The Outsiders Imagines

Johnny • Polaroids

"Imagine going out here for a holiday, huh?" Johnny Cade was smiling, laying on his front as he looked through a travel brouchure, pointing at a photograph of what you guessed to be some Tennessee Mountains.

With that golden brown tan he had, the sun kissed his cheeks just perfectly and danced along the thickly laid dax wax that soaked up his jet black mop. He must have felt in his element out in the sun, he always said he only ever tans - never burns.

You nodded in agreement, looking over at the photo he'd cut out. Johnny wanted to go anywhere there was a mountain it seemed.

"Sure would be nice to leave town for a bit." You admit.

The two of you had been sitting out in your back garden, flicking through travel magazines and cutting out pictures of the places you could only dream of visiting. You'd tape  them down in your scrapbook among other polaroids of you and the gang, wondering foolishly what it would be like to drop everything and go travelling. People these days are running of to California to sing rock n roll in public parks. Apparently they call it 'Counterculture'

He smiled and shrugged simply. "I've never been outside of our neighbourhood before."

"Never?!" It surprised you, Johnny always struck you as a bit of a wanderer, but upon considering, you supposed that with parents like his, a 'family vacation' was out of reach.

"Never." He confirms, biting off tape to stick down the photo.

"We could run off to the country for the weekend if you wanted to." You giggled, and you meant it too, if Johnny wanted to go you would. He smiled at the thought, ripping grass from its root and watching it sprinkle through the air, flying off with the summer wind.

"Maybe." He half-grinned, giving you a little shrug that always came with it. If he shrugged, he half-grinned and if he half-grinned, he shrugged. There were loads of these little quirks that he had, from the few months of moving to Tulsa and getting to know him - you'd picked up on these. Some of said quirks, everybody noticed Johnny did, like fixing his bangs when they didn't need fixing or making a point about slouching when he lit a cigarette.

Other things though, were things you reckoned only you (or maybe Ponyboy too) had picked up on. For instance, how years of religiously smoking caused the rasp in his voice to be more prominent towards the end of a sentence, how he always scanned the room, looking behind his shoulder slyly when going somewhere, or the way he scratched the back of his head when he was thinking hard on something.

Those, among many other of his mannerisms,  you couldn't help but notice.

Funny enough, you paid special attention to a lot of the little things he did. Two-bit had teased you one time saying it was because you had a crush on him and although you had bashfully denied it - you were starting to think it was true.

No one is quite like Johnny Cade. How can someone be so tough but so sweet? So beat down by the reality of the world, but so out of touch with it at the same time. Johnny Cade knew the score, but deep down Johnny Cade was still a dreamer.

"I'll go get more tape." You announce, getting up from the grass and going upstairs to grab new tape and leaving Johnny to sift through the box of supplies and polaroids that were yet to be stuck down. With a slouch, he rummaged through the box, pulling out film and smiling a small little smile as he looked through the pictures. He didn't remember how you two got your hands on that polaroid, to the best of his knowledge it used to belong to Mrs Curtis.

He was surprised that no one had thought to organise these photos into a book or album because there were so many, from years and years ago even. Back when Mr and Mrs Curtis were alive...man, it was hard on everyone when they got killed. He tried not to think about it though as he sifted through the pile. You came and sat on your knees behind him, resting your chin on his shoulder. He smelt like sandlewood and smoke, and you could feel his shoulder bone on your chin.

"These are pretty ancient, huh?" He smiles a bit, going through each photo.

It looked as though back then, things were just easier. You could see it the boys eyes; Johnny Cade, five years old with his crazy mop hair and gap teeth.

"You look happy." You murmur, as he flicked through the photos.

"I was." He shrugged "The boys and I had a lot of fun back then...well, we still do - but we was just kids, it was easier".

"Y'all are still just kids." You reason and he shrugged again.

"Growing up too fast I guess."

"Yeah, I see that grey hair setting in."

He rolled his eyes playfully and showed you all the photos of when he and the boys were little. They were all so goofy it made you laugh, the funniest one being of Johnny and Pony soaking wet and crying, and then you see Soda in the background with the hose, laughing. They must have been about five or six.

"Steve took that picture." Johnny says, shaking his head with a grin. "And then Darry went and told on him and Soda to his ma."

"Was she mad?" You giggle and he grinned.

"Oh yeah, she told them off good - then got me and Pony ice cream." He smiled at the memory, looking back down at the photo.

You watched as his eyes flickered over each of the photos, it was like he'd give anything to go back and be a kid again. Life must have been great when Mr and Mrs Curtis were alive to take care of everyone and just let them be young.

"They were gonna adopt me apparently." He mumbles, looking over at you. "The Curtis'... Darry told me once...but, they're gone now."

Man, you could only imagine how Johnny must have felt upon hearing that. That someone loved him enough to plan to have him become a part of their family. The life of hurt he knew would cease to exist and he could have known what family was supposed to be.

You didn't want to give him pity, he hated that. So you expressed instead that you understood the hurt.

"You ought to know how loved you are." You murmur. He smiled sadly.

"Yeah?"

And you nodded. "Of course Johnnycake."

You could have kissed him right then, but something told you, not now maybe next time...