Sunsets and the Stars // Johnny x Ponyboy

Chapter Five // Bloody Lips & Stained Clothes

I woke up the next morning, with numbness taking over my whole body. I decided to walk down to the kitchen, since I knew I had to eat. It was Saturday morning, so I probably slept in anyways.

I heard whispers from the kitchen, but I was able to catch a few things. I stayed still, listening.

"I'm orried-way about-way onyboy-Pay," said Steve. He, Darry, and I knew pig latin, so we were able to talk in code if we needed to.

"E-May oo-tay, ut-bay there's othing-nay e-way an-cay o-day. He'll ave-hay o-tay et-gay over-way it-way imself-hay," replied Darry. I decided that now would be a good time to step into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" I asked them, trying to act like I didn't know that they were talking about me.

I noticed that Johnny was also in the kitchen, looking confused at what Darry and Steve had said earlier. Johnny could never get pig Latin.

Suddenly, all three boys stood out of their chairs with their mouths hanging wide open. My stomach clenched.

"What?" I mumbled back. I knew that I wasn't that good looking or anything, but there was no reason to stare.

"Pony, why is your lip bleeding, and why is your neck and shirt stained with it?" asked Darry, his dad voice coming through.

I immediately rushed my hand to my lip, and tugged at my shirt. The crimson liquid was everywhere. I made eye contact with Steve, who rushed over to my side.

"How did this happen, Pony?" he questioned. His voice was extremely gentle.

"I didn't even know that I was bleeding. I just got up, and came downstairs," I replied, with shame in my voice.

"We should get you cleaned up," interjected Darry. He played football in high school, which meant that he dealt with a lot of injuries.

"Alright," I said. Immediately, Steve and Darry got wet towels, and disinfectant. They were like men on a mission, moving quickly.

I looked over at Johnny, and he was sitting dumbly in his seat. His mouth was still agape, and he wasn't doing to help me. I almost felt hurt by this. Almost.

I felt a wet cloth being shoved onto my lip, and realized that Steve had put it there. The blood was being soaked into the fabric.

"I'm going to need you to take off your shirt," said Steve. I widened my eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?" I replied in surprise, hoping that I had heard him wrong.

"Take the damn shirt off," he demanded. I wanted to die. My body was disgusting, but I obeyed.

I began to lift my blood stained shirt over my head, feeling the air on my skin. I immediately felt self conscious.

Darry and Steve thought nothing of my bare chest, but I could feel staring at me. His eyes were wide and bright, and he looked like he was slightly drooling.

Great, I thought to myself. He probably thinks I'm gross.

No one said anything, but Johnny stood up. Darry gave me a side ways glance, and Steve tried to hold back a smirk. He knew.

"Hey Pony, are you alright?" he mumbled. I just nodded. I felt really uncomfortable.

Johnny reached out to touch my arm, wrapping his hand around it. I felt sparks, but I immediately pulled my arm away.

"Don't touch me," I said harshly. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Ponyboy, I only touched your arm?" questioned Johnny. He looked like he was lost.

"I said don't touch me, Jonathan!" I yelled, using his first name. Steve put his hand on my shoulder, trying to hold me back.

"It's alright, Pony," whispered Darry. He did the same thing as Steve.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? What's going on? Why were you guys speaking in pig Latin? Tell me," Johnny demanded. I shook my head.

"No," I said sternly. Suddenly, the screen door opened.

"Hey guys," yelled Two Bit. He was happy. He stumbled in, clearly getting pushed by Dally and possibly Soda.

The three guys must have gotten a good luck at my bloody face, because their faces became stone cold. There was silence in the air.

"Ponyboy, what happened?" asked Soda. I felt like he was about to cry.

"He woke up bleeding. He'll be fine," said Darry, stepping in. I was relieved when he answered.

Dally walked over to me, and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. He looked alarmed, but cool at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah. He feels okay. You're probably right, Darry," he stated. That was definitely weird.

Johnny tried to follow Darry's actions, but I slapped his hand away before he was able to touch me.

"No! Don't touch me! I don't want you to touch me!" I shrieked. That was it. I couldn't handle it anymore. I crumbled to the floor, crying.

The next thing I knew, I blacked out.

-

I woke up in my bed, the covers surrounding me. I was warm, yet cold at the same time. I didn't understand what was going on, but I began to cry.

I felt someone stir next to me. They sat up. I was surprised.

Sodapop wasn't next to me. It was Steve.

"Ponyboy, are you okay?" he asked. He sounded scared.

"I'm fine. What's going on? Why are you in my bed?" I asked, confused. This was a change.

"I don't know if I should tell you," he mumbled. I already knew that this was going to be terrible.

"Tell me right now, Steve," I said sternly. I needed to know.

"Well, you passed out. One of us needed to take care of you, so I said I'd do it," he replied. I could tell that what he said wasn't the full truth.

"What's the rest of the truth? I know that that isn't all," I muttered. Steve sighed.

"Johnny wanted to take care of you, but after your outburst, we wouldn't let him near you. Dally had to hold him back. Eventually, he took him someplace. They haven't come back yet," he replied. I nodded, understanding. I was glad that they kept Johnny away.

Being around Johnny hurt was too much. I couldn't deal with it.

That's when I felt Steve grab my hand.