Sequel: Take Me Back to Where We Started ›
I Could Use Somebody
Nine.
We walked inside the church and over the blonde kid sleeping on the church pew. I looked down and saw Pony's face.
"Hey Blondie." Dally said as he ruffled Ponyboy's hair. He walked over and kicked the pew that Johnny was laying on. Pony sat up and scratched his head then looked over at me. He stared at me for a second. "Johnny am I dreaming?" Johnny ignored him and started talking to Dallas. "What's up with the cops?" Dallas lit a cigarette then sat down on an old chair. "They think you're headin' for Texas man. Texas." I made a face at Dallas. He didn't tell me he lied to the cops, although I probably should've expected it. Ponyboy stood up finally and gave me a hug. "How's Soda?" I smiled at him. "He misses you Pony. So does
Darry." I remembered the night Johnny killed the Soc. I was on my way back from Buck Merrill's when I ran into Pony. I let him go to the lot. Suddenly, I felt like the whole thing was my fault. "I'm sorry. I should've made you go right back home. None of this would've happened if I didn't let you go to the lot." I sat down on the pew and threw my head back. Pony started shaking his head. "You guys wanna get somethin' to eat? Man I'm starvin'."
Dally chimed in. "You're starvin'? Try having bologna for four days!" Pony, Johnny and Dally started walking out of the church and I got up and followed. I felt like shit. I never really thought about it before. All I had to do was tell Ponyboy to go home and Bob Sheldon would still be alive. I felt a hand on my back. "It's not your fault, Nicole. Forget about it." Dally whispered in my ear as we got in the car. I let Johnny sit in the front so me and Pony were in the back.
Dally's driving was so ridiculous, I was surprised we made it to the Dairy Queen in one piece. "What do you guys want?" Dally took everyone's orders then went inside to get the food. As soon as he got out of the car I leaned up in my seat and rested my chin on the back of the passenger seat. "You alright, Johnny?" I didn't want to ask Johnny if he was alright while Dally was there because I figured Johnny would lie and say that he was fine. Johnny wanted to be just like Dallas. Which meant he had to be tough all of the time. Johnny scratched his head. "Yeah I guess." He looked around quickly then lowered his voice. "I've been thinking aabout going back and turnin' ourselves in. It ain't fair for Soda and Darry to be worried about Pony." I shook my head. "I don't know Johnny. Whatever you wanna do is fine with me, but I don't think Dal will go for that." I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Dally walking towards the car. I sat back and waited for him to get in the car. It was quiet for a good five minutes while everyone shoved food in their mouths, particulary Johnny and Ponyboy.
"We're goin' back and turnin' ourselves in." My eyes widened and Dally's head shot over towards Johnny. I didn't think Johnny would actually say something to Dallas. "Excuse me, what?" Dallas said, pointing to his ear like he didn't hear what Johnny said correctly. "I said we're goin' back to turn ourselves in." Dally laughed. "No you're fucking not." Johnny looked down. "I got a good chance of bein' let off easy,I ain't got no record with the fuzz and it was self-defense. Ponyboy can testify to that. And I don't aim to stay in that church all my life." I was shocked that that came out of Johnny Cade's mouth. ""We won't tell that you helped us, Dally, and we'll give you back the gun and what's left of the money and say we hitchhiked back so you won't get into trouble. Okay?" Dally shook his head. "You sure this is what you wanna do?" "I'm sure. It ain't fair for Ponyboy to have to stay up in that church with Darry and Soda worryin' about him all the time. I don't guess my parents aasked about me?" "No." Dally snapped. "They didn't. Who cares, Johnny. You think my old man gives a fuck if I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something, he doesn't care but that doesn't bother me. You're not going anywhere." Johnny started to raise his voice. "Well, Nicole agrees with me. She thinks we should go back." My jaw dropped. Dally started the car and began pulling out of the parking lot. "I don't care what Nicole says, you're not going back." That was the end of that conversation.
On the way back to the church Dally started talking to Johnny about how jail changed him, but I wasn't really listening. I already knew how jail changed him. "Are you guys back together?" Pony leaned over and whispered to me. I looked over at him. "How did you know?" He smiled. "I wasn't really sleeping when you guys came into the church, I was pretending. I heard saw you guys walking up the hill together." I laughed then turned my head because I heard people yelling. "What the fuck?" I shot up in my seat. Dally turned his head and saw what I saw. The church was on fire. "Jesus Christ."
Dally drove over towards the church and stopped the car. Before any of us could say anything Pony hopped out and sprinted into the burning church. "Where the fuck are you going?" Dally screamed after him. Without thinking I hopped out of the car and ran after Pony. I could hear Dally screaming from the car. "You step one foot out of this car and I'll kill you, you hear me?" That was the last thing I heard before I ran into the church. I could barely see because of all the smoke, and breathing was a whole 'nother story. "Pony!" I started screaming. "I'm in here." I heard him call from the back of the church. I made my way back there and saw Pony handing Dallas kids through a hole in the wall. I tried helping Pony but Dally started yelling. "Nicole, get the fuck out here right now. I'm not playing around." I looked over at Pony, then climbed out of the window. "You are so stupid. I can't stand it." Dally said as he took another kid from Pony. "You could've gotten killed." His voice cracked. "Christ" I took the kids and walked them over to the teacher when I heard Dally screaming. "Johnny, I told you to stay in the fucking car. Hurry up and get out of there. Both of you." I ran back over as Dallas pulled Pony out of the church and threw him on the ground. "Stupid kid." Dally hit him on the back to put out the flame but as soon as he hit him Ponyboy was out. I knelt down and propped his head up on my lap as the church started to cave in. "Help!" Johnny was still in there. Dally looked at me. "Go get him." Without hesitating, Dallas threw himself into the church. "I'm coming, Johnny!"
"Hey Blondie." Dally said as he ruffled Ponyboy's hair. He walked over and kicked the pew that Johnny was laying on. Pony sat up and scratched his head then looked over at me. He stared at me for a second. "Johnny am I dreaming?" Johnny ignored him and started talking to Dallas. "What's up with the cops?" Dallas lit a cigarette then sat down on an old chair. "They think you're headin' for Texas man. Texas." I made a face at Dallas. He didn't tell me he lied to the cops, although I probably should've expected it. Ponyboy stood up finally and gave me a hug. "How's Soda?" I smiled at him. "He misses you Pony. So does
Darry." I remembered the night Johnny killed the Soc. I was on my way back from Buck Merrill's when I ran into Pony. I let him go to the lot. Suddenly, I felt like the whole thing was my fault. "I'm sorry. I should've made you go right back home. None of this would've happened if I didn't let you go to the lot." I sat down on the pew and threw my head back. Pony started shaking his head. "You guys wanna get somethin' to eat? Man I'm starvin'."
Dally chimed in. "You're starvin'? Try having bologna for four days!" Pony, Johnny and Dally started walking out of the church and I got up and followed. I felt like shit. I never really thought about it before. All I had to do was tell Ponyboy to go home and Bob Sheldon would still be alive. I felt a hand on my back. "It's not your fault, Nicole. Forget about it." Dally whispered in my ear as we got in the car. I let Johnny sit in the front so me and Pony were in the back.
Dally's driving was so ridiculous, I was surprised we made it to the Dairy Queen in one piece. "What do you guys want?" Dally took everyone's orders then went inside to get the food. As soon as he got out of the car I leaned up in my seat and rested my chin on the back of the passenger seat. "You alright, Johnny?" I didn't want to ask Johnny if he was alright while Dally was there because I figured Johnny would lie and say that he was fine. Johnny wanted to be just like Dallas. Which meant he had to be tough all of the time. Johnny scratched his head. "Yeah I guess." He looked around quickly then lowered his voice. "I've been thinking aabout going back and turnin' ourselves in. It ain't fair for Soda and Darry to be worried about Pony." I shook my head. "I don't know Johnny. Whatever you wanna do is fine with me, but I don't think Dal will go for that." I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Dally walking towards the car. I sat back and waited for him to get in the car. It was quiet for a good five minutes while everyone shoved food in their mouths, particulary Johnny and Ponyboy.
"We're goin' back and turnin' ourselves in." My eyes widened and Dally's head shot over towards Johnny. I didn't think Johnny would actually say something to Dallas. "Excuse me, what?" Dallas said, pointing to his ear like he didn't hear what Johnny said correctly. "I said we're goin' back to turn ourselves in." Dally laughed. "No you're fucking not." Johnny looked down. "I got a good chance of bein' let off easy,I ain't got no record with the fuzz and it was self-defense. Ponyboy can testify to that. And I don't aim to stay in that church all my life." I was shocked that that came out of Johnny Cade's mouth. ""We won't tell that you helped us, Dally, and we'll give you back the gun and what's left of the money and say we hitchhiked back so you won't get into trouble. Okay?" Dally shook his head. "You sure this is what you wanna do?" "I'm sure. It ain't fair for Ponyboy to have to stay up in that church with Darry and Soda worryin' about him all the time. I don't guess my parents aasked about me?" "No." Dally snapped. "They didn't. Who cares, Johnny. You think my old man gives a fuck if I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something, he doesn't care but that doesn't bother me. You're not going anywhere." Johnny started to raise his voice. "Well, Nicole agrees with me. She thinks we should go back." My jaw dropped. Dally started the car and began pulling out of the parking lot. "I don't care what Nicole says, you're not going back." That was the end of that conversation.
On the way back to the church Dally started talking to Johnny about how jail changed him, but I wasn't really listening. I already knew how jail changed him. "Are you guys back together?" Pony leaned over and whispered to me. I looked over at him. "How did you know?" He smiled. "I wasn't really sleeping when you guys came into the church, I was pretending. I heard saw you guys walking up the hill together." I laughed then turned my head because I heard people yelling. "What the fuck?" I shot up in my seat. Dally turned his head and saw what I saw. The church was on fire. "Jesus Christ."
Dally drove over towards the church and stopped the car. Before any of us could say anything Pony hopped out and sprinted into the burning church. "Where the fuck are you going?" Dally screamed after him. Without thinking I hopped out of the car and ran after Pony. I could hear Dally screaming from the car. "You step one foot out of this car and I'll kill you, you hear me?" That was the last thing I heard before I ran into the church. I could barely see because of all the smoke, and breathing was a whole 'nother story. "Pony!" I started screaming. "I'm in here." I heard him call from the back of the church. I made my way back there and saw Pony handing Dallas kids through a hole in the wall. I tried helping Pony but Dally started yelling. "Nicole, get the fuck out here right now. I'm not playing around." I looked over at Pony, then climbed out of the window. "You are so stupid. I can't stand it." Dally said as he took another kid from Pony. "You could've gotten killed." His voice cracked. "Christ" I took the kids and walked them over to the teacher when I heard Dally screaming. "Johnny, I told you to stay in the fucking car. Hurry up and get out of there. Both of you." I ran back over as Dallas pulled Pony out of the church and threw him on the ground. "Stupid kid." Dally hit him on the back to put out the flame but as soon as he hit him Ponyboy was out. I knelt down and propped his head up on my lap as the church started to cave in. "Help!" Johnny was still in there. Dally looked at me. "Go get him." Without hesitating, Dallas threw himself into the church. "I'm coming, Johnny!"