Stay
Chapter 1
(Third Person POV)
Johnny's eyes fluttered open, he stared up at the white ceiling above him. He blinked, he looked down at his body and wiggled his arms. He could feel his body again, he twitched his legs. He slowly sat up in the bed he was in, the room was completely empty except one bed side table. He looked over at the table, there was only a lamp. The room was completely white, it was unbelievably bright to him. He squinted and rubbed his eyes, he wondered how long he was out. He tried to remember where he was, he remembered everything going black and he felt cold. He noticed there was a door near the end of the bed, it was also white. He moved his legs to the side of the bed, he hesitated to look down. He remembered his burns, he didn't want to be reminded of them. He sighed and looked down, his body was completely healed.
He heard the door click open, he froze. He had no idea who it could be, he didn't even know where he was. A tall woman stepped into the room, she looked at him. She had golden blonde hair, it reminded him of Sodapop's hair. She had big brown eyes, she was wearing a long black dress. He felt the urge to run but he didn't know where exactly he would run to. He could only watch as she stepped closer to him. She stood right in front of him and he stared at her. She smiled and giggled, he wanted to pass out again.
"You're awake! I've been waiting for quite sometime!" She said, her smile was wide.
Johnny was quiet, he didn't want to be around her but she could probably answer some questions for him, he played along.
"Awake? What do you mean?" He asked.
She was silent for a moment, she stroked her chin.
"How do I put this. ." She murmured.
"Well. .you're dead. You've been here for a while but time is hard to read here." She said.
"Dead.. ? You mean this is heaven?" He questioned.
"Not quite, you're somewhere in the middle right now." She explained.
He kept his mouth shut, he didn't know what to think. He thought back on a conversation he had with Ponyboy once, he remembered how there was such a place called Purgatory.
"Is this Purgatory?" He asked.
"You're a smart one and a calm one. Most people when I tell them they're dead they run around the room screaming." She said.
"I don't know how to feel about that. .I guess it makes sense. ." He trailed off.
He looked over the woman before him, she looked like she was be in her mid-twenties. She seemed kind enough so far but he withheld his judgement for the time being.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"It's been a while since someone's asked me that, but my name is Serenity." She said and smiled again.
"Serenity? What do you do?" He questioned.
"I guide spirits through this place, but particularly I try to guide spirits who have unfinished business." She explained.
"Unfinished business?" He asked.
"Well, can you remember anything you always wanted to tell someone but never got to?" She asked.
He thought for a moment, he couldn't think of anything particular. He felt a pang in his heart, he thought about everyone in the gang. He wondered how they were doing, if they even missed him. He thought of Dallas the most, he wanted to see him again. He felt tears well in his eyes for a moment, would he ever see any of them again? He refused to let his tears fall, he didn't want to cry in front of this woman he had just met.
"I can't think of anything. .I just want to see them again." He whimpered, the weight of his death was beginning to weigh on him.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help you with that!" She said and took a hold of his thin hand.
He didn't know how to feel about that, he wanted to see them again but it could all be a trap. He was quiet, he wanted her to explain.
"You see, it's my job to send you back so you can finish up what you couldn't finish. Mind you I'm technically not supposed to do it but it breaks my heart seeing all these spirits wondering around aimlessly with no where to go." She explained and ran his finger tips over the back of his hand.
"You're not supposed to be doing this?" He asked, he had too many questions running through his head. None of this made sense.
"Can't talk about that, but I can help you with getting back to your friends." She said.
"How? This sounds like a book Pony would be reading. ." He trailed off.
"I can't exactly explain how it works, I don't think you'd be able to understand. No offense." She said.
"Is there some sort of catch to this? What happens if I don't complete my business?" He asked.
"Well, when I send you back you won't be able to mention me by name. You'll remember me and what we talked about but you won't be able to say my name. You'll only have about three months, if you're lucky I may be able to extend it but I can't guarantee that." She explained.
He kept quiet, he thought it didn't sound too bad. He hoped he could try and find what business he had left unfinished, he couldn't think of anything.
"I guess I'm ready whenever you're ready." She said and walked over to the door.
"I can get you some clothes, I figure you don't want to come back to life in your underwear." She joked.
Johnny didn't even care, he was curious how this whole thing was going to go.
"What kind of clothes did you wear?" She asked.
"I wore a black T-shirt, a jean jacket and jeans with black converses.." He trailed off, he wondered if she also had the ability to randomly make clothing appear.
She nodded and stepped out of the room for a moment, he stayed on the bed. He didn't know how to feel, was he really going to see the gang again. He couldn't help but smile at the idea, he wanted to laugh and joke with them again. He heard the door open again he glanced over at Serenity. She moved to him and handed him a pile of folded clothes with shoes stacked on top. He almost wanted to ask where they came from but he shook his head.
"I'll give you a minute to get dressed." She said while stepping back out.
He stood and looked down at his feet. He wiggled his toes, he couldn't believe he could feel his bottom half again. He remembered how terrified he was in the hospital, he tried in vain multiple times to try and move his legs. He grabbed the jeans first and slipped them on, they fit just right. He looked at the black shirt in his hands, it was crisp and clean. His old clothes were old and worn, he thought it was odd for him to get to wear such a new piece of clothing. He pulled on the shirt and pulled the jean jacket on over it, he started feeling comfortable again. Last he slipped on the socks and the shoes, he stood and looked down at himself. He thought he was ready to go.
"Are you dressed?" Serenity asked.
"Yeah, I'm dressed." He said.
"Okay, good, now I know what I'm going to ask is going to sound odd but you're going to have to lay back down. Think of it like you're going to sleep." She said.
"Sleep? I'm too excited to sleep." He said.
"Don't worry, that bed is especially designed to be super comfy, shouldn't take that long. It's the only way I can do this." She said.
"If you say no. ." He trailed off, he crawled back into the bed, shoes and all.
He laid straight on his back, he stared at the ceiling again. He saw Serenity step up beside him and rest her hand on his forehead.
"Relax. ." She whispered, he felt his eye lids get heavy.
Guess she was right. .
He quickly was asleep, she took her hand away and stepped away from the bed.
"He will be back there when he wakes up. ." She said out-loud to herself, she watched as he slowly disappeared from the bed.
She looked at the now empty bed, she ran her fingers over where he once laid.
"Your time starts now." She said, she smiled warmly while he fixed the bed up for the next lost soul.
. . .
Johnny stirred and opened his eyes, he stared up at the sky. He groaned and sat up, he took a long look around him. He was in a cemetery, the air was cold. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, he got to his feet. He turned around and saw his own grave marker. He stared at it for a moment, it had his name and his birth date and death date written on it. He was never meant to see it, he wondered if anyone had ever visited his grave. He noticed his legs felt stiff, he stretched his leg out in front of him. He wondered how he was going to even be able to walk into town with his legs being in the shape they were in. He felt abnormally cold, he ran his finger tips over his cheek, his skin was cold like ice.
"I guess that makes sense, I have been dead for. ." He trailed off, he realized he didn't even know how long he had been dead.
"I should focus on getting to Ponyboy's house." He muttered, he left the cemetery, he occasionally had to stop because his legs started to hurt.
He managed to find a main road, or at least it looked like one. He walked along for a while, he kept his eyes on the grass on the side of the road. The grass was wet with dew, his shoes were wet. He marched on until a car pulled up beside him, he froze. He felt like his heart was beating out of his chest, he slowly approached the open window of the car.
"Hey, you need a ride?" The stranger asked, he had a deep, husky voice.
"Sure, I just need a ride into Tulsa." He said.
"Well, hop in." The man said, Johnny wasn't sure about this but figured he didn't really have much of a choice.
Johnny pulled open the heavy car door, his arms felt just as stiff as his legs. He crawled into the seat and kept his distance from the stranger, he sat as close to the car door as possible. He kept quiet for the car ride, or tried to be. The stranger tried to make small talk but he gave small, short answers. He didn't get along well with strangers.
"Hey, you look familiar now that I think about it, were in the newspaper a few months ago?" He asked.
Johnny froze, he didn't know what to do. Does everyone think he's dead? He thought that made everything even more complicated. It made sense but he didn't want anyone to know he was dead. He gulped and scratched his head.
"I don't think so, maybe we just look similar is all." He excused, he saw the Tulsa skyline in the distance.
"Is your name Johnny? I remember that much from that article." He said, Johnny felt a cold sweat break on his forehead.
"No, that's not my name. My name is Andrew." He said, it was his middle name so to him he felt like he was telling a half truth. He hated lying.
"Andrew, huh? Don't think I ever saw that name." He said.
Johnny kept his mouth shut the rest of the ride, thankfully the stranger kept quiet too. He took notice of a city limits sign on the side of the road, he looked over at the driver.
"Can you drop me off at the closest store? I can find my way from there." He said.
"You sure?" He asked.
Johnny nodded, "yeah, don't worry."
The car pulled up to a convenience store, the parking lot was well lit. Johnny squinted, he rubbed his eyes.
"Thank you, sir." He said and kicked open the door.
"No problem." He heard the man say before he shut the door.
He stood in the parking lot for a moment, he was trying to remember what part of town he was in. He started walking, he prayed he was going the right way. He thought he could have asked for help in the store but he had enough of dealing with strangers.
. . .
Dallas was standing in the middle of the empty lot, he was staring up at the tree that was there. He remembered that night Johnny died, he looked down at the grass. He kicked at the dirt with his boot, he sighed. It was cold out, he could see his breath every time he breathed. It had been three months since he had passed and the pain hadn't lessened. He didn't know how to make it better, he didn't even want to exist anymore. He wondered why he didn't go through with his plan that night, he had a feeling in his gut that he wasn't supposed to be there seeing what he was seeing. He had felt that for awhile but he just pushed it away, he couldn't do that anymore.
He walked up to the tree and sat down at the base, he leaned against the bark. He shivered a bit, he just wanted to be alone. He had spent most of the past three months alone, he couldn't stand being around anyone. Johnny was usually a buffer for him hanging out with the gang, he didn't hate them but sometimes they got on his nerves. He made it better. He had one leg bent and one laid straight out, he stared at his boot. He wiggled his foot back and forth slowly, he wasn't thinking anything in particular. He wished he could just bring him back, he would have given anything to have him back, or so he thought. He slowly got to his feet, he was starting to get too cold for him to bare.
He heard foot steps in the grass, he wondered who it could be. He wanted to be alone, he groaned and slowly stood. He looked over and saw a person standing there at the edge of the lot. He squinted but then backed into the tree, he felt like his heart stopped momentarily. He was staring at some person who looked a lot like Johnny, he really meant a lot like him. He had his black hair, the bangs that curled over his forehead. He had his tanned skin, his jean jacket, he had everything. His heart was beating out of his chest, he didn't know what to do. He thought he must have been hallucinating or something, he rubbed his eyes. He looked at the stranger again, he could only stare at whoever it was. They waved at him, he glanced over his shoulder. He needed to run, he was tripping out and he couldn't make it stop.
He turned heel and ran, he ran as fast as he could go. He heard them yell something, they even sounded like Johnny. He didn't bother looking back. He wasn't a track star like Ponyboy but he was sure he out did him even at his best. He didn't even know where he was going at first he just knew he needed to get out of there. He ran down the street, he almost slipped on a patch of ice. He slid across but didn't let that stop him. He found himself at the gate to the Curtis' house, he stared up at the white house. He didn't even know if they would believe him, he could pretend it never happened. He was sure they would ask why he was panting so hard and sweating so much. He knew if he told them to shut up about it they would. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure whatever was at the lot didn't follow him. He stepped onto the porch and stared at the door, he hadn't even been there for a solid two weeks. He stepped on in, he just needed to clear his head after whatever happened at the lot.
. . .
Johnny had finally made it to the lot, it only took him two hours. If his legs weren't so stiff he would have gotten there in no time. He kept having to take breaks, his knees would start to ache and threaten to give out on him. When he finally reached the lot he actually did find the exact person he was looking for, he didn't try to approach him out right though. He hid behind a trash can for what felt like forever, he felt like a stalker. He didn't know what to do, as far as the world knew Johnny Andrew Cade was dead. He knew running into anyone in the gang was going to be rough, it wasn't everyday your dead friends came back to talk to you like nothing ever happened. He had to be careful, but he really didn't know how to not scare Dallas. He stared at his converses for a long time, he was trying to think of something. He thought maybe he could wave at him, he didn't need to just run up to him. He wanted to hug him and cry but of course nothing in life could be that simple.
He peaked out from the trash can and looked at Dallas sitting under the tree, he was staring at his shoes. He held his breath for what felt like an eternity, he wasn't sure if he could do it. He sighed, he had to do it weather he was comfortable with it or not. He slowly stood and walked under the street lamp. He felt like it was a spotlight, he took a couple more steps forward. He saw Dallas look up at him but his eyes immediately widened to the size of dinner plates.. He should have known then it wasn't going to go well, but he tried to stick to his plan. He slowly waved at him and slightly smiled, he wasn't sure if he was able to see his face very well. He watched as Dallas looked over his shoulder for a second, Johnny had never seen Dallas act so terrified in his life. He could only watch on as Dallas sprinted away from the lot and down the street, he groaned. He wobbled after Dallas, his legs were majorly sore.
"Dally! Don't run, my legs barely work!" He cried and continued after Dallas.
He continued to wobble until he made it to the front gate of the Curtis' house, he wondered how long it had been since he was there. He got a flashback of the night him and Ponyboy ran away, it felt like a life time ago. He guessed it technically was a life ago for him. He opened the gate and stepped up to the porch, he held his breath. He knew him going inside would cause absolute chaos and he tried to accept that before it happened. He knew he would never be able to fully prepare himself but he tried. He slowly released his breath and pulled open the front door, he had to face it head on.
. . .
Dallas pulled open the front door and stepped into the living room as quickly as he could. He slammed the door behind him and leaned against the door and panted heavily. He didn't even think about how loud him slamming the door was, he didn't care. He couldn't even think of how he was going to explain what happened at the lot, was he high? He hadn't taken anything and he hadn't even drank. He looked at the TV, it was turned on. He wondered where every one was, he stepped further into the room, he looked into the dining room area. He jumped back when he saw Sodapop walking toward him, he raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're jumpy tonight." Soda mentioned and stepped into the living room.
"Shut up, I just had the scariest thing happen to me." Dallas said and plopped down into Darry's easy chair.
"You're lucky Dar's asleep." Soda said, Dallas rolled his eyes.
"I just . .I need to get my head together." Dallas said and ran his fingers through his hair.
"What happened? You do look paler than usual." Soda said, Dallas was tempted to smack him but held himself back.
"Give me a minute, it's a lot." He said, Soda nodded and turned his attention to the TV.
Suddenly, Ponyboy stepped into the room too, Sodapop glared at him.
"You're supposed to be in bed, mister." He said, Pony shrugged.
"'Can't sleep, you know how I get." Pony said and took a seat next to his brother.
Soda sighed, "you better not be complaining in the morning, you know how angry Darry gets."
Pony leaned his head back against the couch, "I know, I know." He mumbled.
Dallas looked at the youngest Curtis, his hair was still bleached blond. His roots had started to show but it was mostly blond still. He remembered helping him and Johnny hide out at that church, that stupid church. He wanted to kick something out of frustration but couldn't find anything. He growled and just crossed his legs, he tapped his boot on the wooden floor.
"What's wrong with you?" Pony asked, he thought if anyone would understand he thought Pony would at least a little bit.
"Guys, listen, what I'm gonna say is weird and I know it sounds made up but I promise I am telling the truth." Dallas said, he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his chair.
Sodapop and Ponyboy were looking at him, he mainly focused on Pony. His face was stern and cold, but he could see this certain sad look in his green eyes. Pony hadn't been the same, he never would be. Dallas deep down hated seeing Ponyboy look so distraught and lost. He bit his lip, he didn't want to upset the younger Curtis but he had to get it off his chest.
"I was at the lot, sitting under the tree. I heard these foot steps and I stood up to tell them whoever it was to leave me the hell alone but I froze. This guy. .thing. .whatever. He looked exactly like Johnny, he was like a clone. I never ran so fast in my life, I swear I'm not even convinced I didn't make it up." Dallas explained, he held his head in his hands.
"Have you been drinking. .?" Pony asked, Dallas thought that was a fair enough question.
"I am and was completely sober. I hadn't been drinking or doing anything else, I promise that." Dallas said, Pony only stared at him.
"Is. .is someone dressing up and pretending to be Johnny?" Pony asked hesitantly, he looked like he was about to cry or something. I didn't want to see him cry, I never was good at comforting people.
"What kind of asshole does that?" Soda questioned while pulling Ponyboy into his arms, he held him.
"I don't know, but I'm just as pissed about it as you are." He said and leaned back in the chair, he stared up at the ceiling for a moment.
"Well, I hope it's just a one time thing. Pony doesn't need anymore nonsense." Soda said and continued to hold his baby brother.
The living room was quiet until they heard the screen door open, Dallas felt like his soul was trying to leave his very body.
"Oh, God, don't tell me it followed me." Dallas said and stood, he almost tripped over the coffee table.
"What-" Soda began and clutched Ponyboy even closer, he could only stare at who stepped into the house.
They all began to scream, they thought nothing could make them stop. This wasn't supposed to be possible, why was it happening? They kept backing away from the mysterious person in the house, unsure on how to deal with him.
. . .
Johnny was wheezing as he tried to keep up with Dallas, but he lost sight of him about ten minutes ago. He rested his hands on his knees while he leaned forward, he took in a deep breath and slowly released. He thought it was weird that he could feel himself breathe again, he thought everything that was happening was weird. Maybe weird wasn't a strong enough word but he wasn't real good with words, he bet Ponyboy would know a better word. He thought about his friends again and he thought about if they would even want him back. He was supposedly dead as far as anyone knew, what if they thought he was an impersonator? He didn't want to get beat up or anything, he winced just thinking about it.
He thought the least he could do was be honest about it, he wasn't even sure if he could say why he was there. He didn't even know why he was back, someone needed to tell him something. He thought it could really be anyone, maybe even his parents. He shook his head, he doubted they would even want to see him even if he did come back from the dead. He still felt that cold longing feeling in his chest when he thought about them, he just wanted someone to be proud of him. He stared at the grass beneath his feet, he took in a deep breath and slowly released it. He wondered if anything had even changed while he was gone, he still didn't know how long it had been. He ventured on, he was only maybe a few more blocks away. He felt like a baby but he wanted to fall over already, his legs were sore.
He kept having to take a couple short breaks, eventually he did actually tumble over onto the ground on accident. He thought he looked like a drunk which wasn't all that uncommon in the neighborhood. He wanted to lay there all night, he wasn't even sure if he had the energy to get back up. He managed to sit up but his legs weren't ready to function. He still felt grateful he could still walk at all, he sat in the grass in the park for a little bit.
Finally, he was on the move again, he had only two more blocks to go. As much as he wanted to fall over again he pushed onward, he needed to just confront them and get it out of the way. He finally admitted nothing he could think of was going to make it easy. He wasn't really good at confrontation but there wasn't a way he could avoid it, at least not a way he could think of. He reached the street the Curtis' house was on and he could see it in the distance, he took one last break before he got there. He started making the final stretch, he stepped up to the gate. He stared at it for a little bit, he couldn't believe he was really going to do what he was going to do. He opened the gate and stepped up onto the porch, he stared at the front door. He was tempted to run away and pretend he was still dead, he wasn't sure what would happen to him then. He took in a deep breath and released, he turned the knob and stepped inside. Nothing could have prepared him for the upcoming conversation.
The screaming started almost immediately, he could deal with that at least. He stood in the doorway, unsure what to do or say to them to make it stop. He looked at Sodapop and Ponyboy as they clung to each other, they looked as pale as ghosts. He looked at Dallas, he wasn't screaming but his eyes were about to pop out of his head. He was backed against the wall, he only stared at him. Eventually the screaming did subside but the tension didn't lessen. He still didn't know what to say, he kept his mouth shut. He had his arms at his sides, he expected to get thrown out but no one seemed like they even wanted to touch him. Soda and Pony were still clinging to each other, he noticed Pony's hair was still blond but his auburn roots were showing. It must have not been that long he thought to himself, he scratched his head.
"Who the hell are you? Why are you here?" Dallas barked, He winced away from hearing him talk that way to him.
"Dally, it's me. I promise." He pleaded, he took a small step further into the living room.
Dallas was quiet, his stare was boring holes into him. He let him look over him and investigate him like he was some mysterious creature he had just found. He continued to look at Dallas, he glanced over at Soda and Pony.
"If you're really Johnny, then when was he born?" Pony prodded. Both of the Curtis brothers were eyeing him suspiciously.
"I was born March first, nineteen forty nine." He said, he almost forgot his down damned birthday.
Dallas didn't look convinced quite yet, he wondered what else they could question him on.
"What's his middle name?" Dallas asked.
"My middle name is Andrew." He said, he just wanted them to believe him already, he thought his heart was going to explode.
"I got a question that Johnny would only know." Dallas said, Johnny wasn't even sure what it could be.
"What's my full name and what's my birthday?" Dallas asked, Johnny looked at the floor.
He had to think, he was usually pretty good at remembering the gangs birthdays, especially Dally's.
"Your full name is. .umm. .Dallas Tucker Winston, and your birthday is November ninth." He said.
"What year was I born?" He asked.
"You're about four months and eight days older than me so you were born in nineteen forty eight." Johnny said, he hoped he passed their little test.
"Well, I'll be damned, it's really Johnny." Soda said, he and Pony had let each other go but they all still kept their distance.
Darry stepped into the room then, Johnny took note on how exhausted he looked. He then noticed how his eyes widened, he thought this just kept getting better and better. He gulped but tried to stay his ground. He continued to stare at Darry, he didn't know what to say.
"What the hell is this?" Darry asked, he scratched his head.
Johnny couldn't make himself talk, he hated being on Darry's bad side. He bit his lip, he wasn't even sure if he could say anything to make him understand. He looked at Dallas then Soda and Pony.
"He says he's Johnny but I don't know. ." Pony mumbled, Johnny sighed.
"It's me, I promise." He pleaded, all he could do was beg them to listen to him.
"I don't know, he did know all those things." Soda said, Darry ran his fingers through his hair.
"Can anyone explain to me what is going on?" Darry asked, Johnny slowly stepped further into the living room.
"Guys, I know this is weird and I can't explain it, but I'm here." Johnny said, he wasn't even sure if he was making any sense.
"Johnny's been dead for three months." Darry said coldly.
"Darry, please, I promise I'm not anyone trying to be mean. I am Johnny." He said, he felt like he was going to puke.
The front door slid open behind him, Johnny near about jumped across the living room. He slowly turned only to find Two-Bit standing behind him, the redhead slowly closed the door behind him.
"Well, ya'll are having a party and didn't invite me." He casually said, everyone stared at him.
"You didn't notice the kid that's been dead for three months standing in the middle of my living room?" Darry questioned, he kept an eye on Johnny.
Two-Bit looked at Johnny, he looked back over to Darry.
"What about him?" He asked.
"Are you forgetting that Johnny's been dead for months?" Darry asked.
"No, I didn't forget." He said.
"Then why are you treating this like it happens every day?" Darry questioned.
"Well, I thought we wanted him back." Two-Bit said, Darry facepalmed himself.
Dallas hesitantly approched Johnny, he looked up into his blue eyes. He wanted to fall into him and start bawling, but he held himself back.
"Yeah, I guess I wanted him back but this. .this is just wrong." Dallas said, Johnny felt his heart sink in his chest.
"What's wrong?" Two-Bit asked.
"He's been dead for three months and he just decides to come back as if nothing happened?" Dallas asked, he was standing in front of Johnny.
"What, did you want him to send a warning?" Two-Bit questioned.
The room was silent for a minute, no one knew what to say. Johnny wasn't sure what to do, he felt like he was on the verge of being kicked out completely. He wanted them to believe him, he didn't know what he would do if his only family kicked him out.
". .So, he's like a zombie?" Dallas asked.
"No, I'm not a zombie." Johnny pleaded, he remembered that scary movie him and Pony snuck into once. Both of them had nightmares for a couple weeks after that,
Two-Bit walked up to Johnny and stood next to him, he took a look at Johnny.
"Well, he's not rotting." Two-Bit commented before sniffing him, Johnny raised an eyebrow.
Two-Bit softly touched Johnny's cheek and quickly took his hand away, he shivered.
"Jesus, kid, you're freezing." Two-Bit said.
"I've been cold since I woke up. I'm so cold . ." Johnny mumbled.
"Well, Johnny, how exactly did this happen?" Darry questioned.
He wanted to tell them the whole story but suddenly, his memories got fuzzy. He could faintly remember a blonde woman he met somewhere, he wasn't sure where. It could have been a dream, he scratched his head. He could only really remember waking up in the cemetery.
"I just woke up in the cemetery, I really can't remember. I woke up and found my way back into town." Johnny said, his legs felt tired.
"Do you wanna sit down? I can get a blanket." Soda said, he gave up his spot on the couch.
Johnny moved over to the couch and sat down, the couch was warm. He snuggled his face into it, he felt safe. He felt Soda put a think, blue blanket over him. He was tempted to fall asleep, he blinked slowly.
"Guys, I know this is weird and I really don't know why this is happening, but I'm here now. I don't wanna upset you guys, I just. .I just missed you all so much." Johnny sniffled, he didn't want them to see him cry, but he never thought he would ever see them again.
"Hey, we can get into it more tomorrow. I think we all need to calm down after tonight." Soda said, he smiled at Johnny.
Johnny couldn't even fathom the idea of smiling, he really wanted to fall asleep. He glanced over at Ponyboy, he wasn't sure what to say.
"Johnny..? You're really here?" Pony questioned, he reached his hand out and touched it to his cheek.
"Geez, you are cold." Pony said and shook his hand.
"I imagine I'll be cold for a while." He said.
"Alright, let's all just try to relax and go to bed. We'll talk about this more tomorrow." Darry said, Soda tugged on Pony's arm.
"C'mon, if he's come back from the dead then I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow." Soda said, Pony looked at Johnny.
Ponyboy gave his best friend a quick hug, Johnny froze for a moment but hugged him back.
"I can't believe you're really here, but I guess you're pretty tired. I'll see you in the morning." Pony said and flashed him a smile.
"I'll se you in the morning, Pony." Johnny said.
He watched as the Curtis brothers all left to go to their rooms for bed, Johnny was left with Dallas and Two-Bit. The redhead was preoccupied with the television, Dallas would only stare at him.
"Are you gonna talk to me?" Johnny asked.
"What the hell am I supposed to say? I don't necessarily expect dead people to come back from the grave as if nothing happened." Dallas said.
"I guess that's fair." Johnny said and pulled the blanket closer to him, he was tired of being so cold.
"But, I'm. .I'm really glad you're back. I never thought I'd ever see you again." Dallas said, he couldn't help it but he brought Johnny into a big hug.
He held onto him for a minute, he didn't even care if Two-Bit saw. He had Johnnycake back and that's all that mattered to him in that moment. He rubbed his face into Johnny's greasy hair, he slightly sniffed him.
"You smell like dirt, kid." Dallas mentioned then ruffled his hair when he let go of him.
"I need a shower but I'm too tired." Johnny said, Dallas scoffed.
"You can just wait until tomorrow, you look exhausted." Dallas said.
Johnny laid his head down on the art rest of the couch, he kept his attention on the television until he started to drift off into sleep. He didn't fuss, he slept clean through the night. He was just glad to have his friends back and be with them again, he sighed happily in his sleep.
