The Cades | The Outsiders

Chapter Nineteen

I sat in the living room beside Pony, Carter and Griffin, smoking. Soda and Two-Bit were running around the house. It seemed as though today, events were replaying themselves. Somewhere inside me, I expected Johnny to walk in with Carter and listen to them talk about the movie they just saw at the Nightly Double.

The house was sort of empty. Dally and Rocky were upstairs doing who knows what. Addie's at the store buying food, Steve's out, and Darry's at work.

"So Pony.." I said, taking a drag from my cigarette. He did the same.

"How long have you and Carter been going out?" I asked, smirking to myself as I tapped the ashes onto the table. I knew Darry would make us clean it up later.

"What do you mean?" He asked, shocked. I rolled my eyes.

"I saw you guys holdin' hands the other day. I may be stupid, but I'm not that stupid." I said.

"Well?" I pushed.

"About uh...two months." he replied. My smile faded and I gave him a look. He knows he's in for it.

"Two months?" I asked sternly, standing up slowly. Griffin tried to pull me back down beside him but I pushed his hand away. Carter and Pony just sat there, looking everywhere but at me.

"You guys have been together for two months?! What in the hell are you thinking?! Johnny just died three months ago and you two get together like it's nothing? I can't believe this. What in God's name has this come to? It's like nobody even cares about Johnny anymore. He was a damn person too." I snapped. Everyone was staring at me, even Soda and Two.

I walked out of the house and plopped down on the steps, taking one last drag from my cigarette before putting it out. I sighed when I heard the screen door open and shut, and someone sat beside me.

"So what was this Johnny kid like?" Griffin asked. I looked up at him, and he seemed genuinely concerned. I sat up straight.

"He was my twin brother. He was tall, lanky, and tan. He had the biggest black eyes you would've ever seen on somebody. He was like the pet of the gang; ever since he got jumped by those socs. Pony says that if you take a puppy that's been kicked around too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you'll have Johnny. He was real quiet and shy, but funny and caring. I guess that's it." I said.

"Oh. Well sorry about what happened in there, that's real rank what they did, I know it must be hard to lose someone that close to you." he said. I looked over to him.

"Haven't you ever lost anybody real close to you?" I asked curiously. He shrugged and shook his head.

"No. I don't get that close to anybody. I don't even remember my parents, they died when I was so little I've just grown up not having any family." he said softly. Just like Dally, I thought. Behind the bad boy image, he has feelings too.

"Well Griffin, I quite like you." I said, standing up.

"Yeah? You dig okay Jess." He replied, half smiling. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and we walked back inside. Pony and Two Bit were wrestling once again on the floor, and Soda was having a conversation with Carter.

Soda looked up at us and smiled.

"Hey Jessie, you want to go to the movies?"

***

"Dallas Winston put me down this instant!" I yelled, flailing my legs around and punching him on the back. He just chuckled, and so did the rest of them.

"Soda? Baby?" I said sweetly.

"Ignore her Soda, try your best to fight it." Two Bit said. I rolled my eyes, Soda can never resist me.