Thougths: Italicized
Regular P.O.V. : Johnny
P.O.V. Switch : Bold
Chapter 2: Surprises
I sat quietly in the passenger-seat clutching onto the half empty coke bottle as I looked through the window, looking at the sun going down slowly. Dally parked close to the Curtis home, but not so close where either one of them could notice. Just knowing this made my hands turn all clammy. "You okay, Johnnyboy?" I shook a little from the question. `I almost forgot Dally was in the car too ´ I took a small deep breath before I nodded my head shyly.
"Oh, I'm okay." My lips tugged into a small smile.
"Make sure you finish your coke; I didn't buy that for nothin." He muttered beneath his breath before he started back up the car and began driving towards the Curtis home. "Well I'm gonna go to the bucket. I want you to get some rest cause I know how you are after you leave the hospital" and he was right. I get tired easily once I leave the hospital.
"I'll see you later when I get a chance." He lastly said as he made a slow stop in front of the house. I opened the door and stepped out. He closed the door for me as I looked at him through the open window.
"Bye, Dally." I softly said to him as I waved my hand.
Giving a simple nod he then began to back out the small lot and zoom down the street. Although I didn't talk much on our outing, I still enjoyed his company as always. I gave a small smile to myself at the thought of it as I glanced at the sky. A mixture of blue, pink, and purple filled the sky so beautifully. "I-I bet it'd be even more beautiful to look at the sky with Dall-" "Wadda'ya say?" My body jolted in fear from the all-too familiar voice of Two-bit. I sharply turned to see that same cheesy-cat grin he always plastered on his face, and I prayed that he didn't hear me, but you can never tell if he did or not by the way he always looked.
He always looked as though he had dirt on every person he looked at.
"T-Two-bit!"
"I knew it. I knew it. I. Knew. It." He slyly stated. "I had my suspicion of you being a queer, but I ain't know nothin about you actually liking Mister big and bad himself." My body grew cold instantly the more he continued to talk. "You ain't gotta worry about a thing. If I told the boys and Dally found out, he'll probably knock the daylight out of me for putting your business out there like that, Johnnyboy. But golly. I can't wait till everyone else find out on their own." Shoving his hands inside his pockets he gave a slight chuckle beneath his breath. "Now if you'll excuse me, I hafta get to work-. You okay Johnny?" Was the last thing I heard before,
Everything went dark.
11:28 p.m.
My eyes fluttered open and was quickly met with one of the cushions that smelt like cinnamon. It was then that I got the idea that I was lying on the couch inside the Curtis house . The room was dark and the house was quiet. The only light that shined was the moon illuminating it's rays through the window. It must be late if everyone is asleep. I thought briefly to myself as I sat up. How did I get here?- ... I ... fainted. Realization struck me at a fast pace once I began to remember that brief encounter with Two-bit.
I could feel my heart sinking in my chest. "I shouldn't have spoken out loud like that" I brought my knees closer to my chest and rested my chin on it.
It's just like Two-bit to be nosey and taunt everyone, but I knew he wasn't bluffing when he said he wouldn't tell anyone or else Dally will beat the living daylights out of him. If anyone were to know about me, I'd rather have it be Ponyboy. It may surprise him a bit but at least he wouldn't tease me about it.
(Crash! s.f.x.) I snapped my head towards the door at the sound of glass breaking. "That sounded close." I whispered to no one. It's probably a cat or something; even so, it could be someone trying break-in.
"Psst! Johnnycake!" My body jolted at the loud voice that was unmistakably Dally's. Fear that someone would wake up, I hurried off the couch and sped-walk towards the door, stepping outside before he caused even more of a ruckus. "Well if it isn't Ol'Sleeping Beauty" he gave a long whistle at the end. "This one damn broad tried to get at me but I knew all too well that she had the looses pussy in all of Tulsa. ... You wanna go hang in my car?"
"You're drunk, aren't you?" My brows furrowed.
"I'm not `that´ drunk, Johnnycake. Now c'mon. I want to hang with you in my car." He slurred every now and then. I didn't want him to stay around the house making all this noise, so I followed behind him quietly.
"You're not going to drive are you?"
"I get it! I get it! You don't like when I'm drunk, and you don't like when I drive while I'm drunk. Relax, we're just going to hang." He glanced at me past his shoulders and smirked before we came close to the car. "Let's sit in the backseat, Johnnycake." He quickly opened the door and hopped in. Rushing over to the other side I opened the door and slid inside escaping from the cold. The car wasn't warm or anything, but it was enough to stop the chills.
I was about to question why he wanted to sit in the backseat till I saw him stretch his arms across the seats, lazily hanging his right arm over my shoulders.
My heart raced so fast that I could have sworn it was about to burst within my chest. Dally Winston; the most notorious man in Telsa, was here putting his arm around my shoulders. Compared to what was happening right now, I hardly noticed the smell of booze that reeked off him.
I wonder if he could hear my heart-beat just how I can?
"Wh-What do you want to talk about, Dally?" I managed to say.
His cold blue eyes stared at me silently before he whispered, "... I've been thinkin about yah non-stop ever since you've been in the hospital. It's just not fair, the way people treat you and such. It'd make sense if everyone treated me like shit. But you, Johnny, don't deserve none of it." His expression softened and it eased all the tension I felt.
"Every time I find you all beat up it make me strive to protect you a little more. Every time those Damn Socs or teachers call you dumb it make me hate everyone in the world a little more because you're not dumb. People don't really know how smart you truly are and that sickens me" I relaxed my body into the touch of his arm as I listened to him talk. "If you wanna know the truth, I really think you're strong." My eyes widened at that last comment.
"You think I'm what?" I spoke in disbelief.
After a moment I began to feel him move his arm till his fingers made contact with my hair, running them through my locks. "You've taken some brutal beatings from not just the Socs, but your own parents for a long time. Only someone strong can get back up and go along with that sad routine." My eyes fell from his gaze and towards my lap. I was afraid if I stared at him any longer I would start crying right then and there. "People can say that they love you easily because it's an easy word to say. I know I never really talk about my folks, but they don't give two damns about me. My Dad sold me off for five dollars when I was seven years-old and I had to run away to get back home. My mom let me get taken away to jail when I was ten and had the nerve to say it would give her and my dad some time to think. ... About what?"
"They didn't care if I got jumped, robbed, went to jail, or even had a heater pulled out on me. So all my life I call them liars because I remember being five years-old having my Ma tell me that she loved me. ... Nowadays I know what love is." I dared to look at him and soon afterwards felt warm droplets slide down my cheeks. "Love is someone who warns you not to do something because it's wrong. Love is someone who Damn near cries if they know you're going to the cooler but then give you the biggest smile when you return. ... Most of all, love is someone who keeps you together when everyone else is too scared to do it, and I like that feeling because I can only get it from you."
Something inside me screamed for me to tell him how I felt at this moment, but I didn't want to because he would probably forget in the morning time. He'd forget about sharing his story with me, telling me I was strong, and that he liked the feeling of love. He'd forget because he's drunk now. I wanted to tell him how I felt when he was completely sober.
If I'm lucky, then he didn't drink enough to forget in the morning.
"D-Dally, you should always know I care and worry about you because you go out of your way to do it for me. Far more than Ponyboy ever could, and that's my best friend." I brought a hand up to try and wipe away the tears that refused to stop. It made me cry even more because I couldn't stop myself no matter how much I fought it. "Y-You care for me more than my own parents and that's a shame! But you don't know how happy I am to have someone like you care for me" I hung my head. I hate showing Dally my face when I'm crying.
"Why are you cryin, Johnny?" His voice grew gentle.
"Cause everyone is wrong about you!" I couldn't control my voice from shaking. "Y-You're kind, Dally-!" I was caught off guard once he brought his other hand over to grab me by the chin and yanked my head back up so we were face to face.
"There's no need to hide yourself when you're cryin. It won't make me think any less about you" He then gave a small smile. "I always thought you were a cute little thing, but now, you're beautiful."
The atmosphere inside the car began to heat up, and the silence made it fell like I was deaf.
I have to be dreaming; there was no way in heck Dallas Winston, "The" Dallas Winston called me beautiful. My heart screamed and ached because I couldn't handle this side of Dally. He always shown me little pieces of how he cared for me, but this was too much to take in all of a sudden. "God. ... I-I can't take much more of it." I wanted to kill myself at the spot once I took Dally's hand away from my chin and slowly traveled it towards my chest. I didn't `Dare´ to look him in the eyes once I finally placed his hand against the spot my heart was. "M-My heart won't stop beating like this when I-I'm with you, Dallas. I d-don't care about saying it now because you won't remember any of this by the morning, but I-I'm in love with you."