"𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆." - 𝑽𝑰𝑰

                                    

                                          
The past four months have been a blur. The rest of January went by some what normal, then February flew by along with March and April. Life hasn't been too eventful. 
                          
Its now May, school is gonna end soon. Me, Ponyboy, Steve and Soda were walking home from the DX. Me and Ponyboy had went to visit them, but now their shift was over. 
                          
It was a bright, fairly warm day, but it started getting darker and chilly. 
                          
We passed by the lot we always hang out at, kicking rocks and drinking our last bottles of Pepsi.
                          
Steve stopped walking and picked up a jacket off the floor. It was the only jacket Johnny had - a blue jean jacket. 
                          
"Looks like Johnny forgot it." Steve said, slinging it over his shoulder to return to Johnny. 
                          
"Wait, Steve stop." I said. 
                          
I took the jacket off his shoulder and looked at it closer. There were blood stains along the collar. I looked to the ground and noticed more stains on the grass. 
                          
I looked up and across the field, terrified of what I saw. I think everyone else heard the low moan and saw the dark, motionless lump on the other side of the lot. 
                          
Sodapop reached him first. He was face down on the ground. Soda turned him over and I felt sick. Someone had jumped and beaten him badly. 
                          
We were used to seeing Johnny all banged up and bruised. His parents would always be beating him for no reason at all. But right now, was the worst I had ever seen him. His entire body was cut up and bruised and his face swollen. There was a wide cut across his cheek bone - it looked deep too - that scar would be something he'd have forever. 
                          
His white t-shirt was splattered with blood. I stood there, just staring. I felt sick, but at the same time I wanted to beat the shit out of whoever did that to him. 
                          
Steve closed his eyes for a second and dropped down beside Soda.
                          
It was almost like the rest of the gang sensed what happened. Two-Bit stood beside Ponyboy, his big grin was gone and his lively grey eyes looked sad and angry at the same time. Darry had seen from the porch and came over to us. Dally was there too, swearing under his breath with a sick expression on his face. 
                          
"Johnny?" Sodapop asked. "Hey Johnnycake." He gave his limp body a light shake.
                          
"Sodapop?" He asked, but didn't open his eyes.
                          
"Yeah its me. Don't talk. You'll be okay."
                          
"There was a whole bunch of 'em." Johnny went on anyways. "A blue Mustang full..." Those were the same ones that tried to jump me. "...I was so scared..." He tried to continue but he ended up bursting into tears.
                          
Sodapop just help him close and pushed his hair back from his eyes. "Its okay Johnnycake. Their gone now."
                          
Finally, between sobs, Johnny was able to gasp out the rest of his story. He had been looking for our football, to practice. When a blue Mustang pulled up beside the lot. 
                          
They had caught him, and one of them had a bunch of rings on his hands -  that's what cut him up real bad. It wasn't that they beat him half to death, Johnny was able to take that, and trust me I've seen. But they had scared him. 
                          
After that night, Johnny was more jumpier than ever. Johnny never walked by himself after that and carried a six-inch switchblade in his back pocket. He swore to kill the next person who jumped him, and I believed him. 
                          
Now Johnny was lying down on the couch as I disinfected his cuts. He didn't even wince when a put the disinfectant on, and that says a lot. 
                          
"Alright Johnny, you'll be okay. Just get some rest."