Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton. I did not write The Outsiders. I did however alter some things, and added characters that belong to me.
Summary: Chapter One - Dallas Winston walked into the drug store he intended on robbing that night with a magazine he never intended on paying for and thoughts of fearful little girl with Johnnycake's eyes.
Dallas Winston wandered aimlessly down the aisles of the drug store he had just entered. His mind was racing. Every once in a while his fingertips grazed the heater in his pocket, not loaded but still threatening the possibilities of causing trouble with it were endless. Just how much trouble did he want to cause? Johnny Cade's death not even 20 minutes before disengaged Dally's mind from the outside world, and trapped him within his own constricting thoughts. The only way out was to cause chaos, a habit Dally prided himself in having.
A magazine stared at him. The cover was an awesome Cadillac with cherry red paint and a hot girl sitting on the hood. In the picture, he only saw himself driving Buck Merril's car with Johnny sitting next to him, and Ponyboy in the backseat. Covered in plastic, he was unaware that his fingers slowly started to claw at the cover.
"Excuse me." Whose voice was that? His eyes glanced up. A small girl with long brown hair was staring at him from behind the counter. She resembled a porcelain doll with soft, gentle features. Nervously fidgeting, Dally took a glance at her, and returned his attention back to the magazine.
"Excuse me?" The voice was a little louder.
Dally grinded his teeth, "What."
"You, uhm, well, you're ripping the plastic on that magazine."
"You're point?"
The girl tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and stared down at the counter, "You're going to have to, uhm, you're going to have to pay for that."
Dally looked up at her. Visably shaking, she kept her eyes down. His hands grazed the heater in his pocket slightly, before he shook his own head. He headed up to the front counter with magazine in his hands, and angrily threw it at her before staring at her face.
"$1.50, please." She said. Looking up, Dally examined her face more closely. Her face was round. Her nose was a small button fastened in the middle of her face. Her eyes. Where had he seen them before? Full of fear, the deep chocolate pools that stared back at him. She was probably just scared of his appearance. His expression softened as he looked at her. She was a Soc, but not all high and mighty like the other girls he had tried to pick up. Pretty. Beautiful, even.
He reached into his pocket, ruffling around the crumpled ones for the correct change. With a clang his heater fell to the floor, and the girls eyes widened. A smirk wandered on his face, and a muffled sorry escaped his mouth.
"Why do you have that?" She asked. Her voice was soft, fear lingered in it but her eyes didn't leave his face. He leaned over to pick it up, hiding it back in his pocket.
He smirked wider, "Don't worry about it." He slid the money in front of her, reached his hand out to grab the magazine. Her hand slid on top of his.
"I'm not scared of you, you know." His eyebrow rose, "You give this appearance that you're this big tough, greaser packing a heater, but back there? When you were by the magazines? You were almost crying."
"Get outtalk here." Dally said, he leaned forward on the counter, "Why don't you just keep your nose out of my business?"
She shrugged, putting his money in the register and nodding towards his pocket, "Is it loaded?"
Dally paused a minute. Why didn't he just get out of here? This girl and her damn eyes… She reminded him of Johnny!
"No." He said, not looking at her. His voice drenched with disgust.
She was smiling slightly when he looked up at her again. She tucked the same stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"You're not as bad as they make you out to be Dallas." With that she turned her attention to the customer behind him.
When the customer left the store, Dally turned to her again, "Seen my face in the papers before?"
She nodded, "I was surprised when I saw you in it being praised like a hero." A smile crept on her face, "I never knew you could be so dashing."
"Dashing? Heroic?" He shook his head, "No." She just smiled, and soon enough he found a smile lingering onto his face. "You've seen my face before, but I've never seen yours."
"Katherine." She shrugged, "I prefer Kat. Kat Lennox." She turned behind her, "My shift is over. I have to lock up."
Dally followed Kat as she flipped the sign on the door, and turned the lights off. She opened the door, and held it long enough for him to exit behind her.
"I'll see you around?" She smiled, shaking from the blast of cold air.
"You don't need me to walk you home or nothing?"
Kat shook her head, "No. I'll be fine." She nudged him slightly, "Look at you, being a gentlemen."
"I only asked because a girl like you shouldn't be walking around by herself at night."
She shrugged, shaking slightly. Dally noticed it. It was the same way Johnny used to act before he went home, on the nights he even went home that is.
"I only live a couple blocks down." She said, pointing towards the east. "It isn't that bad. I'm fine."
He still questioned her inside his head. Maybe his old man didn't care about her like his. Maybe he beat her like Johnny's dad… If he laid a hand on her… You just didn't hit girls, not as far as Dallas was concerned.
"Its fine." She smiled to break the tension. "I'll see you around?"
"Yeah." Dally nodded.
With that, Kat turned on her heel heading east, arms wrapped around herself in a hug.
Dallas Winston walked out of the store he intended on robbing with a magazine he never would have purchased and a new interest in a certain Soc.