Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any characters from S.E. Hinton's novel.

"Bee, jeezus, are you alright?"

Darry came forward and took my shoulders. I nodded, but couldn't speak.

"Aw look at your arm, Bee…" Sodapop came next and grabbed my bandana from the ground. "Let me wrap it up in this. They pull a knife on you?"

"No… no…" I said with barely a whispering voice, "a bottle, they threw a bottle and it broke, and then they pushed me and I landed in the glass… they…"

"Shh, shhhh pumpkin." Soda said, rubbing his hand over my hair. "It's alright now, they ain't gonna bother you no more."

Dally was breathing heavily in his anger. He looked like he still wanted to throw some punches at someone, but all the Socs had gone. He looked at me with narrowed angry eyes,

"Did they touch you?" Dally asked, and I knew what way he meant.

"No Dal…" I said, wiping tears from my face, "no, he didn't… I mean, he tried to…"

"We got em good for ya, Bria." Two-Bit said, "Those jerks won't come around here anymore, we chased em outta here."

They always said stuff like that. They always said that we'd be safe now, or they had run the Socs away, but in the back of my mind it didn't matter. The Socs didn't care about territory or rules, and they certainly wouldn't let the Greasers keep them away from having their sick version of fun. I know they were trying to comfort me, but part of me felt that it was worthless. I walked into them all, unable to quit crying. I felt like an idiot. I sobbed, and they all just held me. Soda took me into his arms and then held me at arm's length and wiped the tears off my face.

"Come on pumpkin," He said, smiling that charming smile of his, "don't cry no more, you're messing up your pretty face."

"Yeah, come on doll, let's just go home." Two-Bit said.

We all started walking together back to the Curtis house, but I still couldn't stop crying. That was the scariest thing that had ever happened to me. I loved the greasers more than anyone, and I trusted them. But what if one day they didn't come to my rescue? They couldn't be there all the time to save me… What if one day they were just too late? I felt pathetic and weak for feeling like I needed to be rescued. I must cause them so much trouble…

We had gone back to the Curtis house, and as soon as I got there I laid down on their couch. I wasn't talking. Everyone respected my silence and we all sat around and watched television for the afternoon, and the only thing I said was a quiet 'no thanks' if anyone asked if I wanted anything.

Later that night, after I had fallen asleep for a few hours, I woke up with a blanket thrown over me. As soon as I woke up, the only image my brain could conjure up was that Soc on top of me. His cold eyes and his snarling smile looking down at me. My heart raced as I remembered how it felt when they held tight to my arms, when they had covered my mouth. That filthy Soc and his hand that was gripping onto my shorts ready to pull them down. Tears sprung to my eyes and I shivered. Fear was coursing through me, so I sat up and saw the kitchen light on. I got up and walked in to see who was still awake. Expecting Darry, Soda or Pony, I was surprised to see that it was Johnny sitting there. He wasn't doing anything, just sitting and staring out the window twirling his switchblade in his hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

My voice in the middle of the silence made him jump, and his eyes widen like a scared rabbit. When he realized it was me, he put the blade down on the table and jumped up,

"Hey, Bee, you alright? Do you feel okay?"

I didn't feel alright, and I was not okay, but I didn't want to break down so soon after I had just woken up. I wanted to sit down next to him, but it was like I was jumpy and fidgety and couldn't sit still. I felt trapped in this stuffy kitchen, so I asked him,

"Hey Johnnycake, come outside with me, will ya?"

"Yeah, okay."

That was the thing about Johnny. He hardly ever said no if you were in need of company or help. He was the best and most loyal friend in those terms. He came out into the yard with me, and I sat down with my knees hugged into my chest against the edge of the Curtis house and looked up at the dark and starry sky. Johnny plopped down beside me and looked up with me. He was waiting for me to talk, I knew that, but I wasn't sure where to begin. I wasn't even sure why I had asked him out here or what I wanted to say. My nerves were so on edge, it was like I imagined those Socs were going to come running out from behind the house to finish what they had started any moment.

Awww, come on now grease… it won't hurt that badly…

The Socs voice was so clear in my mind like a haunting ghost. Before I knew it I had buried my head in my arms and started crying. Johnny jumped into action immediately,

"Bee, come on man, it's alright, it's alright."

He put his arm around me and kept talking to try and comfort me.

"Johnny, can I wear your jacket just for a bit?"

"Yeah man, you cold Bee?"

He slid the jean jacket off his arms and handed it over to me. Awkwardly I slipped my arms through it and I sat there curled up in his jacket and leaning into his arm. I wasn't cold at all, but I needed to feel protected right now. Covered.

"I never want to feel that uncovered again…" I said quietly.

Johnny heard what I had said, and his eyes turned down towards the ground. It was a weird thing to talk about… the fact that I had almost been sexually battered by a Soc. Like I said, these things probably never came up when it was only guys in the gang. It sort of felt like no one quite knew how to address the situation. All they could do was what they had always done; be there for me as much as they could. There was a noise from the other side of the fence, and I jerked towards it and gasped in fear.

"It's okay, it's just a squirrel, Bee!" Johnny said, rubbing my arm. "Golly, you're startin to scare me, you're jumpier than a grasshopper!"

In my state, his lame joke somehow seemed hilarious, and I began to laugh and laugh. Johnny smiled, but only slightly. He knew something wasn't quite right. My laughs soon became cries again, and I put my head back in my arms. Johnny spoke again,

"Man… that sure musta been scary… I've never… I mean, I could never imagine what it would be like to…" We all were tip-toeing around the word 'rape', because the word itself was just too scary. No one could really believe that it had almost actually happened. "Bee, come on Bee, you're safe now, it'll be alright, really."

"You ever kissed anyone, Johnny?" I asked.

"Well yeah… sure." He said, "Maybe once or twice…"

"Well I hadn't before. I ain't kissed anyone before, and today… that dirty Soc kissed me. He kissed me Johnny, and then he tried to do something so terrible I can't even say it, I just…"

I stood up and began pacing around, and Johnny jumped up too. I think I was scaring him a bit, but I couldn't help it.

"I feel so dirty, Johnny… to think that he was just gonna use me like that!"

"No one's ever gonna use you like that, Bee." Johnny said, "We'll all protect you, come on, you know Dally would take someones eye out if he knew anyone hurt you like that!"

"But Johnny, what if that doesn't happen?! You're not superheroes, you can't be everywhere! I'm a greaser, Johnny, you know that we're always gonna be at the bottom, what if one day I can't defend myself, or I can't get away, or no one comes in time?"

"That ain't gonna happen, Bee!"

"It happened to you!" I said, pointing at his cheek.

A nerve had been hit with Johnny. I was right, but it was a terrible way to try and win a battle. Johnny was only trying to help, why was I being so mean to him?! Johnny didn't deserve that.

"I'm sorry Johnny, I didn't mean it, I just… I'm so scared!" I cried. "I feel so terrible… like there was something I could have done, or if I hadn't been so stupid to walk alone-"

"Don't you dare start blamin yourself for this, Bria." He said. My full name was always used to get a serious point across, "Those Socs are no good!"

"I'm so scared." I kept crying. "I'm just so scared…"

My arms wrapped around myself; Johnny's jean jacket pressing against me and making me warm. Johnny came over to me and threw his arms around me because he knew that was what I needed. He knew that I needed to feel something; someone's touch that I could trust. A kind of physical affection that would let me know I was wanted and loved and safe. We held onto each other tight and he talked quietly to me,

"Shhh, it's alright. Everything's gonna be alright Bee."

It was around that moment that I realized I loved Johnny Cade. I mean, I had loved him for a long time, for months and months now… but in this moment I truly realized it. We had hung out too many times to count, and we had told each other secrets and enjoyed simple things like sunsets or walks or movies together, and we trusted each other. I cared about him so much, and I could never repay him for introducing me to the gang in the first place. He cared about me when he didn't even know me. When he came and wrapped his arms around me at that moment I realized that there wasn't any other guy from the gang who I'd want to comfort me like this. Just us…

I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight. There was nothing else I could say. My eyes drifted towards the window as the curtains got pulled to the side and I saw Darry looking out into the yard to see what was happening. When he saw it was us outside, and that I was upset, he walked out and asked from the doorway,

"Everythin' okay, princess?"

"Come on Bee." Johnny said, putting his arm around my shoulder and walking towards the door with me. "Let's go inside, get some sleep."

I walked past Darry as he held the door open for us with concerned eyes,

"I'm sorry Darry, I didn't mean to wake anybody up." I sniffed.

"Don't even worry about it, princess." He said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "Come on now."

We all sat down and in the darkness the television's glare lit up the living room and we watched until all of us had fallen asleep on the couch together.

UGHHHH I love this scene with Bee and Johnny. And I hope you did too! If you did, you know what to do. ;)