Surplus

1.

Johnny's switchblade dug into the soc's back. He watched as the boy he just killed plunged into the water. With the remaining adrenaline Johnny had left coursing through his veins, he pulled Ponyboy out of the fountain and onto the cement.

The realization of his crime started to hit him. The soc he killed, Bob, had put him through indescribable pain. Pain that he could only compare to the first time his Father hit him. A pain that would follow him even into death.

Ponyboy eventually came around. The wet boy stared at the corpse in the blood stained water. After one second too long of looking at what has been his tormentor, he hurled. He hurled onto the ground even though his stomach was full of nothing but acid and fluids.

" We have to find Dallas, Johnny," Ponyboy stuttered, shivering against the cool breeze. "He'll know what to do."

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If only Dallas had known how to maturely handle the situation. He instructed the two boys to run away and hide in an abandoned church. Of course, Johnny and Ponyboy were already thinking of running. Dallas just had to push them in that direction.

Now Ponyboy was sitting in a hospital waiting room, his hair and face covered in soot. Johnny was rolled in on a stretcher. He was hardly breathing and several doctors rushed to the parapmedics. Words Ponyboy couldn't comprehend were exhanged by the professionals. Johnny was whisked away down a hall or two. Ponyboy's head was spinning. Dallas was rolled in next.

"Ever pull a stunt like that again and I'll kill ya." Dallas threatened, pointing a finger at Ponyboy. He stared at Dallas. The words entered one ear and washed out the other.

With widened eyes, Ponyboy felt behind him for his chair and slowly lowered himself down. His eyes were fixated on a cross in the tiled flooring of the hospital waiting room. He slowly leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. A sickening feeling danced in his stomach. He was going to hurl. Pulling him from his train of thoughts was a voice. One that he hadn't heard in an awful long time. One that was soothing. Ponyboy slowly looked to his right to see his older brothers rush in.

Without any other words, Ponyboy leapt from his chair and sprinted to his brother, Sodapop, capitulating him in a loving hug. Sodapop released the frail boy. Ponyboy took one look at Darry and immediately threw himself into Darry's arms. Darry looked as if he hadn't slept a wink. He looks pale and thinner.

"I thought I lost ya like mom and dad.." Darry spoke, his voice was once loud and scary but now it was soothing. It had a grip on Ponyboy's heart, one that wouldn't let go.

"Let's get you home, kiddo." Darry's voice was muffled out by Ponyboy's overwhelming thoughts of his parents, Johnny, Dallas, everything.

He was lead to their family truck. It was hardly still running but it got the job done. He climbed into the back seat and stared out the windshield. His thoughts drowned out the sound of the radio static and music. His eyelids were heavy. He was warm, comfortable, and safe. Shortly, Ponyboy drifted into sleep.

The truck came to a stop right in front of the Curtis' house. The truck door opened and Ponyboy was lifted into a familiar pair of arms.

"He's gettin' awfully big to be carried, dontcha think?"

"He's lost a lot of weight, Soda."

Ponyboy desperately wanted to tell Sodapop to just leave him be and let him sleep but all the he could do was yawn. His eyes remained closed. Despite his best efforts of trying to wake up enough to take his shoes off, he still fell into a deep, deep slumber once Darry tossed him onto a bed.