Matt Levitan

From Johnny’s perspective at the fountain

I was sleeping until hit me I the ribs, no, fell on me.
” Johnny, it’s me Pony, we’re runnin’ away.”
When I finally got my bearings, I saw Ponyboy running across the far side of the lot. When I finally caught up with him he was hanging of the jungle gym at the park.
“Pony, why we runnin’?” I asked.
“ It’s Darry, he hit me.” He said in between sobs.
I heard the roar of an engine and a tuff blue mustang pulled up. The engine stopped and Bob, Randy, and three other socs climbed out.
“Hey, whatta ya know?” Bob said a little unsteadily, “Here’s the little greasers that picked up our girls. Hey, greasers.”
“You’re outta your territory,” I warned in a low voice.” You’d better watch it.”
Randy swore at us and they stepped in closer. Bob was eyeing me. “Nup, pal, you're the ones who’d better watch it. Next time you want a broad, pick up one of your own kind-dirt.”
I could sense Ponyboy was angry. Sometimes the socs really got inside Pony’s head.
“You know what a greaser is?” Bob asked. “White trash with long hair.”
I looked over at pony, his face was as white as paper. Then again my hands had just started twitching. We’ve been cussed out and sworn at, but that really pissed me off. I got this strange feeling all over. It felt like I was full of fire and wanted beat the tar outta them socs.
I heard pony start to talk, I could feel the anger emanating from what he said. “You know what a soc is?” He growled.” White trash with mustangs and madras.” He then spit at them. It landed on Bob’s loafer.
Bob shook his head, smiling slowly. “You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we’ve got all night to do it. Give the kid a bath, David.”
A burly looking soc lunged at Pony and started wrestling him towards the fountain. They’re going to drown I thought. I balled my fists and ran toward the one they call David. One of the socs that I didn’t know lunged and caught me be my waist before I could reach him. He spun me around and my head hit the fountain. I came to a few moments later, I think. I saw shadow on the other side of the fountain. It looked like three guys holding a guy that was shaking and twisting. I also heard a gurgling sound. Oh my god-they was drowning Ponyboy. Those no good, rotten, son-of-a-gun socs they were drowning Pony.
I got up and ran as fast as I could toward them, knife outstretched. On saw me coming and hoped out of the way. Bob wasn’t so lucky; the knife sank right into his chest, just below the ribs.
Immediately the other socs stopped what they were doing looked at Bob, the red flower blossoming on his chest, looked at the blood dripping of my knife and ran as fast as they could towards that mustang.
When I saw that Ponyboy was still breathing I past out not caring about anything else in this world. I heard the pitter patter of water and realized where I was. Oh, shit, I thought when I realized I was at the park, I just killed that soc, and what the heck am I going to do now.
Ponyboy started came to and started coughing.
“I killed him,” I said slowly, refusing to accept it. “ I killed that boy.
I felt sick, I told Pony. He said, ” Go ahead”. I walked over to the tree and threw up, it didn’t make me feel less sick.
As I was walking back my vision started to blur. Everything happened so quickly and I couldn’t control my own body, I was on autopilot. I saw Darry, and then I was on a hill in front of a burning building. Everything started to slow down, I could see and hear but I still wasn’t in control. I jumped into the window and heard terrified screams, it was a buncha kids. I kicked down a wall and found them huddled in the corner. I started passing them out the window. It made me feel so happy helping these kids. It felt like I finally had a purpose and had a reason to be in this world. As I was about to climb out I heard a CRACK. Something fell on me and I blacked out.
All of a sudden I was lying on my front. I was in so much pain that it felt like I was on fire and being crushed by a train. Something popped into my head as I saw Ponyboy, Stay gold.
“Stay gold Ponyboy” I said, even though each syllable was like being’ stabbed in the throat. I died.