The next morning, Saturday, Ponyboy didn't want to do his homework. He just wanted for find himself a book to read.
But every book he has read over a hundred times already and he was getting bored of it.
He then grabs Johnny's copy of Gone with the Wind.
It did hurt a lot that Johnny and Dally were gone; taken from this world unfairly.
Two-Bit remembered giving Dally the butterfly switchblade and gripped it tightly when Dally was killed.
"Is that blade the only thing botherin' you?" Steve said bitterly towards Two-Bit.
"No. I wish it was..." Two-Bit said with a shakey breath.
Dally and Johnny were more than just their buddies. They were their brothers.
But to Bexley, Johnny was much more than that.
Johnny was a good listener. They remembered when he told them that he hadn't done enough in his life to die. Leaving Tulsa was the only thing that he had ever done.
Bexley remembered when Johnny had kissed her when they watched the sunset together.
It showed just how they meant to each other. But inevitable fate had to get in the way.
Ponyboy opened the book and saw one of the page folded under the front cover.
Bexley walked in the room to get something when he saw her little brother holding what looks like a letter.
"What you got there, Pone?" she asked him.
"Looks like Johnny had written us something," he replied.
Bexley froze for a minute. She then walked over to him and read it over his shoulder.
They swore they could hear Johnny's voice.
Ponyboy, Bexley, I asked the nurse to give you guys this book so you can finish it. I don't mind dyin' now. It was worth saving those little kids. They're lives are worth more than mine; they have more to live for.
Bexley, you don't need to worry about me no more. You find somebody that's gonna take care of you for me, okay? You and Ponyboy take care of yourself for your brothers. You know I'll love you for always.
You guys tell Dally that it's worth it. I'm gonna miss you guys. I've been thinking about that poem, that guy that wrote it. He meant that you're gold when you're a kid. Like green. When you're a kid, everything's new. Dawn.
Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony, that's gold. It's like the way you're there for your family, Bex. That's gold too. Keep it that way, it's a good way to be.
I want you guys to ask Dally to look at one; I don't think he's ever seen a sunset. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally, I don't think he knows.
Your buddy, Johnny.
When they finished reading the letter, Bexley had tears in her eyes.
Dally was gone. They couldn't tell him...
Bexley smiled and gave her little brother a hug, to which he hugged back.
"Pony, I'm gonna go for a walk, okay? I gotta do some thinkin', " she said to him.
He nodded at her and watched as she left the room.
Both of them pictured the millions of boys and girls living on the wrong side of town, having black eyes and scared of everything.
They would watch sunsets, seeing something good despite the world being a terrible place most of the time.
They would be standing under the street lights because of how mean and tough they were.
None of them would believe that there was still good left in this world.
People had the right to tell their own stories and many people would learn to not judge a book by its cover no matter how much hair oil they put in their hair.
Ponyboy had called his teache to ask him about his semester theme, and he got permission to make it more than just a page.
As for Bexley, she walked down the street and saw the sunrise in the distance.
They both remembered a quiet and defeated sixteen year old whose hair needed to be cut and had black eyes that were always frightened.
They also remembered a tough blonde boy that always had a cigarette in his mouth.
The last boy they remembered seeing was a soc with dark hair and rings on his fingers.
They've all been taken under one week.
Ponyboy figured out what he wanted to write about and he picked up his pen.
He started it out like this: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home...
This concludes the third rewrite of my first story on The Outsiders. I'm gonna keep it like this. Let me know what you think about it.
I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm gonna rewrite my other ones because they need an update too.
Thank you for sticking with me throughout this.