Sarah126: thanks for your reviews :)
well, all in all I can say that it's really close, but how close? you'll find out ;)
12. Every chance is better than nothing
The gang still searched for him but they hardly had the hope to find Johnny ever again, although nobody talked about it and even less when Pony was close by.
One morning Soda and Darry talked together.
"Darry, we've to do somethin'. Pony woke up screamin' last night once again. He seemed to have got a nightmare 'bout Johnny again...
We must find Johnny...
otherwise Pony's gonna crack up if we don't find him..."
"Yeah, I know, Soda, but what else could we do? We really can't inform the fuzz, 'cause they really would throw Johnnycake into a boy's home.
But we also can't do anythin' more.
We search and search but we ain't gonna find him anyway, 'cause we absolutely have no idea, where Johnny could be!
We only can wait 'til he's gonna come back or we wanna hear somethin' from him!"
Pony, who stood on the corridor and listened to the conversation, got huge eyes and rushed into the kitchen, where his both brothers were.
"Ya wanna do nothin' else? Ya really wanna Johnny leave out there by himself?
In the uncertainty, where he is at all?
How could ya? How could ya just do such a thin' to him?
You're his buddies!
Anyhow, I don't wanna simply sit around inactive and wait 'til Johnny's gonna come back or report himself to us!
I can't and I don't wanna to.
Johnny's my buddy, my best buddy and yeah, it's gonna drive me insane not to know where he is! And this uncertainty's gonna kill me.
That's why I've to do somethin' and the best is to search for Johnny!
I owe him so much!
At least I wanna know where and how he is.
I still can accept if he doesn't wanna live here with us any longer but somewhere else, but I simply can't bear not to know where he is!
That's why I wanna search on for him. I wanna search for him as long as I'm gonna find him and no matter if I've to search in the whole world for him, he's worth to me..." Pony yelled and ran out of the house.
Darry and Soda looked at each other, turned to the front door and shouted behind Pony, "Pony! Ponyboy, stay here! We didn't mean it this way! Come again back!"
But Pony wouldn't listen to them and kept on running. He ran to Buck's, where he hoped to find Dally. And really, when Ponyboy knocked, Dally opened.
"Pony, what are ya doin' here?" this one asked.
"I... I must find Johnny!" Pony sobbed.
Dally nodded understanding and said, "Wait here, I'm back again right now!"
So Dally disappeared into the house and short time later he came back again.
Then they got into Buck's car and drove off...
"What's up?" Dally asked after a while, while he glanced to Pony, who looked out of the window.
"They don't wanna search for him any longer... they only wanna wait for his return or a message..." Pony answered and swallowed hard.
Dally nodded with an extremely grim face.
Then they drove along the road some time silently, always in search of Johnny, until Ponyboy suddenly screamed, "Oklahoma City!"
Dally was so surprised that he winced and skidded a bit. But he had his car quickly under control again.
"For heaven's sake, Pony! Don't scream like that ever again near me if ya don't mind!"
"Sorry, Dal!" Pony meant.
Dally cast a wondering sidelong glance at him before he finally asked, "And? Why did ya scare me now that way?"
"Johnny told me sometimes that he'd like to go to Oklahoma City. Maybe..."
"Ya say that only now?" Dally looked at Ponyboy reproachful.
"Sorry, it came to my mind only now again." Pony said excusing.
Dally shook his head. "Kid, where have ya just always ya thoughts?"
He nearly sounded like Darry!
Then Dally pulled the steering wheel around and turned round in the middle of the road. The tires screeched.
"Where are we drivin'?" Pony asked confused.
"Well, to Oklahoma City. What are ya thinkin'?"
"But... we don't know at all if Johnny really went there..."
"Just as little if he's still here in Tulsa!"
"Do ya know at all how far it's 'til there?" Pony asked doubting.
"Yeah. Listen, Kid, ya wanna find Johnny, too, won't ya? That's why we've to take all chances into question!" Dally said in a voice, which tolerated no arguing.
Pony shrugged.
It was a quite long trip to Oklahoma City, which both spent quite silent.
Meanwhile they arrived in Oklahoma City.
"What are we gonna do now?" Ponyboy asked and looked at Dally uncertain.
"Well, we're gonna look around here a bit and keep our ears open. Maybe Johnny was seen! Come on now!" Dally ordered and got out of the car.
Pony followed him.
So they walked through the town, partly accompanied by few dangerous glances and also curses.
On the one hand Pony was glad that he hadn't to go through the bad areas alone.
But on the other hand it was also dangerous with Dally, 'cause if someone should get them way too close, then Dally certainly would insist on punishing the one for it to pick a quarrel with Dallas Winston.
So both walked through Oklahoma City and asked some guys if they have seen Johnny.