Disclaimer- I don't own them, its same as the other nine chapters.

Chapter 10

The train ride seemed the longest. It was horrible, I couldn't do anything except watch Ponyboy sleep or Johnny stare at his gun. I just wanted to stand up and jump off or something. By the time we had gotten off of it, the sun was already up.

"Now where the hell is Jaye Mountain?"

"Well, Pony, if we knew, we would be there already. Now don't bother me," I shot at him. We walked over a hill, and a couple hundred feet away were construction workers, what looked like on a break. Or slacking off. It doesn't really matter.

"Why don't we ask them?" Johnny asked.

"Ok, so… go," Ponyboy said back to him.

"I'm not asking, my ankle hurts, remember I sprained it jumping? So you go!"

"I'm not going! Why should I have to go?"

"You look more like a country boy then I do. I still have grease in my hair!"

"Oh my God, you guys are so immature. I'll go. All right?" I said. They shrugged. I walked off, but not before hearing "What's with her?" from Ponyboy and "Oh, shut up, man," coming from Johnny. I walked faster.

"Hi," I drawled at the younger construction worker. I stood up tall, so my legs looked better against my skirt. He sat up straight. It looked like he was only 18 or so. "You wouldn' happen to know where Jaye Mountain is, now would you?" I asked, fluttering my eyes a little. He smiled.

"Now, yea, I would. It's up that road, can't miss it. But why would a sweet girl like you be doin' up at a mountain like that?" He asked while I walked back to Johnny and Ponyboy.

"Oh, I'm meeting my boyfriend there." I said without looking back. Once I was back with Johnny I slouched and didn't say anything.

……………

The church was filthy and disgusting. I don't know how Johnny and Ponyboy just fell right asleep on the ground. I looked around and decided that I would just use a pew, there wasn't anything else to sleep on.

Just as I started to close my eye lids, Johnny stood up. He crept away from Ponyboy, and did something on the ground. He stood up again, and left. I fell asleep after he went.

………….

Something banging on the alter woke me up.

"What was that?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Nothing," Ponyboy said with a mouthful of chocolate. He started setting out things from a paper bag. "Gone with the Wind? Johnny, how'd you know I was reading this? Until Steve spilled that damn beer…"

"Well, man, I have eyes, you know," Johnny said back. Ponyboy fished through the bag like a little kid.

"Cigarettes, cards, more chocolate, peroxide… wait… Johnny… you're not thinking…" He trailed off.

"We gotta cut our hair, man. And you're gonna bleach yours." Ponyboy started to say something. "Look man, I'm cutting mine, too. They're gonna have our descriptions in the paper, and we can't fit 'em!" I sat up straight.

"You're not doin' NOTHIN' to my hair." I clutched my long, brown hair in my hands, almost cradling it.

"Corey, you're either gonna cut it, bleach it, or both. What's it gonna be?" Johnny said, looking me straight in the eye.

"I'm not cutting it, it took me years to grow this out!"

"Well, then you're bleaching it."

"I ain't no dumb blonde!"

"Well, we'll get me and Pony's done, then you can decide."

"Hey, you ain't touchin' my hair either, no sir," Ponyboy said.

"Come on, man, it's just hair, it'll grow back," Johnny said back, giving him the innocent look.

"Well, all right, just do it quick."

……………

"Ok, Core, you decide now? Pony finished cutting my hair." A now clean, well…. A now cut Johnny said. "And I'll just do both if you don't decide. And I mean it." He didn't mean it, I could tell.

"Yea yea, I decided…"

A couple hours later me and Ponyboy were standing outside looking at our reflections in the lake while Johnny made us lunch. We had done Rock Paper Scissors and he lost.

"Boy, do I look stupid…" Ponyboy said

"Yea, I know what you mean," I said scratching at my hair. "Do you think I should have made Johnny cut it?" Ponyboy looked over at me.

"No, you actually look good blonde… but me? No… it just don't work."

"Sure…" I said. We waited a few minutes.

"Shoot, it's like being in a Halloween costume you can't get out of, and I don't like it," He said suddenly, throwing a stick into the still water, making a small splash.

"Pony, it's gonna be ok… hey look, there's Johnny with our lunch."

……………

5 days or so passed, and they all went slowly. All there was to do was smoke or play cards, and maybe read, but all got boring fast so there wasn't much.

We heard a low whistle, turning into a sharp note at the end, and I panicked. I went to a pew and layed down quickly, but Johnny and Ponyboy relaxed.

"Hey Dal," Johnny said quietly.

"Hey Johnny, how's it goin'?" He said, striding over to Johnny. I sat up. "And hey, dig blondie here," He said ruffling up Ponyboy's hair."

Dallas looked exactly the same, except I think he may have shaved. He looked around, and found me. He walked over, eyeing me and my hair.

"Blonde? I didn't think you were going to do your hair, too. Well, you look good blonde." He stood there for a second, and then pulled something out of his pocket. "Here, Pony, I got a letter." He tossed the envelope to Ponyboy.

"Really? A letter? Who's it from?" He said tearing it open.

"The President of these United States."

"No, seriously," Ponyboy said.

"No, I am serious," Dally said chuckling. "It's from your brother, Sodapop. I told him I didn't know where you was, but he didn't believe me. He found your sweatshirt in my room at Buck's, and demanded I gave you that." Dally came over and sat down next to me, putting his arm on my shoulders. Johnny raised his eyebrows. I blushed, and scooted down farther onto the pew. He whispered into my ear, "You know, I really dig blondes." I blushed even more, and tried to hide from Johnny and Ponyboy. I really don't think it worked.

"So, guys, you hungry?" Dally asked after a couple seconds. Ponyboy and Johnny nodded fervently, but I said no.

"You're not? Even after those bologna sandwiches all the time? I mean they were so unsettling," Johnny said, his eyes wide. I shrugged. The truth was, I was throwing up after he gave me the food. I would go back to the shrubs behind the church and puke. I think Johnny even walked in on me once. Because I heard a noise, turned around but some one was leaving the doorway of the church. And Johnny would give me a few weird looks after that. I didn't talk to him much after that. I was really afraid of what he would think… of what anyone would think…

"Yea, and I'm tired, I think I'll take a short nap." I stood up, and walked over to the doorway. I turned around, and spoke to them, "I'll just see you when you get back. Ok?"

They shrugged, and started to walk to the door, to Dally's car. Dallas flicked his cigarette to the ground between the pews, but didn't step on it.

I fell asleep on the ground, underneath the cool shade of one of the front pews.

……………

When I woke up, there were children laughing outside. And the smell of smoke seemed to be strong in the air. I blinked my eyes, but there was a light, an orange one, blazing in front of me. I backed up against the pew I had been under, and realized what was happening. The fire quickly spread to the doors and windows, and laughter became screams. I tried to stand up, but the smoke was making it hard to breathe. My eyes were watering, and I could hear what sounded like screams really close to me. I didn't try to move, I was scared. Soot was in the air, and the black smoke was thick. My head started to get light and dizzy. I finally got up the courage to speak.

"Help! Someone!" I screamed. I bent low on the ground, and got under the pew more. I made sure my feet were secure, so I wouldn't some how go any where. I really wasn't thinking.

"Core? Where are you? Yell! I can follow your voice!" I couldn't tell who it was, but decided it was Johnny, on account that he was saying Core. I s\choked out a few more yells, and feet appeared in front of me. "Where are you? I don't see you!" He yelled.

"Right… here!" I said, reaching out. He grabbed the sleeve of my – his jacket, and pulled. I was coming out fine until my foot caught on a crack in the wood. I could feel the splinters cut into my skin. I screamed in pain. "No! Johnny! No!" He stopped pulling immediately.

"Core, we've got to get out of here. I think Pony's almost out! He helped the children!"

"Johnny, my ankle… go."

"What?"

"Go! Come on, there's no point in both of us here. I'm not getting out anytime soon. It's digging into my fucking ankle! I'm trapped. Get the hell out of here! Now!" I screamed. He just shook his head, and looked up. You could hear a beam starting to crack.

"Johnny the roof's going to fall! We have to get out of here," I heard a far off voice say. Johnny bent down and hugged me tight. I knew what he was doing, he was covering me from the heat and fire. From the ashes and the wood, from any harm that could possibly come my way. He started to shake his head.

"I'm not leaving without you."

That's when it happened. The beam fell on top of him. His scream would ring in my ear's even a year after it finished. And all I could remember after that was complete darkness. I only remembered the pain, and his scream…

……………

AN- Ok, I was really hyped up writing that. I'm sorry it is so short, I jut really had to do something! Ok anyways, review please! Once again, sorry for the shortness…