Don't Leave Me Johnny Cade!

Chapter 16

Four days later....

Kayla lost a lot of weight from not eating, and she became super skinny. Pony and I started getting scared for my survival and well-being, but she constantly told us she was strong enough to survive on just bread. It was about eight in the morning when Dally woke us all up. For a second, he didn't know who Kayla was.

"Kayla?" He asked.

"Yeah, Dally, it's me," Kayla frowned, noticeably not proud of her appearance.

"Your hair is different," he says. I whisper to give her compliments in his ear before he turns back to her, "but it looks beautiful. You look beautiful with it. It really brings out your eyes."

"Thanks Dally, but I know Johnny put you up to that."

"Maybe he did, you look skinnier. Have you even eaten since the movie?"

"I've had a little bread."

"Oh man. Anyway, Pony I have a letter here for you."

"For me? Who's it from?"

"It's from the president of the United States of America. No stupid, it's from your brother."

While Pony read the note, I started asking Dally a bunch of questions like what was going on. Dally answered all of them with no problem. Apparently the whole thing was calming down, and we could at least go outside.

"Do you guys wanna go get some food? I'm starving," Dally asked us while touching his stomach.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE STARVING!!" Kayla yelled and pulled up her shirt a little to show us her stomach. It was incredible how she was still alive.

"Okay nevermind. I am not starving that much. Do you guys wanna go get food though?"

"You're kidding. Is that even a question?" Kayla said sarcastically. He shrugged, and we all walked out together. We got into the t-bird he took from Buck and go get food. We headed to Dairy Queen and got burgers and cokes. I had a burger, but Kayla still scared me. She only ate fries, but when she was at the Dingo with me, she got a burger. It scared me. Pony and Kayla sat in the back seats while Dally and I sat in the front.

"Kayla, are you sure you don't want anything more to eat?" Pony asked her. I'm glad he did because she didn't have much, "I will give you some of my burger if you want it."

"No, I'm good. I really don't have that much of an appetite right now."

"You guys remember that broad that I tried to pick up at the drive in. Oh what was her name, uh, Cherry something?" Dallas asked.

"Cherry Valance," Pony sounded excited. That was the red headed soc that Pony liked.

"She said the whole mess was her fault, which it was, and that she'd keep up with what was comin' off with the Socs in the rumble and would testify that the socs were drunk and looking for a fight and that you fought back strictly in self-defense. That little gal sure does hate me. I offered fo take her to go to the Dingo for a coke and told me to go to hell," Dally grinned. I took a really deep breath and sighed. I wanted to go back home even if home didn't like me.

"We're going to turn ourselves in," I announced. Dally looked shocked and nervous at the same time.

"What?!" Dally and Kayla asked me in sync.

"We're going to turn ourselves in," I repeated in a quiet voice since I got yelled at, but I got my courage back and continued,"I got a good chance of being let off easy. I ain't got no record with the fuzz, and like you said it was self-defense. Ponyboy, Kayla, and Cherry can testify to that. And I really don't aim to stay in that church for my whole life. We won't tell anyone that you helped us, Dally, and we'll give you back the gun and the rest of the money and say we hitchhiked back, so you won't get in trouble. Okay?"

"Are you sure you wanna go back? Us greasers get it worse than anyone else," Dally sounded nervous for the first time ever. He seemed scared at the thought of me going to jail.

"I'm sure. It ain't fair for Ponyboy and Kayla to be staying up there in that church with Darry and Sodapop worrying about 'em all the time. I don't guess... I don't guess my parents are worried about me or anything?"

"The boys are worried. Two-bit was going to go to Texas to hunt for you three."

"My parents," I repeated with some frustration since Dally didn't answer me the first time,"did they ask about me?"

"No," Dally snapped which shocked all of us,"they didn't. Blast it, Johnny, what do they matter? Shoot, my old man wouldn't give a hang if I was I'm in jail, drunk in a gutter, or dead in a car wreck. That don't bother me none."

I never saw Dally so frustrated at me. I  was all upset now because he honestly sounded like my parents yelling at me. I was about to cry, and Kayla placed her hand on my shoulder. I looked back at her even though I know she could see right through me. I had tears almost coming out of my eyes, and I was super close to those tears coming out. She pulled me right up to her face and kissed me right on the lips. I enjoyed it. Thetears sort of went away, but before they could go away, one fell. Kayla wiped it right off my face before it could go anywhere. Dally slammed his hand on the steering wheel before starting to drive. I flinched at the sound, and I was still upset.

"Johnny," Dally was speaking in a high pleading voice that none of us had heard before,"Johnny, I ain't mad at you. I just don't want you to get hurt. You don't know what a few months in jail can do to you. Oh blast it, Johnny, you get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you...like it happened to me."

By the time he was done with his little speech, we got to the church. It was on FIRE! I watched Pony jump out of the car, and I followed him. There were kids in the fire, and we were going to save them. Dally missed Pony's arm, but he was really close to mine. I had to save these kids and make Dally proud of me. I was following Pony into the church, and we found some kids all the way in the back. All I could think of was that this is our fault. Kayla ran in with us! I looked behind me, and Kayla was running toward us. She caught up with us, but I really didn't want her in there with us. I didnt want anything to happen to her. Hopefully nothing would........