Chapter Four
Johnny and Ponyboy hopped onto the train and rode all the way to Windrixville. When they got off they asked some of the farmers where Jay mountain was. As they climbed up the steep hill, they saw the church. It looked like it hadn't been used in decades. When they walked inside an owl flew over their heads. They lay down on the hard, cold floor. "Johnny," Pony said quietly, "You okay?"
But Johnny was already asleep. Pony adjusted himself and soon he was asleep as well.
When he woke up a few hours later, Johnny was gone. "Johnny?" Pony called.
He looked down and saw a note written in the dust that said Johnny had gone to get supplies. Pony rubbed his face and stood up. He remembered Dally saying something about a pump. He walked out back and rubbed some of the water onto his face. Suddenly he heard someone walking up the mountain. Pony ran and hid under part of the church that looked like a cellar. There was a long low whistle followed by a sudden high note. That was the greaser way to say, "Who's out there?" Pony saw Johnny walk by his hiding place, holding a bunch of grocery bags, and he ran out to meet him. He stumbled over his feet and landed with a thud on the ground. "Hey Johnny," he said, propping his head on his hands, "Fancy seeing you here."
"You're getting to act more like Two-Bit every day." Johnny said with a smile.
"Who's acting?"
"Come on," Johnny said, looking around, "Dally told us to stay inside."
They ran back into the church and set the bags down on a table. "What did you get?" Pony asked eagerly.
Johnny began to take stuff out of the bags and set them on the table too. "We got a loaf of bread, and a week's supply of baloney here. Some peanut butter."
Pony reached into the bag and took out a book. "Gone with the Wind!" he said excitedly, "Johnny how'd you know I wanted this?"
"I remembered you saying something 'bout it once. Me and you went to see that movie remember. Thought maybe you could read it out loud, help kill time or something."
Pony smiled. "Thanks a lot Johnny."
They reached back into the bag and took more of the stuff out. "Deck of cards." Pony said setting that on the table.
He took out a small bottle and read the label. "Peroxide?" he asked.
Johnny looked at him and something clicked in Ponyboy's mind. "Johnny, you ain't thinking-"
"We're gonna cut our hair Ponyboy," Johnny said, "You're gonna bleach yours. They'll have our descriptions in the paper and we can't fit 'em."
Pony shook his head. "Oh no, you ain't gonna touch my hair."
"It's gonna get cut anyway if we got caught. You know the first thing the judge does is make you get a haircut."
"I don't see why." Pony muttered.
"Me neither. Guess it's their way of breaking us."
Johnny walked behind Pony and flicked out his switchblade. Pony jumped. "I'm going to cut mine off too and wash all the grease out." Johnny said sadly.
"No, sir," Pony said, "You ain't touching my hair."
"Ponyboy it's gonna grow back," Johnny assured him, "It's not like it won't."
Pony sighed and turned his back to him. "Go ahead." he mumbled.
Johnny hesitated and grabbed a handful of greasy brown hair. Then he started sawing back and forth with his blade. "Ow!" Pony shouted.
"Sorry, man." Johnny muttered dropping the hair on the ground.
It took about an hour for Johnny to get enough hair off that he didn't look as much like Ponyboy but to still make it look half-way decent.
"Can I see now?" Pony asked.
"No, we gotta bleach it first."
"Well than bleach it, quit cutting."
They poured the peroxide onto what was left of Pony's hair and he sat in the sun to let it dry. When it was done, Johnny went hunting around for something reflective. He finally found an old, broken mirror and brought it back for Pony to see. His hair was almost white and it was cut so that his ears stuck out. "Wow this really makes me look tuff." he muttered sarcastically.
Johnny sighed and handed him the blade. "Alright," he said, "Go ahead. Get your jollies."
Pony smiled. "My pleasure." he said.
"Yeah, I know it is."
Pony got behind Johnny and started cutting off his black hair. "Ouch!" Johnny yelped.
"Hurts don't it." Pony said smugly.
When they were done, Johnny washed the grease out and they went back into the church. They sat around staring at the ceiling for a while. Both of them were depressed that they had to cut their hair but they would have cut it all off if it would erase what happened last night. Suddenly Pony was overcome with emotion. "I'm still tired." he croaked.
Johnny looked at him. "I'm sorry I cut your hair off Ponyboy." he apologized.
"It's not that." Pony said, "I don't know, I'm all mixed up. I miss Soda and Darry and Bobby. Oh, God
I miss Bobby! She looked miserable when I told her she couldn't come with us last night. I wish more than anything that she could've."
Johnny put an arm around him. "Hey you know that little one-horse store this morning." he said with a forced smiled, "I was thinking ol' Two-Bit could've walked out with half of it. Remember how he was goofing around last night at the movies?"
Pony gave a watery laugh. "Just last night we was walking home from the movies with Dally, Two-Bit and Bobby. Just last night we was laying out in the lot, looking up at the stars, trying to see those constellations."
"Oh stop it man! Will you shut up about last night!?" Johnny shouted, jumping up.
He walked around the table and leaned against the wall. "I killed a kid last night!" he said, "He couldn't have been more than seventeen maybe eighteen years old and I killed him! How'd you like to live with that, huh?"
He sat down and bit his knuckles. "I didn't mean to," he said, "They was drowning you and I didn't know what to do."
Ponyboy walked over to him and put his arm around him. "There sure is a lot of blood inside of people." Johnny said.
"What are we going to do?" Pony whispered.
"Oh man this is my fault for bringing a thirteen year old kid along." Johnny said, standing up again,
"You know you outta go home Ponyboy, you can't get in any trouble, I mean you didn't go on and kill him!"
"No!" Ponyboy said jumping up, "I'm fourteen, I've been fourteen for a month! And I'm in this just as much as you are! I'll stop crying soon. I can't help it."
He covered his face in his hands and sobbed. Johnny put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that Ponyboy." he said, "Don't cry. Don't cry, man."
He grabbed him in a huge hug. "It'll be all right."Johnny whimpered, "It's gonna be fine."
They stood up and walked over to the furnace. Ponyboy sat down and Johnny laid his head down on his lap. Soon they had both fallen asleep.
