The Outsiders:Johnny and Charlottes Story

Nothing Gold can stay

Charlotte

I flipped through the few books the orphanage had, bored. I had read most of them about 5 million times. But there was a new heavy book of poems. Sighing in boredom, I lifted that off the shelf and sat down, opening the book to a random page. The title of this poem was called Nothing gold can stay.

Nature first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leafs a flower,

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief.

So dawn goes down to day,

Nothing gold can stay.

I shut the book, thinking about the poem. PonyBoy had mentioned it once, but I had been thinking about something else at the time. Someone yelling my name made me jump. It was Patrick. "What??" I shouted. Mess in the bathroom!!! Clean it up!" I sighed. In the last 2 weeks I had been here, Patrick had decided that I was his slave. I walked over to the bathroom, mopped up the mess made from a bath and went back to the book of poems. My mind wasn't on it though. It was still in the Curtis home. Johnny and Pony would probably be watching the stars, even though it was past midnight. Soda and Darry, well they would be sleeping. They had work. I drifted off to sleep, right there in the book room. 

Johnny

My parents were fighting over a piece of toast. It was burnt, and my dad hated burnt toast. He wouldn't eat it, so my Mom started screaming. I ran out of the house and went to the lot. Pony-Boy was there, watching the stars and smoking. I sat down beside him, shivering. "Parents?" Pony asked, and I nodded. "Johnny, do you think Charlotte's OK?" He asked. I nodded. "She is tiny, but she's tougher than any of us." I said, wondering if I was just kidding myself. No. Charlotte was strong and brave. "I gotta go Johnny, Darry will kill me if I don't get home before midnight." I nodded. Pony got up and left.    

        I watched the stars for a while, thinking about being a greaser. It wasn't our fault we were poor and the Socs were rich. Maybe one day things would be better. But then again, maybe not. I got up and decided to walk around town.  The Socs were cruising around in their blue mustang. Mustangs are tuff. I walked in the shadows, hoping that they would pass me without noticing me. They didn't notice me thank god.  I walked into the gas station and bought some cigarettes. Then I remembered that I should try to quit. It just made me feel better. I took a cancer stick out and lit it. 

"Ain't you to young to be smoking?" I turn around. Socs. "No. Ain't you to young to be driving?" I retorted. It was the Socs in the blue Mustang. "You back talking me Grease?" Randy asked, stepping forward. I could smell the booze on him. My hand inched toward my back pocket, where I kept my blade.  "Not so fast Grease. Your ain't cutting us up like Bob. Maybe we'll send you away, Just like  that Charlotte kid."  What? They sent Patrick to take Charlotte? "You sent Patrick?"  Randy smirked. "If we couldn't have her, we decided that no one could have her." 

That's it. I pulled out my blade. "Yeah, fight little Grease!!! Fight!" The other Socs shouted. Randy pulled out his knife, which was a really good, expensive one. We circled each other. He made the first move. He stabbed and I blocked the almost fatal hit with my arm. Pain flooded my arm, and my vision went a little blurry.  I slashed at his face, making a cut similar to my scar. 

"Bitch!" Randy shouted, and knocked me to the ground with one well placed punch. "Go Randy!!" The other Socs yelled. I got up and punched Randy in the nose. I had broken it, and he was down. When he didn't  get up, due to his moaning about his 'beutiful nose that was carved by God himself'. Another Soc took his place. He was an even worse fighter than Randy. "You fight like a girl!!" He shouted as I stabbed blindly, because he had thrown dirt in my eyes. "Thanks. So do you!" I shouted. It was true for him, not me.  I knocked him down, and threw punches as fast a lightning.