Chapter 6

"Johnny!" Two-Bit grinned loudly, making Johnny almost stumble backwards out the door he had just entered.

"Damn it, Two-Bit," Dally snapped as he got up from the couch. "The kid can't see you. When'll ya learn, man." He walked past him and slapped him upside the head.

"Man, he just ain't looking any different from last I saw him," Two-Bit complained.

"That was two days ago," Darry responded as he walked in. "He was blind then as well."

Two-Bit just grinned goofily as he walked over to Johnny, bending a bit over so his face was right in front of his.

"H-e-l-l-o J-o-h-n-n-y," he started. "HOW...ARE...YOU?"

Johnny sighed and placed a hand on Two-Bit's face, pushing him a bit back. "I'm blind Two-Bit. Not deaf."

Pony, who had helped Johnny in, couldn't help but laugh at Two-Bit's attempt to be considering.

Two-Bit backed away and looked at Johnny with a cocked eyebrow.

"Wow, kid's got an attitude," he laughed and went straight for the kitchen, and from the sound of it, he had taken a head dive into the fridge, looking for beer.

Dally stood up against the wall close to the two boys and cocked a brow at them.

"Getting a little friendly there, are we, Pony?" he said with a grin and when the younger teen sent him a curious look, Dallas nodded at them, pointing at their hands.

Ponyboy's face turned red but he didn't let go. In fact he just held on much tighter, making Johnny soften his grip.

"Come on," Pony then said in a soft voice as he turned his head a little in Johnny's direction. "I'll take you to my room so you can settle in. Then you don't have to listen to this blabbering." The last part he turned his head a little and talked louder so the rest of the guys surely wouldn't miss it.

"Who's blabbering?" Two-Bit said as he returned with a beer. "I ain't!" He dropped down on the floor in front of the TV and turned it on. He was obviously disappointed to see there wasn't much on other than the news.

"Hey," Darry said as Two-Bit was about to turn it off again. "Leave it on. It's about Johnny."

The three boys looked at the title of the news report. "Jonathan Cade Case, Tulsa, Oklahoma"

A reporter was standing in front of the park where Johnny had killed Bob. He was kind of glad Johnny was blind so he didn't have to see that place right now.

"Today Jonathan Cade was released from the hospital in Tulsa and was allowed to go home. Local police doses not see Jonathan as a treat of any kind. He has been allowed to stay with Darrel Shaynne Curtis. Reasons unknown."

"Heeey! You're on TV, kid," Two-Bit chuckled as if Johnny hadn't already noticed.

Dallas walked closer to watch as well. Pony stood a bit back but he could easily follow the news.

"Jonathan Cade was earlier this week injured and lost his eyesight while trying to rescue five children from a church fire, along with his two friends, Ponyboy Michael Curtis and Dallas Winston. All three residents of Tulsa."

Dallas snorted. He was clearly not too happy about anyone portraying him as a hero of any kind and Two-Bit laughed.

"There's a rep for ya huh, Dal?"

Pony smiled as he softened his grip on Johnny's hand, and not really giving it much thought he let his thumb stroke two of Johnny's fingers. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small smile on darker teen's lip.

"Jonathan Cade will later this week be set on trial for the murder of Robert Sheldon, a local teen, who ha-"

Johnny's grip on Pony's hand was suddenly like an iron lock and his face turned white.

Dallas quickly turned off the TV and the five stood in silence.

As Pony looked at the others, he was kind of happy Johnny wasn't able to. All of them had a hint of sorrow written all over their faces as they looked at him. Even Dally.

"Please stop looking at me, will ya?" Johnny suddenly burst out. He turned his head away and so did everyone else. Clearly their eyes had been burning on him and it wasn't hard for him to feel.

"Let's go," Pony whispered as he started to drag Johnny towards his bedroom. There was no reason for them to just stand there and feel even worse.

OooOooOooO

Pony looked over his shoulder at Johnny as he sat at his desk. He had been falling way behind on his homework and Johnny had told him to get some work done even though he would rather just spend some time with him right now.

"Johnny, are you okay?" he said and turned around on his chair, looking at the teen, who was sitting on the bed, just staring out into nothingness.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Pony titled his head and as he heard a small sob, he got up and walked over to sit down beside Johnny.

"I didn't mean to kill him," Johnny started. "Really I didn't." His voice didn't change from the calm tone, even though tears had now started to flow.

"I know you didn't, Johnny." They had had that talk once before but it wasn't uncommon for Johnny to need a sort of confirmation that it wasn't his fault at all.

"Wha-what if I get put in jail like this?" His voice started to break. "I can't defend myself! Wha-what if I don't get thrown in jail and that Soc finds me here. What if y'all get hurt 'cause of me?"

Pony gave a small laugh as he put his arm around him. "Darry's here, remember? He'll beat up any Soc that comes through the door." He really didn't want to laugh but only lighten the mood a little. Had Johnny been able to see his face he would have known that Pony was as worried as him.

Johnny titled his head and placed it on Pony's shoulder.

"I just don't know what to do, Pony. I ain't any good with all this. I won't ever be able to take care of myself even if I don't get thrown in jail."

Ponyboy gave him a small shake and placed his head on Johnny's soft black hair. .

"Well then I guess you just gotta stay here with us." He wouldn't mind having Johnny around all the time. Thinking about it actually gave him a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. The week they had spent in Windrixville they had gotten even closer. If that were even possible.

"You know I can't do that, Pony," he replied. "I ain't gonna let Darry pay for me. He works hard enough as it is."

Pony closed his eyes and just sat there with him for a few minutes. Sure Darry worked hard and maybe it was too much to say they would let him stay there. Then again, he knew Darry really wouldn't mind. Johnny had pretty much lived on their sofa for weeks at a time. The only time he wasn't sleeping there was when he felt guilty about taking up too much space which was really ridiculous. He just wanted Johnny to think about something else than that stupid murder and the trial.

"Come on," he said and got up, grabbing Johnny's' hand.

"I'm gonna show you around. Tell ya where stuff is, okay?"

"How you gonna do that?" Johnny asked.

"You remember the movie we saw? That one with the blind guy? He could walk around just by knowing how many steps he had to take to get certain places."

Johnny gave a slight nod.

"Okay. So," Pony started. "Let's count the steps from the bed to the door." He kept holding his hand as they both counted the steps. "Five?"

"Yeah, five," Johnny agreed and a grin appeared on his face.

OooOooOooO

"What are you guys doing?" Two-Bit asked as Pony and Johnny were walking around the living room, counting steps.

"We're counting steps. Makes it easier for Johnny to move around on his own."

"Doesn't that kind of require that everything is in the same spot all the damn time?" Dally got up from his spot in the brown chair.

"I guess," Pony shrugged and stopped Johnny by taking a gentle grip on his upper arm before he tripped over a small table

Two-Bit cracked a grin as he sat down. "We can make an obstacle course and invite people over for the show. People must pay an entrance fee of course."

Dally gave them all an incredulous look before leaving the house. Both Pony and Two-Bit watched him as he left and then Two-Bit shrugged.

"Guess he doesn't wanna watch."

"Did Dally leave?" Johnny then suddenly asked and as Pony was about to answer, Dally came back into the house with a broomstick broken in half.

"Here," he said and handed it to Johnny. When the kid didn't react, Dally grabbed his wrist and placed it in his hand.

"Is that our broom, Dally?" Darry scowled as he saw the piece of wood in Johnny's hand.

Dally just shrugged and leaned up against the wall before lighting a smoke, making Darry send him an even more evil glare.

"Yeah. Kid can use it to know where stuff is so he don't trip, man."

The thoughtfulness of Dally's actions made Pony smile a little. It was not so often that Dally showed any type of nice gestures and when he actually did, most people looked at him like he had grown an extra head.

"What?" he said, staring back at Pony.

"Nothing." Pony looked at Johnny out of the corner of his eyes and spotted at smile as well.

"Shucks, Two-Bit said and got up. "Those kinds of thing don't work. How is he supposed to know where anything is with a broken broomstick?" He laughed and headed for the kitchen, but as he passed Johnny, the smaller teen swung the stick and hit Two-Bit across his behind, making him jump in surprise.

"What the hell, kid?" Two-Bit said in a startled voice as he placed a hand on the spot where he had been hit.

"Guess you're right," Johnny snickered. "I can't see anything with it."