I wandered through the cemetery, my mind elsewhere as I blankly searched for my friend's gravestone.
Five years ago Johnny had been alive. Five years ago today Johnny had his 16th birthday, and now it was his 21st. I thought back to my memories of Johnny- soft-spoken and shy- especially so after the first incident with Bob. Johnny had always been so peaceful- for a Greaser.
The Greaser/Soc wars no longer meant anything to me- they had stopped meaning anything to me five years ago when I'd realised just how pointless they were. Nobody ever truly won, as Randy had said. No side could ever beat the other, and we would still be at the bottom of the ecological ladder, so to speak. Instead of making the Socs realise just how dangerous their attacks could become when Bob was killed, they mostly became more violent- they only saw that some Greaser had killed their friend. They didn't care about the circumstance- Socs would never believe that a Greaser could be in the right and still be a Soc. Sure, a few had ditched the wars since then, but there were always more Socs willing to fight in their place.
Suddenly brought back to the present, I located the gravestone, and sat down next to it.
"Johnny, it's your 21st birthday today, so I thought I'd drop by to say hello- tell you how things're going round here now."
I sighed, and rearranged my legs on the grass- I knew Johnny couldn't hear him, but it felt good to talk, and to be near to my old friend again.
"Y'remember about Soda's girlfriend- Sandy? Did I tell you about how she left? Well, anyway, after she left, Soda sent her a letter, but got real upset when it got back to him unopened. He waited almost a whole year for her, sending a letter every month to try and get at least a reason, and around about the ninth month he got one back! He was so happy he was running round the house, jumping across the park and yelling how great life was to the clouds and every poor sod who came near him. He read it, of course- y'don't wait nine months for a letter then not open it! – and it seems that Sandy's dad had been taking the letters before she even knew they were there- she only managed to get that last one because it slid under the doormat before her dad took the mail in. She guesses her dad didn't want her hanging around with Greasers, but guess what? She went and applied to the University a few miles from right here! Of course, she got accepted, and now she's staying at a flat just down the road from us, so she can be with Soda all the time!"
I beamed, and shifted again on the grass- my leg was going dead- before continuing.
"Do you remember about how ol' Two Bit and Marcia were chatting at the theatre? They got together a few weeks after... after everything got cleared up. They still haven't broken up after five years now, and they might even get married soon- Two Bit ain't too big on that though- he can't stand formal clothes."
I looked around, suddenly noticing the time- it was starting to get dark- if I wanted to have tea with Soda and Darry I'd have to hurry.
Jogging back to my home I began to feel worried- I was sure something bad was going to happen, but I couldn't work out what. As I smelt smoke I broke into a sprint, turning the corner of the street to see a house aflame. Fiery tongues licking the windows, some bursting with the heat, others going blackened. The roof was almost glowing, and was starting to collapse- as it did I heard a scream.
Memories came flooding back- the church, Johnny being injured by the falling beam- the hospital afterwards.