Warnings: None
Word Count: 977
"Y/N, Ponyboy, Y/N, Wake up!"
Johnny was shaking me. His face was so close to mine, I could feel his breath on my face. Pony sat up and said, "Glory, what time is it?" Johnny got off of me and turned to Ponyboy.
"I don't know, I went to sleep too, listening to you rattle on. You both better get home. I think I'll stay all night out here." I looked down at my watch and it wasn't on me for once. Damn, it must have fallen off during the fiasco.
"Are you sure?" I asked Johnny. "There is plenty of room."
Johnny chuckled. "Nup, there really ain't. I'll be fine."
Ponyboy yawned and said, "Okay, but if you get cold or something, come on over to our house." Johnny nodded and Pony and I walked off. Well, more like ran. We had broken Darry's curfew. Ponyboy was trembling, and I was just worried I'd get blamed for it. I didn't want to get thrown out because of this. The porch light was on when we got back and Ponyboy and I exchanged hopeful glances. Maybe they were asleep? He gulped hard and opened the door. Pony slowly crept in, and I followed.
Darry's eyes shot up from the newspaper and he jumped to his feet. Pony and I stood, slouching, chewing on our fingernails.
"Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is?" Darry shouted in our faces. I was too scared to do anything or say anything, and Pony and I just shook our heads. "Well, its two in the morning, kiddos. Another hour and we would have had the police after you! Where were you Ponyboy? Where in the almighty universe were you two?" At this point, Darry was screaming at the top of his lungs.
I didn't say anything. Pony squeaked out, "We.. we went to sleep in the lot..."
"You WHAT?" Darry screamed.
Soda sat up and sleepily said, "Hey, guys, where ya been?"
"He didn't mean to! We were all talking to Johnny and we dropped off-" I said, defending Ponyboy.
"Y/N, You're older! You should know better! Good God, Y/N! And Ponyboy, I reckon that it never occurred to you that your brothers might be worrying their heads off and afraid to call the police because something like that could get you two thrown into a boys' home so quick it'd make your heads spin! And were you two asleep in the lot? Ponyboy, what on earth is the matter with you? Can't you use your head? You haven't even got a coat on!"
Ponyboy was on the verge of tears. "I- I didn't mean to-"
"I didn't mean to! I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"
"Darry!" I pleaded, stepping in front of Ponyboy. Before I knew it, he had backhanded me so hard that I flew into the door.
"You keep your trap shut! You ain't a part of this family!" he screamed. It all went quiet real fast. Soda's eyes were wide, and so were Pony's. Darry was fixated on his hand. There was blood on it. I touched my cheek. He had reopened the scar. He looked up at me with regretful eyes. "Y/N..."
I ran out the door so fast, I almost fell off the porch stairs. I was crying, and I was crying hard. He was right. I wasn't part of the family. I didn't belong here. I just wanted to go home. Not to the house. Home. With Mom. I threw my hands over my face, and ran aimlessly.
"Y/N!" Pony was shouting. He was following me. I was sprinting so fast that he could hardly keep up.
Suddenly, something grabbed me. It was Johnny.
"Y/N!" he called. He grasped me tight in a hug, and I flailed and tried to throw him off, but he held on tight.
"Let me go," I said through tears. "Let me go..."
Eventually, I gave into his embrace and bawled into the nook of his neck. I buried my face in it, and he let me cry. He stood there, hugging me, for I don't know how long, just letting me wipe my face on his jean jacket. Ponyboy finally arrived, out of breath. Through heavy breaths, he said, "Y/N ... he ... didn't ... mean it .... He's ...... awful.....sorry. Are.... you.... okay?" After I calmed down a bit, Johnny let me go and I looked around. I was in a park. I climbed up an arch and Johnny and Pony followed after me.
I was still hyperventilating, and through breaths, I said, "Gotta cigarette?"
Johnny looked at me, concerned. "Y/N, you shouldn't be-"
"Give it to me," I demanded. Johnny didn't say anything else. He just handed me the cigarette and a lighter, and I lit it up. I had never smoked before, so I started hacking.
"Y/N..." Johnny continued.
"Lay off," I ordered. Eventually, the coughing slowed down and I started taking huge puffs.
"You're scarin' me, Y/N. I ain't never seen you cry that hard. Not even when your dad..." his voice trailed off.
"I'm fine, Cade, lay off. It ain't none of your business," I said again.
"It's Darry. He hit her and said she wasn't a part of our family," Pony said.
Johnny looked at me with pitiful eyes and I snapped, "I don't need your pity. I ain't a baby. I got kicked out once, I'll manage. I'll find something to do. Even if I don't got nobody."
"That ain't true," Johnny said. "You got us." Johnny and Ponyboy gave me a hug. I didn't refuse. I just kept puffing on the cigarette.
After I cooled down a bit, Pony suggested that we head back.
"Yeah, in a minute," I said. I should have gone home. I had no idea what was coming.