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Stay Gold Ponyboy, stay gold…”
Dally didn’t hear that. Dally knew though as Johnny closed his eyes. Johnny’s dead. He’s dead and he won’t come back.
He’s gone.
Dally swallowed and reached over to push Johnny's hair back.
"Never could keep that hair back... that's what you get for tryin' to help people, you little punk, that's what you get..."
Whirling suddenly, he slammed back against the wall. His face contracted in agony, and sweat streamed down his face.
"Dangit, Johnny..." he begged, slamming one fist against the wall, hammering it to make it obey his will.
"Oh, dangit, Johnny, don't die, please don't die..."
He suddenly bolted through the door and down the hall.
Dally didn’t know where he was going, but he couldn’t be there. Johnny couldn’t be dead. He had too much life… too much.
Dally didn’t listen to people. Dally didn’t listen to rules. Dally always got what he wanted.
And Dally wanted Johnny to live.
But Johnny was dead. He was dead and Dally couldn’t do anything about it.
Dally was running. He had a car to drive. Was that his car? Dally didn’t know. All he knew was that he needed control. He needed to get what he wanted. Dally always got what he wanted.
What did Dally want now?
He walked into the grocery store. Too calm . Too normal. The world shouldn’t be normal. Johnny is gone and he’s the only one that knows.
Ponyboy knows.
He grabbed a lighter, a magazine. He grabbed something.
What did he grab?
Dally didn’t know.
Johnny’s dead.
Pulling out his heater, it was too normal, too mundane. Nothing should feel normal if Johnny’s dead.
“Give me the money in the register.”
“Handover the cash.”
“I ain’t paying and we both know that”
“...”
“Jonny’s dead.”
What did Dally say?
Dally doesn’t know. All he knows is that the cashier must have called the cops.
He ran and ran and ran.
Why was he running?
Did Dally want to run?
What did Dally want?
Run. Run. Run.
Back of the building, a payphone.
Normal place. Normal price. Normal sound.
Why was all of this so normal?
“Hello?” Darry. Darry’s voice sounded normal.
Normal. But it’s not. Because Johnny’s dead. He’s dead and there's nothing Dally can do about it.
“I robbed a grocery store. I’m calling from a payphone. I need cover.”
*Click*
Dally ran away.
Run. Run. Run.
The lot already had police sirens and cop cars surrounding it.
He saw the gang running up. They all looked rough from the rumble. Ponyboy’s head was still bleeding out.
Dally knew what he wanted.
Dally knew what he wanted as he pulled out his heater.
Dally knew what he wanted when he fought in the rumble.
Dally knew what he wanted when Johnny died.
Dally knew what he wanted when he hit the ground.
Dally Winston wanted to be dead, and he always got what he wanted.