This is the eighth and final chapter of Loving The Change! Thank you for reviewing. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long, but, here it goes. Disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: I do not own ‘The Outsiders’

Jennifer POV

Two weeks this has been going on. There’s got to be something wrong. Something I ate? . . . not enough sleep? Too much stress? Sure, I told myself, that’s all that’s wrong. Too much stress.

I stood up and swayed slightly before bracing myself on the edges of the sink. I brushed my teeth until it started hurting a bit and washed off my face.

I went out to the living room to see Johnny lying on the couch, fast asleep. I laid down practically on top of him, since the couch wasn’t that big, and his arm draped over my waist protectively. I laid my head on his chest and asked myself.

“Why can’t we lie like this forever?”

Johnny POV

I kept quiet when she asked that question. She must have thought I was asleep but I wasn’t. I heard her reasoning to herself. What was caused by too much stress? I was starting to worry about her. It felt like she was slipping away from me. Something was wrong.

Jennifer POV two weeks later

Alright, this has been going on too long to be normal. This isn’t normal, I’m sick. Maybe it’s the stomach flu that was going around school . . . That Saturday, I waited for the guys to leave for their usual Saturday morning football game before heading over to the free clinic a ways across town from where we were.

I was walking but I didn’t mind the walk that much and barely realized when I actually got there. The nurses and candy-stripers were relatively nice. The doctor came into the room after running a few tests and she gave me a sad smile.

I left the clinic, wringing my hands nervously. What was I going to do? What was I going to tell Johnny? Was I going to tell Johnny at all? I decided once I got to the house, that I couldn’t ruin his life like that. It wasn’t my life to ruin and I wasn’t going to make him miserable with unwanted burdens.

I called my aunt Jade in Oklahoma City. I would need a ride. I went to my room and started packing my clothes. ‘That game is running awful long’ I thought. ‘They probably went out to eat.’

I zipped up the suitcase and sat down on the bed, finally letting the tears fall. I let them fall because I would have to leave my first love. I would have to leave him before he left me.

After a while, I heard the guys come back and after a few minutes, it thinned out to two people; Ponyboy and Johnny.

I took a deep breath and went out there, not bothering to check if it looked like I had been crying. All I knew was that more tears would come.

The first thing Ponyboy said to me was, “Are you alright?” He looked like he had beaten Johnny to the punch on that one.

I nodded, sniffing slightly. “I just need to talk to Johnny alone, though.”

Johnny stood up and took my hand softly. I nearly fell apart. This would be the last time I could feel his hand around mine.

I led him outside, wordlessly, and we walked to the park. Johnny was watching me the whole way there, silently asking, ‘what is happening?’ Finally, we sat down on one of the benches they had set up in the park. I looked at him nervously and he smiled surely. He looked calm enough, though his eyes showed he was just as uncomfortable as I was.

I finally blurted out. “I think we should break up.”

From the troubled look I could tell he hadn’t expected this. “Why?” He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“It’s complicated. . . things are just happening and . . .” I couldn’t seem to finish a thought so I just took off the ring that he had given me and placed it in his hand. “I’m really sorry, Johnny.”

I got up and started walking away, tears streaming down my face again. I wiped them away angrily and started running to the Curtis’ house. When I got there, my aunt’s van was out front. I got my stuff from my room and only realized as I was leaving that everyone but Johnny was back. I ignored their questions and demands to stay and got into aunt Jade’s van. We drove away from the neighborhood, the house slowly getting smaller and raindrops crashed against the window. ‘The weather seems to fit my mood.’ I thought bitterly, letting out a sob. I hated my life. I wanted Johnny, John, or any of the guys to comfort me but they weren’t there and I probably wouldn’t ever see them again.

Johnny POV

I stared at the ring in my hand and shook my head, disbelievingly. I heard her feet hitting the pavement but didn’t dare watch as she ran away. She was running away. From me? I stuck the ring in my pocket and slowly trudged through the park. Slowly it started to drizzle, as if the sky would cry for me. I didn’t want to cry but I loved her.

I barely noticed when the sky went dark. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder clapped loudly in my ears but I kept walking. My feet were sloshing through mud and I was soaked through. My hair fell in my face, the grease sliding down my neck. I finally rung it out and watched as it turned into a grim rainbow on the ground. My wet hair clouded my vision but it didn’t matter. I could have been run over by a car at that point but I didn’t care. My tears finally mixed on my face with the pouring rain. After a while I sat down under a tree in the lot. The lightning made a strange streak across the sky again and the thunder roared louder than before. I thought I heard someone say my name but it couldn’t be, right?

I suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired. I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them Dally was knelt down in front of me, his hair sticking to his head from the rain. I could barely hear what he was saying but I think he asked what I was doing outside. I put my hand in my pocket and took out Jenna’s ring and he silenced. He lifted me up so that I was standing and let me lean on him some.

Then there was light . . . light and warmth. I wiped off my eyes and brushed my hair out of the way. We were at the Curtis’ house. He led me to the bathroom and gave me a towel. He came back a few minutes later with a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. They were Ponyboy’s, I think.

After I had dried off and changed, my head had cleared slightly. My hair was still damp and hanging around me in wet tangled curls. I looked in the mirror, leaning my weight against the counter. My eyes were red and my face slightly flushed.

I sighed, taking the ring from my jeans, which were laying crumpled on the floor, and put it back onto the chain around my neck. I felt the cold stone laying softly on my neck.

I went out to the living room and sat down next to the couch, watching the television blankly, only mildly aware of everyone staring at me. I looked down at the ground and ran a hand through my already disheveled hair.

“Do you know why she left?” Ponyboy asked tentatively.

I shrugged, still not looking up, and pulled the necklace from under my shirt. The ring gleamed almost mockingly under the lamp light in the room.

Soda came over and sat next to me, putting an arm over my shoulders. I almost expected that. He always tried to keep everyone happy and he knew what I was feeling. He had lost the girl he loved too. He was talking for a few minutes but I couldn’t bring myself to listen. I just wanted to be left alone.

Eventually he gave up his attempts at trying to cheer me up and sat back down next to Steve on the couch. I was in a daze the rest of the night and it seemed like I wasn’t there that night, like I was watching everything going on on a television screen. Finally, everyone went to bed and I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Three months later

Things were getting a little better now. I wasn’t really over Jennifer completely yet, but I was getting back to my life. I liked being able to spend time with the guys again. My life was back to the way it was and frankly, I was loving the change.

Yay, it’s finally done! Please R&R. I know, the ending kind of sucks . . . oh well. Flames are for campfires!!