently and he clung to me, trying to stop himself from coughing. Finally he did, and the only sounds of the night were the fountain water still running and Ponyboy's desperate attempts at getting air fill his lungs.

"J-J-Johnny...?" he gasped, and he released me to look at me with wide eyes.

"I'm here, Pone," I reassured, "you're gonna be fine."

"What h-happened...? Why does m-my chest hurt so m-much...? Why is it so c-c-cold...?"

"The Socs—Cherry and Marcia's boyfriends—came after us," I explained. "They were drowning you, Pony, they might've killed you. I-I stabbed their leader in the shoulder. They dropped you next to the fountain and ran away." When he didn't answer, I got worried. "Pony? You okay?"

"J-J-Johnny, you...you saved me. I-I would be d-d-dead if it weren't for you, a-and my brothers..." His small speech was interrupted by a load of coughing and shaking from fright and coldness.

"Look, thank me later; now we gotta get you home or you'll freeze out here!" He nodded and I helped him get up by taking him under the armpits, but he gasped and fell back down. "Pony?!" I half-screamed, half-asked worriedly.

"I don't...feel so g-good, J-Johnny..." he whispered. He then collapsed on my feet.

"Pony!" I screamed, but he wouldn't wake up. "Hold on Pony, I'll get you home," I muttered to myself, and I picked him up bridal style. His head rolled from one side to another and his hands lay limp by his sides. I could feel heat radiating from his body, which seemed to weight like a feather. I had to hurry.

I started in a dead run, which wasn't easy with your unconscious best friend in your arms who's kinda bigger than you are, but still, I was fast, considering the situation. I really needed to cut the cigarettes, though; they were helping me none.

I ran for what seemed like hours until I finally spotted the Curtis house. "DARRY," I hollered, "SODA!" Fortunately they heard me and came rushing out the front door and toward me.

Darry's face paled and Soda looked panic-stricken. "What the hell happened to you two?!" he asked, but I shook my head as Darry took Ponyboy in his arms, considering he was stronger and I was out of breath.

"No...time to...explain, just...get him inside...!" I managed to choke out, and without a word, Darry ran to the truck with the youngest in their arms while Soda ran inside. A second later, Soda came rushing outside with the truck keys in his hand.

"C'mon, hitch a ride, you can tell us what happened at the hospital!" I nodded and walked the best I could toward the truck, but I was tired. The events were catching up to me. I didn't even hear Soda screaming my name; the ground rushed pretty fast.