Thanks for the reviews ppl, they are helping lol. IAmOnlyMe, you gave me an idea for this chapter; I just hope it will flow well. Anyway enjoy people.

Cheers.

Chapter 3: Can't You See That I'm Broken

Kathleen's POV

"You know I'm sure she'll start the story if you cut that Kiki shit." Two-Bit stuck up for me.

I never really got Darry, I wasn't the youngest of the group but that's how he treated me. The few times I met him he started to call me Kitty Kat, which some how turned into Kiki.

"He's right you know." I played with a loose string on the sofa.

"Go on then," Darry is such a commanding bee-otch, I thought.

"Coles notes version…he came home, drunk as usually then started the whole yelling thing and I was just innocently watching TV," Dally snorted at that.

"Hush up now," Steve scolded, which was…odd.

"Like I was saying, he started yelling then he started to touch me so I punched him, then he punched me…it went on like that till Steve got there and then I ran off to Dominic's to spend the night. You guys know that part," they nodded, "Then Dal took me to Bucks we met up with Tim and someone had to be an ass about that so I took off. Found 'em in the park and I went to help Pony."

"Why do you always hate Johnny?" Dally sneered.

"What?" I asked. "I barely know any of you!"

"You seem to know Dally," Darry chimed in.

"Yea well I've seen him at some parties." Dal gave me a glare and I was sick of it. "What the fuck is your problem man!"

"You are! Even if you don't hang out with us you knew how the gang felt about Johnny. We protect him and make sure that when he does get into a jam that we're there for him! But instead you went after Pony who can defend himself."

"If you protect him so well then where were you tonight?"

"Trying to keep you from OD'ing on your latest drug," He yelled back.

"OH fuck you Dallas!"

"You should know!" We were both standing in each other's faces now.

"I'd never do you in a million years."

"WELL THEN I GUESS THAT LEAVES ME AS THE ONLY GREASER IN TULSA YOU NEVER SCREWED!" I pulled my numchucks out of my back pocket and hit him across the temple within seconds.

Faster than I had pulled my move, Steve was behind me holding me back while Darry and Two-Bit did the same for Dally.

"Do you guys really think that Johnny would want us here fighting?"

"How would you know what he'd want?" Dally screamed.

I never thought I'd see the sight, which was currently in front of me, in a million years.

Dallas Winston had tears in his eyes.

"H-how would any of you ever know huh? You didn't know him like I did." He roughly pushed the arms holding him off. "I told him, I told him 'Johnny don't get tough and hard like me' but he should have. If he was smarter this never would have happened. If he was tough like me he'd be laying on this couch instead of in a morgue." He was sobbing now.

I felt Steve's arms release me and he fell to the couch sobbing as well. They all were.

I have never felt more awkward and out of place in my life, even when I was stuck in English for a year with an entire Soc class. Nothing could ever release the weight that had fallen on this room.

Two minutes later Soda stumbled out with Pony and joined the sob fest.

I knew I didn't belong so I went outside on the porch.

Dally's POV

Ten minutes after I started the sob fest all the guys except Darry and me were asleep. Darry carried Soda while I carried Pony to their room to sleep. He then handed me a couple of blankets for Steve and Two-Bit and went to bed himself.

When I covered the two 'sleeping beauties' with the blankets I realized that Kat wasn't in the room. I ran outside onto the porch.

"Kat!" I screamed at the empty street. I heard a mumble behind me. I turned to see her awake from her own sleep on the porch.

"Jeez Dal, can't I get some sleep around here."

"It's freezing out here, come on in before you catch a cold."

"I didn't mean no disrespect Dal," I nodded. "I mean I just ran for the guy in the fountain, it wasn't till after I dragged him away from the Socs that I realized it was Pony. I couldn't even go after Johnny because the Socs came at us."

I gave a heavy breath and pulled out a cigarette. I offered her one and she took it.

"I can't believe Johnny is gone man." I told her as we sat on the porch leaned against the house. "I mean I think that if I ran to the lot right now I'd still find him, sleeping there peacefully."

"That's how I felt after my mum died."

We stayed silent for a minute, both reflecting on our respective losses.

"Has your dad been like this since your mum died?"

"Yeah, but I don't remember it much, I was seven when she died."

I couldn't believe it's been that long. She's really grown up.

"Has—has he ever tried anything with you before?" I was uncomfortable asking but there was a part of me that had to know; when she tensed her jaw and took a long hard drag I knew the answer.

That bastard was going to pay.

"Since when?" Her head was turned away from me and she didn't answer. "Kat?"

I turned her head towards me and noticed she was crying.

"Oh god, Kitten." I pulled her into a tight hug and she began to sob more heavily.

"I can't take it anymore Dal, not him not the Socs not any of this shit."

"I know." I tried to comfort her but she pushed me away this time.

"No! You don't know, none of you do," She wiped her tears on the T-shirt Soda lent her.

"Kat you out there?" We heard Steve's sleepy voice from the house.

"Yeah" She answered back.

"Come in here girl and get some sleep!" She stood and put out her fag then continued to walk into the house.

She's right. I don't know what she's going through and I'll never be able to imagine how she feels. But I'm determined to find out. I finished my fag before flicking it away and entering the house. I saw her on the couch with Steve, their heads at opposite ends.

I noticed how beaten she was from a fight with her father and Socs. This had definitely been a hard night for all of us; in my bones I could feel it was only going to get worse.

I fell asleep on Darry's armchair staring at her battered innocent face.

When I woke up the next morning my back was stiff as hell. I gave a little stretch and went to put my feet down on the floor without trampling over Two-Bit until I realized he wasn't there. None of the boys were. I went to the Kitchen for a beer when I found a note from Darry, him Soda, and Steve had gone to work and Two-Bit over to his mothers to see how they could help out with the funeral preparations for Johnny. That meant that Pony was still asleep in his room and I had seen Kat still on the couch.

I took a couple of swings of my Corona and decided to go back to sleep. It had been a long night and an uneasy sleep on a tiny little arm chair.

I looked over at Kat who was sleeping peacefully on the couch; she looked so beautiful and fragile. I climbed over her and slept next to her on the couch.

The instant touch of her skin against my bare chest set off a tingling sensation. I brushed some hair out of her face and wrapped my arm around her hoping that I would get a good nap in.

Kathleen's POV

I groaned at the loud noise that intruded my ear. I opened my eyes to find that it was indeed Two-Bit who had turned up Mickey Mouse so early in the morning.

"Two-Bit what the fuck?" When he looked my way and I noticed how worn out he looked. Johnny's death had sure taken a toll on the gang. I looked over to the arm chair hoping to find Dally, but instead Pony was sitting there playing with what the hell is that LINT? That boy sure needs help. I closer look at the room and I noticed Dally wasn't here. Stupid bastard, I hate him! I hate him and his arrogance and cold eyes, those beautiful ice blue eyes and his perfect skin. I shrugged off my thought and went to get up.

An arm held me back.

I turned around and was surprised to find a half-naked Dally clinging to me. I tried to peal off his grip from my waist but he wasn't giving up. I started to pull when I hear his voice.

"Where do you think you're going?" I closed my eyes in defeat.

"Apparently nowhere."

"That's right." He pulled me onto of him.

I forgot about Pony and Two-Bit and just looked Dal in the eyes as he continued to tighten his grip.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"After Johnny--," He trailed off, "I realized it's better to tell someone you love them while you still got the chance."

"You saying you love me Dallas Winston?"

"I'm saying that I want to," He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I leaned in closing the tiny gap we had between our faces. Our lips grazed and he went to push me closer towards him when the screen door banged.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS WINSTON!" Steve sure did have the worst timing. He grabbed me within seconds and pulled me away from Dally's death grip on me.

He pushed me behind him and Soda stepped in to keep me back.

"Watch it Sodapop," I warned. Steve and Dally were now in each other's faces yelling.

"What do you think you're doing with my sister?"

"Nothing she doesn't already want to do or hasn't done," Oh I could kill him for that.

"Shut up Winston you keep your hands off of her."

"To late," he taunted my brother. Steve had a short fuse, I was pretty sure he'd gotten it from our dad. That thought sent shudders down my spine.

Steve started wailing on Dally so I pushed Soda out of the way and jumped on Steve's back.

"Lay off of him Steve," I screamed pulling his hair.

"No! He's just using you!"

"He's the only one who gets me,"

"The only thing he gets is how to get into your pants."

"Steve stop!"

"NO!" He brushed me off of his shoulders and onto the floor.

That was the last thing I remembered before the world in front of my eyes was swallowed in shadows.