I woke up the next morning with my head on Johnny's shoulder. His arms were wrapped around my fall frame. He was breathing steady, and his eyes were closed. He was still asleep.

As much as it pained me to get up, I knew that I had to. I slowly moved Johnny's arms off of me, and then looked at his face closer.

His hair was curly, going in every direction. I wanted to tug at the raven black strands. His cheeks were also flushed pink, and his skin looked like it was glowing. His hands looked soft and feminine, but in a good way. A part of me wanted to hold them. His breathing was even and soft, almost as if he was a angel. I could picture him as an angel in heaven. 

Today was Thursday, which meant that I had school, and so did Johnny.  I wished that we had the day off, but it was the second to last day of school anyways. 

I sighed, remembering that I had a session with Ms. Zeller today. I was excited, but I was also anxious at the same time. 

Before I knew it, my hand was on Johnny's shoulder, and I was lightly shaking him awake. He began to groaned in his sleep.

He opened his eyes. 

His eyes were so beautiful.

Instead of being completely black and empty like yesterday, they were now filled with life and emotion. They were the color of amber, and there were flecks of a caramel color in them, which matched his soft skin. 

He took me out of my thoughts.

"What's going on?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. 

I wanted to squeal.

He looked like a Greek God.

"We have school today," I stated. He groaned, and put his face in his hands. 

"There's no way I'm going today," he whispered. I gave him a weird look.

"Why not?" I asked with a pout. 

Johnny got really quiet, and then looked at his stomach. 

It suddenly dawned on me.

I had completely forgotten about the fact that Johnny had cuts and bruises all over his abdomen. 

"I'm not feeling to great, and the bruises are ugly," he mumbled. I immediately shook my head.

"Nothing on you is ugly! Nothing about you could be ugly!" I exclaimed. 

Johnny gave me a weird look, when I suddenly realized what I said.

I felt my face turn bright red.

"Thanks, Pony. That means a lot, but I should stay home," he stated with a small smile. I couldn't tell if it was out of pity or appreciation.

Johnny buried himself in the blankets again, and rolled over.

My heart melted. 

-

I was sitting in Ms. Zeller's office, staring at the wall. It was the beginning of my last session with her.

"So, Ponyboy, how are you?" she asked with a sweet smile. I felt the corners of my mouth go up a bit.

"Good," I replied. She wrote something down.

"That's great, Pony! What changed?" she questioned.

I debated on whether or not I should tell her about Johnny, but I decided that it would be a good idea.

"I told my best friend, Johnny, about my eating problems," I began. She gasped in a happy manner.

"That's great!" she exclaimed. She already knew that opening up was hard for me.

"Yeah, it is. Lately, we've been spending a lot of time together," I stated. She nodded.

"Well, that sounds good. It looks like you found someone to confide in. Is there anything else you would want to talk about?" she asked. I thought for a moment.

I knew that I had to mention the weird feelings that I was having recently around Johnny. I needed answers.

"Actually, yes. Sometimes, when I'm around Johnny, I feel these..feelings.." I said, trailing off. She gave me a confused look, which told me to continue explaining. 

"What are these feelings?" she questioned. I took a deep breathe.

"Well, whenever I'm around him, I feel a buckle in my knees, and my palms begin to sweat in a good way. My stomach sort of churns, and my heart beats really fast. Also, my cheeks feel warm and they go red, and I can't help but bite my lip," I stated. She was smiling at me in a weird way.

"Do you have any specific thoughts when you see him?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I do. Sometimes, I'll study his features, and I can't help notice things. I'll notice how soft and curly his black hair looks, and I'll notice how his eyes are an amber color when he's happy. I'll also notice how soft his hands look, or how he's been getting toned lately," I stated. 

Ms. Zeller's face was wishful.

"Ponyboy, are you gay?" she asked. I felt like my eyes were about to pop out of my head.

"What? Where'd you get that idea?" I exclaimed. She cowarded over.

"Well, it sounds like you're in love with Johnny," she stated with a smile.

Suddenly, everything fell into place. 

"Oh my god.." I mumbled, trailing off. She touched my hand across the table.

"Hey, darling, it's alright!" she said cheerily. I looked into her eyes.

She meant what she said.

"Thank you," I mumbled. 

I got up and gave her a hug.

She made me realize it.

She made me realize that I was in love with Johnathan Cade. 

-

I was walking home. 

I had this terrible feeling in my stomach. It was churning. I felt like I was dying. 

It was getting harder and harder to walk. I was dragging my legs on the ground.

My head began to pound with a ear splitting head ache. I groaned.

Suddenly, my mind was on food. 

I couldn't remember when I last ate.

-

I stepped into the house, feeling dizzy.

The whole gang was in the living room. Darry and Dally were standing, talking about something, and Two Bit, Steve, and Soda were on the couch. Johnny was in the arm chair.

All the noises around me were muffled.

"Hey Pony, are you okay?" I heard someone ask.

I couldn't tell who.

I felt myself fall onto my knees.

The world went black.