Andi paced around the room impatiently, trying to figure out what she was
going to do about this impending dilemma that was hanging precariously over
her head. Kurt watched her, his yellow eyes following her movements with a
look of concern. His tail swished in slow, even movements behind him. The
Professor and Terry were also in the room.
"I have to go back. Ponyboy and Johnny need me now, but I can't just get up and leave. I have other obligations, other concerns." Andi turned around. "But they're wanted for murder. Johnny and Ponyboy can't murder people. They just can't. They don't have the guts to murder people. There has to be some sort of logical explanation for this whole mess." Andi looked up from the carpet.
"I agree with you, Andi," the Professor said when it was evident that Andi had stopped talking for the moment.
"Y-you do?"
"Andi, the purpose of the institute is not only to help mutants learn how to use their powers. I created the institute so that we could reach an understanding with the rest of humankind by utilizing our powers to help them. I think you have a very just cause on your hands."
"I- I do?"
"I'll escort you to them myself," the Professor said, wheeling his way to Andi. "We'll take the Blackbird."
Andi blinked down at the Professor, who smiled benevolently back.
"If you're going, I'm going, too."
Andi spun around to look at Terry.
"Ja," Kurt said, voicing his agreement with him. "I'm coming as well."
Andi turned to look at Kurt, who flashed his fangs at her in a wide grin.
"I can't- You can't- I mean, what if it's dangerous? You can't possibly want to get involved with the police and cause a whole mess, would you?"
The door suddenly burst open with a "Remy!" and everyone inside the room turned to find Remy LeBeau grinning like a Cheshire cat with an exasperated Rogue peering behind his shoulder.
"Remy, Ah tol' you not tah burst in on prahvate conversations!" Rogue scolded.
"It's quite all right, Rogue," the Professor said. "What did you want to tell us, Remy?"
"Remy's had lots of confrontations wit' da police. You run into dem, Remy take care of de rest."
"You are so not coming on this thing," Andi warned. "With the rep Johnny and Ponyboy have built for themselves, the last thing I need is some wild Cajun ex-thief running around in the South fraternizing with them. No, absolutely not."
"Then Ah'll come, too," Rogue said. All eyes turned on her, rather wide and shocked. "Ah mean… Ah can keep Remy outta trouble for y'all, an' y'might need him to talk out you out of any jams you might have wit' da police." She blushed furiously and avoided eye contact with everyone else in the room.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Terry said, gazing up at Andi, as if asking for her consent.
"Well," Andi sighed, "I guess so. If you're all going to come… I guess I can take all the help I can get."
The next morning, Andi woke up and headed straight for the hangar where the Blackbird was and where her fellow traveling companions had planned to meet. She carried a small duffel bag that had some of her belongings inside. She felt a little nervous to be going home, even though she had been good at keeping up to date with what had been happening there. This whole ordeal with the dead Soc, Johnny, and Ponyboy was all rather unexpected. She could only hope that they were okay.
A few hours later, Terry nudged his little sister awake. They were landing in Oklahoma City, Andi's home. Andi peered out the window as Wolverine expertly landed the plane in the middle of an inconspicuous field. It would take them a reasonable walk to get to the Curtis home, but it was better than risking being found by nosy citizens. Andi nearly bounded out of the plane, and it was only a matter of time before she found herself bursting through the door of her house, announcing her arrival.
"I'm home!"
There was a loud scraping of chairs on tile as Darry and Soda raced to see who would reach the door first. Andi was overwhelmed by the rush of arms that swept her up into the air and squeezing the life out of her.
"Okay…" Andi croaked. "Can't breathe…"
Soda and Darry let go of her. Darry immediately began to greet the other guests while Soda held Andi out at an arm's length and grinned at her. She was shocked by how tired the two brothers looked. Their eyes were red- rimmed, their chins covered with stubble, and yawns articulating their dazed expressions.
"Shoot, Soda, when's the last time you had a decent night's sleep?" Andi asked, frowning with concern.
"Can't remember," he murmured, eyes shadowing a little bit. "Ever since Pony left, me and Darry haven't been getting much sleep."
"Well, that's why I'm here, to put your worries to rest. Have you got any leads on where they might be?"
"Dally knows," Soda said harshly. "I know he knows. He just ain't telling no one is all."
"Do you know where I could find him?"
"Shoot, kid, you go and look for Dally if you wanna. He won't tell you anything worth hearing. Just don't get yourself shot or killed or nothing. You know his temper's wild," Soda warned. Andi gave him a look. "He's probably hanging out over by Buck's place," he muttered.
Andi looked like she would get out and take off for Buck's house right away, but Terry stopped her.
"We can go tomorrow," he said calmly and reassuringly. "Tonight's a family night." Terry glanced upward and smiled at Sodapop, who looked kind of surprised before he grinned back.
"You're brother ain't that bad, kiddo," Soda whispered to Andi, pulling her slightly aside as everyone headed into the small but cozy Curtis kitchen.
"None of my brothers are," Andi said in return.
The meal was small, but conversation flowed freely between the guests and their hosts. Andi nearly burst with happiness to see how well the people from both her worlds managed to get along. Kurt, Darry, and Remy chattered with each other happily while Terry and Soda discussed things that pertained to them since they were so close in age. Andi paused briefly from her discussion with Rogue to look around the table with a sense of satisfaction. Professor Xavier seemed quite happy with the results of the meal as well.
There wasn't too much room in the Curtis house to sleep. Soda insisted that they take his room since Ponyboy wasn't around; he could sleep on the floor in Darry's. Andi took the couch, where she slept sometimes on warm nights anyway. She stared up at the ceiling long before she fell asleep, praying that Johnny and Ponyboy were all right.
Andi woke up earlier than usual the next morning. She wanted to find Dallas as soon as possible, and the smaller the crowd that went with her, the better.
"Terry," she hissed, nudging him slightly. He had taken a spare cot that the Curtises left available in case any of the gang needed to stay over to cool off for the night. Terry's eyes blinked open slowly. He was still sitting on his bed and yawning while Andi set up his wheelchair.
"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"It doesn't matter," Andi answered, helping him into the chair. "We have to find Dally as soon as possible. I don't want him to leave or anything without us."
Andi knew where she was going as she pushed Terry down the sidewalk at a rather rapid speed. They were headed straight for Buck Merrill's house, and if they were lucky, Dallas Winston would still be there. Andi and Terry caught him just as he was packing up Buck's car and getting ready to go somewhere.
"Dally!"
He spun around, hand clutching his heart when he saw Andi.
"Jesus, sweetheart, you scared the death out of me," he said, eyes hardening as he spoke. He turned back and started to load the car again. "What're you doing back here? Don't you have school or something?"
"I came to find Pony and Johnny," Andi said simply.
"Well, you ain't gonna find them here."
"Soda said you knew where they are." Dallas was silent. He avoided Andi's piercing gaze as he checked his belongings one last time. "Look at me when I talk to you, Dallas Winston."
Dallas whirled at Andi, grabbing her collar, a wild glint in his eyes.
"Nobody talks like that to me, Andi. I make no exceptions for anyone."
Andi glared right back at him.
"Kill me then, Dallas. I dare you."
Terry was watching the scene, rather alarmed, but he knew better than to butt in on the situation. Dally dropped Andi and climbed into the driver's seat of his truck. He slammed the door and revved up the engine. Andi clung to the side of the truck, taking advantage of the fact that Dally's window was open.
"I'll ride all the way to wherever you're going on this door, Dallas. You know I'm dead serious," Andi said, gripping the door tightly. Dallas stared out the windshield, glowering. Andi knew she was pushing his limit, but it was a risk she was willing to take. "Take me with you, Dally, or at least tell me where you're going."
Andi nearly let go of the window when Dallas' head swung around rather suddenly.
"Get in the car," he commanded, then pointed a finger at Terry. "The handicapped kid stays. There ain't enough room for him as it is, and he'll only get in the way once we get to Windrixville." Andi frowned a little bit. "That's the deal or else you can kiss this baby goodbye."
Andi gave Terry an apologetic look, but he nodded as if he understood and as a gesture for her to go ahead without him. She nodded once to signify that she understood and climbed into the passenger's seat beside Dally. Terry watched as they roared off, Andi looking back long enough to give him a wave before becoming too small for him to see. He slowly began to make his way back to the Curtis home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"They're in a church down in Windrixville," Dallas yelled over the loud clunking of the engine. "One of my cousins down there hinted it might be a good hiding place if I ever got into any trouble. Never imagined Johnny and Ponyboy would be the ones who needed to use it. The fuzz are looking for them over in Texas. I kind of let it slip that they'd be heading over there." Dally grinned wickedly at the very thought.
Andi smiled and shook her head slightly. Leave it to Dally to come up with a lie like that. Andi gazed out the window as the scenery outside slowly changed from city buildings to rolling fields. It was quite a ride to Windrixville, and they didn't get there until it was nearly noon. They stopped at the bottom of a hill with a small, rundown church at the summit. It looked as though it had been abandoned for years.
Andi followed Dally inside, and they were immediately confronted with the scene of Ponyboy, doubled over on the ground, apparently asleep. Andi had to stifle a snicker when she saw the condition of Ponyboy's hair. She nearly didn't recognize him. Cards and candy wrappers where strewn around the room as well as numerous cigarette butts and an empty carton of cigarettes. Andi shook her head as she picked up the cigarette box while Dallas nudged Pony's nearly lifeless body with the toe of his boot.
"Glory, his hair looks different like that."
Andi nodded in agreement, still holding the cigarette box with a disapproving look.
Ponyboy rolled over, rubbing his eyes as he went.
"Hey, Dally!" he said, once he took in the scene.
"Hey, kid."
"Or should we say… Sleeping Beauty perhaps?"
Ponyboy did a double take when he realized his sister was here as well. Andi was grinning down at him, but she was also waving the empty cigarette box as if it were evidence from a crime. Ponyboy reddened a little.
"Don't tell me you were sleeping off all the smoke from this, little brother," Andi said, a scolding-tone in her voice.
"Actually, it was two of those."
Andi and Dallas whipped around at the sound of Johnny's quiet voice. He was holding another empty cigarette box. He walked over to where they were standing and handed Andi the other box.
"I warned him, but he went and smoked 'em anyway," Johnny said softly before he let go of the box. He avoided the curious look Andi gave him, as if he were ashamed of something. Dallas cleared his throat.
"Well, I'm starved. You two wanna go get something to eat with me and the little lady?"
"You're starved?" Johnny said, snapping out of his daze. "YOU'RE starved?"
"Sure," Dallas shrugged, "I didn't have any breakfast."
Johnny and Ponyboy stared at him in disbelief. They had been cooped up in the church all week with only bologna, bread, and a couple of candy bars. Suddenly, a light spread across Dally's face, as if he remembered something. He fumbled around in his breast pocket before producing a rather worn and wrinkly envelope. He held it out to Ponyboy, who took it tentatively.
"A letter?" he asked, twirling it around in his fingers. "Who's it from?"
"The President, of course, stupid," Dallas said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. "It's from Sodapop."
"Sodapop? How'd he know…?"
"He's taking it pretty hard, kiddo," Andi said softly. "Both Darry AND Soda are. It looks like they haven't slept in days. Circle under the eyes, constant yawning, restless sleep when they finally get some… the works. Besides, if one of us went missing, it'd only be logical to ask Dally where we've gone." Dally glared as Andi sent him a good-natured smirk.
Ponyboy was staring at the letter intently, mouth moving wordlessly along with the words on the page. As soon as it looked like he was done, Dallas was all business again.
"Do y'all want something to eat or not?" he called behind him as he headed out the door.
Johnny, Ponyboy, and Andi began to follow Dallas down the hill at a distance.
"Now, Pony, about your hair…" Andi started, trying not to laugh.
"It was Johnny's idea," Ponyboy said hotly. He began to walk faster, still fuming about his hair and how horrid it looked. Andi laughed as he picked up his pace, leaving Andi and Johnny behind. Johnny's mouth had turned into a small grin.
"Thanks, Johnnycake," Andi said, once Ponyboy was out of earshot.
"For what?" Johnny's eyebrows flew up in surprise.
"For taking care of Pony, that's what." Andi punched him affectionately in the arm. "I don't think anyone else in the gang could've done a better job of getting him out of that jam than you."
"But I was the one who got him INTO the jam in the first place," Johnny protested. "If I hadn't killed that Soc…" His voice had begun the quiver at the very thought of Bob, dead on the sidewalk, blood pooling around his lifeless body. Andi seemed to read his thoughts because she reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. Johnny's hear thudded to a halt at the brief contact. He stared at Andi in disbelief.
"And, yes, I do believe your hair has changed as well," Andi said, reaching up and giving Johnny's now short bangs a slight tug.
"I missed you, Andi," Johnny said.
"And I sure as hell missed you, too, Johnnycake," Andi said, grinning up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "It gets lonely up in New York, but we can deal with that. I missed everyone, y'know."
Yes, Johnny thought, but not in the same way I missed you.
"Hurry up, you two!" Dallas' voice roared from the bottom of the hill. "Me and the kid here are getting stomach cramps just waiting for you to get down the damn hill!"
Andi rolled her eyes, and Johnny grinned one of his slow, shy grins before they hurried down the hill and jumped into the car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I know… it's been a while, and I'm sorry. Finals are horrid!!! Two more weeks, neh? Twelve more days to be exact, and then I'm free!! Free, I say!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!! *Ahem* Yeah, so deal with me, here (but not with violence… :D)
"I have to go back. Ponyboy and Johnny need me now, but I can't just get up and leave. I have other obligations, other concerns." Andi turned around. "But they're wanted for murder. Johnny and Ponyboy can't murder people. They just can't. They don't have the guts to murder people. There has to be some sort of logical explanation for this whole mess." Andi looked up from the carpet.
"I agree with you, Andi," the Professor said when it was evident that Andi had stopped talking for the moment.
"Y-you do?"
"Andi, the purpose of the institute is not only to help mutants learn how to use their powers. I created the institute so that we could reach an understanding with the rest of humankind by utilizing our powers to help them. I think you have a very just cause on your hands."
"I- I do?"
"I'll escort you to them myself," the Professor said, wheeling his way to Andi. "We'll take the Blackbird."
Andi blinked down at the Professor, who smiled benevolently back.
"If you're going, I'm going, too."
Andi spun around to look at Terry.
"Ja," Kurt said, voicing his agreement with him. "I'm coming as well."
Andi turned to look at Kurt, who flashed his fangs at her in a wide grin.
"I can't- You can't- I mean, what if it's dangerous? You can't possibly want to get involved with the police and cause a whole mess, would you?"
The door suddenly burst open with a "Remy!" and everyone inside the room turned to find Remy LeBeau grinning like a Cheshire cat with an exasperated Rogue peering behind his shoulder.
"Remy, Ah tol' you not tah burst in on prahvate conversations!" Rogue scolded.
"It's quite all right, Rogue," the Professor said. "What did you want to tell us, Remy?"
"Remy's had lots of confrontations wit' da police. You run into dem, Remy take care of de rest."
"You are so not coming on this thing," Andi warned. "With the rep Johnny and Ponyboy have built for themselves, the last thing I need is some wild Cajun ex-thief running around in the South fraternizing with them. No, absolutely not."
"Then Ah'll come, too," Rogue said. All eyes turned on her, rather wide and shocked. "Ah mean… Ah can keep Remy outta trouble for y'all, an' y'might need him to talk out you out of any jams you might have wit' da police." She blushed furiously and avoided eye contact with everyone else in the room.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Terry said, gazing up at Andi, as if asking for her consent.
"Well," Andi sighed, "I guess so. If you're all going to come… I guess I can take all the help I can get."
The next morning, Andi woke up and headed straight for the hangar where the Blackbird was and where her fellow traveling companions had planned to meet. She carried a small duffel bag that had some of her belongings inside. She felt a little nervous to be going home, even though she had been good at keeping up to date with what had been happening there. This whole ordeal with the dead Soc, Johnny, and Ponyboy was all rather unexpected. She could only hope that they were okay.
A few hours later, Terry nudged his little sister awake. They were landing in Oklahoma City, Andi's home. Andi peered out the window as Wolverine expertly landed the plane in the middle of an inconspicuous field. It would take them a reasonable walk to get to the Curtis home, but it was better than risking being found by nosy citizens. Andi nearly bounded out of the plane, and it was only a matter of time before she found herself bursting through the door of her house, announcing her arrival.
"I'm home!"
There was a loud scraping of chairs on tile as Darry and Soda raced to see who would reach the door first. Andi was overwhelmed by the rush of arms that swept her up into the air and squeezing the life out of her.
"Okay…" Andi croaked. "Can't breathe…"
Soda and Darry let go of her. Darry immediately began to greet the other guests while Soda held Andi out at an arm's length and grinned at her. She was shocked by how tired the two brothers looked. Their eyes were red- rimmed, their chins covered with stubble, and yawns articulating their dazed expressions.
"Shoot, Soda, when's the last time you had a decent night's sleep?" Andi asked, frowning with concern.
"Can't remember," he murmured, eyes shadowing a little bit. "Ever since Pony left, me and Darry haven't been getting much sleep."
"Well, that's why I'm here, to put your worries to rest. Have you got any leads on where they might be?"
"Dally knows," Soda said harshly. "I know he knows. He just ain't telling no one is all."
"Do you know where I could find him?"
"Shoot, kid, you go and look for Dally if you wanna. He won't tell you anything worth hearing. Just don't get yourself shot or killed or nothing. You know his temper's wild," Soda warned. Andi gave him a look. "He's probably hanging out over by Buck's place," he muttered.
Andi looked like she would get out and take off for Buck's house right away, but Terry stopped her.
"We can go tomorrow," he said calmly and reassuringly. "Tonight's a family night." Terry glanced upward and smiled at Sodapop, who looked kind of surprised before he grinned back.
"You're brother ain't that bad, kiddo," Soda whispered to Andi, pulling her slightly aside as everyone headed into the small but cozy Curtis kitchen.
"None of my brothers are," Andi said in return.
The meal was small, but conversation flowed freely between the guests and their hosts. Andi nearly burst with happiness to see how well the people from both her worlds managed to get along. Kurt, Darry, and Remy chattered with each other happily while Terry and Soda discussed things that pertained to them since they were so close in age. Andi paused briefly from her discussion with Rogue to look around the table with a sense of satisfaction. Professor Xavier seemed quite happy with the results of the meal as well.
There wasn't too much room in the Curtis house to sleep. Soda insisted that they take his room since Ponyboy wasn't around; he could sleep on the floor in Darry's. Andi took the couch, where she slept sometimes on warm nights anyway. She stared up at the ceiling long before she fell asleep, praying that Johnny and Ponyboy were all right.
Andi woke up earlier than usual the next morning. She wanted to find Dallas as soon as possible, and the smaller the crowd that went with her, the better.
"Terry," she hissed, nudging him slightly. He had taken a spare cot that the Curtises left available in case any of the gang needed to stay over to cool off for the night. Terry's eyes blinked open slowly. He was still sitting on his bed and yawning while Andi set up his wheelchair.
"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"It doesn't matter," Andi answered, helping him into the chair. "We have to find Dally as soon as possible. I don't want him to leave or anything without us."
Andi knew where she was going as she pushed Terry down the sidewalk at a rather rapid speed. They were headed straight for Buck Merrill's house, and if they were lucky, Dallas Winston would still be there. Andi and Terry caught him just as he was packing up Buck's car and getting ready to go somewhere.
"Dally!"
He spun around, hand clutching his heart when he saw Andi.
"Jesus, sweetheart, you scared the death out of me," he said, eyes hardening as he spoke. He turned back and started to load the car again. "What're you doing back here? Don't you have school or something?"
"I came to find Pony and Johnny," Andi said simply.
"Well, you ain't gonna find them here."
"Soda said you knew where they are." Dallas was silent. He avoided Andi's piercing gaze as he checked his belongings one last time. "Look at me when I talk to you, Dallas Winston."
Dallas whirled at Andi, grabbing her collar, a wild glint in his eyes.
"Nobody talks like that to me, Andi. I make no exceptions for anyone."
Andi glared right back at him.
"Kill me then, Dallas. I dare you."
Terry was watching the scene, rather alarmed, but he knew better than to butt in on the situation. Dally dropped Andi and climbed into the driver's seat of his truck. He slammed the door and revved up the engine. Andi clung to the side of the truck, taking advantage of the fact that Dally's window was open.
"I'll ride all the way to wherever you're going on this door, Dallas. You know I'm dead serious," Andi said, gripping the door tightly. Dallas stared out the windshield, glowering. Andi knew she was pushing his limit, but it was a risk she was willing to take. "Take me with you, Dally, or at least tell me where you're going."
Andi nearly let go of the window when Dallas' head swung around rather suddenly.
"Get in the car," he commanded, then pointed a finger at Terry. "The handicapped kid stays. There ain't enough room for him as it is, and he'll only get in the way once we get to Windrixville." Andi frowned a little bit. "That's the deal or else you can kiss this baby goodbye."
Andi gave Terry an apologetic look, but he nodded as if he understood and as a gesture for her to go ahead without him. She nodded once to signify that she understood and climbed into the passenger's seat beside Dally. Terry watched as they roared off, Andi looking back long enough to give him a wave before becoming too small for him to see. He slowly began to make his way back to the Curtis home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"They're in a church down in Windrixville," Dallas yelled over the loud clunking of the engine. "One of my cousins down there hinted it might be a good hiding place if I ever got into any trouble. Never imagined Johnny and Ponyboy would be the ones who needed to use it. The fuzz are looking for them over in Texas. I kind of let it slip that they'd be heading over there." Dally grinned wickedly at the very thought.
Andi smiled and shook her head slightly. Leave it to Dally to come up with a lie like that. Andi gazed out the window as the scenery outside slowly changed from city buildings to rolling fields. It was quite a ride to Windrixville, and they didn't get there until it was nearly noon. They stopped at the bottom of a hill with a small, rundown church at the summit. It looked as though it had been abandoned for years.
Andi followed Dally inside, and they were immediately confronted with the scene of Ponyboy, doubled over on the ground, apparently asleep. Andi had to stifle a snicker when she saw the condition of Ponyboy's hair. She nearly didn't recognize him. Cards and candy wrappers where strewn around the room as well as numerous cigarette butts and an empty carton of cigarettes. Andi shook her head as she picked up the cigarette box while Dallas nudged Pony's nearly lifeless body with the toe of his boot.
"Glory, his hair looks different like that."
Andi nodded in agreement, still holding the cigarette box with a disapproving look.
Ponyboy rolled over, rubbing his eyes as he went.
"Hey, Dally!" he said, once he took in the scene.
"Hey, kid."
"Or should we say… Sleeping Beauty perhaps?"
Ponyboy did a double take when he realized his sister was here as well. Andi was grinning down at him, but she was also waving the empty cigarette box as if it were evidence from a crime. Ponyboy reddened a little.
"Don't tell me you were sleeping off all the smoke from this, little brother," Andi said, a scolding-tone in her voice.
"Actually, it was two of those."
Andi and Dallas whipped around at the sound of Johnny's quiet voice. He was holding another empty cigarette box. He walked over to where they were standing and handed Andi the other box.
"I warned him, but he went and smoked 'em anyway," Johnny said softly before he let go of the box. He avoided the curious look Andi gave him, as if he were ashamed of something. Dallas cleared his throat.
"Well, I'm starved. You two wanna go get something to eat with me and the little lady?"
"You're starved?" Johnny said, snapping out of his daze. "YOU'RE starved?"
"Sure," Dallas shrugged, "I didn't have any breakfast."
Johnny and Ponyboy stared at him in disbelief. They had been cooped up in the church all week with only bologna, bread, and a couple of candy bars. Suddenly, a light spread across Dally's face, as if he remembered something. He fumbled around in his breast pocket before producing a rather worn and wrinkly envelope. He held it out to Ponyboy, who took it tentatively.
"A letter?" he asked, twirling it around in his fingers. "Who's it from?"
"The President, of course, stupid," Dallas said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. "It's from Sodapop."
"Sodapop? How'd he know…?"
"He's taking it pretty hard, kiddo," Andi said softly. "Both Darry AND Soda are. It looks like they haven't slept in days. Circle under the eyes, constant yawning, restless sleep when they finally get some… the works. Besides, if one of us went missing, it'd only be logical to ask Dally where we've gone." Dally glared as Andi sent him a good-natured smirk.
Ponyboy was staring at the letter intently, mouth moving wordlessly along with the words on the page. As soon as it looked like he was done, Dallas was all business again.
"Do y'all want something to eat or not?" he called behind him as he headed out the door.
Johnny, Ponyboy, and Andi began to follow Dallas down the hill at a distance.
"Now, Pony, about your hair…" Andi started, trying not to laugh.
"It was Johnny's idea," Ponyboy said hotly. He began to walk faster, still fuming about his hair and how horrid it looked. Andi laughed as he picked up his pace, leaving Andi and Johnny behind. Johnny's mouth had turned into a small grin.
"Thanks, Johnnycake," Andi said, once Ponyboy was out of earshot.
"For what?" Johnny's eyebrows flew up in surprise.
"For taking care of Pony, that's what." Andi punched him affectionately in the arm. "I don't think anyone else in the gang could've done a better job of getting him out of that jam than you."
"But I was the one who got him INTO the jam in the first place," Johnny protested. "If I hadn't killed that Soc…" His voice had begun the quiver at the very thought of Bob, dead on the sidewalk, blood pooling around his lifeless body. Andi seemed to read his thoughts because she reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. Johnny's hear thudded to a halt at the brief contact. He stared at Andi in disbelief.
"And, yes, I do believe your hair has changed as well," Andi said, reaching up and giving Johnny's now short bangs a slight tug.
"I missed you, Andi," Johnny said.
"And I sure as hell missed you, too, Johnnycake," Andi said, grinning up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "It gets lonely up in New York, but we can deal with that. I missed everyone, y'know."
Yes, Johnny thought, but not in the same way I missed you.
"Hurry up, you two!" Dallas' voice roared from the bottom of the hill. "Me and the kid here are getting stomach cramps just waiting for you to get down the damn hill!"
Andi rolled her eyes, and Johnny grinned one of his slow, shy grins before they hurried down the hill and jumped into the car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I know… it's been a while, and I'm sorry. Finals are horrid!!! Two more weeks, neh? Twelve more days to be exact, and then I'm free!! Free, I say!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!! *Ahem* Yeah, so deal with me, here (but not with violence… :D)
