Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own The Outsiders
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3. Thespians
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As far as he was concerned Dallas was being completely unfair.
Really how was he supposed to know she was his cousin?
They looked nothing alike.
Except the eyes, but even those weren't exactly the same. If Dal's were cold her's were the exact opposite. Like she was always laughing about something in her head…
Either way… she'd led him on. Sam had tricked him. Yes, he'd fallen victim to a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was the victim!
But, no. No sympathy for him. No instead he gets slammed into the ground by his friend. And even though Dal's the one that's got a hole in him he's the one who got the worst of it.
And then there came the ritual long and winded gloat-fest.
"Now you're gonna get it, like you could out run me. No one can out run Dallas Winst-"
He got cut off when Sam punched him square in the jaw. She reached down and yanked him off Two.
They were both shocked to say the least.
Two-Bit had never seen Dal let anyone get away with punching him… let alone a girl. Then there was the fact that he didn't look angry, which was always an easy thing to tell with Dal. He was looking at Sam and rubbing his jaw.
There was no doubt in Two-Bit's mind that Dallas looked annoyed, but was he… proud?
She let out a frustrated breath and looked at him seriously.
"Did you really think I came all the way down here just to talk?"
"Honestly?"
She nodded.
"No, I was think I was kind of expecting something along the lines of what you just did."
She glared at him.
"Samantha…"
Her eyebrows scrunched up angrily like Dal had said something hurtful. She seemed to realize what she was doing and her face relaxed again quickly. She calmed her voice down before she spoke again.
"What's your problem? I'm not good enough for you to pick up a phone and call, but one of your buddies hits on me and all of a sudden you're my protector?"
She looked at him again but he didn't say anything. Which was probably a smart move.
She helped her cousin off the ground. He got up brushed himself off not saying a word as he left her standing there looking at him smugly.
It was more than obvious who had won.
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When Dal passed Two-Bit he slowed down and gave him an evil look that said 'I'll get you later.'
Two-Bit knew he would so made a mental note to avoid him for a while, hopefully the punch screwed up his short-term memory and he'd forget about everything soon.
"So Dallas where're you living nowadays?"
"Over this way."
He snapped back to reality and saw Pony and Sam were already walking right behind Dal who had already started toward the group of houses straight ahead.
They stopped five minutes, of complete silence, later in front of a small white house. Dallas pulled out a key and opened the door giving proof that he was rarely there.
It was empty and they only proof that anyone really lived there was some mail and a missed message on the answering machine.
"This is it. Happy now?"
He sounded tired and he just plopped down angrily on the couch and acted like they were a hassle to him.
Which was his typical behavior. The worlds a hassle and he would do better without any help or compassion from everyone and anyone. His little 'look out for yourself' speech had gotten around and everyone took it as a joke.
"How long you gonna be here Sam?"
Good old Pony. Kid always knew when to change the subject.
"I'll leave when I decide Dal's no longer suicidal… which might take a while."
She stole the cigarette he was trying to light. He started grumbling about stupid women and she pretended not to hear.
"So you came down here to torture Dal?"
"She's just here to piss off Aida."
Sam glared daggers at Dallas and he just smirked.
"You know its true."
"Whose Aida?"
Dallas started saying something that sounded remarkably like 'bitter old hag' Sam but talked over him loudly.
"She raised me."
Dallas just laughed at that statement like it was some sort of joke.
Sam smiled.
Apparently it was an inside joke.
He was still laughing when the door slammed open and two people walked in.
"Well I don't know which is harder to believe, that Dally is laughing or that Two-Bit's not hitting on a girl who's sitting right next to him."
He didn't have to look up to see who was badmouthing him.
"Sam that's Sodapop Curtis on the left, and the smart ass next to him is Steve Randal."
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More faces and names she recognized.
Maybe more that didn't recognize her.
Maybe it wasn't a good thing but she was secretly happy none of them seemed to remember her.
Dal stood up and walked out the door.
"I need a smoke."
She'd get him back later for abandoning her.
"So Sam is it? What ya doing hanging out with these chumps when you could be hanging with the champ?"
She sighed.
To put it simply these guys were coming off like they were desperate or easy.
Hell with Steve it might have been both.
Did every one of them have these corny pick up lines? Maybe that's all they did. Trade pick-up lines and watch Mickey Mouse.
She tried to shrug off how lame the line was, 'Hang with the champ'?
Even Two-Bit had used a better one than that, and he was the king of corny.
She smiled. Maybe Two-Bit could help, in a weird little way.
"Well champ, you're a little out of line you see. I'm already utterly in love with Matthews."
You could've heard a pin drop.
God, its like I told them I used to be a guy or something.
She looked around the room and had to stifle a laugh.
She couldn't tell whose face was the most hilarious, though there were two close ones.
Steve's jaw dropped to the floor in horror and confusion.
Soda just took one look at Steve and busted up.
Ponyboy sat there with his eyebrow raised as if he had already guessed it was a joke.
Two-Bit might have won just because in three seconds he went through five different emotions.
At first he was angrily glaring at Steve and Soda for the looks of horror and disbelief.
Then it seemed to dawn on him exactly what had been said. Then came the look of disbelief.
Then something else that she barely caught because half a second later he looked like he was about to run away in fear because Dal was standing in the doorway.
Sporting this murderous glare looking like he wanted to kill every single one of them.
"Get out of my house." It came out like a growl or the sound a feral cat makes when you have it cornered.
All five jumped up off the couch and sprinted for the door.
Sam was almost out when Dal grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back in the house.
Or as it looked at the moment, the dwelling of a very angry monster.
"Not you."
She just choked out a nervous laugh and took one last glance at the four guys standing on Dal's lawn before he slammed the door behind them.
Dallas let her go and dropped the 'wet cat' routine and started laughing hysterically.
"You were faking?!"
He nodded his head to busy laughing to talk.
She got angry and demanded to know what the hell was so funny.
"You."
"What?"
"You… you said…" he couldn't finish he was laughing too hard.
She got quiet suddenly. "That's not funny Dal."
He stopped laughing and looked at her seriously.
"Please tell me you were joking."
She shook her head seriously and Dal's eyes widened in surprise.
Then she looked up at him and smiled.
He looked semi-relieved.
"You're not the only one who can act Coz."
"Still…"
She looked at him impatiently. "Speak."
"Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in?"
Truth be told, she hadn't thought past how funny they all looked.
"I don't think that was the best way to handle things."
"Hey it got Steve to get lost!"
Dallas looked at her like he knew something she didn't.
"Spit it out Dal."
He opened the front door and looked outside.
"Are you hungry?"
She knew that wasn't what he was thinking but…
"I'm starved." She was weak. So very, very weak.
Dal went outside and Sam followed him.
"You know where the Curtis' live, right?"
She nodded.
"Good. I'm gonna have myself a smoke and I'll met you there."
She started heading down the block but stopped mid-step and turned back to her 'suicidal' cousin.
"You are gonna show right?"
He smiled, "Would it really be so terrible if I didn't?"