Going Home

Darry was telling us about how Cherry wanted to help us, when Johnny said that he was going to turn himself in, and that we were going to go home. Dally didn't seem to like that idea too much. He started cussing and swearing. I think that made Johnny real sad. He doesn't like it when anyone is mad at him. We stopped by the church to get our things that bought before we left, only to find it on fire. I asked the nearest adult what was going on, because by then there were people surrounding it. Mostly kids because the adult told me that they were having a class picnic. We found out that there were kids in the burning church, so Johnny and I went in to get them. You would think that I would have been scared, but I wasn't. Not at all. It was a very strange feeling. While we were in there, throwing kids out of the window, I glanced over at Johnny, who was smiling. He actually looked like he was enjoying himself. When we got all of the kids out, I jumped out of the window first, and I could hear Johnny scream behind me. Before I had the chance to go back in and get him, dally hit me in the back so hard that it knocked me out. When I came to, the adult I was talking to at the church earlier, Jerry, informed me that I was in an ambulance, headed for the hospital. I told him how Johnny was wanted for murder, and what had happened that night at the movies. He seemed to understand, and he was very encouraging. When we got to the hospital I got to see Dally, and he was going to be okay, but Johnny was unconscious when I saw him. A little later Jerry came up to me and told me that my brothers were here. I ran to the doors and gave Soda a huge bear hug. Then I saw Darry, just standing there in the door way. He had his hands in his pockets, and the same pleading look on his face was the same one that he had at our parent's funeral. He hadn't cried at the funeral, but he was crying now, which really made me understand the pain he felt. I ran up to him a big hug too. I was finally home, and it felt so good.

Living In The Country

When I woke up, Johnny had gone to get some supplies for us. He came back with a week's supply of bologna, two loaves of bread, a box of matches, a copy of the book Gone With The Wind, peroxide, a deck of cards, cigarettes, and some candy bars. Johnny convinced me to agree to him cutting my hair and bleaching it. I hated that idea, but I rather have my hair cut off, than have Johnny sit in the electric chair. I cut Johnny's hair too, but I didn't bleach it. I didn't like what I saw in the mirror at all that week. I hope my hair grows back soon, because I look like a pansy right now. After several days of eating nothing but bologna, reading Gone With The Wind to Johnny, and smoking a lot, Dally finally came. He gave me a letter from Sodapop, which made me even mare home sick. Dally took us for a drive to a Dairy Queen, and Johnny and I really pigged out. We drank cokes, ate sandwiches, and for dessert, we had banana splits and hot fudge sundaes. Dally also mentioned something about the Socs and the Greasers having a war everywhere, and that there is going to be a big rumble soon. That scared me a bit. What of something happened to Soda, or Darry, or two-Bit, or Steve? He also said that they had a spy. Johnny asked who it was, and the answer made Johnny gag, and made me almost drop my hot fudge sundae. It was Cherry.

I Got A "Bath"

We got to the park and were hanging around the fountain, when the blue mustang came driving around the park. Johnny and I were going to try to make a run for it, but before we could, five Socs came up to us, all looking pretty drunk. It all happened so fast. It was like a blur. They said that I needed a bath, and one of the Socs grabbed me and held my head under the water until I couldn't hold my breath any longer. Suddenly I was coughing up water. I saw Johnny sitting beside me, looking like he had just saw a ghost. He told me that he had killed him. Bob, the dark haired one. Cherry's boyfriend. Johnny saved my life, but instead of me thanking him, all I could do was worry about what we were going to do now. When I looked at the body lying there on the ground, with a pool of blood growing larger and larger around him, I started to feel sick. We thought quick and knew what to do. We went to Dally, because if anyone could help us, Dally could. We found him at a party, where he gave us a gun and fifty bucks. He also gave me a dry shirt and his jacket, since my sweat shirt had gotten soaked from the fountain. We got on a train, and headed for the county. We went to an old abandoned church which sort of creeped me out, and we fell asleep there on the hard rock floor instantly.