A/N: Another chapter for What Happens Next! I hope you like it, I was fun to write. I would like to thank the people who have reviewed this story, you guys rock! Don't forget to review! Please ignore the spelling/grammar mistakes I make in this, I do try to get them all but I never seem to. Oh, and I thought it would be cute if Ponyboy couldn't say Johnny's name right. :) I know that i said that this story was about what happens after the book (if Dallas and Johnny lived) but I really wanted to do this, so yeah.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders!

*My Friend Johnnycake*

Five year old Ponyboy Michael Curtis was at the playground with his brothers and their friends. Seven (almost eight) year old Sodapop was playing with his best buddy Steve and Two Bit and Darry were hanging out. Poor Ponyboy sat all alone on the swings, wishing that he had a best buddy to hang out with.

"Excuse me," Ponyboy was pulled from his pouting by a very timid voice. He looked up to see a boy, who looked to be about his age, standing in front of him. He had big, dark eyes, tan skin and shaggy black hair. The boy kind of reminded Ponyboy of a puppy! "M-m-may I-I s-s-sit h-here," The boy asked nervously. The boy seemed to be nice, maybe he could be Ponyboy's best buddy!

"Of course," Ponyboy cried loudly. He was so excited by the idea of having a best buddy that he couldn't control his voice. The loud cry caused the dark little boy to jump. Ponyboy felt bad for scaring him. "Oh, I mean yeah, sure. I'm sorry that I scared you." The boy nodded stiffly and took a seat on the swing. He kept looking at the hole in his left shoe, not daring to look a Ponyboy. Ponyboy found it odd that the boy wore a long sleeve shirt at the end of the summer. It was too warm to wear a long sleeved shirt. They didn't speak to each other for a while.

Ponyboy, who wasn't used to silence, was the one to break it. "My names Ponyboy Michael Curtis and I'm five years old! What's your name and how old are you?" Ponyboy asked. The boy looked up at him with large, brown eyes. He was almost looking at Ponyboy in surprise. Why would he be surprised by that? Don't lots of people ask him this? Ponyboy wondered.

"M-m-my name is Johnny Cade. I'm seven." He said it so quietly that Ponyboy had to get real close to him to hear.

"Wow, you don't look seven! I have a brother named Sodapop, and he's seven too! Shoot, I bet he's in your class!" Ponyboy said with a smile. Johnny still wouldn't look at him in the eyes. Well that was rude, Mommy always said to look people in the eyes when you talk to them. Didn't this kids parents teach him that?

"Y-yeah, I know Sodapop. Everyone knows Sodapop." Johnny murmured. Ponyboy smiled.

"Yeah, Soda digs okay, but our big brother Darry is pretty cool too! He's a real good football player and he says when he gets older, he wants to go to college." The boys sat there and talked for a while (Okay, so Ponyboy did most of the talking, but you get the idea), until the guys came over to the swings to get Ponyboy.

"Ponyboy, it's time to go home." Darry said as he and the others made their way over to the five year old. They were surprised to see him with another young boy. "Ponyboy who's this," Darry asked.

Ponyboy had a large grin on his face as he said, "Darry, this is my new bestest buddy, Johnnycake! He's seven, can you believe it!" Johnny blushed.

"P-P-Ponyboy, i-i-its Johnny C-Cade," Johnny stuttered. Ponyboy looked at him as if he were crazy.

"That's what I said, Johnnycake!" Ponyboy cried. Two Bit grinned.

"Nice to meet you, Johnnycake, I'm Two Bit Matthews." Just then, a young girl who looked to be a six year old, female version of Two Bit came running over.

"Keith, Mommy said its time to go home." Kelly told him as she played with her right pigtail. Two Bit groaned.

"Kelly, I've told you my name ain't Keith anymore! It's Two Bit from now on." Kelly rolled her eyes at her big brother.

"But your name ain't Two Bit, it's Keith, Keith!" With that, the little girl walked back to her mother. Two Bit rolled his eyes and muttered something about little sisters. He turned his attention back to the guys and said, "Well, I better go. It was nice meetin' ya, Johnnycake. See y'all later!" With that, Two Bit left the group. Once he was gone, the group turned their attention back to Johnny.

"Hi Johnny, my names Sodapop and this is my best buddy Steve." Soda said with a large smile. Johnny nodded, already knowing who they were from school.

"It's nice to meet you Johnny; I'm Darryl, Ponyboy and Soda's older brother." The eleven year old said as he held out his hand. Ponyboy rolled his eyes; sometimes Darry thought he was older than eleven.

Johnny grasped Darry's hand and shook it quickly, before he went back to looking at his shoes.

"Nice to meet you," Johnny murmured. Steve snorted loudly at Johnny's soft tone.

"Shoot kid, if you wanna hang out with us, you'll have to learn to speak up more!" Ponyboy glared at Steve.

"He doesn't have to speak up if he don't wanna, Steven!" Ponyboy said as he crossed his arms across his chest. The eight year old glared at the young five year old.

"I was talking to Johnny, not you, idiot. And who said you could call me Steven?" Steve shot back.

"I'm not the idiot, you are! And stop telling my new best buddy what to do! And I can call you Steven if I wanna, Steven." Ponyboy hollered.

"I ain't telling him what to do; I'm just saying he needs to speak up! Damn idiot." Steve muttered the last part, but everyone hear him. Ponyboy gasped and pointed a finger at Steve.

"Oh, I'm telling my Momma on you, Steve Randle! I'm telling her that you said the D word!" Ponyboy yelled.

"C'mon guys, quit fightin'." Soda yelled when he noticed the look of fear on the new kid, Johnny's, face.

"He started it!" Both boys said as they pointed fingers at each other. Darry seemed to have had enough of the fighting.

"The two of you stop now, or I'll tell Mom on both of you. Goodbye Johnny." Ponyboy huffed and said a quick goodbye to his new friend (and they agreed to meet up at the fountain in the park the next day) before he followed his brothers' home. Ponyboy thought there was something odd about that Johnny Cade. He didn't seem to like loud noises or fighting, and he didn't talk much. And who wears long sleeves in the summer? Ponyboy wished he knew why Johnny acted so weird. I'll just ask him tomorrow, Ponyboy assured himself.

What Ponyboy didn't know was that Johnny Cade came from an abusive home. In time, he would learn of his new friends home life, but at the moment, Ponyboy didn't know what phrase "child abuse" meant. For now, he would be completely obvious to the horrors of the world. He didn't know what troubled times lie ahead of him; he didn't know that his childhood would be cut short.