I gave a light groan as I sat up from the grass that was now lightly covered in dew; the sun slowly creeping up into the sky shining brightly into my eyes, practically blinding me. I glanced around the small open field of grass to find the rest of the gang still sound asleep; Johnny's head was leaned against Dally's shoulder while Steve lied asleep under a tree nearby, with Two-bit nearby drooling a little. It was a surprise that the gang was so use to sleeping outdoors. When Two-Bit was drunk he passes out anywhere and everywhere, when Dally was young he was used to being kicked out of his house so he would sleep outdoors, Johnny always slept at the lot, and Steve tended to sleep outside some days as well, just for the heck of it.
As I began pacing around Johnny lifted his head in a drowsy manner but his eyes showed alertness; sleeping in a violent neighborhood makes you a light sleeper, especially for Johnny. Dally was the complete opposite, in New York he said that you have to be a heavy sleeper or you would never sleep with all the noise, I believed him.
"Hey," Johnny said getting up slowly. "what time it is?"
"Morning," I joked giving a slight grin, "do you think I carry a watch?"
Johnny gave a shrug and played around with his pack of cigarettes, placing one in his teeth but not lighting it.
I blinked, "Aren't you going to light it?"
Johnny shook his head slowly, "Naw, I don't want to start another fire. And besides, smoke is beginning to bother me."
"Oh," I muttered looking at his cigarettes, suddenly not feeling the urge to light one.
I glanced at his neck, once again having a sick feeling in my stomach as I stared at the scar that ran across his neck, "How…" my mouth turned dry, "how did you get that?"
Johnny's eyes drifted downward in silence as he bit his lip nervously, "I gave it to myself before I knew that I was friends with you guys, before I remembered."
"Why?" I choked out, "why would you do that to yourself?"
"Because I was an idiot!" Johnny yelled; a groan came from Two-Bit and Dally, "I still am; I had no real family, no friends, I was nothing! Nothing!" His eyes suddenly turned glassy, "I wanted to kill myself for so long but when I ran that knife across my throat I realized what true pain was. Something was holding me back…for the longest time something has been holding me back," he sighed as his breaths were shaky, "and that was you guys."
Dally suddenly popped out from behind and placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder, glaring at me as if saying, "Why did you do this time? I swear I will break your neck if you did anything to him." Two-Bit on the other hand was still completely clueless of what was actually going on, instead paying attention to his empty stomach, suggesting to go to The Waffle House down the street. Steve agreed while Johnny, Dally, and I stared at the both of them but we then later agreed for our stomachs mastered our minds and won the battle of which situation cared even more.
As we walked down the street, Johnny continued to look at his none-lit-cigarette from time to time, placing it into his mouth but quickly glancing at it again, playing with it in his fingers. Dally was surprisingly not fazed by it, most likely understanding what happened to Johnny at the fire, but Dally lit his cigarette anyway, most likely trying to look cool as usual.
When we got to the Waffle House, Two-Bit wanted pancake, and the waiter looked at him like he was talking in a different language. As we ate our waffles the waiter keeps staring at me oddly, I glanced to find him glancing at me from his newspaper, and there I saw it. Beside his was to "Have you seen this person" poster on a bulletin board with me on it. I gulped as the blood suddenly drained from my face.
I elbowed Dally who sat right next to me, "Dal," I nearly whispered, "there's a poster of me!"
Dally's eyes drifted casually to the board and then back at me, "The waiter's picking up the phone." He grumbled, his eyes still glaring like a cat does with its prey.
I clenched on to the table, my nails digging hard onto the surface, they are after me; my brothers are after me!
"On the count of three!" Dally snapped.
"What?"
"You and Johnny have to get out of here and go to Tim Shepard."
Me and Johnny's jaws dropped to the floor, "Tim?"
"One," I gulped, "Two," Johnny quickly eyed me, worried, "Three!"
Everything went so fast, Johnny grabbed my arm and we bolted out through the front door.
"Hey get back here!" I heard the waiter yell as well as the noise of a couple of shattered plates, good job Dally.
My legs suddenly picked up speed, I could hear Johnny's gasping and wheezing but he didn't seem to slow down or give up anyway. This was a hit and run, this was like tag only that you weren't it, everyone around you was; this was the army version of hide and seek, this was life and death! I knew Tulsa was a death trap but I never knew thinks like this would go too far. Two more days I had to make my two brothers remember, I needed to face the enemy, I needed to stop this game or someone was going to get hurt, I had to do something. So I stopped. I stopped in my tracks.
"Pony?" Johnny said, breathing heavily.
"Go to Tim's, I have to see Soda and Darry."
"No," Johnny cried his voice cracked and it sounded like he couldn't breathe, "Darry and Soda are going to take you to a mental institution! You can't let them do that!"
"I'm running out of time Johnny!" I growled. I stared to sprint away but Johnny continued to followed, "Johnny go away I don't need you right now!"
Now I have done it…
I gulped as I turned around to see Johnny, practically shattered. His breathing was so intense that it looked like he was going to pass out, tears streamed down his face but he still gave a hard, determined look on his face.
"Johnny… I didn't mean it like that I just,"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He sighed trying to wipe the stream of tears from his face, "It's just that you're," he took a breath with much difficulty, "you're my best friend…I…don't want…to lose you again. If we have…to face a situation like this…we have to do it together."
I blinked, "Man, you should write daily quotes; that was deep." I turned around and kept walking, "c'mon we're losing time."
Even though I couldn't see it I knew Johnny was smiling lightly behind me as he caught up with me.
"Dally's gonna kill us." Johnny stated.
I gave a light nod and grinned, "He knows I don't use my head."
"And he knows I will follow an 'idiot' like you, should have hooked us up with Steve."
I groaned, "Don't remind me."
I legs suddenly began to burn as I continued to walk to the 'house', déjà vu? Probably, after all the running but this was more like the complete reverse, I was heading to the home of the enemy with my wounded solider next to me in combat. We had to end this war and we had to do it together. Wow, I sound very poetic and deep all of a sudden.
Johnny and I continued to trudge as the sun was at its highest point, beaming down on our heads, making me get sunburn most likely. I looked down at my feet to see the train tracks as it lied there like a line on a map; it was separating two social classes, it has been for as long as I could remember, and I was going to cross that line as a true Greaser, and I could care less on what everyone else was going to think. So I crossed it.
We trudged and trudged and well, trudged until what felt like hours was only around two to three minutes. But as we both continued to walk through the desert of Tulsa, I began to hear a sound of an engine behind me, a familiar engine.
"Ponyboy?" Johnny and I exchanged glances as we turned around to see Sodapop and Randy looking at me angrily.
They both hopped out of the mustang and glared at Johnny who was gripping my arm tightly, shivering lightly. Where was Dally, Steve, and Two-Bit when you needed them anyway?
"What are you doing with my brother, Greaser?" Johnny gulped but quickly gave eye contact. Sodapop quickly pushed Johnny to the ground and held me back.
"Johnny!" I cried out, "Soda what the hell are you doing? He wasn't hurting me or anything, he's a friend!"
"Shut up!" Soda spat, looking at his emotional state he was drunk. "I don't care if he is your friend or not! We hate Greasers," He glanced at Johnny in anger, "I thought we got rid of you the first time around, guess you forgot what we done to you, you dumb idiot." His voice was like a snake as he hissed out every word, it scared me greatly.
Randy quickly grabbed me by the arms making me yelp; Soda reached into his pocket to reveal a switchblade, "This time I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch." He snapped at Johnny.
I clenched my teeth, "Johnny run!" But Johnny was shocked, frozen in fear, I've been there before. I am right now. But Johnny was going to get killed by my own brother, Johnny's closest friend.
What have I done?
HEY! Sorry this chapter is short and sorry I took so long *cries* I been doing drama lately at my sister's school and at my school so I'm a busy chick! And yes a cliff hanger hehehehe naw jk I hate those myself but I didn't know how to end it *cries* oh! In one chapter, I believe two chapters back, where Pony says Dally's birthday, Pony says 1959 I believe, it's actually 1949. I actually did the math people! The Outsiders takes place in 1966 subtract seventeen (Dally's age) and boom! There you go! Okay I'm blabbering too much, BYE AND STAY GOLD!
