So You're Leaving?

brothers

The face wasn't clear, but the figure was drawing closer... closer... the hulking mass was now towering over him as the face came into perfect focus. Johnny's father. Dally threw himself between Johnny and Robert Cade, trying with all his might to shield Johnny from his blows, but it was like he wasn't even there. And then suddenly he was engulfed in flames and Johnny's father was no where to be seen. Johnny was screaming for him in the distance. "I'm coming, Johnny!" Dally yelled and started running towards the sound of Johnny's the smoke, he caught a glimpse of the Cade/Gates house. Then it began to rain and slowly, drop by drop, the the fire began to disappear. And it rained harder and harder, until Dally was waist deep in water. Then the waves came, pulling him under. And he saw Johnny. He saw Johnny being dragged underwater by his father. As people often do in dreams, Johnny would sometimes be Christopher. Dally tried to call out to him, but he only sucked in water. Christopher looked at him with haunted eyes. And then Johnny looked at him, and in his eyes was hurt. Betrayal... "Johnny, I'm sorry-" Dally awoke with a start as the train jostled slightly. He let out his breath in relief, realizing it was only a dream. His right shoulder was numb. He looked down to see Ponyboy leaning up against him, sound asleep. Dally sighed and pushed him carefully over to the window. He leaned back, trying to clear his thoughts. The dream had been very unsettling. In the back of his mind, he knew he would have to deal with the secret that Grandma Cade had told him. But right now, he needed to concentrate on what he was going to say to Darry. And he was kicking himself for not calling to let the Curtis' know that he had found Ponyboy in the first place. Maybe he would get off the train if there was another long stop. Geez, he thought, I hope they haven't called the police yet. There was one long stop several hours away from Oklahoma. It was an ungodly hour of the night, but Dally knew it wouldn't matter at the Curtis house. Soda picked up on the first ring. "Hey Soda, I got somebody here who wants to say hello to you." Dally handed the phone to Ponyboy. Pony took it and turned away from Dally. "Hey," he mumbled into the phone. Dally could only hear bits and pieces of what Pony was saying. The kid sounded miserable. It was only when Soda must have started to put Darry on the phone that Ponyboy's tone changed. "I don't want to talk to him!" he yelled and handed the phone back to Dally. Dally watched him walk over to a bench and put his head in his hands. He put the phone up to his ear. "Soda?" "Dally? Where is he? Don't let him-" "He's fine. He just went and sat down. We'll be home soon. Look, I gotta call Johnny." They hung up and Dally called Ponyboy back over to the phone. "C'mere, kid. We gotta let Johnny know you're ok." "You're gonna call them at this hour?" "Yeah. They're all cool. Johnny'll probably answer anyhow." Dally said dialing the phone. "Johnny? Hey, Johnnycake, guess what?" he handed the phone to Pony. "Hey Johnny," Pony said. And then Dally heard yelling. He raised his eyebrows as he watched Ponyboy's eyes widen. Was that really quiet little Johnny on the other end of the phone? Ponyboy's forehead wrinkled slightly as he tried in vain to get a word in edgewise. Dally started laughing. Then he took the phone out of Pony's hand so he could hear what Johnny was yelling about. "...your brothers! You had everyone scared to death, Ponyboy! Where the hell are you anyway?" "Somewhere between Virginia and Oklahoma," Dally answered, trying to contain his laughter. Pony just trudged off to the bench again and sat down, sulking. "Dally? Where's Ponyboy?" Dally explained the situation to him and then decided they'd better get back on the train. "Listen, kid, we gotta get going," Dally said looking back to make sure Ponyboy was out of earshot. "I'm gonna put him back on, but he's feelin' pretty low right now so...go easy on him, savvy?" Johnny sighed. "Yeah, sorry." Pony got up and took the phone reluctantly when Dally held it out towards him. He really didn't need to hear Johnny yelling at him too. If it had been anyone else, he'd have just refused to take the phone, but you didn't argue with Dally. But Johnny's voice was softer this time. "Hey, Pony, listen... I'm sorry... you just really scared me, that's all." Johnny said. "'It's ok. I'm kinda scared too," Pony mumbled. "You worried about going home?" "Yeah," "Don't be, man. It'll be all right. Dally'll handle it. Listen, you gotta stop messin' up at school! You get those grades back up and come visit, all right? I miss hangin' out with you." Pony smiled a little. "I miss hangin' out with you, too." "I'll write you a letter tonight, ok?" "Yeah, all right." They said their goodbyes and Ponyboy hung up the phone and followed Dally back to the waiting train. "Man, he was really yellin', huh?" Dally said, still in awe that Johnny would ever yell at anyone. "Yeah," Ponyboy said sullenly. "If even Johnny's yellin', think what Darry will say..." "Relax, kid." Soda and Two-bit were there at the train station, waiting for Dally and Ponyboy when they arrived back in Tulsa. Soda ran up and lifted Ponyboy off the ground and spun him around, grinning like crazy and tears streaming out of the corners of his eyes. "Aww, Pony...why'd you run away like that? Don't ever do that again!" Soda set him down and looked at him, his face getting serious. "You really scared us, kid! We almost called the police!" Pony hung his head. "Sorry," he mumbled. Soda sat him down on a bench to talk to him for a minute. Dally wandered off with Two-Bit. "Where's Darry?" Dally had been somewhat relieved not to see the oldest greaser waiting for them on the platform. "Soda talked him into going to work and meeting us all back at the house later. Figured he aught to talk to Ponyboy himself first." "Darry pretty riled up?" Dally asked non chalantly, trying to size up the situation he would have to work with. "Yeah, but he's been mighty worried, too. He felt pretty bad about... what happened." "I figured," Dally replied. "So... uh, how's the kid?" Two-Bit asked eagerly. Dally shook his head and laughed a little as he lit up a cigarette. "He's livin' like a soc. He's in this big old house, he's got a dog, and he's got people treatin' him like he's a prince or something." Two-Bit looked very relieved and then he grinned. "Well, all right! Good for him." His grin faded a bit as he thought of something. "Is he...ok? I mean happy and all?" Dally nodded. "He's a little home sick, but he'll get used to it." Two-Bit nodded. It wasn't what he was hoping to hear, but in a way it was. He wanted Johnny to be happy, just like the rest of the gang did, but he was a little relived to hear that Johnny missed them too. "He's got himself a girlfriend," Dally couldn't resist spreading that around. He knew Johnny would get harassed nightly on the phone about this for a while. "A girlfriend!" Two-Bit whooped. "Johnny?" "Yep." "Is she hot? What's she look like?" "She's cute... she's real cute. Nice kid." Two-Bit was grinning like a fool. "Hey, y'all!" he yelled over to Pony and Soda. The two of them were just starting to stand up and come over, both with red eyes. Dally hated this kind of stuff. It made him really uncomfortable. He hoped the Curtis brothers would be able to work through most of this on their own, but he knew if he wasn't careful, he'd end up in the thick of it. For crying out loud, he thought. I'm not a therapist! "Our little Johnny has got himself a lady friend!" Two-Bit crooned. Soda blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Well what do ya know! I guess he's doing all right then, huh?" He looked to Dally for reassurance. Dally nodded. He didn't tell them what he'd discovered on his trip. He didn't even want to think about it right now. Dally was home where he belonged and Johnny was fine. So what if his father wasn't his real father? He's safe now and that's all that matters, Dally though. But in the back of his mind, he knew this was a problem that was going to have to be dealt with at some point. "Well, I guess we'd better get on home. Darry will be getting back soon." Soda said. Ponyboy looked at his shoes. They all piled into Two-Bit's car. Nobody said much on the way home. Darry's truck was parked in the driveway when they arrived. "All right, y'all stay out here, I'm gonna go talk to him." Dally sighed. Two-Bit and Soda looked at him in surprise. Dally ignored them and sauntered into the house. Darry was waiting in the livingroom on the couch. Darry just looked up at him when he walked in. Dally nodded to him and sat down. He tried desparately to read Darry's expression, but he couldn't. "Kid's outside," Dally said finally. Darry nodded. And then Dally caught it. Guilt. He breathed relief inwardly. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if Darry was just mad. He was sure he was mad, but guilt definitely had the upper hand. "I told him I'd talk to you first... before he came in." Darry leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "This is so out of control," he mumbled. Dally chewed on his lower lip. He wasn't good at this. He didn't know what to say. It was easy with Ponyboy, just give him a good wack on the head and tell him to stop being stupid. But Darry... well, he didn't know what to say. "I uh... I know Ponyboy can be... kinda frustrating sometimes..." Dally felt completely ridiculous. "But maybe..." Darry stared at his shoes. "Maybe what? Maybe I was too hard on him? Maybe I shouldn't have hit him? Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I just... I lost it, man. I got work and bills I can't pay and Johnny leaving-" Johnny leaving. Being back here the reality of that was sinking in again. Johnny wasn't here... "and then he's hanging out with Curly Shepard!" Darry continued. "And cutting class! I don't know what to do with him anymore! He's so far behind now, I don't know if he can get back on track- and speaking of track, they're talking about kicking him off the team!" Dally shook his head. "All right, I know. I know, man. I had a talk with him on the train. I told him he needs to shape up." Darry looked grateful but hopeless at the same time. Dally was just getting more uncomfortable. He didn't like seeing Darry like this. "Look man, he screwed up big time. He's gotta get his act together and I think he's gonna this time. But maybe in the mean time... you could, you know, cut him a little slack." Darry met his eyes again. And the guilt was written all over his face. "You mean don't hit him again?" "Uh.. yeah..." Darry looked down at his shoes again. "I never.. never... meant for that to happen." "I know, man." "Maybe I can't do this," Darry said finally. "Maybe this is more than I can handle." Dally stood up then and folded his arms. "Ain't nothin' you can't handle, Curtis!" he had suddenly found his voice. "You've been to hell and back and this you can't handle? I don't think so. Now I'm bringin' that little shit in here and you two gotta work this out. When the hell did I become the damn den mother, anyhow?" Darry stared at him. The faintest hint of a smile crossed over his face. "You know, you have been a little mother-hen like lately." Dally cursed at him. Darry sat back, his face serious again. "How's Johnny, doin' Dally?" Dally looked down. He was tired of telling people that Johnny was fine. Johnny was living in a lie that Dally was now a part of. And there was nothing fine about that, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. "He's...fine." and then to avoid saying anymore about it, he yelled for Ponyboy to come inside. He stepped out to meet Ponyboy on the porch. "Drop the attitude at the door, kid." Ponyboy was scowling. "I mean it," Dally said in his no-nonsense tone. "You're as much a part of this problem as he is... don't go in there thinkin' you didn't do anything wrong, 'cause you did. And you know it." Ponyboy's expression softened. Wordlessly, he went inside. Dally didn't miss the fleeting look of despair in Soda's eyes.