Bexley woke up later in the night for a smoke. She had another nightmare again.
When their parents died, Ponyboy was the one to have constant nightmares, not Bexley. However, she did gain panic attacks after their death.
Her nightmare was of Ponyboy getting drowned in the fountain and then she saw Johnny killing Bob once again.
She shakily took a drag of her cigarette and blew out the smoke. It would help calm her nerves so she wouldn't have a panic attack.
Sometimes it would help and sometimes it wouldn't. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Ponyboy come outside.
"Bexley?" he said, making her look over her shoulder. "Oh, it's just you, Pone," she said, taking another drag of her smoke.
"What're you doin' out here? Can't sleep?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"No. There's too much goin' on in my head right now. Why're you up?" she lied. She didn't want to worry him a bout her nightmare.
"Heard somethin' scratching on the side of the church. Thought there was a monster," he said.
Bexley looked over at him for a minute. This situation has got his head messed up. "No, it was probably a raccoon or somethin'," Bexley replied, finishing her smoke before flicking it away.
"You think Soda and Darry are missin' us?" she asked. "Yeah, maybe. I don't think Darry does though," Ponyboy replied.
"I'm sure he does, Pony," Bexley said. "He can't stand me, Bex. Ever since Mom and Dad died, he hasn't," Ponyboy said bitterly.
"Pony, it ain't like that and you know it. Darry's just stressed is all after they died," Bexley replied.
Ponyboy looked away, frowning. He didn't believe a word of it.
"Look, let's go back inside and get some sleep," Bexley sighed, standing up. "Okay," he said, getting up with her.
The go back inside the church and managed to sleep the rest of the night.
(The Next Day)
For the next four or five days were the longest days that they had ever spent in their lives. They would bet their smokes in a game of poker, chase a rabbit through the field outside.
When they weren't doing all that, Ponyboy would read Gone with the Wind aloud to Bexley and Johnny.
Bexley laid on a pew on her front, bending her knees so that she could swing her legs. Johnny was eating another bologna sandwich with a side of pop to drink.
Ponyboy was sitting against the wall with his legs crossed, book opened in his hands.
"Lying in the pit of the sun, shoulder to shoulder, head to feet were hundreds of wounded men lying in the tracks, the sidewalks, stretched out in endless rows under the car shed. Some lay stiff and still, but many withered in the hot sun. Everywhere swarms of flies hovered the men, crawling and buzzing in their faces," Ponyboy read, grinning at Bexley and Johnny.
"Man, that's gross," Johnny said, looking over his shoulder to look at Ponyboy. "I'll say," Bexley agreed, taking a drink of her pop.
"Everywhere was blood, dirty bandages, groans scream curses of pain," Ponyboy continued to read.
(Evening)
"But for four years, she had seen others who had refused to recognize defeat. Men who rode gally into sure disaster, because they were gallant," Ponyboy read through the soft light of a candle that sat on a pew he sat against.
"Pretty cool, huh?" he said, looking over his shoulder to look at Johnny and Bexley, who sat on the pew. Both were having a smoke.
"Hmm. Gallant," Johnny said, dropping his head a bit, "Cool ol' guys remind me of Dally,"
"Dally? Shoot, he ain't got no more manners than Pony and I do," Bexley replied, gently elbowing him in the ribs.
"So does them southern boys," Ponyboy agreed. "Yeah, the manners bit. Charm probably too," Johnny said, "Go on, read on,"
After a while, Johnny had fallen asleep with his cigarette in his hand. Bexley fell asleep on the floor, using her jacket as a pillow. Johnny's smoke had falled from his fingers.
"Watch your smoke, Johnny," Ponyboy said.
(Morning)
One morning, Ponyboy had woken up much earlier than usual. The church was colder than ever. Dally had said that it would be cold up there.
Bexley and Johnny walked outside to the youngest greaser, seeing that he was watching the sunset.
They joined Ponyboy along a fence line so they could watch the sunset with him. The sky was a beautiful golden color with yellow, orange and some pink rays mixed in it.
"Golly, that sure was pretty," Johnny said with a smile. "Yeah," Ponyboy said, wishing that he had a canvas so that he could paint it.
"I never knew how pretty that it was. Guess we don't take the time to actually look at it," Bexley agreed, smiling warmly.
"The mist is what's pretty. All gold and silver. Too bad it can't stay like this forever," Johnny said quietly.
"Nothing Gold Can Stay," Ponyboy said. Both Johnny and Bexley looked over at him.
"What?" Johnny asked.
"Natures first green is gold.
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leafs a flower
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay," Ponyboy recited, not taking his eyes off of the sunset.
"Where'd you learn that?" Johnny asked, turning around to face the youngest greaser.
"Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered because I never understood what he meant by it," Ponyboy said with a shrug.
"In all the years I've known you, I didn't think my little brother was such a poet," Bexley said with a grin.
Johnny smiled at him and Bexley. "Y'know I never noticed the colors and clouds and stuff until you kept reminding us about it," Johnny said.
"Yeah, it's like they weren't there before, y'know?" Bexley agreed, smiling happily.
Ponyboy shrugged at this, "Yeah. I don't think we could ever tell Steve or Two-Bit. Or even Darry about the clouds and the sunset,"
"You can tell Soda, Johnnycake, and me. Maybe even Cherry Valance," Bexley agreed.
"Yeah, you're right. We can do that," Ponyboy agreed. "Hmm. Guess we're different, huh?" Johnny said.
"Shoot yeah. Maybe they are," the youngest greaser said with a smile.
He turns around and walks back down the path to get back to the church. Bexley announced that she would be back in a bit.
Bexley turned around to keep looking at the sunset. It surely was beautiful to look at. Johnny gazed at the grease girl, marveling at how pretty she looked underneath the sunset.
For the first time in a long time, Johnny felt relaxed. Back in Tulsa, he was always tensed up because of the socs.
He felt more relaxed with Bexley, who looked over at him. She took his hand in hers, making him light up.
His heart raced faster. He couldn't hold back any longer.
He leaned over to her and kissed her on the cheek. Bexley jumped when she felt this and felt her cheeks heat up.
She looked over at Johnny, who was looking away bashfully.
"J-Johnny? What was that?" she asked him.
"A kiss, Bex. I... I wanted to get this off my chest but couldn't bring myself up to do it. I... I like you, Bex. I have been since we were kids..." Johnny admitted.
Bexley's heart raced. She knew it...
"Johnny... I... I like you too..." she admitted, kissing him this time. But it wasn't on the cheek. It was on the lips.
Bexley had a feeling that he did like her in that way. But never thought it'd actually happen... it felt great.
Fun Fact: I'm actually related to the author of Gone with the Wind. It makes sense as to why I love to write so much.