Infatuation

Chapter 38

We are all cramped into Soda's truck. There are only three seats in the car, so Ponyboy and Johnny decided to sit in the cargo bed. 

Soda is more careful when he is driving. I really appreciate it. Driving fast makes me car sick. I'm always sick for awhile, even after I get out of the car.

Sodapop pulls me as close to him as possible. I hold one of his hands while he drives. Its really nice.
  
We aren't driving for that long. Johnny just lives down the street from us. I've never seen his house until now.

It is more run down than the Curtis'. The blue paint is faded and peeling. There is a hole in the door screen and several windows are broken. It makes me sad. Johnny has to live in this? My living conditions were never this bad, but I guess thats because I still had one parent who cared about me. Johnny's parents don't give a hang about him. It was hard enough with one parent who was abusive. I can't even imagine when there is two.

"Do you want us to help you?" I ask from inside the truck. Ponyboy and Johnny are already walking up to the front door.

"Yeah. That would be great," Johnny replies.

I nod my head and follow Soda out of the car. Ponyboy and Johnny disappear into the house.

"We need someone to keep watch. If my parents find any of you here they won't be happy. Especially you two." Johnny says as he points to Ponyboy and Sodapop.

"Why? What did we ever do?" Ponyboy asks.

"Mom doesn't like you guys because she thinks y'all are hoods. Dad doesn't like you all because you are always giving me places to stay. He misses his punching bag." Johnny explains.

I think I relate to Johnny more than I thought I did. The main reason I didn't have any friends in Missouri was because my dad didn't like them. He would never let them stay over, and if he did he would make it a point to show them that he was in charge. Usually it was by hitting me. Those were real fun times.

"This is my room," Johnny says as he opens a door. His room is nice and tidy. Everything has a spot. He has a lot more things than I thought he would. There are little trinkets all over. Cool rocks, bottle caps, pretty pieces of glass, cigarette cases, and lots of other things.

I take a box from Ponyboy. "What do you want us to pack?" I ask.

"Clothes and anything else you think I should keep." Johnny says. I nod my head.

I walk over to a shelf in his room. On it is s picture of him and the gang. They are all laughing. Except for Two-Bit which is kind of weird because he is always laughing. I gently put the picture in the box.

Everyone piles things into their boxes. Johnny is in charge of clothes. He really doesn't have that much. Just five shirts and two pairs of jeans. He only has one jacket. I decide get him some new clothes for Christmas.

I put all of the trinkets he has in my box. I can tell that this has taken him a lot of time to collect all of this stuff. It would be a shame to throw it away.

"Shit! They're here!" Ponyboy cries. I hear the front door open. We all stop talking. Johnny quietly inches his way to the window.

"Who's car was that?" A man's voice asks. His words are slurred together. He is definitely drunk.

Johnny starts to open the window. A loud creak rings out.

"Johnny? Is that you?" A female asks.

Johnny throws the window open not caring about the noises it makes. My eyes go wide as the footsteps get closer. Sodapop turns to the door and locks it. He stands in front of me.