ETHEREAL | OUTSIDERS

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

♪ : baby you're worth it — kina

❝ a place of peace, and serenity. ❞

THE LAST THING that I remember of last night was me stirring from my light slumber, from Sodapop trying to clean me up. I barely opened my eyes to look at him, then whisper a soft thank you to him. All he does is give me a soft, sad smile. Then I went back to sleep.

I woke up to Johnny watching over me. I squint at him, then after a while I say hi to him.

"Hey Johnnycake." I shot him a weak smile at the same time.

"Hey Ellie-bear. You feelin' a bit better?" Johnny asks, with a bit of concern in his voice. His nickname for me was so sweet and innocent, it was cute, even though he's older than me.

"I'm a bit better, still really sore though. Can I have some water, please?" I realized how dry my throat was, asking Johnny.

"Of course, I'll be right back." He said, and with that he stood up and walked to the kitchen. I could hear him pour water in a cup, then walking back over to me.

"Thanks Johnnycake, I appreciate it." I replied, smiling at him. All of a sudden his eyes brightened up and he looked happy but shy at the same time.

"No problem, Ellie-bear." I guess nobody had ever spoke words of kindness to him, which made me a bit disappointed. Johnny is probably one of, if not the sweetest boy I've ever met.

I sat up, then patted the couch cushion next to me, inviting him over to sit with me. He nodded, then sat next to me, I put part of the blanket on top of me on his lap. Then, we sat there and watched Mickey Mouse.

We watched Mickey Mouse for a pretty long time, which got boring after a while. I could see Johnny getting a little sleepy. He then put his head on my shoulder, then looked up at me to see if it was okay. I gave him a soft smile then nodded.

I guess Johnny had stayed up this whole time, just to make sure I was okay and that he would be awake when I woke up. Gee, is he sweet.

After a while, my legs started to fall asleep, so I gently moved my shoulder, replacing where it used to be with a pillow for Johnny's head. It took me a while to be able to walk, which I still had a limp to, not just because of my leg falling asleep.

I moved around the house a bit, just to keep my leg going. I then sat in the recliner chair that Darry usually reads his newspapers in. I didn't notice this at first, but a tear rolled down my cheek. I guess it was overwhelming, just everything.

I'm not at my house because I'm scared of my own mother, I got jumped two times, and I also feel like a burden among the gang. Almost as if Ponyboy only hung out with me because he pitied me.

I silently cried, trying my best not to wake up Johnny. I knew I said I wouldn't cry but I only meant in front of other people, right? That's when I heard the door open, making me instantly look up to Ponyboy. I guess he got back from school, because he had his backpack hanging on one shoulder. He smiled at me first, then examined closely, then had a face of dismay.

"Hey, Ellie is everything alright?" Ponyboy threw his backpack on the floor, then rushed over to me, cupping my face with his hands. I didn't reply, because I knew I would cry more if I said a word.

"You know I hate it when I see you sad, it's okay you don't have to explain." He cooed, pulling me into a tight hug. The hug was very comfortable, especially because of his size compared to mine. I was about 5'0, almost 5'1, and he was around 5'10. His whole body basically engulfed me.

"Thanks Pony, I appreciate it." I sniffled, still hugging him. Then, I continued to talk.

"You know, I'm really lucky to have you and the rest of the gang in my life. You have no idea how many times you guys have helped me." Ponyboy hesitated to say something, taken aback from what I had just told him.

"I'm glad that I met you too Ellie. You're not like every other girl who just wants attention, even though I may not tell you a lot, I appreciate you too." Ponyboy said, not knowing how to word his feelings. I pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Thank you, Ponyboy." I said curtly, wiping my tears. He smiled at me, wiped off another tear on my cheek, then sighed deeply.

"Ya hungry? I'm pretty sure Darry has some fruit in the fridge or somethin'." Pony offered.

"Yeah, I actually am. What fruit do you have?" I asked, hoping they had strawberries or raspberries.

"We got, apples and strawberries. You want some strawberries, they're already washed." Ponyboy replied, it was like he read my mind.

"Yeah, I'd like some strawberries actually." I sat on the counter, Ponyboy joined me, bringing the strawberries.

"You know, I had this dream; it was the most pleasant thing I've ever experienced." I said, looking off into space. He asked what it was about.

"It was a flower field, and I was wearing a pure, white, and flow-y dress. The flowers were shades of lavender and pastel pink. It was a place of peace, serenity." I explained.

"Some place, wish it was real, y'know?" Ponyboy said, popping a small strawberry in his mouth.

"Tell me about it."