I walked down the street with my hood up. I was alone, and at nighttime, I was easy prey for any Soc who wished to try and jump me.
I tried to keep my head down and I was wary for any fancy cars or any of those sorts anyway. They were just too cowardly to fight one on one with any Greaser which is why I was wary. Even if I am a girl, you could never tell with the spoiled brats.
"Hey, Greaser! Need a haircut?" a voice suddenly whooped behind me and I spun around quickly, my switchblade flicking out at my side. My movements were followed by a roar of laughter from the speaker. I felt anger pulse through me as saw who it was.
"Damnit Dallas! I was about to stab you and run for my freaking life! Two-bit can get away with that shit but you certainly can't!" I snapped, putting my blade back in my pocket. Dally slowed his laughter to a small chuckle before he could stop completely.
"Couldn't help it. When opportunity comes take it. And what are you doing out here all alone looking like one of the hood with your sulky behavior anyway man? If it wasn't for the jacket I wouldn't have known who the hell you were." He questioned while lighting one of his cigarettes. I took his pack and stole one for myself.
"Hey! Get your own. Don't be wasting up mine." Dally protested, taking it back. But I had already lit the one in my mouth and I blew a mocking cloud of smoke into his face, causing him to cough and I knew I had irritated him.
"You know I can't get my own. Mom is still freaking out about the last pack she found in my drawer a when we moved. So I'm going to mooch off you till she cools down ok?" I reminded him.
I only had a mom. Dad walked out on us with my older sister when I was only five. My mom is very fussy and nearly gone all the time now thanks to her job. That's why we moved here since business was getting scarcer and she was needed to speed up production I guess. But this gave me free will to do whatever as long as I was free and got home by midnight.
"Why are you still living with your mom anyway? You got money don't cha?" Dally tried to act passive. I knew already that though he acted tough, he cared about his fellow Greasers and always tried to help out when he wasn't in jail or doing his own thing.
"Not even nearly enough. Babysitting isn't exactly a high pay kind of job. I think it's even lower than minimum wage jobs." I scoffed and took a big suck on the cigar and it felt good letting the thick smoke out again.
"I'm surprised you can stand the little suckers. I probably would have snapped and killed them by now." Dally snorted.
"I'm not really thrilled about them either but it's the best paying job a girl like me can hold up as long as you seem clean." I stared up at the sky now as I talked, obviously thinking while I was letting the words come out of my mouth.
"Why don't you just ask Soda for a job? Or maybe Steve? I'm sure one of them can hook you up with some good cash." Dally suggested.
"I'm not stupid. It's already crossed my mind but I don't know anything about what they do down there. I would just get in the way and the money they would spend on me wouldn't be worth it at all." I took one last big huff of the cigar then put it out against a building.
"Well I got to go home before my mom or she'll call the cops on me. So if you're going to keep yapping you will have to keep up." I started walking off in the same direction, continuing my way home. It was nice to not have to worry so much about getting jumped with Dally here. No one wants to pick a fight with Dally unless they are looking for trouble, or Dally is looking for you.
Dally came up beside me as we walked but since I was shorter than him by not too much but still shorter. The smoke from his cigar whipped right back into my face. And I closed my eyes shut and wrinkled my nose as my hand tried to wave away the black air. Dally chuckled at me and I glared at him.
"Hey, me and some of the other guys are going to this party. You in man?" he suddenly brought back up the conversation.
"Tomorrows Saturday right?" I asked, thinking it over.
"Yeah, you get off school then right?" Dally countered. Not exactly the brightest question.
"Duh. And luckily I'm off work too. Yeah I guess I can go. Who else is going to come anyway?" I rolled my tongue against the side of my mouth opposite of my cigar.
"Johny, Two-bit, and Soda said he might come by if he could." Dally responded.
"Alright good to know." The only person I had been afraid of coming but I knew couldn't anyway most likely was Darry. It's not that I didn't like him; he just kind of scared me. His brothers were alright… my favorite out of them Sodapop. (It's impossible not to enjoy Soda with his energy.)
I couldn't manage to suppress a yawn as we kept walking. I had been working overtime this week and was due for a break. There were three little suckers in that family and I had to work extra hours for two days straight. I had only been working the job for about a week and a half but of course, the parents took advantage of my need of money. At least they were paying me double for the nights I had to work extra.
"What? Your head getting too crammed even with only that information Blondie? Maybe I should have taken it slower so you could process it." Dally teased. One thing I couldn't stand about Dally… his dumb blonde jokes. Some of them weren't exactly good but it still irritated the hell out of me.
This of course landed him with my elbow in his gut and me running ahead as he lunged after me. "You come back here man! I'm going to skin yah!" he yelled as he ran after. I was glad I was quick. I wasn't exactly Ms. Muscular but I had plenty of speed.
In the chase, I lost my smoke. But that was due to me laughing. I found little tussles like this fun, especially when I won. Sure running away doesn't seem like winning but I didn't have time to wrestle it out on the ground with him right now. Mom would have been home any minute now and if I am nowhere to be found I won't be able to even ask to go to that party tomorrow. I'd probably tussle it out with Dally then but for now, running is what I do.
I raced through my front door and slammed it behind me. I clicked it to lock and went upstairs to my bedroom. Dally was banging on the front door still as I opened my window to stare down at him.
"What's wrong Dal? I figured a tough guy like you could at least handle a little girl! Looks like you just got outsmarted by a blonde!" I crowed down to him. He picked up a rock and threw it at me but only hit the house wall beside me.
"Ah, shut it man! I'll get yah tomorrow at the party!" he promised. "Or we can have it out when we come by to pick you up! But I will get you!"
"Whatever you say Dally!" I laughed and shut my window. I watched him leave with hands in his jacket pockets and kept grinning to myself.
My name is Laura Perkins. I am 17 years old and I moved down to this town only two weeks ago. Out of those fourteen days, eight of them I have been a Greaser. I have Dally to thank for getting me into that too. The day we met still made me laugh.
It was rather odd how we met too, Dally and I. We were both at the local club in town. I had been exploring on my own and found it so I stopped for a drink. Dally had been there, already hammered drunk with a couple of his buds. I heard them egging him on to come over and try to see if he could 'pick me up.' This sent my personal radar off though and I waited for his drunk ass to try something.
"Hey there Blondie." He finally approached, and he set his drink down on the bar table next to mine. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"The hell you want?" I did my best to look uninterested as I took a swig out of my bottle. I acted exactly like a guy when these situations picked up because most of the time these fools were after easygoing girls not tomboy punks. But this didn't seem to discourage Dally at all.
"Just to buy you another drink if your done downing that one." He answered, sitting down in a chair next to me.
"And to that I decline. I'm not looking to get a major hangover tomorrow to where I can't get out of bed." I paused as I looked him up and down. "I'm sure you're past that already."
"Hey I only offered to buy you a drink, you don't need to be mean. A no thank you would have sufficed you know." He took another gulp of his drink despite what I had just said. I rolled my eyes but I looked him straight in the face.
"Ok if you ever sober up maybe you can try again sometime. But till then, get the hell out of my life." I said, rather coldly. Dally furrowed his brow.
"What did you just say to me man?" I hadn't known that nobody ever talked to Dally like that but it wasn't my fault the guy couldn't pick up on the message. He grabbed my wrist as I ignored him now and I glared at him hard.
"Let go!" poison was in my voice now as I twisted my wrist out of his hand. He grabbed it again and my other one as I went to punch him in the jaw.
"I'm not kidding! Let me go or else!" I threatened. And this is where three years of miserable karate training pay off. Mom was always teaching me self defense.
"Or what? It's not like you can hit me!" he sneered. I kneed his stomach and he gave a grunt but refused to release me so I pulled one arm down and kicked him in the side of the head. This let him release me and he looked at me after rubbing his head.
"You bitch!" he cursed and lunged towards me. I dodged to the side but his swung his fist around and made contact with my hip. I yelped like a dog. Damn he was strong!
I gritted my teeth kicked at his head again. He grabbed me by the ankle and kept bending my leg up as he came close to me again. I jumped up with my free leg and managed to get him in the stomach again. He let go of my leg and I hit the ground hard with an "oof!"
Dally stepped on my stomach, preventing me from getting up but I curled my torso up and bit his leg hard. I'm sure blood would have come through if I had bit even harder and his jeans weren't in the way. Dally stomped down on my stomach and I quit biting. I coughed in pain and I felt tears shoot in my eyes. I refused to let them fall though and knew this wasn't fair but I kicked him between the legs anyway. He was going to break my ribs otherwise.
Dally gave a groan of pain and he backed off, knees buckling in but he staid standing. I got back to my feet and punched his jaw finally. Pain shot up through my hand at impact and I shook it to try to get rid of it. Dally put me in a choke hold then after recovering a bit from my recent attacks.
And I gathered the rest of the strength I had to throw Dally over my back and flat on his. I sat on his stomach in a feeble attempt to keep him down and knock the breath out of him. I panted and waited for him to throw me off but he only ruffled my hair.
"I guess you aren't too bad." Dally finally chuckled and punched me hard in the shoulder. I got off him and helped him up, seeing as we were both done. "So what's your name Blondie?"
"Laura Perkins smartass." I answered.
"Wow Dally she kicked your ass." One of his friends came over and helped him up. They both staggered a bit, still drunk. I didn't even think Dally was going to remember this tomorrow.
"Ah if my vision wasn't so blurry I would have beaten her man. Anyway Laurie, you a Soc? Or are you a Greaser?" he looked back at me. I knew there must have been a difference but I didn't know who either were.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. And don't call me Laurie I ain't five." I confessed.
"Fine. Hey Two-Bit, what do you think? Should we just leave her be?" Dally looked at his friend.
"She fights and looks like a Greaser. Hey you a rich girl?" the guy named Two-bit asked.
"Please. I'm seventeen and I can't even afford this jacket on my own." I always wore my leather jacket. I was proud of it. It was the last thing I had of dad. Nah I still loved my dad. He assured me before he left in a note, he wasn't leaving me… he was leaving mom. But that didn't really explain why he left me behind. Oh well.
"You want to be a Greaser then? You can't be a middle class if your that poor." Two-bit joked.
I had just moved here and I was being asked to be a part of something I knew nothing of. Ah what the hell it sounded fun. "Alright but you're going to have to explain it to me when your sober. That is, if you guys can even remember. What are your names now?"
"Just call me Two-Bit." The friend answered.
"And I'm Dallas, Dallas Winston." Dally also answered with his own name.
And that was the first time I met Dallas Winston, the tough, quick tongued, dumbass who turned out to be one of my best friends.
To Be Continued…
