"HOLY SHIT! HELP! DAL, DAR, SODA, PLEASE ANYONE HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I heard feet pounding up the steps. The door burst open, revealing me, in only my towel, standing on top of the toilet in fear.

"There's a spider!" I squealed and pointed.

Dally looked at me. "Is that it? I thought you were fucking getting murdered or something. Never fucking do that again," he told me as he stepped on the spider and walked out, slamming the door.

What crawled up his ass? I thought to myself.

I stepped down and got dressed, putting on my short shorts and a tank top. Today I had to look as hot as possible. Today was the day I was finally going to confess to Darry that I love him.

I started to do my makeup as I heard the door slam and a familiar laugh come from downstairs. I quickly finished up and rushed downstairs grinning ear to ear. He was here. I came out into the kitchen when I heard something I wasn't expecting.

"Kate, I love you. Wear my ring?" he said. I froze. I felt my heart come crashing out of my chest. My eyes clouded up and I turned and burst out the door. I couldn't believe myself. How could I think Soda would ever want to be with me? He didn't deserve anything less than perfect, and he of course got the most perfect girl in Tulsa. She was smart, beautiful, and had a personality to die for. All things I never had.

I kept running until I couldn't run no more and had to stop and take a breather. I looked around, and noticed that I was out front of Buck's place. My eyes widened as I realized how far I had ran. It must have taken me at least an hour to get here. And even then, I would be pushing it saying that.

How the hell did I let this happen? I should have known better than to think something good could ever happen to ME. I sat down on the curb, buried my head in my hands, and just let everything out.

I must have been sitting there forever before I heard footsteps approaching. I quickly felt around for my blade thinking it might be a soc.

"Quit fumbling' for your blade Radcliffe, it's me, Dal," he said as he pulled out a cigarette' lit it, and sat down next to me.

I quickly wiped my face off hoping it would be to dark for him to know I was crying.

"Why'd ya run out of the house like that?" he asked coolly taking a puff of his cancerstick.

"You wouldn't understand," I told him sniffling. He looked at me, for the first time taking in my tear stained face.

"Try me," he said.

I sighed. I could either tell him, and have it out there, or hold it all in and feel like crap. Might as well tell him.

"I like, no, love, someone who is in love with someone else. And I found out today, who that other someone is. And it broke my heart." I told him starting to tear up a bit again.

He looked down and mumbled, "Tell me about it." under his breath.

I stared at him. Did Dallas Winston just admit he was in love? The man who showed no emotions, IN LOVE?

"Let's make them jealous," I blurted out, not thinking.

"Them?" he drawled out, trying to play it cool.

"Yes, them. Dal, you just said tell me about it, out loud. There is someone, and I'm not going to bug you for who it is," I stated.

He stared at me, those ice blue eyes looking like stone, showing no emotion at all. I actually never noticed what a rare color blue they were until this moment in time. Almost a crystal color.

"Fine," he said breaking me out of my thoughts on his eyes.

My eyebrows shot up. I never thought that he would agree! As my face went into one of shock he smirked and stood up.

"Come on, Babe, Let's go public," he grinned as he reached for my hand and pulled me up. He started towards Buck's, where the party was crazy, with his arm around my shoulders forcing me along.

I stopped immediately realizing I probably looked like shit right now, and that there was no way I was going to be seen like this.

"Radcliffe, come on," he tugged at my arm.

"Dal, I have been crying my eyes out and look like I haven't slept in days. I'm not going in there without cleaning up first," I told him crossing my arms over my chest.

He huffed and turned the other way towards his car. Good, he already knows better than to disagree with me.

We walked over to his T-Bird, and I slid in the passenger seat as he started the engine. I laid my head against the car window and took a deep breath smiling.

"Why you smiling? Happy to be with me?" he smirked, cocky as always.

"No, your car smells like you," I laughed. It truly did. It smelled like smoke, pine, and alcohol.

He stared at me. "I have a smell?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course, you never noticed a persons smell?" I asked. "You smell like coca cola, and, well smoke and alcohol. But not in a bad way." I told him sniffing his jacket for dramatic effect.

"You're weird Radcliffe," he shook his head.

"Winston, you're just as weird!" I laughed. He was, when it was just us two. But we never hung out like we used to up north.

He grinned. We were silent for the rest of the trip back to the Curtis house where I was currently staying. I noticed all the cars there and thought it was the perfect scenario.

"We are gonna be together in there, okay?" I asked. "Like holding hands and stuff."

He nodded and cut the engine. I fixed my hair in the mirror, and wiped the black from under my eyes while he walked around the car and opened the door for me.

I grabbed hold of his hand and took a deep breath before walking confidently towards the door. I opened it and put on a huge fake smile, then walked in.

"Hey guys!" Johnny exclaimed excited to see us both.

I considered Johnny my little brother, even if there was no real blood connection. Everyone in Tulsa actually thought we were related, and hell we looked enough alike to pull it off.

"Hi, Johnny-cakes!" I laughed hugging him before going back to hold Dally's hand, hoping someone would notice.

"You two outta stop holdin' hands, someone'll think your together!" Two-Bit piped up sticking his head over the couch, before turning back around to watch the TV. That damn boy and his cartoons.

"Who said we ain't?" Dally said glaring at him. That boy was a damn good actor, it looked like he was really mad.

"What?" everybody yelled, including Darry, Soda, and Steve who had just came in from out back.

"Dally asked me to be his girl," I giggled, smiling up at him, and thanking the gods I was a good actress as well.

Everyone's mouth was agape. Damn, I didn't think they would be this surprised.

Johnny was the first to snap out of it.

"I. knew. It. Steve pay up!" he said holding his hand out as Steve put a ten into it.

"What?" Dally and I both asked. They were EXPECTING this?

"Johnny was the only one who thought you two would get together," Soda said but quickly added, "Not that anyone thought you two didn't like each other."

My eyes widened. I liked Darry! Yet they thought I liked Dally. I looked up at Dally who smiled down at me. Damn this boy needs an Oscar or something!

"Well, he finally got the balls to ask me out," I told them finally recovering from the shock of them thinking I actually liked Dal. I mean, he was attractive and all but I didn't look at him like that. He was my best friend.

They were all smiling, but Darry's wasn't as big as the rest, I noticed. Good. Maybe its working.

Dally pulled me into the living room and sat down on the couch. Deciding it would be cute to do, I sat on his lap.

"Babe, go clean up so we can go back to Buck's. I got a room there," he winked and kissed my neck. I shoved off of him and laughed.

"You perv!" I giggled. This was actually a lot easier then I thought it would be. Dally would make a good boyfriend for someone.

"Your gonna regret sayin' that!" he yelled as he chased me out the back door. We ran into the yard where he got me into a hug.

"Your doing good," I whispered, trying to make it look like I was being romantic.

"You too," he mumbled playing it off as kissing my neck.

"Do we really need to go to bucks?" I asked, grabbing his hand again.

"Not if you don't want to, babe," he said keeping up the charade.

I shook my head no as I looked to see all the guys looking out the back door at us. Everyone was smiling, except Darry who strangely wasn't there.

"We are gonna go to the Dingo and get food, you two wanna come?" Steve asked. I nodded, but it was a little late to eat dinner. Oh well.

Everyone started down the sidewalk, figuring it was only a mile and a half walk. Everyone was goofing off and doing cartwheels and stuff and honestly just having fun.

"You know, usually Dal would have been making out with whoever he was dating. The only thing you two are doing is holding hands," Two-Bit teased.

"Want us to make out?" I asked boldly, not thinking he would say yes, which of course he did.

I looked at Dal and he looked at me. We locked eyes, and his ice blues showed no emotion as he slowly lowered his face down to my level and pressed his lips softly against mine. I slowly started to respond and kiss him back. His lips were honestly, extremely fucking soft. Not something you would expect from a tough guy like him.

He slipped his tongue into my mouth and exploring. While this was good, I had a feeling we were getting too far, an pulled away. When I looked into his eyes there was a flash of emotion, before they went hard again. I didn't even have time to think about it because the guys were all hooting and hollering.

"DAMN, that was hot," Two Bit yelled as he laughed.

I smiled an shrugged, sneaking a peek at Dar. He was staring right at me. We made the brief eye contact before he broke it and started walking again, making the rest of the group follow.

Dal and I once again joined hands and resumed walking, but this time neither of us joined into the fun. I needed to think. It honestly looked like this was already working with Darry, but he wouldn't dare ask me out if I was still Dal's girl. And theres the fact that he gave Kate his ring, just a few hours earlier. Wait, a ring!

"Dal, your ring!" I whispered. He looked at me funny. I pouted and he smiled. "I'm your girl, but im not wearing your ring? Its not right!"

He nodded and quickly slid off his ring and handed it to me before the rest of the group could see. I slipped it on and we continued walking like nothing had happened.

I looked down at the ring. It was the same one he had been wearing the day we had met all those years ago.

Flashback

"Lexi! Lexi BABY!" the mean boys behind me had yelled. I had kept walking, not wanting to mess with the older boys. They scared me.

"Look guys, the little baby is ignoring us!" one of them teased. Again I had just kept walking. I heard there footsteps start to speed up so I sped mine up too.

"Guys, we're scaring the baby! Lets go show her that we're nice, the fat one yelled as the took off running for me. There was no use in running from them, they were a lot bigger and would catch me.

So I stood my ground. I tirned and faced them, and with one deep breath I yelled, "Leave me alone."

They all laughed.

"You best leave her alone," I heard from behind me. I looked to see the scariest guy in school, Dallas, standing right there. My mom told me to stay away from him, saying he would be a bad influence. And I did, until that day.

"O-oh. We're sorry Dal, we didn't know she was with you." and with that, they ran off.

I turned around and looked at him. The first thing I noticed was how his ring wasn't on his finger but on a chain around his neck, and guessing from the size of it, I think it was because it wouldn't fit on hit finger yet.

"Come on, Ill walk you home," he told me and with that, a beautiful friendship was born.

End flashback.

"Radcliffe, you there? RACLIFFE?" I jumped, my thoughts interrupted.

"HUH?" I asked, being the smart person I am.

"We've been calling your name for like 5 minutes," Dal explained giving me a look as if to ask what I was thinking. I shook my head slightly signaling that it was nothing.

"Sorry guys, I was just off in dreamland. Guess I was having a Ponyboy moment," I said poking him in the side, hoping to get the attention off of me.

"Wise up, Lex," he fake threatened, "I'll be bigger than you one day!"

We all laughed knowing full well that even if he was bigger, I could still whoop his ass. Something Dal had taught me many years ago. 'Said I'll need to know how to kick some guys ass if he came onto me and Dally wasn't around. Came in hand too. While everyone in our group was good fighters, Darry, Dal, and I were the best by a long shot. The other guys were good, but Two-Bit was only really good at fighting with a blade, and so was Steve.

"Yeah right!" I snorted.

"Our little Lexi is one of the best fighters in Tulsa!" Sodapop exclaimed like the proud big brother he was. Remember how I said Johnny was my little brother? Soda was deffinetly my big. He took me under his wing when I first moved here and helped me out a lot. Even let me move in with them (I, of course, pay rent)!

"You bet your ass I am. And its all thanks to this guy right here!" I hugged Dal's bicep.

"You two would be the wrong couple to mess with!" Steve chimed in, "The baddest guy and baddest girl in town. Fighting wise atleast, because Our little Lexi cant do anything wrong!" he mocked me.

I just shook my head. He was just jealous that I never had been hauled in to the station. Didn't mean I didn't do things, just that I was smart enough not to get caught.

"You better stop making fun of my gal," Dal warned, but was smiling so everyone knew he wasn't serious.

"You guys look good together," Ponyboy smiled. "Not that I pay attention to that kinda stuff," he quickly added realizing it wasn't a very tuff thing to say. We all laugh an the guys punched him on the shoulder while he blushed. That damn boy blushed over anything.

"Thanks," I smiled. I guess we would make a cute couple. 'Our babies will be adorable, that's for sure' I thought to myself. At least I thought I did.

"You want babies with me, Radcliffe?"