Chapter 4 is here. So, it took me forever to update cause guess what. I finally did it ya'll in my 24 years of living I finally moved from my hometown in Iowa to Oklahoma. It's lovely in Tulsa. And if you follow me then you know my Husband, Matt, and myself share a baby boy named Ponyboy. It's kinda funny

-Kylelover101

Chapter 4 Fountains and Flasks

"Wait a sec Pony, hold on." Johnny called, stopping to take a breath. He and Ponyboy had been running for a bit and he was woken up harshly. Johnny just needed a moment to collect himself. Ponyboy slowly stopped and walked back, fighting tears.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, confused.

The Pup couldn't hold back the tears anymore and he choked out. "Darry hit me."

Johnny's eyes widened. "What?"

"He hit me! We went. . . I don't know, psycho Alpha on me, and he hit me." Ponyboy cried. "I swear, Johnny, we got along just fine before my parents died. Now he's all Alpha this and I-" Ponyboy didn't know what to say anymore. He was so upset his older brother smacked him. No one had hit him in the family ever. Sure maybe when he was a smaller pup his dad disciplined him but he wasn't hit like Johnny was. Why Darry did that all of a sudden he didn't know.

Johnny swallowed thumbing around for a smoke.

"You got a smoke and a light?" He asked.

Ponyboy nodded, handing Johnny one as he smoked one himself to settle his nerves. Darry and Soda both didn't like Ponyboy smoking so much considering he was still a pup, though he had argued it helped him destress. He could smoke but no more than a pack a week. However, this smoke wasn't helping him at all. His nerves were through the roof and for some strange reason he felt cold. Though, he blamed that on not having a jacket in the fall time.

"Are we really running away?" Johnny asked.

"Got a better idea?" Ponyboy asked, not wanting to sound too harsh than how it came out. His face felt tender where the slap had happened.

Johnny shrugged. "Let's just go to the park or something and think this out." That sounded like a good idea. The park was in their territory and usually no one but maybe a lone alpha or a beta hung around there at this time looking for a smoke. Ponyboy whimpered, he felt like a stupid pup crying and carrying on like he did. He was Fourteen and should act like it. Steve was often the most vocal about him telling Ponyboy to quit acting like a little helpless puppy because he was about to present soon. Ponyboy kicked a rock, frowning.

"Johnny?" He asked, they hadn't reached the park just yet but it wasn't far. The smaller Alpha turned glancing at Ponyboy. "Um, we don't have to run away." the pup said.

The timid Alpha nodded, "Yeh, I figured you might be just scared. We'll cool off and then head back to your place." It was agreed then. Ponyboy yawned, reaching down in his pocket for another cigarette and the two made their way to the jungle gym. Neither had picked up on the low rumble of a blue mustang that had been following them. Inside the car, Socs, all Alphas, snickered. They finally found the annoying Pup and Alpha that had picked up their girls.

"Ponyboy, look!" Johnny half whispered, pointing to the car.

Ponyboy gulped. That was a Soc's car alright. "What do we do?" Johnny asked, clearly terrified. "Act normal." Ponyboy told him as the Socs approached them. They were clearly drunk, Ponyboy swore they could be smelled a mile away. He recognized a blonde Soc as Cherry's Boyfriend. He gulped. That was Bob Sheldon. Ponyboy didn't trust him as far as he could throw him and it wasn't really much that because he was a Soc (a little bit was) but the fact he was rip roaring drunk and cackled away at them.

"Lookie' ere' boys. It's the fucking Pup and piss poor Alpha that tried to steal oour' gurls." Bob slurred. Johnny was shaking, Ponyboy could see out of the corner of his eyes. What he didn't know was Johnny noticed the Soc's hand with his rings. The Alpha gripped the jungle gym for dear life as he realized he confirmed that had to be the Soc that jumped him months ago.

Ponyboy glared. He wasn't trying to hit on Cherry or Marcia. If anything he found Cherry to be a bit too Alpha that treated him like a helpless Pup and while Marcia was a Beta and nice, he wasn't really into Soc girls or any girls right now. Johnny he was sure was the same way considering he was stunted cause of his awful parents.

"Come down here and face us you cowards!" one Socs screamed at them, taunting. The two greasers glanced at each other. Like hell they wanted to do that. Johnny was the first to slip down on the jungle gym, Ponyboy thought he had lost his mind till he saw how some of them were swaying back and forth. Perhaps they'll be too drunk to fight? He wondered and slowly lowered himself down next to Johnny.

"You're out of you're territory, Socs. Get lost you're scaring the Pup." Johnny tried to command with whatever Alpha strength he had left. Ponyboy had felt a little safer knowing Johnny was trying to be intimidating but he didn't like being thrown under the bus like that. The Alpha with the flash, Bob just snickered and nudged a fellow friend as if he were told a joke. Then again, that's what Johnny felt like a lot: a joke.

"Know what a greaser is, Pup?" Bob knelt down to Ponyboy, "White trash with long greasy hair." The alpha flicked some alcohol onto Ponyboy.

Ponyboy was shaking with rage. He had been cussed at, degraded for being a greaser or a Pup. It was one or the other and he wasn't going to tolerate it anymore. Before he could stop himself he retorted with:

"Know what a Soc is?"

"What?" Bob snidely asked.

"White trash with mustangs and madras." Ponyboy spat at them and took off running with Johnny to avoid the fight but the Socs weren't drunk as he assumed, or they really were trashed but their Alpha and Beta instincts overpowered how wasted they were because before Ponyboy knew it he was tackled to the ground and then lifted in the air. The Socs were chanting about giving him a bath of some sort; what startled him was when the Socs began holding his head under water. Good god they were trying to kill me! Ponyboy screamed the second they allowed him to come up for air, but only for a brief second. The stale water from the otherwise dirty fountain was chilling to the bone and the Pup tried with all his might to push the Socs away and breathe if he could but they were too overpowering.

I'm going to die.

The world was spinning when he felt the weight on his chest harden and suddenly he wasn't underwater, yet still wet. He dared to open his eyes and found he was lying on the concrete near the fountain, rather in a watery grave. He spotted Johnny. He was shaking, frightened, wet and unable to breathe properly. Ponyboy went to say something but found himself coughing up harshly with Johnny inching closer to pat his pack before saying, slowly.

"I-I killed him."

Ponyboy's eyes widened as he found himself glancing down at his own body, there was blood mixed with water on his hands, his clothes and hair. Sure enough there was Bob, lying dead before them.

"They-they were gonna' kill ya'. . . had to. . . I had to." Johnny gripped him hard as Ponyboy felt sick.

"Johnny, I'm gonna be sick." He admitted, not wanting to look at Bob's lifeless body anymore. Johnny let go of him reluctantly and turned away himself as Ponyboy kneeled by the fountain to relieve himself.

In their defense, Ponyboy and Johnny escaped from being murdered. So if they were shaking while sprinting as fast as possible from the park, that was on the account of the realness of being alive rather like Bob, lying dead. Johnny had said they should find Dallas. Dallas was the toughest in the gang, he'd know what to do. However, they hadn't a clue where to find him until Johnny remembered it was Thursday. Usually Dallas was with Buck Merril on the weekends and some Thursdays if there was a rodeo. Buck Merril was Dally's rodeo partner. He was the one who'd got Dally the job as a jockey for the Slash J. Buck raised a few quarter horses, and made most of his money on fixed races and a little bootlegging. He was a devious and sneaky Alpha that Darry and Sodapop had drilled into Ponyboy's head to stay no more than ten miles within his presence.

Ponyboy never broke that rule cause Buck was kinda' slimy to begin with, he was fine ignoring him. However, dire situations required dire needs. There was a party going on a Buck's however, and Johnny and Ponyboy were soaking wet, standing outside the seedy bar trying to see Dallas through a window.

"I can't see him." Johnny admitted.

"Let's knock and ask for him. We won't go in." Ponyboy hoped on that last end. Johnny nodded and did the knocking himself. Low and behold it was Buck who answered the door himself. He smelled awful, like cheep beer and armpit sweat. Ponyboy wrinkled his nose and tried not to gag.

"What'you wan?" Buck asked, "Get' out here ya' pups."

Johnny stopped the door from closing on their faces. "Please, wait, is Dallas there? We need him."

"He's busy."

"tell it's Ponyboy and Johnny, he'll come!" Johnny pleaded in a not-so-Alpha fashion. Ponyboy hoped Buck would keep that promise of getting Dallas when he shut the door cause he was freezing and while he was sure Sodapop himself would beat his butt for just standing on Buck's doorstep, going inside where he could feel heat sounded very tempting. Soon, Johnny spotted Dallas walking with Buck through a sea of people, he was shirtless and loosed drowsy. The alpha was slightly surprised seeing the two boys shivering and even awake this early.

"What the hell happened to you two?" He asked, more curious than angry.

"Johnny killed a Soc." Ponyboy whimpered out, not able to contain the secret anymore. Johnny lowered his head and Dallas listened closely. He didn't bat an eye when Johnny told him what had happened, only grinned and said "Good for you" when Johnny told how he had knifed the Soc. Ponyboy didn't know he had knifed Bob. He figured maybe he killed him differently, then again, Johnny had been carrying that knife Two-Bit tossed him. Finally Johnny finished. "We figured you could get us out if anyone could. I'm sorry we got you away from the party." "Oh, shoot, kid"- Dally glanced contemptuously over his shoulder- "I was in the bedroom." He suddenly stared at Ponyboy. "Glory, but your ears can get red, Ponyboy." He laughed.

Ponyboy wasn't entirely innocent, he had taken a sex education class last semester and it was all about genetics and pregnancies and how Pups were made and he was still sensitive about the issue. Darry said that was normal because he was still growing and the he'd fall into it when he was ready. Dallas had hauled the two boys into the bar, pushing past Betas, Alphas and a few Omegas drinking and getting rowdy.

"Don't worry bout' the cops gettin' to ya' Ponyboy, you'll die of pneumonia before they charge you with murder." Dallas joked, tossing Ponyboy a towel and an overly large shirt that was clean, but Buck's. Ponyboy's nose scrunched, he didn't wanna' wear Buck's blue flannel. But he also didn't wanna die either. The Pup had spotted Dally's jacket and put that on too. It smelled like cigarettes and the rodeos.

"God, Dallas what do I do?" He asked.

"Shut it." Dallas mumbled, digging into a drawer. "I'm more worried bout what Superman and Car Junkie are gonna do to me when they find out I let you in here." He admitted.

"Then don't tell them! Don't tell em' anything." Ponyboy hadn't mean to raise his voice to Dallas. You don't talk to Dallas like how he did. Steve did it once and got his face bashed in. Dallas glared at the Pup before pointing a finger and warning him that Ponyboy was lucky he didn't hit Pups. He slowly raised his other hand, revealing a small pistol Dallas gave Johnny's shaking hands.

"Don't point that at me, it's loaded." He spoke sitting down between the small Alpha and Pup.

"You both need to lay low." Dallas warned, lighting up a cigarette. "Hop the three-fifteen freight to Windrixville," Dally instructed. "There's an old abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain. There's a pump in back so don't worry about water. Buy a week's supply of food as soon as you get there- this morning, before the story gets out, and then don't so much as stick your noses out the door. I'll be up there as soon as I think it's clear. Man, I thought New York was the only place I could get mixed up in a murder rap, Jesus Christ."

Ponyboy grew nervous seeing Dallas was lost for words. Then again, he should be too. Timid Johnny Cade, stunted Alpha and butt of some people's jokes while his mom shrieked at him and his Dad beat him senseless. Johnny Cade. He killed a Soc. Ponyboy shivered. He didn't want to run away, he wanted to be home. He felt sick and dare he admit needy. He wanted his Alpha big brothers and he wanted to say he was sorry for sleeping in the lot, for being stupid. He wanted this all to be some bad dream.

"Thanks, Dally." Johnny breathed. "Can I bum a few smokes?"

Dallas nodded, handing Johnny and Ponyboy two each.

"Get going." He ruffled Johnny's hair. The two didn't need to be told twice and ran off into the night as the train whistle roared in the distance. The moonlight was brighter than usual for fall, allowing the two light down the dark streets. Ponyboy wondered if he'd ever see Sodapop or Darry ever again.

Leave a review if you liked it. Remember, Two-Bit is a Beta the last chapter I wrote him as an Alpha was a mistake.

-Kylelover101