Chapter 9:
When he came out of the shower, we were all sitting on the couch, staring at him. "Is there something we need to talk about?" Johnny asked, you could tell this freaked him out a bit.
" Yeah, there is." Darry said. Johnny's face turned serious and scared at once.
" What might that be? I'm real sorry if there's anything that I have done wrong."
" You haven't done anything wrong, Boy." Darry reassured him, and you could tell that it lifted a lot of weight off of Johnny's shoulders.
" Alright. Then what do you want to say to me?" He asked in a tone of voice that sounded almost businesslike.
" Well…." Darry trailed off. He did the same thing he had while speaking with Johnny's father.
" Yeah?" Johnny questioned
" How'd you like to stay here?"
" I already am aren't I?"
"No. Like live here. I'd adopt you." Darry said his voice stronger now.
" You'd be my… my father." Johnny asked, with thrilled delight in his eyes.
" Legal guardian would be the proper term." Darry said. Johnny could care less what Darry had to say about proper and not proper. He got the point; we wanted to take him in.
"I'd love for you guys to adopt me!" He exclaimed, and then added, " But you can't."
" Why not" Darry asked.
" My old man. He'd hunt you down. I don't know why he does all that he does to me, but he does. He'd come over, and beat you three. You could run from it Darry, but Soda and Pony can't, they're minors, like me. They'd get hurt, maybe worse.
"There ain't any reason for him to harm you like this, Johnny. Do you want us to take you in?" Darry asked, completely ignoring Johnny's warning for Soda and I.
" Yes, I do."
" Then it's settled." Johnny smiled, but didn't say a word. Then we all smiled at each other. You could see tears starting up in his eyes.
" What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing, I'm finally going to be loved! That's all I ever wanted, to be loved by a family. Now, my family is going to be three people that I absolutely adore." Hearing this made Darry, yes I said Darry, start to sob silently.
" Johnny, I don't know how to say this." Darry started. " But, I might not be able to take you in.
" What do you mean?" Johnny asked sullenly
" Well, I'm still quite young myself. I have two kids I'm already taking care of, Soda and Pony, and adding a third may make the court and state come after me. I mean… it is hard already, we're barely making ends meat as it is. I'm not saying that I don't want to, but might not be able to. Anyone would be proud to call you his or her son, Johnny. I'd love to take you in but…"
" I understand… but please… try." Johnny murmured.
" I shall. I'll fight to get you I'll fight hard. Harder than anyone's ever fought, to get custody of a kid. But just know…" His voice fell, he couldn't say much more, without losing his strong, steady, never faltering voice.
" I know. Thanks guys." Johnny said and he gave us this smile that we'd never really knew he had.