Stephanie's wild ride

Chapter 2

When I woke up I looked around , confused. How did I get on the couch? What the hell happened?

I tried to sit up but my head was pounding so much that I fell back against the pillows. I didn't feel the need to explain to Soda that he didn't have to keep his hand on my shoulder, I'm not going to try and get up.

"what happened?" I asked taking in the fact that the whole gang was there but Johnny. I felt a stab of disappointment but I wasn't sure why.

"I don't know Johnny brought you in and set you on the couch but you were unconscious." Soda said.

"Where did Johnny go?" I didn't mean to ask it, but I couldn't help myself I just had to know.

" He said he was heading for the lot because he couldn't bear to see you like this. He doesn't like when people get hurt and he doesn't like the anticipation he feels waiting for them to wake up and the disappointment he feels if they don't." Ponyboy explained from behind a book.

Why won't he look at me? I wondered. Do I really look that bad?

My thoughts were answered when Johnny did indeed walk in and for some reason I felt a sense of joy that he was here. What's wrong with me?

"Man stephie you look bad." Johnny said using my nickname I knew to get a smile out of me.

"Thanks Johnnycake. You really needed to point that out." I said laughing despite the throbbing pain in my head.

"Stephanie are you okay now?" Two-bit asked watching mickey mouse right next to me.

"Yeah I'm okay well besides the intense pain in my head but it doesn't bother me." I lied.

A couple minutes later, everyone had calmed down and realized when Darry came walking in.

" Hey steph I heard what happened are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine just f-" But I was cut off when the phone started to ring.

"Hold that thought be right back." Darry said grabbing the phone off the receiver and walking into the kitchen so we couldn't hear what was being said.

"Hey so what happened with Sylvia Dally? I haven't seen her in a while." Soda said changing the subject. I was especially grateful when he removed his hand from my shoulder he has a tendency to squeeze it and hard.

"The dumb tramp was cheating on me again while I was in the cooler." Dally said his face going hard. We all knew this has happened more than once so it wasn't a surprise that Dally didn't show that he was pissed off about it even though we all knew he was.

At that moment, Darry chose to make a reappearance, looking very pissed about something. It probably had something to do with the fight. "Suspended! You got suspended for starting a fight with a bunch of no good Soc's right outside of the school! Are you stupid! Did you honestly think that was the smartest thing to do! No you didn't because you don't think! God Stephanie I expect Ponyboy not to use his head but not even he would do something so fucking idiotic!"

"Darry you don't understand they were-" as I expected he interrupted me as always.

"No I don't want to hear your god damn excuses anymore! Go to your room I can't stand to look at you right now!" Darry yelled.

That's where I lost it. "Oh so it's alright for soda to drop pout of school to work full time at the DX and your yelling at me because I got suspended! Well fuck you Darry!" I ran to my room, slamming the door and throwing myself on the bed. Why does shit like this have to happen? Why do we have to go around carrying blades afraid that were going to get jumped? Why do we get all the tough brakes? It's just not fair. By this point I could feel the tears falling down my face but I made no move to wipe them away.

I heard a faint knock on the door. " If it's Darry go away! If it's Soda or ponyboy I'm not in the mood." I yelled cause I refused to take my head out of my pillow.

"It's Johnny." he said stepping in slighty afraid I was going to start yelling or something. Johnny really couldn't stand fights. I blame it on his parents and all the abuse he gets at home along with having to listen to it.

I sat up and wiped my eyes before turning around to look at him patting the side of the bed letting him know it was okay to sit down.

When he sat he looked at me for a minute before saying"Steph it's okay. Darry does care but he's scared that you getting suspended will lead to something worse like you running away or doing drugs or something."

Wow I never looked at it that way Johnny was pretty smart when he wanted to be. " Yeah I guess but it's just not fair. Why is he always yelling at me and Pony?"

"Because you guys get into the most trouble Sodapop can look out for himself he's proved that but you and Pony just don't think hell I don't even think sometimes." Johnny said laughing.

"Yeah I guess your right." I said looking at Johnny. This time I really looked at him. He wasn't this tough sixteen year old well on the outside he was or at least was when he had to be. But on the inside he was scared, vulnerable. If you pictured a puppy that's been kicked to many times you'll have Johnny. He was able to take alot of things but I've seen him break down to many times to count. It broke my heart knowing Johnny had to live like that. I suddenly felt that I had to protect him. That I couldn't let what's already happened keep happening to him. I- I think I'm falling in love with Johnny Cade!

Without realizing it, I had started crying again this time not gor me but for Johnny. It was like I was feeling the pain that he was feeling except he feels it everyday. It just broke me.

Johnny didn't mind he just hugged me. To tell the truth I liked having his arms around me, protecting me. I've never felt happier or closer to Johnny then I have at that moment.

"Shh it's okay I've got you." I smiled at the sound of those words but I heard his voice start to crack like he was going to start crying himself or something.

I loked into his dark eyes and leaned in. When our lips crashed together with a burning passion. Neither of us wanted to stop. I wound up laying under him as we fell onto the bed. Laughing to myself because of how much I was enjoying this.

At that moment Ponyboy and Dally walked in.

"woah what's this?" dally asked laughing his head off I guess at the surprise of Johnny with a girl but not just any girl. Me.

We pulled away and smiled although I did see Johnny's ears turn a right scarlet. He's very shy. Not that I cared.

That's when I really looked at Dally. Everyone knew he's spent three years on the wild side of New york aand had been arrested at the age of ten. He was tougher than the rest of us, tougher, colder, and had blond hair that looked white it was that blond. He didn't use hair oil so it just fell over his head in wisps and kicked out in tufts where it curled behind his ears and along the nape of his neck. His eyes were blue,blazing ice,cold with the hatred of the whole world. But that day I thought I saw care and compassion flicker across his face. You just never knew with Dallas Winston he was just that unpredictable.

"Steph... Why didn't you tell me you had feeling's for Johnny?" Ponyboy asked.

The truth is I did'nt know what I felt for Johnny. I guess I just kissed him because he was there for me when I was weak and he was the one comforting me. I haven't felt that in a long time.