Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"JT! JT, are you okay?!" a concerned voice says quietly. "Jane Taylor!"

I sit up in the empty bed. I only see Soda coming closer to me. My sheets are lying in the floor and hanging off the bed. A couple pillows are missing but on the opposite end of the bed.

"JT, are you okay?" Soda asks again. I begin to run my fingers through my hair, but I stop when I notice I'm suddenly in long sleeves.

"What?" I ask.

"You were screaming. I thought something was wrong. Why... Why are you in Ponyboy's jacket?"

The rough feel of denim is suddenly fully noticeable in the dark. I look in shock at my arms. My hands begin shaking, leading to my body trembling in Ponyboy's oversized denim jacket.

"I n-need him h-home, Soda," I mumble. Silent sobs rack my entire body. I pull my knees up to my chest in hopes to sturdy myself. I lie on my side, and Soda rubs my arm.

"JT, it's okay. It'll be okay," he says, speaking softly. He sits on the edge of the bed. I wrap my arms around him, and he reluctantly hugs me back. Probably in fear Ponyboy would nag at him for messing with me, but then again, he trusts me and Soda.

Soda sits there with me, hugging me and calming me down. I don't know what it is about Sodapop, but he can calm almost anybody down. It's something about the feelings he gives off. It comforts.

"JT, we miss him too," he says.

"But I can't be alone anymore."

"But you're not! This house is full of people. You've got Baby too. She's like him, ain't she?"

"I guess so," I answer, shrugging the jacket off.

"You want me to sleep in here or something?" I shake my head.

"I'm afraid Ponyboy'll beat your head in if he thinks something." Soda chuckles a little.

"Oh yeah."

I hear Baby crying from her room. "You go on back to bed," I tell him. He starts to walk to the door as I step out of bed to go check on Baby. "And Soda," I whisper, and he stops and turns around, "thank you."

"Anything for my sister-in-law." I smile and follow him out the door and walk to the nursery where Baby and Tucker are. I open the door the a sudden silence. Dally is standing by Baby's crib with her in his arms.

"Hey, Dal. You didn't have to do that," I whisper.

"Yeah well. I thought it was Tucker, so I came in here to check on him."

"Thanks." He nods. "Hey, why're you still in your jeans and boots?"

"Just came back from the stables."

"But it's two in the morning."

"I know, but the horses were acting up. You know, Texas is still there," he says. I smile.

"Well I can't sleep. Would you care to... just stay up with me?"

"Sure!" he says quietly to avoid waking up the kids. "I can't sleep anyways."

We go downstairs and into the kitchen. I make a cup of chocolate milk for myself. Dally just drinks on a beer. We sit at the kitchen table with one light on.

"I heard you screaming when I walked in. I was going upstairs and Soda ran in your room. It scared me, honestly," he says.

"It scared me too. I woke up in Pony's jacket..."

"You're sleep walking or whatever it's called, huh?" I nod.

"Dally, you're really different now," I tell him.

"Different how?"

"You ain't as in trouble as you used to be. And you're really loving Tucker."

"I guess you're rubbing off on me," he says with a laugh. There's a moment of silence as we think of something to say. He clears his throat. "Are you, uh, scared?" he asks.

"Of what?"

"Ponyboy."

"Oh. Yeah. Really bad," I answer. He nods slowly.

"I think he'll be fine. He's a smart kid. Well, he ain't a kid so much anymore, is he? And you're not either. It's hard to believe I'm almost twenty. Maybe that's why I settled down. I got Tucker, and I'm older." He laughs to himself. "Shoot, now I wanna get in trouble like I used to."

"Yeah... It's hard to believe Baby's almost one..."

"JT, are you gonna be okay?" he asks suddenly.

"Truth?" He nods. I look at him. "There's only one way to find out."

"Yeah by you getting sleep."

"I can't," I tell him.

"You wanna go watch TV or something till you get tired?" I nod, and we go into the living room and turn on the TV. The volume is on really low, almost inaudible, and some weird movie's on. We don't even watch it. We just stare at the screen. After a couple hours of television and minor talk, I don't feel any more tired.

"Dally?" I whisper.

"Hmm? What?" he asks.

"Were you asleep?" He sits up a little more.

"A little."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not tired," I tell him.

"Why don't you do something to occupy yourself? Read a book or something."

"I've read a lot of them," I reply. He sighs and kicks off his boots.

"Draw something. You're good at that stuff, right?" I think for a moment before getting an inspiration.

"I don't have any paint or stuff like that..."

"You can get you some in the morning, okay? I'm gonna go to sleep since it's four in the morning. You should try to at least. You'll regret it. Goodnight, JT." He yawns and goes upstairs after turning the TV off, leaving me in the dark and dead silence. The clock on the wall ticks the seconds away, and something creaks behind me. I know it's just the house settling. It always does that, but this time, it sounds creepy and scary.

I close my eyes to block out the scared feeling I have. I'm just freaking myself out by imagining someone in the house or some horror creature trying to attack me. When I'm alone like this, I tend to think things like that. I'll never understand why. It just puts me on the edge.

I begin to drift off a little, and I finally fall asleep...

•••

I jolt awake to the feeling of me falling. I look around me and notice a faint light spilling into the windows. I sit up, feeling sick, and go to the front door and quietly unlock it. I step onto the porch, and the cold air sends goosebumps running up and down my body. I quietly shut the door and sit on the swing.

I realize I only got a little over and hour's worth of sleep. I shrug it off and look at the perfect view of the sunrise.

Ponyboy would love to see this.

But I push him out of my mind for now. I need to relax and just accept the fact of the matter. I'm sure he's okay. I just won't let myself believe that.

Golden light pours over the tops of the trees. It tries to spread against the fading blue night sky, and pink lingers in the clouds.

I'm the pink, Pony's the blue, and Baby's the gold. I smile at that thought. He was right.

The newspaper comes, and I take it inside and set it on the kitchen table. I realize that I've been up all night too. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to watch the kids today. Hopefully Johnny will come by and help since everyone else has to work.

I honestly see a lot of Ponyboy in Johnny. They almost reflect one another, and in a way, that makes me want to be closer to Johnny while Pony's gone. I don't know. I guess I'm talking crazy since I'm so tired.

After a couple more hours, I go inside, and Darry's already up. He's coming down the stairs with Baby as I step in the front door and lock it back.

"Good morning," he says.

"Morning. Paper's on the kitchen table."

"Thanks. What are you doing up so early?" he asks, walking into the kitchen. I follow.

"I haven't been asleep, really."

"How are you gonna watch the kids today?" I shrug. "You ought to get some sleep."

"I tried. I had a nightmare," I answer. He sets Baby in her chair and starts making breakfast.

"Pony used to have nightmares. Soda had to sleep in his room, but you already know that, I guess."

"Yeah."

"Hey," he says. "You could put Baby's crib in your room again so you won't feel alone. That's probably why you keep having nightmares."

"I don't know. I'll think about it. Thanks, Darry."

Everyone begins to come downstairs, dressed and ready to go. Johnny stayed the night, but he doesn't come up to the kitchen. I'm guessing he couldn't sleep either. I'll wake him up later so he'll help me babysit.

"Hey, Dallas, do you care if I take Tucker to town with me and Baby? I gotta get a few things," I say. He nods.

"Yeah sure," he says, giving Tucker a bite of food.

"What're you gonna get?" Soda asks curiously.

"Paint," I answer.

"What for?"

"What good is an inspiration without something to capture it?" I retort. He smiles.

"Show us when you're done, alright?" Darry says.

"Sure thing."

Johnny comes from the basement and sits down. He seems pretty upbeat. I guess he did sleep.

"Boy, it's cold down there," he complains.

"It's a basement, Johnny," Dally says. "It's supposed to be cold." Johnny laughs quietly. Then the room goes silent.

It almost hurts.

"Well, Soda, me and you gotta get going. Don't wanna be late," Darry says.

"Why do you insist on working so much?" I ask. "Some of all of our incomes go to the house." He shrugs.

"It's something to do. Bye y'all. Say hi to Two-Bit if you see him today. Who knows where that boy is?"

"Alright." He and Soda leave. Dally gets up too.

"I gotta get going too. I'll see you guys when I get home." He kisses Tucker's cheek. "Don't be mean to your Aunt JT, alright kid? Bye Johnny."

"See ya," he answers. Dallas hastily goes out the front door. It slams because he has a habit of doing so now. I look up at Johnny at the opposite end of the table. He's poking his food with his fork rather than eating it. He catches my gaze, and I quickly go back to feeding Baby.

She and Tucker giggle several times. Johnny gives a weak smile at them. Baby spits out her food.

"Thanks, Babydoll," I mumble sarcastically. Johnny gets up and walks to my end of the table. He sits by Tucker's chair and takes the spoon.

I watch him feed spoonfuls of baby foot to Tucker. Johnny sticks his tongue out, and Tucker mimics him. "Ew!" Johnny says with a laugh.

"Ooh!" Baby says. I smile.

"So... You got any plans today?" I ask.

"Nah. I was just gonna stick around here if you needed me."

"Good because I do." He smiles. "Did you sleep any last night?"

"Yeah. Real good actually. Did you?"

"Not at all," I answer.

"Aren't you tired?"

"No kidding. I'm about to fall over."

"Why don't you go lay down or something. I'll clean up in here," he says.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You look beat anyways. Go on. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, Johnny." He nods, and I go upstairs. I lie down on my bed and close my eyes. Sleep comes easier than I thought it would...

•••

I wake up feeling a little better. I have more energy than I did earlier, that's for sure.

I quickly change clothes and fix my hair somehow. I go downstairs to check on Johnny and the kids. I'm greeted with the sight with him holding Baby and Tucker at his sides, his arms wrapped around them, and they're all asleep. Their toys are spread on the floor with the quilt they sit on.

I gently shake Johnny awake. He looks at me before rubbing his eyes. "Oh hey," he says.

"C'mon. Let's get to town, okay?" He nods and gently gets up. I wake Baby and Tucker up while he attempts to pull on his shoes while he's half awake. And since Baby's stroller is big enough, I put Tucker in too. We head out the door and to town.

"We really need another car," I mumble.

"Then get one."

"I better ask Pony to see what kind will work for him too."

"Oh yeah. I forgot you don't know too much about cars. I don't either." I laugh a little.

We walk to town with minor conversation. I pick up some paint, brushes, an easel, and a single canvas. We spend a good hour in the store. Johnny offers to carry the things for me since the walk's not too far.

"You know what we should do?" I say.

"What?"

"We need to let Baby and Tucker play outside. I don't think they're ever really done much outside."

"That's a good idea. We could all use some fresh air I think."

"Yeah..." I say. "Especially considering it feels so lonely in that house..."

I begin contemplating my feelings. I miss Ponyboy and all, but now it's starting to wear off. I still miss him, of course. I just don't feel as... hurt anymore. I'm becoming numb to the hurt somehow.

We get to the house, and Johnny takes the things inside. He brings back the quilt and their toys. I spread it out on the ground and set Baby and Tucker on it. They begin pulling the grass and flowers in the yard.

"Bababa!" Baby says. Tucker mumbles back, and they have this weird conversation of babbling and giggling. I sit on the porch steps and watch them toddle and fall on their behinds in the grass then laugh it off.

Johnny hands me something from the mail stack and sits down beside me. I study it. It's a postcard with some building on the front.

"Looks like someone's writing you already," he says.

I flip it over and see blue and red bordering. Ponyboy's smooth cursive decorates the paper in tiny writing due to the limited space. I smile as I begin reading it.

"My darling,

I arrived here around 8 o'clock Sunday morning and reported into the school. Only a day has passed and already it seems to have been longer than when we were together. I hate to think what the next 3 months are going to be like. I'll always love, need and miss you so very much, more than you'll ever know. You are, and always will be forever, my whole life. I love you completely, and I'll write more later. -Ponyboy"

"He's at some school," I say. "Oh my gosh... I miss him so much."

"I do too, JT. I guess we all do. I mean, when I look at Babydoll, I see something of Ponyboy in her. I don't know what it is though," he says.

"Her eyes."

"That, but it's something more than that."

"Maybe we'll all find out," I reply. He nods.

"And Tucker. Golly, he's Dal made over." I nod slowly, and I see more of Dallas in him now. If he turns out like him, I don't know what we're gonna do.

"Do you ever miss it?" he asks suddenly.

"Miss what?"

"When none of this was like it is. You know, we were just meeting and all and getting to know each other."

"Oh..." I say. "I miss talking like we used to, you know? We're so busy."

"Well me and you are talking now. So I guess it's like the good ol' times, huh?" He smiles. "C'mon, you know it."

"Yeah. Kinda. It's just different because we're older."

"Mama!" Baby says, toddling to me a little.

"Johnny, she's actually walking by herself!" I exclaim. She giggles and plops down. "Well, it was good while it lasted." He laughs.

She picks herself up against the steps with a purple flower in her hand. I take it from her. She crawls away and back to Tucker.

"Well now, ain't that a pretty sight?" Johnny says.

I hold the purple flower in my hand. It's probably the only one we had, but it's so beautiful at the same time.

Johnny takes it from my hand and sticks it behind my ear, gently moving my hair from my face.

Instead of turning back, he seems to freeze. Johnny leans in a little, and a fear begins to take over me. There's no way I'm gonna two-time Pony with his best friend.

He continues to lean in, and I find myself having trouble resisting. His forehead touches mine, and his lips are close. I feel his breath in my face, and our lips almost touch before I pull away. He moves over too.

"I- I'm sorry, JT. I wasn't thinking..." he apologizes.

"It's okay. Nothing happened."

"Boy, if Pony finds out, he'll probably kill me."

"We just won't say anything," I say a little frustrated. "It's not like we did anything. Nothing, absolutely nothing happened."

"You're right."

"We better put them down for a nap. Tucker's yawning."

"Yeah, okay," he says.

We pack up and go inside. I put Baby and Tucker in their cribs. I cling tightly to the edge of Baby's. my knuckles turn white as I look down at her. She looks innocently up at me with her sparkling green eyes. She closes her eyes from her fatigue. Johnny was right.

There's something more about her. But there's something else to us, her, and our family. What is it?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Hey guys! So... What are you thinking so far?

I never usually do this, but I wanted to tell you after the fact that the postcard Ponyboy sent is actually based on a real one my grandfather sent to my grandmother probably sometime around this year the story is set in. These were his exact words, but I had to add commas so it wouldn't be confusing.

My grandmother still has a whole box full of his letters. That inspired me for this first postcard. I think it's pretty awesome if you ask me.

Also! Sorry for slow updates. School starts for me in two days, so I'm busy all the time. Plus I'm writing two other stories so... Yeah.

Oh and PS. Comment some feedback please! Thanks (: