Chapter 1- "Puppy Dog Johnny"

Dishes shattered. My folks were about to fight, I already knew it was going to happen. It would be either my dad would strike my mom too hard or my dad would be looking for me. This was everyday even on Christmas, you'd think think my parents would stop then but no, it wasn't going to be like that. It would start all over again, often time someone got hurt too many times and when the wounds would heal, more wounds would appear again.

We were expecting neighbors. The sign in front of the house was gone next to us, I knew it would be a new person. I sat outside my house since my father drank too much and now my mom was going to get beat up and probably me if I did stay in the house. I sometimes wished why I was here, both of them don't care. I really don't understand the two of them.

Ponyboy stopped and noticed the sign was gone. "Johnny...Getting new neighbors? I hope they don't rank, it wouldn't be nice to have bad neighbors."

I nodded. "It's a girl and her family, they should be coming soon."

Ponyboy smiled. "Oh, a broad is moving in? It should be nice for you Johnny."

I smiled a little but wait until they saw my parents. "Ponyboy..."

Ponyboy answered me. "Yes, Johnny?"

I looked at the other houses. "You think my parents are going to drive them away?"

Ponyboy wasn't sure. "Maybe not, I mean your folks fight an awful lot Johnny but who knows may this broad has it rough too like you do."

I still wasn't sure. "Oh well, we'll just have to see."

A car pulled up to the empty house. I quickly got up, nothing really happens where I live so it was rare time for my street. The girl was roughly taken out of the car by her mother as her father just laughed. Boy was Ponyboy right about this broad, she had rough and I could tell how her parents were handling her. She looked so sad from where I could see her. Very sad, almost like many things were happening too much at once.

"Janalise!" her mother screamed. "Go introduce yourself to our neighbors! Quit acting shy and do it!"

"Yes, mother." Janalise walked very stiffly towards me. She looked at me but couldn't talk to me. "Hi. I'm Janalise Rubenton, it's nice to meet you."

I offered my hand. "I'm Johnny Cade, I live next door to you."

Ponyboy offered his hand. "Ponyboy Curtis."

Janalise smiled. "It's nice to meet you all, very nice to meet you all."

Mr. Rubenton watched very carefully over Janalise's interaction with the boys. "If any of you lay on my daughter..I swear in the news, you two will be humiliated and shamed out of this town!"

Janalise turned back to her father. "Father! Why are you being so mean? You know I don't like when you say that."

Mr. Rubenton turned sharply away as I looked straight at the guy. He was not a tuff guy at all, it seemed like if we did something wrong the cops would be all over the place. Something told me that this was going to be a hard trasition for Janalise because she was a Soc living in Greaser territory. I don't know what to call that, in school she would be given a hard time for sure. She didn't choose to live here, her parents did and now she had to live with the fact that she was in enemy territory.

It was East side verses West side, Janalise would have a very hard time with the Socs.

Janalise was pretty for broad. She had straight, strawberry blonde hair. Her eyes, a sad green. Her hair wasn't too long or too short and she had red bows in her hair. She was pretty.

"How old are you." I asked. "I'm sixteen."

She answered. "Fifteen."

"So, your folks rough like mine?" I looked into Janalise's eyes. "Looks like it."

"Alcohol, abuse, and marital issues." Janalise replied. "Same with yours?"

"Same with mine." I replied. "I guess we have something in common."

Janalise turned to Ponyboy. "You too, Ponyboy? Issues at home too?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "Mom and dad died in a car crash. It's just me, my older brother Darry, and my other brother Sodapop."

Janalise understood and looked around. "So, is this the rougher side of town?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Yep, this is the east side of town. Greasers mostly live here, it's for people who are having it hard in life."

Janalise knew it. "We've always lived in rough neighborhoods even though we have money...Kind of weird but if my parents want to live there then we do."

"The west side is for richer people called Socs." Ponyboy continued. "We don't get along."

Janalise understood very well of the situation. "I used to live in New York, same thing happened in a town where I lived but I guess it'll be different since I'm living with the enemy."

Ponyboy and I nodded our heads. It was true and we've never had this happen before and it looked like the Socs and the Greasers would have to look at this problem more closely. I didn't know what would happen to Janalise but I felt like it was my duty to protect her.

Things would probably look rank from now on.

Ponyboy smiled. "We will treat you nice though, don't worry too much about it."

Janalise nodded. "I know people will get upset, I'm not getting my hopes up with anything."

I looked at Janalise and realized that the broad must've taken more abuses than I probably have because she was tough. I could tell she was, just by how she stood and how her face changed when she knew about the issues with the Socs and the Greasers. She knew there would be problems and it didn't make her cringe at all.

She had a delicate side to her too, I would find it out later in many ways.

Ponyboy realized he had to do something. "I have to help Sodapop with the house today! I'll see you later Johnny! Nice meeting you, Janalise!"

Ponyboy took off for home. I wished Ponyboy didn't leave me because now I had Janalise to worry about and I wasn't too good with talking to girls that much. It was hard for me than it was for Dally, Dally could talk to any girl no problem but sometimes he went too far about it. It caused problems for Dally and it was because he ran tough anyway. I wished I was more like him but then I didn't because Dally couldn't stay away from jail.

Dally came out of nowhere, I stiffened up. "Hey, Johnny..." Dally's eyes went the opposite direction to Janalise. "What's that...Soc doing on our turf? She lives next to you?"

"Yeah...She moved into the house next to mine." Dally wasn't happy it at all. "Dally, let's not make a fuss about this, I know this is a different situation and both sides might not like it."

Dally took out a cancerstick. "You've got the right they won't." Dally shook his head. "What's the broad's name, Johnny?"

"Janalise..." I replied. "She's from New York."

Dally laughed. "Rough part of it, Janalise?"

Janalise nodded her head. "Yes."

Dally was amazed. "She looks tough, Johnnycakes. It seems she's been through a lot too like we have."

I looked at Dally. "You won't rough her up will you? Dally, this isn't her fault."

Dally sighed as he smoked. "It's not me, it's the Socs, Johnny. You know they won't be liking this but I admit, she is somewhat of a greaser too. You fight, Janalise?"

Janalise nodded. "I fight, I know for a girl that's odd but I do. Won some fights, lost some fights."

Dally was impressed. "I like her, Johnny. I don't care what the Socs say about her, she isn't going to be like them. This will be totally different. Janalise, put me as one of your protectors."

Janalise smiled. I guess she was getting treated nicely and it made her feel good about being on the east side of town. She sure was tough, I've never seen a girl quite like that before, it was hard to not be attracted to her some. I don't think I have a chance anyway, girls and I just aren't good together anyways.

Mr. Rubenton grabbed Janalise by the arm. "What did I tell you about the boys? Another one? You must've done something wrong now to have this third one come up to you! Men are just going to use you!"

Janalise gave a frightened look towards me. "Bye Johnny, I have to go. Bye Dally."

Dally looked at me, he threw down his cancerstick. "So, her old man is the same as ours, huh Johnny? It looks like he's a little worse though." Dally lit up another cancerstick. "I think Janalise is being used by her father."

My eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

Dally nodded his head. His icy blue eyes were serious."Johnny, I've seen this before with a girl I knew in New York. Her name was Alisha, she had the same look when her father came around. It was just..sad, you know?"

My stomcach flipped. I couldn't believe it, Janalise was suffering not just physical abuse like I did but sexual abuse. This was not well known to us, we just knew physical abuse where the old man would just hit on us a little too hard. It hurt just to know there was more to Janalise, we would be linked in many ways later.

Dally nodded. "Johnny, it's not just hitting up too hard with her. She's getting it wrong from her father." Dally paused and shook his head. "That's just rank maybe even terrible."

I felt very bad. "Aw, Dally. Isn't there anything we can do for, Janalise?"

Dally shook his head. "Father's a monster, Johnny. It would be hard to nail him."

I felt so powerless and yet I wanted to help. "I've never seen it so bad for someone before."

Dally smoked some more. "Oh, it can be a lot worse. A lot of Greasers have it tough at home but I never thought I'd see this again."

I was upset that something couldn't be done. "Well, I don't think we should just sit here."

Dally nodded too but began wandering in a different direction. "See you around, Johnny." Dally looked back seriously. "If I was you, I would protect that broad. She is going to need you."

I looked out at the other houses. I realized that my life was now important, I had to protect someone and help them since we were in the same situation with Janalise's being worse than mine. Ponyboy was right, I did meet someone who was the same and I guess we had to be friends and look out for each other. Janalise was going to need a lot of help from people, Socs would give her the harder time than we would.

I just kept thinkng that a woman should never have to go through that so young. I was unaware that it happens but knew that it was possible. I just kept remembering Janalise's sad green eyes, they were just so sad and scared of the evil thing that was going to happen. I could tell that her father was going to have her way with her, I just knew.

My folks began fighting again and soon I heard Janalise's start fighting. I knew within that two hours that Janalise's father had his way but he cut it short. When I looked at world sometime, I wondered why these evil things happened and why people had to suffer so much just to keep living.

Janalise snuck out of her house as I saw her. "You know don't you?" She looked down in shame. "My father does wrong me, my mother is in denial it happens."

"Janalise, you shouldn't have to deal with that." My sad brown eyes looked at her. "You're too young to be doing that stuff and he's forcing you. That's just rank."

Janalise knew it but she was powerless. "I know that Johnny. I want to run away sometimes. I want to tell you everything but I fear you won't like me anymore."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Anyone going through the same thing as me is a friend."

I know this is weird and all but I think Janalise and I have a connection and I guess we were close but I was afraid to get too close to her. It was too late now because she looked at me and had so much hope in her eyes. She was another me I guess, she had the same puppy dog look like I did half the time. I know Dally would say that the next time he saw me and surely when Ponyboy and the rest found out, they'd say the same.

Janalise's eyes never left mine. "Johnny, I better go. I don't want to get punished again."

I nodded. "I don't blame you, go on home before your father hurts you again."

Janalise looked back as she walked into her house and the door closed. My folks were still fighting and so were her's. This is the lives we lived everyday knowing that at home, we're not good enough and only when our parents were drunk enough were we any value to them.

I still looked out the sunset. I wondered if there was a place that there wasn't this hell.