Author's Note: Hey guys. This is my first published story, so please try to keep the comments as constructive as possible. Thank you! Please enjoy :3

Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders or any of the characters. S.E. Hinton owns them. The only thing I own is Lily and her mom.

It was the shock that came first. "Johnny… he's dead." But, that couldn't be, right? Lily thought. Johnny, their Johnny, couldn't be dead. The room was deathly quiet. Maybe Ponyboy tripped on his words. We all do, she thought, trying to reassure herself. But it was futile. Even Lily knew that. Lying to yourself was useless and pathetic. Had it really only been five days since everything was as normal as could be? But Lily was too shocked to think that. Instead, she thought about that past few hours. When the earth still had Johnny.

"Lily, you really should be getting home," Ponyboy said. The small blonde looked up from the white linoleum of the hospital floor. Her gaze flickered to Two-Bit for a few seconds before nodding and standing up from her seat next to the hospital room.

"What'd Dallas have to say," Lily asked as the three began to walk out of the hospital. "Wanted to know how Johnny was doin'," Two-Bit said. "Anything else," Lily probed. "Talked about the rumble." Lily nodded. Ah, yes. The rumble, she thought. She remembered the story of how the graeser had 'convinced' the Socs. Didn't take much convincing, really. But it was an interesting story none the less.

The three began walking out of the hospital in silence. When they were at the bus stop, Two-Bit offered to give Lily a ride home once he could pick up his car. "No thanks," Lily said. "My house ain't all that far from here. I'll stop over at the Curtis place later, maybe," she said, and continued to walk by herself. "Just be careful," Two-Bit warned her as he left to buy a pack of cigarettes, leaving Ponyboy alone at the bus stop. Lily stuck her thumb up to show she understood.

Even though there was an all-out war in Tulsa, greaser versus Soc, Lily wasn't afraid. Since her family was in the middle class, the Socs never bothered her like they did the greaser girls. That was one of the perks of being in the middle class: neither the Socs or greasers really messed with you. Sure, a few of the greasers or Socs had tried to hit on her, but they had soon lost interest.

When Lily arrived home a while later, her mother greeted her happily. "Hi Mom," Lily said, trying to smile. "How're Johnny and Dallas doing? Any better," her mom asked. "I guess Dally's doing better," Lily said. "But Johnny," Lily's voice cracked ever so slightly, "he ain't doing so well." Lily's mother looked up from her book and saw tear's in Lily's eyes.

"Oh, Honey," she said, "Johnny'll be okay. He's a tough kid. Lily nodded, and headed to her bedroom. She remembered when her mom found out she was befriending 'greasers'. It had started when Lily was paired with Ponyboy for a project a few years ago.

When she was paired with Ponyboy, Lily wasn't very happy. She had been hoping to be paired with a friend or at least someone who didn't hang around hoods. But as luck had it, Lily was paired with the greaser. At first, going over to Pony's house was awkward because she felt the stares of all his friends. They looked at her like she was an outcast, which she kind of was. She was in fact in there neighborhood.

And when Ponyboy and Lily went to do the project at Lily's house, Lily's parents didn't like him at first. It was because he lived on the east side of town. Most boys from that side of town weren't good news. Eventually, Pony proved to be friendly and gentlemanly. It was harder for Lily to get accepted at the Curtis house, but once she started getting to know everybody, Lily became friends with most of the gang. Particularly a dark haired, tan boy.

When Lily got to her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and cried silently. The words 'If he lives' resonated through her mind. This was serious. Johnny-quiet, little Johnnycakes- could actually die today. Even though Johnny was only a year older than Lily, he had seen so much. Too much, really. Too much any sixteen year old should be seeing. Nothing worth seeing or learning.

After a few minutes, Lily's head hurt her too much to cry any longer. For a long while, she just lied on her bed. After quite some time, she turned to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was around three thirty. Lily sighed and walked to her bathroom. She washed her face with cool water, clearing her face of the red and puffy cheeks that she had only moments ago due to crying.

Lily walked back to the living room where her mom was. "I'm going to head over to the Curtis's, is that okay," she asked her mom. "Oh, sure. But be careful. Call me when you get there. Don't think I don't know about the fight tonight or the conflict with the kids. Be careful," her mom said. Lily nodded. "Is it okay if I stop by the hospital," she asked. Her mom nodded, a small smiling apparent at the corners of her mouth. "Sure. Hurry on now." Lilly smiled and nodded. "Bye Mom," she said and headed out the door.

Lily hurried back to the hospital. She wanted to see Johnny before spending most of the night at the Curtis house helping out the gang with the injuries they were sure to sustain from the rumble. When she entered the hospital, she ask the receptionist for the room number.

"Only family is allowed," the receptionist said. "I'm one of the closest things to a family he has," Lily said. "I'm sorry ma'am, but unless you're related to him," said the receptionist. "My boyfriend's in that room dyin'. Please. I'm begging you. Let me see him. Say my goodbyes. He's been gone all week and the first time I see him, I find out he's about to die. Please," Lily said, tears coming to her eyes.

The receptionist looked at the blonde for a second before giving Lily the room number. Lily gave a sad smile. "Thank you," she said and hurried off. "I know the feeling," the receptionist said as Lily left.

Lily rushed to Johnny's room. "Johnnycakes," she whispered, entering the room. "Lily," a quiet voice asked. "Yeah, it's me Johnny," Lily said fully entering the room. The nurses had moved Johnny so he was now on his back. Lily had to remind herself that Johnny couldn't feel it. He was paralyzed. "Oh, Lily," Johnny said. Lily tried to smile. She knelt beside the bed.

"How're doing Johnnycake," Lily asked. "Tired," Johnny said. Anyone could tell. He was paler than when Lily, Pony, and Two-Bit visited him earlier. Lily nodded. It was quiet for a few minutes. But it was comfortable quietness. "Lily, you know I love you," Johnny said quietly. Lily nodded. "Of course," she said like Johnny had just said that people need oxygen to breathe. "I love you too," Lily added. "I just wanted you to know," Johnny said.

It hit Lily. Johnny was saying his goodbyes. "Your not gonna die Johnny," Lily said. "You can't." Johnny was quiet for a minute. "Lily Brianna Smith, I will always love you. You'll always be my first," he said, quietly and slowly, obviously getting tired. Tears prickled Lily's eyes. "I love you Johnny Cade. You'll forever have a spot in my heart," Lily said barely over a whisper. But Johnny heard her. He smiled a pained smile. Lily bent over him and gave him a small butterfly kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you soon Johnnycakes," Lily said, willing her voice not to crack as she got up to leave. "Goodbye Lily. I love you," Johnny said soft as his last kiss. "I love you too Johnnycakes." With those final words, Lily left the room.

Lily did remember coming over to the Curtis house, calling her mom, and getting the first-aid kit ready. But it was Pony' next line the woke Lily rom her second of comatose. "Dallas is gone. He ran out like the devil was after him. He's gonna blow up. He couldn't take it," Pony said.

Even Lily knew an angry greaser was a dangerous greaser. Especially of that greaser happened to be Dally. "So he finally broke," To-Bit said. "Even Dally has a breaking point." Everyone seemed to nod. Ponyboy began to shake and Soda tried to calm him down. But Pony would have none of it.

When the phone rang, Darry took a second before answering it. "Hello," he said. He was on the phone for moments. "It was Dally. He phoned from a booth. He's just robbed a grocery store and the cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He'll be at the lot in a minute," Darry said. It took only for a second for everyone to run to the lot. Lily noticed Pony couldn't run in a straight line and that Steve couldn't quite keep up with everybody else.

When they got to the lot, Dallas was just arriving. Lily hoped that they'd get to Dally before the cops. But that was the night luck decided to leave them. Dallas was under the streetlight and pulled out his heater. Lily vaguely remembered that the heater was in fact not loaded. It was a bluff. But the cops didn't care. Maybe they were secretly happy to get rid of Dallas, Lily thought. She knew the outcome before the cracks from the cop's gun reached her ears. Dallas wanted to die because the thing he cared about the most was dead. He was Dallas Winston and he got what he wanted.

Lily remember that night as the night she lost her first and true love and the night a stone-hearted hoodlum showed he had cracked.