✓ | falling ➝ j. cade

ii. little love letters

❝I WANNA FALL IN LOVE WITH
THE STARS IN YOUR EYES.❞
- NEW POLITICS, TONIGHT YOU'RE PERFECT

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For Johnny Cade, the day couldn't have gotten over quick enough. He had learned two things. One, that Theodosia Mickelson was, in fact, available and, two, that she didn't know who he was. Such great news. Still, he didn't really know what he had been expecting. It wasn't like he had talked to her before.

He had replayed the morning's events over and over in his mind. He couldn't get the way she walked with such confidence out of his head. Or the way she had smiled at Steve. Theodosia didn't smile much. Johnny wished she'd smile more. She had a nice smile.

"Johnny!" Ponyboy waved his hand in front of his friend's face as they walked back to the Curtis household that afternoon.

"What, man?" Johnny asked, looking over to his friend.

"Did you hear anythin' I just said?"

"Nah. Sorry."

Johnny knew he didn't have to say what he had been thinking about. Ponyboy knew. He always knew. Ponyboy was good about that, knowing.

"It's fine. We at least know she doesn't have some Soc boyfriend."

"She didn't even know who I was."

"Well, she does now. Maybe we can get Soda to help us with this. He's good with chicks," Ponyboy offered.

"Man, Soda can get whatever chick he wants. I can't hardly speak to 'er."

Ponyboy understood Johnny's problem to an extent. Theodosia was intimidating. Her eyes were hard and icy, just like Darry's. Her presence reminded Ponyboy of a war general's, demanding your attention and respect.

"What do you even see in 'er? She seems cold," Ponyboy thought out loud.

"I don't know, man. She sorta reminds me of Dally in a way."

"Dally? How?"

"I once saw her tell a Soc off for picking on a freshman. And the freshman looked scared out of his mind when she turned to him, and she was just plain nice to him," Johnny recalled. Since then, he had kept an eye on Theodosia Mickelson.

Ponyboy was quiet for a second, processing what his best friend had said. It didn't really answer his question, but Ponyboy had other things on his mind.

"So, she protects the weak and stands up against the bullies?"

"That's one way to put it."

Ponyboy was quiet. He still didn't understand what Johnny saw in her. Ponyboy always thought Johnny would go for a nice girl. One who was sweet and smiled at everyone. Not one who was cold and rarely smiled.

"I say we ask Soda."

"Yeah, okay."

The two walked in silence the rest of the way. What do I see in Theodosia? Johnny thought to himself. It wasn't that he necessarily had a crush on her, but there was definitely something about her that caught his attention, something more than her looks. He remembered being slightly impressed when she had stood up to the Soc two years ago. He had wished he had her bravery. Johnny had been a sophomore and Pony was a freshman, which made Theodosia a freshman as well.