𝐏𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐓 [𝟏] | 𝘿𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙨 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣

7

The four of us get in the car. Me in the passenger side, Dal driving and Johnny and Pony in the back. After some reckless driving and paying for our food, we park. I got a burger and fries with a coke. While the rest of them got barbecue sandwiches. Johnny and Pony both started to scarf down their sandwiches. "You guys really are hungry Huh?" Dal asked seeing them practically inhale their food. "The kid you killed had plenty of friends..." Dal turns to the back seat to talk to the boys. I ate my fries. "It's all over town, Socs against the greasers." He pulls out a gun from the center console. "I've started carrying a heater." Pony leans over the seat. "Dally! Heaters kill people." He said in a hushed tone. "Don't worry it ain't loaded." Dal said. Two kids walked up to the car and Dal quickly shoved the gun into the console again. The girl asked for money and Dal quickly brushed her off and she eventually leaves. "Shepard's gang and ours are gonna have it out with the socs at the vacant lot tomorrow night." I say. "Hey I didn't tell Ya we had a spy." He says to all three of us. "A spy?" I asked, confused on what he meant. "Who?" Johnny asked. "Remember the good lookin broad from the drive in? The red head? Cherry uh..." he tries to remember the girls last name. I just turn forward and take a bite of my burger. Realizing what he was talking about."Cherry Valance!" Pony said. "Cherry the soc." Johnny said surprised. "We were all hanging out down at the vacant lot and she pulls up in her little stingray. That took a lot a nerve." He explained. "Yeah it did." I added coldly. "She said that she would testify that the socs where drunk. And they were the ones lookin for the fight and you just fought back strictly in self defense. So it's cool." He chuckled. "Man that little broad sure does hate me." He smiled. I nodded. I sure hoped she did. Then she might stay away from us and not drive up to the lot again. Since I was done with my food, I crumpled up my garbage and shoved it in the bag. I took a sip of my coke. "We're going back and we're going to turn ourselves in." Both me and Dal turn to Johnny after what he said. "What?" We both say in unison. "I got a good chance of being let off easy. It was self defense you just said. Pony and Cherry can testify to that." Johnny explained. "No no no" Dal shook his head. "We don't have to say that you helped, we'll give you the gun back. And you won't get any trouble." That's true. Maybe Johnny would be alright if he turned himself in. But maybe it wasn't such a good idea. After all he did run instead of turning himself in instantly. "You sure that's what you want to do?" Dal asked. "Yeah I'm sure. It's not fair for Soda and Darry to worry about Ponyboy all the time." He sips his coke and I look over at Dal, who looks back at me. "My folks aren't worried about me-" Dallas interrupts Johnny. "The guys are worried Johnny." He said. "Did you know that Two-bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt you down." He said. "I asked if my parents asked about me-" Dallas interrupted again. "No they didn't ask about you, so what? You think my old man gives a hang if I'm dead in a car wreak or drunk or in jail or something? He doesn't care! But that doesn't bother me none." I know I shouldn't be giving Dal a sympathetic look but I was. He's ranted to me about his dad a lot and I would always tell him that the gang cared and I cared about him. When we were alone he would smile and thank me. But with Johnny and Pony that wouldn't be the case so I kept my mouth shut. He glanced at me and I quickly look away and my almost empty coke. "Come on, you aren't going anywhere." He glanced around the wheel, as if trying to occupy himself. "I give you a hideout....and you want to split." He mumbled. Dallas starts the car up before he drove off. On the way there, it was mostly silent. I glanced at Dal every so often and he would glance back. Finally he breaks the silence and glanced back at Johnny for a moment before he broke the silence. "You don't know what a few months in jail will do to you man." He focused on the road mostly. "You get mean in jail. I don't want it to happen to you like it happened to me man. You understand?" Dal glanced back at him again before throwing forward. I heard the sound of kids as we got closer to the church. I looked up and saw the whole thing on fire. Dallas stops the car. By the, now burning, church was a school bus and kids were running around. Did the boys leave a cigarette burning? Maybe the kids did something. "Wonder how that started." Pony said surprised. "Oh my God." Dallas drove closer to the church. Pony jumped from the car the instant it stopped. "Pony!" I get up on the car seat, with my feet on the seat and sitting on the back of the seat. "Get over here!" Dallas calls after him. "Jerry!" A woman, who I was guessing a teacher, ran up to a man. Who was probably also a teacher. "Some of the children are missing!" She looked around frantically and I looked and Pony. I knew that look. "Ponyboy!" I quickly got out of the car as Pony heads to the church. "Peggy! Peggy no!" Dallas tried to grab me but I was too quick. Johnny gets out of the car soon after me. "Pony!" Johnny yelled. Pony searched for an opening in the church where he could get inside easily. Him and Johnny managed to break through some boards over a window. Smoke poured out and I covered my mouth with my arm. I could hear the kids crying out inside, as soon as Johnny and Pony climbed in I did too.