The Outsiders: Before My Time | Sodapop

The Church Fire

My nap was rudely interrupted when I was dead asleep. I felt myself start to stir awake, but I was so tired from my week of sleepless nights that my body refused to actually acknowledge what was waking me up. I could hear someone talking to me, and I thought I was responding but it was probably just a series of meaningless grunts.

"Hey, Bri," I heard a familiar voice say near my ear.

"Mhmm?" I hummed absentmindedly. I just wanted to go back to sleep.

I woke up a little more when I felt a hand grip my shoulder and start to shake me a little. "Come on, doll. Wake up."

"Go away," I grunted and I rolled onto my side to get away from the voice that was disturbing me. Whoever it was started to play with the strands of my hair that just made me want to fall back asleep even more.

"I ain't leavin' until you wake up," he stated calmly.

In a moment, my brain came back to reality. That wasn't Johnny's voice, or Ponyboy's voice. My eyes opened instantaneously and they adjusted to Dally sitting on the steps by my head. He grinned down at me and he asked arrogantly in his rough New York accent, "hey sweetheart, did you miss me?"

"Dally?" I asked in a small voice. I almost didn't believe it was him. Then my eyes widened and I'm sure he saw them brighten. I scrambled to sit up and threw myself into him in a grateful hug. "Dally!"

Dally started to laugh and he wrapped his arms around me. I was practically sitting on his lap but neither of us cared. "Easy does it."

"I am so glad to see you," I said earnestly. I had never been so happy to see someone in my entire life.

"You too." His voice was quiet, but he meant it.

When I pulled away from our hug, I slowly slipped off his leg and sat on the step beside him with my legs over his thighs. His hand got a hold of my knee so I wouldn't fall off the step. He leaned back, and his other hand fiddled with his necklace.

"I can't believe you're here," I said through my disbelief.

"It took a little longer than I expected but the murder blew up around town. It's in all the papers. Heard it on the radio on my way up here too."

"I guess the heat isn't gonna go away anytime soon," I stated.

Dally slowly shook his head. "No."

"Oh, here." I reached up and unclasped his necklace from behind my neck. I reached over and put it on for him, and he playfully rolled his eyes. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

He fiddled with his necklace and said, "yeah, any time."

I chuckled softly. "We were beginning to think you forgot about us."

Dally smiled dashingly. "Forget you? Never."

Dally got up to his feet and held out his hand to help me stand. Since this was one of the few times he's a gentleman, I took him up on his offer and I took his hand. When we were both standing on our feet, he gripped my hand tighter and pulled me into him again for another hug. I wrapped my arms around him and let out the biggest sigh of relief.

"It has been the longest week," I stated with a tight voice.

"It ain't over yet. There's a lot I gotta tell you guys," Dally said. We pulled away again and then he asked, "where are the guys?"

I pointed over at Pony who was still laying on the floor in a ball, and Johnny had laid down in one of the pews.

Dally walked over to Pony and started tugging on his hair which made him grimace. Pony's eyes opened to a squint and he flexed his lips in annoyance. Dally said, "hey, Blondie. Wake up."