Johnny awoke the next morning as the sun hit his pale cheeks. He rubbed his eyes open and looked around. His heart began to speed up when he saw that he wasn't in the Curtis home, the lot, or his own room. A wave of relief came to him when he saw Ponyboy and Becka both curled up in different corners of the church room.
He stood up and walked around a little more, being able to see their new home for the first time during the day. When he got back to the main room, he saw that Becka was no longer there. He raised his eyebrow and shrugged. There was a small creaking sound that came from the back of the room, sending a chill down his spine.
He took a deep breath a began to follow the sound. He sighed when he saw Becka on her knees, puling up one of the planks from the wall. She pulled a duffle bag from behind it and looked up when she saw Johnny. She didn't look as scared as she did the night before.
She nodded her head and opened the bag up. Johnny walked over to her and sat beside her as she began to pull things out of it. There was a small pocket bag with change in it, four sandwiches in a lunch box, two bottles of water, and an old, dirty envelope with a letter in it.
"Are those things all yours?" he asked, trying make conversation with his new acquaintance. She nodded and took out two of the sandwiches and one of the bottled waters. She handed one of the sandwiches to Johnny and began to nibble off of the other one.
He stared down at the sandwich and shrugged, figuring that it was safe enough to eat. They sat there for a few minuets, eating their breakfast and sneaking glances at each other. Johnny finished his sandwich before her, so he took this chance to start asking her questions.
He cleared his throat, making her look up. "So...can I ask where you came from?"
Becka set down her almost completely eaten sandwich and stared in the distance in front of them. She sighed and shrugged. Johnny smiled and said, "Is that a yes?"
She coughed and looked slightly away from him. "I'm from...California."
Johnny smiled and leaned his head back against the dusty wall. "I've always wanted to go to California. I hear it's real pretty there, and the people are very ni-"
"No."
Johnny was taken back from her sudden erg to disagree with him. "I'm sorry, is it not as good as I heard it was?"
Becka turned back towards him, a hint of anger and more fear in her eyes. "Everything there is beautiful. Everything's perfect. Everything that you've heard, is true."
Johnny raised his eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Then why did you-" he cut himself off, expecting her to finish the rest. She made a small smile, the first that he'd seen her attempt to make since he had met her.
"Why did I run away and come here?" she asked. He nodded and looked ahead of them as well.
She sighed and coughed again, wiping something away from her eyes. "I ran away because..." there was a moment of pause before she continued on. "it was too perfect..."
Johnny yawned and shook his head so he could stay awake. "But why would you run away form something that was perfect? Everyday that I spend my miserable life here, I wish that this place could be perfect. I wish that my parents would start to notice me and even maybe start being nice to me. I wish that the Curtis' family would stop having to worry about me and be able to go on with their lives. I wish that Dally would stop stealing things..." he went on and on about all of the things that he wished would happen.
Becka stopped saying things to him and eventually stood up. She grabbed her bag and hung it around her shoulder.
"Where you going?" he asked, standing up too. She looked towards the door and said, "We're going to need more than this" referring to the things in her bag, "to stay alive around here." in a voice that he could barely make out. He smiled and followed her out the door, writing something on the sandy floor with his finger before actually leaving.
Later that Day
Ponyboy woke up as the now very bright sun scorched through his eyelids. He looked around the unfamiliar place, taking a minuet to remember where he was and why he was there. He yawned and stretched out his arms once it came back to him. He looked down at the floor where Johnny had written: "Went Shopping We'll Be Back Later", in messy handwriting.
He yawned again and stood up to look around. He walked outside and found a small fountain that had fresh cold water in it. He sprayed himself with it and looked up to see Johnny and Becka walking towards him, each with a box in their arms.
He smiled and walked towards them. "Where'd you guys go?" he asked. Johnny held out his box for Ponyboy to take and then he took Becka's box from her. "A lady shouldn't have to carry a box." he said in a soft voice. She smiled and followed the boys inside.
The two boys set the boxes on the floor and began to take things out. In one box, there was two months worth of baloney, several bottles of water, lots of bread, a book, hair dye, and some cold medicine. In the other box, there was three blankets, three pillows (all of which weren't in the very best shape), and three towels.
Ponyboy shrugged as he held up one of the blankets. "Good idea. It got pretty cold in here last night." He looked around some more and held up the hair dye bottle. "What's this for?" Johnny sighed and looked over at Becka, who nodded.
"Since we're hiding out, we're both going to need a disguise." he said. Ponyboy put his hand on his head and shook his head. "No...you can't do that to my hair, Johnny-cake."
Becka nodded and took the bottle from him. She put her hand in Johnny's pocket, as if it where her own, and took out his knife. She grabbed one of the towels and began to walk outside, Johnny following her and Ponyboy following him. "Did she finally start talking?" he asked Johnny while they followed her towards the small fountain.
Johnny shrugged and said, "She talks to me, but not that much. The most I heard her say stuff was this morning." Ponyboy raised his eyebrow and stood in front of her. She looked down at the floor and quietly said, "Sit."
Ponyboy obeyed her and sat crisscrossed on the dirt floor. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as she began to cut his hair with Johnny's knife. Johnny had to keep himself from laughing at his friend, but he received a rather unhappy look from Becka, as if she was saying: don't you laugh, you're next.
When she was through with cutting, she poured some of the hair dye on his head. She then looked over at Johnny and held up the knife. He sighed and sat down next to Ponyboy.
"Can I get up yet?" Pony asked. Johnny was about to answer, but stopped when he realized that pieces of his long hair was falling to the floor. He sighed and went on. "I don't think she wants you to go anywhere until after it dries, is that right?"
Becka nodded and continued to cut off the boy's hair. Ponyboy laughed and said, "How do you know what she's saying if she doesn't even say anything?" Johnny sighed and said, "I don't really know. I guess it's kinda like how I used to be."
"Hm?" Ponyboy said, trying to figure out what Johnny was talking about. Then it hit him. Right after Johnny had been jumped, he hadn't talked to anyone for a long time. He had become very skittish and was afraid of almost everything. He looked up at Becka, who was concentrated on trying to cut Johnny's hair in a certain way.
"So..." Pony started. "was she hurt by someone?" Johnny sighed and said, "I don't know, she hasn't told me, y-OW!" He winced when he felt a rather hard tug on his head. He pouted and looked down at the floor. Ponyboy laughed and shook his head.
"I guess you were saying a little too much?"
Johnny laughed, realized that she was done, and stood up. He stretched himself out and thanked Becka, taking his knife away from her. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Ponyboy's head. She turned the knob to the fountain and motioned for Pony to sit by it so she could rinse the dye out.
He shuttered as the icy water splashed against his neck. Johnny laughed and Becka smiled, trying not to do so. "It's cold!" Pony cried, but Becka kept rinsing the dye out, as if she couldn't hear him. Once she was done, she sat the towel on his head and began to dry it off.
'I feel like a little kid...' Pony thought to himself, but said nothing. Once she was done, both Becka and Johnny stared with wide eyes at him. "Oh...my..." Johnny said, trying not to laugh. Pony touched his hair and said, "What? What's wrong?" He looked down at the water's reflection and his heart skipped a beat.
His long dark brown hair was now short and blond.
He stood up and walked around a little more, being able to see their new home for the first time during the day. When he got back to the main room, he saw that Becka was no longer there. He raised his eyebrow and shrugged. There was a small creaking sound that came from the back of the room, sending a chill down his spine.
He took a deep breath a began to follow the sound. He sighed when he saw Becka on her knees, puling up one of the planks from the wall. She pulled a duffle bag from behind it and looked up when she saw Johnny. She didn't look as scared as she did the night before.
She nodded her head and opened the bag up. Johnny walked over to her and sat beside her as she began to pull things out of it. There was a small pocket bag with change in it, four sandwiches in a lunch box, two bottles of water, and an old, dirty envelope with a letter in it.
"Are those things all yours?" he asked, trying make conversation with his new acquaintance. She nodded and took out two of the sandwiches and one of the bottled waters. She handed one of the sandwiches to Johnny and began to nibble off of the other one.
He stared down at the sandwich and shrugged, figuring that it was safe enough to eat. They sat there for a few minuets, eating their breakfast and sneaking glances at each other. Johnny finished his sandwich before her, so he took this chance to start asking her questions.
He cleared his throat, making her look up. "So...can I ask where you came from?"
Becka set down her almost completely eaten sandwich and stared in the distance in front of them. She sighed and shrugged. Johnny smiled and said, "Is that a yes?"
She coughed and looked slightly away from him. "I'm from...California."
Johnny smiled and leaned his head back against the dusty wall. "I've always wanted to go to California. I hear it's real pretty there, and the people are very ni-"
"No."
Johnny was taken back from her sudden erg to disagree with him. "I'm sorry, is it not as good as I heard it was?"
Becka turned back towards him, a hint of anger and more fear in her eyes. "Everything there is beautiful. Everything's perfect. Everything that you've heard, is true."
Johnny raised his eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Then why did you-" he cut himself off, expecting her to finish the rest. She made a small smile, the first that he'd seen her attempt to make since he had met her.
"Why did I run away and come here?" she asked. He nodded and looked ahead of them as well.
She sighed and coughed again, wiping something away from her eyes. "I ran away because..." there was a moment of pause before she continued on. "it was too perfect..."
Johnny yawned and shook his head so he could stay awake. "But why would you run away form something that was perfect? Everyday that I spend my miserable life here, I wish that this place could be perfect. I wish that my parents would start to notice me and even maybe start being nice to me. I wish that the Curtis' family would stop having to worry about me and be able to go on with their lives. I wish that Dally would stop stealing things..." he went on and on about all of the things that he wished would happen.
Becka stopped saying things to him and eventually stood up. She grabbed her bag and hung it around her shoulder.
"Where you going?" he asked, standing up too. She looked towards the door and said, "We're going to need more than this" referring to the things in her bag, "to stay alive around here." in a voice that he could barely make out. He smiled and followed her out the door, writing something on the sandy floor with his finger before actually leaving.
Later that Day
Ponyboy woke up as the now very bright sun scorched through his eyelids. He looked around the unfamiliar place, taking a minuet to remember where he was and why he was there. He yawned and stretched out his arms once it came back to him. He looked down at the floor where Johnny had written: "Went Shopping We'll Be Back Later", in messy handwriting.
He yawned again and stood up to look around. He walked outside and found a small fountain that had fresh cold water in it. He sprayed himself with it and looked up to see Johnny and Becka walking towards him, each with a box in their arms.
He smiled and walked towards them. "Where'd you guys go?" he asked. Johnny held out his box for Ponyboy to take and then he took Becka's box from her. "A lady shouldn't have to carry a box." he said in a soft voice. She smiled and followed the boys inside.
The two boys set the boxes on the floor and began to take things out. In one box, there was two months worth of baloney, several bottles of water, lots of bread, a book, hair dye, and some cold medicine. In the other box, there was three blankets, three pillows (all of which weren't in the very best shape), and three towels.
Ponyboy shrugged as he held up one of the blankets. "Good idea. It got pretty cold in here last night." He looked around some more and held up the hair dye bottle. "What's this for?" Johnny sighed and looked over at Becka, who nodded.
"Since we're hiding out, we're both going to need a disguise." he said. Ponyboy put his hand on his head and shook his head. "No...you can't do that to my hair, Johnny-cake."
Becka nodded and took the bottle from him. She put her hand in Johnny's pocket, as if it where her own, and took out his knife. She grabbed one of the towels and began to walk outside, Johnny following her and Ponyboy following him. "Did she finally start talking?" he asked Johnny while they followed her towards the small fountain.
Johnny shrugged and said, "She talks to me, but not that much. The most I heard her say stuff was this morning." Ponyboy raised his eyebrow and stood in front of her. She looked down at the floor and quietly said, "Sit."
Ponyboy obeyed her and sat crisscrossed on the dirt floor. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as she began to cut his hair with Johnny's knife. Johnny had to keep himself from laughing at his friend, but he received a rather unhappy look from Becka, as if she was saying: don't you laugh, you're next.
When she was through with cutting, she poured some of the hair dye on his head. She then looked over at Johnny and held up the knife. He sighed and sat down next to Ponyboy.
"Can I get up yet?" Pony asked. Johnny was about to answer, but stopped when he realized that pieces of his long hair was falling to the floor. He sighed and went on. "I don't think she wants you to go anywhere until after it dries, is that right?"
Becka nodded and continued to cut off the boy's hair. Ponyboy laughed and said, "How do you know what she's saying if she doesn't even say anything?" Johnny sighed and said, "I don't really know. I guess it's kinda like how I used to be."
"Hm?" Ponyboy said, trying to figure out what Johnny was talking about. Then it hit him. Right after Johnny had been jumped, he hadn't talked to anyone for a long time. He had become very skittish and was afraid of almost everything. He looked up at Becka, who was concentrated on trying to cut Johnny's hair in a certain way.
"So..." Pony started. "was she hurt by someone?" Johnny sighed and said, "I don't know, she hasn't told me, y-OW!" He winced when he felt a rather hard tug on his head. He pouted and looked down at the floor. Ponyboy laughed and shook his head.
"I guess you were saying a little too much?"
Johnny laughed, realized that she was done, and stood up. He stretched himself out and thanked Becka, taking his knife away from her. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Ponyboy's head. She turned the knob to the fountain and motioned for Pony to sit by it so she could rinse the dye out.
He shuttered as the icy water splashed against his neck. Johnny laughed and Becka smiled, trying not to do so. "It's cold!" Pony cried, but Becka kept rinsing the dye out, as if she couldn't hear him. Once she was done, she sat the towel on his head and began to dry it off.
'I feel like a little kid...' Pony thought to himself, but said nothing. Once she was done, both Becka and Johnny stared with wide eyes at him. "Oh...my..." Johnny said, trying not to laugh. Pony touched his hair and said, "What? What's wrong?" He looked down at the water's reflection and his heart skipped a beat.
His long dark brown hair was now short and blond.