I know some of you hate cliffhangers...but I just can't help it! Hope you aren't too mad! I also want to give Scarlett7 praise for her amazing work that I admire!

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Chapter XI

"Johnny, what is this?" Avianna was being lead blindfolded by Johnny who was taking her somewhere, for a surprise.

"Okay, we're here," Johnny said at last, who was so excited for her to see this. He took off the blindfold. Avianna stared in awe. They were on top of an old warehouse, overlooking the beautiful hillside, underneath a gold and pink and purple sunset. Just perfect.

"Oh, Johnny, this is perfect," she told him. He just stood there.

"I got us some dinner too," he said nervously. Avianna smiled.

"You're so sweet." She looked at him admiringly, and she kissed him as the sunset turned gold.

"You what?" Dallas yelled. He was taking Ponyboy and Johnny to The Dingo, and felt like driving.

"Dally, I said I want to marry her," Johnny stated matter-of-factly. Ponyboy shook. Marry her? Was Johnny insane?

"Yeah well, what the hell Johnny. She's fifteen years old. Fifteen Johnny!" Dallas raised his voice in disbelief.

"Well, I'm turning seventeen in two months and Avianna will be sixteen three months after that so-"

"Johnny what are you going to do for a job? You think she'd marry a jobless kid?" Dallas banged the steering wheel of Buck's T-Bird. Johnny wasn't serious, was he?

"Well, I've already got that situated. I got a nice job that pays pretty decent wages and I start tomorrow."

Dallas Winston hissed. Was Johnny serious? "Yeah well where the hell are you going to live? I know Avianna's not going to live in the vacant lot." Dallas was trying to put Johnny down to get him out of this crazy idea. But Johnny wouldn't give up.

"I figured we'd move into a hotel until we got enough money to buy a house."

"Yeah, well what about kids Johnny?" Dallas stated. Johnny turned red.

"I hadn't planned that far," was his reply. Ponyboy tapped Johnny's shoulder.

"Johnny," he almost whispered. "You're not serious are you?" But they both saw the determination in Johnny's eyes. He was serious.

After they got out of the car, Dallas leaned against the wall of The Dingo and just shook his head. "Johnny, come on, man. You're kidding." Johnny just sipped his Coke.

"No, Dal, I ain't kidding." Dallas just threw his Coke.

"Johnny, you gotta be kidding me. When did this idea pop into your head?" Johnny sighed.

"Last week."

"Johnny, why didn't you tell anyone?" Ponyboy scuffed the dirt with his shoe. Johnny can't do this, he thought. Marry her? What would she say?

"Because I was afraid of this," Johnny stated bluntly. Dally just shook his head again.

"Well, what would she say?"

"Gee, Dal, I don't know, but I want to marry her."

"Oh so you're just going to propose one day and say, marry me Avianna. I know you're fifteen but I got a plan to work this whole thing out. Hope you say yes." Dallas mocked him. Johnny looked sad. He knew the gang wouldn't understand.

"Let's just wait awhile," Dallas changed his tone. "Maybe until you guys are out of school."

"Yeah, that would be best," Ponyboy tried to understand Johnny. He sounded like he was going nuts! Marry Avianna! Well sure, they loved each other to the moon and back but seriously thinking about marrying her? At fifteen? But he wanted to drop the subject, for Johnny's sake.

The three boys didn't say anything. They pulled in back into the Curtis driveway. Steve ran through the door. "Heard you and Sugar went on a date last night!" he shouted to Johnny. I know what he's gonna say, he thought. Avianna came through the door. Steve turned to her. "Hey Sugar!" he picked her up and spinned her around. "Heard you and Johnnycake went on a date last night."

"Yeah, we did." Steve looked at them.

"So, are you engaged?" Steve laughed. Johnny turned red, and Dallas shook his head and blew his hair out of his face. Seriously, he thought. Ponyboy looked down, a bit mad. Johnny had already thought of that.

"No," Avianna looked at Johnny and slyly added, "Not yet." Johnny turned really red. Dallas walked out. Little kids! Johnny was serious, and Avianna didn't know. Yet she just reinforced his decision with 'not yet'. For the love of God!

It was a Saturday morning, and Avianna didn't get up out of bed. She took over Soda's room; he slept with Ponyboy anyway. Soda tried to wake her up, but no one could.

"Why don't you go in, Johnnycake?" Ponyboy suggested. "You have a way with her." Johnny went in, where Avianna was fake-sleeping.

"Avianna," he said softly. "Wake up." He tickled her, but she refused to get out of bed. "Why won't you get out?" he asked.

"Because I'm dying," she gasped dramatically.

"Of what?" Johnny gasped with fake concern.

"Loneliness," she said as if it were her last breath. Johnny smiled. "Is there a cure for this loneliness?" he asked her. "Do we need to take you into the hospital?"

"There's nothing they can do," she replied in the same dramatic tone. "There's only one doctor that can cure me."

"Oh," Johnny sighed. "What's his name?"

"Johnny Cade," she replied. Johnny shot her a glance.

"Well, what's the cure?" he asked. Avianna smiled.

"A kiss," she said, and he bent down to kiss her, and wrap his arms around her.

"Well good morning," Darry opened the door. Johnny reddened as Avianna blushed. "I thought you'd never get up."

"Well I'm up now," Avianna replied in a yawn. Two-Bit ran in. "Were they kissing Darry?" he asked. Darry turned.

"That was an understatement."

"Who knew Johnnycake could be romantic?" Two-Bit chortled. Johnny got even redder. Avianna smiled.

"I'll be out in a second guys let me get dressed," she said as the left. As Johnny left the room he thought, will I seriously get married to her? Oh yes. I will. I love that girl. And I'll never let her go.

"Johnny Cade!" Darry shouted across the living room. "We need to have a talk boy." Oh no. Ponyboy must have told him all about it. All Darry said to him was, "Drop it kid. You're way too young."

"Ponyboy!" Johnny whipped around. "Who said that you could tell him?" Ponyboy shrugged. "That was personal you idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot."

"Fight, fight, fight, fight,fight," Two-Bit chanted. Then stopped. "Tell Superman what?"

"Nothing," Johnny and Ponyboy sighed at the same time. Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, if it was nothin then you wouldn't mind telling me what it is," he intrigued. Johnny looked wide-eyed. "Come on Johnnykid. Please tell me."

"I don't want to."

"Please kid-" Two-Bit turned to Ponyboy- "Pony, tell me." Johnny gave Ponyboy a glance, who's eyes said, "No, no! Please Ponyboy! Don't tell him!"

"No," Pony said at last. Johnny sighed with relief. Two-Bit looked disappointed.

"Since when was you keeping secrets from me?" he got some chocolate cake out of the fridge. "Johnny, your fiancée is here." Johnny turned multiple shades of red. Were they catching on? He wondered. Maybe I should just blurt it out. No. I can't. Not in front of Avianna or Two-bit or Steve or anyone but Dally, now that Ponyboy's untrustworthy.

"Hey, Sugarcube," he smiled. Avianna came up to him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Since you are a doctor, yes, yes I am."

"Hey, since when was Johnnycake a doctor?" Steve jumped up. He messed up his hair. "I know you got dreams kid, but since when did you want to become a doctor?"

"It was a joke Steve. I don't wanna be a doctor," he stared at the wall. Avianna piped up. "Stop teasing my Johnnycake, okay."

"Your Johnnycake?" Darry blurted out. "Since when was he yours?"

Dallas ran through the door. "Hey Johnny," he came and messed up his hair. He looked at Avianna. "God, you look pretty today, Anna." Johnny growled.

"She looks beautiful Dally, she's just more than pretty, she's more than beautiful. She's gorgeous," Johnny said with a smile.

Darry forced Avianna to go to school. He said that she just couldn't stay home and do nothing.

"Hey, pretty," a soc with brown hair and hazel eyes winked at her. "What's your name?" Johnny jumped in front of her.

"None of your damn business," he growled. The soc smiled.

"Greaser, greaser," he chortled. He looked at Avianna. "Can't you tell me your name?"

"Avianna," she mumbled sourly. He smiled at her. To all the other girls in the school, he was handsome. To Avianna, he was ugly.

"You wanna go out sometime, baby?"

Johnny felt defeated. He couldn't compete with this soc. Avianna gave a disgusted glare, and kicked his shin.

"Oww," he gasped. "I think you broke it." He was holding his leg.

"It's called a shin kick soc. Just for your information, I already have a boyfriend. Get lost."

"I should have done that," Johnny hung his head. Avianna kissed him.

"You're fine. What you said was enough."

Avianna signed up as a freshman even though she was a sophomore brain wise. The teachers were a bit shocked that she was so smart because she hadn't known any material. She was like Soda when it came to attracting the opposite gender, but she didn't want to.

She became friends with Cherry and Marcia and two other girls named Nickita and Janae. They were socs. Janae didn't like the fact that she was dating Johnny Cade and friends with the Curtises and Dallas Winston, because she had a huge opportunity, in her opinion, to date the big-shot, Mark James.

"I don't care about him, he's ugly," Avianna said for the seventh time that day. Janae would just go, "Whatever, you still had a big chance. It's like kicking the opportunity to become a millionaire."

"I don't want to be a millionaire," was always Avianna's reply. She saw Johnny. "Guys, watch this."

She walked up to him. "Hey Johnny," she said with her eyes. Johnny just stared at them. He had no idea she was walking around in a circle. Her eyes, like a piece of the sky, but they were more beautiful than the sky, they had gray in them with the slightest bit of green. Like the ocean. Her eyes, her beautiful, majestic, gorgeous, beautiful eyes..."Hey!"

Avianna had tripped him with her foot, and he landed face first on the grass. She laughed her head off. "I'm gonna get you back," Johnny wiped the dirt off his cadet blue shirt. Cherry and Marcia didn't even say hi to the boys, even though Ponyboy stared directly at Cherry.

"Some trick, huh, Johnnycake?" Two-Bit helped him up. "Who knew Sugarcube could pull a stunt like that?"

"And I thought you were an angel," Johnny sarcastically sighed. The bell rang. "Oh, no, we gotta go. See you after school, Sugar."

"You too Johnnycake," Avianna replied as Janae dragged her away.

"You-of all people-hang around those greasers," she sighed. "I can't believe you feel safe around them. They're hoods."

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say sweetheart."

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Okay...I know mainly all of you are probably mad at me for the whole cliffhanger deal. I'll try to make Chapter 12 not a cliffhanger. Also, at the end of my story, I'm going to make a chapter praising my reviewers, and yes, I will read all of them to say thank you.