The Outsiders x male reader

Chapter 5 (1/2)

P.O.V. Ponyboy

       I woke up late in the afternoon. For a second I didn't know where I was. You know how it is, when you wake up in a strange place and wonder where in the world you are, until memory comes rushing over you like a wave. I half convinced myself that I had dreamed everything that had happened the night before. I'm really home in bed, I thought. It's late and both Darry and Sodapop are up. Darry's cooking breakfast, and in a minute he and Soda will come in and drag me out of bed and wrestle me down and tickle me until I think I'll die if they don't stop. It's me and Soda's turn to do the dishes after we eat, and then we'll all go outside and play football. Johnny and (M/n) and Two-Bit and I will get Darry on our side, since Johnny and (M/n) and I are so small and Darry's the best player. It'll go like the usual weekend morning. I tried telling myself that while I lay on the cold rock floor, wrapped up in Dally's jacket and listening to the wind rushing through the trees' dry leaves outside.

Finally I quit pretending and pushed myself up. I was stiff and sore from sleeping on that hard floor, but I had never slept so soundly. I was still groggy. I pushed off Johnny's jeans jacket, which had some who got thrown across me, and blinked, scratching my head. It was awful quiet, with just the sound of rushing wind in the trees. Suddenly I realized that Johnny and (M/n) weren't here.

"Johnny? (M/n)?" I called loudly, and that old wooden church echoed me, onny onny . . . I looked around wildly, almost panic-stricken, but then caught sight of crooked lettering written in the dust of the floor. Went to get supplies. Be back soon. J.C.

I sighed, and went to the pump to get a drink. The water from it was like liquid ice and it tasted funny, but it was water. I splashed some on my face and that woke me up pretty quick. I wiped my face off on Johnny's jacket and sat down on the back steps. I looked to my side and saw (M/n) sitting with his back turned to me.

"(M/n), what are you doing?" I yelled over to him with a confused look on my face. He flinched and got up and started to walk towards me. When he got closer I saw he had something in his hands. He had a bunny. "Where did you get that?"

"She was in the church this morning. Then she ran away, so I followed her here." (M/n) said with a small smile on his face.

"Okay, just don't get bite. You are not going to get rabies."

"Okay, Pony."

(M/n) came and sat down next to me. We were just looking around. The hill the church was on dropped off suddenly about twenty feet from the back door, and you could see for miles and miles. It was like sitting on the top of the world.

When you haven't got anything to do, you remember things in spite of yourself. I could remember every detail of the whole night, but it had the unreal quality of a dream. It seemed much longer than twenty-four hours since Johnny, (M/n), and I had met Dally at the corner of Pickett and Sutton. Maybe it was. Maybe Johnny had been gone a whole week and I had just slept. Maybe he had already been worked over by the fuzz and was waiting to get the electric chair since he wouldn't tell where (M/n) and I were. Maybe Dally had been killed in a car wreck or something and no one would ever know where (M/n) and I were, and we'd just die up here, alone, and turn into a skeleton. My over-active imagination was running away with me again. My head swam, and I leaned back and closed my eyes. I guess it was partly delayed shock. Finally my stomach calmed down and I relaxed a little, hoping that Johnny would remember cigarettes. I was scared, sitting there.

I heard someone coming up through the dead leaves toward the back of the church, I grabbed (M/n) and ducked inside the door. Then I heard a whistle, a long and low, ending in a sudden high note. I knew that whistle well enough. It was used by us and the Shepherd gang for "Who's there?" I returned it carefully, then darted with out the door with (M/n) so fast that we feel off the steps. I let go of his hand, and we sprawled flat under Johnny's nose.