I Cant Do It No More Johnny

Its Been a Long Night

"Man, Pony, it's been such a long night. I could sure use a few drinks to calm my nerves" Dallas said clumsily, stumbling over his tired tongue.

"Yeah me too. And maybe a smoke. Those chicks were quite the handful" I replied jokingly. Dallas and I had just gotten back from attempting to swoon some soc girls over at the diner.

"C'mon man, lets go find Johnny." Dallas motioned towards the back door. "He's probably out watching that damn sun setting again, that kid sure knows how to party" I snickered at the comment. Johnny wasn't much for a big party, he'd much rather stay home and drink with the boys.

"Yo Johnny!" I yelled, waving my hands from the porch. "Come have a drink with us before we go off to bed" As I said it, my eyes drifted up to the sky where the sun was just beginning to set. The sun set so late in the summer, it was unbelievable! Everything was painted such beautiful shades of oranges, pinks and yellows. I couldn't help but let my mouth fall open at the sight, even though it was so common.

Johnny began making his way over to us, a smile on his face as he twirled around gazing up at the sky. Man, did he look as tuff as a soc right now I thought while smirking to myself.

"So, how'd things go down at the diner?" Johnny asked while handing both me and Dal a can of beer. "By the looks of it neither of you got a chance to go steady with any chicks?" A smirk spread onto his face.

"Oh yeah, we totally got all the chicks tonight!" Dallas was laughing into his beer can. Everything about this moment was just so perfect. Me and my closest pals, sitting on our asses watching the sun set. Not a soc in sight for miles.

"Hey Pony," Dally slapped my back before continuing "Wanna hear what happened last week down at the b-" a whizzing sound rushed past my ear, and then almost simultaneously Dally stumbled backwards as if he was hit by some invisible force. I heard a slight deep scream come from his the back of his thorat.

The front part of his chest was beginning to turn a dark red, expanding by the second. He had been shot. I began to yell as he fell to the floor, breathing becoming staggered.

"Ponyboy I'm sorry, im so sor-" his voice was barely a whisper. I heard another noise. This time, I heard a loud cracking noise and felt the excruciating sensation of extreme heat. My head whipped around just in time to see a flaming piece of the overhang crash down, nailing Johnny to the floor.

Johnny's screams filled my head as I wept over Dallas' dying body. I watched as Johnny's body ignited, knowing there was nothing I could do. Glancing out at the sky, I saw that it had turned a cloudy, miserable grey. After, I took one last look around, closed my eyes and began screaming. "WHY THEM! WHY COULDNT I HAVE DIED INSTEAD!". Tears began to spill down my cheeks, and that's when everything went black.

I sat up immediately, throwing the sheets off of me and looking arund frantically and wide eyed. Everything was soaked with sweat, and I couldn't stop the screams from escaping my mouth as I fell to my side, remembering in vivid detail how I yet again relived the death of two of my best friends. Almost every night I would endure one of these hellish dreams, and wake up in a terrified state.

Before I knew it, Soda was at my door, Darry close behind. Sodapop rushed in, only dressed in his boxers, and pulled me into an embrace. I was still shaking uncontrollably, my sobs racking through my body.

"Oh Pony, again?" Soda looked me in the eyes, I could see how worried he was as I nodded my head in response. I saw Dar move from his place by the door to the end of my bed, reaching over to pat my head gently.

"It'll be okay Pone, it wasn't real." Normally, sentences like this would end with "and they're perfectly okay it was just a dream" but for me, that wasn't the case. Dally and Johnny really were dead and there was nothing I could do about it.

"O-Okay Pony, lets get you back to bed" Sodapop lied down and so did I. This was a frequent situation, him deciding to stay with me to make sure I make it to sleep alright. Soon after, Darry got up to go make himself breakfast because for some reason, he enjoyed waking up before the sun did. Maybe it was like Johnny and his sunsets. Those were my last thoughts as I drifted into the blackness of sleep, Sodapop right there beside me, preparing myself to brave the day I had ahead.