The Other Story

Dawn

"Why do we have to stay home?" Ashton whines and I sigh.

"Because the guys said we would get hurt." I say and she groans.

"But they're going to get hurt too." She says and I shrug.

"Sorry." The guys all went off the to rumble which left me, Noel, Ashton and Blair home.

"So what's going on with your parents Noel?" I ask.

"I told them that it's fine if they came over here with me but they just said that they would rather stay at Two-Bit's." She explains.

"Are you going to live with them on the South side?" Ashton asks.

"No." Blair and Noel say at the same time.

"I thought your dad said he was off drugs." I say.

"He is but it doesn't matter. He will always be the man that beat us and we can't just forget that. I mean if you're parents got off of alcohol and stopped fighting would you just forgive them?" She asks and I shake my head.

"That's how it is with our dad right now." She adds and we all nod.

-an hour later-

"So what happened?" I ask as I clean up Darry's busted lip.

"We stomped 'em good. They'll never come back into our territory again." He says and I smile.

"I don't know about that buddy." Two-Bit says and he shrugs. Blair sits on the couch quieter than ever and Noel walks over to her.

"He'll be home soon." She says as she hugs her. Blair just shrugs and continues to stare ahead of her. After a while the door opens and we all turn toward it. Pony stands there looking bloody and tired. He looks upset and I see Noel look at her feet.

"Johnny's dead." He announces and my heart drops.

"Dally ran out of the hospital. He's gonna do something." He says and Ashton runs out the door. Darry hugs me and I cry into his chest.

Johnny's dead. He's gone. Only at sixteen.. My baby brother is dead. We get a call from Ashton about thirty minutes later telling us to run to the grocery store. We all quickly run in and see Dally standing there with a gun pointed in the clerks face. We search for Ashton and find her standing in the back of the store.

"Dally.. You're just upset. Put the gun down." Noel says gently as she starts walking toward him. He points the gun at her but she's not scared.

"Don't tell me what to do." He says and the gun starts shaking in his hand.

"Johnny wouldn't want you to do this." She says and he stops cold.

"Now turn around and hug your girlfriend." He turns around and Ashton is standing right behind him. The clerk doesn't press charges and we pay for the magazine. Then we go home and mourn Johnny..