The Outsiders Imagines and Short Stories

Dear Maria, Count Me In - J.C.

When the lights go up, I wanna watch you take the stage by storm.

           Johnny Cade hobbled into the gentleman's club, already able to hear Dally cussing him out for going there. He didn't have a great reason for being there. All it really could do was insult him for his disability. It was good old-fashioned curiosity. Johnny dragged himself and his crutches to a table, stuffing his hands in his pockets and straightened his posture. It was no secret he was a young-looking guy, but the dim-lighting his much more than just his disability.

He made himself comfortable far from the stage and lit a weed. The sweet sounds of rock n' roll began to play and a woman emerged. His eyes widened, and his palms got sweaty. A beautiful woman with curled black hair and tan skin, (much like his,) graced the floor with big, red lips and legs to kill.

The Way you wrap those boys around your finger.

She swayed so fluidly, giving all the guys a smile. But gee, when they locked eyes, that was something special. His stomach got tingly, the breath was stolen from his lungs. Johnny choked on his smoke and to his chagrin, she giggled. He looked around the room, disgusted she had to perform for all the old sickos in that club. Gentleman was an adjective far from anyone in that room. But she had them hooked.

Go on and play the leader, 'Cause you know

It's what you're good at.

The low road for the fast track,

Make every second last.

Johnny was back the following week, trying to not look terribly eager as she danced on stage. He tried to seem aloof as she paraded through the crowd, accepting compliments and tips left and right.

His body locked up when she accepted his tip. Ten whole dollars. She smiled gratefully. Beautiful red lips, beautiful smile.

"You were real good up there," Johnny told her.

"Thank you," She replied, starting to walk away. Johnny looked her way, hoping... wishing for a way to talk more. He swore she turned one last time to look at him, he pinched himself just to be sure she did offer another smile. His heart swelled. His breath was knocked out of his chest.

I've got your picture, I'm coming with you.

Johnny worked all week to save more to look good for the club. He tried so hard to look decent, (as decent as he could,) that he forgot to save for a private dance. Just a chance to get to know her, not the girl on stage. Her picture laid in his pocket, swiped from a display case in the gentleman's club. He sat in the back alley, trying to hide his crutches and lame legs. Johnny smoked cigarettes to keep busy.

Then she emerged. She wore a blue outfit adorned by white polka dots. Johnny pulled himself up, brushing himself off. She yelped, growing fearful of the small man in the shadows. Johnny hadn't thought he might scare her, that perhaps she had creep clients willing to stalk her out.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized, keeping his distance. He shoved his armpits onto the rest of the crutches to keep his hands in the air, to show her they weren't holding anything dangerous.

"What do you want?" She asked, gulping hard.

"My name's Johnny- an'-an' I don't have the money t' get a room with you. I just wanted t' get t' know you."

"I can't see you, Johnny," She called to his shadow, "If-If y' come to the light..."

"... You don't wanna see me,"

"Well I ain't helpin' no shadow man," She replied, her hands on her hips.

The alley fell silent. Johnny slowly hauled himself into the light, looking at her with remorse. Her beautiful face fell as she gazed at his scarred one. Perhaps she was afraid of those burns. They maimed any chances of handsomeness. Any chance to enjoy being out in the daytime. This was why he craved night interactions. Why he liked her. She didn't see the burns in the darkness. She didn't see he was a victim of a horrible accident. Now in that light, he was exposed.

"Can you see me now?" He asked, feeling as though he had been stripped. Johnny felt bare naked in front of her. Disemboweled. Opaque.

"Perfectly."

Johnny sat in the room, listening to her talk. She spoke of music she liked, how she never graduated. How her name was Maria. Maria.

"You're lucky you got me when you did," She said towards the end of their hour. Maria pursed her lips, coolly blowing out her smoke. Smoke like a halo above her hair.

"Why's that?"

"It's my last night here. I'm leavin' this town behind in a few days."

"How come?"

"Tired of dealin' with all these people who wish I was still segregated... who woulda killed me in them riots fifty years ago. I know I'm more than some girl from an immigrant family. There's more to me than stripping for a bunch o' guys who only like me 'cause I got a pair o' knockers an' a cat between my legs. People in Tulsa... they don't like people like you an' me."

Johnny had to think about that. It was true that once upon a time, he didn't go to the same school as his buddies... only when he went to high school. Even then he got nasty looks. It was why Bob jumped him. 'Because spics don't belong in Will Rogers.' He had that scar on his cheek to always remember it. Johnny wished that scar was his only facial deformity, now he hid because he was so damn disfigured. He used crutches to drag his legs where he wanted to go.

"I was the guy who killed that Soc," He revealed, "burned in that fire, I wouldn'ta gotten caught if that never happened. Folks stare in the daylight."

"So you hide in shadows."

Johnny Cade nodded bitterly. She took a drag. The hour was over.

***

           Johnny sat at home, hunched over his desk in the early light of dawn. A joint lay in his ash tray, skunk-like smoke billowing to the ceiling. Johnny pressed it to his lips, listening to Ponyboy and his girlfriend giggling. The laughter. How envious he was, how he imagined that with Maria. Johnny glanced at her photograph and smiled to himself, remembering the note he slipped to that beautiful girl...

                      Dᥱᥲr Mᥲrιᥲ, ᥴoᥙᥒt mᥱ ιᥒ.

A/N - Hi, guys! I hope you're having a lovely Christmas season. I'm getting a new notebook soon so I can work more on imagines and preferences. I want to do more song based imagines... any ideas?

As always, thank you for reading and if you want to read more works of mine, I highly recommend The Color Red and Kalopsia, which are both Dally stories. <3