Times Change [UNDERGOING EDITS]

Chapter Fifteen

Work was horrible, absolutely horrible. All I did all day was fold clothes. And as soon as I finished one pile and moved on to the next, some Socy girls would come around and mess it all up again. They all knew who I was, they knew what I was, of course they did. And they just wanted to make my life that much more of a hell on Earth.

When I got home I exchanged my skirt for my favorite blue jeans and crashed on the couch with a book. I had been reading The Lord of The Rings. My parents had bought me the whole trilogy for my fifteenth birthday, only a few months before the car wreck.

I had only gotten through a couple chapters when the phone rang. Darry got up from his place in the armchair and answered it.

"What?" he said in shock. "Well, where were they?"

There was only one thing that could mean, I hurriedly threw down my book and jumped up from the couch. I started panicking. What's going on? Sodapop came rushing out of the kitchen where he had been making a cake for breakfast tomorrow.

Darry swore under his breath, "Thanks, we'll be right there." Me and Soda exchanged nervous glances. Darry hung up the phone and turned to us, "They found the boys," he said grimly, heading towards the door, "And it ain't good."

The three of us sprinted across the front yard and piled into Darry's truck. Darry quickly fired up the engine and sped down the street.

"Darry what's going on?" I asked fearfully, "What's wrong with the boys?"

He sighed, "There was a fire in the abandoned church they had been hiding out in, apparently Dally was with them too. Pony and Dally made it out alright but Johnny's in pretty bad shape. That's all I know."

The information was overwhelming. My heart stopped, I let out a sob and buried my face in my hands. What happened to taking care of them? Dally was supposed to take care of them. He promised.

Soda wrapped his arms around me and hugged my tightly. "Little Johnnycake..." he whispered. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried the rest of the way to the hospital.

Dally promised. He was supposed to protect them.

After we pulled into the parking lot, there was a slamming of doors as all three of of scrambled out of the truck and ran into the hospital. We hurried through the halls to the waiting room.

"Soda!" Pony yelled upon seeing us, "Sissy!"

I ran to him and threw myself into his arms. He wreaked of smoke and he was covered in soot. "Ponyboy I've been so worried about you," I cried into his shoulder.

"Ponyboy!" Soda cried, embracing the both of us.

Darry stood back and watched the exchange, unsure of what to do. Ponyboy noticed him and let go of me. "Darry!" he shouted, hugging our oldest brother, "Darry, I'm sorry."

"It ain't your fault," Darry said tearfully, hugging Ponyboy tightly.

Me and Soda joined the group hug. And for the first time in a while, we were beginning to feel like a family again.

I soon learned that the boys had left the abandoned church they were hiding out in to get some grub and when they got back the church had gone up in flames. Evidently, a elementary school class had chosen this day to have a picnic on top of the hill.

Some of the little second graders got stuck inside the burning church. And Pony and Johnny ran right into the flames to save them.

They got the kiddos out alright, but when the two of them tried to get out is when things went sour. Pony managed to get out through a window. But the roof collapsed before Johnny could make his escape, fell right on his back. Dally was trying to save Johnny when he burned his arm pretty badly. Pony had been wearing Dally's jacket, and Dally accidentally knocked him out while he was trying to put out flames on Pony's back.

Then they were put in ambulances and brought back here, right back to us.

I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye as he finished telling us his story. "Damn," I swore, burying my face in my hands, "Damn, damn, damn!"

Ponyboy rested his head on my shoulder, "It's all going to be okay Alli," he said soothingly.

This kid, this utterly exhausted kid who had been through so much, was telling me it was going to be okay. Lordy.

Inevitably, the cops and reporters showed up, not only to question us about the murder, but the rescue too. It was boring, all questions and flashing cameras, and I could tell Ponyboy was in no mood for all this. Pony pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. I beckoned for him to hand the box to me and he reluctantly handed it over while looking at me with concern and confusion.

"Don't worry about it kid," I mumbled, pulling my lighter out of my pocket. A few of the cameras turned to me when I lit my cigarette and took a draw. "Take any pictures of me and I'll knock your teeth out," I threatened irritably, blowing out smoke.

Darry smirked, "She ain't lyin'."

Soda was the only one who was enjoying this whole endeavor. Waltzing around, mimicking reporters, stealing their press hats, he even managed to 'borrow' one's camera and was asking us all sorts of silly questions. But even he got tired of all of this hullabaloo and came and sat in the chair next to mine. We had almost fallen asleep leaning against each other before the cops and reporters finally started to leave.

Darry grinned slightly, "Neither of them have been sleeping lately," I heard him say softly to Pony.

"You haven't either," Sodapop mumbled.

We interrogated one of the nurses for a while about Dally and Johnny but she wouldn't tell us nothing. Eventually Darry managed to get a hold of a doctor to tell us what was going on. Then he wouldn't tell us nothing, except that he would only talk to the family.

I needed to know Dally was okay, I needed to look at his face and know he was going to be just fine. And I couldn't stop thinking about innocent, scared Johnnycake in critical care. Hurt just trying to be a hero like the ones in the comics we read as kids.

We finally managed to get it through the guy's head that we were just about the only family these boys have got. He said Dally would be okay after a few days, which I was relieved to hear. But he had a bad burn on his arm that was probably going to leave a nasty scar.

Johnny was much worse off. His back had been broken where the church roof had fallen on him and he had multiple third degree burns. The doctor said he was in severe shock and while they were doing what they could, he was probably never going to be able to walk again. Even if he lived he would be crippled.

I choked back more tears, if he lived, Johnny would never be able to play football again, and Johnny loved football. We would never be able to wander the neighborhood together in the summer, stay out 'till the sun went down then run around in the dark trying to catch lightning bugs.

Pony looked pale as a ghost, Darry wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed reassuringly.

"Hey, you wanted the truth so I gave it to you," the doctor told us, "You all probably need to get some rest, I'm sure its been a long day."

I almost fell asleep again on the way home, but the thoughts racing through my head prevented me from actually falling asleep. Crippled. Johnny crippled. If he lives. If....

Ponyboy however, did manage to pass out in the truck. When we finally got home, neither of us had the will to actually get up and walk into the house.

Soda shook Pony, "Come on, we're home, get up." I laughed weakly when Ponyboy just groaned and fell over into my lap.

"Oh come on guys, we're exhausted too," Darry complained, picking up Ponyboy and carrying him.

"Come on Alli," Soda yawned. I mumble incomprehensibly and leaned against him. "Fine, fine, y'all are such wimps, you know that right?" he grumbled, pulling me out of the car and carrying me over his shoulder into the house. "Aren't they a little too big to be carried?" Soda grunted to Darry.

"Says the one who was swinging me around the living room earlier this week," I yawned.

Soda carried me to my room and unceremoniously dropped me onto my bed. I was tired enough to fall asleep right then and there, but my mind was keeping me awake.

Crippled. No more football. No more walks. No more lightning bugs. If he lived. If... If... Dally burned. Burns... If Johnny lived... If...