Daddy Issues - Johnnyboy

24; Thanks for loving me, you're doing it perfectly.

"I'm going to need you to tell Pone and Johnny to put something decent on, or at least one of 'em take a shower. Tell Ponyboy that I need to speak with him as well." I nodded, seeming okay with it. But then I got a little scared, Ponyboy hasn't spoken to me since he's left, we used to tell each other absolutely everything, now he's silent towards me. I guess I couldn't blame him, he was after all in a difficult place, along with Johnny. Oh Johnny, my heart hurt for the kid, he's been through alot these past few months, but I can't say that he's handling it well.

   I headed up the steps, slowly, not really caring about the laziness in my steps. I walked to our room, and silently opened the door, turning the knob quietly, it sounded as if they were sleeping. I looked over at them, and the whole picture looked innocent, until I took a closer look.

   I tiptoed over to them, and saw them laying on their sides, facing the wall. I grabbed Ponyboy's shoulder and turned him, so he was on his back. My eyes widened as I looked at my little brother, I saw a baggy in the middle of them, and two needles, Ponyboy still had the belt around his arm and Johnny was sprawled out. I picked up the needles, unsure of what the hell I just found.

   And then I suddenly put two and two together, the rarity in their appetites, the sleeping, the emotions, the frailness of their bodies, the sick look in their features. Oh god, oh my god.

   I felt a sick jolt in my stomach and I frantically tried to get them to wake up. I felt my breathing get heavy and I was constantly sucking in big gusts of air, trying to calm down but I couldn't. Was he dead? That's all I had in my head, over and over, I didn't know how this worked nor how to handle it. It was getting too much, everything was too much. It was then when Ponyboy started throwing up, that I full fledged panicked. He didn't wake up though, it looked as if he couldn't. He started to choke, and writher. He shook and tried to sit up but. . . he couldn't.

   Thats when I screamed, I was scared, I didn't know what to do. I felt the insides of my chest cave in as I started to sob,

"DARRY! PLEASE!" I tried to turn him over to where he was originally laying like, and that seemed to work, but he was still throwing up, this time though, he was breathing through it. He was practically choking on his own vomit.

"Soda! What the hell-" Darry cut humself off once he saw them,

"They- T-they-," I was stuttering, I couldn't speak through my sobs, the gang ran up too, to see what was so bad. I turned Johnny over and he was the same way, they were both high. Too high to even sit up, to move, to speak.

"NO! NO NO," Darry was furious, he kept his tears in though, I couldn't. This was the last thing I ever thought he'd do, I know Ponyboy has been bullied, and that he was insecure about everything he's ever said and done, and with our parents dying just added to that but. . . I didn't think he'd be hurting this much, I thought he was better, I thought he was much better. I felt like a horrible brother, I haven't been looking out for him, I haven't payed enough attention to him, maybe if I. . . was there for him. He would still be okay.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" I screamed, my hands scrunched my hair tightly, trying to get a hold of myself.

"They did drugs! Darry they're high!" I yelled to him and he looked over at me with wild, scared eyes,

"This, is what they've been doing!?" I heard Dally yell but I couldn't focus, all I heard was anger, he was angry. I looked to Two-bit in desperation but he stood there, completely numb to this, he was crying though, and didn't get any closer than the doorway.

"W-we gotta-" Steve started, gulping down his emotions. "Wait it out, it will pass over, just let it pass over."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WAIT?!" He wanted me to wait until they woke up? What if they don't?!

"SODA! THEYRE NOT DYING!" Steve shouted,

"AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT!?" I yelled back, everything around me just seemed like it was collapsing.

"BECAUSE I'VE SEEN WHAT THE DRUG DOES TO YA! THEYRE GONNA BE OKAY. THEY WILL WAKE UP! JUST WAIT. IT. OUT." The both of us were breathing heavy. And I could feel everyone staring, I looked to my oldest brother with a helpless expression,

"I-It won't hurt to t-try." I immediately sighed and sat down on the bed. Then it dawned on me,

"Darry . . . what about the social worker?"

"W-we'll just say that he's at a friends house. She's been with us for as long as I can remember, she knows he's in good hands. . . " He said, and I nodded and looked at the sleeping boys again.

"Won't she want to check in here?" I asked and he gulped. He didn't know the answer to that.

"Move 'em." Dally suggested, his eyes were cold and filled with blazing anger.

"Where?" I asked and we all were silent for a few minutes, before I looked directly at the closet.

"Darry. I don't think you realize what just happened." I said, and he looked over to me, bewildered.

"I don't know what just happened, Soda." He exclaimed,

"Ponyboy almost died before you came up here." I told him and Thats when two stood forward,

"What the hell do you mean?" He asked, crossing his arms

"When I turned him, he started throwing up, and he couldn't wake to sit up. He was choking, Darry." I whispered, not even believing it myself.
"I don't care what neither of you says, they're going to the fucking hospital!"