Disclaimer: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! I've never owned the Outsiders, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! I know this sounds stupid, so I'll just stop. Okay. HEY!
Lights
Johnny shoved his hands into his pockets, shivering from the cold. He wandered the streets aimlessly; glancing at the decorations sprawled about the houses around him. Snow people, wreaths, blinking lights, it made him a little depressed inside. Johnny heard a small squeal behind him. He whirled around, a nervous look on his face, until he saw it. A little girl, dressed in an oversized coat, was holding a string of lights, blinking red, green, and blue. Her hands had pink gloves, witched looked as if they had been ripped, sewn back together, ripped, patched, and ripped, taped back into place. She stood in front of a battered house, witched needed a thorough repair, badly. The windows were cracked, the paint was peeling, and a corned of the house looked like a bus hit it. Standing next to the child was a man, dressed in clothes equally scruffed up as the girl's. He stood on a wooden ladder, his hands out toward the girl. She gleefully handed one end of the lights to him and together, they worked to string the Christmas decoration around the house. Johnny watched intrigued.
Those people seemed poorer than he was, yet they had something he wanted more than anything. A family. He winced inwardly, remembering his own so-called family. His father, a complete drunken mess, always yelling and hitting him. His own mother, screaming and trying to find fault with him. As a young boy, Johnny marveled at the thought of a real family. He was constantly trying to create something like that with his own, especially during the holidays, but it only resulted in more screaming and beating. He sighed and turned around, continuing his walk, more memories arising. The word family didn't only bring up his parents, it also illustrated a better picture. An image of six boys, laughing, ginning, and joking around. His gang. Johnny smiled at the thought. He smiled a bit more when he remembered the stuff he and them did on the holidays, when they were all pre-teens.
The Curtises would invite all of them over. Mrs. Curtis would be working on a feast and Mr. Curtis, Darry, Soda, and Steve would leave and come back with a gigantic tree, one that usually cut short, due to the top practically boring a hole into the ceiling. Two bit be jumping up and down, screaming random things, while Pony and him sat in front of the TV, watching Christmas shows. Dally just sat on the floor, surveying everyone, but grinning all the same.
This almost always happened every year, until the accident. The entire gang still came over, all of them trying to make it just as fun as before. It was fun, although the food was never as great as Mrs. Curtis', it was just as great.
Johnny slightly warmed at those memories and finally decided where to head to. He soon found himself in front of Pony's house and hearing the ruckus inside, he figured that everyone was there. Opening the door, he quickly found himself laughing and grinning— with his real family.
Like it? Hate it? Was better than the last? Just tell me by reviewing. And happy holidays!
~Lunarlilies
Shout out to: Pixie silver, Just obsessed, Ladybugs, and XxultimentfangirlxX for reviewing