CHAPTER 2

… "The hell happened in here?!"

I opened my eyes as I realized it was Dally. He walked over and pulled the tape off of my mouth. "Well?" He had a slightly concerned expression on his face.

I felt a strand of my hair fall over my face as I began to cry. Which, I feel pretty stupid about now seeming as how the only thing he did was slap me and I'm used to that stuff…

"A guy was in here and he slapped me!"

He looked somewhat angry, "What? Do you remember what he looked like? I'll go kick his ass right now if you want…" He finished ripping off the tape.

"You would… do that?" I said in confusion.

He helped me up, "Wh- Yeah. Does it look like I would just allow this shit to pass?"

I shrugged as I walked to the kitchen, "I—I don't know." I looked through the fridge for a beer, really in need of it.

He grabbed the back of my jean jacket, disconnecting me from my desperate search for booze. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around rapidly.

"Do I look like the type of guy to let this shit pass?!" He asked angrily.

I felt cornered as I held my hands out to grab onto the fridge. He then nelt down to where his gaze directly met mine (Being the short person I was). He had a hurt expression on his face, "Does it look like I would let anything like that happen to you, Dani?"

"Wh-wh…" I stood there silently putting a moment of thought to it as I looked into his mean, cold, yet noticeably hurt dark eyes.

Before I could say anything more, he pulled his distraught stare away from me and walked out the door, slamming it shut. I felt awful for not saying something like "Of course not" or "No way". I felt a bit more disgusted by my actions than his daily routine of getting into trouble. Dally may not be the sweetest guy, but he sure is a good friend. And I was not wanting to ruin that by hurting him like that.

I darted for the door, hoping he was still nearby. "Dally wait!" I practically rammed through the door opening it. I rushed down the steps to see him climbing into Buck Merrill's convertible. I screamed at him as he closed the door, "Dally wait a minute!"

Before he could start up the car, I made a bee-line for the passenger door. I had it open with no hesitation. Once he realized I was in, he hit the steering wheel like a mad man, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Dally," I sat up, "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for that shit back there… That was a bitchy thing for me to just allow you to think."

He sat back, resting his head on the top of the seat, "Ya think I care? I'm not one to give a hang about this stuff."

I rolled my eyes, "Uhm, well clearly ya do if you ran away like that! Look, I'm apologizing, okay? Do you accept it?"

He slowly licked his lips as he thought. He sighed and started the car, "Yeah. Now get your little ass out of my car, will ya?"

I grinned, "I knew you were mean and all but… did you have to bring my ass into it?" I frowned playfully.

He looked at me with an annoyed expression, "Yes. I did. Now get it out or I'm gonna shove my boot straight up—"

"Ahem." Dally paused as Darry looked into the car. "What was that, Dally?" He was balancing a bundle of roofing on his shoulder as he raised and eyebrow at Dally.

"Uh, nothin' Darry." He shook his head, hiding his grin.

Darry nodded slowly, "Mhmmm…" He began to walk into the house. I climbed outta Buck's car and followed him in. Dally already split down the street when we got to the door.

"Hey Darry. How was work? …Maybe I… shouldn't have asked." I closed the door behind me.

He sat down at the table and took off his converse high tops, "Actually, it was fine. I mean, it was…"

I crossed my arms, "Dar-Bear," I chuckled, "I've known you for a very long time now. Don't lie to me, buddy."

He rolled his eyes, "Alright, you want the truth? I'm exhausted! I could sleep for a decade and it wouldn't be long enough." Before I could respond, he shot me a dirty look, "And don't call me 'Dar-Bear', okie?"

I grinned evilly as I giggled goofily, "Dar-Bear."

He stood up as soon as I said it, scaring me half to death. "Uh oh." I said as I zoomed out the front door in a panic.

As I kept running, I could hear him say "Haha, gets 'em every time."

I laughed a bit as I lit a cigarette. Don't ask me how Johnny and I source them… I mean it's plain obvious how we get them. It's what poor people do with a lot of things they can't afford. But the process of how we get them—that's the complicated part.

After a couple of drags on my stick, I was depicting what I should do. I mean, it may sound silly, but not as much as it was pathetic. I could've gone back into the house and asked Darry where Ponyboy was or I could've walked back to the DX to meet up with Johnny (Assuming he was still there). I had to meet up with Johnny by 7:30 anyway to take my pills.

I have to take pills because of my anxiety and depression. My parents didn't care that I was cutting myself for two entire years since I was eleven! They don't care. They never cared. They never will care. I guess that's why I'm so depressed. Or maybe it's that Grandma Cade was the only person in my family that cared for Johnny and I… but then she died when Johnny was 12. I permanently blocked out my age, knowing that it gave me so much pain. I hated showing up to her funeral when she died—only because I knew that our parents' families were coming and they treated us like shit, especially Johnny.

It just seems that Johnny is everyone's punching bag. Our mom and dad's, the mean girls at my school's, even occasionally his teachers'. It makes me feel awful about the way he's treated. He's a nervous wreck from being jumped by 'Ring Boy' as I like to call him. Boy, he really jacked him up…

I finally thought it would be good to go meet up with Johnny. Maybe he wanted to go to the Dingo or the vacant lot, being that those were the greaser hangouts after sunset.

So I started on my way to the DX. It was only a couple of minutes away, so I wasn't worried about getting jumped or anything. About 30 seconds into my walk, I began to sing Last Train to Clarksville by my favorite band, the Monkees. I was singing the 2nd verse when I heard the grumbling of an engine creeping up behind me. I thought it best not to turn around because then they'd know that I knew they were there. And 'Who,' you may be asking. The socs, of course.

I could hear one of them mumbling drunkly, "Hey, baby girl. Why don't you come 'mere… I'll take you for a joyride." I ignored it and kept walking. There was no way that I was responding to a soc who was cat-calling me. Not now, not ever. I heard him hit the side of the car door in anger, "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you deaf?!" He then threw something at me.

I didn't want to turn around. I didn't want to turn around! He threw another something at me, except this time, I knew what it was. It was a flask, still half full. It drenched my jean jacket with whiskey as it hit my spine. I made my hand into a fist and slowly turned around. As I stood there pissed off, the car came to a screeching halt. The socs inside looked amused by this. I slowly inched closer to the car with fiery eyes, about to explode like a volcanic eruption.

"What do you want from me, you stupid…" I tried to think of something worse to call them. That is before realizing I had just called them stupid. They were already angry and I knew it. Two socs stepped out of the car with livid expressions planted upon their faces.

"What was that, doll? What did you just call me, you greaseball bitch?!" The older looking one said looking intensely at me.

I felt sick, "N-nothing…" I felt like I was gonna force blood through my nose I felt so shitty. I just stood there, silently gasping for air as they inched closer to me. "W-wait! Please, I'm not f-feeling so hot."

The younger looking one smirked, "Good." He reached for my arm, dragging me to the car. The Older looking boy was putting his hand over my mouth as they opened the car door. "Now hold still, kitten." He had an evil grin on his face. I kept kicking at him, but somehow he just dodged it every time. "Stop squirming, girly!"

That's when I bit his hand, forcing it away from me. I screamed, "Help anyone please! Please help me!"

The older looking boy kicked my jaw, "Shut the fuck up, dammit!"

That's the last thing I remembered before blacking out completely.