「firefly」 | The Outsiders

Saved by the Hummus [Johnnyboy].

Present day, AU.

| Ponyboy's POV. |

"Hey, Horseboy." Jaden greeted with a sickening smirk, his buddies standing close behind him. He thought he was clever, didn't he? I felt my fists clench at my side, but I knew I couldn't do anything. They outnumbered me, and Darry would kill me if I got expelled.

"Hey, guys." I responded coolly, looking them over as if I didn't know why they were crowding around me.

"Got my lunch money?" I sighed at the words, refraining the urge to roll my eyes. I wasn't sure why I kept giving him cash; Soda gave it to me for me, not for some no-brained jock. Now that I thought about it...

"Jaden, why can't you get your money elsewhere?" His lips turned up in a scoff, as if I'd just asked whether he was passing Geometry or not — boy would that have been rhetorical.

"Come on, bud. You know you're my favorite." He sat beside me and slung a lazy arm over my shoulder. I carefully shrugged out of his grasp and stood from my sitting position, crossing my arms over my chest. Nope, I wasn't budging this time. I had exactly four dollars, and the snacks were only about two dollars each. That meant I could get two ice creams, and he wasn't about to take that away from me today.

"I'm not giving you my money today. Sorry, but you're going to have to find someone else to steal from." He arched his brows, looking around at his friends as if to question whether he'd heard me correctly. These guys could have me on the ground within seconds, but I couldn't back down now. "You heard me, go on." He scowled, getting to his feet and pulling me toward him by the collar of my t-shirt. I could feel his warm breath on my face. It smelled of onions and Pepsi, and anger boiled beneath his gaze.

"Give me the money and-"

"P-put him down." A voice intercepted suddenly. It sounded unsure and was so quiet that I doubt Jaden even heard it. Then, again, the mystery person repeated themselves. It was more confident this time. "Put him down." Jaden's grip loosened enough for me to get a few feet away from him. He whirled around the face a tan, petite boy. I hadn't noticed him sitting at the same table I had been, so perhaps he'd moved from a different one. Whatever the case, I was thankful.

"What the hell did you just say to me?"

"I-I... I said put him down." The boy looked uncomfortable and nervous, but he wasn't giving up. Jaden scoffed for the second time in five minutes.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll—" He looked down a second in thought before hastily holding up the small container in his hand. "I'll throw this hummus at you, and it's really... spicy!" The way he said it made me want to laugh, but I stopped myself. That definitely wouldn't have made the situation any better. My eyes quickly looked up at Jaden, then to his pals, unsure what they'd do next.

"Oh, no!" One of them mocked. "Not the hummus!"

"Spicy hummus." Another added, all three of them exploding into a fit of laughter. Jaden was the next to speak.

"Come on, kid, stay out of it. This doesn't conclude you." The boy blinked at him, nose scrunching just slightly.

"You mean... concern?" This time, a giggle escaped my lips. Like I said before, Jaden wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I— that's not the point!" He spat, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Get outta here, or you'll be taking his place." It sounded like the boy took a deep breath, but I couldn't see all that clearly with Jaden's tall figure in front of me. He was a good bit bigger than both of us, especially Mystery Boy over there.

"D-don't say I didn't warn you..." He mumbled before ripping off the lid of the container, gripping it tight, and shaking it. The hummus shot forward, hitting Jaden directly in the eyes. The two guys that had followed him to my table gasped. He let out a single shriek, hands darting to his face.

"Holy shit, it burns!" He nearly clawed at his eyes, stumbling backwards as he did so. "Don't just stand there, you idiots, help me!" His followers rushed toward him, hands hovering in the air. They were dumbfounded. At one point or another, he got taken to the nurse, but I wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

"Come on." I whispered to the boy, motioning for him to follow me to the table. When we sat down, I offered him a small smile. It was a way of thanking him without actually saying it. I think he understood.

"You know they're probably gonna start picking on you too, right?" He simply shrugged.

"It'll be better than watching them bully you every day." I took in his features now that I actually had a good view of him; he had raven colored hair, tan skin, and eyes so dark that they almost looked black. His gaze had a deepness to them, one I hadn't seen in anyone else's. The sadness I picked up from him made my chest ache.

"What's your name?"

"Johnny Cade." He shyly returned my smile now.

"Well, Johnny Cade, my name's Ponyboy Curtis." I extended my hand toward him. "I think you've just become my new best friend." He took my palm into his, grin widening.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Ponyboy Curtis."

"Say, how would you like an ice cream?" I pulled out my four dollars, waving it between us. He looked like he was about to refuse, but before he could I spoke again. "I'm buying!"

"I'd say that's a fine idea." And with that, we stood up and went to get our icy cold treats.