I felt like I was choking on the oxygen. Every single friggen breath made me gag and sputter and I wanted so badly to roll onto my side. Nevertheless, I couldn't. Because before the though even would complete in my head this…immense heat came over my head and throat and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I could not even think, for god sakes.

"He doesn't got anything! Nothing, unless someone doesn't want to do their homework tonight…" one guy said lazily slicing my backpack open with a knife before throwing it into the back seat.

"Oh course he don't have anything. Look at the grease, he's dirt poor." The guy holding me said while another guy punched me over and over in the gut. This didn't hurt so bad. But the looks on their faces made me want to hurl, or pass out or anything just so I didn't have to look at them, or smell them. Or listen to what they were muttering at me. 'We're going to make you wish you aint never born. You shouldn't have been, you know that. It'll be over soon dirt.'

But they knew. They knew it didn't hurt me physically as much as they wanted it to. They goddamn knew. And that's why they finished just punching and threw me on the ground. I'm not sure who was doing what. Just hits everywhere. Spikes of pain that hardly went away before they were triggered again.

And all the while pounds came minutely to my face, while-

I heard feet. So far away, I wished so bad they would see me. I wanted to yell.

"-Johnnycake?" came a choked voice above me. So far above me. I tried to open my eyes. They opened and I saw black. Oh my god… I'm blind! I'm BLIND for Christ sakes. My mind went wild. Jesus, I'm blind…

Sodas face swirled into view came into focus and then swirled away. Oh, I'm not blind. Soda was talking, his mouth seeming to move in slow motion. I closed my eyes because it hurt to keep them open. Good god, I'm not blind I'm deaf. Jesus Christ, I am deaf.

I started choking; I couldn't hear it, just a loud buzzing while I watched everything swirl above me. I saw heads way above me some turning away. Others coming close and then flying into the swirls again. I shut my eyes and tried to stop choking, I tried to swallow whatever was absolutely gagging me. Then when I opened, I was seeing double because suddenly there was 6 heads instead of three. One was close, and I knew it was Soda. I wanted to ask him so bad what was going on but I could not stop choking. Then something was touching my face, it was material. And it hurt when it touched skin and felt like it scratched it. When Soda pulled it away from my face it was purple. No not purple. Red. Dark blood red. I finally brought a hand up to my face and it was dripping with the same thick dark colour. I was choking up blood.

Suddenly I could heard them over the buzzing. Someone was muttering a steady stream of curses. Dallas. Someone was whimpering and kind of gagging like me. Ponyboy. Someone was talking really softly and one more face came into view. Well actually hair came into view. Dark, black swirls all messed up and in my face.

"Is he dead? Soda what the hell! Is he going to be okay? Jesus Christ, Darry, tell me. Someone!" Someone was yelling. Those were just individual words floating around in the grey sky, they didn't make sense to me. Two-Bit doesn't make any sense I thought to myself.

Darry was grabbing me. He was hurting me. He didn't mean to but he was and I wanted to scream at him to stop, but then Dallas was touching me too. And yelling in my face. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or not.

Then I heard a groan. A loud groan that swirled into the sky, then came back, and thrashed me across the face. Another groan. It was me.

Suddenly everyone came closer to me. It was all starting to look clearer, I could see all the boys. All looking at me as if I was dying right now. As if they wanted me to know that, they loved me before I died or something.

"Johnny?"My head was rolled backwards and my body was being pulled up. When I opened my eyes as little as possibleand theyfocused I saw Sodapop bringing me up and then my head came forward again and rested on his warm shoulder.

Oh god he was shaking me. Stop it please. "Hey, Johnnycake."

"Soda?" I felt blind with my eyes closed now. They burned because I had kept them open for so long before.

"Yeah, its me," Sodapop said. "Don't talk. You're gonna be okay."

"There was a whole bunch of them," But I had to tell them I didn't mean to get hurt. I had to tell them that I was going to be okay. I had to tell them it wasn't as bad as they look. They need to know what happened.

"A blue Mustang full…I got so scared…" I realized that didn't make sense and I cursed myself but I couldn't even get the words out right and I had this lump in my throat and that's what was stopping me. And then it came up and I started sputtering again. It hurt so bad when the blood came up, all over Soda's tee shirt.

I was crying while I coughed and I could not do that in front of the guys. I drew in the biggest breath I could while still gagging. I almost stopped the tears completely but It was making me so mad. I was so convinced I could stop coughing and crying that I held my breath. Then it came out. All at once and I was sobbing and coughing so hard I couldn't breathe anyways.

A hand came seemingly to me out of nowhere and brushed my hair back out of my eyes. I could see the guys now and I once again tried to stop crying. But after starting to choke more and I gave up and buried my face into Sodapop's shoulder.

"It's okay Johnnycake, they're gone now. Its okay." Sodapop choked out and I got a glimpse of his eyes while they looked at me.

I knew I was going to be okay. But they didn't believe it. They all thought I was going to die and I didn't want them to think that. They had to know that I knew I was fine. I was used to this. It was just like when I get beat up by my dad. This wasn't any different but there was so much fear on everyone's faces.

"I remembered…remember how Steve's football was here…on Saturday…football member?" I said and I was muffled from all the blood running over my face. I was really getting mad now. I sounded pathetic because I couldn't put my words together properly. They were gonna think I was real bad off. I was going to make it god Damnit!

"Well…those…in the mustang… all the socs…one had these rings on man. Big rings. I-they…" I started coughing again. Now I was definitely pissed I was going to get this story out whether anyone likes it or not.

"They were telling me all this stuff…stuff people don't normally say…they aint supposed to say it. Talking about how they would like to friggen kill me… one had these big rings, and they all said he should hit me…cause he has these rings you know…they gave details on how they were gonna kill me. Like they had it planned or something man. Its their friggen fault…you know all I wanted was to get that damn football…"

"Johnny-come one man we know it was their fault!" Dallas said angrily. Why was he mad at me? I told them I was fine, it wasn't my fault!

"Johnny, its okay. Everything's okay now they aint gonna come back." Ponyboy said, he was smoking a cigarette. I wanted it. I wanted to reach out for it. I wanted that nicotine dizzy happiness.

"We gotta take him somewhere! Glory look at the kid! He's barely alive!" Steve shouted.

"SHUTUP!" Dallas yelled. "Where the hell we gonna take him Steve? The hospital?"

"That's an idea." He said angrily too. I didn't want to go to the hospital. I hated hospitals. In addition, the cops would show up. I hated cops too.

"Lets just take him to the Curtis' then." Two-Bit said slowly.

"Yeah we gotta take him somewhere." Darry said concentrated on my face. Stop looking at me! God, just stop it. Then it all started swirling again and that same heat came up. I could not handle it anymore. I started coughing up blood again. They all rushed to me this time before I fell into this peaceful darkness that seemed so much better now, then forcing myself to stay awake.

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Well that was short:O sorry guys but I just really wanted to get another chapter out. By the way this chapter is for SandraAthrenael, Dreamer for lyf and Vripter. Because they were my only reviewers! But i know that sometimes people read it and dont review, cause i do: and i want you guys to know that i really want you to review. I love you guys and it really makes me happy when you review! So here it is, short and not too happy/funny but its not exactly a happy chapter. It was really emotional for me to write this and i kind of missed writing Two-Bit humour and stuff. Well tell me what you think come PLEASE. I havent really written anything like that before you know... Review please and thankyou.