Don't Leave Me Johnny Cade!

Chapter 15

I hope you both know you have rolling around in dust and spiderwebs," Johnny just added in to change the subject. I quickly jumped up. I was scared of spiders and hated them. I hated spiders with a burning flame in my heart, and Pony knew it. If I even saw a spider, I would freak out and run out of the room the spider was in.

"Ew! I hate spiders!" I screamed. I sprinted to Johnny, and we all just kind of sat do to read. Johnny had bought a book called "Gone with the Wind," so Pony can read it to us. He said it would pass the time. Pony read about two chapters before Pony, Johnny, and me all fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~time skip four days~~~~~~~~

I had lost a lot of weight from not eating, and my stomach was about as thin as a piece of paper. I hated bologna, so I only ate bread once a day for four days. Johnny and Pony started getting scared for my survival, but I told them I was strong enough to survive on just bread. It was about eight in the morning when Dally woke us all up. He looked at me with a confused expression.

"Kayla?" He asked.

"Yeah, Dally, it's me," I say, not proud of my appearance.

"Your hair is different," he says. I don't like my hair, I guess it doesn't look as good as Johnny made it sound. I see Johnny whisper something in Dally's ear before Dallas turns back to me, "but it looks beautiful. You look beautiful with it. It really brings out your eyes."

"Thanks Dally, but I know Johnny put you up to that."

"Maybe he did, you look skinnier. Have you even eaten since the movie?"

"I've had a little bread."

"Oh man. Anyway, Pony I have a letter here for you."

"For me? Who's it from?"

"It's from the president of the United States of America. No stupid, it's from your brother."

While Pony read the note, Johnny stated asking Dally some questions like what was going on. Dally answered all of them with no problem. Apparently the whole thing was calming down, and we could at least go outside.

"Do you guys wanna go get some food? I'm starving," Dally asked us while touching his stomach.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE STARVING!!" I yell and pull up a shirt a little to show him my stomach.

"Okay nevermind. I am not starving that much. Do you guys wanna go get food though?"

"You're kidding. Is that even a question?"

He shrugged, and we all walked out together. We got into the t-bird he took from Buck and go get food. We headed to Dairy Queen and got burgers and cokes. I had some fries since I had to get back my appetite. I figured out that if you barely eat for a few days, you lose your appetite. I didn't have much of an appetite now, so I must be going through that stage. Pony and I sat in the back while Dally and Johnny sat in the front.

"Kayla, are you sure you don't want anything more to eat?" Pony asked me, "I will give you some of my burger if you want it."

"No, I'm good. I really don't have that much of an appetite right now."

"You guys remember that broad that I tried to pick up at the drive in. Oh what was her name, uh, Cherry something?" Dallas asked.

"Cherry Valance," Pony sounded excited. I guess that must have been the red head that Pony liked.

"She said the whole mess was her fault, which it was, and that she'd keep up with what was comin' off with the Socs in the rumble and would testify that the socs were drunk and looking for a fight and that you fought back strictly in self-defense. That little gal sure does hate me. I offered fo take her to go to the Dingo for a coke and told me to go to hell," Dally grinned. Johnny took a deep breath and sighed.

"We're going to turn ourselves in," Johnny announced.

"What?!" Dally and I asked in sync.

"We're going to turn ourselves in," Johnny repeated in a quiet voice.

"I got a good chance of being let off easy. I ain't got no record with the fuzz, and like you said it was self-defense. Ponyboy, Kayla, and Cherry can testify to that. And I really don't aim to stay in that church for my whole life. We won't tell anyone that you helped us, Dally, and we'll give you back the gun and the rest of the money and say we hitchhiked back, so you won't get in trouble. Okay?"

"Are you sure you wanna go back? Us greasers get it worse than anyone else," Dally sounded nervous for the first time ever.

"I'm sure. It ain't fair for Ponyboy and Kayla to be staying up there in that church with Darry and Sodapop worrying about 'em all the time. I don't guess... I don't guess my parents are worried about me or anything?"

"The boys are worried. Two-bit was going to go to Texas to hunt for you three."

"My parents," Johnny repeated wit frustration since Dally didn't answer him,"did they ask about me?"

"No," Dally snapped which shocked all of us. I never thought he would snap at Johnny like that,"they didn't. Blast it, Johnny, what do they matter? Shoot, my old man wouldn't give a hang if I was I'm in jail, drunk in a gutter, or dead in a car wreck. That don't bother me none."

I never saw Dally so frustrated at Johnny. Johnny looked like he was about to cry, so I took my hand and placed it on his shoulder. He looked back at me and my heart shattered. He had tears almost coming out of his eyes. I pulled him closer to me and kissed him right on the lips. His tears sort of went away, but before they could go away, one fell. I wiped it off before it could go anywhere. Dally slammed his hand on the steering wheel before starting to drive. Johnny still looked upset.

"Johnny," Dally was speaking in a high pleading voice that neither me nor Pony had heard before,"Johnny, I ain't mad at you. I just don't want you to get hurt. You don't know what a few months in jail can do to you. Oh blast it, Johnny, you get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you...like it happened to me."

By the time he was done with his little speech, we got to the church. It was on FIRE! I watched Pony jump out of the car, then Johnny, and I couldn't let them go by themselves. There were kids in the fire, and the boys were going to save them. Dally missed Johnny and Pony, but he grabbed a hold of my arm.

"Kayla, don't go."

"Dallas, I can't let Pony and Johnny get hurt."

He sighed.

"Don't get hurt."

He let go of my arm. I took off past the teachers and into the church. I caught up to Johnny and Pony and helped get the kids out, but when Dallas pulled Pony out, I couldn't see and was lost....