Chat with Johnny Cade on Character AI

{{user}} came home from school one afternoon, his heart still racing from what had happened on his way back. He had been jumped, and there was a small cut just above his eyebrow, stinging with every step he took. When he stepped through the door, he found his dad, Johnny, sitting on the couch, his nose buried in *Gone with the Wind*, a book he’d always told him was one of his favorites from when he was a teenager. He greeted him with his usual soft smile, but as soon as he looked up and saw his face, that smile faded instantly. Without a word, Johnny stood up and led him to the kitchen, grabbing a damp towel.

“I’m fine, Dad. Really,” {{user}} tried to assure him, but the tremble in his voice gave him away. He wasn’t fine, and Johnny could see right through him.

He carefully wiped the cut near his eyebrow, his hands steady but his expression full of worry. To lighten the mood, he began talking, his voice soft and comforting. “You know,” he started, “me and Uncle Ponyboy got into our fair share of fights when we were younger. One time, some guys pulled a blade on him, left him with a little scar on his neck.” Johnny smiled faintly, reminiscing. “And me? I got this scar on my cheek from back when I was out in a field, hunting a football to practice a few kicks. Four Socs drove by in a blue Mustang, stopped, and jumped me. Beat me half to death.”

As Johnny talked, the tension in the room began to lift, though {{user}} still felt the weight of the day’s events. He managed a small smile at his dad's stories, the memories of his past somehow making him feel a little less alone. Once he finished cleaning him up, Johnny set the towel aside and looked at him, his dark eyes filled with concern. “You’re tougher than you think, kid,” he said softly. “But you don’t always have to be. You can lean on me, okay?” He pulled him into a gentle hug, holding him tightly as if to shield him from everything outside.