Scars | Johnny Cade Fanfic

24 - Nothing

Triggers: Swearing

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Tru's POV 

Some time, something... I ain't keepin' track.

Clothing stores. Bookstores. The Drive-In. Dingo's. Restaurants. The convenience store down the street. The grocery store across the mart. Nothing. It was day three of trying to find a job and nothing.

"Any luck?" Steve asked, as I came out of the bookstore. Two, Steve, and Johnny were all waiting for me, huddling in a circle. Steve had the day off, and Mathews and Cade had nothing better to do than ditch school on a Tuesday afternoon. "You get the job?"

I stood in front of the door for a minute, tapping my foot impatiently, before continuing to walk down the city streets. "No. No Steve, I didn't get the job."

He gave me a small smile of sympathy, as well as the other two, before they all ran up to join me. There was a moment where all you could hear were cars rumbling, people talking, and once in a while, a bird flying over your head. It was quite peaceful, honestly, but naturally, I was too annoyed to even notice the beauty of it.

"Why do you even want this job, anyway?" Steve continued to interrogate me.

There was a small pause in the air. I couldn't tell them. Steve will give me that "I'm just trying to help, taking double shifts" crap, and Johnny will give me the "It was my fault" shit, and I just didn't want to deal with that.

"I just wanna earn an extra buck." I said, shrugging. "I'm a bit short on change."

"Well, I could have spotted you some money." The seventeen year old went on. "You sure you still wanna get this job?"

"I'm positive."

And that was the end of that conversation. In the gang, our word is our word. You say you're gonna fight in a rumble, you bet your ass you're going to fight in a rumble. We just stick to our word. That's how our gang is. If there's no word, there's no gang.

And I just lied. I broke my word.

"It ain't fair." I started off after a while, talking to no one in particular, mostly trying to change the subject. "It just ain't fair."

"Then why do it?" Two-Bit asked, as we began to walk back towards greaser territory. "Why try to find a job? It doesn't make you smarter, only gives you stress... and an occasional dollar here and there."

I had to crack a smile, so did Steve. Two-Bit never got the importance of work, much less a job.

"Take Steve for an example." Two-Bit began smirking, wrapping his arms around the seventeen year old. "He works, yet he's a full on idiot."

"Well of course I have to talk like an idiot, Mathews. How else are you gonna understand me?"

Just then, Two-Bit grabbed Steve in a head-lock, as Steve, himself, tried to fight back. They started kicking and punching on the sidewalk, yelling at each other, and shouting empty threats.

Of course Johnny and I just watched in puzzlement. It's not everyday you see two grown teens, flopping out on the floor having a war with each other.

"Did you try applying for the Dingo's?" Johnny asked me, totally ignoring the other two, who were kicking near his feet.

"Yeah, didn't work." I answered.

"The Nightly Double?"

"Yup."

"That place across the mart?"

"Yes, Johnny."

Then, the sixteen year old boy said something that really struck my attention. "How about Buck's Bar?" I froze and a big smile absent-mindedly grew on my face.