Chapter 1: Good Behavior
I glared at him, gripping the cold bars. A smile spread across my face. "Thanks, chief." I said sarcastically. I was finally getting out. He wouldn't keep me in just for some attitude. Well maybe. I laughed to myself.
"You're free to go." He said as I let go of the bars. The cage creaked open. "Now I better not here that I need to come and get you by next week, okay Dallas?"
I raised my eyebrows, standing in front of him in the doorway. "Oh, come now, chief. You should know me by now. I'm Dallas Winston." He stopped and crossed his arms. "Course ya will." I laughed and pushed him out of the way. He shoved me towards the door.
"You were let out easy this time. Get outta here before I change my mind."
"Hey, cool it." I said raising my arms in the air and walked out of the police station.
I walked a couple blocks and stopped by an empty convenient store. It was real quiet. I needed some "necessities". The cashier looked tired and bored of his job. I spotted a pack of beer and cigerettes and swiped 'em when he was starin' at the ceiling. He didn't even notice the bulge under my jacket when I left.
My name is Dallas Winston. Got some long brown hair growin' past my ears and the cops have gotton used to throwin' me in the slammer a lot. My name is pretty known throughout town and they all know I don't play by the rules. And I got my own little pack that I'm a part of. Ya know, sort of like brothers, the greasers. There's me, Johnny, Ponyboy, his two brothers Darrell and Sodapop, Steve and Two-Bit. We all have forgotten his real name by now.
I cracked open a can and took a swig, lighting up a stick to smoke. It made giant smoke rings in the air. It was around sundown.
I walked all the way to the Curtis' house. I figured the boys there. I opened the door. "Hey, Pony! Darry? Hey, Soda! Anybody home?"
Darry, Soda, Pony and Steve came out into the kitchen. "Hey, Dal. Thought you were in for a while?" Darry asked.
"They let me out early for good behavior." I laughed.
Soda smiled. "Good to have ya back, man."
Johnny came out, next to Pony, holding a Coke. "Dally, you're here!" He said smiling. He was usually really quiet. Especially around me. He was the second youngest next to Ponyboy. He was sixteen. Pony was fourteen.
"Yeah." Johnny, Darry and Pony stood in the kitchen eating and drinking, while Steve and Soda sat finishing their game of poker. "How ya guys been? What ya been up to?"
"Aw, not much." Darry said. He gave me a playful punch in the shoulder. "You know how things are around here."
"Oh, hold on a sec, Dal." Soda said. "Hey Two-Bit!" He yelled. "Dally's back!"
"'Ol Two-Bit's here?" I asked looking around the corner.
"Yeah." Darry replied.
Two-Bit came in with a mouthful of Soda's chocolate cake. "Dally!" He mumbled through the cake.
"Hey, Two-Bit."
He finished swallowing the cake. "Sorry, I was watching Mickey Mouse on the TV in the living room."
I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Of course you were, Two-Bit." He had this funny obsession with Mickey Mouse. He wore one of his two Mickey Mouse tee shirts every day. Today he was wearing the blue one.
"Did you meet any buddies in jail, Dal?" Two-Bit joked.
"Yeah, ya know, I met this real smart kid named Shut Up and he had this pal named Or I'm Gunna Kill You." I replied sarcastically.
Two-Bit laughed. "That sure is a long name."
I playfully hooked him around in and dug my knuckles in his hair.
"Guess it wasn't Soda then." Steve said grinning. "He ain't smart." He chuckled and Soda flung some of the cards in his face.
"You shut your trap." He laughed. "I know I'm stupid. But at least we got one of us goin' to school."
Everyone looked at Ponyboy and he turned shy. "That's only 'cuz you dropped out, Soda." Pony said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, yeah. We don't need to talk about that, Pony. Besides, that's 'cuz I got a job."
Darry looked at me. "So, uh, what do you feel like doin'? It's been kinda slow around here without you. We can all get back to normal now."
"Wha'd ya guys miss me or somethin'? Shoot, I don't know."
"Well, I got a date with Sandy tonight." Soda said.
Soda was absolutely crazy about this girl. First one in the group who actually found someone they thinkin' about settling with. Sandy was perfect for Soda, hight too. Had dirty blonde hair, so Two-Bit was into her. He was into the blondes, almost as much as he was into Mickey Mouse, ha, ha. Soda didn't have blonde hair, he had dark brown hair, all the Curtis' did. Ponyboy, Darry and Soda. Soda was a little short, like Pony. This separated them from Darry by far. Darry was the tallest in the gang, he was sort of the "leader" and he seemed very protective of Pony and Soda. Sinse their parents died in a car crash, Darry has had to be pretty tough.
Two-Bit on the other hand is reckless. He don't really take much of anything too seriously. He's a wisecracker. He's always finding something to laugh about. He's a good buddy. He's got dark blonde, greasy hair.
Steve is Soda's best bud. They're always doin' everything together, but mostly fighting about everything. They both work at the DX gas station together too.
Ponyboy talks and all, but can sometimes seem pretty quiet. He's the only one in the family who goes to school, which as in "family" I guess I'm sort of speaking for the whole gang. Darry makes sure he always gets good grades.
Johnny is the quiet one. The scared one. He's been that way ever sinse he was beat up by, almost killed, by some socs when he was out by himself. We him all cut up and bruised on the ground in the park one day. Boy, was I steamed. Those damn socs think they can just walk all over us. That's why I carry a switchblade around, ain't nobody can touch me. I had given Johnny a spare incase they were thinkin' about makin' a comeback. Ain't no damn soc touchin' him again.
Steve and Soda had given up on their game of poker. Cards were scattered all over the floor and table from a war they had had with the cards. We were all hangin' out in the living room talkin', except Two-Bit who was being sucked into his happy little world of Mickey Mouse that was playing on TV.
"..Pony got jumped by some socs.." Darry said.
"Really?" I asked, looking at Pony.
"Not as bad as Johnny was. I'm okay." Pony said looking a little embarrassed.
"They pulled a blade, but I found him before anything serious happened."
"One of these days I wanna really teach those socs a lesson." I said clenching my fists. I saw Johnny shift around in his chair a little. He was never comfortable talking about the socs.
