'That house isn't your home.' Ponyboy x Johnny

Chapter 12, Heading To School

Woah it's been a while! I apologize for dropping off the face of the earth

Johnny and Pony finished off their breakfast, and headed back up to Pony's room, to find Johnny some clothes.

As they walked up the stairs, Johnny remembered something. "Oh.. Um about your coat, I have it at my house, I swear I'll give it back today!" Johnny stuttered, making Pony smile. To be truthful, Pony didn't mind Johnny having his coat, it gave him a sense of comfort knowing that Johnny had some form of protection against the cold, even though it was February (I have no idea if I mentioned a time of year yet, so now its February... Enjoy)

"No worries, I have a couple coats from Soda- and really everyone else, perks of being the shortest I guess, then you had to come and steal that from me!" Pony smiled, now making Johnny laugh. If anyone else told that to Johnny, he'd think they were serious, but something about Pony was more childish, less serious. Maybe that's what made him so easy to talk to, hell it was even easy to sit in silence with him!

"Alright, I will warn you, just about all of my shirts are a little big on me.. so um,, you know." Pony muttered, not wanting to call Johnny short or small again.

"It's fine, until I was six I had to adjust my parents old clothes to fit me." Johnny smiled, Pony didn't reply, didn't laugh, just looked at Johnny for a moment, with concern and confusion in his eyes.

"Just problems with money and stuff.." Johnny muttered, as he turned his gaze to the ground.

"I get it, but the glory of being part of the gang is constantly having people to steal clothes from." (NOT ROMANTIC)

"Ha, suppose so." Johnny replied.

Pony rooted through his closet, before turning around to face Johnny. In his hands he had some sports jersey and a pair of grey jeans. He handed them to Johnny.

Upon further inspection, Johnny learned that the jersey was a 'Tulsa Drillers' jersey, his father used to talk about the sports teams in Tulsa, while they were still living in New York, he thought Johnny would be a good baseball player, a sports star in his words. Though, due to baseball tryouts in New York, right before they moved, he learned that Johnny can't through a ball if his life depended on it, at least he's not a bad pitcher.

"You can change in the bathroom, then we can run by your house to grab your bag, the school can lend you books for the first week." Pony smiled, something Johnny noticed he did a lot, like Soda did. His and Soda's smiles, or grins, were quite alike, except Soda's had a laugh to it, a tease even, while Pony's was more sympathetic, genuine in other words.

"Gee, thanks Pony!" Johnny said, if his parents taught him anything, it was to have manners.

Johnny went to get changed, while Pony got his bag, books and lunch money, making sure to grab an extra two dollars for Johnny, as he had a funny feeling his parents weren't going to give him money.

The pair left a couple minutes later, insisting on walking instead of Darrel driving them. Johnny led Pony to his house, not home, praying that he wouldn't be able to hear the arguing from outside.

Once they arrived outside the house, Johnny went in, making up some excuse on why Pony should stand a couple meters (23) down from the house, to which Pony obeyed for five minutes, then he walked into the front yard when Johnny went inside.

[Inside the Cade's household]

"Oh look what the cat dragged in!"

"I just want to get my bag." Johnny didn't think his mother would be up, as she's more of a 'stay in the bathroom for an hour and smoke' kind of morning person.

"Yeah, yeah. And don't be home till at least twelve tonight, your fathers out and I'm having a friend over." By friend she meant one of the neighbours, she uses the husbands for money and 'pleasure' (crying rn) and when Johnny was younger, she'd use the wife's as a baby sitter, or a one sided weekly play-date as she'd call it.

"Yes.." Johnny replied, while walking up the stairs, and tip-toeing to his room, not wanting to wake his father, last time he did that he got a lovely black eye.

He got his bag and went back downstairs, walking past his mother smoking while looking through the TV, wishing her life away. He knew his mother hated his father and him even, and he also knew that she was a horrible person, yet he couldn't help but feel bad for her, he knew she was looking for a way out, he also knew she needed a way out, everyone needed a way out of this 'family' or whatever they were.

Johnny left the house, not taking a second look at his mother, he didn't expect Pony to be there, but he wasn't mad, he was happy to know he didn't get bored and just leave. They were about the head off, when Pony bend down to tie his shoelace.

"Oh and Johnny, don't you get too close with the Curtis boy, you know what you'll father will do, and you can only see what I'll do in nightmares. Frocio inutile." His mother called, she didn't see Pony.

Johnnys face went blank, so did Ponys. Pony stood up and Mrs. Cade went inside with a smile on her face. Johnny didn't have much sympathy after that.

The pair walked to school in silence, Johnny was too embarrassed to say anything, and Pony was thinking of how Darrel would react. Darrel was protective of everyone in the gang, especially Pony, yet Pony could already see how he kept his eye on Johnny when the rest of the gang was there, he didn't know much about him yet he somehow noticed how he seemed more tense, scared. He was able to notice these things with people, animals too. Something about Johnny reminded him of a lost puppy, that was kicked one too many times.

They arrived at the pact school, teens flooded the grass lawn outside the school, while a rush of them ran into the building. Johnny tensed up, more than usual, Pony noticed that.

"It's not that bad, don't worry Johnnycakes, I'll be here to help ya out." Pony smiled, "I'll show ya to the principals office, she'll give you your schedule and lunch times, she's real nice!"

Pony somehow made Johnny relax, not many people were able to do that. Johnny hardly knew Pony, yet he felt safe and comfortable around him, most he something about the guy that just made him, well, him. Johnny didn't quite know what, but he knew he'll figure it out.

Notes,

I finally posted!! Wowza. This is very rushed towards the end, whoops, some bits won't make sense but just try imagine it however you'd like! Also, I forgot to write about Pony's parents, so they were just in their bedroom hungover or in work, as I said before, Darrel still plays the role of the parent! If you find any mistakes, you didn't!

The gang will come more into the story as the chapters go on, I swear!

Thank you all so much for 700 reads!? I'm literally so happy!! ALSO (x2) I will NOT be writing smut, I don't know if I mentioned that before, but just know that the most that happens is kissing, hand holding and cuddling!

Hope you have a good day or night.. or different time (?)

(I write on laptop btw, the layout may look kinda weird on mobile)