"Go away, Tim!"
"Or what, doll?"
The girl growled and curled her right hand into a fist. She swung hard and hit Tim square in the jaw. A loud crack could be heard and Tim fell to the ground.
"Damn, Lisey. I didn't think you were that strong."
She turned around and saw her best friend, Two-Bit, leaning on a fence.
"Hey, Two-Bit!"
She hugged him and then moved away.
"Come on, Lisey. We better get outta here before ol' Tim gets up."
Lisey nodded and walked away with Two-Bit. She loved spending time with him. He was always cracking jokes. He was the kind of guy who could make anyone smile.
Once they reached their destination, they walked right in. Two-Bit sat on the floor because someone was sleeping on the couch. Once Lisey saw who it was, she sat on his back. He groaned and shoved her off, sending her flying into Two-Bit. The way she landed was a bit awkward for her, and for Two-Bit. She was straddling his waist and her face was just a few inches away from his.
"Lisey, I love you an' all, but you ain't blond. You got that fire red hair; it just doesn't work for me."
Lisey smacked Two-Bit's chest and rolled off of him.
"Don't blame me, Two-Bit. Dallas pushed me into you."
"Sure he did, Lisey. We all know you want me."
"Yeah, about as much as I want a Soc."
Dallas groaned again and sat up. He wasn't wearing a shirt which made Lisey blush and look away. Two-Bit smirked at her and turned her head so she was staring straight at Dallas.
"Mornin' Lisey. Two-Bit."
"How come she gets a 'mornin' and I don't get squat?"
"Lisey doesn't annoy the hell outta me."
"You're the only one she doesn't annoy."
Lisey frowned at the new voice. Her eyes turned deadly, making Two-Bit back away from her.
"Fuck off, Steve."
It was no secret that Lisey and Steve didn't get along. Everyone knew it, even the Socs.
"Don't worry, whore, I'm here to see Soda, not you."
"Oh, darn. You don't wanna see me?"
Lisey smirked when Steve stormed from the house. She moved off the floor and sat next to Dallas.
"Where's your shirt, Dal?"
He looked down at his bare chest and shrugged when his eyes returned to Lisey's. She loved looking into his eyes. Everyone else saw a cold-hearted unfeeling person. Lisey always saw more than that. She could see, deep down, that he actually did care, no matter what he said.
Two-Bit stood and left the room. He knew when to leave the two alone; he wasn't as stupid as he made people think.
"Why ya sleepin' here, Dal?"
Dallas shrugged again and looked out the window. Lisey sighed and stood up. When Dallas was in a thoughtful mood it was impossible to get him to respond. She left the house and walked down to the DX gas station. She figured that's where Steve was with Soda.
At the DX, she saw Soda at the counter. Soda was a person that Lisey knew she could tell anything to. He always seemed to understand.
"Hey, Soda."
"Lisey!"
He jumped over the counter and hugged her. A loud grunt came from the back and Steve walked out.
"Soda, you should see that red Corvair th-"
He stopped talking and walking when he saw Lisey there.
"What the hell is she doing here?"
"She's here to see me, Steve. Calm down."
Steve was glaring daggers at Lisey. He stomped back to the garage and began working on a car. Soda sighed and looked at Lisey. He went back behind the counter and Lisey sat on it, facing him.
"So, Lise, what are you doin' here? I figured you'd be at my place with Dal."
"Naw, Dallas wasn't in a talkin' mood. I figured I'd come down here and see you. Where's Pony and Johnny?"
Soda shrugged and turned to see who had just walked in. His smile grew, making Lisey turn around. It was Ponyboy and Johnny. Lisey smiled too and hopped off the counter.
She was really close with Ponyboy and Johnny. Mostly because they were both like little brothers to her. That and, like Soda, they were very understanding and would always listen.
Ponyboy was a dreamer. He was a smart kid, too. He loved reading and writing. He also loved going to see movies.
Johnny was a bit different. He was like a scared puppy that'd been kicked too many times. Johnny's parents weren't the best, and that was an understatement. To put it frankly, they were basically the devil. His father would beat on him at any given chance. His mother would ignore him, unless she was drunk. When that happened, she would be yelling, and you could hear it all through the neighborhood.
"Hey, Pony. Hey, Johnnycake."
She hugged them both and took note of how Johnny's cheeks reddened. She took her seat on the counter once more and looked down at Johnny and Ponyboy.
"So, where were you two?"
"School."
"There was school today?" Lisey asked.
Ponyboy looked at her as though she was an idiot.
"Yeah, Lise, there was school today.
"Don't look at me like that, Ponyboy."
The door to the DX opened once more and Two-Bit strolled in with Dallas behind him.
"Two-Bit!"
She jumped off the counter and hugged him. A low growl could be heard and Two-Bit immediately backed away from Lisey. A confused look took over her face, but she shrugged it off. She turned to Dallas and hugged him as well. Dallas's arms went around her waist and held her tight.
"Good to see you're wearing a shirt, Dallas."
Dallas moved away from her and flashed a dangerous grin at her.
"You know you loved it."
"Sure, Dal."
She went back to her seat on the counter, not catching the slightly disappointed look on Dallas's face. Steve came back out from the garage and lightly smiled, seeing all of his friends there. When his eyes went to Lisey, he frowned once more.
"I thought I told that bitch to leave."
Lisey smirked at him, just to piss him off even more.
"Nope. You asked why I was here. You never said anything about leaving."
She hopped off the counter once more and left the DX, not wanting to put up with Steve. She felt an arm go around her shoulder and thought it was Two-Bit, but she was proved wrong when she saw it was Dallas's arm. She would never tell him, but she felt safer with him around. She could take Socs on her own, but somehow Dallas made her feel protected.
The two of them went to Lisey's house. She lived alone ever since she got emancipated from her parents.
In the house, Dallas immediately sat on the couch. Lisey sat beside him and he put his arm around her shoulder once more. Lisey blushed and leaned her head on his shoulder. Dallas's arm tightened around her. She turned the TV on smiled lightly when she saw Mickey Mouse was on. She and Two-Bit shared a love of the mouse.
"Hey, Lise, I bet I can think of something more exciting than watching this stupid mouse."
Lisey turned to Dallas and saw his wicked grin was back.
"Like what?" she asked suspiciously.
He pushed her down on the couch and crawled on top of her, straddling her waist. He leaned his head down so his forehead was pressed against hers.
"Somethin' like this, maybe."
Just as Dallas began moving his head again, the front door burst open.
"Hey, Lise, I gotta tell ya some-"
Lisey turned her head and saw Two-Bit staring at her and Dallas. His mouth was wide open and his eyes were huge. The shocked expression broke and a grin took its place.
"Well, looks like I'm interrupting something. I'm just gonna go. Lise, I'll talk to ya later."
Two-Bit left and Dallas moved away from Lisey. He muttered something in a threatening voice that Lisey couldn't hear. His eyes turned dangerous and Lisey knew that meant trouble.
"Dal, maybe you should head out and cool off. You seem ticked. Go slash Tim's tires or somethin'. You can crash here tonight if ya need to."
Dallas nodded and stormed out of the house. He slammed the door when he left.
"I'm gonna kill Two-Bit." she said.
Lisey left the house as well and walked down the sidewalk trying to find Two-Bit. She found him at the Curtis's house. Darry and Soda were back from work and Ponyboy was in his room doing homework.
"Two-Bit!"
"Hey, Lise!"
"Two-Bit, I'm gonna kill you! How dare you walk into my house!"
Darry's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Lisey, forgive my ignorance here, but why are you so mad at Two-Bit?" he asked.
"I was in the middle of something very important and then Two-Bit walks in and makes Dallas leave!"
Darry's face paled as he stared at Lisey.
"Dallas? Uh, not meanin' to pry here Lisey, but what were you and Dallas in the middle of?"
Lisey's entire face turned red and the door slammed open.
"Hey, y'all. Oh, goodie, Lisey's here."
Lisey turned, face still red from embarrassment, and saw Steve. Steve cocked an eyebrow, a trick he had learned from Two-Bit, and tilted his head.
"Why ya so red, bitch?"
Her face grew redder, to the point it was almost purple, and she rushed out of the house.
"The hell's wrong with her?" she heard Steve ask.
As she walked, Lisey tried her best to calm the blush on her face. She fanned herself and walked back to her house.
"Lisey!"
"Jesus, who now?"
She turned around and saw Tim Shepard running toward her. She groaned and turned to walk away.
"Lisey!"
"What do you want, Shepard?"
"You seen Dallas?"
"Not since he left my house earlier. Why?"
"That son of a bitch slashed my tires again! Where is he?"
"I don't know, Shepard. Go find him on your own, but don't bother me with it."
"Damn, Lisey. I thought you loved the guy. You don't seem like you care too much that I can't find him. I've always been able to find Dallas before."
Lisey's face reddened again at the word love. Tim smirked and walked away. Lisey rushed the rest of the way to her house. She went inside and looked at the clock, seeing it was getting late.
She took a quick shower and went to her room after changing into her pajamas. She laid down in her bed and pulled her blanket up to her chin. She stared out the window for a while and looked up at the sky. She thought back to Tim's words earlier.
"I thought you loved the guy."
As she stared at the sky, she smiled.
"I guess Tim was right. I love Dallas Winston."
