The story of Dallas Winston.
(I do not own these characters, they belong to The Outsiders and SE Hinton)
Chapter 1: New York
Dallas had not much enjoyed his first day at school in Tulsa. He'd never really gotten on very well with School in New York, but it was somewhere to go and socialize.
In New York he'd lived with his Mother in a small and mouldy apartment. Or a series of apartments, depending on her finances and current beau.
Some of them were OK, Most of them were awful and he was certainly not welcome home very often.
He'd taken to making himself scarce and had eventually run with a few hoods and been accepted as part of their gang.
He ran errands for cash, kept his mouth shut, delivered suspicious packages to disadvantaged neighbor hoods (Mostly hub caps, but sometimes heaters) and generally tried to make himself useful.
Dallas was nothing if not resourceful. Even at the age of 8 he'd known more about the world than most people do if they live to be 100. It's a cold, hard, unforgiving place.
With his blonde hair and blue eyes from a distance he looked almost angelic, if a bit dirty. And most adults don't see kids on eye level so they never saw that cold, dead look in his eyes. And they would never have guessed that his pocket held a switch blade instead of the candy his peers carted around.
It's probably how he got away with running "errands" for so long.
Dallas spent 6 months of the 10th year of his life in reform school. Having been caught with something he shouldn't have had (And "no idea" where it came from) for the 5th time. He'd grown a bit taller and didn't look so cute. The judge was not so lenient this time. Perhaps they could see his apathy with the world.
He'd been picked up for fighting and being "disorderly" but generally he'd managed to behave himself and keep under the radar for almost 18 months. He'd been sleeping at home less and less. His mother's latest man often had male "guests". They paid for "private time" with her. Dally didn't like they way they spoke to her. Or to him. It made him cold and angry that there was nothing he could do.
Sometimes he'd pick enough pockets to pay someone for a room. Generally his School attendance was pretty good, they had food and it was warm. Somewhere to go to. Cause some chaos. Generally Dallas found school boring, but he enjoyed having something to think about. Generally hoods aren't all that clever and in gangs they just follow orders to avoid getting their heads kicked in. Not a whole lot of scintillating conversation. Certainly nothing you'd really have to think a whole lot about. Dallas wasn't stupid. Just angry.
To pay his ever increasing living costs he was starting to take bigger risks. The judge had said they wouldn't take kindly if they saw him again. He'd sent the social round to the house but Dally'd never seen them. He was never there.
At the age of 12 he did his second stint, caught selling a stolen car to a chop shop. Well, caught driving a stolen car.
What the fuzz didn't know they couldn't prosecute for.
He was just grateful they didn't know about the other 3.
Another 8 month stint in reform school was the reward for his hot wiring efforts.
By the time he was allowed out he was 13, and a decision had been made that it would be better for the boy if he were to live with his father in Tulsa. His mother had said she couldn't cope with him, he was too unruly and she didn't want him in her house. Neither did her partner.
It was that or a boys home.
I guess old Mr Winston couldn't quite bring himself to do that to his son, Who he'd walked out on 10 years previously without a backwards glance.