Beach Babe | The Outsiders | Johnny Cade

| Shock | 66 |

I rounded the corner, walking with my head down, staring at the snow falling onto my boots. I heard people talking ahead of me and I briefly looked up so I could avoid them. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Two-Bit and Steve staring back at me.

"Stacy?" Steve whispered.

"Yeah?" I looked away and the next thing I knew Steve swept me up into a hug and Two-Bit nearly tackled me.

Two-Bit cupped my cheek. "Where the hell have you been?! Are you okay? What happened to your hair?" He asked urgently. Why does he care?

"Two, I'm fine.." I took a step back. They both had deeply concerned and relieved looks on their faces. "You both thought I was dead?" I guess.

"Yeah. Where've you been? We tried to go to the hospital but they wouldn't tell us anything and we saw your truck at your house but no one ever answered the door. We've all been worried sick about you!" Two said. He shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around me, I didn't realize I was shivering. Steve was playing with my now-short hair.

"Wait... what? I thought you all were done with me and that's why you didn't visit. I.. I was in the psych ward. You tried to come see me? Really?"

"Yeah!" Steve exclaimed. "We were all worried sick about you! Darry nearly fought a snooty doctor who got smart with him at the hospital." Steve adjusted his jacket, it's weird seeing him with sleeves on.

"Oh." I wipe my eyes, they don't hate me, they aren't done with me. "How is everyone?"

"Pony, Darry, and Sodapop have never been closer." Two-bit cracks open a can of beer.

"Me and Hannah have been going steady still." Steve adds.

Two takes a long drink of his beer. "Oh, and Dally got out of the cooler yesterday-"

"Dallas is alive?!" I cut him off, my eyes suddenly wide and my brain working double time. "I saw him get shot!" Steve and Two-Bit exchange a glance, a silent conversation going on between them. "Hello?!"

Two swallows. "Stacy, is that the last thing you heard about Dally?" I nod. "Okay, well, he did get shot but he didn't die. He spent a week in the hospital before he went to jail. He got out yesterday."

My head starts to become fuzzy. "He's really alive? He- oh. Dally's alive! That's great!" I couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying, or both.

"That's not all. Here- sit." Steve gently pushes me to sit down on the bench on the sidewalk. I look up at them, deeply confused and worried. "Johnny is alive too."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "No.." my hand creeps up to cover my mouth.

"Yeah. After you all ran out of his hospital room he was resuscitated. He's been living with the Curtis's, he's doing well, he walks with a bad limp if he doesn't use his crutches but other than that he's good." Steve smiles. "He's okay, Stacy."

I didn't know I had any tears left till they were rapidly pouring out of my eyes. Two and Steve sat on either side of me and comforted me till I stopped sobbing, which took forever. My Johnny is alive. If I hadn't spent all my time moping around and drinking I could've been with him.

"He's the reason we got to you before you pulled that trigger." Two says, his voice solemnly. I look up and tilt my head. "Jesse paid Johnny a visit before you, he told him everything he planned to do to you then left. By the time he got a nurse to let him make a phone call, he thought it was too late. I'd never driven that fast. Steve, Soda, and Darry were with me. When we opened the door we saw you, Jesse, and Theo, the floor was covered in blood. I practically lunged at you when I saw that gun pressed to your head. It was a terrifying sight. I still have nightmares about it." He whispers. The way he describes his point of view makes me sad, I hate that I did that to everyone. I just hate myself in general.

"Can I see him? Does he want to see me?" I ask quietly.

"Does he want to see you? Stacy, he's been calling your house and the hospital twice a day since everything went down, he made one of us track down Theo and ask him if he knew anything. The guy is still crazy about you. He loves you, Stace. He's been worrying himself sick over you!" Steve says, squeezing my shoulders. "Do you want to see him now?"

I freeze up, see Johnny? Am I ready for that? What if he thinks I look weird? What- "Uhm- I- Yes." I say shakily. I stood on wobbling legs as they walked me back to the house. Steve went through the gate and up the porch, Two-Bit started to join him when he noticed me frozen on the sidewalk.

He gently shook my shoulder and looked at me with worry. "Stacy? Hey, breathe. What's going on?" Steve turned around but Two-Bit just told him to go ahead and go in. "Stacy, talk to me. You're freakin' me out."

I felt like my body was made of lead, my legs wouldn't go forward, Earth was spinning far too fast around me. My heartbeat thudded loudly through my ears, I couldn't breathe right. I knew what this was, I've had them before, this is nothing new, but it's only new because it isn't about something bad, so why was it happening now?

At that moment all I wanted was to be comfortable, I wanted to be sitting on a warm beach, under warm blankets, on my couch watching TV, anywhere but the cold sidewalk outside of the house where the love of my life was, where I had abandoned him for over a month.

"I can't do it. I can't go in there and see everybody, I just can't do it, I can't. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I can't-" I ramble, the words rushing out of my mouth in a panic attack addled cry.

Two-Bit shushes me and guides me back to the bench, forcing me to sit. "That's okay, you don't have to go in yet, you're okay. Just breathe, surfer girl." The nickname makes me smile. He sits beside me and rubs my back till I calm down, which fortunately didn't take as long as I thought it would. It was dark out now, the snow coming down heavier. . . I'm still wearing Two-Bit's jacket! It's freezing out and he's only in a sweater!

"Oh shoot—" I handed it back to him "Take it back, I'm warm now. I don't want you getting hypothermia." I say, attempting to joke and failing horribly.

"I'll only take it back if you let me take you to dinner." He smirks and laughs. "If I can't get hypothermia then you can't starve! C'mon, you look like a toothpick!" He pulled me up and started walking down the street, being his usual bubbly, stupid Two-Bit. I smile and walk beside him, occasionally shoving my hands in my pockets in an attempt to heat them up.

"Did ya do anything interesting in the hospital?" He asks after a sip of beer.

"Interesting? Sure, had horrid withdrawals, a few mental breakdowns, got diagnosed with PTSD, and. . . Oh, yeah, thought that everyone in my life had abandoned me. Overall wasn't a terrible experience." I kick a rock with my foot as we walk, watching it create a small, short path in the snow. "Where are we going anyway?"

He swallows heavily and looks at me for a moment before answering. Great, more pity. "While you were M.I.A. this new diner opened up two streets over, it's another Rosie's location. Man, it's good! They've got this ex-con doin' all the cooking and he cooks better than Darry. Don't tell him I said that." I pretend to zip my lips and throw away the key.

Two chuckles and we walk the rest of the way there in silence. I'm feeling more like myself, like I'm thawing out. It's not half-bad.

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Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a great 2024!
Thanks for reading!!

Word count: 1410