By the time day five came, Bexley and Ponyboy began to hate the taste of bologna. Everytime they looked at it, it'd make them feel nauseous.
Johnny said that they were smoking a lot more than usual, which was one reason why they'd feel sick.
Barely eating anything didn't sit well with it either.
The next morning, the trio was still asleep. There was the close sound of an engine cutting off. It was Dallas; he had come by to check up with the trio like he said he would.
He looked inside and saw the trio sleeping and he tried finding a way inside. When he did, he approached Ponyboy.
"Hey, Blondies," he said, touching Ponyboy's hair.
He saw that Bexley was also blonde. Ponyboy stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes, seeing the blue-eyed greaser standing over him.
"Hey, Dal," Ponyboy said groggily. "Wake up," Dally said, patting Pony's head, "How you been?"
"Hey, you love birds, rise and shine," Dally said, gently kicking the pew Johnny was laying on. Bexley was asleep on the floor on her front. She slept in front of Johnny's pew.
Both of them woke up and saw Dally. "Hey, Dallas, how are ya?" Johnny exclaimed happily. "Hey, Dal! What's been happenin'?" Bexley asked, sitting up.
Dally had instantly caught on that something went on between them.
They never thought they'd be happy to see Dallas Winston but he was their only news to what was going on in Tulsa.
"How's Soda doin'?" Ponyboy asked, sitting upwards. "Are the fuzz after us?" Johnny asked over Ponyboy.
"Whoa, whoa, one at a time, okay? Boy, will the boys be thrilled to hear about you two bein' together," Dally joked.
"Wha?! We're not together, Dal!" Bexley exclaimed, her cheeks becoming red.
"Oh, please. It's all over your and Johnny's face," Dally said with a chortle.
Ponyboy had seen what had happened from the church.
"You know Two-Bit's gonna give you two hell about it," Ponyboy said with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah," Johnny replied with an eye roll.
"Alright, so you guys wanna get something to eat? I'm starving, man," Dally asked a bit impatiently.
"You're starving? Try eating bologna for four days," Johnny said, scratching the back of his head.
Dally laughed a bit and asked for a cigarette from Johnny. Johnny gave him one.
When Dally got his cigarette, he pulled something out of his denim jacket pocket. "Special delivery for Ponyboy Curtis and Bexley Curtis," he said, holding a folded piece of paper.
"From who?" Ponyboy asked. "President of the United States," Dally said sarcastically. "You can't be serious," Bexley said with an eye roll, getting up from the floor.
"I got no sense of humor, girl. It's from y'all's brother, Sodapop," Dally said, handing Ponyboy the letter.
"How'd he know where we were?" Bexley asked, sitting down next to her little brother.
"He found Pony's sweatshirt at Bucks. He really wanted me to give that to you two," Dally answered, walking over to one of the boarded up windows.
Ponyboy opened the letter and began to read it with Bexley.
Well, looks like you two got yourselves into some trouble huh? Pony, Darry's awfully sorry he hit you. You know he didn't mean it. Bex, I know you're takin' care of our little brother very well. Dally had gotten hauled into the station and scared us somethin' awful. I wish you guys would come and turn yourselves in. We miss you two. Say hi to Johnny for us.
Sodapop Curtis.
They knew that it was Soda because of his handwriting. He definitely should improve his hand writing. Bexley's was much better than his.
Johnny rubbed his hair and stood up. "Hey, what's goin' on with the cops, Dal? You hear anything?" he asked, standing up and putting on his denim jacket.
"How come you got hauled in?" Ponyboy asked.
"Those boys down at the station know me by now," Dally said, sitting on a chair that was sitting on the small ledge at the front of the church, "Get this: They think you guys are in Texas. Texas, man! God,"
Ponyboy gets up and puts his jacket on. Bexley does the same and stretches her sore limbs. Dally got a good look at their hair.
"Look at these two with their hair, man. I can't believe it. Blondies," he commented, grinning sheepishly.
"Yeah, we look lousy. Don't rub it in," Ponyboy says crossly, turning around and walked to the exit.
"Nah, I think I look okay," Bexley said, running her fingers through her hair.
"You guys wanna get something to eat?" Dally asked, playfully pushing Johnny before walking forward.
"You better believe it," Johnny said, following Dally to the exit.
"Let's bail. I've been lookin' forward to having real to eat," Bexley said, following them outside and to the car Dally took to get there.
The car was a convertible and the top was down. Ponyboy and Bexley sat in the back. Johnny rode in shotgun.
"Where'd you get this car?" Johnny asked as they drove down the dirt road. "It's Buck's," Dally answered.
When they got on the main road, Dally decided to take both hands off of the steering wheel as a joke.
Bexley felt her stomach turn when he did that.
"Dal, what the hell are you doing!?" she shouted. "Watch it! Dal, don't!" Ponyboy exclaimed as the car swerved.
They make it to a DQ, and Dallas decided to swerve sharply into the parking lot. They were almost taken out by a truck.
"You trying to kill us!?" Johnny shouted in disbelief.
They pulled into the drive thru and ordered four BBQ sandwiches with a side of fries and four drinks.
After getting their food, they found a parking spot. "Look, that kid you guys killed had plenty of friends. There's gonna be an all-out warfare. Soc vs Greaser. Can't be walking alone so I started carryin' a heater," Dally said to them.
"Dal, you kill people with heaters," Ponyboy said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "It ain't loaded, is it?" Bexley asked, finishing her sandwich.
"Nah, it ain't," Dally replied, keeping the gun lowered so nobody would see it.
Then, a kid walked up to the car, asking for fifteen cents. "Nah, I don't have any money, man. Could you go away? We're busy here," Dally said, not looking at her.
The kid persisted, but Dally shouted at her to leave, and she did. Dally took off his sunglasses and looked over his shoulder.
"That was a close call. Tim's gang is coming to the rumble in the vacant lot. *Whispers* We got ourselves a spy," Dally said, lowering his voice.
"Spy? Who?" Johnny asked, looking at him with a puzzled look.
"That broad that I picked up at the drive-in. Cherry something... The redhead?" Dally said, trying to think. "Cherry Valance!" Ponyboy and Bexley both said.
"Yeah, she pulled up in her old Sting Ray in the lot where Two-Bit was jumped and we're all staring at her, right? I offered her a drink at The Dingo and she told me to go to hell. She said that those guys were drunk and you guys fought strictly on self defense. I think she's kinda cute," Dally replied with a grin.
The trio thought back to that night. Bob told them to pick up their own kind, like Bexley was. Cherry was scared of falling in love with Dally if she saw him again.
"Man, what do they do for kicks around her anyway, huh? This place is out of it," Dally said, looking around without any sort of interest, "This is the country, huh?"
"We're gonna go back and turn ourselves in," Johnny said, surprising Dally.
"What?" he asked, flabbergasted. He turned to face Johnny with wide eyes.
"I got a good chance of being let off easy. It was self defense; you just said it was. Ponyboy, Bexley, and Cherry could testify. We can give you back the gun, say nothing about you helping us, and you won't get into any trouble, Dal," Johnny explained.
"You sure?" Dally asked. "Yeah, I'm sure man! It ain't fair for Soda and Darry to be worryin' about Bexley and Ponyboy all the time," Johnny answered.
"The boys are worried. Did you know Two-Bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt for you?" Dally asked crossly.
"Did my folks ask about me?" Johnny asked with a hard swallow.
"No, they didn't ask about you! So what!? You think my old man gives a hang of I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something? He doesn't care! But that doesn't bother me none," Dally replied harshly.
Johnny didn't reply and sunk in his seat. "This is just great. I get you a hide out and you want to bail. That's just great," Dally said, slapping the dashboard.
They drove out of the DQ and they headed back to the church.
They knew that Dally was the type of guy that could take on anything. He was tough enough.
Johnny was a very good fighter but was very sensitive. It's not good if you're a greaser.
"Johnny, you don't know what a few months of jail can do to you, man. You get mean in jail. I just don't want to see that happen to you like it happened to me, man," Dally said to Johnny.
Ponyboy and Bexley were surprised to hear consideration from Dallas Winston. He had never talked like that before.
He'd always been distant and cold. They knew that him being sent to jail at age ten surely did cause that.
(Jay Mountain)
By the time they reached Jay Mountain, they all heard the sound of kids screaming and smelled fire smoke.
Looking off to the left, they had made it back to the church. It was ablazed in fire. They stopped for a moment.
"Whoa!" Bexley gasped. "Wonder how that started?" Ponyboy asked, leaning on the passenger seat.
"Jesus Christ..." Dally said, pulling up to the burning church.
There were two adults outside with a bunch of kids no older than six years old.
When they stopped, Ponyboy jumped out of the car.
"Pony! Come back!" Bexley shouted. "Get over here, man!" Dally should, raising up in the seat.
Ponyboy thought about whether or not if he wanted to go in there because some of the kids were still inside of the church.
Their cigarettes must've caused the fire. "Jerry! Some of the kids are missing!" the woman shouted.
"No, they're not, Tracy. Weren't you watching them?" Jerry said.
Ponyboy could hear screaming from inside the burning church, making his heart quicken.
He had to save the kids, so he took off running towards the burning church. "Pony!" Bexley exclaimed, hoping out of the car.
She chased him with Johnny behind her, much to Dally's dismay.
They run up the porch and try to pull the boards off, but it didn't do anything.
Johnny picked up a big rock and threw it at the boards, breaking them.
"Johnny! Pony! Get the kids out! I'll go around and help you!" Bexley exclaimed.
They agreed and went inside. Bexley got off the porch and ran around the side. Bexley could see a kids hands sticking out of the boards.
Dally followed her and helped her pull down the boards.
Smoke instantly hit their faces, making them cough.
"Dal! Take this kid, man! Take him!" Johnny exclaimed, hoisting one kid over the window sill.
Dally grabbed the kid and pulled him out. Bexley grabbed the next couple ones.
The ceiling was starting to cave in because of the burning flames.
Johnny hadn't made it out of there.
"Johnny! Get out of there!" Bexley yelled, scared to death.
"You're burning!" Dally shouted as he pulled Ponyboy out, whose arm was lit on fire.
"I can't get him!" Ponyboy yelled out.
Before Johnny could escape, a piece of wood fell, striking him on the back.
"JOHNNY!" Both Ponyboy and Bexley yelled as he fell through the floor.
Dally threw Ponyboy on the ground, putting his arm out. Ponyboy had been knocked out by the impact.
"Jesus Christ! Stupid kid!" Dally shouted at Ponyboy.
"HELP! HELP!" Johnny screamed in terror. "Johnny! No!" Bexley cried, running towards the collapsing church.
"Bex, don't! I'll go get him!" Dally shouted, pulling her back.
Dally turned and went inside the church, calling to Johnny that he was coming.
Bexley was about to go inside but she felt the smoke burning her lungs.
She instantly felt like she was going to pass out. And that's what happened...