The five were all getting ready for the rumble. Steve and Soda were playing one of their many card games, Two-Bit was in the living room, Darry was in the next room, Ponyboy was in the bathroom fixing his hair. I was sitting on the couch, leaning my arm on the couch arm and my leg bouncing up and down out of nervousness. While I was sitting there, I couldn't help but think the worst of what could happen at the rumble.
"Remember, don't go out this house at least till we all get back," Darry said, coming in from the other room taking me from my thoughts, "Pony'll be here too with ya so you won't be alone."
Ponyboy started to protest and somehow managed to convince Darry about letting him go. The three brothers then started to tease each other back and forth, then running out the house laughing and shouting a minute later, the best friend and the jokester following behind the three. They were all laughing and shouting and doing flips and everything as they ran out the house and down the street. I couldn't help but laugh at their antics as I watched them from the doorway as they flipped and jumped around- even Darry. My own smile was still in place even when they were out of sight.
I turned back to go inside the house like Darry wanted me to, but stopped as I opened the door while at the same time heard someone call, "Rain!" I turned and saw Dallas getting out of a car. "C'mon, we gotta go," he said, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the car. I got into the back seat and he drove off.
"Where're we goin'?'" I asked over the sound of thunder.
"To the rumble," he answered.
"But I thought you were in the hospital?"
"I was."
"Then how'd ya get out?"
"I always get what I want." I could see a smirk playing on his lips along with his answer.
That's both a good thing and a bad thing, I thought. "Did you get to see how Johnny was doin' when you left?"
His smirk quickly left his face and now he had a blank expression. "You ask too many questions, ya know that?" He didn't turn to me, just kept his eyes on the road. And even though he didn't technically answer me, he did in his own way.
He drove to the sidewalk across the street from where the rumble was gonna take place. "Stay down and don't get outta this car unless I tell you to, am I clear?" he asked even though we both knew I had no choice. I nodded and he got out the car and ran over to the large crowd of dark figures that were only slightly illuminated by a small fire about ten feet away from the large crowd.
I did as I was told- which was a rare thing- and stayed inside the car. I crouched down on the floor of the back seat and poked my head up to see what was going on through the window, but not a lot so that no one would see me. It was kinda hard though, trying to see through the slight fog that had been created by the slight rain that had started, but I could make out where my friends were, who was getting kicking around, who was kicking someone around, and anything else in between. Some of the things though, I wish I didn't see happen to the people I knew in the crowd.
A little while later, I could see Socs running away from the site and to their cars. I ducked down by leaning my back against the inside of the car door and laying down on the floor of the car slightly where it was so dark, I could barely see my hand right in front of my face. I nearly jumped outta my skin when I heard the two front doors open suddenly and close and two figures now sat in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. I calmed down when I heard someone with Dallas' voice call out through the car, "Rain, you in here?"
I got up off the floor with a small grunt and leaned on the back of the passenger's seat. "Right here," I answered then looked at the beaten up figure in the seat, "Oh my gosh, Ponyboy, are you ok?"
He shut his eyes and leaned into the seat and nodded slightly as Dallas started the car and drove off a million miles an hour. I could see blue and red lights flashing behind us and heard a police siren from behind us. "Act sick," Dallas whispered to Ponyboy, who nodded and slumped down in his seat a little more.
"Ok, where's the fire?" the cop asked as he leaned against Dallas' window.
Dallas acknowledged Ponyboy in the seat next to him, "This kid fell of his motorcycle and I'm takin' him to the hospital," he lied.
The cop looked at me. "And you, little missy?"
"I'm his sister," I lied, though we all knew I might as well be.
The cop nodded and looked back at Dallas. "How bad is he?"
Dallas shrugged. "I dunno! I mean, do I look like a doctor to you? But he looks pretty bad, don't he, Rain?" I nodded.
"How 'bout an escort? It'll get ya there quicker."
"Sure." The cop nodded and walked off. I heard Dallas snicker, "Sucker." The cop drove past us with his sirens and lights going off and Dallas driving close behind him as fast as he could.
Dallas had started to lecture the two of us about something. I would've paid attention, but my mind was stuck where it had been the rest of the day. I knew we were going to the hospital at some point tonight, even when he picked me up at the house, and I knew it wasn't all for Ponyboy. There was only one reason Dallas Winston would be voluntarily driving to a hospital, especially since he always referred to them as "hell hole".
"…get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You get tough like me, and nothing can touch you," Dallas said and slammed his fist against the steering wheel. He let out a tiny sob but quickly swallowed it, trying not to let it show to me and Ponyboy. The rest of the ride there, no one said a word and made a sound.
We got to the hospital and rushed to get to the front entrance. "Rain, help me here with Ponyboy," he commanded. I nodded and did as he said. Ponyboy was somewhat awake. He knew what was going on, where we were, and he could kinda stand up on his own but needed a little help walking- but if you looked at him, it was obvious he need at least a little help walking at the moment.
"You two ok?" I asked as we walked down the hall. I looked at the two I'd known all my life, yet I felt I was looking at two strangers. They both nodded, Ponyboy a little slower. Even though I felt like I was looking at strangers when I looked at them for the moment, I could still tell they were lying. They were obviously just trying to focus on the situation at hand instead of the cuts and bruises that covered their bodies. They were so used to trying to hide their emotions, I don't think they knew how to answer something like this genuinely, even though it was just me.
We got to Johnny's room. I decided this time I would suck it up and go in, but kinda regretted it the minute I walked in. I knew this would be the last time I would ever see him, even though I didn't want it to be, but I had to face the reality and the real world.
I had to accept that everything and everyone around me was changing, whether whatever changed was a good or bad thing.
…To Be Continued… To Love A Greaser…
This is officially the end of "Before the Love". Hope you enjoyed it, whether you read this before or after "To Love A Greaser"… if you didn't read it yet, ignore most of the author's notes I put, especially about planning to do this story cause the official order for my little trilogy is now:
Before the Love
To Love a Greaser
The Power of Love
Enjoy! Thank you for reading this one! Peace from all the hippies of the world! =^-^=