It wasn't no easy decision to run away even though I'd thought about it a million times. Ever since I realized not every kid got belted every fucking time they turned around.

"Gotta cigarette, Johnny?"

I nodded and gave him one. Pony smokes a lot, but not as much as me.

"Why ain't ya got cigarettes?" I lit one, too, and watched him through the smoke. He shrugged.

"Ran out, s'pose,"

I wondered if Pony knew how much I wished I was him, sometimes. It's being friends with him that's let me see certain stuff. Like no one in his family beats him. Course he's been in fights with socs and shit, like the rest of us. But that's different. Socs ain't supposed to like us cause we're greasers and all, it's just the way things are.

"It's a school night," Pony said.

"Yeah, so?"

"So Darry wants me to get home soon. You wanna come?"

I shrugged.

"Guess so,"

So we took off for his house, smoked another cigarette on the way.

"Hey, Johnny, a soc," Pony pointed across the street. I'll be damned, he's right. A kid in a madres shirt and khaki pants, his hair short and clean.

"What the hell is he doing this far north?" I said.

"Beats me,"

He saw us, I could tell. He started walkin' faster, near to running.

"He's scared of us," Pony said. We laughed.

"Lot to be scared of, huh, Ponyboy?"

At his house the T.V. was on real loud and his brothers were watchin' it. Pony's eyes widened and I wondered why, then I realized I must look worse in the light. Well, it'd be the last fucking time it happens.

"Johnny?" Soda said my name cautiously and stood up, came over to me slowly. I watched him. Soda was real nice, but nice in a different way with different people. He was real smart like that, smarter than Ponyboy. He had people figured out like Pony had his books figured out.

"Your parents?" he said, and he was close enough to touch me, but he didn't.

"Yeah,"

"C'mon. Let's clean ya up," He headed toward the bathroom and I followed. I stood at the edge of the room while he wet a facecloth. Closed my eyes while he cleaned up the blood. He was gentle.

"Okay, that's better," he said. I'd sure miss these guys but I didn't have a choice. It was either run away or kill myself.

It was just getting later and later. Pony was tired, kinda falling asleep watchin' the T.V.

"I gotta go," I said, standing up.

"Johnny," Ponyboy said, sounding sleepy, "you should stay here tonight,"

"Thanks, but I can't. I gotta go,"

"Alright, then. See ya tomorrow,"

"Yeah, bye,"

I stumbled out of their house and just started walking. I didn't know where I was headed. Maybe Texas, maybe California. Didn't matter. Just so long as I was out of that house.