Okay so ... I know, it took long. And this chapter's not even that good. I completely PROMISE that the next chapter will be way better so ... please don't get discouraged. I just couldn't think that well lately.
Chapter Eighteen
The next few days I slept the most I'd ever slept. While Johnny and Pony played poker I slept, while they ate I slept, and while they smoked I slept. But I did stay awake while Pony read Gone With The Wind out loud. I was completely entranced by it and was surprised to find Johnny and Pony were too.
"I bet they were cool ol' guys," Johnny exclaimed one day about the Southern gentlemen. "They remind me of Dally."
I twitched, surprised, and gawked at him.
Pony did too. "Dally?! Shoot, he ain't go any more manners than I do. And you saw how he treated those girls the other night. Soda's more like them Southern boys."
I never realised before just how much Pony admired Soda. He talked about him all the time so lovingly.
"Yeah …" Johnny muttered quietly, "in the manner's bit, and the charm too, I guess … but one night I saw Dally gettin' picked up by the fuzz, and he kept real cool and calm the whole time. They was gettin' him for breakin' out the windows in the school building, and it was Two-Bit who did that. And Dally knew it. But he just took the sentence without battin' an eye or even denyin' it. That's gallant."
Everything was silent while we all thought hard, staring off in random directions.
"You sure do love Dally, huh Johnny?" I murmured softly after a while.
Johnny looked at me. "… Sure, yeah."
"It's strange to me! Ponyboy admires Sodapop and you admire Dallas, but I … I don't, like … you know … There's no one I wish I was. Maybe little stuff like 'I wish I had a loving supportive family', 'I wish I wasn't so self-conscious' kind of stuff, but I don't know anyone! I mean, you're pretty close, Pony, but what happened to your parents, and Johnny's are sort of like what mine … were …" I sighed. "… I guess there's no such thing as a perfect family and that's all I want. I want Sam and Jen back and nice parents for us! Is that too much to ask for?!" I cried. "… Clearly it is!"
"No," Johnny mumbled. "It's not too much! Everyone should feel safe, accepted, and happy in their own home! 'Cause you sure can't feel that way anywhere else in this crappy town!!" His breath was jagged as he shook his head unbelievingly. "You always gotta be on the lookout for socs jumping you just because you're a greaser! I'm sick of it!!" He got to his feet and walked out of the church heatedly.
Ponyboy stared at the floor miserably. "Even if we do go home, is it gonna be any different? The socs are always gonna hate us and jump us and … especially 'cause we killed one of them!!"
"It's hopeless," I said under my breath.
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The next day I slept on and off until seven pm. For the rest of the night I sat outside at the back of the church and watched the sunset with Johnny and Ponyboy.
"Pony?"
"Yeah."
"How come … How come we never hung out at school?" I asked quietly.
He glanced over at me and shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well … we should … Unless you …"
"No! No! Sure! Yeah, that'd be fine."
I grinned. "Good … I don't … have any other friends."
He smiled and turned back to the darkening sky.
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"Hey, blondie! Heh heh!"
I slowly opened my eyes. I tried to sit up but my whole body was stiff from the hard bench.
"Hey, Dal!" Pony's voice exclaimed.
I gradually turned onto my side and pushed myself up straight. Dally walked over to Johnny and ruffled his hair.
"Hey, Johnny! Rise and shine, man!"
"How's Soda doin'?" Pony asked quickly while Johnny sat up.
"Hey, Dallas! How are ya?"
"Is he pretty upset?"
"Are the fuzz after us? Didja hear anything?"
"Hey, hey, hey! One at a time now!" Dally spat, leaning against a wall. "You guys uh … hungry? You wanna get somethin' to eat? I'm starving, man!"
"You're starving?! Try bologna for four days!" Johnny snapped.
Dally laughed. "Eh, you got a cancerstick, Johnny?"
"Yeah."
Dally took it, lit it, took a long drag, then took a folded piece fo paper out of his pocket. "Got a special delivery for a Ponyboy Curtis."
"Who's this from?" Pony asked as he took it.
"The president of the United States of America."
"Yeah right."
"Serious! … From your brother, Sodapop."
"How'd he know I was here?"
Dally sighed. "I told him I didn't know where you were but he didn't believe me. He really wanted me to give that to you, man."
Ponyboy nodded and started reading it. I wondered what Soda had written. I sort of felt alone since no one wrote me a letter or ever would. There was no one who cared enough about me.
Johnny slowly ruffled his hair. "Hey, Dal, what's goin' on with the cops, man? You hear anything?"
Pony looked up from his letter. "How come you got hauled in?"
"Those boys down at the station know me by now. While I was there, they kind of beat it out of me that you guys were … get this one … that you guys were headed for Texas, man! Texas! Texas, man, gah!" He shook his head and stared at Pony. "Look at this guy with his hair, man! I can't believe that. Blondie, man! And you too River! You could almost pass as siblings."
"I know I look lousy but don't rub it in," Pony muttered.
Dally straightened up. "You guys wanna get somethin' to eat?"
"You better believe it! Let's get atta here!" Johnny exclaimed.
Okay so ... Like I said, please stick with me!!! And PLEASE review!!!!!!!!! I live off them and I would REALLY appreciate it. PLEASE!! I'm begging you!!! I've already written a bit of the next chapter and it's already better so ... yes.
I'm listening to Think For Yourself by the Beatles right now. ... not that you care -grin-
