From Weakness to Strength

Sunrise, Sunset

The  nest four or five days were the longest the trip have ever spent in their lives. It was hard to sleep at night . One of the nights Ponyboy thought their was a monster outside, though it was just some sort of animal. 

*flashback*
"Guys, are you awake?" Ponyboy asked. "Yeah." whispered Johnny, but Darla was out cold. "There's a monster outside." 
"What?" Johnny asked very sleepily. "We're gonna be okay, Ponyboy." Johnny reassured.

*Back to normal*

During the day, while Johnny was eating a sandwich, Ponyboy read to them. Darla would play with Johnny's hair as Pony read. "Lying in the pit of the sun, shoulder to shoulder, head to feet were hundreds of wounded men lying in the tracks. The side walks stretched out in endless rows under the car shed. Some lay stiff and still, but some withered in the hot sun. Everywhere swarms of flies hovered over the men, crawling and buzzing in their faces."
"-Man, that's gross." Johnny commented. Darla laughed as she groomed Johnny's hair.
"Everywhere was blood, dirty bandages, groans, screamed curses of pain." Pony read on.

Another way they'd spend their house, was trying to catch rabbits by holding a box up with a stick that was attached to a rope, underneath the box was a baloney sandwich for the bait. 

When the rabbit got close to it, Pony would pull the string, but the rabbit would never get caught under the box and the boys would chase after it while Darla laughed at them fail.

They also played cards, dealing cigarettes. Darla wouldn't play because she didn't smoke. That was one thing her father taught her before he died...

Or sometimes Pony would quietly read the book to himself while Johnny and Darla would nap.

Once morning the church was extremely cold. Ponyboy left the church, followed by Johnny and Darla. The noticed the sunrise. It was beautiful with all the colors.
"Golly, that was sure pretty, huh?" Johnny commented. "Sure was." Darla agreed. "Yeah." said Ponyboy.
"It's like that mist is what's pretty. All gold and silver."
"Mm-hmm." Ponyboy hummed. 
"Too bad it can't stay like that all the time.' said Johnny.
"Nothing Gold Can Stay." Ponyboy quoted. Johnny and Darla looked back at him in confusion.

"Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower
But only so an hour
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Ponyboy had recited a poem. :Where's you learn that?" Johnny asked. "That's what I meant."
"Robert Frost wrote it." Ponyboy replied. "I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant by it."
"You know I never noticed colors, clouds and stuff until you kept reminding me about 'em." said Johnny. "I always look up to the sky when I'm feeling down. Because it's always up. Sometimes, there's no where to go, but up." Darla says. "Yeah." Ponyboy agreed. "I don't think I could ever tell Steve or Two-But, or even Darry about the clouds and Sunset. Just you guys and Sodapop. Maybe Cherry Valence."
"I guess we're different." Darla says. "Shoot, kid. maybe they are."
"Maybe you're right." said Johnny.

Ponyboy then walked away, leaving Johnny and Darla alone. "Johnny, can I tell you something?" Darla asked. "Go ahead." Johnny says. "Whenever Ponyboy mentions Cherry Valence, I get angry. But, that's not just with him. That's how it is for all of you. I mean I like Sandy, but I don't like how Soda's with her. I mean, he's happy, but I feel like I'm gonna lose him. That's how it was when Marcia asked for you to come sit with them at the movies to protect them, and I sat between you and her and I cuddled next to you. I was jealous. But, I was also scared."
"Why?" Johnny asked, as he was turning pink. "I'm afraid that if you guys got involved with other girls, I'd lose you. I've dealt with enough loss in my life to bare it any longer."
"Well, you have nothing to worry about Darla. Because you'll never lose me."

Johnny then touched his forehead with Darla's and brought her into a hug. Once the hug was broken, Johnny put an arm over Darla's shoulder and they walked back to the church.