Hardened
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Here it is. I didn't copy this idea from Ten to Seventeen, I'd already started writing this when I read that story. Anyway, as a disclaimer, the only thing I own is Brent. I don't even really own the plot, cuz it's mentioned in the books. PG (so far) for mild swearing. (Hardly any (so far).)
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Chapter 1
Kiss My Ass
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Dally glanced around, trying not to look as nervous as he was. Thoughts flitted through his head, but two main ones kept surfacing. Did his parents know? And, more importantly, did they care?
He knew they didn't. They hardly knew he existed. His whole family lived in a tiny, dirty, apartment in a slum in New York City. He had three sisters and two brothers. His oldest brother had been killed in a gang fight a year ago, when Dally was nine. Now Dallas Winston was ten, and seeing the inside of a police station for the first time in his life.
It wasn't nearly as impressive as he'd imagined it would be- the dirty brown carpeting was worn thin in places, there was a coffee stain underneath the desk, the wallpaper was cracked and stained, and the desk was covered in papers.
The cop behind the desk glanced up. "Brent, again," he muttered.
Dally glanced back at Brent, who was leaning insolently against the wall. Brent was a regular with the police. He'd spent his whole life in New York City. His parents had left him on the doorstep of the Baptist Church when he was two months old, he'd been found by the pastor and promptly sent to an foster home. When he was nine, he stole a car and wrecked it in a duck pond, almost killing an old man who was feeding the pigeons. They'd sent him to a special school that was more like a prison, where he'd gotten into more trouble. He was sixteen now, and almost all the cops on this side of New York knew who he was.
"They mugged an old lady over in Manhattan," explained the cop who'd brought them in. "He had a gun." He jerked his thumb at Brent.
"Brent's last offense," remarked the police officer. "Judge said a year next time he got outta line." Brent shrugged and followed the second cop out of the room, leaving Dally in the room along with the police officer behind the desk.
"What's your name?" the cop asked.
Dally didn't say anything. The cops eyes stared at him.
"I asked what your name was," the cop repeated.
"I heard you," Dally replied evenly. He wasn't going to cooperate with the cops. They were going to have to drag his name and anything else they wanted to know out of him syllable by syllable.
"Then what's the name? Come on, kid, we don't have all day!"
"Dally."
"Need the last name too, Dally."
Dally didn't say anything.
"Hurry up, kid!"
"My mom told me not to tell my name to strangers," Dally drawled, allowing himself a grin. His mother had told him no such thing, of course, but it was fun getting under the cop's skin.
"Oh, for Pete's sake! Kid, you tell me your last name right now or you'll be in that jail over the weekend with your buddy!"
"Kiss my ass," Dally said, pronouncing each word clearly and deliberately.
"What did you say?" the cop asked, quietly and coldly.
Dally almost laughed. It seemed like that was what adults always said when you'd said something you shouldn't have. Instead he replied, "You heard me. Unless you need a hearing aid. But you don't look that old quite yet..." He paused, then glanced at the cop again. "Although you never know."
The cop seemed to swell. "Why you little..."
Dally laughed. He'd hit a nerve.
"You're going to spend the weekend with your pal Brent. I don't care if you're seven," the cop said.
Dally stiffened. "I'm ten!"
"Like I said, I don't care!" the cop grabbed his arm and escorted him down the hallway toward the connected jail.
In jail at ten! Thought Dally as the cop pulled him down the hallway. He doubted even Brent could boast that. He pushed the voice away in theback of his mind that said What do you think you're doing, smarting off to a cop? Do you really want to be like Brent? Yeah, he answered himself. Of Course I want to be like Brent.
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That was chapter 1. REVEIW! Plleeezzzeeeeee! If anyone likes it, I'll try to write more soon.
--------------------------
Here it is. I didn't copy this idea from Ten to Seventeen, I'd already started writing this when I read that story. Anyway, as a disclaimer, the only thing I own is Brent. I don't even really own the plot, cuz it's mentioned in the books. PG (so far) for mild swearing. (Hardly any (so far).)
--------------------------
Chapter 1
Kiss My Ass
--------------------------
Dally glanced around, trying not to look as nervous as he was. Thoughts flitted through his head, but two main ones kept surfacing. Did his parents know? And, more importantly, did they care?
He knew they didn't. They hardly knew he existed. His whole family lived in a tiny, dirty, apartment in a slum in New York City. He had three sisters and two brothers. His oldest brother had been killed in a gang fight a year ago, when Dally was nine. Now Dallas Winston was ten, and seeing the inside of a police station for the first time in his life.
It wasn't nearly as impressive as he'd imagined it would be- the dirty brown carpeting was worn thin in places, there was a coffee stain underneath the desk, the wallpaper was cracked and stained, and the desk was covered in papers.
The cop behind the desk glanced up. "Brent, again," he muttered.
Dally glanced back at Brent, who was leaning insolently against the wall. Brent was a regular with the police. He'd spent his whole life in New York City. His parents had left him on the doorstep of the Baptist Church when he was two months old, he'd been found by the pastor and promptly sent to an foster home. When he was nine, he stole a car and wrecked it in a duck pond, almost killing an old man who was feeding the pigeons. They'd sent him to a special school that was more like a prison, where he'd gotten into more trouble. He was sixteen now, and almost all the cops on this side of New York knew who he was.
"They mugged an old lady over in Manhattan," explained the cop who'd brought them in. "He had a gun." He jerked his thumb at Brent.
"Brent's last offense," remarked the police officer. "Judge said a year next time he got outta line." Brent shrugged and followed the second cop out of the room, leaving Dally in the room along with the police officer behind the desk.
"What's your name?" the cop asked.
Dally didn't say anything. The cops eyes stared at him.
"I asked what your name was," the cop repeated.
"I heard you," Dally replied evenly. He wasn't going to cooperate with the cops. They were going to have to drag his name and anything else they wanted to know out of him syllable by syllable.
"Then what's the name? Come on, kid, we don't have all day!"
"Dally."
"Need the last name too, Dally."
Dally didn't say anything.
"Hurry up, kid!"
"My mom told me not to tell my name to strangers," Dally drawled, allowing himself a grin. His mother had told him no such thing, of course, but it was fun getting under the cop's skin.
"Oh, for Pete's sake! Kid, you tell me your last name right now or you'll be in that jail over the weekend with your buddy!"
"Kiss my ass," Dally said, pronouncing each word clearly and deliberately.
"What did you say?" the cop asked, quietly and coldly.
Dally almost laughed. It seemed like that was what adults always said when you'd said something you shouldn't have. Instead he replied, "You heard me. Unless you need a hearing aid. But you don't look that old quite yet..." He paused, then glanced at the cop again. "Although you never know."
The cop seemed to swell. "Why you little..."
Dally laughed. He'd hit a nerve.
"You're going to spend the weekend with your pal Brent. I don't care if you're seven," the cop said.
Dally stiffened. "I'm ten!"
"Like I said, I don't care!" the cop grabbed his arm and escorted him down the hallway toward the connected jail.
In jail at ten! Thought Dally as the cop pulled him down the hallway. He doubted even Brent could boast that. He pushed the voice away in theback of his mind that said What do you think you're doing, smarting off to a cop? Do you really want to be like Brent? Yeah, he answered himself. Of Course I want to be like Brent.
-------------------------
That was chapter 1. REVEIW! Plleeezzzeeeeee! If anyone likes it, I'll try to write more soon.