Tears into Wine - Chapter 4

Fandom: The Outsiders
Pairing: Johnny/Soda
Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Disclaimer: Characters and world belong to S.E. Hinton
Authors: Zayhad & M3535.


Chapter 4 - "Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?"

Dally was leaning against the wall of the school head building, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had barely slept the night before, fantasizing about what he was going to do to the damned Soc.

Two-Bit was pacing the grounds, keeping a lookout. They hadn't said much to each other. Both were tense and focused on one thing only. Two-Bit not cracking jokes was proof of the seriousness of the situation.

A girl walked by Dally and as she passed him she made sure to sway her hips a little extra. When Dally didn't pay attention to her she stopped and turned to face him.

"Hey there," she said in a flirtatious voice. "Can I help you with something?"

Dally glared at her. "What are you - a fucking waitress? You can get me a beer or you can get the hell out of my face!"

o0o0o0o0o0o

Ponyboy had been allowed to stay home, both so that Johnny wouldn't be alone and because Darry didn't want him near the trouble that was bound to happen at the school.
Johnny was sitting on the couch and looked out the window. "I wish we could have stopped them," he said to Pony.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Two-Bit peeped out from behind a tree. "Oooh – that broad’s hot! What d’ya say, Dally?" Two-Bit grinned.

Dally just answered with a glare.

Two-Bit started walking toward the school the same way the girl, who had gotten pretty upset with Dally, had disappeared. "I'm just gonna check for the guy inside…"

o0o0o0o0o0o

Johnny got up from his seat.  "I'm going to school."

Ponyboy sent him a surprised look but got up as well.

Johnny didn't want Dally getting into a fight with Andy because of him, and if he got there and convinced Dally to drop it then just maybe there wouldn’t be trouble. Andy wouldn't know that Johnny or Pony had told on him and nothing more would happen.

"Johnny, I'm not sure this is a good idea. We were supposed to stay home. You were supposed to rest,” Pony said as he trotted alongside Johnny. “Darry's gonna freak out."

Johnny didn't answer; he looked determined and walked at a brisk pace. At least he looked a lot better than yesterday. Sure the bruises looked nasty, but he was clear and well enough to be up and about.

When they reached the school, Johnny stopped and looked around.

"Do you see any of ‘em?" he asked. His eyes wandered the schoolyard but he couldn't see either Dally or Two-Bit.

"Dally is over there," Pony said and pointed at Dally who stood up against a wall.

"Dally?" Johnny walked toward Dallas, who first looked surprised, then angry.

"Dal, please don't..." Johnny stopped as he suddenly spotted Andy.

Andy saw him too.

Pony started sweating like crazy. Both he and Johnny had stiffened and were just staring at the Soc.

Andy glanced from Johnny to Pony. That little shit! From the look on the other little guy's face there was no doubt he knew what had happened. Had they told anyone else? Maybe the brown-haired kid needed a warning as well... Andy took a quick look around. There was a small alley between the side of the building and an old tool shed just ten or so yards away. If he could get the kid in there…

Making a quick decision, Andy rushed forward, grabbed Ponyboy by the collar and hauled him off toward the alley.

"Pony!" Johnny cried.

Looking over his shoulder after Dally, Johnny saw that a teacher and a security guard had in the meantime stopped Dally from moving anywhere. Had they really called Security just because of Dally being at the school?

Johnny stood there for a short second. Should he run to the school and try to make them understand that they had to let Dally go and go after Andy instead? No – it might take too long. They never believed greasers. He had to go help Pony.

Running toward the alley he heard Dally yell after him but he had already made his decision.

o0o0o0o0o0o


Ponyboy was so shocked that he didn't react until he had been dragged all the way into the alley. Then he started kicking and hitting everything he could reach. He was a pretty good fighter for his size and age, but this particular Soc was very big and strong. Even Darry would have had his work cut out for him.

Andy slammed the kid up against the wall, holding him up so high that he had to stand on his toes. He pressed his giant hands against the little shit’s neck - just to give him a nice little scare. And of course it was kind of fun watching him squirm like a fish on a hook and turn blue in the face.

Pony panicked. He couldn't breathe and there was no one there to help him. Then, suddenly he saw something small jump onto the back of the Soc. Johnny.

Johnny slung an arm around Andy’s neck, trying to cut off his air supply but it was pretty much like trying to squeeze air out of a log. He could feel how much stronger the Soc was, so he had to be smart and use other methods. He dug his teeth into Andy’s shoulder as hard he could and tasted blood. Andy howled in pain and whipped around, throwing Pony several yards down the alley, and reached back to try and get a good hold of Johnny.

Pony landed hard on his side and slammed his head into the concrete. The pain was worse than any he had ever felt, even though he had been hurt a couple of times in rumbles. It felt like if he were to move a single muscle, he wouldn’t be able to take it. He gasped for breath and his lungs and chest burned with every heave. His head started spinning and the last thing he saw before everything went black was Two-Bit coming racing around the corner.

Both his hands free, Andy grabbed a hold of Johnny’s arm and slung him over his shoulder. Johnny landed on his back and got the air knocked out of him.

“You son of a bitch! You’re gonna pay for that!” shouted Two-Bit.

Andy turned around to face Two-Bit. "Bring it!"

Two-Bit came flying at him. Andy dodged his first blow but Two-Bit made a comeback with his other fist, planting a good solid punch in Andy's jaw.

"How’d ya like that, you piece of shit!" Two-Bit hollered.

Andy reeled back a step and brought a hand up to his mouth. Then he spit on the ground – blood and a broken tooth.

"Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?" yelled Two-Bit and attacked the Soc again

Two-Bit was smaller than Andy but that didn't stop him from giving it all he had. Seeing Pony and Johnny on the ground made him furious.

Andy finally seemed to come to grips with the situation. He blocked Two-Bit’s next blow and punched him hard in the stomach with the other hand, making him double over. He was about to hit him again when the sound of police sirens tore through the air. Andy froze for a second, then turned around and ran away from the scene.

Two-Bit wanted to go after him but stopped himself. He needed to tend to the kids.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Dally yelled and cursed. The damned security guard had gotten the best of him and put him in handcuffs. He could hear the tumult from behind the building and those idiots couldn't understand that he had to go and help. Then he heard sirens and twenty seconds later two police cars pulled up in front of the school. People had started to gather in a crowd and Dally took advantage of the confusion. A quick knee in the stomach and the guard doubled over and allowed Dally to pull free.

Dally ran as fast as he could towards the alley. He turned the corner and saw Two-Bit bent over Ponyboy. Johnny was lying a few yards away, gasping for breath and eyes huge and black. The Soc was nowhere to be seen.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE, TWO-BIT?" Dally yelled.

Two-Bit kept his head down as he slid an arm around Pony’s back and the other under his legs, lifting him up.

"The bastard ran, man." He stood up, supporting Pony's head with his shoulder. "Look, Dal. I stayed here to help the kids – the guy can wait. I gave him a good whoopin’. He might think twice before he tries anything again."

Johnny rolled over onto his stomach and tried to get up. Why had he come here? If he had stayed home, Pony wouldn't be hurt now. Fine - Dally would have beaten the crap out of the guy and then it had been on Johnny after that. But at least it would only have been him.

He sank back down. Breathing was extremely painful. He wasn't sure if it was because of the blow or because of the guilt he felt.

Three policemen came rushing around the corner. One of them and the security guard threw themselves at Dallas. There wasn't much he could do other than yell at them, because he was still handcuffed.

"What the hell happened here?" asked one of the cops, staring at the limp body in Two-Bit’s arms and the bruised boy on the ground.

Another cop stepped toward Two-Bit. "Arrest him!" he ordered

"WHAT?” Two-Bit yelled, but he gave up trying to explain he didn't do anything. It was pretty clear that he had done something since he had blood on his hands and bruises from hitting the Soc. He took a few steps back with Pony still in his arms. "On what charges?"

"Just come along nice a quiet now."

"He… he was just helping us," Johnny tried to explain as he coughed a few times. "We got… jumped…"

The two officers looked suspiciously at Johnny.

"You sure you didn't cause this yourselves?"

"Now, Jenkins," said the oldest and calmest of the officers. "Are you suggesting the kids are to blame? Look at the state of them! Go call for an ambulance instead." Then he unhooked a set of handcuffs and turned to Two-Bit. "Put down the boy - carefully," he said.

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow at the officer. He wasn’t used to the police believing them. If there were problems, of course the greasers were to blame. He gently lay Pony down and took off his jacket to put under his head. The poor kid was pale as hell.

"Say, cop…" he said to the older officer. "What's the deal? How come you don’t think we‘re the bad guys here?"

Johnny had had stopped trying to get up and lain his head back down on the cold concrete. Everything was spinning. Another blow to the head hadn’t made his condition any better.

"I said I don't think the kids are the bad guys. Turn around and put your hands in the air," the officer said and stepped forward to cuff Two-Bit.

"What the fuck's the matter with you!" yelled Dally. "Do your job and go find the asshole that did this!”

Two-Bit sighed and held up his hands. "Serious, man. Why the hell would I hurt them and then help them!" This was just so fucked up, Two-Bit thought as the Policeman cuffed him. He looked down at Pony. "It's gonna be okay, kid. Dunno if ya can hear me, though."

oOooOo

To be continued...