A/N: S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. This Johnny (Johnny 2.0) is my own creation (along with Mikey, Dave, Shane, Pat, & Neil), though he was unashamedly inspired by Ms. Hinton's Johnny. Yay, a happy chapter! It was a long time coming, but now it's here!
"What's our topic, kid?" Dallas was sharpening his switch, so I knew he wasn't too interested to begin with.
"The socio-economic differences between greasers and Socs and the echoes of that rivalry within our modern community." I read, stumbling over the larger words.
"Sounds like a bunch of B. S. to me." he took the paper from me, read it, knit his brows together in thought, then gave up. "It's airtight, no wiggle room. We can't get outta this one, kid."
"Well, crap. I guess now we have to go interview people."
"Unless we want to B. S. something ourselves. What'd your dad say about going with me this weekend?"
"I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. He's been real busy with things ramping up for Christmas break and all."
"Well, gimme a ring when you do, my old man won't give a rat's ass, so I'll be in the clear. Now, let's see if we can get this project going, huh?"
A few hours later at the library, I still didn't care about that school project, and neither did Dallas. He was chain-smoking and trying to blow perfect smoke rings while attempting to not get caught. My head swam from the small type on the microfiche newspaper clippings that were more of a hindrance than they were worth. "I think they should've organized these better. I'm not finding a damned thing in here."
"D'you kiss your mom with that mouth?" Dallas laughed, shaking his head. I'd broken his concentration, but I don't think he cared. This was the first time he'd really heard me cuss. He had a beautiful laugh.
"I did, but she never caught on." I missed my mom still; I don't think I'll ever fully accept that she's gone. It hurts too much.
"What's got you all sad, kid? Did I say somethin' wrong?" He sat up in his chair and snubbed out the cigarette.
"This'll be the first Christmas without her. It just dawned on me." A couple tears slipped down my cheek despite my best efforts, and I angrily rubbed them away. I hated crying in front of people, it made me feel like I was five all over again.
"It'll be okay, kid. My mom's been gone since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. She just up and left one day without sayin' goodbye or nothin'. She left me this, though." He drew a silver chain out from under his shirt. A simple crucifix dangled delicately from it, still lovely after all that time.
"I have a medal, see? It's not from my mom, but I think of her when I wear it. It keeps me safe." I showed it to him, and he gently unfastened the clasp to get a better look at it. His hands were warm.
"This looks pretty old, kid. You should get some polish for it, that'll make it look real sharp." He returned the medal to my neck, brushing my hair out of my eyes before he sat back. "Can't keep that hair back to save your life." He smiled fondly at me, handing me a hankie. "Dry your face off, or those tear tracks will freeze."
I wondered why Dallas, who never did anything remotely related to school, if he could help it, was suddenly so interested in our project. It made no sense, and bugged me all the way home. Dad and Uncle Darry were stringing lights outside the house when I got out of Dal's car. "Hey, bud, how's the project coming?" Dad called.
"Not real good. I couldn't find anything worth writing about in those newspapers. I think you gave us the hardest topic on purpose."
"And what if I did?" He'd descended the ladder now and walked over to me, grinning like an old tom cat.
"Well, I just think two weeks isn't enough time to finish it, that's all."
"This unit won't be done until the summer hits. We're gonna go through all of Hinton's novels, so don't worry about it for now. How's your buddy?"
"He's okay; wants me to go with him out to the country this weekend. You think I could go?" I asked, hoping he'd agree. I lit a cigarette and handed it to him.
"I don't know, Johnnycake. We'll be pretty busy here," Dad looked at Uncle Darry, who was nodding his head, trying to help my cause. "but I guess if you think you'll be okay, I don't see why it should be a problem. Just have fun, okay?"
"Okay." I gave him the biggest hug I'd ever given anyone, and ran next door to tell Dallas. He was sitting in the oak tree on his front lawn, chuckling to himself. "What's so funny?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought you didn't like hugs."
"I don't, but he said it was all right if I came with you, and I thought that deserved a big one."
"We'll leave early tomorrow morning. How does 4 AM sound?"
"It sounds like I need to get ready, then."
We left at 4 AM, like Dallas said, and I wrapped up in that leather jacket before getting in his car. It felt colder than an icebox, but I was determined to keep warm. "The heater should be ready in a few minutes, just give it a little time to warm up." Dal shivered too, his breath freezing as he shuddered.
"Where exactly are we headed, Dal?"
"Windrixville. I wanted to see if anything's changed, and I knew you'd wanna come."
"Why're you bein' so nice to me?"
"Because I like you, kid. That's what people do when they like each other. I'm shocked that your cousin didn't stow away in the trunk, or somethin'."
"Dad and them have kept a real good distance between us. I don't think he'll bother me much anymore, now that he's goin' to an alternative school next year."
"I'll keep my eyes peeled, though. I don't want you gettin' hurt."
"That's what my dad says, too." I mumbled sleepily, curling up in the jacket.
"Get some sleep, okay, kid? We've got a long drive ahead of us." Dallas patted my knee, finally turning the heater on.