A/N: Hi, I never really planned on writing an Outsiders fanfic, but it just came to me today when my little brother told me he was reading it in class and then I remembered reading it when I was his age in English class too. I loved it, especially Dally. I thought he was adorable and tough as nails, I hated the way he died though, well anyway I just kind of wanted to do a fic set before the book/movie, and then if it all works out then maybe it'll go through the movie/book in a different perspective and maybe with different additions and or endings, anyway this is just something I came up with :)
Fire my Imagination
"Lane 2 is Dallas Winston!" The thick accented Southern voice said to the crowd, Dally was ready. He was always ready for a race, he never felt nervous. Not once, he was confident and determined to win. He was willing to knock down anyone in his path from first place and the cash prize. He didn't want to keep sleeping on the couch at the Curtis', Buck would let him have a room if Dally would give him some of his prize money every once in a while, they were partners and he of coarse had to give him some cash and Buck gave him a place to crash.
Dallas eyed his opponents, he was against five. One a man with a smaller dark brown horse, to the far right a man had a muscular white and brown horse. None of them were threats, Dallas knew he coiuld race circles around them, he wasn't worried about them, not even the girl to Dally's left. The horse Buck managed to get him was a strong and fast stallion. Not the easiest to handle for how cheap Buck got him, but Dally was good enough of a Jockey to be able to handle a horse like his. He didn't even know it's name, if it had one it didn't even matter. He just had to be faster than the others.
They counted down and Dally leaned forward on the horse, he breathed deeply before the horn went off signalling for them to go. Dallas pulled on the reins and the horse rushed forward, gliding past the others easily, he kept his breathing steady as dug his heels into the side of the horse as they turned, the blonde to his left smirked when she caught up with him. She slapped the reins down and her little horse whinnied before speeding ahead of him, he cursed under his breath when the others surrounded him and boxed him in. He knew they took him as a threat, he was one. So of coarse they tried to team up against him and take him out.
The guy to his right slapped Dally's horse's leg causing it to whinnie and tremble, he was losing control already. His horse was getting scared and he had to pull ahead, there was only one lap left. He leaned to the right, pushing the white horse and red headed guy out of his way. Dallas used his whip and slapped the guy on his left right across the back, he let out a yelp before falling off his horse. Dally smiled to himself as he cleared the pathway and high tailed right up behind the blonde who attempted to take his place. She was quick and in great control of her horse, but he knew he could knock her off the path. So he sped up behind her, moving from left to right and trying to get up beside her. She kept blocking him and blowing off his chances. The finish was coming up and he knew he'd never get ahead if he didn't make it now so quickly he rushed the horse ahead while she stared intently at the end. He leaned over and knocked her horse off balance, she glared at him as she regained control. He was shocked, he gave her horse a good hit and was surprised she wasn't on the ground.
They were so close, head to head to the finish, he looked over at her and noticed the mischevious look on her face. She leaned to her right, going off coarse a bit, then quickly slamming to her left and hitting Dally and his horse.
"Fuck," He breathed trying to hold on to the spooked horse, but it was no use. The horse wouldn't calm and flew to the side away from the finish line, it whinnied and flew up, bucking Dallas off. He slammed into the ground with great force, the dust forming a cloud around him. He could hear people screaming as they rushed to his side.
"Barbara Clemens in first!" The announcer yelled, the crowd cheered as he named off the rest. Dally sat up and held his head, he wasn't hurt too badly. Maybe a bruised rib and a sore knee for a while but that was it.
"Yah alright, Dal?" Buck asked helping him to his feet. Dallas pulled his arm out of Buck's grasp angrily.
"I'm fine," He snapped before storming off. Buck followed after him as Dally cursed out the Blonde Soc who knocked him out of the race, he tried doing the same to her but it didn't matter. He was Dallas Winston and nobody messed with him.
"Dally," Buck said trying to get his attention.
"What!" He growled.
"We'll win next time, besides I don't need the cash now anyway." Buck said as they left.
"Whatever, if it wasn't for that stupid Soc broad we woulda' been in first." He said fixing his dark brown jacket.
"Yeah, she was a bitch. Anyway, I'm having a party tonight, you in?" Buck asked.
"Nah, goin' to the Curtis' for a while. Darry asked me to help em' with something." He explained.
'GREASER!" The blonde haired Soc yelled from the mustang window before quickly speeding away. They didn't have the balls to say anything to his face, no one ever did. That's what came with being Dallas Winston, tough as nails and rough as sandpaper. He wasn't one anyone wanted to mess with, a greaser with a bad rep. The worst reputation of all east side, respected by his fellow greasers and feared by anyone else. And yet the Soc's still had the guts to yell anything at him as he walked to Darry's.
He didn't have to walk with someone, Soc's didn't dare try to fight him because he was merciless or atleast he thought he was. He sighed before pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips and taking out his matches, he scraped one off of his knecklace and lit his smoke with it. He blew circles as he entered the Curtis' yard and up to the step, opening the loud door and letting himself in.
"DALLY!" Two-bit yelled from the couch, obviously intoxicated.
"Hell Two-bit, not even 6 oclock and you're already drunk,"
"Hey man," Darry said handing him a beer and giving him a shoulder pat. "How's it hangin'?" he asked sitting on the couch, Dallas did the same.
"Had the Feds after me yesterday, ain't going to school no more and lost the race today because of some Soc broad." Dally shrugged sitting on the arm of the couch.
"Seems like you're havin' it rough man," Darry said rolling his shoulders and rubbing the back of his kneck.
"Yeah, you workin' all week?" Dally asked puffing on his smoke.
"Yep, we need the money." He explained, Dallas noticed Two-bit contently watching television and trying not to fall asleep.
"What's on?" Dallas asked.
"Huh? oh... Uhmmm, Gilligan's Island." He replied, Dallas smirked. Two-bit was probably pissed of because Mickey wasn't on.
"Anyway, so Soda got a job at the DX last week." Darry started to explain.
"The gas station?" Dally asked.
"Yeah, him and Steve. Soda's workin' the pump and Steve fixes the cars that come in." He explained. "I'm kinda' worried about them, d'yah think you could check up on em? Maybe let Soda clean your car windows and pump the gas, Steve can even do an oil change." Darry asked. Dallas sighed.
"You know the pigs took my car man, I ain't gettin' it back neither." Dally sighed. "Stop worryin' so much about Soda and Pony anyway. They're doin' fine." He said putting the but of his smoke into the ashtray on the table next to him.
"They're my kid brothers Dal, someone has to look after them, can't you borrow Buck's car." Darry stood up and walked to the kitchen, Two-bit was laughing loudly at something on the television.
"Why do I have to, why can't you go?" Dallas asked.
"Because I have work, just look. This is Soda's first job and I wanna' check up on the kid okay?" He explained. "Two-bit shut up!" He added after Two whooped at the T.V.
"Fine, I'll ask Buck, but I'm not payin' for it." He growled as he lit another cigarette, Johnny and Ponyboy then walked through the door.
"Hey Dal," Johnny said sitting on the couch as Pony walked into the kitchen to the fridge.
"Ey Johnnycakes, nice shiner." Dallas smirked at the brown eyed boy, Johnny looked to the ground embarassed. He didn't like talking about his parents and how they abused him, Dally knew about his situation. "It makes you look tough man." He added, Johnny smiled.
"We should go to the Nightly Double," Pony said entering with a plate of chocolate cake.
"Nah, I'm tapped out man. Broke, not a cent." Two-bit said looking up at him.
"Two yah moron, you're probably to heaviest Klepto I know. Who said yah gotta' pay to get in." Dally smirked.
Dallas entered the DX and noticed Old Tom at the counter, the over weight man was eating a burger and going through a car magazine.
"Ey," Dally said getting his attention. "Soda here?" He asked, the man shook his head before swallowing his mouthful.
"Nah." He replied in a gravely voice. "Why?" He asked.
"Just lookin', I was told him and Steve would be here." Dal explained.
"They're on break now, be back soon." Tom shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth.
"I need someone to change the oil in my car, when will they be back?" Dally asked, he was mentally cursing Darry for not letting him know when Soda would be off.
"We got a good mechanic out back, what do yah need?" The man asked.
"Oil change," Dallas replied in a sigh. 'Waste of time,' he thought to himself.
"Wha, yah can't do that yourself? Kids these days. Just take it out back, Jo's the only one out there today." He explained, Dallas glared at the man. Of coarse he knew how to change the oil in a car, but Darry asked to see how Soda was doing so they both came up with an excuse to get into the garage.
"Fine," Dally muttered as he walked out the way he came in, he got in his car and started it up before driving it behind the garage. He pulled out the keys and got out, looking around for the mechanic. No one was in the yard so he assumed he'd be inside working on the cars. As he entered he could hear a radio playing loudly, The Rolling Stones' new song played and a female voice sang along. Dallas noticed a girl, around 16 or 17 working on an old car. Her long auburn wavy hair on one shoulder, her pale skin covered in oil and her petite figure wore a black tanktop under a pair of overalls cut into shorts. One of the straps from her overalls falling slightly from her shoulder, a pair of black boots on her feet.
"I can't get no satisfaction, I can't get no satisfaction. 'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try." Dallas smirked as she swayed her hips along to the music, here standing before him was a gorgeous girl bent over a car. "I can't get no, I can't get no. When I'm drivin' in my car and a man comes on the radio and he's tellin' me more and more about some useless information supposed to fire my imagination..." She sang before grabbing a wrench from the table beside her, Dallas folded his arms as he leaned against the door frame and admired her assets.
"I can't get no, oh no no no. a Hey hey hey, that's what I say!" She sang louder. "I can't get no satisfaction!" She had a nice voice. "I can't get no satisfac-..."
"If satisfaction is what you want Doll, I'd be more than willing t' help you out." Dally said loudly, spooking the girl and causing her head to fly up and hit the hood of the car with a bang.
"Son of a bitch!" She muttered rubbing the top of her head. She turned around and glared daggers at him with her bright emerald eyes lightly covered in black eyeliner. Her skin clear and her lips red and plump. A cigarette placed behind her ear for later. "It's called Satisfaction not quick and unsuccessful." She growled, grabbing a rag and trying to wipe off her stained hands.
"Ou, you got a little fight don't yah," Dallas smirked as he walked over to her.
"Yeah and if ya' come any closer my fight'll slug yah right in the face!" She snapped pulling the smoke from her ear and placing it between her lips, Dally watched as she unsucessfully searched her pockets for a lighter. He smirked when he reached into his pocket and pulled a lighter out of his leather jacket. She looked at it with a scowl as he popped a smoke between his lips and lit it. "Need a light?" He asked in a low voice, she chewed on the inside of her lip before making her way to him and putting her cig in her mouth and holding her hand up asking for the lighter.
"I think you just might steal it darlin', can't have that." He smirked lighting it for her, she held back a growl at his grin. "You're not from around here?" He asked as he followed her out into the yard.
"What's wrong with your car? Need the transmission checked? Worn out muffler?" She asked.
"Oil change," He replied, she snorted as she took a drag from her smoke.
"What? Yah might break a nail doin' it yo'self?" She chuckled, he glared.
"Actually I was checkin' up on a friend. His brother wanted me to check up on em', see how the whole mechanics thing was coming along." He explained.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She muttered as she grabbed a can of oil and a funnel, she popped the hood.
"So where you from?" Dally asked.
"Louisiana," she replied.
"Why you all the way up here?" He asked leaning against the car.
"Why so many questions, huh?" She growled.
"Maybe I just wanna' know what a Louisiana gal like you is doin' in a gas station in Oklahoma." He replied, she didn't say anything.
"So your names Jo huh? Isn't that a guy name?" He asked.
"Short for Joanna, moron." she sighed.
"Joanna, I like it." He smirked.
"Then change your name and leave me alone." She said pulling out the dipstick and checking the oil. "When was your last oil change?" She asked, he shrugged, he eyed her as she bent over to put the funnel in. "Look at my ass one more tahme and I'll send yah through a wall." She growled.
"You like it rough then, kinky." He grinned with the smoke hanging from his lips. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're lucky you're a customer, otherwise I'd give you a black eye." She poured the black oil into the car.
"If I pay extra will yah give me something else?" He laughed, she glared at him she let out a breath as if trying to control her temper because of the cocky blue eyed boy. "So Joanna, gotta' last name?" He asked facing her as she worked on the car.
She ignored him and hummed along to the radio, House of the Rising Sun by the Animals.
"The names Dallas, Dallas Winston." He smiled a charming yet cocky smile, she just ignored him. "You're ignoring me now?" He bit his lip as he smiled. "So you won't answer me at all then?" He asked, she still ignored him. "So you'll ignore me forever?" he asked walking up behind her, she didn't seem afraid of him and apparently hasn't heard his name around yet so she didn't know about his rep. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body flush into his, she gasped.
"Get your hands offa' me right now!" She growled trying to stay calm.
"So now you'll talk." He grinned, she could feel his breath against her bare kneck. He let go of her but kept her between his body and the car. She turned around to face him, anger flaring in her green eyes.
"You got a lot of nerve," she said looking up at him.
"I just wanted to know your last name," he said innocently.
"What if I tell you it's none o' yo' buisness where I'm from and who I am." She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to redirect his eyes.
"Then I'll find out from someone else." He smirked, she glared, he placed his hands on either side of her on the car behind her. He grinned looking at her red lips.
"I hate you," she muttered.
"You just met me," he smiled.
"Doesn't matter," she said trying to break free from his arms, he firmly held her in place. She looked up at him, she couldn't resist his charm. He knew he was smooth, and that's what made him cocky.
"Hey Dal, see you've met Jo'." Steve Randle said grinning as he entered with Sodapop following behind. Joanna took the moment of distraction to break away and put away the oil can.
"Hey, I just came by to get yah's to work on the car but you's weren't here." Dally explained.
"We were on break, so we went to the Dingo for lunch." Soda explained.
"I see, well because yah's weren't here the wonderful Jo changed the oil in my car." He winked at her, she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, so pay and get outta' here while you can still walk." She muttered wiping her oil covered hands on an old rag, he pulled out his wallet and handed her the money, he watched her walk through the door leading to the front.
"So what's her story?" Dally asked.
"Dunno' much man, her name is Jo Rousseaux and she moved her from Lousiana to live with her aunt and uncle. She doesn't really like to talk to much, she's pretty though ain't she?" Soda said smiling.
"Yeah, one good lookin' broad." Dally smirked.
A/N: what do you think? You like it? hate it? Tell me, I'd love to know. Even some help would do, are any of them off character? Am I missing some facts? This is set before the book, but will lead into just so you know. Anyway, review :)