Cynthia's POV

Two-bit was out cold again, after a 6 pack of beers and a few slices of chocolate cake it seemed reasonable. I knew I was in a lot of shit with Darry, but I wasn't about to die of boredom. So as quietly as possible, I put on a jacket and slowly opened the door. When I finally arrived outside I was met with none other than Dallas Winston.

"Shit." I mutter under my breath. He smirks and I return the smile with a look of disgust.

"Heard Tim caught you an' Curly smoking a joint behind the Dingo last night. I also heard when Darry found out, you were put on lockdown. Gotta say, Cynthia, I am very disappointed in you." Of course, he knew what happened. All of Tulsa must by now. The chilled winds made their way through my thin jacket. All the same, fall seemed to fit Tulsa perfectly. The leaves were gorgeous and the grey skies seemed to make everything brighter.

"Shut your trap Winston. You aren't gonna rat me out are ya? I'm heading over to Sylv's. I could put in a good word for you." He cocked his eyebrow. The two of them were on another one of their breaks again.

"Whatever, but if Dar starts to pry at me I ain't gonna save ya from a good hide tanning."

"Thanks, Ol' Dal. You're a real life-saver. Oh, and trust me Sylvia will be back with ya by tomorrow. That is of course if ya bring her around every now and then. When Darry gets back he's gonna give me the full consequences, and I may not see her outside of school. So that would be great!"

"Don't push it. Now get your ass outta here before two bit gets his sense back about him."

"Later." I merrily walked through the small space between two houses to reach the one behind me, Sylvia's. I crawled in through her bedroom window. I'd grown up doing this and today was no different. Sylvia stood half clad in a miniskirt thigh high boots and lacy bra. "Maybe you should just go out like that. Maybe you'll start a few trends." I jokingly mocked as I shut the window.

"Haha, you're so funny." Her sarcasm rang loud and clear. "I was thinking a black turtle neck with my black and white checkered skirt, and of course the boots. You know Daly stole these for me, right?" She looked down at the boots lovingly and I saw my chance to make a promised comment.

"He would not stop ramblin' about you today. Says he feels like a dumbass and can't stop thinkin' 'bout ya." Her eyes widened as I laid down on her comfy mattress. I could see the look in her eye. She was pondering whether or not to take him back. "He even got his ring engraved with your initials." That was the decision maker. I knew exactly what she was thinking right now 'Well at least now any bitch who tries to steal him from me will know exactly who he belongs to.'

"But he's a year older than me, and he's just such a douchebag." Although both of those points were valid, they'd never managed to stop her before.

"Well I'm a year younger than you and we're still thick as thieves."

"True… I heard about how you and Curly got caught last night sharing a joint." A sly smile crossed her mature face.

"Yeah, and?"

"And? And he has been on you like white on rice since you grew some tits! So, are you gonna lead him on, or are you in for this long-term?" I sat up and gave her a crazed look.

"You must be joking. I'd had an awful night, and I needed a release. Sharing a joint with Curly costs a lot less than buying the shit. Anyway, I would never be into a Shepard. I mean Angie is ok, but Tim scares me and Curly is intolerable." Sylvia nodded her head in agreement. We kept rambling on about who was dating who and what parties we would soon be attending. Eventually, Sylvia finished getting ready.

"Well, I've gotta scoot. Told Sophia that I'd meet her at the Dingo to catch up."

"Alright have fun. Tell her I said hey, and wish me luck with my brothers. Hopefully, Darry's wrath won't be too harsh." She laughed and strutted out of the room, leaving me to sneak away. Back into a house where boys ran wild, but I was punished at first offense.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up? I'm never leaving Two-Bit I charge again." Soda, Steve, Dallas, and Two were all lounging about in the living room. Soda seemed none too happy that I had snuck out, but I knew he had a soft spot for me.

"I just went for a walk. It gets real dull in here after a while. Look. I even cleaned up a little before I left." Skeptically they all looked around. "Give me a break will ya, Darry's sure to lay it on me tonight." They all knew it was true when Darry had found out he had just gotten up and left the house. It was Soda who'd told me to stay home today. When Dar got silent like that, you just knew he was trying not to rip out your throat. He was the real brooding type.

With a quick change in topic and a game of poker, the sense of unease quickly faded. Two and I sat on the couch watching tv, Soda and Steve arm wrestled as always, Pony and Johnny had come back from the lot and sat quietly talking on the floor. Dal had left real quick though. He said he was gonna go pick up some more beer for us. Him and Two had drunk it all. By evening I figured I could avoid Darry by going to sleep early, but something else happened. A few strong knocks came from the door. Which was weird for us, people usually tended to just barge in. Soda was the first to act. He got up and opened the door.

"Someone told me I could find Dallas Winston here. Does he happen to be around? It's urgent." There was a girl my age standing at the door. Not to be rude or anything, but she looked like shit. Soda fumbled with his words a bit. It isn't every day a rando girl comes to your doorstep asking for a notorious hood.

"He's going take care of some things, but he should be back any minute. You could come in if you like." Soda opened the door all the way and the girl peered inside. She looked slightly uncomforted, probably all the guys I'd grown accustomed to.

"Do you mind if I just wait out on ya'll's porch?" Soda nodded and closed the mesh door that would keep the bugs out, but left the door open. After he turned back around, he looked at me in a strange way. It seemed he wanted me to go talk to the girl sitting outside. Getting up though, I hear the loud sound of glass breaking and the easily recognizable cursing of Dallas Winston.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Where in the hell have you been?" At this point, the mass of boys and I were silent, serious about hearing this conversation.

"I'm in deep shit Winston. I- I uh, I need a place to crash for a while."

"You can't be here. Seriously. Get whatever shit you have and go."

"I don't have anywhere else to go. Do really think I'd come here as a first resort. I really need you to cover for me." Her voice was a weak one, but it wasn't really lacking any pride.

"If he sees you here he'll kill you… or worse. You know better. Get your ass out of here now."

"I know he won't like me being here, but he won't know. Only a week. I only need a week."

"Fuck. Shit. Just ugh, get… go inside." We all rushed back to our original places and tried our best to look busy. Dallas pushed the girl inside and I avoided eye contact. "Soda do ya mind if she goes and cleans up, and uh Cynthia can she borrow a pair of clothes or somethin'?" My brother and I simultaneously say yes, and Dallas showed her to the bathroom while I got some old clothes for the girl to borrow.

She had already started to shower, so I knocked on the door. "Yes?" I heard.

"Hey, I've got some old clothes for you to borrow. DO you mind if I come in and put them on the counter?"

"Yeah, no it's not a problem thanks." I walked in and set the clothes down. As I walked back out I could hear the boys discussing what had just gone down. I followed the noise into the living room. Except I didn't get to figure out what was going on, instead I was met with my brother's cold eyes…