9.
Johnny woke up to beautiful silence and nearly cried with joy at the sound.
His parents were likely at work, his mother being a secretary and his father in a factory just outside of Tulsa. They were probably the only non-divorced family in greaser territory and Johnny wished every night that his dad would just get up and never come back. His mom he could handle, as erratic and cold as she was. Even if she didn't love him, he knew she felt some sort of family commitment enough to keep him fed and sheltered.
He flipped over onto his back and groaned. The left side of his back was covered in a deep bruise from hitting the door frame and besides that, he was sore all over. His lumpy mattress wasn't helping either. When he got up, there was red on one of his pillows and a bit of dried blood in his hair.
He hated his dad. Hated him just as much as his dad hated him back. When he was sober and peaceful, he was despicable, and made Johnny sick to his stomach just to see his face, so similar to the one he saw in the mirror. When he was drunk and angry, Johnny didn't even have a strong enough word for the feeling that welled up inside him. He liked to pray to God his father would just die. He knew that wasn't the kind of thing God granted, but He was Johnny's only hope. No one else would do anything about his dad- certainly not him. He was the smallest of the boys; even smaller than Ponyboy, who was only fourteen.
In the shower, he inspected his war wounds, as Dally called them. The one on his back wasn't so bad, though it ran the length of him and then spattered onto his arm. He wouldn't be able to move it much without wincing. The gash in the back if his head didn't seem too deep, but it broke open and started bleeding again when Johnny tried cleaning it. He had to leave his hair under-greased in hopes of keeping it uninfected. There'd be hell to pay if his parents had to take him to a hospital.
Johnny left as soon as he could. Even empty, the house spooked him to no end. It was like the calm before the storm. So naturally he headed towards the Curtis' house. It was only a few streets down, but he walked like he was about to run and he kept his hand on the switch-blade in his pocket. He'd never been jumped before, but he hoped he could give them a good fight if he could.
Johnny slowed down when he could see the house. He loved the gang to bits and knew he would have ended himself long ago if it wasn't for them, but he didn't feel like being treated like some broken puppy today. If he was lucky, he could grab Pony and they could go watch a movie or grab a bite to eat. Ponyboy was probably his best friend, mostly because he didn't talk or act as rough as everyone else. Even if Pony was two years younger and had never been beaten, they saw the world in similar ways and they spent a lot of time talking about stuff that the other boys would consider too sensitive and emotional to mention. When they were hanging out Johnny didn't have to be brave and Pony didn't have to be tough.
If Pony wasn't there, then he'd find Dally. It was different with him. They were complete opposites; Johnny kept out of trouble and never looked for a fight while Dallas could rob a man, steal a car, and set fire to the public library before breakfast -if he could manage to wake himself before noon. Yet they were two peas in a pod. Dally didn't get into too much trouble when they were hanging out because he knew Johnny would rather rot in jail than go home and get the lashing he'd receive if he got arrested. And Johnny didn't feel so nervous and vulnerable in Dally's presence. People looked at him and saw this scary, messed-up hood, but Johnny knew better. Years of torture from his own old man had made Dallas distrustful and cold to a world that was just as cold to him. Truthfully, he didn't exactly understand how they had gotten so close, but if the gang were like his brothers, then Dallas was his brother.
As it turned out, he didn't end up meeting with either one of the boys. Just as he was passing by Ellie's house, she stepped outside and waved to him. She was hiding behind a pair of giant sunglasses and her dress was a cheerful yellow that complemented her hair.
"I'm glad I caught you." She told him with a charming smile. "What are you doing today?"
He shrugged. "Not much. Why?"
She laughed a little nervously and clasped her hands behind her back. "I need someone to come to that diner with me. What was it called? The Dingo? It's just... I'm too scared to go by myself."
Johnny stuck his hands in his pocket and thought. Ellie was easy to speak to, even if she was a bit peculiar. Looking past her cosmopolitan outfits and big hair, she wasn't as unreachable as a regular soc girl. A bit naive and superficial, yes, but playful and endearing as well. What Johnny really liked about her was that she had this way of looking at people that made them feel bigger than life. Like a child admiring a worldly adult.
"I'll pay for you." She added, fidgeting under his blank gaze.
Johnny tried to smile. "Nah, I'll come."
"Cool!" She exclaimed softly, "Do you wanna drive? I have a headache and don't want to use the thinking capacity it takes to drive."
"I don't have my licence." Johnny told her as they approached her green rust-bucket. Was it just him, or did it look even worse than usual?
"Neither does she." Dallas commented, appearing beside him suddenly. His face was mangled up but he didn't seem too mad about it. In fact, Johnny could see an unusual grin forming on his face.
"Oh!" Ellie shrieked at the sound of his voice, swivelled around to look at him. "You!"
"Me." Dallas drawled.
"You... You..." She took a few steps back and fiddled with her keys, red as a tomato. "P-please move your truck. I can't get out of my d-driveway with it here."
Johnny looked rapidly between them, eyes wide.
Dallas pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and took his time exhaling the smoke into the morning air. "Awe, don't be such a blushing virgin, honey. You weren't so coy last night."
"What?" Johnny cut in, completely bewildered. He knew what Dallas was suggesting, but the thought of pure, innocent Ellie hooking up with a hood like him and not being knocked out first was something that was just not capable of happening. "What?"
"I-I..." Ellie clutched her keys tightly, rigid as a broomstick. Even Lady, who had been half asleep on the porch, had picked up her head and was eyeing the scene wearily.
"I'm gunna go to the wash-room really quick." Ellie squeaked, rushing back inside with her dog at her heals.
The moment she was gone, Dallas nearly fell over laughing.
"What did you do to her?" Johnny exclaimed, feeling annoyed. Leave it to Dally to sully an innocent girl like Ellie.
"Nothing, but I don't think she knows that." Dally told him once he had calmed down. "Some of the girls brought her to a party last night and she got a bit drunk. One thing leads to another and she wakes up on the Curtis' couch, tryna' cuddle up to me. Lemme tell you, she got out of there like the house was on fire. Got a good shot of her ass though, with her skirt all ridden up like that. Nice."
Johnny gave him a doubtful look. "Your such a dog, you know?"
Dallas put his hands up and shrugged, a shiteating grin plastered on his face. "Hey, I really didn't touch her, even if she was begging for it."
"You outta leave her alone." Johnny stated as Dallas moved to crawl into his truck. "She's not like Sylvia, you know? She can't handle someone like you."
Dally raised an eyebrow at him. "Got a crush, Johnny?"
"No." Johnny told him, and it was the truth. Even if Ellie was one of the only girls he could talk to without stuttering, she didn't hold that kind of appeal for him. Maybe it was because there was already so much shit swirling around in his life. He didn't have the time or energy to submerge himself in the dramas of relationships. "Do you? You seem awfully keen on making her blush."
Dallas turned on his engine and set him with a cocky look. "Johnnycake, I don't crush on girls. I fuck 'em."
Lighting another cigarette, he continued, "And anyway, even if I was interested, the only way I'd get even close to tapping her is if I had a million dollars in the bank, wore a suit, played golf with her father, and married her."
Ellie didn't emerge from the house until Dallas could be heard ripping down the street.
"I'm never gunna drink again." She stated, keeping an eye on his truck as she came to stand by Johnny once more. "It only leads to trouble."
"Well..." Johnny ran his hand through his un-greased hair awkwardly, fingering his cut to see if it has stopped bleeding. "He said nothing actually happened, so don't worry so much."
Ellie slipped her shades on once more and passed him the keys. "You're driving, okay? I think I might puke."
The dingo was mostly empty on weekend mornings because everyone was catching up on the sleep they had missed the previous night or stuck in a drunk tank.
"Are you hungover?" Johnny asked as they slid into a booth. She still hadn't removed her sunglasses, but he knew from earlier that her eyes were bloodshot.
"That or dying." She answered, propping her chin up with her fist. "It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me."
Johnny snorted and brought the basket of sugar packets towards him so he could have something to fiddle with. "I bet your gunna tell me you'll never drink ever again?"
"But I really won't!" She insisted, pausing to order a cup of coffee when from the waitress. Johnny ordered a full breakfast, hoping it would fill him up and dull the pain a little. The waitress was back in seconds with Ellie's drink.
Johnny passed her two packets of sugar. "That's what they all say. But hey, maybe you won't. You don't really seem like the type to drink, anyway."
Ellie emptied the packets into the blackened liquid and gestured for more. "I'm not. Truthfully, I'm a bit too... high strung to do anything that I shouldn't be doing." She emptied two more packets of sugar into her coffee and waved for even more. "But I'm also easily roped into things. What's the word for it? Peer pressure? I just hate saying no to people."
She took a long gulp of black coffee and about a pound of sugar. He winced, wondering how she could stomach such a toxic mixture, but she seemed to drink it like water.
"I woke up really early this morning," She explained, "I need something strong to keep me up until tonight. Naps always make me mean and grumpy. Do they do that to you?"
Johnny couldn't remember the last time he took a nap. "You, mean and grumpy?"
Her eyebrows tipped inwardly and did an exaggerated scowl. "Oh, I'm like a street cat when I get mad. Really mad."
He didn't know whether or not she was being serious, so he fiddled with a new more packets of sugar instead.
But Ellie didn't seem to mind all of Johnny's bouts of silence. It only took her a few seconds to get her rattling off again.
"This morning was when I swore to myself I won't ever drink again. I woke up at five am, sick to my stomach, the sun blaring in my eyes, and my mouth like sandpaper. I still feel like that, too. The worst part is, I had my legs wrapped up in Dallas', except my head was by his feet and they stunk like high heaven. Does that boy even know the definition of a shower?" She leaned back, frowning. "Sometimes I really don't like him that much. He's so horrible to me."
Johnny bristled a little. It was his natural instinct when someone talked about anyone in his gang. "Dally's got a rough life. He doesn't get to be happy and nice all the time."
Ellie sat up, gnawing at her lip, and Johnny got that spooky feeling of being watched. He wished she'd just take off those damn shades.
"Your right." She smiled sheepishly, "Anyway, he isn't all mean. He kept me company yesterday after Two-Bit ditched me to make up with Kathy. And he didn't push me into anything last night."
An entirely different feeling came over Johnny then. He didn't want Ellie to assume that there was nothing to Dallas but rough edges, but he was also irritated that she could be so naive as to think that Dally was some kind of secret gentleman. That was the big problem with her- Ellie didn't get the score. Not at all. And it was something you just couldn't teach to someone. She'd have to figure it out the hard way, and that's what he was afraid of.
He tore at the edge of a sugar pack and finally spat out, "Look, all I'm trying to tell you is that Dally is human. He has the capability to be kind and caring and hell, even smart if he had stayed in school. But you can't see him as just that kind of guy. You gotta accept the bad in him too. You gotta accept that he jumps kids, runs with rough guys down town, steals cars, robs corner stores... And that doesn't just apply to him. You think Steve buys all those car parts he has down in the DX? You think Two-Bit is a happy-go-lucky drunk all the time? You think Sodapop hasn't ever jumped a Soc?"
By the time he was done he had run out of breath and Ellie was clutching her mug like it was her life support. He was suddenly glad he didn't have to see her expression under her shades.
"I thought socs jumped you guys?" She whispered.
Johnny tore open the packet and flinched a little at the sound of the bell on the door jingle. When he spoke again, he sounded softer. "Ellie, we're the hoods, the JDs, the criminals. They're just rowdy teens."
An awkwardness settled on them as Ellie contented herself with gulping down her coffee. Johnny's food arrived at the table, but his appetite was long gone. He hated talking so much. Whenever he opened his mouth, it seemed crap fell out.
"You shouldn't scare me like that." She finally stated, much calmer despite the caffeine and sugar rush she was bound to be on. "I understand -sort of- why you told me, and I appreciate it. But what do you want me to do? See the worst in people?"
Johnny shook his head. "No, just forget it."
"You're my only friends." She admitted. "And I won't lie, you all can scare me to bits sometimes, with all the horror stories I hear. But I've never felt unsafe, so who cares?"
Johnny stared at his plate of food for a long time, and then pushed it over to her a little bit. "Want some?"
She contemplated the plate of eggs, toast and bacon for a moment before sighing and taking another chug of her coffee. "I want to, but just know I'll end up hurling it all out in five minutes."
He retracted his breakfast and fiddled uncomfortably with his scrambled eggs.
"So..." Ellie wrapped her hands around her mug and leaned in. "What do you think you'll do after high school?"
Johnny shrugged.
She laughed a little and wagged her finger at him, eyebrow raised. "Oh no! You don't get to clam up after yelling at me just moment before! You have to talk. Especially now that I know you have things to say!"
"I don't really think that far ahead." Johnny admitted. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd even graduate. He had good grades (not as good as Pony but still better than most greasers) and a good attendance, but his dad had long been complaining about Johnny wasting all their money and he was sure he'd eventually be force into quitting school and getting a job at the factory or something. And even if he did graduate, he wouldn't be able to go to college or university. He knew Darry had had his hopes up for that kind of thing before his parents died, and now he struggled every day trying not to be bitter over giving that up for his brothers. Johnny didn't want to end up like that- with a giant 'what-if' looming over his head for the rest of his life.
"You should." Ellie stated, "You have less than two years to figure it out."
"What about you then?" He asked, "What do you want to be?"
She took another packet of sugar and stirred it in. "That's easy. I'm going to be a wife and mother. Preferably to a rich man. He doesn't have to be particularly handsome, but he has to be nice and wouldn't mind hiring a nanny. I'm pretty awful with children, but maybe it'll be different when they're mine."
Johnny snorted. Ellie was a walking talking cliché, if he'd ever seen one. A true Soc girl with Soc girl ambitions. "So basically, you're planning on being a gold-digger."
"No!" Ellie gasped, "I'd never do that!"
"But that's exactly what you just described. You wanna marry a guy for his money."
She shook her head adamantly. "No, no, no! It's more like... I'm describing the perfect husband. Rich, handsome, nice. Mumsie always says that he needs to be able to take care of me, so I suppose as long as he's middle class, I won't complain. But I'll love him, of course. I'd never be able to marry a man I didn't love, even if he was the king of England!"
With her sunglasses, Johnny couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but either way he wanted to tell her she was an idiot. But then, was she really? His parents had married out of pure love, but they had also been dead broke and that had eroded at their relationship until it had become nothing but stressful fighting. Maybe Ellie was just ensuring that didn't happen to her. After all, money usually meant happiness.
"Do you think I could snag a royal?" She continued idly, turning to look out the window. "Not a prince, of course, but maybe a duke or... count? Are counts royalty?"
"I dunno." Johnny took a big bite of toast. "But if you're looking for a rich husband, you might want to start hanging out with the Socs more often, 'cause you won't ever find a rich greaser."
"God, Johnny." Ellie frowned and leaned back in her chair. When she spoke, her voice was soft and pleading. "Do you just really want me to stop hanging around, or something? I get it, Okay? You're all rough and tough and I'm just some naive Soc girl that wants to go slumming but doesn't know what she's getting into. Maybe you're right, but maybe you're also wrong, because I haven't met anyone as of yet that has made me feel threatened or even uncomfortable. So who cares if you steal and get into fights? And who cares if you guys aren't rich? God knows my mother will find a husband for me, anyway!"
Johnny chewed slowly and looked out the window. He'd never had such a heated conversation with a girl before. Usually it was just shy glances and awkward one-word responses.
"We should get out of here."
Her hand shot over to latch onto his, a large pout forming on her lips. "Johnnycake, don't be upset. You're killing me with this distrust and indifference, you know?"
Johnny nudged his head towards the window. "No, I mean, we should go because a cop car just pulled in."
If the lot had been sparse before, it was now empty. Even the staff had disappeared inside the kitchen. Except for Penny, who had just gotten in and was too busy hanging up her coat by the door to notice.
"Oh." Ellie breathed, sitting rigid in her booth seat. "What do we do?"
Johnny sat up and fixed his shirt, making sure it covered all his bruises. "It's too late to leave now. Just relax and don't look over. Sometimes a few of them like to come by and cause trouble by hanging out for a bit. It's not too bad as long as they don't notice you or aren't looking for you."
They sat in silence for a few excruciating minutes. Then, two men in uniform came sauntering through the doors, one hand on their belt and the other on their black guns. Penny, finally noticing them, tried to look for a quick getaway but found herself trapped.
"What can I get you?" She asked nervously as they came to the counter. Her voice travelled far in the aerie silence of the diner. It was like everyone was holding their breaths.
"Two bacon and eggs and two coffees." One man told her, staring into Penny's face like he was waiting for some sort of sign that indicated she was liable for arrest.
"Coming right up." She mumbled awkwardly, racing into the kitchen. The cops hung by the front, scanning the diner customers with narrowed eyes. Johnny tried to keep his head low, but Ellie had forgotten what he had told her and was staring blatantly at the men.
"Hey, drink your coffee and let's go." He whisper to her. "And stop looking."
Ellie's locked eyes with him suddenly, her face paling. "Too late."
"Hey, you!" One office called, pushing himself off the counter and moving slowly but deliberately towards them. Though he was strongly built with thick arms, he was obviously close to retirement judging by the salt and pepper of his hair.
"Hello officer." Ellie smiled politely, reaching over to cradle her cup again. Johnny ducked his head over his food and began shovelling it into his mouth, scared to death. He couldn't get arrested. He just couldn't. Even if they slapped handcuffs on him for a few hours and then released him, he'd still get a massive whipping at home. He wouldn't be able to handle that.
The man folded his arms over his chest. "Haven't ever seen you before, girly."
"Yes, well... I am new here."
He gave her a look and then asked in that formal, policing tone, "Name?"
"Elizabeth Carter, sir."
Johnny didn't understand how calm she could be, talking to a cop, but he supposed it was because she had never done anything illegal in her life.
"Carter, huh?" He looked at her even harder, leaning in a bit. "What brings you to Tulsa?"
"My grandmother used to live her with my father. She wanted to come back and spend the rest of her days here, I suppose. I came along."
"Carter, huh?" Patricks repeated slowly. Behind him, his partner turned away from the scene to accept their orders from Penny. The waitress caught eyes with Johnny before she disappeared again, and it was a clear 'get out of here' kind-of expression.
"You ain't related to a certain Daniel Carter, are you?" The police man asked.
"That's my daddy!" Ellie chirped, sitting even straighter. If there was one thing she loved talking about, it was her family. "Did you know him? He used to live here."
The cop tipped his head and guffawed like he was truly amused. "Hell yeah, I knew your father. We go way back. What a fucking piece of shit he was... I just loved arresting him, the way he'd swear and threaten up a storm. Always getting in trouble, running around with that little gang of his, talking about going big. Last time I heard 'bout him, he was moving up to Chicago to expand."
This partner came up and handed Patricks a coffee. He was a dozen years younger and handsomer, and didn't look too mean either. "Sounds like Timothy Shepard."
"Eh," Patricks shrugged and slurped noisily. "There's always one rat in every generation of rats, tryin' 'ta become the real thing."
Ellie had turned white as snow. "I... I think you've confused him for someone else. That's not my daddy. He's an honest man. A business man, in sales."
"No, I don't think so." Patricks scanned her up and down with his eyes, and Johnny felt like punching him in the face for making Ellie squirm uncomfortably. What a goddamn pervert! What did he think he was looking at? Johnny fucking hated old dirt-bags like him- like his father. They were all so twisted and sick, and so fucking intent on spreading their sickness into kids like them.
"You look a lot like that trailer trash girl he shacked up with. What's your daddy up to now, anyway? I heard the force up there have been on his ass these past months."
The polite smile on her face had slid off completely by then. She looked livid, even with only half of her face exposed.
With her face tensed up, Ellie hissed bitingly, "If you'd like to question me about my father, I'll be glad to give you the contact information to my family's attorneys."
Johnny could have dropped out of his seat laughing until he cried. Even with her hands shaking and her face as pale as a hospital wall, Ellie had managed to say the most Soc-esque sentence ever uttered in East Tulsa. But shit did she sound tuff.
"Come on, Johnny." She said next, digging out her purse and scattering a few dollars on the table. "Let's go."
The police men didn't even try to stop them, though Patricks had that shitty smirk still smeared across his face. At least his partner had the decency to look uncomfortable. Johnny guessed they knew when to quit it. Talking bad about her family had set off Ellie like a fuse, and when girls got mad, it was like trying to control a hurricane.
He could tell that it took all her effort not to speed out of the parking lot. She was squeezing the wheel, her face still hidden by those big shades.
"What's that guy's problem?" She whined irritably, "He doesn't know anything about my family!"
Johnny kept his eyes glued on the road and his lips sealed shut.
"Gosh! Just because he grew up on the bad side of town doesn't mean he was a hoodlum! And it doesn't mean he's off in Chicago, playing around in a gang! He sits around in an office all day, for crying out loud!"
She couldn't swear even when she was livid, Johnny noticed with a sense of amusement.
"Ellie." Johnny intercepted softly. "You're speeding."
She smiled sheepishly and eased up on the peddle. "Sorry. I get so worked up sometimes. My mum says I always feel too much. Either I'm too happy, or too sad, or too mad. Oh, and that's another thing! Where does he get off, calling my mother trash?"
She went on and off like this all the way home, but by the time they pulled into her driveway, she had convinced herself to settle down.
"He was probably just trying to rile me up." She said, following him out onto the road. "Some people are just so rude."
"Cops are just like that with us. It's like he said. We're all just rats to them, waiting to be caught." Johnny told her offhandedly, scanning the Curtis' yard for any of the boys. He was running out of cigarettes and he hated lifting by himself.
"That's not fair." Ellie stated, but she didn't say any further on the matter. He could tell she was thinking things over in her head.
"You wanna come hang out with some of the boys?" Johnny asked, feeling a little bad for wanting to ditch her after she had paid for his meal. He was always depending on his friends for things like that because him parents never gave him cash and he didn't have a job. He used to swear he'd pay them all back one day, but the dept just started racking up so high that now all he could do was be grateful.
"It's okay." Ellie pushed up her sunglasses so they rested on her head. Her eyes were just a little less bloodshot and that excited, friendly smile was back on her face. "I think I'll maybe take another long shower and write a strongly worded letter to myself about the dangers of drinking."
Johnny snorted. "You're nuts."
He made to leave but without warning Ellie had him in a bone-crushing hug that dug straight into his bruises.
"Thanks for coming to breakfast with me, Johnnycake." She giggled, letting go. "And for warning me about all you big bad hoods. But I think I'll stick around for a little bit longer, if you don't mind. Anyway, you and Ponyboy couldn't hurt a fly if it was the size of a grizzly bear and was trying to eat you, so iIm not so concerned."
"You're nuts." He said once more, feeling a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "I'll show you. One day you'll see the rough and tough side of me and you'll cower in your little heals."
"What's that I hear?" Ellie asked, putting a hand to her ear for affect. "Did Johnny just make a joke? I thought you were the strong, serious, silent type."
"Oh, go sleep off your hangover." Johnny grumbled jokingly, waving his hand.
"See you later, Hood!" She called after him. "And Johnny?"
He turned his head, already halfway to the other house. "Yeah, Soc?"
Though she was farther away, he could still see the softness in her face. "Put some ice on it. And I heard vinegar and sunlight helps, too."
Not really a prime chapter, but awe man, I fuckin' love Johnny! I dunno if you're all wondering why I put a Johnny POV in a Dallas/OC story, but this is a story about friendship as much as it is about romance! Anyway, I think Ellie and Johnny have a lot in common, and eventually they'll be two of the most important people to Dallas so naturally they'll become very close as well. Saying that, Johnny and Ellie will not ever date or anything. I hope I've made that pretty clear in the story that they're just friends. Anyway! Sorry this chapter doesn't have much Dallas in it, but there are going to be other things happening and I needed to build up to it (HINT HINT). Don't worry though, I want Dallas and Ellie to just goddamn get it on already, too.
Anyway, next one involves school, Soc boys, some Ponyboy, some Johnny, and a little end-of-chapter surprise!
Once again, thank you guys so much for the reviews, and I look forward to even more! I'm really glad that a lot of you found that I had the character's personalities down! Honestly, I haven't read the book since I was thirteen, so... haha... But, yeah!
Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows and favourites! Remember to write about what I need to improve on, what you think is great, and if there's anything you'd like for me to add into the story! Hope you had a happy Easter! Love ya'll!
