Forever Apart (Johnny Cade) {The Outsiders}

Twelve

We knocked on the door of the white building I said Dallas was for sure in. There was loud music coming from the inside. When someone answered the door, he looked us up and down with judgement. "What do you want?"

"Dally, we're here to see Dally!" Johnny said.

"He's busy," the man replied.

"Tell him it's his sister Margaret and he'd better come to the door or I swear to..."

"Alright, alright." The man shut the door and went to find Dallas. I crossed my arms over my chest and shivered.

"We gotta get you out of those clothes," Ponyboy said.

"What do you guys want?" Dallas said as he opened the door. He stood in front of us with jeans and no shirt. He smelled of booze and cigs.

"Johnny killed a Soc," Ponyboy whined.

"What?" Dallas asked. He looked us up and down. "Alright, good for you. Come on, come inside." He pulled the boys inside and then grabbed my hand. I ripped my hand away from him and started to cry again. The night replayed over and over in my head. "Why are you all wet?" Dally asked me as he walked past us to lead us upstairs. "And why is your skirt ripped?"

He took us inside a room that he stayed in more often than his own home. I sat down on his twin bed and wiped the tears from my face.

"What's with her?" Dallas pointed to me.

"Soc tried to-to rape her, man," Johnny stuttered.

"He what?!" Dallas knelt in front of me and tired to look in my eyes. "Peggy..."

"Don't touch me!" I cried. He quickly pulled his hand from my thigh. He looked at the bruises on my wrists and then my ripped top. His face turned red with anger.

"And Johnny killed him?" I nodded. "Good. If he didn't, I would have." He opened a closet and grabbed two pairs of jeans. He tossed one at me and one at Pony. Then he tossed us shirts and jackets. He started going through drawers looking for supplies.

"What do we do Dally?" Johnny asked.

Dally handed a pistol to Johnny who quickly stuffed it in his pocket. Dally also rolled up some cash and gave it to Johnny as well. Ponyboy changed right in the middle of the room. "Come on Peg, get out of those clothes before ya freeze to death," Dally begged me. I looked up at the boys and they all sighed at the same time. The three turned around and continued talking while I changed.

I slipped off my skirt and flats and put on the jeans. I was surprised at how well they fit. Then I took off my ripped top and put on the sweater he tossed at me. I rung my curly wet hair out and then sat back down on the bed. "I need shoes," I spoke up.

"Right, right here." Dally dug through the closet until he found a pair of worn converse. "These might fit." He tossed them on the ground in front of me and I put them on. They were a little big.

"I told 'em where to go. I'll be there as soon as I think it's safe. Alright man?" Dally sat next to me and rubbed my back with his hand. I didn't look at him, I just stared at the floor. "Hey, Peg..." I pushed his hand off and got to my feet.

"They did it because I'm a Winston! Because you messed with his girl so he decided to mess with me. That was what he kept saying," I said through my teeth. I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my skin, until I could feel the pain relive my anxiety. Dally didn't want to argue or bicker with me. He stared at me, right into my eyes.

"I suggest you get her some contacts, or dye her hair. Anything to keep her from looking like me," he suggested to Pony and Johnny.

"Will do," Pony whispered.

"Come on." Dally led us down the stairs and back outside. "Take care, kids," he said to us. He then looked at me and sighed. "It's gonna be okay."

And we were off. We ran through the darkness to the train tracks which luckily weren't too far away. We climbed into an open cart and hid in the darkness behind boxes when someone flashed a light inside to check before they departed.

I sat in a dark corner and each boy sat on a side. Ponyboy continued to smoke to calm his nerves. Johnny wouldn't let go of my hand. The boys fell asleep soon after the train started to move. But I stayed awake. I stared at the wall of the train car and cried until there were no more tears left.

•••

Dally instructed the boys to go to an abandoned church on the top of a hill in the country side. The church was old and dusty and the air was damp, but we weren't going to complain.

We made camp in a random room in the church and slept through most of the morning. And when it was about noon, Johnny and I set out to get some supplies while Ponyboy continued to sleep. We went to a grocery store first. We got bread and meat for sandwiches, some fruit, and soda too. Johnny and I hardly talked the whole walk into town. It was when we were walking to the drug store when he finally said a full sentence.

"How are you doing?"

"Better," I answered as I kicked a rock. "I just can't believe...that happened. I'm still trying to-to wrap my mind around it." We walked inside the drug store. Johnny knew where he was going and what to get, so I followed him with my head down. He grabbed some peroxide and a pair of scissors and handed them to me. "What's this for?"

"You heard Dal," Johnny whispered. "Gotta make you not look like him."

"I didn't think he was serious," I said as we walked further down the hair aisle.

"Pony's gonna dye his hair too," Johnny added, as if it was going to make me feel better. We continued through the store and bought two blankets and a book for Ponyboy.

We carried our supplies in a wooden box and made it back just after Ponyboy woke up. We unloaded the box together and laid the blankets on the dirt ground. "Gone with the Wind? How did you know?" Ponyboy asked.

"I heard you sayin' something about it once. We also went to see that movie, remember?" Johnny said. "Thought you could read it, help pass the time."

"Peroxide?" Ponyboy looked at the bottle and then up at me. "Oh yeah! You're gonna be blonde," he laughed.

"So are you, Pony," I said.

"What? No, I-um, what about you?" He turned to Johnny.

"My hairs too dark. You two have dirty blonde hair, mines pitch black," Johnny explained.

"Well what about your appearance?"

"I'm gonna get my haircut," he said with a shrug. "Our descriptions are gonna be in the paper, Ponyboy. We have to."

"Go ahead," Ponyboy said with a sigh.

I opened the scissors and cut his hair short but still made it look nice. "Where'd you learn to do this?" Ponyboy asked me.

"I didn't," I replied. He looked at Johnny with fear who gave him an assuring nod. After I cut his hair, we moved outside where the hose was and turned his hair blonde. It made his skin look pink and it brought the green out of this eyes. It changed his appearance better than I thought it would. Then it was my turn. Ponyboy cut my hair so short, it barely touched my shoulders. Then him and Johnny washed my hair and bleached it blonde.

While Ponyboy cut Johnny's hair, I stared at my reflection. I couldn't believe how different I looked. The blonde curls were flattering for my appearance. I almost smiled at myself until I saw the bruises. Then the smile disappeared.