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Chapter Text

Steve shot up from where he was organizing the snacks when he heard a knock at the door. 

It was weekly movie night and Steve had been looking forward to it all week. He hadn't seen the kids all week, they were too busy with school. The only person he really saw was Robin and even that was only for a couple hours on shift. 

He also missed Eddie. The man had been studying non-stop to make sure he graduated. Steve was happy for him but he missed him so much. Definitely not because Steve has a crush on him or whatever. Nope, definitely not. 

Robin doesn't know what she's talking about. 

He opened the door to see Nancy with all the kids behind her. 

"Hey, Nance," he beckoned her in and the kids rushed past her to the kitchen, he yelled, "Don't eat all the snacks or you'll have to pay for it next week!" 

That was a lie, he always paid. Perks of being a rich boy. 

Nancy smiled at him, "Hi, Steve. Do you know whose turn it was to choose the movie?" 

"Uh, I think it's El's turn?" 

"Maybe. I tried asking in the car but they were way rowdy," she laughs. 

He nods and starts backing up, "That sucks. I'm gonna go see what the kids are doing." 

He enters the kitchen to find Mike already halfway through the Red Vines, Dustin hands deep in the Doritos bag and Lucas chomping on fruit. 

At least one kid is healthy. 

El and Max are kind of just sitting there, looking vaguely disgusted in the boys. 

He claps to get their attention, "Okay! So, whose got the movie? Also, please don't eat all the Red Vines, you know Eddie loves them." 

Mike grumbles but only steals one more. El hands him a VHS tape. There's no cover and no description. He looks up and El is just smiling at him. 

"El, what movie is this?" 

"Oh, I don't know, I found it in an old box." 

Max mutters, "Interesting." 

The boys are watching too, they love any type of mystery. Even an old VHS tape, it seems like. 

"What old box?" 

"Hopper's. It wasn't with the movie box, so I grabbed it." 

Oh god, is this…?

"Uh okay, I'll go get it set up. Why don't you all go find me some blankets, okay?" 

Max gives him a look that he doesn't understand, and he fears she came to the same conclusion. Mike and Lucas run off, shouting about a blanket finding completion and El follows slowly. 

Max just sighs and shakes her head, going to grab El's hand and drag her upstairs. 

Dustin is still there so Steve turns to him. Dustin stares before giving him a quick hug and then running off. 

Steve smiles and stands there way longer than he needs to. 

He goes to the living room and finds Nancy already in the chair, writing something on paper. 

She immediately clocks him, "So, was it El's turn?" 

He holds up the movie, "Uh yeah." 

She tilts her head, "Huh, what movie?" 

This is going to be awkward, "Er, I don't know. El sort of found it in Hopper's things and I'm kind of worried it's…" 

She seems to connect the dots, "Pornographic material?" 

He nods and blushes.

"Maybe, wait till he gets here to ask. You were going to watch it, right?" 

He flushes harder and exclaims, "Just the first couple of minutes! I don't want the kids to see this stuff." 

She giggles at his expression, "I believe you but wait till he's here. I imagine you don't want to know what sort of stuff he's into." 

He cringes just thinking about it. The door rings at that moment and he rushes to it. 

He's mostly hoping it's Eddie. 

It's Robin. 

She embraces him almost instantly. They share a hug before she breaks away. 

"Okay, so, Eddie is going to be here in about five minutes." 

"I- What? That's good to know but-"

She places her hands on his shoulders, making him lean in, "Don't pretend like you don't have a crush on him. Now, prepare yourself so you don't act like a total fool." 

"What-"

She lets him go and walks to the living room, he follows and she crashes on the couch with a big sigh. Nancy gives her a look but otherwise stays quiet. 

"So, Dingus, what are we watching tonight? Princess Bride? Star Wars? Sixteen Candles? Another lame ass documentary?" 

He sits down beside her and is about to explain when Nancy beats him to it, "El found an old tape and we think it might be Hop's porn." 

Robin's face scrunches up, it's one of his favorite expressions of hers, "Ew." 

Steve says, "We're going to ask Hop when he gets here. I really don't want the kids to see it."

"Yeah, no one wants to see that." 

Steve nods and goes to say something when the kids come barreling into the room with blankets in their hands, minus Max who is just watching. 

El says, "Steve! I won!" 

Steve grins at her, "Good job, El, " he turns to address all the kids, "You guys go ahead and set them up on the floor, Eddie should be here soon, I'll wait for him." 

Robin giggles at that and he ignores her. The kids start laying it down and he goes to wait by the door. 

He's smiling at the laughter from the living room when the door opens and in comes Eddie. He never knocks anymore. 

Eddie smiles when he sees him waiting and brings him in for a hug, "Steve!" 

He smells like smoke, it's comforting and reminds him of when he was a kid.

Steve laughs, "Hey, Eddie." 

Eddie leans back and says, "Were you waiting just for me, sweetheart?" 

Steve's breath catches because it sounds almost flirty but Eddie laughs and says, "Just kidding, man. So, did you get my Red Vines?" 

Steve nods, "Yeah, they're in the-" He stops when he hears a car rolling in, it must be the Byers, "They're in the kitchen, I gotta go talk to Hopper," then he runs out the door. 

He doesn't let himself think about the vaguely disappointed face Eddie made. 

The Byers are already hopping out, he nods at Jonathan, who waves, and smiles at Joyce, then looks at Will, "Hey, the kids are already sitting up. I think Mike saved you a seat. Why don't you go ahead?" 

Will nods, ever polite, and doesn't question why Steve is sending him off. Man, how does someone raise such a polite kid? Oh yeah, an abusive dad.

Hopper gives him a questioning look. 

Joyce asks, "What is it, Steve?" 

This is going to be so awkward and Jonathan is there too! He holds up the tape, "Um, so, El found this, y'know tape, um, in a box and we think it might be well, uh-" 

"Spit it out," Hopper states, already irritated. Steve would be glaring if this wasn't super embarrassing. 

"We think it might be Hopper's porn," he says really fast and mentally facepalms. 

Jonathan stifles a laugh, which doesn't help Steve at all. Joyce glares at Hopper and Hopper glares at Steve. Hopper snatches the tape and inspects it. 

"Yeah, that ain't mine, kid." 

Joyce says, "It better not be, I am not having any of that stuff in my house." 

Steve wisely doesn't comment that with a house of mostly boys, there's bound to be some questionable things. 

Hop puts his hands up in surrender, and Joyce looks at Steve, "We'll watch it since El wanted too, okay, sweetie? And so help me if it is porn, I will…"

She trails off into muttering and Steve unconsciously moves back, Jonathan outright laughs and starts towards the house so Steve follows. 

Jonathan says, "Man, I sure hope it isn't porn. I don't want the kids to be scarred for life." 

Steve winced, "Yeah…" 

They are already scarred but to be fair, Steve would prefer going to the upside down than seeing his brother's porn. 

They make it to the living room, the kids are all spread out on the floor and the popcorn is already made so he looks for a space to sit. Jonathan is squeezing into the armchair with Nancy, who is grumbling at him. There's an empty spot between Eddie and Robin. He knows it's because Robin is trying to set them up but he goes to sit anyway. Eddie has the Red Vines in his lap, which makes Steve happy. 

Joyce and Hopper finally come in, Joyce looks less murderous and Hopper is looking more humorous. Does that rhyme? 

Joyce sits down beside Robin while Hopper inserts the tape then turns off the lights, which in turn shuts the kids up, before settling down next to her. 

Dustin, who is closest, presses play and it starts. 

A school appears on screen. The area around it is empty. The school entrance is shown, a sign says 'Will Rogers High School'.

Steve gasps. That's- that's his old school. Eddie gives him a strange look then turns back to the screen. 

It shows an inside of a classroom, a boy is sitting at a table, staring across from him. The boy has blond, slicked back hair. 

He remembers this day. He was in class when the lady came in saying she needed to talk to him. He should've ran away from her. Then another thought occurs to him. 

How was this even filmed?

It pans to an older lady in a business suit sitting across from him. She smiles but it's clearly fake. 

[Lady]: Your name is Ponyboy, yes? 

Ponyboy slowly nods. 

El giggles which makes everyone else join in, except him. He feels kind of offended. It is a strange name, he'll admit that but it used to be his and he liked it.

[Lady]: That is a silly name. Your parents must have been hippies. 

Ponyboy looks angry at the mention of his parents but she doesn't acknowledge it. 

He sits up straighter at that and takes a deep breath. Robin grabs his arm, sensing his distress. He can tell she's not sure why he's upset. 

[Lady]: I'm Mrs. Grant. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. 

Ponyboy nods. 

[Mrs. Grant]: We are worried that your brother, Darrell, is not taking good care of you. We understand he took you and your brother in after your parents died. After what happened a few weeks ago, we have decided it's best for you not to be living with him. 

[Ponyboy]: What?! The court already decided not to send me away. You can't do this. 

Hopper scoffs, "This lady is full of shit. I doubt she even did a home visit before this." 

Steve smiles, knowing Hopper is on his side despite the fact he doesn't know it's Steve. 

[Mrs. Grant]: We went back and reviewed it and it's clear Darrell is not taking care of you. A lovely couple has already decided to adopt you. 

Ponyboy glares.

[Ponyboy]: What about my brother?

[Mrs. Grant]: Sodapop is being sent to a group home. 

Mike asks, "Why do these kids have such weird ass names?"

Will smacks him, "That's rude. Be quiet and watch the movie." 

Ponyboy stands up. 

[Ponyboy]: You can't separate us. I won't let you.

Ponyboy runs towards the door and slams it open. A police officer grabs him by the elbow. 

Ponyboy thrashes.

[Ponyboy]: Let go of me! That hurts. Stop!

Joyce gasps, "Oh, the poor boy." 

The screen slowly fades into black as the boy continues to struggle. 

El says, "I hope he gets to stay with his brothers." 

He didn't. 

The next scene focuses on the boy's face. He has his head down and is staring at the floor. 

Seriously, how did they get this footage?

[Voice] (O.S): Listen to me, boy. 

The camera switches to the owner of the voice, a man in a suit glaring down at the boy. 

Joyce gasps, "Is that-?" 

Hopper sits up straight. 

He forgot they knew his ''father''.  Every adult in town has heard of him. 

[Man]: We have rules in this house. The most important thing is you are not going by that stupid name anymore.

Eddie says, "There's nothing wrong with Ponyboy. It's unique."

Steve blushes.

Ponyboy looks up at that.

[Ponyboy]: B-But!

The man raises his hand. Ponyboy flinches. The man lowers his hand. 

Joyce glares. Jonathan and Will look uncomfortable. Steve knows about Lonnie, all three had confided in him at some point, even if it was just a simple comment about the man. 

[The Man]: You are to go by Steve now. 

Eddie elbows him, "Same name as you, dude." 

Steve can't look away from the TV. Why is it showing this and how? 

[The Man]: Steve Harrington is your new name. 

Everyone turns to look at him. 

The screen fades to black.

Chapter Text

Dustin jumps up first, pausing the movie before turning around to look wide-eyed at Steve, "What the hell was that Steve?!" 

Then everyone starts yelling and he can't think let alone understand what everyone is talking about. They weren't even supposed to know about any of this! Is this stupid tape going to show everything that happened with Johnny and Dally and- 

"Everyone be quiet!" 

It's Joyce who yelled that. She's looking at him with concern. 

"You guys are making Steve nervous. Let him calm down before we start asking questions." 

She gives everyone a death glare, willing anyone to argue. No one does, of course. All of them would've shut up if they noticed he was panicking. 

Eddie rests a hand on his shoulder and Robin snuggles closer to his side. 

It doesn't take that long to calm down. It might have to do with the fact he's in a room with his favorite people, and his crush and platonic best friend with a capital P are offering their support via physical touch. 

Max speaks up first, "So, like what the fuck was that about?" 

Steve says, "Language," on instinct. 

Max huffs and rolls her eyes. 

Robin asks, "So is it you, Dingus? Ponyboy." 

He grimaced, "Yeah…it's me on there." 

Eddie whispers to Steve, "I wasn't kidding when I said I liked your name." 

Steve can feel Eddie's breath on his neck and he blushes. 

He's going to be permanently red by the end of this.

Will says, "But you had blond hair on the video." 

"Uh," Steve stutters, "Brown is my natural hair. That's all you need to know." 

Mike rolls his eyes. 

Dustin says, "How did they get the footage? I mean, it's shot like a real movie. You have to get real close for that. Steve, did you ever see cameras following you around?" 

Steve sighs, "I don't know why its showing this. And there definitely wasn't cameras when this happened," he shoots Dustin a pointed look. 

Mike says, "Maybe it's the upside down." 

Nancy says, "El said it was gone for good. And why would Vecna or whoever show Steve as a child?" 

"To torture us with boredom?" 

"Mike!" 

“What? His past is probably super boring.”

Will pipes up, "I haven't felt anything and I'm sure El would tell us if something is going on." 

El nods. 

Jonathan says, "Steve is clearly uncountable with this. We should just watch something else." 

Everyone turns to look at him. Again. 

"Yeah, no offense, I'm not ready to share this with you guys yet. So, if we could…" 

Dustin has already turned to take it out. 

Dustin pauses, "Uh, guys?" 

Lucas looks over, "Did you steal the tape or something? Where is it?" 

Dustin yells, "It wasn't there when I opened it!" 

Mike looks too, "So, it's just gone?" 

Jonathan gets up and shoos the two boys away. 

"Huh. Yeah, it's not there." 

Nancy says, "Well, let's just put a new movie in." 

Jonathan goes over to the stack of movies resting by the TV stand. Steve has accumulated these from past movie nights. Most of them are actually stolen from Family Video. He mentally thanks Two-Bit for teaching him to steal. 

Jonathan grabs one, Steve couldn't make out the cover, and inserts it. 

It goes flying out and hits Jonathan right in the face. 

Will and Nancy immediately go to check on Jonathan, who is clutching his nose. 

Max cackles, not even sorry she's laughing at someone's pain, and comments, "Well, that didn't work." 

Steve sighs and gets up, instantly missing the warmth of Robin and Eddie and goes to the kitchen to get ice. 

He's putting the ice in a baggie when he hears footsteps. Eddie hops onto the counter. 

"So…this is pretty freaky." 

Steve shrugs, "Yeah." 

"Like, y'know getting bitten by bats was one thing but showing your past to everyone is just a total dick move. Vecna needs to torment some other kids." 

"We don't even know if it's Vecna." 

"Eh. Listen. Steve, I just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in this whole tragic backstory thing. My mom died when I was pretty young and it fucked my dad up and he did some stuff and went to jail. Then Wayne took me in." 

Steve closes the bag, contemplating Eddie's words, "...Thanks, Eddie." 

Eddie smiles, "Just know we're here for you and whatever happened with your past, no one will judge you. I mean, it can't be worse than Eleven. She's a badass but her whole life is one of the most depressing things I've ever seen." 

Steve laughs at that and Eddie claps him on the shoulder. They walk to the living together and Robin gives him a look that he resolutely ignores. Jonathan has moved back to the chair, Nancy and Joyce crowding around him. Will went back to the other kids, who were loading another movie in. 

Steve gives Jonathan the bag of ice then moves to the kids. 

He pushes them away, "Get away from it. I'm not explaining to your parents you got hurt by a magic VHS player. " 

Mike says, "You aren't my mom." 

Steve rolls his eyes, Mike has been so sassy lately. 

Dustin whines, "Steve, can we try it one more time? For science." 

"No." 

El moves to touch the buttons and before Steve can stop her, she's already pressed play. 

The screen fades from black to Ponyboy sitting at a desk, pencil in hand.

El pauses it. 

Silence. 

Lucas asks, "How did you even know how to do that?" 

El shrugs. Steve is kind of annoyed because now he knows for certain the TV will probably show his whole past but El looks proud of herself so he doesn't voice his thoughts. 

"Good job, El." 

She beams. 

He stands up, "I'm going outside." 

Dustin looks ready to protest but Steve shuts him down, "I just need some air. You guys better not touch anything." 

He walks over to the door. He's debating taking a smoke break. He hasn't had a cigarette in a while because Robin hates it. But it's kind of hard to quit when you've been doing it since you were young.

He pulls the door open. It slams back shut and he yelps. 

Hopper comes running in, "What happened, kid?" 

The others come in after him, they all look concerned. 

"I'm fine. Door just slammed shut, I don't know what happened." 

Robin moves to stand by him. He moves ever so slightly to touch shoulders with her. 

Hopper opens the door and sure enough, it slams shut.

Robin says, “I don't think this thing wants us to leave.”

“Obviously.”

“Shut up, Mike.”

“You-” 

Nancy yells, “Okay, everyone back to the living room!” 

Mike glares at Robin and she sticks her tongue at him. Steve pulls her to the living room. 

“Leave Mike alone,” he whispers to her. 

“I will if he stops being a little brat.” 

“He’s a teenager, it's normal and everyone knows he's going through stuff with El.”

They sat down in their original spot, everyone else had the same idea too. Robin snuggles into his side. 

“Honestly, he just needs to talk to her.” 

“I know, I’ve told him that but he's stubborn and you aren't helping.”

Nancy interrupts their conversation, “I’m pretty it just wants us to watch this thing and then we can leave. And Steve, I don't want to but I think we need to.” 

Joyce reaches over Robin’s lap to put a hand on his knee, she's watching him with such concern and love. He’s seen her do this with Will and Jonathan and even the other kids and he kinda wishes she was his mom. He’s never had one, his real mom is dead and then Brenda Harrington wasn’t really one. She was kind of just there and only acknowledged him when showing him off or telling him to act a certain way. 

Joyce’s voice breaks him out of his depressing thoughts, “Honey, I do think we need to watch it. I know you don't want to and none of us do without your permission but we can’t leave. If you say no, we’ll try to find another way.” 

Her and Nancy are right, he doesn’t want to. But he has to. Jonathan already got hurt, what if someone else gets hurt or worse? Everyones already been through too much, he's not gonna get them hurt because he's too much of a coward. 

He also thinks of Eddie’s words from early. No one will judge him.

“Okay, let’s watch it.” 

Eddie leans into Steve and grabs his arm, clinging to it. Steve tenses but Eddie just stares straight ahead, not even acknowledging it. Robin rests her head on his arm, sensing his discomfort. 

Dustin tells everyone, “Okay, I’m starting it in three…two…one.” 

Steve forces himself to relax as Dustin presses play. If this thing is going to show his trauma he might as well be comfortable. 

Ponyboy bites his bottom lip, looking around the room as he thinks. He stares off camera before looking down at a book. It says, ‘Composition Book’ with Ponyboy’s name written underneath it. 

He completely forgot about that book, 

Ponyboy opens the book to a page. It has his name as well as the class, English. Underneath in parentheses it says The Outsiders.

Steve remembers when Mr. Syme gave him this assignment. He was probably the first teacher to care about him. 

Ponyboy starts writing. 

[Ponyboy]: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house…

They have to hear his corny writing? That was for English class? As far as he knows Mr. Syme still has it. Did Mr. Syme give it to him? How do they have a voiceover of himself reading it? He's never read it out loud before. 

Will says, “I like your accent, Steve.” 

“Thanks.” 

We see a theatre with the words ‘Paul Newman in The Hustler’. Ponyboy walks out alongside a group of people, he goes the opposite way of them. 

[Ponyboy]: I had only two things on my mind. 

Ponyboy stops infront of a mirror. 

[Ponyboy]: Paul Newman and a ride home. 

Ponyboy has his thumbs in his jean pockets with his hip cocked. 

[Ponyboy]: “This is Ames, mister.”

A few people giggle. 

Eddie’s laugh seems to be brightest of them all to Steve and it’s even worse when he says, “How cute, Stevie.” 

Ponyboy pretends to use a pool stick to hit a ball. A maroon car pulls up behind him. 

[Random]: Hey, look, Greaser!

Ponyboy walks off, all enthusiasm gone. The car follows on the road. 

[Random(s)]: Wash all that grease out of your hair, Greaser. Take a shower!

El frowns, “That’s mean.” 

Hopper says, “That’s harassment.”

Ponyboy continues walking, even bouncing a bouncy ball around his waist and on the ground. 

Robin says, “Sweet moves.”

Ponyboy’s now walking on a train track by a moving train, he looks at it with a frown. Up above on a bridge, the guys in the car from earlier are throwing pieces of wooddown at him. Ponyboy throws something back but it doesn’t seem to do much. 

Dustin sneers and says, “Assholes.”

Ponyboy walks on a dirt road, throwing the bouncy ball up and down. A car comes down the road and starts speeding. Ponyboy doesn’t notice it. 

“Woah! What the heck?!” 

“Are they gonna run Steve over?!” 

“Assholes!” 

Steve cuts in and yells, “Guys, guys, I’m fine! Let’s just watch. Please.” 

Everyone settles down reluctantly. 

They almost run him over but swerve out of the way at the last moment. Ponyboy starts running away. The car cuts through the road Ponyboy was about to cross, Pony runs across and the car swerves to go down that street. They stop quickly and start hopping out. Ponyboy is trying to back up. A guy tries to touch his hair and Pony smacks it away. Another tackles him to a wall. They start thrashing and forcing him to the ground. One pulls out a knife. Ponyboy tries to get away but they push him to the ground again. The guy with the knife points it at Pony’s neck while he’s on his back. 

[Random(s)]: Stick it in. Stick it in. Do it. 

[Guy with knife]: Maybe over here. 

He points at Pony’s under chin.

[Guy with knife]: Or maybe how about here? 

The guy moves the knife and slits under Pony’s chin. 

A few people shout again. Robin clutches his arm. 

She asks, “How are you not bothered?” 

“It’s not really a big deal compared to other things…” 

“What other things?”

“You’ll see.”

She frowns but doesn’t ask. 

Pony thrashes to get away and someone gets a cloth saying ‘shut him up’. They try to stuff in his mouth when suddenly they start running off. 

[Random(s)]: Let’s get out of here! Come on. 

They run to get into a car. Other guys are chasing them. They push and pull each other. Two are watching from a bush, one runs to them but the other is frozen. 

Johnny…

Steve has to close his eyes, he can’t see Johnny. He can’t. 

A new guy hops over a fence onto a porch. He starts running. The guys are attacking and pulling at the ones in the car before they drive off. They yell at them and the fence hopper throws a long piece of wood.

 Ponyboy sits on the ground with an older-looking guy. 

[Older guy]: They didn’t hurt you too bad, did they?

Eddie gently asks, “Darrel?” 

Steve nods but doesn’t open his eyes. He knows Darry’s voice by heart even after all these years. 

[Ponyboy]: No. 

He whispers it. 

Another guy comes up, looking worried, he crouches on the ground by Pony. 

[Guy]: Hey Pony.

“Soda.” He opens his eyes. 

He grasps Pony’s shoulder to look at him properly. 

[Guy]: Did they pull a blade on you?

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

[Guy]: Hey, they ain’t gonna hurt you no more. Come on. 

Scene transitions to the three walking down the street. 

[Darrel]: Walking by yourself. You don’t ever think.

Robin asks affronted, “Is he seriously blaming you for getting jumped?”

Steve answers, “To be fair, all Greasers know not to go walking without someone…it did hurt my feelings though.”

“Of course it did, you’re like 10.” 

“Hey! I was 14.” 

He smiles a little as he watches it again. Robin never fails to cheer him up.

[Ponyboy:] All’s I did was walk home from the movies.

Darrel shakes his head and scoffs. 

[Darrel]: Movies and books. Movies and books. 

Darrel comes to stand in front of Ponyboy, stopping the three from walking. 

[Darrel]: Y’know I-I wish that you could concentrate on something else just once in a while.

Mike snorts, “Steve reads books?” 

Steve tries to not let it get to him. 

They keep walking. 

[Sodapop]: Why don’t you concentrate on girls and cars? Works for me. 

He says it jokingly but Darrel does not seem to find it funny. Darrel turns back to Ponyboy. 

[Darrel]: Look, if you had to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade. 

[Sodapop]: Oh, yeah! That would’ve been a great excuse for the Socs to cut his neck a little more there!

[Darrel]: If I want my kid brother to tell me what to do with my other kid brother, I’d ask you, all right! Kid brother. 

Robin rolls her eyes, “Maybe try a little harder then.” 

Steve glares, he’s genuinely hurt, “Hey. He was trying his hardest, he didn’t want to be saddled with two kids. He was barely 20 when my parents died.”

Robin sighs, “Sorry…”

Darrel walks away angrily. 

[Ponyboy]: Geez, Soda. Why’s he always gotta be like that?

The camera pans to show a guy in a leather jacket lounging in the background against a car, smoking. 

Steve closes his eyes. He puts his head in Robin’s shoulder. Robin rubs his arm.

The guy gets off the car. 

[Guy in leather jacket]: How’s it, kid?

[Ponyboy]: I’m fine. What are you doing out of the cooler, Dal?

El sounds confused, “Why would he be in a cooler? He…can’t fit in there.” 

Steve snorts from where he’s hiding, “It means jail, El.”

El makes a surprised sound, “Oh!” 

Another guy in a jean jacket approaches. The guy talks to Ponyboy. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: Yeah? And what were you doing out walking by your lonesome on the street, huh?

Pony is listening to this from the view of a now expert in emotions due to babysitting a bunch of traumatized kids and maybe Steve did care about him a little. 

Two more guys of approach. One with a Mickey Mouse t-shirt says it’s none of the guys business. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: It is my business! Look at my nose. 

Steve rolls his eyes. 

The same guy says it's huge. 

Eddie snorts at that, Steve smiles into Robin’s shoulder. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: Smartass. He is a smartass kid. 

Jean jacket guy turns to Dallas. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: Hey, Dally how you doing?

[Dally]: I’m doing alright, man. 

They shake hands. 

[Ponyboy]: Thought you were in there for about 90 days, Dal.

[Dally]: Yeah, I got out early, man. You know, good behavior. 

Dally looked to the side. The camera panned to show a young teenager with black hair on the side. 

[Dally]: Hey, Johnny, man, how you doing, bro?

Steve instantly covered his ears. 

[Johnny]: Things would go a lot better if Socs stayed on the south side of town, man. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: Don’t worry. We’re gonna have it out with them sooner or later. 

They all start walking. 

[Sodapop]: We sure as hell are. They keep coming over to our side of the town. 

[Guy in jean jacket]: Damn right. 

They stop and Dally addresses Johnny. 

[Dally]: Those the same guys that got you?

[Johnny]: Nah. They were other guys. 

[Dally]: Now that I’m out, I'm gonna make it my business to get the guy that did that to your face. 

“Oh, poor boy,” Joyce whispers at the sight of Johnny’s scar.

[Mickey Mouse guy]: What do you think about me being your personal bodyguard, huh, Ponyboy? 

Ponyboy scoffs.

[Ponyboy]: I don’t think it’s too hot of an idea. 

Mickey Mouse guy looks a little miffed. Jean jacket guy addresses him. 

[Guy with jean jacket]: How about you and Sylvia come over to the game with us tomorrow night? Don't even think of asking to come. 

He addresses Ponyboy with that last statement. 

Steve rolls his eyes at Steve (ha). He never asked to come with them, Soda was always the one to ask and Steve always said yes because he loved his brother. Other Steve is a just a jealous ass. 

[Sodapop]: We’re taking Evie and Sandy, sorry, kid, you can't come. 

[Guy with jean jacket]: Yeah, no kids allowed. 

[Ponyboy]: Big deal. 

Ponyboy smirks as he says it, clearly trying to rile up the guy. 

[Dally]: Nah, nah, nah. I’m gonna go hunt some action. If little kids are allowed. 

[Johnny]: Man, we’ll go with you. Won’t you, Pony?

[Ponyboy]: I don’t know, Dal. I can’t get in trouble with no cops. Darry says the court will split us up for sure if I do.

Steve scoffs, ain't that the truth. 

[Dally]: Hey, whose looking for police trouble, man? I wanna just see a movie like the old days, huh, Johnny?

The other guys walk away.

[Johnny]: Yeah, man. 

Jean jacket guy and Sodapop are sitting on a rusty car.

[Sodapop]: Alright, 6’ o clock.

Sodapop slides of the car and the two go in for a handshake.

Mickey Mouse guy goes over to Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy. 

[Mickey Mouse guy]: I was planning on putting a couple six packs of Bud, but if I dont get too drunk I’ll come over. 

Hop asks, “How old is he?” 

Steve has to think on it, “At the time, Two-Bit was 18.”

Hopper grunts.

Steve wisely does not say he’s been sneaking beers since he was 14.

They start walking. Jean jacket guy and Sodapop are playfully slapping each other. 

[Guy with jean jacket]: Check this out, buddy. 

He jumps on the car’s hood and does a flip of it. Sodapop laughs and jean jacket guy walks away with a smile. 

Mickey Mouse guy is getting in a black car. 

[Mickey Mouse guy]: You guys wanna give me a push start?

[Ponyboy]: Not really but we will. 

Ponyboy and Johnny go to the back of the car and pushes it. 

[Mickey Mouse guy]: Alright, let's go. 

The car drives with Mickey Mouse guy saying, ‘see you later!’

Johnny and Ponyboy walk over to where Dally is leaning against a fence. 

[Johnny]: I see you got your christopher back, Dal. 

Dally walks out of the fence gate then leans his arms on it, facing the two boys. 

[Dally]: Little broad was two-timing me when I was in jail again, man. 

He looks pissed off. 

[Dally]: It’s cool. See you guys later. 

He walks off.

[Johnny]: All right. 

[Ponyboy]: See ya later, Dal.

A screen door opens.

[Darry]: Hey, Ponyboy, you got homework. 

Darry slams it shut. 

[Ponyboy]: You going home, Johnny Cade?

[Johnny]: I don’t know. 

Ponyboy looks sad at that and walks towards the door. 

[Ponyboy]: See ya around. Keep safe. 

[Johnny]: All right. 

Johnny takes a deep breath and walks off. 

Eddie says, “I wonder why he doesn’t wanna go home…”

His tone makes Steve think Eddie knows exactly why. 

Scene switches to show the house at night. Then Ponyboy at the window, staring outside. 

[Sodapop]: Turn off these lights and get to bed. 

Steve looks up.

It shows Sodapop lying in a bed. 

[Sodapop]: I got work in the morning. 

Ponyboy sighs and gets in the bed. He turns off the light. 

[Ponyboy]: We leave them alone. 

He says this referring to the boys who jumped him earlier. T he two brothers lay with their backs facing each other. 

[Sodapop]: I know. Who can figure it? 

There's a moment of silence. 

[Sodapop]: Are you cold, Pony?

[Ponyboy]: A little.

Sodapop rolls on his side and cuddles up to Ponyboy, putting an arm over them. 

Steve really misses that. 

[Sodapop]: Hey, listen, kiddo. Darry yells at you like that…He don’t mean nothing. It’s just that he got hit with a lot of responsibilities after Mum and Dad died that he ain’t used to. He loves you a lot. 

[Ponyboy]: Sure. 

Steve cringes, he sounded so doubtful and the truth was that he was doubtful of Darry's love for him. 

[Ponyboy]: Soda?

[Sodapop]: Hm? 

[Ponyboy]: How come you dropped out of school?

[Sodapop]: ‘Cause I’m dumb. The only thing I was passing was auto mechanics and gym. 

[Ponyboy]: You’re not dumb. 

[Sodapop]: Yes, I am. 

A pause. 

[Sodapop]: Hey, you shut up and I'll tell you something though. 

Ponyboy turns around to face Sodapop. 

[Sodapop]: You gotta promise me you're not gonna tell Darry. 

[Ponyboy]: All right. 

[Sodapop]: I think I’m gonna marry Sandy. 

Eddie goes, “Ooh! Young love!” 

Dustin asks, “Did they ever get married?” 

Steve frowns, he’s still upset about what happened, “Sandy got pregnant and her parents didn’t approve and sent her to live with her grandparents.” 

Joyce looks hopeful, “Maybe they reconnected.” 

“Maybe…”

Sodapop would try to find his child, Steve knew that much. 

[Sodapop]: I’ll probably wait till you're out of school though, so I can help Darry with the bills and stuff. 

Sodapop turns over facing his back to Ponyboy again. Ponyboy turns over towards Sodapop.

[Ponyboy]: Soda? 

Sodapop sighs. 

[Ponyboy]: Soda, are you in love with Sandy?

[Sodapop]: Mhm.

[Ponyboy]: What’s it like?

[Sodapop]: …What’s the time?

A pause. 

[Sodapop]: It’s real nice. 

Ponyboy turns over so they’re facing back to back. 

Screen fades to black. 

 A guy is leaning on a pole in front of a store called Bowen Lounge, a blue car drives by as the guy starts to light a cigarette. The camera switches to a closer angle. 

“Dally was the toughest guy I knew,” Steve says. 

Ponyboy comes in from off-screen. Another boy follows behind him. 

[Ponyboy]: What’s going on, Dal?

Ponyboy claps Dallas on the shoulder. 

Steve whispers as his eyes water, “Johnny…”

[Johnny]: What’s up? 

Dallas inhales the smoke. 

[Dallas]: We’re early. 

Will asks, “Early for what?”

“The movie.”

[Ponyboy]: What do you want to do?

Dallas thinks about it then smirks. 

[Dallas]: Nothing legal, man, let’s get out of here. 

Dallas turns around to walk away. Ponyboy and Johnny follow. 

Eddie says, “Wow, Stevie doing something illegal? Never thought I’d see that.” 

Steve rolls his eyes and smiles at him. 

The three boys stroll in front of a sign saying, ‘the Pines RESTAURANT’. They approach a car with someone in the driver’s seat. They start to converse when a man punches another man in the parking lot. The two men fight as the three round the crowd of people to the other side of a car. Dallas smirks as they watch. 

Joyce says, “That boy is trouble.” 

He should probably be mad about her saying that but Dally was trouble and Dally wouldn’t want Steve saying he wasn’t. 

A cop car pulls up and an officer hops out with a baton. 

Scene switches to show them approaching a gas station called DX. 

He wonders where Sodapop is working now. Hopefully somewhere better than the DX. 

[Voice (O.S.)]: Soda, here comes the Hobos.

They get closer. 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, Sodapop!

[Sodapop]: Hey, I ain't got no cash. 

Sodapop says this as the three stand around him.

Dallas holds up a windshield wiper. 

[Dallas]: Anyone want to buy a windshield wiper?

Another worker comes up. 

[Worker]: Come on, Dally. 

He tries to steal it from Dallas, who moves it out of his reach before giving in. The worker glares. Sodapop smiles at this. 

[Sodapop]: Give them the money.

Robin says, “Okay, so Sodapop is your brother and who is the other boy?”

“That’s Steve.” 

“That might be confusing.” 

“Not really, I'm never gonna see him again.” 

Hopper asks, “Do you want to?”

Steve startles at the question because Hopper asked it. Steve knew Hopper cared about him and everyone else but the man never asked Steve a lot of personal questions. 

“Uh, yeah.” 

Hopper grunts and doesn't say anything else. Joyce is smiling at Hopper for some reason…

Steve suddenly chuckles, “Actually, one of the reasons I didn’t want to be called Steve is because he was always an ass to me.” 

El frowns, “I thought you were friends, why would he do that?”

Steve grimaces, “We weren’t exactly friends, we were just in the same gang and looked out for each other. I think he did it because I was the youngest.” 

Mike says, “You don’t look that young.” 

“Eh, I was 14, everyone else was 16 or older.” 

Eddie looks at him incredulously, “Gang?”

“There were a lot of gangs there.”

Max says, “Cool.”

They’re walking on the street. 

[Johnny]: So, what’s the movie about? 

Dallas hooks his elbow around Johnny’s neck, pulling him down, and pretends he’s about to punch Johnny’s head before letting go. 

Johnny and Dally used to be so close. They acted like real brothers, sometimes Steve was jealous because he and Darrel were never close as them.

[Johnny]: Ow, Dallas. Huh?

[Dallas]: I don’t know, Johnny. One of them beach movies, y'know they put out a whole bunch of them. 

They walk up to three young boys playing cards in the grass. 

[Dallas]: Did I say you could play in my grass, huh? 

All three boys say no. 

[Dallas]: Then what are you doing here?

The boys look at each other. 

[Dallas]: Give me those cards, will ya?

Johnny just stands there and Ponyboy pulls out a cigarette. The boys hand them over to Dallas. 

Robin looks at him in surprise, she knew he had been doing it a while but not that long.

[Dallas]: You guys ever play 52 pickup?

The boys mumble yes. Dallas raises his eyebrows. 

[Dallas]: What? Hey, hey, don’t get wise. I don’t like little kids, I don’t like them, I just-

Dallas shrugs and drops the cards, scattering them in the grass. The boys stare. 

[Dallas]: Get out of here or I’m gonna kill you! 

Dallas starts chasing after the boys and Ponyboy and Johnny follow.

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, get out of here, you little brats!

The boys run off screen and the three stop to catch their breaths. 

[Dallas]: The sky’s getting dark, let’s go.

[Johnny]: Let’s go, man. 

Eddie chuckles, “Yeah, you were real different, Steve.” 

Joyce shakes her head, “I can’t imagine you hanging out with Dallas. You’re just so kind, only bad people can be that cruel to kids.” 

Steve starts, he let the comment Joyce made earlier go but he can’t do that with this one. Dally wasn’t a cruel person. He was a jerk but he helped him and Johnny, he saved them. Steve owed him his life. 

“No, don’t talk about Dally like that. He wasn’t a bad person.” 

Joyce nods, taking it in stride, “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t even know him. I’m sorry.”

And you never will. 

Nancy says, “Steve, I know you knew him but from what we saw he-”

“No. You don’t understand what he did for me so until you do, shut up.”

“Steve-”

“No.” 

Jonathan claps a hand over Nancy’s mouth when she goes to say something else, “Leave it alone, Nance. Steve’s right.” 

Steve just nods at him before looking down at his lap. He starts thinking about what they may see during this movie. Definitely the fire, which will prove Nancy and Joyce wrong. And then what happened to Johnny. 

Steve lays his head on Robin’s, searching for comfort. 

He’s really not ready to see Johnny die again. 

Chapter Text

Dallas, Ponyboy and Johnny crawl on their backs through a hole in a chain-link fence. 

The Nightly Double. They had the money to get in but Dally hated doing things the legal way, said it was boring. And Steve and Johnny did anything Dally said. 

Dallas walks on ahead while Ponyboy helps Johnny go through. Ponyboy pulls him up and claps a hand on his shoulder, letting it rest there for a few moments before moving to catch up to Dallas. Johnny looks at his shoulder then back to Ponyboy before walking to them. 

Was he being weird touching Johnny like that?

Eddie says, “Johnny looks like a sweet kid.”

A movie is playing on a theater screen. They pass a car where a girl is getting out of the car, angry. 

[Girl]: What do you think you’re doing?

A guy laughs and moves towards her. 

Oh god, Bob Sheldon. An image flashes in his mind of Bob laying there on the ground, dead, blood staining the wet ground. He shouldn’t have died. He didn’t deserve it. No one deserves that. 

[Guy]: Cherry, just relax. 

He remembers Cherry, she was nice. He only saw her around school a couple times after everything and before he left. Did she ever think about what happened to him? He hopes she has a nice life, maybe she has a husband and kids. She probably got a job in politics, she seems like the type. 

[Guy]: I mean, just try, you’re supposed to be my girlfriend, alright?

“She’s pretty.” 

Steve grins at Eleven, “Yeah, she is.” 

Mike says, “Pretty for a redhead.” 

Max smacks him multiple times and he tries and fails to get out of her way. The other kids don't bother to help. 

“You’re not exactly handsome with that resting asshole face you got.” 

El cocks her head to the side, “I thought it was bitch.”

Max shrugs, “He’s more of an asshole than a bitch.” 

Hopper declares, “Okay, no more cussing.” 

Steve decides to change the subject, “Anyway, that was Cherry Valance, she was a cheerleader and a Soc and the other girl is her friend Marcia.” 

Nancy asks, “A what?” 

“Oh, a Soc is the rich kids that were seen as more respectable than a Greaser. A Greaser is the poor kids who always got in trouble and who people just didn’t like.” 

Will asks, “So, Soc is like socials, right? Why Greaser?”

“Eh, I don't know why, it just stuck. Johnny used to say it’s because we slick our hair.”

Eddie comments, “I wasn’t going to say anything but your hair really did look greasy.” 

“Hey! My brothers taught me how to do my hair, all Greasers did it like that.” 

“I like your hair much better now.” 

Steve flushes and looks resolutely back at the screen. He can feel Eddie watching him. 

Dustin says, “Ohhkay,” and then more quietly, “Weirdos…” 

[Cherry]: Don’t you ever pull anything like that again.

Robin asks, “Why was she angry?” 

“Bob, that’s the boyfriend, was trying to get her drink, I think. He was drinking and driving too. She said he did that all the time," Steve tells her. 

“Did you know her?” 

“Kind of…She was nice to me but we only talked a few times and she never wanted to be seen with me.” 

El pouts, “Why do all nice people turn out to be mouth breathers?” 

“No, she was really nice," Steve says, quickly coming to Cherry's defense, "Her parents wouldn’t like her hanging out with Greasers, neither would her friends. I never blamed her.” 

[Bob]: Are you serious? Just try it!

[Cherry]: Who do you think you are?

Dallas smiles as the three walk past the car. 

[Bob]: Don’t do this to me, Cherry!

Cherry walks away, her friend following her. Cherry’s friend tries to protest but Cherry shuts her down. 

[Cherry]: I’m not going back there.

Bob and his friend get back in the car. 

[Bob]: I just don’t understand, I mean-

[Guy friend]: They just wanna make things complicated. 

Bob takes a drink out of a flask. 

Nancy grimaces at Bob. Was Steve ever like that to her?

Dallas hops the bar in front of the theater seats and sits down, Ponyboy and Johnny copy him. 

The two girls sit in the seats in front of them. 

[Marcia]: You sure you want to do this?

[Cherry]: I came here to see a movie, I’m gonna see a movie. 

Ponyboy shivers. 

[Ponyboy]: I’m freezing, man.

Dallas takes out a cigarette. 

[Dallas]: Why didn’t you bring a coat, stupid?

[Ponyboy]: I forgot.

Johnny takes off his jacket and hands it to Ponyboy. 

[Johnny]: Here. 

Ponyboy shrugs it on. 

[Ponyboy]: Thanks, Johnny. 

Robin lets out an ‘ooh’ sound. 

Eddie looks pleased, “Yeah, I was right, he’s a sweet kid.”

Dallas leans up close to Cherry sitting in front of Ponyboy and lights the cigarette. Cherry pretends not to see him while her friend giggles at Dallas’s antics. Dallas looks at Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Some cute redhead, huh?

Dallas leans in real close to Cherry’s ear. 

[Dallas]: Are you a real redhead, huh?

Cherry smiles and leans away. 

[Johnny]: Come on, Dal.

Steve decides to share a little fun fact, “Cherry actually had a little crush on Dally.” 

Robins says, “Wow, she has…an interesting taste in boys.” 

“Yeah…I think she has a taste for bad boys.” 

Dallas shrugs and starts to put his feet up on the empty seat only to fall sideways onto the ground. Ponyboy starts cracking up. Cherry and her friend laugh too. 

Joyce says, “Oh, that laugh was so cute.” 

Steve lets a small smile slip out. He loves when Joyce compliments him.

Dallas gets back up as if nothing happened. Cherry is still giggling as Dallas leans back in. 

[Dallas]: How do I find out if this is your real, real hair? 

Cherry loses her smile as Dallas continues to touch her hair. 

[Johnny]: Cut it out, Dal. 

Johnny was the only one Dally would sometimes listen to. That’s why Steve never said anything, there wasn't any point if Dally just did whatever he liked. 

Dallas points downward. 

[Dallas]: Is it the same hair you have on your, your-

Dallas touches her eyebrows. 

[Dallas]: Your eyebrows here. Is it?

Cherry leans away. Dallas leans back into the seat. Ponyboy and Johnny both look uncomfortable. 

Steve looks at Nancy and can tell she wants to say something but Jonathan is giving her a look. None of this is supporting his earlier claim that Dally is a good person. He was good when someone needed him to be. That’s all that matters. He was always there for the gang when they needed him. 

[Johnny]: Cut it out, Dal.

Dallas laughs and puts his feet on Cherry’s chair this time. He reaches to put his cigarette above her hair. 

[Cherry]: Get your feet off my chair and shut your trap!

Dallas sits back. 

[Dallas]: Who’s gonna make me?

[Johnny]: I’m gonna get a coke.

Johnny gets up to leave. 

Max says, “I would leave too.”

[Dallas]: Who, your boyfriend?

[Ponyboy]: Leave her alone, Dal. 

Cherry’s friend whispers to Cherry. 

[Marcia]: That’s the Greaser who just got out of jail or something. 

Dustin asks, “Has he been to jail a lot, Steve?”

“I lost count but yeah. He first got arrested when he was like ten.”

[Dallas]: Yeah, sure whatever you say, honey. 

[Cherry]: Leave us alone or I’ll call the cops. 

[Dallas]: My, my, my. You got me scared to death, what am I going to do now, Pony, huh? 

Ponyboy doesn’t answer. 

[Dallas]: This girl’s making me shake. 

[Cherry]: Why don’t you leave us alone? Be nice and leave us alone!

[Dallas]: I’m never nice.

He talks into her ear. 

[Dallas]: Can I interest you in a Coca-Cola or a 7UP?

Cherry loses her patience. 

[Cherry]: Get lost, hood!

[Dallas]: Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t-

He chuckles. 

[Dallas]: I didn’t know…I didn’t know you had this problem with yelling in my face. 

Cherry doesn’t bother to respond. Dallas stands up, 

[Dallas]: Alright, I’ll go. I know when I'm not wanted.

Robin says, “Thank god.” 

Cherry turns around to Ponyboy. 

[Cherry]: Are you gonna start into us now too?

[Ponyboy]: No. 

Cherry gives him a onceover. 

[Cherry]: You don’t look like the type anyway. What’s your name?

[Ponyboy]: Ponyboy Curtis. 

Cherry smiles, trying not to laugh. 

[Cherry]: That’s an original name. 

Nancy says, “Well, that’s rude.” 

“You guys laughed too, don’t act like you didn’t.” 

Nancy looks sheepish and doesn’t say anything else. The kids apologize quickly. 

Steve shakes his head, “It’s fine. I know it’s weird. Just don’t go around laughing at people’s names.” 

[Ponyboy]: My dad was an original guy. 

Cherry and her friend look at him with interest and that seems to give him confidence. 

[Ponyboy]: I got a brother named Sodapop. Even says so on his birth certificate. 

They all laugh a little. 

[Cherry]: My name’s Sherry Valance but my friends call me Cherry cause of my hair. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, I know. We go to the same school. You’re a cheerleader. 

Cherry smiles. 

[Cherry]: Yeah. 

[Marcia]: You don’t look enough to be going to highschool. 

Ponyboy looks nervous. 

[Cherry]: What’s a nice boy like you doing hanging around with that trash?

[Ponyboy]: Dally’s my buddy, I’m a Greaser too. 

Ponyboy looks away. 

[Ponyboy]: We’re all friends. 

[Cherry]: I’m sorry. I didn’t know. 

Cherry looks off to think of something to say. 

[Cherry]: Uh, your brother Sodapop, he works at the gasoline station, right? At DX?

Johnny comes back and sits down. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, that’s him. 

[Marcia]: Yeah, Soda’s the cute one. 

Steve cringes, girls were always thirsting over Sodapop, even Socs. 

[Cherry]: He’s a doll, I should have known you was brothers! 

[Marcia]: Hey, how come we don’t see your brother at school anymore?

Dallas comes back with popcorn and soda.

[Marcia]: Has he been working full-time since your parents died? 

[Ponyboy]: He’s a dropout. 

[Marcia]: Oh, that’s too bad. 

Eddie says, “Jeez, you don’t just ask stuff like that. All she cares about is his pretty face.” 

Steve grins cheekily, "You think my brother's pretty?" 

Eddie blushes and splutters, "N-no! Well, I'm not saying he's ugly but I-I don't-" 

Steve laughs, "Relax. It's fine, people always talked about how hot Soda is." 

"It's just cause he looks like you." 

Steve wasn't expecting that and Eddie wasn't either based off his wide-eyed look. 

Steve knows he's blushing but he smiles and says, "Well, thanks, Eddie."

Eddie just nods. Robin groans from next to him. 

Dallas hands Marcia a soda over Cherry’s head, who moves out of the way annoyed. Dallas hands Cherry a soda too.

[Dallas]: Here, I thought this might cool you off.

Dallas sits right next to her. She looks at him affronted before throwing the drink in his face. 

[Cherry]: Maybe that will cool you off, Greaser! When you learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off too. 

Robin says, “Hard to believe she likes him.” 

“Eh, I didn’t even understand it when she told me.” 

Dallas smiles and grabs either side of her forearms. 

[Dallas]: Fiery, huh? Just the way I like them. 

Johnny and Ponyboy give each other a look. Cherry tries pushing him off. 

[Cherry]: Get off of me-

[Dallas]: Come on. 

[Cherry]: Ow!

Johnny stands up. 

[Johnny]: Look, leave her alone, Dal.

Dallas looks up at Johnny. Cherry pushes Dallas fully off her. 

[Dallas]: What’d you say? 

[Johnny]: Come on, you heard me, leave her alone. 

[Dallas]: What’d you say to me, you little shit? What did you say to me? 

Johnny doesn’t back down but he looks less sure of himself. 

[Johnny]: Come on. 

[Dallas]: You wiseass. 

Dallas watches Johnny sit back down. He looks angry and turns his face back so fast at Cherry she flinches. Dallas stands up to leave. A few people shout at him. 

[Man #1] Hey, wiseguy, cool it, will ya?

[Man #2]: Sit down, punk!

Ponyboy turns to Johnny. 

[Ponyboy]: Now you blew it. 

Cherry turns around to Johnny. 

[Cherry]: Thank you. He had me scared to death. 

[Johnny]: You sure didn’t show it. Nobody talks to Dal like that.

[Cherry]: From what I saw you do. 

Johnny was never afraid to do what he thought was right and Johnny knew Dally wasn’t likely to beat him up. Steve always admired him for it. 

[Marcia]: Why don’t y'all come sit here with us so you can protect us? 

Johnny and Ponyboy look at each other. 

[Johnny]: What do you think, man? Come on. 

[Ponyboy]: Might as well.

He had been sooo proud of himself for “picking up” two girls. He knew Soda would be proud, he always talked about how Pony needed to start getting some ladies. He never did because Johnny was there and that was all he needed, really, his best friend. But he couldn’t pass up this chance so he said yeah. 

Ponyboy sits beside Cherry and Johnny aside Marcia. 

[Marcia]: How old are y'all? 

[Ponyboy]: Fourteen. 

[Johnny]: Sixteen. 

Lucas comments, “He does not look sixteen at all.” 

Johnny was always self-conscious about that. 

[Marcia]: Huh, I thought you were both-

Marcia and Cherry say fourteen and sixteen respectively. Marcia laughs at Cherry. 

He didn’t know if Cherry knew Johnny looking young bugged him or she genuinely thought he looked his age, but he secretly thanked her for saying it. Johnny never believed it when Ponyboy said it. 

[Johnny]: How come y'all ain’t scared of us like you were Dally?

[Cherry]: Oh, you two are too sweet to scare anyone. Besides, I know about Dallas Winston. You two don’t look mean.  

Ponyboy scoffs. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, right, we’re young and innocent. 

While Johnny hated looking like was fourteen, Pony hated that he was actually fourteen. No one in the gang respected him cause of it, least of all Steve. 

Cherry looks at him, realizing it bothers him. 

[Cherry]: No, you’re just not dirty. 

[Johnny]: Dally’s okay. He’s tough but he’s a cool old guy once you get to know him. 

Ponyboy nods. 

[Ponyboy]: He’d leave you alone if you knew him. 

[Marcia]: Well, I’m glad he doesn’t know us. 

[Cherry]: I kind of admire him. 

Only Ponyboy seemed to have heard. 

Dustin throws his hands up, “What is her problem? Why does she like jerks so much?” 

Eddie says, “People find bad boys cute.” 

Does Eddie find bad boys cute? Steve has a leather jacket laying around somewhere…

They continue to watch a movie when a guy comes sneaking behind their chairs. He slammed a hand onto Johnny’s shoulder. 

[Guy]: Oi, greaser, you’re dead!

Johnny startles and closes his eyes. The other three laugh at the guy. Ponyboy looks back at Johnny and becomes concerned when he sees him. 

“What’s wrong with Johnny?” 

Steve looked at Will, who was genuinely concerned even though this happened forever ago. Will is such a sweet kid. 

“Johnny had a run-in with some greasers and they roughed him up real good. I don’t know why Two-Bit scared him like that but he might’ve forgotten, he was always a bit scatter-brained.” 

Mike says, “Two-Bit? Did you guys just go around collecting all the guys with strange names?”

Steve laughs and is thankful Mike changed the topic, “No, no, that one is actually a nickname. His real name is Keith.” 

Robin scrunches her nose, “Ew, is he anything like Family Video Keith?” 

“Actually, he’s probably worse.” 

“I didn’t know that was possible.” 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, Two-Bit. 

He beckons at Johnny. Two-Bit gets a get look at him. He ruffles Johnny’s hair.

[Two-Bit]: Sorry, kid, I forgot. 

Johnny shrugs. Two-Bit gives him a beer. 

[Two-Bit]: Here, it’ll set your nerves. 

Joyce shakes her head, “Kids shouldn’t have beers.” 

He had his first beer at thirteen after his parents died. 

Two-Bit turns to the girls. 

[Two-Bit]: Well, now, who've we got here? Your great-grandmothers? 

Marcia and Cherry giggle. 

[Two-Bit]: What are you two young ladies doing hanging out with these greasers?

[Johnny]: Dal was bothering them. They wanted us to sit up with them.

[Two-Bit]: He was, huh? Where is old Dal now anyway?

He looks around for him. Someone overhears and stands near them. 

[Man]: Yeah, where is old Dally? 

They all look at him. 

[Ponyboy]: He left, Tim. 

Ponyboy looks away. 

[Tim]: Hey, I know he slashed my tires!

Ponyboy quickly looks back at him. 

“Not their fault. Go to the cops instead of pinning it on some teenagers.” 

Steve looks at Hopper, “The cops probably wouldn’t care and even if they would, us Greasers don’t let each other get in trouble with the law no matter how much we hate each other.” 

[Ponyboy]: Look, Tim, he’s not here really. You guys seen Dally?

The two girls say no. Tim looks at him before nodding. 

[Tim]: Yeah, well, I’ll be looking for him. 

Tim walks off.

[Two-Bit]: Dally got a blade?

[Johnny]: I don’t think so. 

[Two-Bit]: Good, Tim will fight fair as long as he don’t.  

Cherry lets out a breath.

[Cherry]: You guys don’t believe in playing rough or anything, do you?

[Two-Bit]: A fair fight isn’t rough. 

Cherry looks exasperated. 

[Cherry]: Yeah, real simple. 

It was real simple. Greasers don’t just fight each other for no reason, Dally deserved it if he would’ve gotten into it with Tim. He shouldn’t have gotten caught slashing that tire.

Marcia laughs. 

[Marcia]: Yeah, if he gets killed or something, you just bury him, no sweat!

[Two-Bit]: You dig okay, baby. Anyone want a chew?

The girls shook theirs heads no but Johnny and Ponyboy grab one. 

Robin looked at him, “No wonder you can’t shake that habit, you did that stuff that young?” 

Steve shrugged, nervous, “Everyone did it, my parents didn’t want me to but I snuck some and then they died and I just never stopped.” 

Robin looks at him with sympathy. 

Eddie nods, “I started at 16, I don’t think I’ll stop but I ought to.” 

Joyce says, “Don’t talk about this in front of the kids.” 

El asks, innocently, “What is a chew?” 

“Nothing you need to know about, just don’t ever have one and if you're offered one, scream for help.” 

El doesn’t look pleased but listens to her mom. 

Cherry gets up and grabs Ponyboy’s arm. 

[Cherry]: Ponyboy, come with me to get some cokes and some popcorn? 

Ponyboy jumps up. 

[Ponyboy]: Y'all want some? 

[Marcia]: I do. 

[Two-Bit]: Me too. 

Johnny reaches into his pocket for some change. 

[Two-Bit]: Get Johnny some too, I’m buying. 

He hands Ponyboy some bills. 

Johnny needed the money, everyone in the gang knew that. 

The scene switches to Ponyboy and Cherry waiting in the concession line.

[Cherry]: Your friend–the one with the sideburns–he’s okay?

[Ponyboy]: He’s not dangerous like Dally, if that’s what you mean. He’s okay.

[Cherry]: Johnny…He’s been hurt bad sometime, hasn’t he? 

Ponyboy looks around at all the Socs in line. 

[Ponyboy]: He got hurt real bad by a Soc. 

[Cherry]: Is that how he got his scar? 

Eddie comments, “It’s a badass scar.” 

Steve loves that Eddie keeps complimenting Johnny. 

[Ponyboy]: The guy had some rings. It was real bad…

Cherry looked sick. 

This must have been when she realized Bob did it. 

[Cherry]: Not all of us are like that. You have to believe me, Ponyboy. 

A Soc working the counter gives Ponyboy a weird look as he pays. 

[Ponyboy]: Sure. 

[Cherry]: That’s like saying all of us are like Dallas Winston. He’s probably jumped some people. 

He has. He used to brag about it all the time. 

[Cherry]: I bet you think Socs have it made. I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it might come as a surprise. We have troubles you’ve never even heard of. You want to know something?

She looks him straight in the eye. 

[Cherry]: Things are rough all over. 

[Ponyboy]: I believe you. We better get back or Two-Bit will think I’ve run off with the money. 

Cherry doesn’t laugh. She looks sad but nods. 

The movie now shows Marcia and Two-Bit laughing with each other. The other three aren’t talking but they also aren’t uncomfortable. 

Joyce sighs, “Cherry’s sweet but she can’t be making excuses for people attacking each other.”

“Bob’s actually the one that did it, she realized cause of the rings, it’s her boyfriend, of course she’s going to defend him. And she was right anyway. Bob had some troubles at home.” 

Joyce looks contemplative and just nods. 

He kind of likes talking about his past with everyone, he hasn’t said a word about it in years, not since he came to Hawkins. It’s nice.

Chapter Text

Cherry and Ponyboy walk beside each other on the street. Ponyboy lights a cigarette. 

[Cherry]: So, tell me about your oldest brother. You never seem to talk about him.

[Ponyboy]: What’s to tell?

Cherry and Ponyboy lean against a wire fence. 

[Ponyboy]: He’s big and roofs houses.

Two-Bit and Marcia walk by engaged in conversation. 

[Cherry]: No, really, what’s he like?

Johnny comes to stand by them. 

[Cherry]: I feel like I know Soda for as much as you talk about him. Tell me about Darry, is he wild and reckless like Soda? Or dreamy like you? 

"Ooh," Eddie teases, "She thinks you're dreamy."

Johnny looks away when Cherry calls Ponyboy dreamy. 

“I can’t believe you were already getting girls at fourteen!” 

Steve smirks at Dustin, “You heard her, I’m dreamy.” 

Dustin groans.

Ponyboy gets angry. 

[Ponyboy]: He ain’t like Soda and he sure ain’t like me. He can’t stand me! 

El innocently asks, “Did you not like your brother?” 

Steve grimaces, “I did love Darry and I still do but back then…our parents death made it hard for us and Darry wanted to protect me and his way of doing that was treating me like I’m a child. I didn’t like that and I just became angry at him.” 

Two-Bit had doubled back at the mention of Darry. 

[Ponyboy]: I bet he wishes he could stick me in a boy’s home or somethin’ but Soda wouldn’t let him. 

[Two-Bit]: What are you talking about, Ponyboy?

[Johnny]: Come on, Ponyboy, y'all get along fine now. 

He already regretted saying that about Darry but he regrets what he’s about to say even more. 

[Ponyboy]: No, we don’t! You shut your trap, cos you ain’t wanted at home either! 

Steve winces and sees the others do the same. He feels disgusting for saying that to Johnny. Everyone knew it was a tough topic but he was just so angry at the time. 

Two-Bit slaps him, albeit not very hard. 

[Two-Bit]: You shut your mouth kid. 

The others look vaguely uncomfortable at the slap but otherwise don’t voice their thoughts about it. Which is good, he did deserve that slap. 

[Ponyboy]: I’m sorry. I got a little mad. 

[Cherry]: Oh, that’s alright. 

[Johnny]: It’s the truth, I don’t care. 

Johnny weakly smiled, it was clearly fake. 

[Two-Bit]: Shut up talkin’ like that! We couldn’t get along without you so you can just shut up! 

Joyce smiles, “Two-Bit is very sweet.” 

Steve smiles back, “Yeah, he was real sweet with me and Johnny.” 

Nancy asks, “So, what did the thing about Johnny mean?” 

The smile slides off his face. 

“What gives you the right to ask that?” 

She looks off put at that, “We have to watch this so we should know what’s going on.” 

“Nancy, just- please shut up. I’m not tellin’ you about Johnny’s home life, you don’t deserve to hear that.” 

“I’m sorry- I just-” 

“I don’t want to hear it. This whole time, you’ve been acting like a goddamn reporter searching for information instead of acting like an actual person with compassion.” 

She shrunk back into the armchair. Jonathan didn’t exactly move her off him but he didn’t snuggle any close when she clearly wanted comfort. 

Ponyboy looked close to tears. 

[Ponyboy]: It ain’t fair! It ain’t fair that we all have the rough breaks.

It wasn’t fair. Every single person in the gang had a rough life and yet the Socs would get all this free time and use it to jump Greasers like them. It wasn’t fair at all. He thought of Cherry’s words, Socs did have it rough too, he knew that, but now he realized that wasn’t no excuse for their actions, that was just a reason. Joyce was right. 

Two-Bit just grinned. 

[Two-Bit]: I know, the chips are always down when it’s our turn, but’s that the way thing are. Like it or lump. 

That made Ponyboy grin. Johnny did too. 

Two-Bit always knew what to say and he always said it simple terms too, he could’ve use Two-Bit words in the past years. 

The same car from earlier starts driving slowly down the street. 

[Cherry]: Marcia! 

[Marcia]: Oh, they’re coming. What do we do. 

[Cherry]: Just keep calm.

The car comes to a stop and out steps Bob and his friend. 

[Bob]: Cherry, what’s going on? What are you doing?

Cherry doesn’t answer, just stares him down, defiant. Marcia stands there with Two-Bit jacket around her shoulder. 

[Bob]: Just because we got a little drunk-

[Cherry]: A little?! You call reeling and passin’ out in the streets a little? Bob, I’ve told you before I’m never going out with when you’re drinking and I mean it!

Bob just takes a drink out of the flask, he’s clearly drunk.

[Bob’s friend]: That’s no reason to go walking out in the street with these bums. 

[Two-Bit]: Who you callin’ bums, pal?

[Bob’s friend]: –you!

Bob’s friend knocks the jacket off Marcia’s shoulders and manhandles her next to him.

[Marcia]: Randy!

[Randy]: Listen, we got two more of us in the back seat.

Two-Bit swiftly breaks the end off the beer bottle and hands it to Ponyboy before pulling out a pocket knife. 

Robin says, “There’s no need for a fight…could’ve walked out. 

Steve scoffs, “They were asking for it and they jumped Greasers almost daily. Also, Two-Bit might’ve been a bit drunk.”

“Hm, I could tell.” 

Steve laughs. 

[Two-Bit]: Pity the backseat!

Johnny looks uneasily at the knife. 

[Randle]: If you’re looking for a fight-

[Two-Bit]: I am looking for a fight, come on! Right now! 

Randle and Two-Bit start shouting, ‘Come on!’ ‘Let’s go right now!’ and other renditions of that. 

[Cherry]: Alright, we’ll go! Just give us a minute. 

[Two-Bit]: Why? We ain’t scared of these bastards!

[Cherry]: I hate fights, alright. I hate them!

Bob chuckles. 

[Cherry]: Come here, Ponyboy. 

They walk a little ways from the group. 

[Cherry]: I’m sorry. 

Ponyboy holds up the smashed beer bottle top.

[Ponyboy]: Look, I couldn’t use this. I could never cut no one. 

[Bob]: Cherry, come on!

Eddie rolls his eyes, “Jeez, hasn’t even been twenty seconds.” 

[Cherry]: We better go with them. 

Ponyboy looks disappointed. She walks off before turning back to him. 

[Cherry]: If I see you in school and don’t say hi, don’t take it personal, okay? 

Ponyboy shrugs. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, I know. 

He remembers the words did sting when she said them but she was right. Her life would be ruined if word of her associating with a Greaser got out. Does she still think like that? Would she say hi if they saw each other now?

[Cherry]: Really, you’re a nice boy and everything. 

[Ponyboy]: It’s okay. 

Cherry studies him for a moment before smiling. Suddenly, it slips off her face. 

[Cherry]: I hope I never see Dallas Winston again. If I do, I’d probably fall in love with him. 

Joyce comments, “She’s a strange girl.” 

“She is. I wonder if she fell for another boy like Dally.” 

Eddie says, “She seems the type to go for leather jackets and tattoos.” 

Definitely wearing the leather jacket then. Tattoos…will probably be easy to cover. 

She walks off and Ponyboy stands there dumbfounded. 

[Bob]: Come on, baby.

[Cherry]: Don’t touch me. 

We get a close up of Ponyboy’s face. 

Mike cackles, “You look so shocked!”

“Hey, it was a weird thing to say!” 

The Socs start to drive off. 

[Bob]: Just watch it, Greaseball. 

[Ponyboy]: Says who?

Johnny watches them go with wide eyes. 

Oh, he must’ve been so freaked. Poor Johnny. Steve aches to comfort him but he’s just on a screen and the real one is gone.  Forever. 

Chapter Text

Ponyboy, Johnny and Two-Bit are walking home in the park. 

[Two-Bit]: Boy, those are two of the best looking girls I've seen. 

Ponyboy agrees hesitantly. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

Two-Bit looks at him and starts chewing something. He spits out a piece of paper. 

Robin’s nose wrinkles, “Ew.” 

[Ponyboy]: What was that?

[Two-Bit]: Marcia’s number. Probably a phony one too. I must have been out of my mind to ask for it. Girl like that would never go out with me anyway. 

Joyce says, “That’s too bad, they looked like they were having fun with each other.” 

“They was. But Socs don’t hang out with Greaser no matter how much you like each other.” 

Dustin tells him, “Your town sucked, Steve.” 

El nods, “Everyone is a bunch of mouth breathers.” 

Steve shrugs. 

They approach a house, people are yelling at each other inside. 

[Two-Bit]: Where are yall going?

[Ponyboy]: Home.

A hat starts blowing across the grass. 

[Two-Bit]: Woah!

He catches it. 

[Two-Bit]: Got me a new hat!

Johnny and Ponyboy laugh. 

[Ponyboy]: You’re crazy. 

Two-Bit puts the hat on. 

[Two-Bit]: I don’t know why I handed you that busted bottle, you never would’ve used it. 

He would’ve used it if he had to. He’s sure of that.

Johnny starts to approach the house steps, people are still fighting. 

[Ponyboy]: I don’t know, I might have. Where you headed? 

The house door opens and you can hear a woman yelling. 

[Woman]: Get out of here!

The door slams shut again. 

[Two-Bit]: I don’t know. Maybe I’ll play snooker or get drunk. 

Mike asks, “What the hell is snooker?” 

“Snooker means a game of pool.” 

Eddie looks at him, “You guys sure used a lot of slang.” 

“That’s just how I grew up. I didn’t realize it was weird ‘til I moved here and had to change my accent.” 

El frowned, “Why would you change it?”

“It wasn’t normal or at least that’s what my father said. I tried using the accent around Tommy and he laughed at me.” 

Robin says, “Tommy isn’t a good person.” 

Dustin gasps and looks excited, “Can you do the accent?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “I haven’t done it in a while, so I’d rather not.” 

“Okay, you should probably start practicing. I’ll get you to use it one day.” 

He probably would. Enough whining will make Steve submit to basically anything. Something kids knew and frequently used to their advantage. 

Two-Bit starts walking off. 

[Two-Bit]: I’ll see you later!

Ponyboy waves. 

[Ponyboy]: Ok!

The people continue to fight. 

[Johnny]: I hate when my folks are fighting. Let's go to the lot. 

Jonathan looks sympathetic for Johnny. Joyce and his dad probably fought a lot, he’s pretty sure his adoptive parents would talk about how they was always fighting…

Ponyboy starts walking without hesitation, Johnny following. 

The scene changes to show the two on their backs in the grass, they’re watching the stars. They are close together, shoulders pressed and legs overlapping one another.

They would always try and watch the stars together. Made them forget about everything else going on. It was just them two and the sky on nights like those. He misses that.

Johnny lit a cigarette and Ponyboy watched him. 

[Johnny]: It’s because we’re greasers, Pone. 

Robin coos, “That’s a cute nickname.” 

“We used to call him Johnnycakes.” 

Robin looks at him and tilts her head, studying him. She must’ve found something because she interwines their fingers together. 

[Johnny]: We could’ve hurt her reputation.

[Ponyboy]: I reckon.

They continue to stare at each other until Johnny breaks the silence. 

Eddie's eyes widen watching the two. 

[Johnny]: Man, that was a tuff car. Mustangs are tuff. 

[Ponyboy]: Big time Socs alright. 

Ponyboy says it bitterly. 

 [Ponyboy]: It’s always the same. 

Ponyboy looks away. Johnny starts breathing fast and deep. 

[Johnny]: I can’t take much more of this! 

He sits up and cradles his head in his arms. 

[Johnny]: I’ll kill myself or something!

Mike looks uncomfortable at that. Didn’t Dustin say Mike almost jumped off a cliff? All because Will was gone? Steve could understand, he barely wanted to get on with life after Johnny died. He would sit in bed, in class, just walking home and think about nothing but Johnny. He kept thinking over how he could’ve saved Johnny if he didn’t get in that fight with Darry, didn’t run away and didn’t smoke that goddamn cigarette that started the fire in the first place, if he didn't stupidly run in trying to be a hero. It was all his fault. 

“-eve? Steve?” 

He looked up and everyone was watching him and he realized his cheeks were wet and he was hyperventilating. He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. 

He said, “Sorry, sorry.” 

Eddie started rubbing his back, “Don’t be sorry, Steve. There’s nothing to be sorry for.” 

There is. Johnny’s dead cause of him. 

Robin started taking deep exaggerated breaths and Steve almost started laughing. She only learned that because he wanted to help the kids and ransacked the library for books. 

“Let’s just continue watching, okay?” 

They clearly didn’t want to but Dustin went ahead and unpaused it. Robin squeezed his hand tighter. 

Ponyboy sat up in alarm.

[Ponyboy]: Don’t. You can’t kill yourself, Johnny. Don’t talk like that. 

Ponyboy wrapped an arm around Johnny and moved the smaller boy close to him. Johnny starts audibly crying. 

[Johnny]: I gotta do something. 

Ponyboy maneuvers them so they’re facing the stars. 

[Johnny]: There’s gotta be someplace without Greasers and Socs. Gotta be someplace with people, plain ordinary people. 

[Ponyboy]: It’s like that out in the country. 

Ponyboy closes his eyes. 

Eddie whistles, “Woo, didn’t know you were an actual country boy.” 

Steve sniffs and rolls his eyes. 

The screens fade from Ponyboy’s face to a car parked by a tree, the objects are silhouettes and there’s a sunset in the background. 

[Ponyboy (O.S.)] I miss going there with my folks. 

A couple hops out of the car and a dog plays in the grass. They look happy and playful together. An image of the couple's face starts to slightly show transparent on the scene. They’re both smiling. It quickly switches to the car getting plowed into by a train. 

Everyone jumps but the most startled is Steve. He closes his eyes tightly. Why do they have to show his nightmares too?!

The scene keeps going and starts to spin. 

[Johnny (O.S.)]: Ponyboy. 

Steve opens his eyes. He’s not gonna miss any chance of seeing Johnny’s face. This is the only chance he’ll get. 

An arm shakes a sleeping Ponyboy. 

[Johnny]: Ponyboy, wake up!

Ponyboy groans and sits up. 

[Johnny]: Come on. 

It’s now completely dark where they are. 

[Ponyboy]: God, what time is it?

[Johnny]: I don’t know. I went to sleep too. 

Ponyboy sits up on his legs. Johnny lays back down. 

[Johnny]: You better get home, alright? I’m gonna stay all night out here. Who'll care anyway? 

[Ponyboy]: Alright, if you get cold, come on over to my house. 

Joyce frowns at Johnny. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, alright. 

Ponyboy starts to get up. 

[Ponyboy]: What is Darry gonna say?

Oh, he was mad. Real mad. 

Chapter Text

Ponyboy entered through the gate, closing it behind him. A dog is barking in the background. He peeks through the blinds and sees Darrel on the phone, lounging in a recliner. 

[Darrel]: Yeah, it’s Darry. Yeah, bye. 

Darrel puts the phone back. 

Max comments, “Wow, he’s pretty good looking.” 

“Max!” Lucas yells in an outrage. 

“What? I’m just saying.” 

Robin intervenes, “Have your little lovers quarrel after we’re finished. I’m also pretty sure Steve won’t want you to talk about how hot his brother is.” 

Steve shrugs, “It’s alright. Girls always talked ‘bout how handsome Darry and Sodapop were.” 

Joyce compliments him, “You were handsome too, Steve. Still are.” 

Mike starts to say something about Steve’s ego but Steve isn’t listening. 

Eddie whispers in his ear, “Joyce is right. You were handsome then but now…words can’t even describe how attractive you are.” 

Steve squeaks and then almost dies of embarrassment. Steve looks over at Eddie and the man is smiling at him. Steve looks back at the television. Why does Eddie keep saying these things?! 

Darry starts to pick up the paper. We get an inside view where we can see Sodapop there too, relaxing on the sofa. Ponyboy opens the door, grabbing the attention of his brothers. Darry slams his paper down and rises. 

[Darrel]: Where the hell have you been? Do you know what time it is? 

Ponyboy closes the door and huffs against it. 

[Darrel]: It’s two o’clock in the morning, kiddo. 

Joyce looks worried, naturally. She barely lets Will outside after 10. 

Sodapop looks calm. 

[Sodapop]: Pony, where you been? 

[Ponyboy]: I fell asleep in the lot. 

Ponyboy starts to walk past. 

[Darrel]: What?!

[Ponyboy]: I was talking to Johnny and I fell asleep in the lot. I didn’t mean to. 

Darrel follows Ponyboy to the bathroom. He points a finger at Pony. 

[Darrel]: Yeah? And I can’t even call the cops because you two would be thrown in a boys’ home so fast, it would make your head spin. 

And yet, Soda was sent to one anyway. 

Eleven says, “He looks scared.” 

Steve sighs, “He was. He didn’t want us taken from him and he was worried something would happen to me. I was just a stupid kid and didn’t realize that.” 

Robin soothes him or tries to, “You were just a kid. Kids are always stupid like that. I’m sure he wasn’t actually mad at you for that stuff.” 

Darry should be mad. Him being stupid is the whole reason Johnny and Dally are dead. 

Sodapop walks up beside Darrel. 

[Sodapop]: Come on, Pony. Let’s go to bed. 

Ponyboy rounds on Darrel. 

[Ponyboy]: Look, I said I didn’t mean to! 

Ponyboy storms past him. 

[Darrel]: I didn’t mean to! I forgot! That’s all I ever hear from you. 

[Sodapop]: Come on, Darry-

Darrel points a finger at Sodapop. 

[Darrel]: You shut up! I’m sick and tired of you always sticking up for him. 

Soda always got caught in their fights, Soda hated when the two would argue. 

[Ponyboy]: Don’t you yell at him! 

Darrel turns around and pushes Ponyboy to the ground. A few dishes on the coffee table rattle. 

Everyone looks shocked and Steve has the sudden urge to cry like a little kid. Steve didn’t blame Darry, not really. It was in a fit of rage that he did that. It was the only time he ever did that too. 

Dustin riots, “How could he do that?! Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with him?” 

Steve stays silent. 

Ponyboy scrambles up towards the door. 

[Darrel]: Ponyboy, I didn’t mean to! 

 Ponyboy makes a mad dash out of the house. Dogs are barking in the background, louder than before. Darrell and Sodapop stop on the porch as he runs away. 

Robin cuddles a little closer to him and he can feel Eddie scoot closer too. 

Chapter Text

The screen shows Ponyboy collapsing onto their spot from earlier, where Johnny was sleeping. Johnny grunts and starts to wake up.

[Ponyboy]: Come on, Johnny. We’re running away. 

Ponyboy starts to run and Johnny automatically follows. 

Robin smiled, “It’s super sweet that Johnny didn’t hesitate to follow you when he didn’t even know what was going on. Just shows how good a friend he is.” 

“Johnny was real good like that.” 

He really was. God, Steve can’t even count the amount of times Johnny followed him without hesitation. Two-Bit even made a comment about it once and all Johnny said was he would always protect Pony. It makes Steve’s heart melt thinking about it. 

The boys stop beside a fence to take a breather. Ponyboy is in tears.

[Johnny]: Take it easy, Pony. it will be alright. You just have to cool it, man. 

Johnny slaps a hand on Ponyboy’s shoulder, letting it linger down his arm. Ponyboy takes out a lighter. 

[Ponyboy]: You got a cigarette, Johnny? I’m scared to death. 

Johnny digs in his pockets. 

[Johnny]: Well, don’t be, man. You’re scaring me. 

Ponyboy takes the offered cigarette. 

[Johnny]: What happened?

[Ponyboy]: Darry hit me!

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. It was a hard push. He knows the difference between a punch and a hit. 

[Ponyboy]: I swear we used to get along just fine when mom and dad were alive. Now he can’t stand me. 

Ponyboy lights the cigarette. 

[Johnny]: I think I like it better when the old man was hittin’ me. At least he knows I’m there. 

A few people wince. 

Ponyboy looks around. 

[Ponyboy]: Come on, let’s walk to the park and back. Maybe I’ll cool off enough to go home. 

Ponyboy grabs Johnny by the shoulders and they start to walk off. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, alright. Ain’t you about to freeze to death? 

[Ponyboy]: You ain’t a woofin’. 

Robin tilts her head, “What is that supposed to mean?” 

“It means you aren’t kidding. I was being sarcastic.” 

El still seems confused so he elaborates, “Like if you get an F on a test and your friend points it out and you say, ‘no kidding’.” 

El slowly nods in understanding. 

Dustin snickers, “You probably got a lot of F’s, didn’t you, Steve?” 

Steve just rolls his eyes, he’s used to it at this point. 

Max says, “Didn’t you get an F on your last english test, Dustin?” 

Dustin grows pink.

The two boys walk off screen. A blue car enters the scene and slowly drives down the street, eerie music plays.

Eddie comments, “They’re going to jump you or something, aren’t they?” 

“Yep.” 

We get a close up of the boy's feet, walking on the grass. In the background, you can see a blurry image of the car. We then see the boys' faces, they are both shivering. 

Mike whines, “The music is really not helping.” 

El nods, “It is really creepy.” 

Another close up of the boy's feet, a car engine is heard. Then Ponyboy walking with Johnny lagging behind, he picks up something. 

[Johnny]: Pony!

The car drives by again and we see who's inside, Bob, Randal, and a few others. Ponyboy starts to climb up some monkey bars, Johnny follows. 

[Johnny]: Pony, got a light? 

They settle down on the bars. 

[Johnny]: Found this butt, man. 

The kids giggle. Steve shakes his head fondly at them. He sees Joyce roll her eyes.

Robin is worried about something else, “Is he really going to put that in his mouth?” 

Steve nods, “Yeah. It’s free.” 

Robin’s nose scrunches up, “So? It’s nasty.” 

Steve shrugs, “We didn’t have a lot of money. Took whatever we could get.” 

She doesn’t seem to like that but doesn't say anything else. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, here you go, Johnny. 

Ponyboy hands Johnny a lighter as he sees the car drive onto the grass. 

[Ponyboy]: Uh oh, look what’s coming. This is our territory. 

[Johnny]: I bet they’re looking for us. 

The car stops near the monkey bars. 

[Johnny]: Wanna split? 

[Ponyboy]: Stay cool. 

They should’ve ran. They really should’ve. 

The Socs start to get out of the car. Bob holds a flask and they’re all stumbling. Bob stumbles closer. 

[Bob]: Well, well, well, what do you guys know?

Mike says, “He sounds like some villain from a TV show.” 

[Ponyboy]: They’re drunk. 

El says, “You ain’t a woofing.” 

Steve startles and then snorts. 

El smiles, “Did I do it right?” 

“Yeah, ya did. Good job.” 

She beams and Steve grins back. 

Johnny looks scared, “It’s that guy with the rings, man.” 

We get a closeup of Johnny slowly inching a switchblade out of his jeans pocket. 

[Bob]: Ain’t these the greasers that tried to pick up on our women?

Joyce raises an eyebrow at Bob, “ Our women?”

[Johnny]: Hey, you’re out of your territory now. You guys better watch it. 

Hop says, “Good for him for standing up for you guys.” 

Steve watches Johnny still. Johnny really was scared, Steve bets Johnny would’ve hightailed it out of there if Steve wasn’t there too. 

[Randal]: No, pal, you better watch it.

Johnny gulps. Bob takes another swig. Pony takes a drag from the cigarette. Ponyboy and Johnny hop off the bars, standing under them. 

[Bob]: You guys know what greasers are? White trash with long greasy hair. 

Bob splashes some of the alcohol on Ponyboy. The Socs laugh. 

[Ponyboy]: You know what a Soc is? 

[Bob]: What? 

[Ponyboy]: White trash with mustangs and Madras. 

Lucas asks, “What kind of comeback is that?” 

Ponyboy spits on them which seems to insite the fight. Ponyboy and Johnny run off quickly. The Socs are quick to follow. 

[Bob]: Get 'em!

They chase them to a fountain, the Socs on their tail. Ponyboy can’t run fast enough. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny, run!

Two boys capture Johnny as he trips. Ponyboy is tackled by the rest of the Socs. They pick him up and set him on the stone of the fountain as he calls out Johnny’s name. 

Nancy gasps, “Don’t tell me they’re going to try and drown you!” 

He stays silent. They’ll see what happens. 

Johnny tries to get up but a Soc kicks him. 

[Soc]: Stay down, pal!

Steve closes his eyes. 

Ponyboy strangles as they try to push him under the water. We hear Ponyboy coughing as a close up Johnny takes out his switchblade. Ponyboy continues thrash against them as they bring his head above and below the water. 

[Bob]: Did somebody get drinks for this greaser? Here, give me that. 

Bob takes a flash from another boy and empties onto Ponyboy’s who lets out a strangled call for Johnny. 

[Bob]: Come on, have a drink, pal!

They force him underwater again and this time we get a view of Ponyboy’s face as he tries to breathe. They bring him up again for a split second before submerging him. Johnny gets up with the switchblade in hand. Another close up of Ponyboy underwater before a blood effect spreads across the screen. The screen goes black.

Eddie asks, “Was that…blood?” 

There’s an overhead view of Johnny sitting by the fountain and Ponyboy and Bob’s body laying near. Ponyboy starts to twitch and slowly wake up. A view from Ponyboy’s eyes is shown, as he tilts his head getting up. Johnny is quivering, holding the switchblade. It’s hard to see in the dark but it looks like it’s covered in blood. 

[Johnny]: I…I…I killed him. 

He hears a few gasps but resolutely keeps his eyes shut. 

Ponyboy looks shocked. 

[Johnny]: I killed that boy. 

Johnny is now clearly shown with the switchblade and it is indeed blood. He whispers.

[Johnny]: I killed him. 

They stare at each other before Ponyboy looks away towards Bob’s body. He’s laying a puddle of blood, some is leaking out of his mouth. 

Someone exclaims, “Oh my god!” 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny, I think I’m going to be sick! 

[Johnny]: Go ahead, man. I ain’t gonna…I ain’t gonna look at ya.

He whispers. 

[Johnny]: Ain’t gonna look at ya. 

Ponyboy walks over to a merry go round and pukes. Johnny stands up and goes near him. 

[Johnny]: Pony, are you alright?

Johnny sounds so broken. 

Ponyboy retches once more before sitting on the merry go round. 

[Ponyboy]: You really did kill him, huh Johnny?

Ponyboy starts to cry. 

Eddie full on hugs Steve’s side. 

[Johnny]: Yeah. 

Johnny gets on his knees. 

[Johnny]: I had to. 

He starts to wipe the switchblade off in the grass. 

[Johnny]: They, they were drowning you and they might have killed you! 

Johnny looks around. 

[Johnny]: They were gonna beat me up. 

[Ponyboy]: What happened to the other guys?

A close up Johnny’s face is shown, Bob is clearly in the background. 

[Johnny]: Huh? They…they all ran off. They all ran off. When I stabbed him they all ran. 

Johnny takes a deep breath. Ponyboy is still shaking as Johnny continues to wipe. 

Robin starts to rub his back. It’s near silent as the next scene starts to play, the only sounds are Steve’s shaky breaths.

Chapter Text

The two are running towards a building. They go up the stairs and knock. The door opens to show a man, the inside of the building is bathed in red light and you can hear country music. 

[Man]: What do you boys want? 

[Johnny]: Dally. W–w–w–we gotta see Dally.

[Man]: He’s busy. 

Joyce says angrily, “Can’t he see they’re scared to death?"

Steve opens his eyes. Oh. Yeah, Buck wasn’t a good guy. Darry and Soda always said to never get caught within ten miles of his club. 

Hopper puts a hand on Joyce’s shoulder, a silent reminder to calm down. 

[Johnny]: Just tell him it’s Ponyboy and Johnny, man! He’ll come! 

That was one thing he was sure of that night, that Dally would come. 

He hesitates but closes the door on them. Johnny and Ponyboy rushes to look into the window. He walks farther in the building and then comes back with a shirtless Dally. 

Max whistles, “Damn, Steve is friends with all the hot guys.” 

Lucas groans, “C’mon, Max!”

El says, “He is…hot.” 

Mike whips his head around to look at her with wide eyes and yells, “El!” 

She glares, “Am I not allowed to think someone is attractive? I know you talk about how sexy Alyssa Milano is.” 

Mike splutters. 

“Alright, that’s enough. You’re both allowed to find people attractive, now stop fighting,” Joyce admonishes them. 

Hopper gives her a look, “Who said El is allowed to?” 

Steve rolls his eyes, “Hop, c’mon. She isn't 12 years old no more.” 

“You don’t have a problem with the kids calling your friend hot?” 

“I mean…he is hot.” 

The chatter seizes, everyone stares at him. He stares back.

Finally he asks, “What?” 

Joyce just shakes her head, “Nothing, it’s nothing, Steve.” 

“Okay…” 

Everyone turns back to the screen, almost automatically. Weirdos…

Johnny and Ponyboy scramble over to the door just as Dally opens it. 

[Dally]: What do you guys want?

[Ponyboy]: Johnny killed the Soc. 

[Dally]: What?

Dally pauses and takes a look at them. 

[Dally]: All right, good for you. Let’s go. 

[Johnny]: We figured you could get us out if anyone could, Dal. I’m sorry I got you away from this party and all, but I just don’t know what to do, man. 

[Dally]: I was just trying to get some sleep. I got into a fight with Shepard tonight. Let’s see what we can do about this mess. Get in. 

Dally pulls them inside. 

[Dally]: Ponyboy, are you wet?

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, I’m okay. 

Eddie mumbles, “Well, I guess we know you’ve always had the whole ‘pretending your fine’ schtick.” 

Steve looks at him, “What?”

Eddie looks startled, he clearly didn’t mean for Steve to hear it. 

“Well,” Eddie starts, “You’re always pretending you're fine. Even when you were about to die from the damn demo-bat bites, you would barely let us look at it and then kept saying you’re okay. You weren’t okay, you passed out at least 7 times from it, I counted.” 

“I do not have a ‘pretending I'm fine schtick!’”

Robin butts in, “You really do.” 

Then there’s a chorus of agreements from literally everybody in the room. 

He throws his hands up in exasperation, “I don’t have to listen to this. Dustin, press play.” 

Dustin gives him a look but listens. 

Ponyboy gets distracted by guys playing pool in another room and tries to enter but Dally snags his arm. 

[Dally]: Hey, hey! Pony, come on, man.

Dally drags him over to some stairs. 

[Dally]: You’ll die of pneumonia before the cops ever get you. 

All three go up the stairs. Scene switches to a bedroom.

[Dally]: Come on. 

Ponyboy is pushed to sit down while Johnny stays standing. Dally points at Ponyboy. 

[Dally]: Hey, stupid, take the sweatshirt off, will you, man?

Dustin cocks his head to the side, “Dally is caring in his own…jerk way.” 

“Dal had to look tuff so that’s how he showed that he cared.” 

Max comments, “Reminds me of Billy.” 

Multiple heads either swivel to look at her or resolutely look anywhere but her. Max hasn’t mentioned Billy once since Vecna. She’s healed now, at least physically, only having bad pain days every now and then. But…no one has really pried about how she feels about it. They’ve asked, obviously, but got at most an ‘I’m cool’. 

She continues, “He was an ass but...sometimes after my mom and Neil would fight. He would comfort me in some way. Like turning down the music in his car cause he knows I had a headache from the yelling and letting me sit in the car a little longer than usual.” 

Steve nods, “I get it.” 

She gives him a small smile. Lucas takes her hand and then they turn back to the TV. 

Ponyboy strips the shirt off and Dally starts rooting in a drawer. Ponyboy grabs a towel off the floor to dry off. Johnny checks through the window curtains. 

[Johnny]: Man, I wish I had a weed now. 

Dally takes out a gun from the drawer and starts loading it. He hands it to Johnny. 

[Dally]: Here. Don’t point the thing at me, will you?

Hopper makes a disapproving sound in his throat. Steve has to force himself not to snort. A teen just killed a guy and he’s worried about Dally giving a gun to said teen? 

Dally goes over and shuts the window. Ponyboy wraps himself in the towel as Johnny fiddles with the gun before tucking it in his pants. Dally hands them money. 

[Dally]: There you go. That’s fifty bucks. 

Johnny takes it and shoves it in his pocket. 

[Dally]: Look, I’m not gonna be the one to tell your big brother about this and get my head kicked in, y’know.

Dally sits on the bed beside Ponyboy. 

[Ponyboy]: Then don’t tell him!

Dally looks at him then throws a flannel in his lap. 

[Dally]: Here. It’s Buck’s. It’s big on you but it’s dry. 

Ponyboy discards the towel to put it on. 

[Dally]: Come here. 

Dally grabs Johnny by his jean jacket collar to make him kneel. Ponyboy leans in close too. 

[Dally]: Get the 3:15 train to Windrixville. It’s a freight. There’s an abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain. 

Dally puts a cig in his mouth. 

[Dally]: There’s a pump in the back so you don’t have to worry about water. 

He lights the cig. 

[Dally]: Get a week’s supply of food, as soon as you get there, this morning before the story gets out. 

He pauses and looks at both of them 

[Dally]: And don’t so much as stick your noses out the door. Am I clear? 

Yeah, he and Johnny didn’t listen to that. To be fair, why would you expect two teen boys to listen to that?

Johnny whispers yeah. 

[Dally]: I’ll be up there as soon as I think everythings cool. 

Dally claps Ponyboy on the arm. 

[Dally]: Hey, relax, buddy. Come on, man. It’ll work out. 

He pauses again. 

[Dally]: All right. Man, I thought New York was the only place I'd end up in a murder wrap. Jesus Christ!

Robin yells, “Woah, are you telling me he’s covered up a murder before this one?”

Steve recalls what Dally just said, “Oh. I guess so.” 

“You guess so? Did he kill someone or not?” 

“...Maybe.” 

Robin takes a deep breath in, “I’m just going to continue watching this and try not to think about that.” 

“Okay,” he says simply. 

Hopper is giving him a disapproving glance. He’s not the one that did it and he’s not even sure Dally did. He doesn’t think so…but Dally does seem the type. 

They walk back down the stairs. Ponyboy now has a brown leather bomber jacket on. 

He kept the jacket. It’s in his closet somewhere. 

They round the corner and a girl gives Dally an appreciative look but he just continues on to the door. She sits down disappointed. 

A few people laugh. 

Johnny and Ponyboy walk through the door. 

[Dally]: Ok, you take care, kid. Good luck. 

Scene switches to Ponyboy and Johnny running and jumping onto a train car. Two train workers and walking around with flashlights.  

[Train Worker 1]: Let’s check the other car. 

[Train Worker 2]: Yeah.

Luckily, they pass the two boys’ car. They come out from the darkness to watch the workers go. The train horn blares and they both sit down. They end up sleeping sitting up, Johnny holding the gun in his hands. We get and outside view of the train silhouette on a sunset background. 

Hopefully, this movie shows at least the good parts of their time in the church. 

Chapter Text

The boys are standing in a grass field, looking wearily in front of them. They turn to look at each other. Ponyboy looks ahead and starts walking. It fades to a short scene of the two of them walking, Johnny holding a stick. Ponyboy starts running ahead. 

[Johnny]: Hey wait up, man, wait up! 

We see a construction site with workers moving around. Johnny and Ponyboy stand a little far away to talk.

[Johnny]: Well? 

[Ponyboy]: Well, what? 

[Johnny]: Well go on and ask ‘em. Ask ‘em where we are. The story won’t be in the paper yet. 

Steve rolls his eyes, he always was the one to deal with talking to people. 

[Ponyboy]: Why don’t you go ask ‘em?

[Johnny]: My ankles hurt and I don’t want to walk on ‘em. 

“What a load of bullcrap.”

Everyone looks at him. 

He raises his hands, “What?! He always made me talk to people and he knew I ain’t that good at it.” 

Joyce snorts, “Honey, you’re amazing at talking to people. Don’t sell yourself short.” 

“Thanks, Joyce but that’s really not true. I can’t persuade people like Nancy or you or Hopper or heck any of you can!” 

“Honey, you literally comfort us everyday with your words and that’s decidedly more helpful than Hopper over here beating information out of someone.” 

Hopper glares at her, “I don't beat people.” 

“You scare them into thinking you will. Now hush and watch.” 

[Ponyboy]: What am I gonna say? 

[Johnny]: Just act like a farm boy taking a walk. They’ll never know. 

Eddie moves his head closer to Steve and asks, “Aren’t you technically a farm boy? Isn’t that the same as a country boy?” 

Steve considers this and pretends to not freak out over how close the others face is, “I did grow up on a farm, it was really small though.” 

“Wow,” Eddie breathes, “You just got a whole lot cooler.” 

“Uh, thanks.” Steve knows he's blushing. 

“Mhm,” Eddie slides back to his original spot. 

Ponyboy gives a quick scan of Johnny then a look at himself. 

[Ponyboy]: Do I look like a farm boy to you?

Johnny looks over Ponyboy and then just nods. Ponyboy looks offended and glares. 

[Johnny]: Just ask ‘em…

Johnny digs in his pocket for a paper. 

[Johnny]: Ask ‘em where…Jay Mountain is. Don’t worry about it. 

[Ponyboy]: They’re gonna know who I am as soon as they look at me.  

[Johnny]: They’re not gonna know, come on. 

Ponyboy starts slowly walking over. Johnny hobbles with his stick a little behind him. Ponyboy now has a stick of weed in his mouth. 

Robin asks, “Where the hell did the weed come from?” 

Steve can hear Eddie suppress a laugh at that.

The machines are loud when Ponyboy gets close. He approaches an older worker whose eating a sandwich. Ponyboy has to yell to be heard. 

[Ponyboy]: Excuse me. Can you tell me the way to Jay Mountain? 

[Older Worker]: Huh?!

[Ponyboy]: How could I get to Jay Mountain?

The worker points behind Ponyboy. 

[Older Worker]: Follow this road up to that hill. That’s it. 

Ponyboy murmurs thank you and goes to leave when the worker talks again. 

[Older Worker]: Taking a walk? 

Ponyboy thinks of a response. 

[Ponyboy]: Y-y-yeah. We’re playing army. I was supposed to report to headquarters. 

“There’s no way he believed that, “ Dustin remarks. 

Steve gives him a look, “Oh yeah, why is that?” 

“You look way too old to be playing that.” 

“I was fourteen there and you’re fifteen and I know you would be delighted to play as knights going to rescue a princess or some shit like that.” 

Dustin splutters, “Uh, no, I would not.” 

Max rolls her eyes, “You all would like that.” 

Lucas glares at her, “No, we wouldn’t.” 

Mike nods, agreeing, “Yeah, we wouldn’t be caught dead doing that.” 

“It’s literally the same thing as DnD without the dice, dummies,” Max addresses all of them. 

Steve claps his hands together and yells, “Okay! Let’s stop fighting. Max is right about that but there’s no shame in it, okay? So, let’s all relax and just watch this.” 

“I would totally play that,” Eddie says, agreeing with Steve. 

“See, your totally cool DM even thinks so now hush.” 

The kids don’t look like their convinced at all but turn back to the screen. Maybe Steve should ask Eddie to play that game with them. It'll teach them to not be little shits. 

Ponyboy then turns around and walks away before the worker can say anything else. 

[Older Worker]: Boys will be boys. 

The worker takes a bite of the sandwich. 

Ponyboy and Johnny are now walking side by side. 

[Johnny]: Check it out, man. 

There's an old church on a grass field. 

Steve has to look away. 

[Ponyboy]: The church. 

There’s a view from inside the church, it looks old and abandoned. Ponyboy and Johnny are seen through the small cracks in the boarded up windows walking around looking for a way in. They start tearing down some of the boards. Ponyboy steps in first. There's a view of their feet walking and two bunnies hiding under some benches. 

El squeals, “Bunnies!”

Steve says, “Huh. I never knew there were bunnies.” 

Did they die with the fire? 

They explore the place. An owl in the ceiling hoots then flies off. Johnny sits down on the floor. 

[Johnny]: What was that?

[Ponyboy]: Just an owl. 

They both lay their jackets on the ground to use as pillows. They lay down next to each other. Johnny closes his eyes and Ponyboy watches him. He averts his gaze.

[Ponyboy]: Johnny?

[Johnny]: Yeah? 

[Ponyboy]: You all right? 

Johnny doesn’t answer and Ponyboy looks back at him to find Johnny already asleep. 

[Ponyboy]: Man, this floor sure is hard. 

Robin snorts, “No, duh, Steve. Floors are notoriously hard.” 

“Oh, har har, Robin. So funny.” 

The screen fades to black. 

Chapter Text

Ponyboy is sleeping. We see his dream of his house and Darry saying, ‘School day! Rise and shine.’ We see Sodapop smiling and trying to wake Ponyboy up from his bed. Ponyboy’s eyes open and he looks around. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny?

 Ponyboy looks down and sees Johnny wrote, ‘BE BACK SOON’ in the dirt. Scene switches to Ponyboy outside the church, trying to use the water pump. Water finally comes out and he splashes his face with it. 

“Weren’t you just saying yesterday that water ruins your face?” Robin asks incredulously. 

Steve rolls his eyes, “I didn’t use no skincare then, we couldn’t afford it if I wanted to. Plus, we were on the run, what would I even use?”

Robin rolls her eyes, and mutters, “Rich boy.”

Steve gives her the stink eye. 

Ponyboy wipes his face with his t-shirt. 

Dustin truly sounds shocked as he says, “Wow, you were so lanky!” 

“I was 14!”

Mike is the lankiest kid Steve had ever seen. Why isn't Dustin picking on him? 

Ponyboy messes with his shirt before something in the distance distracts him. He starts running towards it. 

He runs into a hole in the ground, where an old cellar is. Johnny walks by, whistling and holding a crate. Ponyboy runs up the hole and trips. 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, Johnny, fancy meeting you here. 

Steve blushes. Why did he act like that?

Robin cackles. 

Dustin turns toward him with a confused expression and asks, “Were you flirting with him?”

“Uh, no, Dustin I was not.”

Dustin is silent for a moment before he says, “I’ve literally seen you use that move on a girl before.”

Steve doesn’t know what to say to that. 

Johnny smiles. 

[Johnny]: You get acting more like Two-Bit every day, huh?

[Ponyboy]: Who’s acting? 

He gets up from the ground. 

[Ponyboy]: What’d you get?

[Johnny]: Let’s go inside, man. Dally told us to stay inside. 

They walk off. 

The crate drops onto a table. Johnny takes out the items as he talks. 

[Johnny]: Right, I got a loaf of bread and a week’s supply of baloney here. 

Steve gags. He still can’t eat baloney. 

[Johnny]: Peanut butter. 

Johnny goes to put a book on the table but Ponyboy snatches it. 

[Ponyboy]: “Gone With The Wind”? Johnny, how’d you know I always wanted "Gone With The Wind”?

Oh, man. That was such a good book. Steve could never find a copy anywhere in Hawkins. 

[Johnny]: I remember you saying something about it once. Me and you went to see that movie, remember?

El says, “That’s sweet. Mike gives me books all the time.” 

Steve blinks. Is El…insinuating that he and Johnny were like her and Mike, a couple?

…Surely not. 

[Johnny]: I thought maybe you could read it out loud. Help kill time. 

[Ponyboy]: Thanks a lot, Johnny. 

Ponyboy sets the book down and hugs Johnny. Johnny looks surprised but loosely hugs back. 

[Johnny]: You’re welcome, man. 

Johnny lets go and starts going through the bag. Ponyboy watches him before leaning closer and looking through it too. 

Eddie groans, “Steve, leave that poor boy alone. Look how nervous he is.”

“...Why would he be nervous?”

Eddie looks at him dumbfounded before shaking his head and looking back at the screen. 

[Johnny]: Cigarettes. 

“You just had to get cigarettes,” Robin says. 

“If we didn’t get cigarettes, we would’ve had a billion panic attacks.” 

“Mhm…”

“Yes, mhm.” 

“Mhm.”

“Robin. You’re making me want to punch you.”

“...mhm.”

Steve eyes her for a moment before rolling his eyes. 

[Ponyboy]: Deck of cards. 

Ponyboy pulls out a small glass bottle. 

[Ponyboy]: Peroxide?

Ponyboy pulls the cap and smells it. 

Dustin groans, “Steve, why would you smell it?”

“...It’s just peroxide, Dust.”

“It can irritate your eyes! Haven’t you learned not to directly smell stuff in science class?”

Mike snorts, “Steve probably failed that class.”

He actually got an A, when he still lived Tulsa, that is. It was definitely his worst subject though. 

Max kicks Mike, “I saw you bite into chapstick yesterday, shut up. And aren’t you failing English?”

Mike glares at her. 

“How are you supposed to smell stuff then?” Steve asks. 

“You waft it, like this,” then he does this weird waving motion towards his nose. 

Steve narrows his eyes, “Okay…”

His teachers literally never that him that...

Johnny and Ponyboy stare at each other before Ponyboy gets this terrified look on his face. 

[Ponyboy]: You ain’t thinkin’...

[Johnny]: We’re gonna cut our hair, Ponyboy. You’re gonna bleach yours. 

[Ponyboy]: No.

[Johnny]: We can’t fit the description in the paper. 

[Ponyboy]: No, sir. You ain’t gonna touch my hair. 

Eddie says, “So you have always been that protective of your hair.”

Steve offers him a smile, “What can I say, it’s always been my best feature.”

Ponyboy sits down on the bench. 

[Johnny]: We have to anyway if we got. You know the first thing this judge does is make you get a haircut. 

[Ponyboy]: I don’t see why.

[Johnny]: I don’t either. It’s just the way their tryna break us. 

Johnny walks behind Ponyboy and flips out his pocket knife, startling Ponyboy. 

“He should be more careful with that,” says Hopper. 

[Johnny]: I’m gonna cut mine off too and wash all that grease out. 

[Ponyboy]: No, sir, you ain’t touching my hair. 

[Johnny]: Ponyboy, it’s gonna grow back, man. It’s not that it won’t. 

Ponyboy stares at the knife. 

[Ponyboy]: Go ahead…

Johnny takes some hair and starts sawing it with the knife. Ponyboy grimaces and says, ‘Ow’.

Robin says, “There’s no way that hurt.”

“I mean, he was grabbing my hair a little too hard…”

Robin stares at him. 

“It did hurt a little…but it wasn’t that bad, I guess.” 

[Johnny]: Sorry, man. 

The music playing in the background sings, ‘I gotta confess, my hair is a mess.’

El giggles at that. 

Johnny continues to go at it with Ponyboy loudly saying, ‘OW!’.

[Johnny]: Damn knife. 

[Ponyboy]: Don’t pull so hard. 

[Johnny]: Quit gabbing!

[Ponyboy]: Ow!

[Johnny]: Sorry, man.

Johnny does not seem sorry. 

[Ponyboy]: Can I see now? 

[Johnny]: No, you gotta bleach it first. 

[Ponyboy]: Well, then, bleach it. Quit cutting.

Eddie snorts, “You’re so bratty.”

Steve blushes.

Johnny is walking outside. 

[Johnny]: Hey, Pony. This’ll do it. 

Johnny holds a broken mirror in front of Ponyboy. We see Ponyboy’s reflection in the mirror. He is frowning and also now blond. 

[Ponyboy]: Jeez, this really makes me look tough. 

He takes a hit from his cigarette. He looks woefully at the mirror. 

Johnny takes out the knife. 

[Johnny]: Alright, go ahead. Get your jollies. 

[Ponyboy]: My pleasure!

Johnny smiles. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, I know it is. 

We only see Ponyboy’s smiling face as he cuts Johnny’s hair. 

Robin snorts, “You look sadistic.” 

Johnny winces.

[Ponyboy]: Hurts, don’t it?

The song from earlier plays. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, yeah.

We see a bunny watching the two. 

[Johnny]: Come on, man. I didn’t cut that much off from you. 

[Ponyboy]: It was your bright idea, smarty. 

Scene ends.

Chapter Text

Ponyboy and Johnny are sitting side by side on the church floor. Johnny is looking down while Ponyboy is visibly upset and crying. 

Joyce frowns, “Poor you, this must’ve been a lot for you to handle, Steve.”

He shrugs. It was hard then but he’s dealt with worse so it doesn’t really seem like a big deal now. 

[Ponyboy]: I’m still tired. 

Johnny looks at him. Ponyboy takes a bite of chocolate. 

Robin comments, “I love chocolate when I’m upset.”

[Johnny]: Look, I’m sorry I cut your hair off, Ponyboy.

[Ponyboy]: Well, it ain’t that.

He pauses.

[Ponyboy]: It’s just…I don't know, I’m all mixed up. 

He throws the chocolate across the room. 

“Oh, the poor chocolate,” Eddie coos. 

Steve smiles a little. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, I know. Things have been happening so fast, huh?

Johnny smiles and puts an arm around Ponyboy. 

[Johnny]: Man, you know that one-horse store this morning? Two-Bit, he could’ve walked out with half that thing. 

Ponyboy looks at him. 

[Johnny]: Old Two-Bit, huh?

[Ponyboy]: Remember how he was wisecracking last night? Just last night we was walking Cherry and Marcia home from the movies. Just last night we was laying up looking at the stars. 

Johnny shakes his head aggressively and gets up. 

[Johnny]: Stop it, man! Will you shut up about last night?! 

Johnny starts to tear up. He walks away. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny! 

[Johnny]: I killed a kid last night. He couldn't have been more than 17, maybe 18 years old and I killed him!

He kicks at the dirt and then sits roughly on a bench. 

[Johnny]: How would you like to live with that, huh?!

Steve sniffles, he’s starting to cry. Johnny felt so guilty over that and he never got a chance to make up for it and he never will! 

Eddie puts a hand on Steve’s shoulder and moves his thumb rhythmically and soothingly. 

Johnny interconnects his hands and brings them up to his mouth. He bites down. 

Steve had only seen Johnny do that a handful of times. Said the biting soothed him. Dally would scold him for the bite marks on his hands too. 

[Johnny]: I didn’t mean to. They was drowning you, I didn’t know what to do. 

Hopper states, “It’s not his fault. It was self-defense, any officer would realize that.” 

Steve resists sighing and just says, “The world isn’t fair, Hopper.” 

Cops turned a blind eye to the Socs tormenting the Greasers. A Soc kills a greaser and the cops wouldn’t do jack. If a Greaser killed a Soc…that Greaser would be locked up faster than you could say Jack Robinson and the rest of them would've been tormented. 

Ponyboy goes to sit by him, putting an arm around Johnny. 

[Johnny]: There sure is a lot of blood inside people. 

They sit for a moment, the only sound of their crying. 

[Ponyboy]: What are we gonna do?

[Johnny]: Oh, man!

He gets up.

[Johnny]: It’s all my fault, bringing a 13-year-old kid along!

Dustin says, “I thought you were 14?”

[Johnny]: You oughta go home, Ponyboy! You can’t get into any trouble, you didn’t go on and kill him!

Ponyboy is sobbing at this point. He gets up and yells. 

[Ponyboy]: No! I’m 14 and I’ve been 14 for a month! And I’m in this just as much as you are. 

Dustin says, "Oh."

El frowns, “Why does Johnny not understand that Ponyboy won’t leave him? They are friends.”

Steve answers, “He was mostly protectin’ me. I think he knew I wouldn’t leave and that’s what made him try hard to convince me. I was two years younger than him, he just saw me as a kid.” 

Eddie gives him a look that Steve can't decipher. 

Ponyboy walks away. 

[Ponyboy]: I’ll stop crying in a minute, I can’t help it. 

Ponyboy sits down on another bench. 

Johnny follows him over. 

[Johnny]: I didn’t mean it like that, Ponyboy. 

He puts a hand on his shoulder. He sits down beside him.

[Johnny]: Hey, don’t cry. 

Ponyboy looks at him. 

[Johnny]: Don’t cry, man. 

They hug each other, clinging to the other strongly. 

[Johnny]: It’ll be alright. It’ll be fine.

Johnny pulls back. 

[Johnny]: Let’s just go…let’s just go sit by the fire, alright?

They get up, Ponyboy wiping his eyes. They go over to a furnace. Ponyboy lays down, his head on a bench. 

Steve averts his eyes, he’s always been a little iffy around fire since the incident. He doesn’t think he could stand seeing Johnny by fire, any fire. 

Johnny opens it and puts more wood in. He closes it. He puts his arm on Ponyboy and rests his head on top. They scoot to get more comfy and Johnny keeps moving his head further up near Ponyboy’s. 

Robin merely says, “Ooh.”

Scene switches to them sleeping side by side on the floor. Frogs are croaking in the background and an owl hoots. Ponyboy opens his eyes and looks at it. He seems about to go to sleep but something catches his attention. A raccoon is outside the church, sniffing the window. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny, are you awake?

[Johnny]: Yeah. 

[Ponyboy]: There’s a monster outside. 

A few people laugh. 

Steve blushes in embarrassment. He didn’t know it was a raccoon till right now! 

…How did the movie know things he didn’t?

Johnny is clearly still half-asleep. 

[Johnny]: What?

The raccoon backs off the window. 

[Johnny]: We’re gonna be okay, Ponyboy.

Max says, “That’s sweet…even if it’s about Steve being scared of imaginary monsters.”

He sighs. 

Scene transitions to Johnny sitting on a chair eating a sandwich with a drink next to him. Ponyboy is on a chair behind him, his flannel open and his bare feet propped up. 

The kids let out an ‘ew!’ and Robin scrunches her nose. 

“It’s just my feet!”

Ponyboy is reading from the book. 

[Ponyboy]: “Lying the in the pit of the sun, shoulder to shoulder, head to feet, were hundreds of wounded men lying in the tracks, the sidewalks, stretched out in endless rows, under the car shed.”

Robin cringes, “They’re so pale.”

Ponyboy takes a hit from a cigarette. Johnny takes a bit and turns to look at Ponyboy. 

[Ponyboy]: “Some lay stiff and still, but many withered in the hot sun. Everywhere swarms of flies hovered over the men crawling and buzzing in their faces.” 

Ponyboy smirks and looks at Johnny. 

[Johnny]: Man, that’s gross!

[Ponyboy]: “Everywhere was blood, dirty bandages, groans, screamed curses of pain.”

Eddie’s nose wrinkles, “That is gross.”

One thing Steve has come to realize is Eddie hates gore, much like Johnny. 

Scene shows the sun setting over the church. 

[Ponyboy]: “But for four years, she had seen others who had refused to recognize defeat.”

Johnny’s head is tilted back, blowing out smoke rings. Ponyboy is on a bench, reading. 

[Ponyboy]: “Men who rode gaily into sure disaster, because they were gallant.” 

He looks back at Johnny. 

[Ponyboy]: Pretty cool, huh?

Johnny thinks for a moment. 

[Johnny]: Gallant. The cool old guys remind me of Dally. 

Steve smiles. Dally was gallant. He was brave when he ran in to save Steve and Johnny. He was even brave after Johnny had died...

[Ponyboy]: Dally? Shoot, he ain’t got no more manners than I do. Soda’s more like them southern boys. 

[Johnny]: Yeah, the manners bit. Charm too, I guess, but…Dallas-

[Ponyboy]: Dallas so really scares me. 

[Johnny]: Come on. Read on. 

Scene switches to in the daylight now. Johnny is sleeping on a bench, a lit cigarette still in his hand, and Ponyboy is leaning up against it with the book in his hand. Ponyboy watches him. The cigarette falls out of his hand. 

[Ponyboy]: Watch your smoke, Johnny.

Steve's eyes are wide. Was that just… foreshadowing?

We see an orange and red sunset. There are black silhouettes of a tree and a broken-down fence. The silhouette of Ponyboy is leaning against the broken fence, watching the sunset. We see a transparent shot of Ponyboy writing in his notebook 

[Ponyboy]: One morning, I woke up earlier than usual. 

Johnny’s silhouette comes on screen and starts to walk towards Ponyboy. 

[Ponyboy]: The church was colder than ever. 

The shot of the notebook fades out. Johnny walks up and leans on the fence next to Ponyboy. 

We now see them close up, watching the sunset. They are side by side, and Johnny is looking at Ponyboy while Ponyboy looks out.

[Johnny]: Golly. That sure was pretty, huh?

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

Johnny looks back at the sunset. 

Eddie and Robin groan on either side of Steve. 

Robin tells him, “You are hopeless, Steve. Hopeless.”

Steve isn’t sure what he did wrong. 

[Johnny]: It’s like the mist is what’s pretty, you know. All gold and silver. 

[Ponyboy]: Mm-hm. 

[Johnny]: Too bad it can’t stay like that all the time. 

[Ponyboy]: “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

Johnny looks at him. 

[Johnny]: Huh?

[Ponyboy]: “Nature’s first green is gold. Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower. But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down today. Nothing gold can stay.”

Steve mouths the words alongside his younger self. 

Johnny fully turns his body towards him. 

[Johnny]: Where did you learn that? That’s what I meant. 

[Ponyboy]: Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it, cos I never quite knew what he meant by it. 

[Johnny]: Hm. You know, I never noticed colors, clouds, and stuff until you kept reminding me about them. It’s kind of like they were never there before. 

Ponyboy shrugs. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. I don’t think I could ever tell Steve or Two-Bit or even Darry about the clouds and the sunset. Just you and Sodapop. Maybe Cherry Valance. 

Dustin groans and yells, “Steve! Don’t just bring her up like that.”

“...Why not?”

Dustin groans again. Robin pats him sympathetically on the shoulder. 

[Johnny]: I guess we’re different, huh?

[Ponyboy]: Shoot, kid. Maybe they are. 

Ponyboy grasps him on the shoulder. 

[Johnny]: Maybe you’re right. 

Ponyboy’s silhouette walks away. Johnny follows a moment later. 

Screen fades to black. 

El says, “You guys are sweet together.”

Steve smiles at her, “Thanks, El.”

Max says, “They’re sweet but a couple of dumbasses.” 

“Why are we dumb?” He asks. 

Max looks at El and says, “See what I mean?”

Chapter Text

The scene opens with an overview of the church floor, gravel, and scattered playing cards on it. There is a thudding sound in the background. It shows more of the floor, including rats eating a fallen cracker. Then an empty soda bottle and cigarettes. And finally the “Gone With The Wind” book. 

Max snorts, “Definitely looks like boys were there.” 

Mike says, offended, “Hey!”

“What? I wasn’t talking about you specifically,” she says smugly. 

“Yeah, Mike,” El says, “Why did you think Max meant you?”

Mike’s cheeks are red from anger. Will giggles. Steve sees Nancy smile a little.

It shows the boys sleeping on two separate benches. In the broken boarded-up door, we can see a person come up through the cracks. From inside, we see through the windows as they walk across the perimeter of the church. They peak through the window and then rush away. 

“Who is that? Are they gonna hurt you?” Robin asks. 

Steve laughs and then feels bad as Robin glares, “Relax, Rob. That’s not what hurt us.” 

He realizes his slip-up as he sees Robin’s panicked and confused face, and Eddie turn to look at him. 

He chuckles but it feels flat, “Anyway, we’re okay. So, keep watching.” 

He turns back to the movie. 

We see Ponyboy’s sleeping face. We hear a door creak open off-screen. A face shrouded in shadow leans over Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Hey, Blondie. Hehe. 

It’s Dally. He touches Ponyboy’s hair, who starts to wake up. 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, Dally. 

[Dallas]: Wake up. 

He ruffles his hair some more before letting go. 

[Ponyboy]: How you been?

Dallas moves on to Johnny, kicking the bench he’s on. 

[Dallas]: Hey, Johnny. Rise and shine, man.

Johnny starts to get up. 

[Ponyboy]: How’s Soda doing?

Steve cringes. He can’t believe he didn’t even bother to ask about Darry. 

Dallas goes to look at the other room. 

[Johnny]: Hey, Dallas, how are you?

[Ponyboy]: Is he pretty upset?

[Johnny]: Are the fuzz after us?

Dallas looks back at them. 

[Dallas]: Wait, one thing at a time. Are you guys hungry? I’m starving, man. 

Dallas walks closer to them both. 

[Johnny]: You’re starving? Try baloney for four days. 

Dallas just laughs. 

[Dallas]: Hey, you got a cancer stick, Johnny?

[Johnny]: Yeah. 

He takes one out of his jacket and hands it over. Dallas takes a paper out of his pocket. 

[Dallas]: I got a special delivery for a…Ponyboy Curtis. 

He hands it over to Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: For you, man. 

[Ponyboy]: Who's this from? 

[Dallas]: The president of the United States of America. 

A few people laugh. Steve just rolls his eyes. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, right. 

[Dallas]: I’m serious, man. 

Dustin turns to look at him, “Steve…did you actually think he was telling the truth?” 

Steve avoids eye contact, “...Maybe.” 

“Why? How?!”

He shrugged sheepishly, “I thought if anyone could get me a letter from the president, it would be Dally.” 

Dustin went to say something, paused, shook his head, and just turned back to the screen. 

Ponyboy looks at him and Dally relents. 

[Dallas]: From your brother, Sodapop. 

[Ponyboy]: How did he know I was here?

Dallas went to look out a window. 

[Dallas]: I told him I didn’t know where you were but he didn't believe me.

Ponyboy opens the paper. 

[Dallas]: He really wanted me to give that to you, man. 

Ponyboy starts to read and we can hear Sodapop narrating. 

“That’s weird,” Lucas said. 

Will asked, “What?”

“I thought the movie was just a mash-up of things that actually happened but why would Steve’s brother be reading the letter out loud?”

“Steve read out loud too,” El pointed out. 

Steve butt in, “I always do that…but I’ve never seen Soda do it.”

Joyce says, “That is weird but we’ve seen stranger things. Let’s focus on the movie and maybe we’ll find out more stuff. Nothing to worry about.” 

A chorus of ‘Okay, Mrs. Byers’ rang out. 

[Sodapop]: I guess you got into some trouble, huh? Darry’s awfully sorry he hit you, he didn’t mean it. 

Steve heard Hopper mumble, “Sorry doesn’t fix it…”

[Sodapop]: Dallas got hauled into the station and scared us something awful. And I wish you’d come back and turn yourselves in. We miss you. Say hi to Johnny for us. Sodapop Curtis. 

Johnny appears to get agitated and gets up. 

[Johnny]: Dal, what’s going on with the cops? Did you hear anything? 

[Ponyboy]: How come you got hauled in?

[Dallas]: Those boys down at the station know me by now. 

He walks over to a lone, broken, and dirty chair. 

[Dallas]:  While I was there, they kinda beat it out of me that you guys were…Get this one. That you guys were headed for Texas, man. They think you guys are in Texas. 

Nancy says, “Oh…that was nice.”

It’s the first thing she's said in a while and Steve resists the urge to glare at her. She already saw Dally help them. Obviously, he wouldn’t rat them out to the cops. 

Dallas finds it really funny. 

[Dallas]: Texas, man. God!

Ponyboy gets up and puts on Dally’s jacket he loaned him. Dallas looks at him. 

[Dallas]: Look at this guy with his hair, man. I can’t believe that. 

Johnny and Dallas look at Ponyboy. Johnny has a light pink tint to his face. 

Eddie groans, “This dude is getting tortured…” 

Steve chooses not to say anything. He doesn’t understand what Eddie keeps moaning about. 

[Dallas]: Blondie, man. 

[Ponyboy]: I know I look lousy but don’t rub it in. 

Ponyboy walks off. Dallas doesn’t seem off-put by what Pony said. He gets up and follows him, hitting Johnny’s head to the side purposefully as he does. He gives Johnny a little, secret smirk. 

[Dallas]: You guys wanna get something to eat? 

[Johnny]: Hey, you better believe it! Let’s get out of here. 

The scene suddenly shows a car going fast on a gravel road. The car is loud and there is shouting over it. 

[Johnny]: Where did you get this car? Huh?

[Dallas]: It’s Bucks. 

[Ponyboy]: Dal, don’t! Watch it. 

The camera doesn’t move, showing the car driving off. 

[Dallas]: I got it. 

We now see from the front of the car. Johnny and Dally are in the front with Ponyboy in the back. Dally has his hands up. 

Hopper grunts, “That shit is dangerous. I’ve seen plenty of teenagers and dumb adults die from that.” 

Steve shrugs, he knows it is dangerous but that’s just Dal. 

[Johnny]: What are you doing?

[Ponyboy]: Don’t, Dal! Watch it!

The car swerves and then the Dally takes back the wheel and pulls into a parking lot. 

[Dallas]: I hope you guys are in the mood for barbecue, man! 

A car honks at them as their car cuts them off. Another car yells, “Jerk!”

[Johnny]: You tryna kill us? 

They pull into a drive-thru, and the sign says, ‘Dairy Queen’.

"Oh, man. I would kill for some Dairy Queen right now," Robin groans. 

[Dallas]: Can we have three barbecue sandwiches, three cokes, and a…

It cuts off. It changes to them parking in the lot. Dallas has black sunglasses on. 

[Dallas]: You guys really are hungry huh? That kid you killed had plenty of friends. It’s all over town–Soc against Grease. 

Ponyboy is chowing on a sandwich, his face is a mess. 

Robin giggles, “You still eat like that.” 

“...No I don’t.” 

Eddie pats him sympathetically on the shoulder, “You do but it’s cute, don't worry.” 

Steve’s face is on fire. He avoids eye contact, looking resolutely at the screen, and ignores the little chuckle Eddie does. 

[Dallas]: Look, I started carrying a heater, man. 

[Ponyboy]: Dally, you kill people with heaters. 

Two little girls are walking closer in the background.

It shows Dallas holding a gun, hiding it below the car’s dashboard. 

Steve clenches his eyes shut. God. Why does it have to keep reminding him of their deaths? 

[Dallas]: Don’t worry, it ain’t loaded. 

[Little Girl]: Hey, mister, do you have 15 cents?

[Dallas]: Hey! 

Dallas starts frantically putting it in the center console. Both Johnny and Ponyboy look away from the girls, hiding their faces. 

[Dallas]: Nah, I don’t have any money, man. 

[Little Girl]: You sure? 

[Dallas]: Could you go away? We’re busy here. 

[Little Girl]: Do you have a dime?

[Dallas]: Could you go away? 

[Little Girl]: Do you have a dime?

Dallas starts yelling. 

[Dallas]: Go away! Get out of here! 

El says, “That’s not nice…” 

Steve sighs, “Dally wasn’t nice, El.” 

“But you said he was a good person.” 

“He was…but he was also a jerk to everybody. He cared and protected the people he cared about, including me, but he was a jerk doing so. That’s just how he is.” 

She nods slowly, “Like, how Mike can be a jerk but he still loves us.” 

“Uh, yeah.” 

Mike yells, “I’m not a jerk!” 

El placates him, “I do not think you mean to be mean but sometimes you are. You are mostly kind to me.” 

Will says, “You can be mean.” 

Mike frowns and looks to the ground. The other kids give each other looks. 

Max sighs, “Look, Mike. We like your bitchy comments most of the time. Sometimes it goes too far, but we’ve all done it. You’re our..friend. We like you how you are.” 

He looks at her and nods, “...Thanks.” 

“Yeah, don’t mention it. Seriously, don’t. That was disgusting.” 

Mike rolls his eyes. 

Steve smiles. 

Dallas takes his sunglasses off. 

[Dallas]: That was a close call. 

He looks around some more. 

[Dallas]: Tim Shepard's gang and our outfit are gonna have it out with the Socs in a vacant lot tomorrow night. 

Hopper sighs. 

Johnny looks back at Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Hey, I didn’t tell you we got a spy. 

[Johnny]: A spy? Who? 

[Dallas]: Remember that uh good-looking broad I tried to pick up the night you wasted that kid? What’s her name? Cherry…something, the red-head? 

[Ponyboy]: Cherry Valance! 

He says it with his mouth full. 

“Steve…” Robin says, “Learn to chew before you speak.” 

“I thought it was think before you speak.” That was something he had to use a lot. Especially in front of the kids. One cuss word and they think they can suddenly do it. 

“I mean, you need to not speak with food in your mouth. You do it all the time and you get it in my face. Looks like you’ve been doing it your whole life too.” 

“Oh…”

Eddie giggles. It’s a beautiful sound. 

[Johnny]: Cherry, the Soc, yeah. 

[Dallas]: Yeah, we were all hanging out down at a vacant lot, and she pulls up in a little old stinger, right? I thought that took a lot of nerve. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

[Dallas]: She said she’d uh testify that the Socs were drunk, and they were the ones looking for a fight and you guys just fought back strictly on self-defense. 

Joyce says, “That is sweet. She’s a good girl.” 

[Dallas]: So, it’s cool. 

He thinks for a bit. 

[Dallas]: Man, that little broad sure does hate me.

Max sarcastically says,” Wow, I wonder why.” 

[Dallas]: I offered to take her over for a coke and she told me to go to hell. I don’t know. 

Johnny gives him a look but looks like he doesn’t care and goes back to eating. 

[Dallas]: Yeah. 

Dustin says, “He is talking a lot.” 

Lucas looks at him, “Look who's talking.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You know exactly what it means.” 

Steve sighs, “Okay, calm down.” 

Eddie says, “Yeah, listen to your mother.”

Steve shoots him a glare and he sinks back into the couch. The boys roll their eyes and look back to the screen. 

[Dallas]: So, you think she might like me a little? Huh? I think she’s kinda cute. 

Ponyboy sighs and throws his trash out of the car. 

[Dallas]: No?

[Ponyboy]: Right. 

[Dallas]: What do they do for kicks around here? Play checkers? This place is out of it. 

Dallas puts his drink up. 

[Dallas]: I’ve never been to the country before. 

[Johnny]: We’re going back to turn ourselves in. 

He says it abruptly. 

[Dallas]: What? What?

[Johnny]: I got a good chance of being let off easy. It was self-defense, you said. Pony and Cherry could testify. We won’t say you helped us. I’ll give you back that gun. You won’t get into any trouble, Dal. 

Dallas keeps saying, ‘no’ through Johnny’s speech. 

Steve looks sullenly at the screen. Dally wasn’t worried about getting in trouble, he was worried about Johnny. But Johnny didn’t realize that. 

[Dallas]: Are you sure this is what you want? 

[Johnny]: Yeah, I’m sure, man. It ain’t fair for Darry and Soda to worry about Ponyboy all the time. I guess my folks aren't worried about me. 

[Dallas]: Hey, man, the boys are worried! Did you know that Two-Bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt for you? 

Steve snorts. Two-Bit would do that. 

[Johnny]: Dallas, I asked if my parents asked about me. 

[Dallas]: No, they didn’t ask about you! So what? Do you think my old man gives a hang if I’m dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something?! He doesn’t care! But that doesn’t me no more! 

Jonathan says, “You’ll always care what your parents think despite how shitty they are. Johnny’s young, Dallas shouldn’t be giving him a hard time about that.” 

Steve is a little startled cause he doesn’t think Jonathan has talked once but he nods. 

He says, “Yeah, Dally knows that. I think we all knew Dally still cared about his dad still. But Dally was mostly worried about Johnny and angry about Johnny not thinking he cared.” 

Jonathan hums and nods.

Johnny ignores him. 

[Dallas]: Come on, you’re not going anywhere. 

He moves his hands around, looking for something to do in his anger. 

[Dallas]: I get you this hideout. I get you a hangout, man, a hideout. And look at this, now you wanna split. This is just terrific. 

Dallas starts the car. 

Chapter Text

The scene switches to them driving on the road. 

[Dallas]: Johnny, you don’t know what a few months in jail can do to you. You get mean in jail. I just don’t want to see it happen to you like it happened to me. You understand? 

There’s a moment of silence as they continue down the road. Until they hear screaming in the background. The car pulls up fast on a land of grass, in the background the church is on fire. 

Steve shoots up, he can’t watch this. He just can’t. He rushes to the kitchen. 

The others watch him go. Robin and Eddie share a concerned look. 

Dustin looks ready to get up but Robin tells him, “We’ll get him after this scene, okay?” 

“Why?” Dustin’s face is a mixture of confusion, anxiety, somberness, and anger. 

“Steve needs to calm down, I think he left during this scene for a reason, we’ll get him after so he doesn’t have to see it.” 

Dustin pouts, “Okay but I'm going with you guys.” 

Robin nods, “Obviously.” 

[Johnny]: What’s going on? 

Dallas grabs onto the windows and stands up over it. 

[Ponyboy]: I wonder how that started? 

Nancy’s eyebrows furrow, “I think their cigarettes caused it.” 

Robin’s eyes widen. 

“That is something Steve would blame himself for,” Eddie laments. 

[Dallas]: Jesus Christ!

He starts driving closer. 

As they get closer, Ponyboy starts to jump out. Black smoke is billowing from the church, and flames peek from behind the back of it. A school bus is parked a little ways from the church with school children standing in a crowd watching the church burn. 

Robin sighs, not looking surprised, “Of course, he would go save them.” 

[Johnny]: Pony, where you going?

Dally stands up in his seat and beckons to Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Get over here, man!

An older man is standing in a crowd of children, and another woman comes up to him. 

[Woman]: Jerry, some children are missing! 

[Jerry]: No, they’re not, Theresa. 

Ponyboy watches, mouth open. 

[Theresa]: No, listen. I’m sure of it. Some have been gone for half an hour!

Will asks, “Why weren’t they watching them?” 

Pony swivels his head from Dally and Johnny to the fire. 

[Jerry]: Theresa, get ahold of yourself!

Ponyboy starts running. 

[Jerry]: Come back! Come back! Don’t go in there! You’ll get hurt!

Jerry chases after him. Johnny is looking at the fire. He gets up and then sits down. Dallas is yelling at Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Come here, man! Get over here!

Johnny opens the door and runs. Dallas sticks a hand out to grab him but misses. 

[Dallas]: You’re gonna get him?

He says it, looking doubtful. 

Hopper sighs, “I doubt that.” 

Joyce swallows, “They are brave boys.” 

“Foolish boys.”

Ponyboy reaches the church door. 

[Johnny]: Pony!

He runs towards where Ponyboy went. Ponyboy is trying to kick down the boards on the door when Johnny catches up. Johnny grabs a big rock and chucks through the boarded window. They grab at the boards, tearing it down. Smoke flies out through the window. 

[Johnny]: Woah!

Ponyboy crawls in first, Johnny following. Inside, fire burns, and an owl hoots and flies low near the boys. They startle.

[Ponyboy]: What was that?!

They go deeper in. It gets darker and harder to see. They are both yelling to be heard.

[Ponyboy]: Is that guy coming?

[Johnny]: No.

“Of course, he’s not. People only care about themselves these days.” 

Joyce clears her throat pointedly at Hopper. 

Hopper rolls his eyes, “Come on, you know I don’t mean you guys.”

El smiles at her dad, “We know.”

[Ponyboy]: How come? Too scared?

[Johnny]: No, he’s too fat.

“Oh,” Hopper says. 

Max cackles, her eyes crinkling, “We should’ve gotten a shot of that.”

Joyce smiles, “I think Johnny was joking.” 

“You sure, Ms. B?” 

Joyce falters, “Uh, yes?” 

Dallas is watching nervously outside, licking his lips. He disappears off-screen. The children are clutching each other outside, crying. In a room, four children are trapped inside, one is peering through the boarded door leading to it. 

[Johnny]: Come on, man! In here!

They walk through a door and a falling piece of burning wood narrowly misses Ponyboy. In the room that the children are trapped in, Dally is tearing down the window boards from the outside. Johnny comes in and grabs a kid. 

[Johnny]: Hey, Dal! Take this kid, man! Take him! 

Johnny shoves the kid through the window. 

A little girl is covered in dust in the corner. Ponyboy approaches her. 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, are you okay? 

He tries to pick her up but she bites him. He cries out, ‘Ow!’

Mike tries not to giggle but everyone can tell he is. 

Pony grabs a kid and Johnny pushes him towards the window. 

[Johnny]: Pony, give them to Dallas! 

Johnny picks up another kid who he hands to Pony. 

[Dallas]: Get em’ and get out! 

The last kid gets out. Johnny is farther in the room, smoke flying in his face. 

[Dallas]: Johnny! 

[Ponyboy]: Come on, Johnny! 

Dallas looks up at the ceiling that is starting to fall. 

The room is silent, aside from the TV, everyone is watching intently with bated breaths. 

[Dallas]: Johnny! Come on! Are you crazy?

Johnny tries to move but a board falls and hits him, and he jumps out of the way. Ponyboy is being pulled out of the window, and his arm is on fire. 

Robin startles, she knows her best friend is okay but seeing this…it still makes her worry. 

[Dallas]: You’re burning! 

[Ponyboy]: Come on, Johnny! 

Johnny starts to move. A piece of the ceiling falls down and strikes his back, causing him to fall down. 

[Dallas]: Johnny! 

Dallas grabs Ponyboy who is still on fire and trying to get back in, away from the window. He throws the boy on the ground and presses himself against the burning arm, stopping the fire. 

“Oh,” Joyce breathes, “Is that what Steve meant?” 

“He probably saved Johnny too,” Jonathan pointed out, making eye contact with Nancy. 

Nancy looks incredibly guilty, her eyes are red and she’s avoiding everyone’s eyes. 

[Dallas]: Jesus Christ, stupid kid! 

Dallas turns back around. 

[Dallas]: I’m coming, Johnny! 

He hops in the window. The ceiling falls, and the bell tower on top collapses. 

The scene fades out. 

“Shit, are they okay?” Eddie asks. 

We get a view of the inside of a vehicle, a police car is sounding its sirens, driving ahead. 

Then, we see the inside. Ponyboy is lying on a stretcher, his flannel open with dirt and soot covering him. A tube is in his nostrils. 

Everyone looks panicked at the sight of the young boy. 

Ponyboy tries to sit up as soon as he awakes. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny, Dallas…

A hand pushes him down. 

[Voice]: They’re all right. They’re behind us. They’re in another ambulance. 

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Thank god,” Robin says. 

Nancy is staring with a frown on her face. 

Jerry is standing over him. 

[Jerry]: Anyway, you guys are the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time. What, are you guys professional heroes or something? 

[Ponyboy]: We’re Greasers. 

[Jerry]: You’re what?

[Ponyboy]: Greasers. You know, like hoods, JD’s. Johnny is wanted for murder and Dallas has a record with the fuzz a mile long. 

Hopper sighed, “You don’t just tell someone that.” 

Jerry looks shocked. 

[Jerry]: Are you kidding me?

[Ponyboy]: No, take me to town and you’ll find out pretty fast. 

[Jerry]: We’re taking you to a hospital there anyway. Your name is really Ponyboy?

[Ponyboy]: Yep, even says so on my birth certificate. Are…are the little kids okay?

[Jerry]: Just fine. A little frightened maybe. There were some short explosions after you all got out. Sounded exactly like gunfire.

Will frowned, “Their gun went off. They were really lucky.” 

Ponyboy starts to laugh hysterically. Jerry gets concerned and starts rubbing his arm soothingly. 

Ponyboy and Jerry are now sitting on chairs in a waiting room. Ponyboy starts to light a cigarette. Jerry looks at him. 

[Jerry]: You know, you shouldn’t be smoking, son?

[Ponyboy]: Why not? 

[Jerry]: Why, uh, you’re too young. 

Ponyboy looks confused. 

[Ponyboy]: I am? 

Robin blinked, “No wonder he doesn’t see anything wrong with it.” 

A stretcher starts to pass, pushed by a nurse, and Ponyboy sits up further. Johnny has an oxygen mask on, his body covered. Dallas passes next. He coughs and then sees Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: Pull another stunt like that again, I’m gonna kill you. 

Ponyboy just takes a hit of his cigarette. An elevator dings. Jerry starts to smile. 

[Jerry]: There’s someone here to see you. 

Sodapop is walking down the hall. Ponyboy sees him and jumps up. They embrace each other, holding one another hard. Darry is watching from behind. 

[Sodapop]: Oh, look at your tough hair. 

Ponyboy finally notices Darry. 

[Darry]: Pony. 

Ponyboy runs to Darry and they hug. 

[Ponyboy]: Darry, I’m sorry! 

They start to cry. Sodapop comes and joins the hug. 

[Darry]: I thought we lost you like we did Mum and Dad. 

Sodapop smiles as he hugs his brothers. 

Joyce smiles, “That is so sweet.” 

Mike’s nose wrinkles at the blatant display of affection. 

Darry grabs Sodapop’s sleeve to pull him farther in. After a couple seconds, they all let go. Darry laughs, grasping Ponyboy’s shoulders. 

[Darry]: You sure look fine. 

They hug again, and the screen fades. A car is driving down a road at night. It’s parked now and Darry is grabbing a sleeping Ponyboy out of the back seat, Sodapop watches from the background. 

[Darry]: Let’s go, little brother. We’re home. 

Darry laughs as he fully picks up his younger brother. Sodapop closes the car door. 

[Sodapop]: Getting pretty big to get carried. 

Jonathan grins, “He’s just jealous.” 

Joyce asks him, “Do you get jealous when I carry Will?” 

He splutters, “What? No-no.” 

She just smiles sweetly at him, “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my baby boy, both of you will be.” 

Jonathan blushes while Will just grins. Everyone else laughs at Jonathan. 

Ponyboy remains sleeping as he's carried in. The screen fades to black. 

Dustin jumps up, “Can we go get Steve now?” 

Eddie and Robin look at each other until Robin nods. 

Eddie gets up, “Let’s go cheer your mom up.” 

Dustin groans at that and skips ahead. 

Chapter Text

Steve has his head in his knees when he hears footsteps coming towards him. He doesn't look up. 

They settle around him, a silent comfort. He looks up and sees Robin, Eddie, and Dustin. Robin smiles at him. 

“Hey, Stevie,” Eddie says. 

Dustin scoots closer to his side, “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, 'm okay.” 

“…Are you sure?” Robin asks.

Steve sighs, there's no use in lying to Robin, “I just didn't wanna see him…”

He trails off but they all look like they understand. Somewhat, Steve is pretty sure Johnny hasn’t died yet in the movie. The stupid movie. If it hadn’t played, he could have gone the rest of his life without thinking about it. About his best friend being dead but no, that’s too much to ask for. And now, everyone will know and they’ll see him as weak. 

Dustin says, “That was pretty hard to see. At least, he’s just in the hospital?” Dustin looks so hopeful and Steve wants to lie, wants to say that it turned out okay but it must show in his face cause all three of their faces fall. 

“Steve…” Robin starts and then stops. She doesn’t know what to say. 

“Is he dead?” Dustin asks straight up. Steve almost smiles at how blunt he is. 

Robin and Eddie shoot Dustin looks but Steve just nods, “Yeah, he died ‘cause of the fire. He got a spinal injury and the burns were just too bad. There wasn’t much that coulda been done about it.” 

He tries to sound normal about it but the wobbling is clear in his voice. The tears start pouring out suddenly but not unexpectedly. He shuts them tight and forces his mouth shut, they don’t need to hear it as well as see it. Dustin suddenly flies at him, wrapping his arms around Steve’s side. Robin and Eddie follow suit. 

“‘m sorry,” he sniffs, “It’s been six years, I don’t know why I’m cryin’ about it now.” 

Robin shakes her head, “You can take as long as you want to grieve, no one will blame you.” 

“I don’t think you had many opportunities to process it either,” Eddie chimes in. 

Steve considers it. He was still deep in grief over both Johnny and Dally before he got whisked away to the Harringtons, and they were not sympathetic to what happened. Not in the slightest. Then, he distracted himself with popularity, parties, and drinking. When that stopped, he had way worse stuff to deal with, like actual monsters worse. 

“Yeah,” he says, “I just–I don’t want to be cryin’ like this, it sucks.” 

He looks at them, they’re all crying too, though not sobbing like he is. 

Dustin gives him a vaguely amused look, “No one likes to be crying, Steve.” 

He smiles, “That’s true.”

Eddie says, “You know no one will think you’re weak or think anything bad about you. We’ve all been through stuff.” 

“But–” 

“But,” Robin cuts him, “you think you have to be the strong one? That’s not true, Steve. You don’t have to protect us all the time and we won’t think you can’t if you show weakness one time.” 

Dustin asks, “Do you think Joyce was weak when she cried over Hopper?” 

“Obviously not,” Steve answers. 

“Exactly and she’s still the strongest woman in this whole town.” 

“What about Eleven, Max, and Nancy?” 

Dustin pauses, “Well, they’re not really women yet.” 

Eddie chimes in, “Nancy is an adult.” 

“She’s 18, that’s like my age.” 

“It’s really not,” Robin points out. 

“Shh! I was trying to make a point.” 

Steve chuckles, “I get what you’re saying…I’ll work on it.” 

“And we’ll help!” Robin exclaims. 

Eddie nods, “Yeah, duh.” 

“I’ll get the others in on it,” Dustin says. 

Steve cringes which Robin catches immediately. 

“That’s the first step, letting your friends in on your problems,” she berates. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
 

There’s a moment of comfortable silence. 

Robin breaks it, which of course she does. 

“Are you good to continue now?” 

He thinks about it. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be good to watch it but with his family there…it’ll be bearable. And if it’s not, he can just run to the kitchen. That’s the one good thing about this shit movie, it at least is giving him an out. 

“Yeah, we can continue.” 

Eddie stands, groaning like he’s an old man. Robin rolls her eyes and easily gets up. Dustin grabs Steve’s arm as he rises, forcing them to stand together. 

“Do you think we should get more popcorn?” Robin asks. 

Steve shrugs, how much popcorn was left was the last thing on his mind earlier. 

“Let’s just ask,” Dustin suggests. 

The two run off to the living room. Steve and Eddie follow at a slow pace. 

“Y’know,” Eddie starts, “You can leave the room whenever you want, we won’t stop you. You can invite me for a little alone time too.” He winks at Steve.

Steve’s stomach feels like it’s made of butterflies. Eddie smirks at him and then tugs him along, “Let’s go finish this hell movie.” 

Steve is starting to think Eddie is perfect for him. 

Chapter Text

When they get to the living room, the two are already back in their spots. Except this time Dustin has decided to fully lay out, much to the annoyance of the other kids. Steve chuckles and goes to sit by Robin. 

As he does, Nancy says something to him. 

“Are you…ready to watch again?” 

Steve smiles lightly at her. She’s pretty sure she was about to say okay then backed out. That makes sense, how could you be okay when your best friend died and you're rewatching it? Then he’s reminded of Barb. Barb’s death was fresher than Johnny’s and Steve knew how much Nancy hated being asked if she was okay. Evidenced by the many times she’d given him the cold shoulder while they were dating. 

“I’m ready.” He responds. 

She nods curtly and then averts her eyes. Maybe he could talk to her after this. The others will help him, most of them understand the grief but not specifically losing your best friend. It’s different, he supposes. 

It’s daytime now. Ponyboy walks into the living room to see a guy reading the newspaper on the couch. 

[Ponyboy]: Hi, Tim. 

[Tim]: Hi, kid.

“Is that the Tim Shepard that Dallas mentioned?” Hopper asks.

“Yep.”

Steve secretly smiles at Hopper’s use of Dally’s full name. He woulda hated that. 

Ponyboy looks awkward and just stands there. 

[Ponyboy]: Can I get you some breakfast or something? 

[Tim]: No. 

Tim gets up after a second. 

[Tim]: Thanks for letting me use your couch. 

[Ponyboy]: Sure, any time. 

“Do people come in your house a lot?” El asks. 

“Uh, not a lot but yeah, sometimes. You know, y’all gotta look out for each other even if you didn’t particularly like each other. The gang did come over a lot though, especially Two-Bit, he was always walkin’ randomly. You just hafta get used to it.” 

Ponyboy walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. He whistles as he gets out an egg and cracks it into a pan. The front door opens and two people come in. 

[Steve]: Anybody home? 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, I’m here. Don’t slam the door. 

The door slams. Steve and Two-Bit get excited and look at each other. Steve goes the opposite way. Two-Bit rounds the corner and then grabs Ponyboy around the waist, spinning him around. He’s still holding the pan so the eggs go flying. 

Joyce winces, “That is dangerous.” 

[Ponyboy]: What are you doing? 

Steve comes in from the other way and hugs the both of them, shaking them. 

[Ponyboy]: Look at this! 

He slams the pan on the stove. He bends down. 

[Ponyboy]: Made me spill my eggs, drop my spoon. 

He tosses the spoon on the stove. 

[Two-Bit]: Look at the blond-headed monkey. 

Two-Bit laughs and opens the fridge. 

Most of the kids are frowning by now. 

Will says, “That’s really rude.” 

Steve softens his tone as he says, “It’s okay, he didn’t mean nothin’ rude by it. That’s just Two-Bit for ya.” 

Will shrugs, “If you say so.” 

Two-Bit takes out a beer. 

[Steve]: I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it in the paper. 

Steve is holding the newspaper. He smiles and leans on the wall. 

[Steve]: Now, tell me, Ponyboy. What’s it like being a hero? 

[Ponyboy]: What?

He hands the paper to Ponyboy. 

[Steve]: A hero, man, you know like a–like a big shot even.

Ponyboy looks down at the paper. 

[Steve]: Beer for breakfast there, Two-Bit? 

The newspaper has pictures of Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas. The headline reads, ‘Delinquent youths turn heroes after daring fire rescue’.

Hopper sits up suddenly, “I read that newspaper!” 

Steve looks at him questioningly, “You did?” 

“Yeah, always thought you three were real brave for that.” 

“Oh,” Steve smiles, “Thanks.” 

[Two-Bit]: What I like is the turned hero bit.

[Ponyboy]: They’re charging Johnny with manslaughter? 

They all go silent. 

[Ponyboy]: What do they mean if Johnny recovers?

Robin, Eddie, and Dustin all frown. Robin drops her head onto Steve’s shoulder. Eddie presses his thigh up against Steve. Steve presses back. 

Steve comes closer to Pony, and he starts to reach for something behind the kid. 

[Steve]: Says how you saved those kids, Ponyboy. How they would’ve been burned to death if it wasn’t for you.  

Steve backs up, a chocolate cake on a plate now in his hand. 

Mike sneers, “Why do you have a random cake?”

“Two-Bit and Steve like cake.” 

Mike glares. 

Steve just shrugs at him. That kid has anger problems. 

[Two-Bit]: Boy, Dallas’ll be mad when he hears they didn’t even mention his police records.

Steve smiles and rolls his eyes at that. Dally always had to be known as the ‘bad boy’.

The two move to another room. Ponyboy still stands in the kitchen, looking concerned at the newspaper. 

[Ponyboy]: It’s all about us–Darry, me, and Soda.

He folds up the paper.

[Ponyboy]: They’re thinking about putting me in a boys’ home?

He walks off, slamming the paper angrily on the dining table. 

[Ponyboy]: No way. They ain’t putting me in a boys’ home. 

He walks past the two to the bathroom. 

[Steve]: Ah hell, Ponyboy, they don’t do that to heroes. 

Ponyboy looks in the mirror. 

[Steve]: Where’s Soda and Superboy anyhow?

Eddie grins, “Just like you, Supergirl.” 

El smiles back. 

Steve thinks about her and Darry. Darry would surely love her, Steve’s pretty sure he always wanted a sister anyway. 

The shower curtain opens while Ponyboy is combing his hair. Sodapop has just taken a shower and he only has a towel wrapped around his waist. In the other room, Darrel comes walking in and Steve is holding a huge piece of cake. Darrel grabs Steve by the middle and then drops him. 

Max mumbles about how all boys eat the same.

[Steve]: All brawn, no brain. 

Steve rolls his eyes. 

Sodapop stands near the bathroom doorway. 

[Sodapop]: Hey, Darry, you see my DX shirt anywhere? 

Max says, “Steve, why are all your brothers hot?”
 

Steve groans, covering his face with his hand. 

Nancy nods faintly, “He is…attractive.” 

Steve wants to die. 

[Darrel]: No. 

Steve stares at Sodapop’s chest for a moment before looking up and cracking a joke. 

[Steve]: Hey, you gotta wear pants too, buddy. 

Sodapop just gives him a look. Steve tries to hand him cake but he shoos the hand away. Ponyboy comes walking by the two. 

[Sodapop]: Hey, what about my jeans? 

[Darrel]: Yeah, I ironed them in my closet. 

[Sodapop]: There we go. 

He walks off. Ponyboy walks up to Darrel.

[Darrel]: Hey, hurry up, you’re gonna be late. 

[Ponyboy]: Darrel?

Darrel looks at him. 

[Ponyboy]: You uh–you hear about the juvenile court thing?

Darrel shrugs on his flannel. 

[Darrel]: Yeah, cops told me last night. 

[Two-Bit]: Hey, I tell you what! After we stomp the Socs real good, me and Steve are gonna throw a party and everyone’s gonna get ripped. 

[Darrel]: Hey, where you gonna get the dough, little man?

He smirks. 

[Two-Bit]: I’ll think of something. 

Hopper raises an eyebrow, “What does that mean?”

“Probably steal.” 

Hopper gives him a disapproving look. Steve sighs, it’s not like he’s the one who stole it!

Ponyboy walks out the front door. Sodapop sits on the couch, with no shirt, no pants, and still wet. He has on his DX hat. Two-Bit walks in, with his Mickey Mouse shirt on. 

[Sodapop]: Hey, Two-Bit, Mickey Mouse is on TV. 

Two-Bit looks real interested and walks over to watch. 

Joyce asks, “Is he into Mickey Mouse?” 

“Yeah, he was a fan. It was about the only cartoon he could sit long enough to watch for.” 

Joyce hums. 

Darrel sees Ponyboy outside. 

[Darrel]: Hey, Ponyboy! 

Ponyboy looks disappointed and comes back in. Steve and Two-Bit stay watching the cartoon. 

Ponyboy stands in front of Darrel. 

[Darrel]: Hey, I hate to leave you here by yourself. Maybe I ought to stay home. 

[Ponyboy]: I’ll be fine, I’ve stayed by myself plenty of times. 

Jonathan says, “That was before you got traumatized and ended up in the paper.” 

Steve glares playfully, secretly pleased that Jonathan is finally saying something.

[Ponyboy]: Sides, we can’t afford it. 

Will looks understanding. Steve assumes that Joyce couldn’t afford to stay home after everything either. 

Steve is still eating his giant piece of chocolate cake. 

[Two-Bit]: Hey, don’t worry, Darrel, I’ll babysit him. 

Ponyboy slaps him on the head. Two-Bit gets up quickly and the two start to wrestle, Two-Bit tackles Pony on the ground. 

[Darrel]: Why don’t you get a job? Ever think about getting a job, Two-Bit?

Steve steps over the two, still wrestling. 

[Steve]: Hey, Soda, we gotta get to work come on!  

Two-Bit starts to choke Ponyboy. 

[Ponyboy]: I gotta quit smoking or I won’t make track next year. 

“You did track?” Lucas asks. 

“Oh, yeah, I did. I was pretty good, the youngest one too.” 

Eddie looks at him, “Why didn’t you do it in high school?” 

Steve shrugs, “I should’ve been able to join automatically but my adoptive parents made sure my records were lost and they wouldn’t except any signups at that point in the year.” 

Robin asked, “I thought you were in middle school when you moved here?” 

“No, I was in highschool. I skipped a grade.” 

Everyone is silent. 

Dustin exclaims, “You skipped a grade?!” 

Steve blinks, “Yeah…it mentioned me being in high school multiple times.” 

Everyone stares at him. 

Steve frowns, “I know you think I’m dumb and that’s fine but don’t act so surprised.” 

“But-but you didn’t even know how to write an essay,” Nancy says. 

“Well, I had to play the part of dumb jock. I didn’t try in my classes and had bad grades, and you knew that so I just butchered it. I know how to write, we’re basically watching a book I wrote.” 

Nancy looks embarrassed for not having caught onto it. 

“Oh, relax, no one knew. You’re still smart, Nancy.” 

Dustin looks hurt, “Why do you still act dumb around us then?” 

“I don’t know, that’s what you expect from me and I like hearing you guys explain things. You guys still teach me stuff all the time. I’m not a big science nerd like you, Dusty.”

“So, you’re like an English nerd?” 

“I guess. I don’t read as much anymore cause all the concussions screwed with my head but I enjoy it.” 

Robin looks shocked, “This makes so much sense.” 

Eddie smirks at him, “I for one, think this makes you even better, Stevie.”

Steve just smiles gently at him, red marking his cheeks. He looks around, noticing that Mike in particular is staring at the ground, brows furrowed. He’s about to have so many conversations after this. 

[Two-Bit]: Uncle! 

El looks confused, “Why is he yelling for his uncle?” 

Steve chuckles, “When ya yell uncle in wrestling, it basically means you give up and then the wrestling stops. Two-Bit was tryna get me to yell it.” 

“Oh…” 

[Darell]: You two do the dishes. 

Two-Bit doesn’t let go. 

[Darrel]: Hey, lay off! 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, Two-Bit, lay off. 

He lets go. Darrel offers a hand to him. Steve is sitting on a couch, eating his cake and watching.

[Ponyboy]: Lazy bum. 

They stand up. Two-Bit sits back down on the couch. 

[Darrel]: Pony, you smoke more than a pack today and I’ll skin you, understand? 

He pokes a finger at Ponyboy’s chest. He walks over to the door. 

[Ponyboy]: You carry more than a bundle of roofing today and me and Soda will skin you. Understand? 

Darrel smiles. He opens the door and waves a hand. 

[Darrel]: Hey, say hi to Johnny. 

[Two-Bit]: Bye. 

Sodapop comes running into the room fully dressed, Steve shoots up, and the two leave. Darrel and the two walk to the car. Ponyboy gets up inside. 

[Ponyboy]: Hey, we gotta clean up the house. Cops and reporters will come by and sides it’s time for the people from the state to come up and check on us. 

He starts picking up stuff from the table. Two-Bit slowly gets up. 

[Two-Bit]: Shoot, this house ain’t messy. You ought to see my house. 

Robin’s nose scrunches up, “I don’t think anyone wants to do that.” 

[Ponyboy]: I have and if you’d have the sense of a billy goat, you’d clean up around your house instead of bumming around ours. 

[Two-Bit]: Shoot, kid! If I ever did that, my mom would die of shock. 

Two-Bit grabs the plate of cake and a beer and goes to sit on the floor in front of the television. He’s ready to watch some Mickey Mouse. 

Joyce chuckles, “He’s really something, isn’t he?” 

Steve smiles, “Yeah, he’s something, all right.”

Chapter Text

Two-Bit and Ponyboy are walking backward on a street. Two-Bit has his thumb out facing the street. 

[Two-Bit]: I would drive but the brakes went out on my car. Almost killed me and Kathy the other night. 

“Who is Kathy?” Robin asks. 

“Oh, that’s his girlfriend, they only started to get serious around the time I left.

Ponyboy turns around to start walking normally. 

[Two-Bit]: You ought to meet her brother. Now, there’s a hood. Boy, he’s so greasy, he glides when he walks. 

Ponyboy doesn’t seem to care but he turns back around. 

[Two-Bit]: He goes to the barber shop for an oil change, not a haircut!

Two-Bit laughs at his own joke. The camera switches to show their feet, a car is coming down the road and the two turn around to walk normally. The two walk up to a diner and the car follows before driving down the side of the building. 

[Two-Bit]: Stay close. 

[Ponyboy]: What do they want?

[Two-Bit]: I don’t know, how many guys were in the car?

[Ponyboy]: There were five. Come on. Let’s hurry up inside. 

They head to the door but Two-Bit stops him as the car drives up the parking lot. 

[Two-Bit]: Wait a minute–wait a minute, let’s see what they want. 

[Ponyboy]: Why do you want to see what they want?

He looks confused at Two-Bit and slowly closes the diner door. 

[Two-Bit]: Just stay here. 

Three Socs start to walk up, one of them being Randy. 

“Oh, shit,” Eddie says, “That’s Bob’s friend, right?”

“Yeah…it’s fine though, just watch.” 

Eddie frowns but nods. 

The two groups look at each other.

[Two-Bit]: No jabs before the rumble. You know the rules, ape face. 

[Randy]: We know. 

He looks at Ponyboy.

[Randy]: I wanna talk to you. 

Ponyboy looks apprehensive and looks to Two-Bit. Two-Bit nods. 

[Two-Bit]: Go ahead, I’ll keep my eye on him. 

[Randy]: Come on. 

The two walk off.

One of Randy’s friends starts to talk.

[Random]: Speaking of the rumble, pal…

It cuts off to Ponyboy and Randy at the car. 

Eddie sits up, “Okay, do these Socs practice these lines in the mirror? No one says pal, especially not like that.” 

Robin snickers, “They probably do.” 

When Steve had to be ‘King Steve’, he stole lines from movies and then practiced in the mirror.

…Was he a Soc?

You can hear the other Socs and Two-Bit talking in the background.

[Randy]: Read about you in the paper, how come?

[Ponyboy]: I don’t know. I felt like playing a superhero or something. 

[Randy]: I wouldn’t have. 

[Ponyboy]: Wouldn’t have what? 

[Randy]: I would have let those little kids burn to death. 

The room is tense as they stare at Randy. Steve winces. 

Randy looks away. 

[Ponyboy]: You might not have. You might have done the same thing. 

No one would’ve expected Dally to save those kids and he did. 

[Randy]: I don’t know…I just don’t know anything anymore. 

Ponyboy looks away too. 

[Randy]: I would have never believed a Greaser could pull something like that. 

 [Ponyboy]: Greaser didn’t have anything to do with it. My buddy over there wouldn’t have done it. Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual. 

Hopper nods, “That’s true.” 

The camera switches to show Two-Bit and the Socs. Two other Greasers has joined them and are lounging on a car. Two-Bit is pointing at the Socs and laughing. 

[Two-Bit]: Check out their pants! 

They are wearing various colors of dress pants, different than Two-Bit’s ordinary blue jeans. 

“You would wear that,” Max says to Steve. 

“I’m more of a jeans guy…” Steve says. 

Max just shrugs. 

He did wear some when he was first adopted, only cause Brenda and Richard Harrington bought them. It made him feel too much like a Soc. He told his adoptive parents that they were too small and they didn’t care enough to buy more. Problem solved, he got to wear jeans all the time after. 

[Two-Bit]: Are you boys waiting for a flood? I heard they stamp your face into gorilla cookies. 

[Soc]: You’re funny. 

Randy and Ponyboy are now in the car. Randy is looking down. 

[Randy]: I’m so sick of all this. Sick and tired. Bob was a good guy. He was the best buddy a guy ever had. 

Randy looks at Ponyboy. 

[Randy]: He was a real person too, you understand? 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

Randy looks away again. 

[Randy]: His parents–they spoiled him rotten. Most parents would be proud of a kid like that, good-looking, with good grades but they gave in to him all the time. He kept trying to make someone say ‘no’ and they never did. That’s what he wanted. For somebody to lay down the law, give him something solid to stand on. 

Ponyboy cocks his head at Randy. 

[Randy]: One time…one time he came home drunk as ever. He was expecting them to put their foot down. You know what they did? They thought it was something they had done. They thought they failed him. They took all the blame and didn’t do nothing to him. If his old man had just belted him–just once, he might still be alive. 

Steve says, “Things are rough all over,” echoing what Cherry had said earlier. 

He looks straight at Ponyboy. Ponyboy looks back. 

[Randy]: I don’t know why I’m telling you this. My friends would think I’m off my rocker. 

Randy takes a long look at him. 

[Randy]: That kid–your buddy, the one that got burned–he might die?

Ponyboy looks down suddenly. 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah.

[Randy]: And tonight people will get hurt at the rumble, maybe even killed, right? 

Ponyboy just nods. Randy sighs and shakes his head. 

[Randy]: You can’t win, you know that, don’t you? It doesn’t matter if you whip us, you’ll still be where you were before–at the bottom. And we’ll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. It doesn’t matter. The Greasers will still be Greasers and Socs will still be Socs. It doesn’t matter. 

Randy sighs again. 

[Randy]: I’m gonna leave town. Take my little old Mustand and all my money and get out.

[Ponyboy]: Running away won’t help. 

Eddie just says, “True.” 

Steve frowns and clutches Eddie’s arm. 

[Radny]: I know it. But what can I do? I’m marked chicken if I punk out of this rumble and I’d hate myself if I didn’t. I don’t know what to do. 

[Ponyboy]: I’d help you if I could. 

“You would,” Joyce says, “You’re good like that.” 

Steve smiles, “Thanks, Joyce.” 

[Randy]: No you wouldn’t. I’m a Soc. You get a little money and the whole world hates you. 

[Ponyboy]: No, you hate the whole world. 

They look at each other, they seem to understand each other now. 

[Ponyboy]: You would’ve saved those kids if you had been there, you’d have saved them the same as we did. 

“Steve is a good judge of character,” Robin points out. 

Dustin says, “Duh, he’s always been like that.” 

Steve just smiles. 

Randy smiles. 

[Randy]: Thanks, Greaser. I didn’t mean that. I meant, thanks, kid.

Ponyboy smiles and starts to get out. 

[Ponyboy]: My name’s Ponyboy. Nice talking to you, Randy. 

He gets out and starts to walk off. Randy honks, signaling for his friends to get going. 

[Soc]: You’re real funny, Two-Bit. Let’s go. 

They start heading for the car.

[Two-Bit]: Hey, see you at the rumble. 

[Soc]: We’re gonna kick some ass tonight. 

Ponyboy walks up to Two-Bit and the Greasers. 

[Two-Bit]: What did Mr. Super-Soc want?

Ponyboy shrugs. 

[Ponyboy]: He ain’t a Soc. Just a guy that wanted to talk, that’s all. 

Ponyboy walks off. Two-Bit says goodbye to the other guys and walks off after him. 

Chapter Text

A doctor is walking down a hallway in a hospital. Voices are arguing off-screen. One says, ‘Well, I wanna see this doctor!’ They continue arguing as the doctor gets closer. 

[Doctor]: Nurse, nurse, it’s alright, you can go in, boys. He’s been asking for you. It can’t hurt. 

The doctor puts a hand on someone and it’s revealed to be Two-Bit and Ponyboy who were arguing with the nurse. 

[Nurse]: Alright, the doctor said you can go in. There’s the room. 

The boys slowly and apprehensively walk in. 

[Two-Bit]: Hey, Johnny. 

[Johnny]: Hey, y’all. 

Johnny is on his stomach lying on a stretcher. There’s an opening for his face on the bottom. He has a breathing tube in and multiple burns across his back. 

Steve clenches his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to see Johnny like this.

“Oh…” Joyce says, looking at Johnny’s injuries. Steve can hear the sadness and heartbreak in her voice. She’s always had a soft spot for children. 

[Two-Bit]: How are they treatin’ you, kid?

Johnny wheezes. 

[Johnny]: Don’t…don’t let me put enough grease on my hair. 

Dustin laughs, “That would be you with your hair spray.” 

Steve just rolls his eyes and smiles. Dustin trying to cheer him up makes him all warm and happy. 

[Two-Bit]: We’ll bring you some hair grease next time. We’re having the big rumble tonight. 

Two-Bit grabs a paper from underneath his jacket. He opens it and puts it underneath Johnny’s head. 

[Two-Bit]: You got your name on the paper for being a hero. 

Johnny looked at it and faintly smirked. 

[Johnny]: Tuff enough. 

Two-Bit put it away. 

[Two-Bit]: You want anything? 

[Johnny]: The book. Pony, can you get another one?

Two-Bit looked at Pony.

[Ponyboy]: He wants a copy of Gone with the Wind so I can read it to ‘im. Would you mind going to get one? 

Ponyboy’s voice sounded sad, it was heartbreaking to hear. 

“That’s sweet,” Joyce said. 

Steve didn’t respond. He never got to read to Johnny. They never finished the book. Steve hadn’t even finished the book after. Just the sight would make his eyes water. Darry and Soda had to hide it somewhere, Steve knew they didn’t get rid of it cause he heard them talking once about keeping it in just in case. 

Two-Bit nods. 

[Two-Bit]: Yeah, don’t run off now. 

He smiles lightly and leaves.

Ponyboy pulls up a chair and looks at Johnny for a moment, all he can see is Johnny’s burnt back. 

[Ponyboy]: Dally’s gonna be okay. And Darry and me, we’re okay now. 

Johnny tries to speak but then makes a wounded noise and clenches his eyes shut. Ponyboy almost shoots out of his seat. 

[Ponyboy]: Johnny! Are you okay?

[Johnny]: Oh, yeah. It just hurts sometimes. It usually don’t…Can’t feel anything below the middle of my back. Pretty bad off, ain’t I, Pony?

[Ponyboy]: No, you’ll be alright. You gotta be. I…the gang needs you. We couldn’t get along without you. 

Now, Steve doesn’t know how the gang is fairing with him, Johnny, and Dally gone. He really hopes they’re doing good. 

[Johnny]: I won’t be able to walk again, not even on crutches. Busted my back. 

[Ponyboy]: You’ll be okay. 

Ponyboy looked close to tears but he held it back. 

[Johnny]: You want to know something, Ponyboy? I used to talk about killing myself…

Ponyboy sniffles. 

[Johnny]: I don’t want to die now. It ain’t long enough. Sixteen years ain’t long enough. I wouldn’t mind it so much if there wasn’t so much stuff I ain’t done yet and so many things I haven’t seen. I haven’t even told you…

Johnny trails off. 

[Ponyboy]: Told me what?

[Johnny]: Nothing. 

Eddie makes a miserable groaning sound. When Steve turns to him, his eyes are wide and full of tears as they fix on Johnny, his expression sorrowful. 

“Are you okay, Eddie?” Steve asks and hesitantly reaches for him. 

Eddie leans into the touch slightly. 

“It’s okay, Steve. It’s okay…” 

Eddie suddenly pounces on him, wrapping his arms around Steve’s shoulders. Steve makes a questioning noise but embraces him back. Eddie whispers to him, “I’m so sorry, Steve.” 

Steve tries to smile but he knows it doesn't reach his eyes, “It’s not your fault.” 

“I know. It just sucks, sweetheart, neither of you deserved that.” 

“I know.” 

Eddie moves back after a moment and turns around, Steve wallows for a second before Eddie leans back and grabs Steve’s arm to force it over his shoulder. Steve grins, a real genuine one this time, and scoots Eddie closer. 

[Johnny]: It’s not fair. You know what? That one time we were in Windrixville was the only time I’ve been away from our neighborhood. 

Ponyboy had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

[Ponyboy]: Knock it off. You ain’t gonna die. If you get too juiced up, the doc won’t let us see you anymore. 

Ponyboy suddenly gets up and then a nurse appears over Johnny’s shoulder. 

[Nurse]: Johnny, your mother’s here to see you. 

Steve raged just at the idea of that woman. Standing by while someone is hurt is just as bad as doing it yourself. 

[Johnny]: I don’t wanna see her. 

[Nurse]: She’s your mother.

Jonathan rolled his eyes, “People act like being a biological parent automatically makes them a good parent.” 

Eddie nodded. 

[Johnny]: I said I don’t want to see her. She’s probably come to tell me about all the trouble I'm causing and about how glad her and the old man will be when I'm dead. Well, tell her to leave me alone. For once–for once to just leave me alone. 

All that shouting causes Johnny pain and he ends up passing out cold by the end of his rant. Two-Bit came in, along with Ponyboy. 

[Two-Bit]: What’s the matter with Johnny?

[Nurse]: You can’t see him now. He’s alright. 

Two-Bit stared for a moment before handing the book to the nurse. 

[Two-Bit]: Can you just show him this when he comes around? 

As they leave, you can hear a woman. 

[Woman]: I’ve got a right to see him that’s my son! 

It was Johnny’s mother, she was prowling down the hallway yelling at a nurse. She sees the two boys and turns to them. 

[Johnny’s Mother]: He’d rather see those no-count hoodlums than his own mother! 

Hop disapprovingly shakes his head, his eyes glaring and mouth set into a frown. 

[Two-Bit]: No wonder he hates your guts. You don’t even care about him you damn drunk! 

Two-Bit was close to tears as he yelled. 

[Two-Bit]: You go straight to hell! You go right to hell…

Ponyboy started leading him away. A nurse started to aggressively drag her away. 

A new scene is shown. Dallas is lying on a hospital bed with a nurse at his bedside. He’s noticeably shirtless and has the blanket pulled up only to cover his bottom half. 

[Nurse]: What’s happened to your gown? 

[Dallas]: I threw it away. 

Dustin blinks. “Is he naked?”

Steve shrugs. “Probably.” 

The nurse just starts muttering and walking out. 

[Dallas]: Get out! Get out! You’re making my stomach sick. 

Ponyboy and Two-Bit come in, sliding up next to Dallas’ bed. Dallas laughs as the nurse leaves. 

[Two-Bit]; How you doing?

Dallas claps his hand in a hello. 

[Dallas]: Hey, how you doing, man?

Two-Bit throws something at Dallas. 

[Two-Bit]: Swiped you something, man. 

Dallas throws it onto his nightstand and gets up. He is only in his underwear. 

Robin’s nose wrinkles. “Ew.” 

He disappears off-screen. The two boys stand there as he talks, they are still clearly upset by what happened. 

[Dallas]: It’s good to see you guys, man. This place gives me the creeps. I want out. 

A door slams and Dallas comes back and starts getting on the bed. 

[Dallas]: Tim Shepard dropped by. Saw my picture in the paper and couldn’t believe it didn’t have ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ under it. He mostly started rubbing it in about the rumble, man. I hate missing it. 

“I thought he and Tim didn’t like each other. Why would Tim go see Dallas?” Hopper inquires.

“They’ve always been buddies. They’re just cut from the same cloth. They beat each other up every week or…they used to,” Steve answers. 

Hopper just nods. 

He sits up and looks at Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: You got a cigarette, pone?

Ponyboy tosses him a pack. Dallas grins. 

[Dallas]: Thanks. 

His smile is gone after a second. His eyes keep moving between the two boys standing in front of him. Finally, he asks what he’s clearly eager to ask. 

[Dallas]: How’s Johnny doing, man?

[Two-Bit]: Look, Dal, I don’t know about stuff like this but…but he didn’t look too good. He passed out cold before we left.

Dallas goes to lie down, the unlit cigarette still in his mouth. It breaks as it smashes against the pillow and he throws it in anger. He turns from the boys and his face makes a grim expression before he turns back. 

[Dallas]: Two-Bit, you still got that fancy black-handed switch? 

[Two-Bit]: Yeah. 

[Dallas]: Give it to me, will ya?

Two-Bit handed it over without hesitation. 

“That was Two-Bit’s favorite knife,” Steve shares. 

Robin smiles slightly and nods. 

[Dallas]: We gotta win that fight tonight. 

His voice was cold, tense. 

[Dallas]: We gotta win that fight tonight. We gotta get even with the Socs. For Johnny. 

The scene changes to outside. Ponyboy is sitting on a bench and Two-Bit is watching him. Two-Bit moves to feel Ponyboy’s head. 

[Two-Bit]: You alright, Pony? You’re feeling awful hot. 

[Ponyboy]: I’m okay. Be a pal and don’t tell Darry, alright?

Two-Bit looks reluctant. 

[Ponyboy]: I’ll take a bunch of aspirins when I get home. 

“You don’t still do that, right Steve?” Joyce asks. 

“Yeah…” 

She frowns at him, clearly having caught his lie. 

“We’ll work on that,” she promises. 

[Two-Bit]: Alright but Darry’ll kill me if you’re really sick and fight anyway. 

[Ponyboy]: Keep your trap shut and he won’t find nothing out. 

A bus pulls up on the street. 

[Two-Bit]: You know the only thing keeping Darry from being a Soc is us? 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah, I know. 

They are now sitting on the bus. 

[Ponyboy]: Tonight – I don’t like it one bit. Something awfuls gonna happen. 

Something awful did happen. Worse than he could’ve ever thought.

They get off the bus and start walking. 

[Two-Bit]: We’ll keep the Socs ass. It’ll be alright. 

[Ponyboy]: We’re gonna stomp the Socs' guts, that’s what we’re gonna do. 

Two-Bit stays silent. 

They approach an empty lot where Cherry is seen leaning against her red car. 

Steve still appreciates its beauty to this day. Cherry is pretty too, of course, but she can’t beat her String Ray. It was one tuff car. 

[Cherry]: Hi, Ponyboy. Hi, Two-Bit. 

[Two-Bit]: What’s up with the big times? 

Cherry hesitated. 

[Cherry]: No weapons. They play your way. It’s a fair deal. 

[Two-Bit]: You sure about that? 

[Cherry]: Randy told me. He knows for sure. 

[Two-Bit]: Good deal. Thanks, Cherry. 

Cherry gives him a smile. They start to leave before Cherry says something else. 

[Cherry]: Ponyboy, wait a minute. Come here, I wanna talk to you. 

Ponyboy walks back over. 

[Cherry]: Randy’s not gonna be at the rumble tonight. 

Ponyboy nods. 

[Cherry]: Bob…Bob was his best buddy since grade school.

She hesitated. 

[Cherry]: How’s Johnny?

[Ponyboy]: Not so good. Would you come up and see him? 

[Cherry]: No. I couldn’t. 

Steve sees a few people scowl. Steve himself was still a little angry that Cherry and Johnny never got to talk again before he died. But it was her boyfriend that died and he couldn’t fault her for not wanting to see his killer. 

[Cherry]: I couldn’t. He killed Bob! Maybe Bob asked for it. I know he did. But I couldn’t ever look at the person that killed him. 

She stopped for a moment. 

[Cherry]: You only knew his bad side. He could be sweet sometimes…and friendly. But when he got drunk, it was that part of him that beat up Johnny. I knew it was Bob when you told me. He was so proud of his rings. He wasn’t just any boy. He had something that made him different. Made people follow him, made him better than the crowd, y’know what I mean? 

Joyce was visibly frowning but she didn’t say anything. Being drunk didn’t make you different, really, at least not so different that you would beat up a random kid. It only made the worst parts of you worse. 

[Ponyboy]: That’s okay.

He said it sharply. 

[Ponyboy]: We don’t need your damn charity! 

He starts to leave. 

[Cherry]: Ponyboy! I wasn’t trying to give you charity. I only wanted to help. I liked you from the start. The way you talked. You’re a nice kid, Ponyboy. Wouldn’t you try to help me if you thought you could? 

Ponyboy looks at her real hard. 

[Ponyboy]: Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?

Lucas says, “You ask and say the randomest things, Steve.”

[Cherry]: Real good. 

[Ponyboy]: You can see it good on the East Side too. 

[Cherry]: Thanks, Ponyboy. You dig okay. 

He smiles and turns. 

[Ponyboy]: See you around. 

Chapter Text

Ponyboy is looking at himself in the mirror, touching his jaw. In the background, Steve and Sodapop are sitting at the dining table. 

Robin laughs. “I’ve literally seen him doing that!” 

Steve reddens and scowls. 

Robin rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

[Ponyboy]: Soda, when did you start shaving?

[Sodapop]: When I was 15. 

Steve starts throwing cards one after another at Sodapop. Sodapop laughs at it. 

[Ponyboy]: When did, when did Darry?

[Sodapop]: When he was thirteen. Why? Figuring on growing a beard for the rumble? 

[Ponyboy]: Oh, you're funny. We ought to send you into the Reader’s Digest. I hear they pay for lots of funny things. 

Ponyboy starts to walk into the dining area. Sodapop and Steve are staring at each other over the table. 

[Sodapop]: Let’s go then. 

They clasp each other’s hands into an arm wrestle.

[Steve]: Come on, come on, Soda. 

Their arms start to strain, and Sodapop looks like he’s about to win. 

[Ponyboy]: You like fights, huh, Soda?

[Sodapop]: Yeah, I like fights. 

“Do you like fights?” El asks him. 

“No,” Steve says simply. 

“But you get in fights all the time!” Dustin protests. 

“‘Cause I had to not ‘cause I wanted to.” 

[Steve]: You like fights, huh?

[Ponyboy]: How come?

[Sodapop]: It’s a contest. Like a drag race or a dance or something. 

[Steve]: We gonna beat them Socs’ heads in, ain’t we? When I get into a fight, I wanna stomp the other guy good. I like it, too. 

The boys continue to grunt and strain before finally, Steve wins. 

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Lucas says. 

Eddie comments, “Well, that Steve is probably as strong as our Steve here then.” 

Steve snorts. Yeah, right. He doubts he could win a fight against anyone in the gang, even now. Maybe if he had his bat but he would never bring that into a Greaser fight. 

Ponyboy moves on to the living room where Two-Bit is sitting in a chair, drinking a beer and Darry is shirtless. 

“Your brothers really like to go shirtless,” Robin says. 

Eddie grins. “I’m not complaining.” 

[Ponyboy]: Why do you like fights, Darry?

[Sodapop]: He likes to show off his muscles! 

“They are good muscles,” says Max. 

Steve stares silently at the screen. 

Darry starts to put on a black shirt. 

[Darry]: Hey, I’m gonna show ‘em off on you, little buddy, if you get any mouthier. 

[Ponyboy]: Why do you like fights, Two-Bit? 

Two-Bit shrugs. 

[Two-Bit]: Everyone else fights.

Darry looks at Ponyboy. 

[Darry]: Hey, Pony, uh, I don’t know if you ought to be in this rumble. 

[Ponyboy]: How come? I’ve always come through before, ain’t I?

Darry grins proudly. 

[Darry]: Yeah, you fight real good for a kid your size. But you were in shape before. You’ve lost weight and you don’t look so good, kid. You’re tensed up too much.

[Sodapop]: Oh, shoot, we all get tensed up before a rumble. Let him fight. Skin never hurt anyone–no weapons no danger. 

Hopper shakes his head. “That is not true.” 

[Ponyboy]: Come on. I’ll grab hold of a little one.

[Darry]: Well, we do need every man we can get but…I don’t know. 

[Ponyboy]: Let me fight. If it was chains or blades, it would be different. I’ll be okay. 

[Darry]: Well, all right, I guess you can. But be careful and if you get in a jam, holler and I'll get you out. 

[Ponyboy]: I will. 

He points at Sodapop. 

[Ponyboy]: How come you never worry about him so much? 

“He’s not the one running off into danger any chance he gets,” Eddie playfully says. 

[Darry]: Man, that’s one kid brother I never got to worry about. 

He grabs Sodapop by the shoulder and brings his head to give him a good noogie. 

[Darry]: This kiddo can use his head. You can see he uses it for one thing–to grow hair on. 

Darry then makes a run for it through the door before Sodapop can make a swing at him. 

Everyone laughs at that. Steve grins at his brother’s antics. 

The others start running through the door after him. They’re all whooping. Outside, Darry runs and does a somersault over the fence. Steve does a flip off the car. All the boys shout and scream in excitement. They push and pull at each other as they walk down the street. 

[Darry]: Soda, if the fuzz show, you and Ponyboy get out of there. We’ll get jailed but you two will go into a boys’ home. Know what I’m saying? 

[Steve]: Ain’t nobody gonna call the fuzz in this neighborhood!  

[Darry]: All the same, you two beat it out of there, you hear me?

“He’s like the mom of the group,” Will comments. 

Dustin grins. “Yeah, like Steve!” 

Steve blushes in embarrassment and glares at the younger boy. 

The boys arrive at a grass field where some Greasers are lying on a car and standing around a fire. They all get up when they see the group enter. Tim Shepard is at the front. 

[Darry]: How you doin’, Tim? 

He and Darry shake hands. 

[Tim]: Pretty good. 

Tim looks around and spots Ponyboy standing by Darry. 

[Tim]: You and the quiet black-headed kid were the ones who killed that Soc? 

[Ponyboy]: Yeah. 

[Tim]: Good going, kid. Curly always said you were a good kid. Curlys’ in the reformatory for the next six months. He got caught breaking into the liquor store, that little…

He starts murmuring. 

“Whose Curly?” Eddie asks. 

“Tim’s kid brother. We weren’t really friends but I liked him,” Steve chuckled. “Me and him used to play this game where we would hold our lit cigarettes against the others’ finger till one of us chickened out.” 

Everyone stared at him in horror. 

“Steve…” Robin started to say. 

“Oh, relax,” Steve cut her off. “We only did it a couple times before Tim caught us and cussed us out for it.” 

Lucas says, “You two are strange.” 

“You ain’t wrong. I still have a scar from it. Wanna see?” 

The kids looked at each other and then scrambled up from their spots, all crowding around Steve as held up his forefinger. He grinned, it wasn’t that gnarly, definitely not like his demobat scars, but it made him seem tuff. 

Eddie shook his head fondly as he watched. 

After a couple minutes of oohing and awing at his scar, Steve shooed them back to their seats. They all looked miffed, Dustin especially but they listened. 

“Mama Steve,” Eddie jokes. 

Cars start coming down the road, drawing the attention of every Greaser there. The camera pans over almost every Greaser, they’re all tensed and ready for a fight with slicked back greasy hair. 

“Wow, you guys are serious about this greasy hair,” Max comments. 

Steve nods. He has to admit that the look only looks good on Greasers. Anyone else, with any sort of different style just looks plain ugly. 

The Socs come out of their cars and approach. Many of them have bottles of alcohol. Darry turns to Ponyboy. 

[Darry]: The odds are as even as we can get. You stay close to me, kid. 

Darry steps up as the head of the group. A Soc in a letter-man jacket stands in front of his group. 

[Soc]: Hello, Darrel. 

[Darry]: Hello, Paul. 

Steve explains, “Paul was on Darry’s football team when they was in high school. They used to be buddies,” he frowns. “Darry was ashamed to be seen with us.” 

Joyce says, “You don’t know that.” 

“I do. Maybe he wasn’t ashamed of me and Soda specifically but he was ashamed of being on our side, the poor side.”

Everyone frowns. 

[Paul]: I’ll take you. 

A sort of smile crosses Darry’s face. 

Steve knew Darry was itching to beat up Paul in that rumble.

Suddenly, a voice is yelling. 

[Dallas]: You know a rumble ain’t a rumble without me! 

Dallas comes running across the field. Before anyone can react, the fight starts. A soc hits Ponyboy good across the face, instantly wiping him out. 

Everyone sits with tense faces as Steve is seen being punched. 

Both sides are punching and kicking, it’s hard to tell what’s happening with all the chaos. It starts raining, turning the field into mud and making it even more chaotic. Darry gets a real good hit on Paul. Dallas is kicking a Soc into the ground. Two-Bit knocks one guy over. Steve is kicking mad at one only to be punched by another.  Ponyboy is being ruthlessly kicked into the ground by two Socs. 

Hopper looks horrified. “I’ve never seen a fight this bad.” 

[Sodapop]: Ponyboy!

The fights continue. Sodapop calls for Ponyboy again. The brawl doesn’t stop. Suddenly, a voice calls out. 

[Voice]: What are you guys doing?!

The Socs are making a run for it. Darry runs over to where Ponyboy is on the ground. He forcefully throws the Socs off by the back of their shirts. He grabs Ponyboy by the arm and hauls him to a sitting position.

[Darry]: Ponyboy, are you okay?

He goes to hug the younger but another Greaser grabs him. The whole group is celebrating. They’re muddy and injured but they’re laughing and shouting. Dallas starts to drag a very muddy Ponyboy across the ground. He brings Ponyboy to his feet. The boys’ face is bloody.

Will winces. “That looks bad.” 

“He looked worse after Billy,” Lucas tells him. 

Will’s eyes widen slightly, “Really?”

Mike nods, “It was pretty bad. Steve even thought I was Nancy.” 

Steve rolls his eyes. 

[Dallas]: Are you okay, huh? Come on. 

The scene switches to a car driving fast around a corner. A cop on a motorcycle pulls them over. Inside are Ponyboy and Dallas. 

[Dallas]: Wait, wait, act sick. I’ll pretend like I’m taking you to the hospital. 

The cop starts to walk up. 

[Cop]: You gotta have a good reason for driving like that. Where’s the fire? 

“Ha,” says Steve. 

Ponyboy has his head leaning against his seat, eyes closed.

[Dallas]: Uh, the kid fell off his motorcycle. I’m taking him to the hospital.

The cop gives them both a hard look. Ponyboy opens his eyes and blearily looks at him. 

[Cop]: How bad is he? 

[Dallas]: I don’t know, man. Do I look like a doctor? He looks pretty bad to me. 

[Cop]: Follow me. 

The cop walks away. 

[Dallas]: Sucker! 

A few people grin. 

The cop starts driving, flashing his sirens and Dallas follows. Dallas glances at Ponyboy a few times as he drives. 

[Dallas]: I was crazy, you know that, kid? Crazy for wantin’ Johnny to stay outta trouble, for not wanting him to get hard. If he’d been like me, he’d never have gotten into this mess. If he was smart like me, he’d never have run into that church. 

Dallas shakes his head and then points at Ponyboy. 

[Dallas]: You better wise up, Ponyboy. You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt! Watch out for yourself and nothing can touch you, man.