𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑. ( 𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘯𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘺 )

TWENTY-SIX.

JANUARY 28TH, 2019. (MONDAY)

Johnny shifts a little bit and sits on the couch as the rest of the gang scrambles around to get ready for the court date. He chews on his lower lip and takes a deep breath. The teenager has been wanting to avoid this for an entire week but instead, it was looking him right in the eyes. It terrified him to no end.

Ponyboy was sitting next to him, squeezing his hand tightly. He knew that his lover was nervous and he's been spending all week comforting him and holding him, making sure that he was alright. The teen has been doing a good job of that all week. The rest of the gang has been keeping him relaxed all week as well. Everyone knew that it was going to be rough on him.

After about 15 minutes, everyone was ready to go to the court date. The entire gang took the day off of their jobs to ensure that the court appointment went good. They all had pieces of evidence for the judge involving Johnny's parents and how they treated Johnny and hurt him.

"You ready?" Ponyboy questions, standing up from the couch.

Johnny stands up hesitantly, nodding his head at his lover, despite his nervous actions about being not ready at all. He didn't want to see his parents at all (if he even had to) how disappointed they might be in him. It wasn't fair to him and it wasn't fair to them. He was putting them in jail. And worst of all, he was going to have to talk about his problems in front of a judge, all of his friends, his lover, and the jury.

The 16-year-old wasn't much for sharing his experiences and feelings with everyone. It just wasn't something that he had grown up with. Sharing his feelings was something he would rather do with someone that he was comfortable with; Ponyboy was one of those people. Ponyboy was probably the only person (besides the gang, of course) that he was comfortable enough with to share.

"Ready as I'll eve be," Johnny responds nervously.

Ponyboy nods his head and grabs his lover's hand, taking him to the car. Soon enough, everyone was piled into the car, driving off to the courthouse. Upon arrival, everyone seemed to be jittery. The actual courtroom was large, rows of seats settled out in front of the judge's seat and the plaintiff and defender.

Johnny's stomach was already in knots. His eyes scan the room as everyone filed in. His heart stops in his chest as he catches sight of his parents. The brunette squeezes his lover's hand as tightly as he could, wanting to ground himself as much as possible. He makes his way to the gate on the plaintiff's side, opening it and taking his lover with him. All of his witnesses needed to be behind him, sitting on a bench (although a few might need to stand).

"You're going to be okay," Ponyboy whispers into his lover's ear. "I promise. They can't hurt you. Not in this place. They'll only be sentenced for longer if they do."

Johnny simply nods his head a little and tries his hardest to relax during this situation. It was hard for him though. Testifying in front of his parents was going to be tough. They were going to be angry and aggressive. They would probably spout slurs at him and tell him how awful he really was. It wasn't something he was going to look forward to.

The brunette sits down and makes Ponyboy stand right behind his chair. He was afraid of what was going to happen if something were to happen. He simply wanted to be protected instead of harmed. It worried him that anyone would be harmed but for the moment, his focus was on himself. Which was a rare scenario. The teen never really felt obligated to worry about himself.

And before anyone had a chance to say anything, a gavel was smacked against the judge's table and the case had begun. Everyone in the room was silent. The tension was so thick that it could be sliced in half with a knife. It was worrisome.