Just The Two of Us (Johnnyboy)

Chapter Three

Ponyboy turns on the fan in Soda's room. Johnny lies down on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He's breathing heavily. Ponyboy notices the rise and fall of his chest, watching it for a bit too long. Ponyboy slides onto the bed and sits down criss-cross next to Johnny. He looks down and meets Johnny's baby browns.

"Do you know what's wrong?"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know." Johnny sighs. "We were just so close and squished together. I started feeling real hot man."

"Oh, it's probably just our body heat mixing together. Maybe you're more sensitive to it than I am. Why didn't I think of that!" Ponyboy puts his head in his hands with his elbows resting on his knees. "Sorry, Johnnycakes."

"It's alright Pony. I still don't feel to good, man. My stomach feels all weird and my face is all hot. Man I haven't ever felt like this before. I'm not sure what's wrong with me." Johnny says, he rolls over on his side to face away from Ponyboy. He winces slightly because of her arms, but Pony is pretty sure he'll be alright.

"Oh jeez, Johnny. Do you think you might be sick? Sometimes I feel like that after eating too much cake or smoking on an empty stomach." Ponyboy lays down with his hands being his head.

"Maybe man, I'm not sure. But I've felt a bit worse since coming in this room alone with ya. I ain't real sure why." Johnny says facing away from Ponyboy.

He frowns, poking Johnny's shoulder. "Are you sure? The fan ain't helping?"

"I don't think so. I'm all nervous and junk and I don't know about what! It's just so... I don't know!" Ponyboy is taken back by Johnny's sudden emotional wave. He scoots closer to him and starts to rub his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Johnnycake. I really hope you feel better. Sometimes our mind makes up stuff to be scared about, savvy?"

"Mhm. Yeah Pony." Johnny says. Usually when Ponyboy touches Johnny's shoulder he doesn't seem to mind. Pony does it all the time. He seems to like it normally. But he just seems so tense, and the poke of the shoulder seems to have made him even more tense. Ponyboy sighs, wishing he could help more than just talking. But that seems to help Johnny when he's feeling down a lot, so why isn't it now?

"Do you wanna try going back out there? Maybe it'll help you feel less anxious and all that junk."

"Maybe. I don't know what's up with me! Man, I don't feel tuff."

"We don't really gotta feel tuff all the time. Sometimes you don't and that's not a bad thing." Ponyboy sits back up. "Let's try, okay?" He smiles and rolls Johnny over one-handed.

"Okay Pony." Johnny says. They walk back out the living room. Johnny plops himself down in their recliner. Ponyboy sits on the floor next to the chair, gazing up at Johnny in admiration. He didn't know why he felt like that, but it was something he started feeling in the church. Five days that felt like five lifetimes.

Johnny looks down at his feet as he sways them in the air. Ponyboy wonders what's wrong with him. He feels real hot and his stomach hurts. And he said he felt worse in the room alone with him. He isn't sure what could be wrong. He gets up on his knees and places his chin on the arm rest of the recliner.

"Hey, Johnny. Let me check your temperature if you don't mind." He places his hand on Johnny's forehead and it feels pretty fine. Just a little warmer than usual. Why did he say he was feeling so warm? Ponyboy notices Johnny seems to tense up when he puts his hand to his forehead.

"Man, do I feel warm to you?"

"Mm, not really. I mean, it's a tad bit more than usual but not to the point where I'd be really worried." Ponyboy resumes his position on the arm rest. "You seem kind of tense, too."

"I feel kinda tense, man. I'm feeling all this weird junk I've never felt before and I don't get it!" Pony tries to cock an eyebrow.

"Like what? What does it feel like?"

"My stomach is all nauseous feeling and my heart is beating real fast. I'm feeling all hot!" Ponyboy frowns.

"Oh, I don't know if that's normal. Are you nervous 'bout something? Cause that's kind of how I feel when I am." Ponyboy gulps. Why did he check Johnny's temperature? He knew he was feeling hot. That was just plain weird; he shouldn't do that again. And it made him show the same symptoms Johnny was describing.

"I'm feeling nervous but I have no idea why man. I know everyone I'm around, and I'm somewhere good. I don't know why I'd be nervous." Ponyboy thinks. What reason would he have to be nervous right now? He thinks and thinks. Suddenly, he gasps.

"Johnnycake, have you met any girls recently?" He grins like the Cheshire Cat. "Maybe you have the hots for a girl finally!"

"I don't know Pony. I haven't really talked to any new girls. I don't really talk to girls in general. I mostly only talk to you guys."

"Are you sure? Cause I bet you're thinking about her right now!" Pony grins. Johnny doesn't respond and instead shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"I ain't thinking about no girls. Man... I'm too shy to talk to girls. I've never really had the hots for a girl before." Johnny says while uncomfortably shifting in his seat.

Ponyboy sighs outwardly, but on the inside he knows it's true. He just wants an explanation as to why his best friend is feeling like this. Best friend.

"You really sure you haven't? Ever? Even when you was a kid?"

"No, I've never had a thing for a gal before Pony. I just never have." Johnny says, his eyes darting around the room, refusing to look at Ponyboy. Ponyboy senses Johnny's discomfort.

"Hey, chill out. I wasn't trying to freak you out or anything. I don't care if you don't like girls. I don't really care for 'em all that much either. Well, mostly..." Ponyboy thinks of Cherry's emerald eyes. But they don't hold what they used to, just a mere five months ago. Why?

"I've never really cared for gals. I'm not sure I ever will Pony. It's just that... no one can ever know that!"

"Huh? No one can know what; we all know you don't like flirting. Steve even tried to stop Dal's ex girl Sylvia from getting sweet on you. You're acting kinda odd, Johnnycake. I'm worried." Ponyboy admits. Johnny seemed almost panicked in a way.

"I'm worried too, Ponyboy. I know I'm odd. I just don't know what's wrong with me!"

"There's nothing wrong with you, Johnnycake! I promise, it's okay to not want to mess around with blondes. Not everyone wants to. You'll find a chick eventually." Ponyboy says with a comforting tone. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Johnny, he means it. He's perfect, honestly.

"Yeah sure. I'll find my chick out there, I hope. I just hope she's got brown hair and greenish gray eyes, like yours Ponyboy..." Johnny says, then he sighs, as if he's longing for something. Ponyboy feels his cheeks heat up rapidly. He always thought his own looks were sort of basic and lousy, but to know that Johnny thinks of them that way is real nice.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah, Pony. I mean, you got real pretty eyes. I feel like I could stare into them all day long." Ponyboy smiles. His stomach feels tight and his palms are sweaty.

"R- really? Wow. That's awful sweet of you. I could say the same about yours." Johnny chuckles nervously. He looks down at his feet, then back up at Ponyboy. Johnny feels his heart beat faster. It's like going for a drive with Dally, it's going a million miles an hour. Ponyboy starts to feel an awkward silence between the two, which doesn't happen very often. It doesn't happen at all, really.

"So... Do you want a piece of cake?"

"Yeah, yes please. Cake is real nice, real, real tuff." Ponyboy can tell that Johnny is just spouting stuff to fill the awkward silence between the two. The two start to discover that their friendship is going to soon be more than that.