Johnny's POV

I was getting out of the hospital today, and I couldn't be more relieved. According to the nurses and doctors, there wasn't anything wrong anymore. My vitals were back to normal, and I didn't have any head trauma. They still had to give me pills, though.

I was currently getting ready to leave. Taking off my hospital gown was a hassle, and my clothes were thrown around the floor.

I started putting my pants on, just in case someone were to walk in. Then I put on my shirt, my shoes, and fixed my hair. I looked in the mirror.

My skin wasn't dull and white anymore. It was back to being tan. I ran my fingers over the scar on my cheek. It would never go away, but it was definitely more faded than it used to. My eyes were still their normal black color, and there were a few dark circles under my eyes. All together, I looked decent.

I suddenly realized that I didn't have a ride home, and I was in no mood to walk. Even though I felt significantly better, I was still in pain sometimes.

I walked out of my hospital room, and found the nearest payphone. I put some change in. It began to ring.

"Hello?" answered the voice on the other line. It was Two Bit.

"Hey, it's Johnny. The doctor said I can go home today. Could you pick me up?" I asked. I heard a squeal from the other side of the line.

"Sure. I'll be there in five minutes or so!" he exclaimed. I sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Two Bit," I stated. He giggled, and then hang up.

I sighed to myself, deciding that it would be a good idea to go through the procedures I had to before I left. I walked up to the front desk.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" asked the receptionist. She put her glasses up higher on her nose.

"I'm Jonathan Cade. The doctor said I could leave today, but he told me that I had to sign some release papers," I stated.

The receptionist turned around, and was digging through some files. I assumed that they kept the patient information.

She held out a folder. I took it.

"You'll have to sign all these, but the person who's taking you home will have to sign the last one," she exclaimed. I nodded.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I was feeling overwhelmed. I just wanted to leave.

I walked to the nearest chair, and sat down. I began to fill out paperwork.

-

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see who it was.

"Hey," said Two Bit. I smiled.

"Hi," I replied. Two Bit sat down next to me.

"How're you feeling?" he asked, putting his hand on my head and ruffling my hair.

"Way better. Here, you have to sign this before you can take me," I said, giving him the paper. He sighed dramatically.

"Why must I be the one who has to do all the work for everyone in the gang?" he questioned. He was being melodramatic.

"Actually, that's Darry-" I began, trying to correct him.

"Nope! It's me!" he boasted. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

-

Two Bit was driving wildly down the streets. I guess he was excited to have me coming home, because he never drove like that unless he was extremely happy.

We finally stopped outside the Curtis house.

I was a bit nervous because everyone had seen me besides Ponyboy and Sodapop. I wasn't happy about Ponyboy keeping his distance, but I was okay with Sodapop being gone.

Two Bit and I walked to the door. He opened it, and we both quickly stepped inside of the house.

-

I walked into the living room, and I immediately saw Dally and Darry. They were both doing something, so they didn't notice that Two Bit and I had walked in.

Two Bit picked some type of book, and threw it to the floor, making a loud noise that broke the silence. Both of the boys looked up.

"What the fuck- Johnny!" yelled Dally. He ran up to me and gave me a hug. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I smiled.

"How're you doing, Johnny?" asked Darry. He came up from behind Dal. He gave me a hug, too. I would never admit it, but Darry was kind of like a father figure to me.

"I'm good," I stated. I scanned the room, when I noticed something.

"Where's Sodapop, Pony, and Steve?" I asked. Darry and Dally glanced at each other. I also looked at Two Bit, but he was avoiding my gaze.

"Sodapop left when he heard you were coming home," stated Darry. I felt my shoulders shrink. I thought that he could at least say hi to me since I was coming home.

"Sodapop and Steve are upstairs," said Dally. I nodded. I could swear I saw him gulp, but I ignored it.

"I'm gonna go say hi to them," I mumbled. Everyone was acting strange, and I didn't know why. I knew it was still a little bit weird since I kissed Ponyboy and broke Soda's nose, but I didn't expect such a weird reaction from me coming back from the hospital. I really thought that everyone would be over everything by now.

I began to slowly walk up the stairs. My legs currently hurt, and I didn't want to strain them to much. Each step I took resulted in some mild pain. I wasn't very fond of it, but I kept going.

Eventually, I reached the top. I looked around, trying to remember which room was Pony's. I hadn't been in it for a while, and my memory was a bit fuzzy. I think it was a side effect from when I hit my head when I fell to the ground.

I identified the room, and I slowly turned the knob. I didn't bother knocking. I stepped in quietly.

I was shocked at what I saw.

Steve and Ponyboy were kissing on the bed, Steve's hands in Ponyboy's hair. I gasped loudly. They pulled away from each other.

"Johnny?" asked Ponyboy. He flushed a deep shade of red.

"Ponyboy? Steve? Since when did you guys start-" I began. I got cut off.

"We're not dating," stated Steve. I scoffed.

"Shut up, Steve. Pony, I thought you said you loved me!" I exclaimed. Ponyboy looked down.

"You said you loved Angela, so I'm moving on," he stated. He grabbed Steve's hand for support.

"I can't believe you would do this!" I yelled. I felt tears.

"I didn't do anything! You have a girlfriend!" shouted Ponyboy. I walked out of the room and slammed the door.

My legs burned, but I tried to run down the stairs.

I fell.

There were tears everywhere.