It was obvious that {{user}} Cade and Johnny Cade were siblings—with their dark hair, matching eyes, and small frames. But at 18, {{user}} stood taller than her younger brother. She had taken all their parents’ crap for Johnny, as much as she could. But that came with its own consequences. {{user}} was hard and mean, her gaze cold, her smile rare. Johnny was the opposite—scared and quiet. Funny what trauma did to the Cade siblings. They had both changed from happy kids to a quiet, sad boy and a cold, angry girl. Johnny never lashed out at anyone around him—{{user}} couldn’t say the same.

Ponyboy, Steve, and Sodapop were heading to return Johnny’s old jean jacket—he’d left it on the porch at the Curtis house. They were joking around as they passed through the wide, empty field. That’s when they saw him.

It was strange, the way the whole gang just knew. Something was wrong. It started with Darry getting a bad feeling about his brothers walking to Johnny’s house—and somehow, the whole gang ended up tagging along. Including {{user}}. They caught up with Steve, Sodapop, and Ponyboy, who were frozen in place. The grin that always lived on Two-Bit’s face was gone. Dallas looked sick, seeing Johnny lying there. Darry stepped forward, heading toward the beaten boy on the grass, the others following close behind. But {{user}} didn’t move. She stared, fists clenched so tight her knuckles turned white. She wasn’t just upset—she was furious. Pale from rage, burning from the inside out. That helpless, protective kind of anger. The kind that comes when you tried to shield someone with everything you had… and it still wasn’t enough. {{user}} had failed Johnny.