Hello hello! Here is the third installment of The Survivors! Yays! Everyone starts dancing and cheering and drinking alcohol. Well, maybe not the last part, since we're (E and I, that is, Tardissoul) neither of us of age. So yeah. Hope ya'll enjoy it! Yays! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this story! You guys make the world a better place!
Disclaimer: Sighs NO I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS OR ANYTHING RECOGNIZABLE IN THIS STORY. I know I'm sad too. Cries into sleeve and eats gigantic tub of cookie dough while watching Outsiders and Soul Eater. Sighs.
Enjoy!
Ch. 3
Meet the Winston's
Several times, Kory tries asking me where we're going. I just tell her, "You'll see soon enough." Mainly I drive in silence. I don't speed or anything because my mind is already whirling at a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out if I'm doing the right thing. I don't need to get in another situation today, so no speeding. From time to time I look anxiously over at Kory. It isn't fair what I'm doing to her. It's selfish. She deserves a normal life and I don't have the right to take it away from her. But the way she was holding that blade, like she had so much anger in her, and how she's picking fights now, I have no other option. She had never thrown a blade before in her life. She threw darts from time to time but never blades. I had mixed feelings on whether I should feel proud or disappointed of Kory. She better toughen up, or she could be hurt so easily. I got her into this by joining her family. She started to act like me. It's my fault she is turning out this way. I dug us both into a hole and there is no climbing out. I can only dig further. And Kory's at a vulnerable state right now. I'd like to get past this state as fast as possible.
But I don't even know if they will accept Kory and me. We are Socials after all. And we're girls – no shit, Sherlock. But what about him, I think to myself. There was something in me that told me that there was still a chance for him. I don't feel like he has left at all. I try to remember where exactly they like to be. My brother had once told me but that was years ago. There were two places. Some abandoned place on the Eastside and someone's house that was also on the Eastside.
I look out the window as I drive. The sun was setting, washing everything in orange light. "Are you okay?" Kory asks.
"What? Yea. I'm fine." But the truth is, I'm really worried and afraid. What am I doing? I have half a mind to turn the car around, but something stops me from doing it.
"Ryan, you're starting to worry me."
"I'm starting to worry myself, kid."
We're almost there when I spot a fancy looking car in my rearview mirror. What's a fancy car like that doing in the Eastside? The drivers of that car are probably wondering the same thing about us. The car swerves from side to side, giving me the impression that the driver of the car is probably not sober. I curse and speed the car up a little. Though, the car is quite a bit behind us. I force myself to believe that they won't be able to catch up to us.
You could definitely tell the difference between the Westside and Eastside. Here, the houses are so dingy looking. They aren't taken care of as much, and the construction of them were done poorly. There is more trash on the streets, and the few passerby's I see look skinny and depressed. Everything is nicer and cleaner in the Westside.
"Kory," I start slowly "I just wanted to apologize in advance for throwing you into this. I'm sorry if this isn't how you wanted things to happen." She looks at me in total confusion. Her eyes demand to be met by mine, but I make sure that doesn't happen. I'm afraid if I look at her face, I'll brake down.
"What do you mean, Ryan? What in the world are you talking about? Where are we going?"
"Kory, there's something you have to understand," I say checking the rearview mirror. "I- shit!" The car with the drunk driver knocks into us from behind. My heart jumps into my throat, as Kory and I heave forward in our seats. I try to drive the car forward to get away from the drunk when his car spins around so that the two cars face different directions. Another impact comes from my left side just as quick as the first one, and the Impala threatens to tip over. I hear two voices screaming – one of them probably mine. My entire left side is in agonizing pain. The world spins and lights flash. My vision goes in and out of focus. The other car spins again and blocks the path in front of my car. I furiously start spinning the wheel to the right, but does no good. The third crash still comes and drags along the front of my car. The shrieking sound of metal scraping metal deafens my ears as, my body lurches forward in a whiplash. My face hits the steering wheel and my vision turns white for the second time in one day.
~ O ~
The first thought I'm able to comprehend is pain. When I realize that I can't see anything, I think that I'm dead. If I'm dead, I think, fine. Let me be dead. But keep Kory alive. But how can death be this painful? Slowly, my vision starts to come back to me. Bits and pieces. Fuzzy dots. Then red and black spots. Then shapes. Then a shiny version of reality. I'm still in the Impala with my body hunched over. My head hurts a lot more than it has ever hurt in my life. This pounding, insisting pain of a headache makes me want to scream, – or hurl - but I can't find the muscles to do it. The next sense that starts coming back to me is my hearing. My hearing takes even longer to gain than my sight. I can hear nothing at first. Eventually, I hear a faint ringing that gets louder as the time goes by. I can't tell how fast time is moving. How long has it been since I first started regaining consciousness? My left ear pops and I can hear things from a distance as if I'm underwater. The terrifying sound of the wrecked Impala still running. Drunk voices swearing. My ragged breath coming in out of my lungs. My other ear pops and I can hear more but it still seems so quiet. I try to find my muscles. Everything aches so much. I wonder how much of my guts are pouring out right now. Finally, I am able to control my neck. I turn my head to the right. My heart gives a panicked flutter as I realize Kory isn't there and her door is open. I fight as hard as I can to make the rest of my ligaments move. I somehow manage to slowly crawl across the console and slip out onto the ground on Kory's side – there is no way I am going to get my damaged door open. Every part of my body is stiff and aching. I find Kory on the sidewalk, throwing up in nearby bushes. I get up from the ground and immediately the world goes topsy-turvy. I stumble toward the bushes and throw up as well.
When I'm through, I scoot back to look at Kory. She seems unharmed but pretty shaken up with tears flowing down her face. She finishes retching and turns slowly to me. Relief is plain in her face. She lunges and hugs me. I reach up slowly to hug her back.
"It's alright. We're safe. We're both alive. It's fine. I'm sorry I brought you out here," I mumble.
"I-I thought yo-ou were de-ad," she sobs out.
"I'm alive. I'm okay. I just blacked out," I comfort her.
"B-but you passed out with your eyes op-en so I thought…"
How could I have passed out with my eyes open? "Shh…We're gonna be alright. Now we've gotta get up so we can go get some help, yeah?" She nods on my shoulder. I slowly and carefully get up and pull Kory up after me. I look at the Impala. Smoke is emitting from everywhere, but there is no fire. The Impala is driven halfway onto the sidewalk from when I tried to avoid the last blow. The back looks awful, but it got the softest blow. It got dented and torn and scratched. The second impact caused the whole left side to be bashed in and the driver's window's shattered to pieces. My mind flashbacks to the second where the window was blown in my face. I shudder involuntarily. The last blow makes the car look like it can't be repaired. The left half of the metal in front part of the car is now scraped up in the corner. My heart sinks as look at my car. I loved this car. It was a gift from The Parental Unit that I actually appreciated. The Parental Unit was so happy when they found out that I wanted something that was normal for a Social girl at my age, they went right out and bought it. I cared for this car. Kory and I had such good memories in it.
I turn to Kory, deciding it's time to go. She looks a little unstable, so I drape her arm around my shoulder and pull her along. Once we get past the Impala, the drunk Socials from the other car start shouting.
"Where do you think you're going?" one asks in a stupid manner. All four of them look pretty messed up with cuts along their faces. One of them is lying on the ground with blood oozing out of his arm.
"Going to get help," I call. "You stay here." That is good enough for them. I could get help in a second, for there are houses all around us, – I bet someone has already called the police – but I am looking for some certain people to help me. I get moving. Kory and I are extremely slow. With her instability and my soreness, I gotta admit, it is really hard to be fast. Paranoid, I look down at my stomach. My guts are, in fact, not coming out of my body. I guess, all this shock and aching is causing me to hallucinate weird feelings.
I estimate how far we are from our destination. If, I remember right, it's about the distance of a little less than a mile. I groan in my mind. "We're having a really messed up day, aren't we?" I ask the question to myself, but Kory decides to answer it.
"Sure are. I'm starting to think you're a bad luck charm." I laugh ruefully because it's true. "So you mind telling me where we're going?"
"To the vacant lot," I tell her.
~ O ~
It takes us quite a while to get to the lot. We keep stopping because I feel like someone is following us and we keep falling down. But eventually, we make it. We approach the vacant lot. A shadowy field with the street on one side and trees and bushes on the other. At the edge of the field, I can see the silhouettes of six or seven people. I stop and turn to Kory, thinking that it would probably be better if I explain this to my already-confused friend first.
"I was asked to be in a gang a while ago," I start. She squints her eyes at me like she kind of suspected that all along. She tries to interject, but I hold up a hand to stop her. "I turned down the offer so that I could look after you." And some other reasons. "Now, I think we've both been through enough for you to…handle the gang." I'm entirely sure 'handle' wasn't the right word, but oh well.
She looks at me a moment and this whole time, I think about how smart she is for thinking this hard. Then she just says, "Um…okay." Her dazed trance is not helping my problems.
I try for a joke. "Well, I would have thought you'd be a little more excited seein' as Ponyboy's in this gang." I make sure I don't say it loud enough for the boys to hear. Kory blinks twice at me and then she faints. I barely catch her before her head hits the pavement and think, I have no idea if she's fainted because of the shock of the crash or because I mentioned her crush. Then panic hits me. I try fanning Kory with my hand, but when I realize that isn't going to working, I flail my free arm wildly so that the boys would come over here. I probably look like an injured goose or something. As the boys run over I crouch there, propping up Kory whose skin is a lot paler than normal – and I am under the impression that she is part albino or poltergeist.
Three guys come over and the biggest one – a guy who looks like he's in his mid-twenties with pale blue eyes and dark hair – picks up Kory and starts carrying her off toward the trees in his muscular arms without a word. I follow him.
"Hi," I say, expecting him to introduce himself. I mean, he did just pick up my best friend and started walking off with her.
"Hi," he says. "What happened?"
"Car crash."
"How badly is she hurt?"
"I don't think she's hurt at all. I think it's just the shock of it all. We've had an…interesting day."
"She has a black eye."
"I've noticed." The man raises an eyebrow as if to say, your sass is not appreciated. "Like I said, we've had an interesting day, but that isn't from the car crash."
"So what brings you to the Eastside, gorgeous?" asks a guy with rusty colored hair. He was grinning like he never stopped grinning cuz the whole world was just too dang funny.
"Two-Bit, shut up and stop flirting," demands the one carrying Kory. When we reach the trees, I stop so that I'm still in the field, but the big guy – he's probably the leader – continues to set Kory down in between a tree and a bush. It disturbs me to see Kory so lifeless.
Another person comes sauntering over from the shadows. The others warn him to stay hidden but he ignores them. I recognize him immediately even though he's changed some. He's somehow taller and healthier looking from the last time I saw him. He looks handsomer too. His white blonde hair has grown darker and his cold blue eyes even colder. His tough and rough personality is clearly still there from the way he holds himself. My heart lifts at the moment I look at Dallas Winston.
I know it's a dream. I'm not stupid. But so much of me wishes that it's real that I can't help but just go along. Soon he's standing in front of me. Neither of us hug or smile or whatever you're supposed to do at reunions. Kory wakes up, but – for once – I don't pay any attention to her. She watches me in confusion. Dally and I stand there, staring at each other, taking each other in.
Finally he says in a troubled voice, "It's been a while, Ryan." I have no idea what reaction he's wanting from me. A 'welcome back from the dead'. Or 'yea, let's go get a pizza and act like nothing happened'. Or maybe he's just wishing I'd disappear. But the reaction from the rest of his gang is much worse than mine can ever be. One guy whistles and another guy – Two-Bit – says, "Awh. Look at the lovebirds bein' lovebirds." I flush furiously at the really gross awkwardness and Dally just ignores them.
I force myself to say something. "It's good to see you again, big brother."
Seven chins drop at once and say, "Big brother?" I just stand there thinking to myself, out of all the things I could say to my brother, who I haven't seen in years, I just stand there like a freakin statue and say, 'It's good to see you again, big brother?"
But then I can't take it anymore. Everything I blame my brother for rises up and I slap him across the face. The others gasp. "Don't you ever leave me like that again," my voice trembles.
"Yes, ma'am," he replies. Neither of us have cracked a smile yet. I really want to ask him how in the sane heck is he alive, but this is a dream and I'll have time for that later.
"I love this," says Two-Bit. "It's like some really weird over-dramatized show." Dally and I just stare at each other for a few more long minutes. No smiles. No laughs. No hugs. Just a cold stare down between two very cold people. My mind is whirling with the possibilities of how Dally could possibly be alive. So far, I have come up with none that make sense. Unless you count alien technology and Superman powers as something that makes sense.
I don't want to ask, afraid that I'll wake up when I do, but my curiosity gets the better of me. "Am I dreaming?" My voice sounds dumb to even my own ears, but nothing happens. I don't wake up. Part of me thinks it will be for the better if this whole day is just a dream.
"Never could tell the difference from fantasy and reality, could ya, sis?" His eyes soften as he says it, but there is still no smile.
"Shut up, Dallas," I growl. That does it for him. Something in the way I say it makes the smile I've been waiting for appear on his face. "What?" I ask, irritated.
"You haven't changed a bit. Except for the fact that you've grown up." I look at him and tears swim before my eyes. The smile brings me back to times in New York when Dally would flash his crooked and reckless grin like everything was fine. I push the tears back as best as I can. His smile slowly fades away, when he seems to remember that his friends are all looking on, still very confused.
"Well, introduce yourself," Dally orders.
"I'm Ryan," I say with an awkward wave of a hand to the gang. "If you have not been rudely eavesdropping on our conversation – I know you all have – then I am Dally's sister."
"Haha. You got us, Dal. Now, quit foolin around," says a boy from the shadows with false humor in his voice. He was quieter than the rest. He seemed smaller too. When I look closely at him, I almost think – but it can't be true. Then again, if Dally's alive then maybe there is a possibility that he's alive too. Though, I'm still not entirely convinced that this isn't a dream.
"Look, I know this is gonna be hard for you guys to grasp," Dally begins in a bored voice, "but she really is my sister." The gang just looks at us with unamused faces. Like a crowd that a stand-up comedian is trying to make laugh, but they are too stubborn to do so – that, or the comedian has really crappy jokes. Everyone is staring at one another for a few minutes. I try to make eye contact with Kory, but she's busy gawking at, who I assume, must be Ponyboy Curtis. My hunch is confirmed when he walks further out of the shadows.
"Oh, I can't believe I haven't seen it before!" he exclaims with a gentle voice.
"Seen what Pony?" asks the leader of the gang.
"They're exactly alike!" Everyone in the lot wears the same confused expression except for Pony.
"They look nothing alike!" claims one of the guys. We all mumble in agreement. Dally and I looked nothing alike. We're opposites. He has skin that is much paler than mine – not that he has pale skin. I don't have the pointy ears and teeth that he does. And my hair is brown while his blond. He has blue eyes; I have brown. He is tall; I am, sadly, short. Nothing alike.
"No. Not their looks, their personalities," Ponyboy says in an eager voice. Kory has the same voice when she wants me to believe something she knows to be right. From the corner of my eye, I steal a look at Dally. His face has fallen somehow. Like he doesn't want to believe I'm like him. "I've seen you at school," Pony continues, speaking directly at me now. "You can beat someone up who's twice your size. I've heard about your witty humor. Oh, and I also know that you got expelled for doing several things today." Dally's face turns to me full of what I am guessing is anger, but I haven't seen him in so long that I don't know what he could possibly be angry about.
"YOU GOT EXPELLED?!" he booms. I cringe inwardly at the harshness of his voice.
"No. I got suspended. There's a difference, in case you didn't know," I reply, trying not to show fear. His eyes narrow at me.
"I guess it wasn't the best thing to bring that up, huh?" says Pony.
"It's fine, Ponyboy. I'll handle it," I reassure him. "Dallas, do try to calm down. It's the first time we've seen each other in years, and you're embarrassing me in front of your friends." I can imagine him sticking his tongue out like he would when I was little. But that was for the past, and to keep up with the present, you must move on from the little, childish things in life. So, Dally just clenches his jaw.
"Wait. So, you ain't joking?" asks Two-Bit.
"No, Two-Bit. Some of us actually have the ability to go two seconds without joking," Dally says harshly.
"Well, how come you ain't never told us about her before, Dal?" asks one of the guys. Sodapop Curtis. I've seen him at the DX quite a few times. He is just about the prettiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. He's really sweet too. Always shrugging me off when I don't have the exact change for gas. My eyes meet his, and I avert my gaze to look at my shoes, hoping he doesn't see me blush.
"Because you didn't need to know," he snaps. Okay, that hurt…a lot. Being unwanted is nothing new to me, but it still hurts every time Dally pushes me away. The fact that he doesn't want his friends to know I existed is even worse.
"Where's she been all this time?" asks another guy. Stephen Rackle. Or something of the sort. He also works at the DX. Fixes my car from time to time.
Dally shrugs and starts speaking quickly, annoyed with all the Q & A. "The West side. Look, at one point in my years of New York, I made her come here. She got adopted by some rich family and I went back to New York to convince my dad to move here, so that I could keep an eye on her." They all nod their heads in comprehension. The gang all seem fine now. They didn't ask any more questions. Suddenly, they all seem to understand Dally's reasoning. But I don't.
Dally turns to me. "So why d'you come here?" he says with hostility edged in his voice.
I purse my lips. "I got in a car accident with some drunk Socs," I say like it's the most natural thing to happen in all of time. Dally raises his eyebrows slightly. "But that's not all." I take a deep breath and take this biggest risk I have made in a long time. "I was wondering…if possibly – only if you'd accept us – if Kory and I could join your gang." My words are mainly aim at their leader, since I was raised to ask leaders before anyone else.
The six members of the gang start talking all at once. They talk amongst themselves for a while. Except Dally. Dally keeps his gaze fixed on me, his eyes unreadable. Kory sees this as a chance to walk toward me. She's a little uneasy with her step, but able enough to make it to me. The boys keep talking.
"But they're girls!"
"They're Socs!"
"But she's Dally's sister! She must have a Greaser side to her! And she wouldn't hang with the other broad if she weren't tuff enough!" I laugh softly in my head at the incorrect use of grammar. I wonder what I would do if they don't let us join. They probably won't and I'd just walk away, never to see my brother again.
"They could be workin for some Socs. Spyin on us, ya know?" Oh, bite me, I think to myself. But I know that they need to work things out for themselves, so I don't say anything.
"They ain't workin for no Socs. They're wearing jeans. No Soc would do that in a million years, especially girl Socs."
"But we can't just let 'em join. This a rough time. We need to keep low. Adding two broads to our gang is not the way to do it." I have no idea what the guy means by that, but it doesn't sound too good.
"And we don't know why they came here. All of the sudden, she just comes when she could have done it years ago."
"ENOUGH!" Dally yells. "You guys all bicker like old cat ladies!" I don't really understand how he makes the connection to old cat ladies, but Dally says it in a way that make people wanna run away screaming in fear. I almost forgot how threatening my older brother could be. "Now, why don't we just ask the girls why they want to be in the gang instead of you dimwits trying to figure it out for yourselves?" All eyes turn on me and I find my tongue as dry as a desert. I could get into the gang or be turned away depending on my next few words.
"Um…we want to join cuz we've been through some rough situations lately. We thought that you guys could help us toughen up."
"You Socs don't have it rough," calls Stephen – or whatever his name is.
"Things are rough all over," defends Pony. The words mean a lot to him. I can tell from the delicate way he says them.
"I think it's a perfectly good enough reason to let them into our gang," says Dally. "What do you think, Darry?"
"Yeah…sure. If you're a hundred percent sure that they won't cause us any problems, I think its fine," the leader unsurely says. So that's Darryl Curtis, I think to myself. "It'll be more than fine. You and your sister will be back together again, Dally. And like I always say, the more the merrier." I give a silent thank you to my brother and let out a sigh of relief. I feel Kory do the same.
"You don't always say that, Darry," Two-Bitt points out.
"Shut up, Two-Bitt." I'm guessing Two-Bitt's told that a lot. Just a guess. I notice Two-Bitt eying me skeptically. I don't blame him. It's gonna take a while for these guys to accept Kory and me – that is to say, if they ever accept us. I offer him a smile to be friendly. His frown deepens. He holds my eyes in place, keeping me from looking away.
I hear Dally say something about going to the Curtis's. Everyone starts moving except for Two-Bitt and me. We still stare at each other. I feel like he can see deep inside of me. Seeing every secret that I have ever kept. Every action I have ever done.
"C'mon," I feel Kory hiss in my ear. I finally brake my gaze from Two-Bitt's. He trudges on, catching up with his friends. Kory and I stick to the back of the group. I still don't know if this is the right decision, joining the gang.
I notice that the gang kind of forms a box around two people. One of them is Dally. The other is – I was right, he's alive – Johnny Cade. I wonder why they do that. Could it be because they need to keep them hidden? From what? Well, everyone does think they're dead. Maybe they want to keep it that way. They knit themselves closer together as a car goes by which makes me suddenly remember about the car accident.
"Hey, Dal?" I call as we walk.
"Yeah?" he answers back, not bothering to turn his head to look at me.
"I just remembered that I've been in a car crash."
"And?"
"Well, I was just thinking, that I should probably go back and sort things out."
"Good point. I'll meet you back at the Curtis's, okay?" Thanks for the help, I think to myself and sigh inwardly.
"Hey, I'll see you later, mkay?" I tell Kory, starting to turn around. She starts to do the same.
"I'll go with you. After all, I was in the accident, as well." I look at her. With her paleness and instability, I don't want to take a chance with her, afraid she might pass out again.
"No. Kory, you're not in your best health right now." Her face falls a bit with disappointment. "I think it would be best if you went with the boys. Dally will make sure your treated right. Right, Dal?"
"Yea. Sure. Whatever," he responds, probably not listening to a word I just said.
I offer Kory a false smile. "I'll see you in a bit." She gives a little wave of her hand and I'm start to take off.
"Hey wait!" calls a voice that I instantly recognize as Sodapop's. I silently scold myself for being a stalker. I turn around again and he has broken formation, walking toward me. "I should come with you." My day automatically gets ten times better, and, for some reason, my face decides it's time to mildly blush.
"Should you?" That came out ruder than I would ever want it to. "I mean, would you?"
"Why not? I know a lot about cars and a girl like you shouldn't walk alone this close to nightfall." I blush again. What did he mean by, "a girl like you?" He probably just doesn't know I could beat up almost all the people that come at me. "Anyway, you probably wouldn't know how to get back to my house. Steve!" Oh, so that's his name.
"Yeah, Sodapoop?" Soda flushes and I can't help but smile a little.
"Come with us. And don't you call me that or I'll knock your teeth out." Reluctantly, Steve walks with us as we go the other way toward the crash site. It takes us a shorter time to reach the car crash than I thought it would. I really must have been moving at a snail's pace before. Steve lets out a low whistle as he sees the wreck and the police cars swarming around it.
An officer comes up to us and says, "Y'all can't be here. There's been an accident that we're still investigating.
"I know," I reply. "I was in the car accident. I went to get some help." I gesture to the boys on either side of me. The cop evaluates things for a minute. He looks at me from head to toe and must realize that me looking like a wreck is not just a coincidence.
"Alright, then where are the people from the other car?" he questions.
"You mean they aren't here?" Confusion slows down my thinking and I can't grasp the situation correctly.
"No. They must have left when you were gone. They left all the doors open to their car so we know there were probably at least four of them. We don't know who they were but we've got a license plate that we're checking out now." Authority rings through his voice as he informs us on what he knows.
"But I told them to stay here." Stupidity is what describes my voice at the moment.
"Do you know what caused them to crash into your car? Or did you crash into theirs?"
"Um, they were drunk." I start giving the cop the whole story of what happened, remembering not to mention Kory. I don't really want to get her tangled up in this. The cop keeps nodding and scribbles in his notepad. Steve and Soda help me come up with a story of how I came across them. According to them, I was walking on the pavement in a very unstable manner when they found me. I collapsed and fainted for about ten minutes. When I woke up, I told them what happened and we came back here.
"Okay," says the cop. "Well, it seems like you didn't do anything wrong. If we need you for anything, we'll come and get you. What's your name, dear?"
"Rhianna Banker." I would prefer to say Winston, but, technically, that wasn't my name anymore. I hand him my driver's license and he scribbles more stuff down on his notepad.
"Thanks. When we find the boys who did this, we'll give you a call. Would you like an escort to the hospital?"
That takes me by surprise. "What? No. I'm not hurt." The officer nods in approval like, look at this tough gal. He walks away and I stand in his wake with incomprehension running about my mind. Soon, a tow-truck person comes up and asks about insurance and if he should tow the car to my house or the dump.
Before I can say anything, Soda says, "No. Take it to the DX workshop." At the DX, they had this very small – but good enough – auto garage where they fixed up minor 'injuries' on cars. The tower nods and takes off. "I'll fix it up, if you'd like."
"Thanks," – awkward blush – "but, Soda, isn't it a little too much damage? Shouldn't I just by a new car?"
He looks at me with mock offence, "Are you questioning my mad skills?" I smile at his teasing. "But, I think I can handle it. The damage ain't that bad. I think it looks worse than it actually is." I see Steve roll his eyes with a funny little smile.
"Thanks," I say again.
"And I'll be there to help this fool," Steve speaks up. "I'm the master off all cars, and, currently, I'm teaching this guy all I know." He jerks his thumb at Soda. "He's my apprentice."
"Apprentice? I had no idea you knew words that big. Good for you, Stevie." Steve looks proud of himself and I actually let out a real laugh. Soda looks pleased and I'm pretty sure he blushes faintly. My lips curl into a shy smile.
The three of us look at my Impala being towed away. "Wow, that's one hell of a car," says Steve. "Impala's are really tuff." He goes on about the car and what he'll do to fix it.
"You know you're bleeding, right?" asks Soda, gently.
I look at him blankly. "What?"
He nods. "You're bleeding. On your arm and forehead." He reaches his hand up to my face and I flinch backwards. He lowers his arm, and a hurt look comes to his face.
"Sorry," I mutter.
"You shouldn't be. You didn't do anything wrong. But you really are bleeding." I lift my fingers to my left temple and wince at the sudden pain. Sure enough, they come away covered in blood. I sigh with disappointment at myself. "C'mon. Let's go back to my place. We can patch you up there." My heart thumps hopefully at the way he says, 'We.'
As we walk, the cold air nips at my bear arms and causes goose bumps to rise. I involuntarily tremble. "You cold?" Soda asks.
"Nah, I'm fine." LIES. But he doesn't listen and takes off his long sleeved plaid shirt to reveal a white tank and hands it to me. "Thanks." I offer him a smile and slip the shirt on over my fancy-ish blue shirt. When his eyes meet mine, I drop them again, blushing. I don't know why – I'm never shy anymore – but this guy…
"You know," says Steve, "we should play a game called Who Can Blush the Hardest. I'm definitely gonna lose, but you two stand a pretty good chance." That only makes us blush more. Steve bellows out with laughter.
~ O ~
The Curtis's house looks homey. My house is anything but. So, naturally, I fall in love with the house at first sight. It reminds me of the little apartment that Dally and I used to live in before New York.
"It's nothing much," says Soda as we walk up to the porch.
"I love it," I say truthfully with a smile. Soda just looks at me like I'm crazy. Steve opens the door without knocking and makes a beeline for the kitchen. As I walk into the very small living room, I'm awed as I see Kory laughing, sitting on the floor next to Ponyboy, and Two-Bitt is telling some joke. Johnny and Darry are there too. They all seem really happy near Kory, which I wouldn't expect. I have been thinking that the whole gang would hate us, but apparently not. Or maybe they just like Kory. Kory's easier to like than I am.
She looks at me expectantly. "Everything's all taken care of." She smiles and goes back to talking with Ponyboy. Soda tells me I should go sit on the couch while he gets some first-aid supplies.
Just as I sit down, Dally comes out of the bathroom and plops himself down on the left side of me. "Where d'you get the cuts from," he asks roughly.
"I was in a car crash, remember?" I say in a monotone voice.
"What about the bruise? I bet that wasn't from the accident. How big was he?" I look at him in wonder. "C'mon. I know the difference between a car-involved injury and a fist-involved injury." I was disappointed that he was talking to me like some wrestling buddy and not his sister.
I rub the sore bruise that was placed along my cheekbone. "He's a football player. Pretty huge."
"Why would you be stupid enough to pick a fight with a guy like that?" His harsh words sting like a million paper cuts.
"She isn't stupid," Kory says, defensively. I hadn't realized that everyone else was listening to our conversation. "She was protecting me. I got in a fight with some girl. Her boyfriend got involved and she protected me."
"Whatever," Dally says indifferently. Soda walks into a room of total silence. He awkwardly makes his way to me and sits on the ground in front of me. He has a bunch of bandages in his arms. Slowly, everyone starts talking again.
He looks at me and honestly says, "I have no idea what to do." Dally sighs and takes the stuff away from Soda. With a pair of tweezers, he hurriedly pulls the tiny shards of glass from a cut that starts above the middle of my left eyebrow and ends at my left temple. I try not to cringe at the pain of it. He then sloppily wipes the blood off my chin and neck with a dampened cloth. He cleans the cut with rubbing alcohol and I squeeze my eyes shut against the sting. He lifts my hair up so that he can finish with poorly wrapping gauze around my head.
He then commands me to take off the shirt that Soda gave me and I wonder if he knew about the cut on my left arm because he saw it at the vacant lot or because he saw the blood seeping through the shirt. He follows the same process with these cuts. My arm has three cuts all crossing over each other kind of like a sideways H. When he's finished, I mutter a thanks and he just grunts like he couldn't care less.
"Ya got lucky," he says as I shrug Soda's shirt back on. "The cuts were too shallow for stitches. They should scab over during the night."
Soda then sits on the other side of me and says, "You sure do know a lot, Dal." You have no idea, think to myself. Dally had learned a lot from when we lived in New York, but what makes him even wiser is that he taught himself.
Soda and I start chatting aimlessly. We don't stay on a single subject for more than ten seconds, but I don't mind. I just like talking to him. He's awfully sweet and funny. And he's got this wild spirit in his voice and expression that keeps me fully concentrated on him. He points out the whole gang to me. Saying who's who and what they're like. Johnny and Ponyboy are the sweet ones with the sensitive side. Two-Bitt is the wisecracker, always making jokes at everyone else's expense. Steve is good with cars and shows an interest in stealing things. And Darry is the unofficial leader of the gang. The boys don't exactly think of themselves as a proper gang, and, according to Soda, Darry likes to pretend that he isn't a part of it.
"Dally, your brother, he's the closest to a hoodlum as we boys get. He used to steal things and jump people. Every so often, he'd get himself sent to jail." I wasn't expecting Dally to be any different than Soda describes him, but it still kills me to know that Dally's like this. Some things never change, I remember.
"And Soda," says Steve with chocolate cake all around his mouth, "he's the looks around this place. He knows it too. From time to time we'll catch him complimenting himself in the mirror." The whole room bursts out laughing. I know what Steve said is a lie, but it's still so dang funny. Soda excuses himself to go give Steve a piece of his mind. The two of them are soon on top of each other. Playfully punching each other until the other calls uncle. I see Two-Bitt and Dally exchange money in a bet. I look over at Kory, who is now sitting in the armchair with Pony on the arm and Johnny on the ground next to them. They're all laughing their butts off and I smile to myself. Kory looks so happy. Happier than she's been in a long while. I feel a twinge of guilt as I remember that's because of me. She catches my eye and smiles even harder, and I smile back.
I scoot closer to Dally. "Where have you been all this time?"
The grin disappears from his face. "What do you mean?"
I don't want to ruin the happiness of the moment, but my mind itches for answers. "You know what I mean. How are you alive?"
"Let's not talk about this here."
"Why not? I'm sure all of these guys know. Why won't you tell me?" I plead for answers, though he's too reluctant and stubborn to give them.
"Because I said I won't, Ryan. And that means I won't!" he snaps.
"Why did you leave me?" I blurt out, a lot louder than I meant to. Everyone turns to look at us and my face heats from embarrassment. With an annoyed sigh, Dally grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the house.
~ O ~
The darkness of the night covers Dally from the sight of neighbors. We walk out onto the empty street and face each other, five feet apart. Dally lights a cigarette and offers me one.
"I don't smoke," I decline, my voice shaking. In the light emitting from the flame of the lighter, I see the corner of Dally's lips curl up in a sort of half smile. I get impatient and burst out with eagerness. "So, are you gonna tell me what the hell is happening? I haven't seen you since I was ten!"
"That time when you were twelve…"
"For five minutes, Dallas! For five freakin minutes!"
"Jeez! I understand that you're mad –''
"YOU UNDERSTAND!? You think you understand!? No, Dally. You don't! You don't understand what it's like to be left alone on some strange street at the age of nine! To be taken in by some random family and live with them for eight years! And for seven years, I didn't know if you were alive! Then a year ago - it was all over the newspapers!" I can't stop the tears from flooding down my cheeks.
"Ryan-''
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! FOR A WHOLE YEAR! I LOST IT, DALLY!" His face looks like it had been slapped over and over again. I can't believe that he's actually feeling some hurt from my words, yet I'm glad he does. "And now…to learn that you're perfectly fine – not giving a damn about me!"
Now his face looks like a lion. A very pissed off lion. "WHO SAID I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU?! Huh? Cuz I'd sure as hell like to know!" I flinch at the ferocity of his words. He throws his cigarette to the ground and puts it out with his foot. "Rhianna, you're my sister," he says, desperately. "Of course, I care about you!"
"Then why don't you mind telling me that you're alive?!" I scream. I turn on my heel and walk down the street. I don't know where I'm going, I'm probably being irrational, but I don't care. I just have too much steam that I need to blow.
"Where are you going?" Dally calls.
"Anywhere where you aren't."
"You'll get lost…and end up in a ditch."
"I don't care!" I show him one of my special fingers and hope he can see it. Suddenly, he's behind me. He grabs my wrist and spins me around to face him.
"Listen to me!" I look in a different direction. "Listen to me!" He shakes me a bit and I look at his face.
"You have my full, undivided attention," I retort. He looks like he's about to slap me, and I find myself welcoming it. But, somehow, he manages to control himself.
"I did all those things – I left you – for you. I did it so that you wouldn't be hurt no more. It was so awful in New York, Ryan. I have no idea if you remember it – ''
"I do."
"Then, you'll remember that that place was hell. I couldn't bare you living in that anymore. And after what had happened…I had no other choice."
"Why didn't you come and get me after you moved here with Dad?" I choke out, weakly. Fresh and hot tears are still rolling down my face. I can taste the saltiness of them on my lips. Dally's pained expression makes me feel a little guilty, but I still want to know.
"You already had a life. You had a life as a Social. That is a much better life than I could ever offer you. I didn't want to take away the chance of having a better life from you. Besides, once I found the gang, I did ask you if you wanted to join. I thought you were going to say yes. Why didn't you?"
My heart falls even deeper into an aching sadness. But I don't let Dally see me sad and decide to use my sadness and turn it into anger. "YOU REJECTED ME!" I shout with rage. I calm myself and manage to say in a soft – yet distraught – manner, "Do you have any idea what that does to people."
"Rejected you?"
"Yes, Dally. Left me and took off. Pushed me out of your life. Rejected me. You didn't want me! I was just in the way! I was too much of inconvenience!" I feel my voice rising. "How was I supposed to say I wanted to go with you? Believe me, I wanted to go with you. I wanted to so much. But I would look so weak. It was my way of protecting myself. Not giving you the chance to push me away again. Don't you see?"
"So, it was just a sibling rivalry?" he says slowly. At first, I don't understand how it could be a sibling thing, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
"I guess. You left me and, after a long time, you came back. You told me you wanted to be with me again. That's like stabbing me – on purpose – and then saying sorry! Any sibling wouldn't go with you. That's the thing about siblings. One doesn't let the other get the better of them! Especially when the situation is between you and me."
"You wanted to go with me? You wanted to be a greaser? How could you ever want that when you're perfectly happy being rich, well fed, and treated with respect?" He looks heart broken and guilty at the highest rate possible for Dally Winston.
"Cuz I would be with you, Dal," I say softly.
"And that's better how, exactly?"
"You're my brother. You were the closest thing I had to family since Mom died. You were and are family. And you were the only one that loved me. Sure, I had an adoptive family that accepted me, but that is nothing compared to having a brave and tough older brother that loved me since the beginning."
He actually looks touched for a minute. "But I thought you like being a Social."
I shake my head. "I mean there are perks. Getting cool things. And living in places that aren't the sidewalks outside a grocery store. And actually going to school for a change. But I'd give those things up in a heartbeat to be with you. And I'm just tired of my adoptive mother trying to force me to wear dresses." I try to make a joke, but neither of us laugh. "I'm a greaser at heart, Dal. And no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I can't ever be a Social. I can't have that life. Not even if I wanted to."
"What about Kory?"
"I'm glad I met her. I really truly am. She's my little sister. But I wish I had never been adopted by her parents. I've influenced her too much. She deserves to be putting her hair in beehives, dressing in dresses, watching "I Love Lucy," and doing all those things that Social girls do. She's too violent because of me. And that's why I decided to be part of the gang. She needs to be toughened up. Remember? Toughen up or –''
"Toughen up or you'll lose before the game even starts," he nods at the memory. "Ryan, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for being a really huge ass." His voice sounds sincere and my heart contracts, tears pushing over the sides of my eyelids. "I'm sorry I wasn't the brother you wanted me to be." I run and throw my arms around him. I really need a hug. Slowly and unsurely, he wraps his arms around me. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I'm so sorry," he repeats over and over again, resting his chin on my head. His strong arms start squeezing the air out of my lungs but I don't mind. I love feeling like a younger sibling. All these years with Kory, I've had to advise her and comfort her. But now, I am the one being comforted.
"I'm – sorry – for – yell – ing – at you," I say between sobs.
"S'okay, kiddo. You had every right to. I'll never abandon you again." And I believe him. I cry into his chest and he rubs my back the way my mom would when we were little kids. We hug for a good few minutes before I pull away, slowing down the sobs racking through my body. Dally cups my face with his hands and wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. "Have you gotten prettier since I saw you last?"
I let out a shaky laugh. "You always knew how to impress a girl." He smiles ruefully and ruffles my hair. A thought crosses my mind. "Hey, you wanna stay at my parents' house while they're away? I mean, it must get a little stuffy in the Curtis's. But, only if you want to, of course." I can't stop the hope from creeping into my voice.
"Sure, kiddo. Just no running around in your underwear." I smile at the memories. It happened a lot more often than you would think.
"Promise. Hey, Dal?"
"Yeah?"
"How are you alive?" He lets out a breath of air that smells of cigarette ash. He drags me over to the curb and we sit down.
"A bullet-proof vest."
"A what?"
"A vest that is bullet proof. See, I was shot, but I was wearing a bullet proof vest. The vest prevented the bullets from reaching me."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"No, you wouldn't have. I didn't know that there was something like that until that day." He looks at me and I look back, expecting him to go on. "That day, I was at this store. There were only two other guys in there. The cashier and this other man. The other man was looking at me funny. Like he knew me, and I didn't know him. This was just after Johnny died, so I didn't investigate. I stole something from the store and took off. I didn't know that the man had followed me. After I made a phone call to the Curtis's the man appeared and told me to put the bullet proof vest on. I tried to walk away, but the man literally forced it under my shirt. He told me not to tell anyone about it cuz it hadn't been invented yet. It seemed very futuristic to me and it still does.
"I took off. I followed through with my plan. I led the police to the vacant lot and raised an empty gun. They shot me and I fell to the ground from the impact and passed out. But I wasn't dead. When I woke up, I was in an ally and the man was standing in front of me. I realized that he saved my life so I thanked him, but I also flipped him off. I…had wanted to die."
"What." My mind just goes blank, and when he says nothing, I'm forced to question further. "You wanted to die?"
"I was at a very low point in life."
"I can see that. But. Oh. My. God. I have a suicidal brother." He chuckles a lightly.
"Don't worry, kid. I'm fine now." He continues with his story. "I asked the guy how not to get caught and he said that he had friends in the police department that helped me fake my death. I just needed to keep a low profile. I never saw the guy since. I stayed in Texas for five months for things to settle down. Then I came back and told the gang the great news that I'm alive. When I came back, Johnny was also alive and with the gang."
"How?" I ask, half believing his story, half still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of a bullet proof vest.
"Well, the gang tells me that a month before I arrived, Johnny came along. He told them that he woke up the day before he went to the house. On the day he woke up, he was in a completely white room. The only things in it was the white stretcher that he was in and a machine monitoring his heart rate. A woman with a white lab coat and black hair walked into the room. When he asked what happened, she said that they had restarted his heart with those shocky things."
"A defibrillator?"
"Yeah. Whatever. And they reattached his nerves and healed them so that he could move correctly. They gave him some sort of medication to help with his burns and he was as good as new. Johnny says that the last thing the woman said was to not tell anyone and he passed out again. When he woke up, it was the next day and he was hidden behind a dumpster a few blocks away from the house. He then went over to the Curtis's. At first, not one of us believed that we were alive, but soon, we had no other option. The thing is, neither one of the things that happened to Johnny and I should have happened. They seem too advanced for this time."
"It seems impossible. Are you sure that's what happened?"
"That's what the people told us. And you know what I think? I think it's connected somehow. Like the lady that Johnny woke up to and the man that gave me the vest, I think they knew each other. Maybe they worked for the same company." He seems completely stressed as he talks about this.
"What are we gonna do, Dal? These kinds of things – these miracles – we wish for them, but they don't happen. Now it does. What do we do?"
He looks at me and smiles sweetly. "We enjoy it. Every minute of it. And we don't think about what is gonna happen until we need to. We ain't gonna do any worrying over this. We'll face the problem when the problem comes. If we start worrying now, we're gonna drive ourselves mad, ya hear me? So don't worry, kid." He drapes his arm over my shoulders and I lean my head on his shoulder.
"Dally?"
"Yeah?"
"It's good to see you again." He then does something that I wasn't expecting. He turns his head to me and kisses me on my forehead.
"It's good to see you too, kiddo."
~ O ~
When we get back inside, everyone's still laughing and smiling. I hope that no one can see the redness of my eyes and put my most convincing smile on. The gang accepts both Kory and I faster than I imagine possible. Suddenly, all of us are joking around with each other. And soon enough, we got an arm wrestling competition going.
I sit down on the couch and watch as Kory miserably fails at arm wrestling Johnny. Two-Bitt sits down next to me. "I have a feeling that you don't like me," I say.
Two-Bitt looks at me and frowns a little. "It's just – ''
"You don't believe I'm Dally's sister." He shakes his head. "Why would I lie about something like that?"
"Girls lie all the time to get what they want. Dally could be paying you to lie."
"Why would Dally do that?" When I realize how stupid the question is, I say "Wait. You're right. Scratch the last question." He chuckles quietly. "Okay, I know people lie a lot. I do. But I'm not lying."
"I don't trust you," he says, flatly. "This gang has been through a lot and we can't have two little girls ruining it."
I purse my lips. "That makes sense."
"I don't think you understand."
"I understand a lot of things, Two-Bitt. I'm a whole lot smarter than you give me credit for. I understand that you're reluctant to let two foolish girls join your gang at a vulnerable time. You're afraid that we might mess things up when you're at your weakest and you won't ever manage to patch things back together. And that makes perfect sense. And I think you're wise for that. I wouldn't be much too willing to do this if I were you. But I'm not. And I know that I am not going to cause trouble for anyone but myself. Kory and I aren't the foolish girls that you mistake us for. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you don't ever have to trust me, but if you want to, I won't let you down." He takes that in for a minute.
"You seem like a pretty tuff chick. And I like giving people chances. So, I'll give you a chance. But if you mess up, even once, I'll will chase your tiny little ass all the way back to New York, and I'll make sure you don't ever come back." Seeing the wisecracker like this kind of makes wonder what the rest of the gang must be like.
"I'm feeling the love already." I give him a crooked grin. He, thankfully, smiles back. We look back to the arm wrestling that's taking place on the living room floor. Steve had just lost to Soda. Everyone tells me that it's my turn and I battle Ponyboy. I try my best and at first, Pony's really hard to beat. We both stay without our arms moving an inch for the first minute or so. Then Pony gets distracted from Dally doing something weird behind me. I take his distraction as an advantage and manage to knock his arm flat on the floor.
Then Two-Bitt and Johnny battle. Two-Bitt wins within the first few seconds. And everyone laughs. Next, Soda and Dally go against each other. It's a pretty long match, but in the end, Dally wins. Then, I battle with Two-Bitt. I know I'm going to lose within the first second. But somehow, I manage to draw the match out. He slowly pushes my arm to the ground and right before it hits, he loosens up and I slam his hand to the ground. Everyone cheers even though they all know Two-Bitt lost on purpose and I give him the evil eye. He just shrugs like, whatcha gonna do 'bout it.
Then Darry and Pony battle and everyone cheers for Pony. But as we all know it, Pony loses. Then Dally and I go against each other. We lay across from each other with our stomachs on the ground. Our hands grasp each other's.
"You ready to lose, little sis?" he asks with his crooked grin.
"Are you, little sis?" I say back. Everyone oohs and I laugh in his face. Then the match starts. At first, he goes easy on me, but my hand still inches closer to the floor. Then he starts increasing the strength he displays. I have to grab his hand with both of mine to keep from losing. I still end up losing. He chuckles and I stick my tongue out at him. He gets up, picks me up by the waist, and slings me over his shoulder. He then throws me onto the couch and I barely avoid crushing Soda. I laugh uncontrollably for about three minutes before I finally manage to calm down. When I do, I see that the whole room is staring at me with straight faces. Then, simultaneously, everyone one bursts out laughing at once. Dally and Darry finish the competition and – as we all knew it would happen from the beginning – Darry wins. He is then honored as Ultimate Supreme Overlord of Arm Wrestling by getting dog-piled by all the guys in the room.
Things start to calm down after that. Steve eats more chocolate cake. Two-Bitt tells more jokes. I put my feet on Dally's lap and rest my head in Kory's on the couch. Soon enough, the noise of the room starts to slowly fade away as I nod off into a peaceful slumber.
I wake up to Kory gently shaking my shoulder. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," she says with a smile.
"Hey." I sit up and stretch. Dally isn't at my feet anymore. "What time is it?"
"Time to go home. Two-Bitt and Steve have already left."
"Where's Dally?"
"Already in the truck."
"The truck?"
"Yeah. Darry's giving us a ride so we don't have to walk all that way in the cold." I nod and yawn at the same time. Kory hands me my beat up black Converse. I don't know how they got off in the first place, – probably Dally – but I slip them on. I say goodbye to Johnny, Pony, and Soda, still half asleep, and walk out into the cold.
Hai there! Hope ya'll enjoyed that snippet of story! Reviews are always welcome! My heart goes out to all ya'll for being so amazing because you took the time to read this little fanfiction! Look at their pants and stay gold! :)