soo ... yes. well ... chapter nineteen. amazing. haha.


Chapter Nineteen

"I'll give you guys a ride for your money," Dally stated as we headed out to his car.

Dally was an insane driver and I spent the entire ride to Dairy Queen clinging to the seat for dear life, my eyes closed, and the thought "Please don't crash! Don't kill me like this!" racing through my head. When we finally reached Dairy Queen I was so startled, Johnny and Ponyboy had to tell Dally what I wanted as I stared into the sky, my heart flipping around in my chest, and my whole body trembling from head to foot. When we parked, Johnny and Pony started horking down the food so fast I had just unwrapped my burger when they were starting their second (yes, I have problems with wrappers, even easy ones that come with fast food).

"Glory. You don't need to make like every mouthful's your last – I got plenty of money!" Dally exclaimed, gawking at them. "Take it easy, I don't want you gettin' sick on me. And I thought I was hungry!"

I took a bite of the burger and almost died from the forgotten taste. Sure, I hadn't had any burgers during those long torturous days in the church but I hadn't had a burger since months before that either.

"Oh, I didn't tell y'all something," Dally started, swallowing. "The socs and us are having all-out warfare all over the city. That kid you killed, Johnny, had plenty of friends and all over town it's soc against grease. We can't walk alone at all."

I watched Johnny's face grow darker and darker. I knew how guilty he felt. He felt like it was his fault all the socs and greasers had even more tension and conflict between them. But Dally and Pony never noticed anything.

"I started carryin' a heater …"

I gagged and Pony's mouth dropped.

"Dally! You kill people with heaters!" Pony cried.

"Ya kill 'em with switchblades too, don't ya kid?" Dally nudged Johnny who sighed and stared at his feet.

"Ouch," I muttered but Dally continued.

"Don't worry, it ain't loaded. I ain't aimin' to get picked up for murder. But it sure does help a bluff. Tim Shephard's gang and our outfit are havin' it out with the socs tomorrow night at the vacant lot."

"What?!" I spat and Dally stared at me, his eyebrows raised high. "Well, that's just gonna fix everything, ain't it? More people getting injured, maybe even killed, and no one's gonna win! No one can win!"

"What are you talkin' about, you pratty broad?!" Dally glared at me and I physically shrunk away, terrified. "You don't gotta come!"

"I'm not gonna!!"

"Good!! 'Cause you ain't invited! Why do you hang out with these guys anyways?" He looked around at Johnny and Pony who both froze their chewing and frowned at him. "Do you really think you're one of the gang?"

"Dally!" Johnny moaned.

That stung! My chin quivered as I clenched my eyes shut to stop the tears. How could he be so heartless? How's it human to not care so much, to love to hurt others so much?

"Don't talk like that to her!" I heard Johnny say surprisingly strongly. "You're part of the gang, River, don't worry."

I opened my eyes a bit, blinking lots, to see Dally rolling his eyes and Johnny watching me.

"Two-Bit got jumped a few days ago," Dally went on, all anger or any other rare emotion completely gone. "Darry and me came along in time but he wasn't havin' too much trouble. Two-Bit's a good fighter. Hey! I didn't tell you – we got us a spy!"

"A spy? Who?" Pony asked, surprised.

"Remember that uh … Remember that good-looking broad I tried to pick up the night you uh … killed that kid – what's her name? Uh … Cherry something – the redhead?"

"Cherry Valance?" Pony exclaimed. "The soc?"

"Yeah, she came over to the vacant lot the night Two-Bit was jumped. That took a lot of nerve. Some of us was for jumping her then and there, her bein' the dead kid's girl and all, but Two-Bit stopped us. She said she felt that the whole mess was her fault, which it is."

We sat there silently, everyone eating gratefully. Suddenly, Johnny broke the silence. Johnny very rarely broke a silence.

"We're going back. We're gonna turn ourselves in."

Dally's eyes grew huge as he stared at him incredulously. "What?!" he spat.

"I got a good chance of being let off easy! I ain't got no record with the fuzz and it was self-defence, you just said. Pony and Cherry can testify to that …"

"No, no, no, no, no," Dally muttered, shaking his head angrily.

"… and – and we won't say that you helped us. I'll give you back that gun so you won't get in any trouble!"

Dally glared at the dashboard, thinking heatedly. "… Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Johnny rubbed his head, looking scared and upset.

"This is what you wanna do? Even though us greasers get it worse than anyone else?"

"Yeah, sure man. It ain't fair for Darry and Soda worryin' about Ponyboy all the time!" He swallowed and looked at Dally out of the corner of his eye. "I don't … I don't guess my folks are worryin' about me or anything …" He shrugged, trying to look like he really couldn't care less, but everyone knew different.

"The boys are worried! D'you know that Two-Bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt for you?!"

Johnny groaned and started looking frustrated. "Dally! I asked if my parents asked about me!"

"No," Dally shouted, "they didn't ask about you!! So what? You think my ol' man gives a hang if I'm uh … dead in a carwreck or drunk or in jail or somethin'? He doesn't care! But that doesn't bother me none! Come on! You're not – You're not goin' anywhere!"

Seeing Johnny's clear disappointment on his face nearly made me cry. He cared so much and always gave people so many chances. His parents abused him constantly but he always went back, always gave them another chance to change … and they never did.

"I get you a hangout and a hideout! Look at this, now you wanna split! … Just terrific!" He punched the dashboard and stepped on the gas, peeling out of the parking lot. "Blast it, Johnny! Why didn't you think of turning yourself in five days ago? It would have saved a lot of trouble."

Johnny sighed heavily. "I was scared … I still am."

I never really dwelled on how much stress Johnny must have been going through the past few days. Just now I was realising how terrified he really was. He was mortified of cops in the first place but now that they had a reason to be after him, that terror must have been multiplied to completely unbearable.

Johnny stared at his feet quietly, looking entirely miserable.

"Johnny, I ain't mad at you," Dally pleaded softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You don't know what a few months in jail can do to you. You get mean in jail! I just don't wanna see that happen to you like it happened to me, man! You understand?"

My eyebrows pushed together. Dally didn't reassure people! Dally didn't care about other people's feelings! Dally cared about Dally and that was it.

Johnny looked over at him and sighed. "… Would you rather have me living in hideouts for the rest of my life, always on the run?"

Dally swore and slammed on the brakes abruptly. Thinking Dally was going to flip on Johnny, I looked up from my lap, ready to yell at Dally, when I noticed the huge amount of smoke billowing out of the church.

"What's going on?!" Dally snapped as he stepped on the gas and drove up closer.

"Wonder how that started," Pony said sarcastically, throwing away the cigarette he'd just lit.

Dally shut off the car and stared at the church, shaking his head unbelievingly. Pony jumped out and ran over.

"Get back in here before I beat your head in!" Dally roared.

Johnny, Dally, and I all watched as Pony started talking to a big balding guy, Johnny halfway out the door. Soon a lady ran up to them frantically.

"Jerry, some of the children are missing!!" she cried.

Just then little screaming voices came from inside the church. Pony started and whipped around, horror on his face. Then he turned and ran. Johnny quickly slipped out of the car and followed. I tried to go too but Dally grabbed the back of my sweater and held me back.

"PONY!!" Johnny shouted after him.

I struggled against Dally's grip but he was so much stronger than me. I stared at him incredulously. "Why won't you let me go?!!"


i think dally actually does have a heart. but he hides it well. he was taught on the streets that having a heart can kill you. he still feels. ... hmm ... JOHNNY RULES MAN!!!! hahaa