CALLISTO NTG

Disclaimer: I hate doing these, but I figure I should. None of these char's belong to me except Callisto (who is me in a sense) and Natalie (a friend of mine) belongs to herself, I think. Jason is my brother and I thank God he doesn't know about this story, and my parents are mine, obviously. Erm, Ted is also mine... And let me think if there's anyone else... No, I don't think so.

AN: I know The Outsiders take place in Oklahoma, but for now it's in California; and you'll hear the actually cities somewhere in there.

I tapped my foot hastily on the ground, glaring at my best friend as she rummaged through racks of clothes without a care. I hated the mall. All those people made me nervous, especially when you didn't know a single one. I licked the inside of my mouth and finally went into the store after my friend, Natalie.

She turned so swiftly I almost fell over. She put a shirt up to me. "Oh, you would look so cool in this!"

"Don't you mean cute?" I asked sharply, knowing what she was thinking. I needed a cigarette real bad about then, to get my mind off things.

She sighed. "Loosen up! You need a new wardrobe! This is a totally new state and no one knows who you are. You could start a new style..."

She went rambling on for God only knows how long. I knew what she meant behind those words. No one knew my rep because I had moved here to California from New York, and I could start fresh. Get a new wardrobe, new attitude. That wasn't going to happen, not in a million years.

"I'll stick with my baggy pants and tank tops, thank you." I said as she pulled a pair of hip huggers from the rack. She immediately put them back.

"But I think you should..."

"Forget it Natalie, it'll never happen. My style follows me wherever I may go. Even if that means on the other side of the whole continent."

She sighed. "Fine, let's go." She paid for her two shirts and we left.

I stepped outside of the store and looked up and down the ways we could go. "Hmm... I'm thinking this way." I said, shoving a thumb up the slight ramp incline on the right. I headed right up it and Natalie jogged behind me. I looked around at the stores and sighed. This was nothing like New York, that was for sure.

I smirked when I saw a Hot Topic store. I was glad that at least this mall had my number one store.

Hot Topic was the only store I ever bought from. I got my pants there, and my shirts, and my bracelets, and my necklaces. Natalie wasn't so loyal as I was. I had made this stupid little vow back a few years ago that I would only shop in Hot Topic for my clothes and accessories. That had come in real handy when I got my belly button ring a month back, though. Hot Topic had the biggest ring collection, and I had stashed up so I could change the ring in my button every other day, just in case I got tired of the one I wore.

I dashed in quickly before Natalie could object, but I knew she wouldn't mind too much, because she was just as big a Hot Topic fanatic as I was.

When we came out, I still hadn't bought anything.

"You're so odd, Cal." Natalie laughed. She'd almost bought the whole store.

I glanced around and my hands flexed. I really needed myself a cigarette. "No I ain't."

My brother had always bought me my cigarette stash because he was old enough now, and didn't give a care if I was killing myself by smoking. But I had forgotten my pack at home, and I was a nervous wreck without 'em.

Natalie was more then relieved, I could easily tell. She didn't like me smokin', even though she'd thought of taking up the sport a month or two back. "...something to eat."

I blinked and shook my head, waking up. She was mumbling something now, but I didn't know what about. I ignored her again, figuring that if I had done it once I could get away with it again.

"...listening to me?!"

I looked sideways at her.

She was burning red, like a tomato.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Eh?"

She groaned. "Did you hear a single word I said?"

"I heard 'listening to me'."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, I think so." I nodded as I looked around the food court and spotted some cute guys walking towards us.

She sighed and froze beside me, obviously seeing the boys.

There were only two of them, but they were something else. I hadn't seen anything like them in New York.

I swallowed and my throat started to dry.

"Let's go talk to 'em!" Natalie hissed, and started forward.

I grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "You are not building my rep as a guy magnet!"

"Fine, I'll talk to them, you stand there and look like the hood you are."

I fused as she skipped over to the boys. She knew I abhorred being called a hood, because damn it I wasn't one! Back in NY a hood was just some random troublemaker without a gang to join, hurtin' anyone they saw fit to. I wasn't a drifter; I was a shifter. But there wasn't anything I could do. I wasn't going to make my rep so fast as a boy chaser, but I wasn't going to have it be that I was a hood, either.

I clenched my fists and slowly sat down at a table. I put my head in my hands and breathed slowly. I looked through the cracks between my fingers that Natalie was talking to one of the boys, and the other was just slowly following like a lost dog.

I ran my hand through my long black hair that went down to my ankles, and swallowed hard when Natalie stopped in front of the table I was at.

"Sodapop, this is my..." she froze when she saw me. "Friend..." she had to choke it out. "Callisto, Cal this is Soda."

I glared at her. She was avoiding the words 'best friend' in the same sentence. I noted that and I wasn't about to let it slip my mind for a second. But I wasn't known to be rude to people, so I looked at the boy. "Hey."

He smiled. "Hey."

The other boy was just standing behind Soda, looking around like he had nothing better to do.

"Whose your friend?" I asked as I tipped myself back on the chair.

"Oh," he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him to his side. "This is my brother, Ponyboy."

I glanced at them both, studying them. They had the most interesting names, but then again, I wasn't one to judge, considering I was named after a gun.

"Huh, I'm the only one here with a human name..." Natalie was whispering.

I didn't take kindly to that. She had a mouth lately, and I was gonna stop it. I snarled. "You sayin' my name ain't human, James?"

"You're named after a gun, the Callisto NTG?" she said it like I had forgotten. "Remember?"

I growled and my throat vibrated. "I didn't forget, James. Now watch that mouth of yours before I clean it out with something stronger then soap. I believe you also dissed your little boyfriend," I stood up, and the chair rocked back down into place. "I'm going. Later." I turned, shoved my hands into my pant pockets, and strode off towards Gottchalks.

Natalie stared after me, and turned to Soda. "I'm sorry about that. She's had a temper lately, since we moved here from New York."

"New York?" he perked up, forgetting that she had basically jumped in his face yelling: 'You're named after a drink!' I didn't know how someone could be so forgiving.

She nodded. "Want to hear about it?"

"Yeah."

"Hn." Ponyboy muttered.

"You can always go hook up with Two-Bit." Soda said to his brother.

The boy nodded. "Forgot. Later,"

Soda waved to him, and walked with Natalie down the mall, talking about New York and the streets and life, and the big gangs.

I went right through that store and came out in front of the parking lot. I glanced over it and wondered where Natalie had parked. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and flipped it open. I dialed a number and scratched my nose as I waited for my brother to pick up.

"Hello, this is Jason."

"Jason, good! Glad you picked up. Can you come get me at the mall? I uh..." I looked around, trying to think of a liable excuse.

"I'll be there in a minute." He said, and hung up the phone.

I blinked at the phone as I pulled it from my head and hung up, also. My brother never agreed to anything like that so fast.

He was there ten minutes later.

"Thanks a mill, J." I said as I hopped into his Porsche and shut the door.

"No problem. It got me away from the crowds at the Center. Buy anything?" he said as he turned out of the mall parking lot and started to 41ST again.

"Nope." I said as I popped open the glove compartment and took out the stash of cigarettes.

"Don't you dare light those in here," he snarled. "You know I'll get in trouble if the lieutenant smells smoke in here." Jason's a real tough guy. I need to take lessons from my brother on how to be tough. I just never got the hang of it. He signed up for the Air Force when he turned eighteen, even though our parents didn't like it. He had to be tough to be able to take those kinds of orders, all that yelling and screaming. But it's made him pretty hard-core. I wish I were tough like him.

I froze before putting it in my mouth. "Tell him it's your sisters. It is, after all."

"Secondhand, still." He muttered as he turned down a road. "Sorry."

He knew how shook up I could get without my cigarettes, and I could tell he was really sorry, because I got nice and fidgety and quite mouthy without 'em.

I put the pack into my jacket pocket and pulled out the lighter from the compartment and took that, too. "Can I smoke outside?"

He looked at me like I was nuts. He pulled up in a parking lot and parked the car. "Hello, earth to NTG. This is a Center for cops and the Navy and that garbage, you know that! You'd get busted before you even lit the sucker," he got out of the car and shut the door behind him.

I sighed as I got out, too. "Eh, I hate this. Why the hell did you have to join the Air Force, anyway?"

"I get to fly those cool fighter jets, don't I?"

"Big deal," I snorted as I put a cigarette into my mouth unconsciously, but didn't light it.

Jason didn't say anything, only went into the Center.

I went in after him and glanced around the place. It had grown since the last I saw it. I recall my brother telling me that it was only a small office a year or two ago. But now it was much bigger, like the size of Straw Hut, you could say.

"Excuse me,"

I turned and blinked when I came face to face with a man in a Navy outfit. "It ain't lit, and I wasn't going to light it. Swear!" I defended myself.

He looked at me like I just came out of a crazy house. People were doing that a lot, lately. Maybe they'd never seen a New Yorker before. "You shouldn't have it at all. How old are you?"

Can't smoke till your eighteen, can't smoke till your eighteen. Damn, I don't look eighteen! My brain started to freak, but on the outside I was keeping cool. "Fifteen, sir."

He nodded and slipped the cigarette right out of my mouth. "Got three years, cadet."

I froze. Cadet? "I ain't in the army or nothing, sir."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Have you even gone to middle school?"

I blinked. "Just because I talk funny doesn't mean I haven't gone to school. I'm a sophomore. I ain't stupid, I only talk like this because it's the way I am."

He smiled. "Maybe the military would be good for you."

"No, sir." I mumbled, and shoved my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket.

Jason was laughing with some friends.

I scowled at him the second he looked my way. I knew why he was laughing. None of his friends had said anything funny, I knew it for a fact. You wait Jason; you just wait. I'll get back at you for this...

He came over seconds later with two guys. "The commander tell you off?"

His friends' eyes were jumping with laughter.

I smirked triumphantly. "Nope." I pulled another cigarette from my pocket and plopped it in my mouth. "He doesn't scare me, neither. I'll wait outside, Jason."

"That's worse." He snorted, and grabbed the cigarette. "I know you need a smoke every now and then, but not right now. Wait till we get home."

"How long? An hour?"

"Less, I hope." He glanced at his commander's back with hatred in his eyes.

I sighed. "Whatever. Who're your friends? I haven't seen 'em before."

"Eh, this is Dallas Winston and Darry Curtis."

I nodded to them. "Nice to meet ya."

"How early you started smoking?" Dallas asked.

I shrugged. "Year ago. I think."

Jason snorted. "At least."

I sneered at him. "You know you wanna do it, but being a stupid Navy or Air Force guy or whatever stops you. You weren't so law abiding before..."

He snapped his eyes at me. "Watch your mouth, Cal."

I smirked. "He forgot to mention, my name is Callisto. If I get on your nerves, it's NTG."

"The gun." Darry said slowly.

I nodded. "The gun. Callisto NTG Shizuko."

Dallas smirked and said to Darry, "I already like her."

"Shouldn't you be going?" Jason snapped quietly.

I rolled my eyes. "Guess so. I have to find somewhere to smoke. Know anywhere?" I asked Dallas and Darry.

Dallas nodded. "Downtown, I'm going right now. You mind me taking her, Jason?"

My brother shook his head. "Go ahead. I got some other people to talk to."

"See ya." Dallas nodded to my brother, and we left the Center.

"So, Dallas," I started as we headed for his car.

"Dally. That's what everyone calls me," he said as he unlocked his car; an old, rather beat up Mustang.

"Want to go in my car?" I asked, shoving a thumb to my brother's Porsche.

He shook his head. "We're going into gang territory, a Porsche wouldn't be welcome at all."

I stiffened. "Gang, territory?"

He looked at me as he slipped into the car. "What, no gangs back in NY?"

I sighed heavily as I got into the car. "Yeah, but I stayed away from them because if I didn't, they'd kill me."

"Oh?" he started the car. "You can have that cigarette now, if you want."

I groaned loudly and pulled one out quickly. "You want?" I asked as I stuck it in my mouth and lighted it.

He laughed. "No thanks."

I let out a long ring of smoke, and the biggest smile curled on my lips. "A wonderland."

He laughed harder as he got out onto the street and headed through a light and went down another street. "Save some for the boys."

I ignored that comment, like I had lost my hearing for a split second. All I could hear, feel, and see was the cigarette and the paradise it was giving me. "Not'ing like a smoke to brighten up the day."

He ignored me for the rest of the five-minute trip till he pulled up at a car dealer.

I glanced. "What are we doing here?"

"I gotta pick up something, stay in the car." He said as he turned off the engine and got out.

I shrugged and rolled down the window for the smoke to escape. I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes.

"What do you mean you don't know where he is?!" came a yell from Dally.

"Just what I mean. He was here for a while, then left." Came a softer, calmer voice.

"Why the hell didn't you stop him?!"

"I didn't see any reason to."

"What do you mean you didn't see any reason? I told you to keep him here till I came back!"

"He wanted to leave. I wasn't going to stop him."

"Whoa, baby!" came a different voice, but this one was closer.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to see a boy looking into the car from the driver's seat. I snorted. "What do you want?"

"What's your name, baby? And why are you in Winston's car?" he asked with fake charm.

I narrowed my red eyes. Apparently he wasn't going to leave me alone. "Get lost."

He frowned and opened the door.

I freaked. I kicked open my door and jolted from the car.

"Come back here!" he yelled, and ran around the car after me.

I pulled the cigarette from my mouth so I could breath and looked around for Dally, anyone. "DALLY?!" I yelled.

The boy was gaining on me; the cigarette was taking its toll on my lungs. He reached forward to grab my arm.

I jumped sideways and almost knocked into someone.

"Hmm. What the hell do you think you're doing, Shepard?" snarled Dally.

I breathed a sigh of relief and melted into Dally's arms since he had already grabbed me around the waist to keep me propped up.

The boy swallowed and stepped backwards.

"She ain't free game, boy. Get lost."

"What do you mean?!" the boy snapped, braver now. "I don't see your name on her! She doesn't belong to anyone, which means I can still claim her!"

"She doesn't want to be claimed by the likes of you, Shepard. So get lost."

I blinked. They were talking about me as if I were a piece of meat! But I wasn't exactly in the position to go against Dally.

"You just prey on the smaller, don't you, Dally? Wait till Tim gets here..."

"By the time that oaf of a brother of yours is here, I'll be long gone, Cal with me. Get lost, hood." Dally snarled, his fists clenching.

The boy snarled. "How dare you talk about my brother like that..."

"You aren't in a position to tell me how to talk, kid."

I swallowed and clenched my eyes shut. I dug my head into Dally's chest like I would be ultimately protected if I was one with him, and I griped his shirt with my hands.

Dally looked down at me, lifting an eyebrow. "Hey, you ok chick?"

I swallowed again, but didn't answer.

"See what you did, you buffoon?!" Dally yelled. "Get out of here before I pound you into the ground!"

The boy narrowed his eyes, but ran off.

"Hey, you all right?" he asked softly.

I looked up at him and slowly let go. "Yeah... thanks."

He nodded and turned to face another guy. "So where was he going?"

I glanced around nervously and pressed my side against Dally's, which made him jump.

"Calm down Cal!" he snapped quietly.

I swallowed, but didn't let go of him.

He sighed and shook his head.

The other guy lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. "Said the beach, or something."

Dally nodded. "But I'm warning ya, if he's even scratched..."

The guy nodded. "You'll pound me. Right."

Dally snorted, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me towards the car.

"What was that about?" I asked as I jumped back into the car with a newly lit cigarette.

"Nothing." he muttered as he started the car.

I looked at the clock. "Hey, I better be getting home. Do you mind dropping me off by the beachside?"

He blinked. "Yeah, sure." He turned out onto the street and headed for the beach.

When we got to the beachside, I jumped out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride Dally." I said as I shut the door.

He rolled down the window, and I leaned my arms on it. "You be careful, you hear?"

I smirked. "Sure. See ya later."

"Later." He rolled the window back up and wheeled out of there.

I rolled my eyes and jogged down a small private street. I went up a tall hill that was surrounded by trees and came to a huge house. I opened the door and went up the stairs.

No one was home, as usual.

Jason was probably still trying to recruit people at the Center, dad was in France, and my mom worked late at her business building.

I went to my room and picked up my comb. My hair was totally messed up and my face didn't look too hot, either. I combed my long hair, put it into a long ponytail, and washed my face. I glanced at the clock. 6 o'clock. Enough time to skate around the beach and watch the sunset. I raced to my closet, grabbed a pair of skates, and ran down the stairs. I strapped on the skates and didn't even bother with a helmet. I tucked myself down as I soared down the hill and had to hope with all my heart that no cars were coming on the street below. To my lucky luck, none were. I jumped the curb and started swiftly down the sidewalk towards the Capitola shopping stores by the beach.