Author's note: Hi again! Thank you for the input on Motley and Christine, it's nice that you guys care enough to say anything. So, please enjoy this chapter.

I am in no way insulting people from California with this chapter. I love California, I've been there on vacation a few times, and I want to go back there to live when I turn eighteen.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here except Motley. He's mine.

Chapter 10: And People Say Hoods Aren't Friendly

SODAPOP'S POV

The guys with red bandanas that had black and white skulls on them did need a couple extra guys. The guys with the blue ones outnumbered them by a fair amount, and every little bit helps. They even gave us bandanas to wear. Said we could be members, sticking around or not. We tied them around our biceps. They sure looked tuff.

Steve and I took a place in line facing the other guys and I fingered my blade in my pocket. Back home I usually just fought skin, but these guys were rougher than that. I could tell just by looking at them. And if they were gonna be using blades on me, you'd better believe I'd use one on them.

Were we being stupid? I mean, we hadn't belonged to this gang for longer than five minutes. We were just two guys who decided to come have a good time. For these guys, this was incredibly important. They would fight harder than Steve or I would care to. If we weren't careful, we were absolutely screwed.

But I needed a distraction. Missing my twin, worrying about him, it was eating me up from the inside out. I couldn't help feeling guilty. Blaming myself. I should've stopped him. I should've found some way. Hopefully all of this would take my mind off everything. Darry may hate me fighting all the time, but what the hell. Darry wasn't here to stop me.

It was the thought of my older brother that really made me decide this was worth it. I loved him so much, but he'd been a stupid jackass lately, and I liked the idea of doing something he wouldn't be okay with.

This rumble didn't work like ones back home. There weren't any two people, one from each side, who started it. It was like both sides just had a voice in their heads that said 'Go!' at the same time and they all went for it. Steve and I jumped in a second late, startled.

Blades were flashing and kids were shouting and screaming. The people walking down the street at the end of the alley didn't pay any attention to us. We might as well have not even been there.

This husky blonde guy took a swipe at me. I barely managed to dodge out of the way in time, his blade grazing my shoulder. I retaliated by swinging mine and cutting a gash into his leg. Like I said, I'm not usually huge on knife fighting, but I needed to think about something else, and you gotta do what you gotta do.

Once my guy took off running, I tried to find Steve. I couldn't see him anywhere. There were too many screaming, bleeding teenage boys. That sucked, but the adrenaline rush was incredible.

Then I saw him. He had this other guy pinned and was slugging the sense outta him, both of their blades forgotten on the ground. There was another guy coming towards them, his knife out. He was behind Steve.

Which meant Steve couldn't see him.

Shit.

I ran forward and got in between them just in time, taking the knife intended for Steve's back on my arm. Nobody was about to stab my buddy and get away with it.

I screamed, 'cause you'd better believe that hurt, but then I just kicked the guy in the groin, sending him sprawling to the ground. Jumping on him, I started punching his face over and over and over. Show you to stick a blade in my arm.

I'm not sure how long I pounded on that guy, letting loose all the pent up emotions of the last month. Pony missing, Sandy leaving, Johnny and Dally dying, Darry being so careless, Motley leaving…

Finally Steve was yanking me off. "The rest of em are gone, buddy. Let it go."

It took a second for me to register what he was saying and I quit trying to get loose. I stood up and looked down at the guy. I thought he'd be crawling away, but he wasn't moving.

"Did I kill him?" I asked tentatively.

Steve bent down and checked his pulse. "No. Knocked out. Bet you messed him up good, though."

He looked back at me, smiling, then his brow furrowed. "Soda, you take a look at your arm yet?"

I glanced down. The guy's knife was still sticking out of it. I ripped it out and threw it on the ground, putting my hand over the hole it created. Great. Just what I needed.

Steve shook his head at me. "Real smooth, Soda."

"The asshole was gonna stab you. What'd you expect me to do? Grab some popcorn and cheer?"

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon." He grabbed my good arm and pulled me out of the alley, both of us giving the leader of the gang we helped out a nod as we went. He nodded back, flashing some gang sign at us that we didn't recognize, but I memorized immediately since we were a part of that outfit now.

And people say hoods aren't friendly.

Steve hauled me into the nearest convenience store. "Try not to drip blood on the floor, huh?"

"Yeah, 'cause leavin' a bunch of it everywhere was exactly what I wanted to do with my day."

"Shut up." He grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a needle, some thread, some gauze, and two bottles of whiskey.

I raised an eyebrow. "Two?"

"One for me, one for you."

"I guess that's not a bad idea." It was pretty obvious he was planning on sewing up my arm and just hoping to hell it didn't get infected.

The chick at the counter just raised an eyebrow and sold us the stuff. Didn't even ID us. Damn, this place was relaxed. I mean, I'd heard that they just ran around shouting 'gnarly, dude!' and didn't care about much else but catching the perfect wave around here, but I didn't think they'd sell hard liquor to people who were obviously minors.

On our way out, Steve sighed contently. "I love this place."

"We'll have to come back later." I sat down on a crate outside the store and Steve took the other one, handing me a bottle.

"Take a swig and let's do this thing."

MOTLEY'S POV

I was walking down the street when I saw Soda and Steve sitting on crates outside a grocery store. I couldn't tell what they were doing, but it was painfully obvious Soda wasn't enjoying it.

I didn't stick around to find out more. I turned tail and took off in the other direction.

What the shit were Soda and Steve doing here? Had I really been that sloppy? I hadn't given my real name to anyone accept Christine, and that was after I already got here. I'd switched cars. I'd only taken one bus. I'd hopped a damn train for pity's sake! There was no possible way they could've followed me here.

And yet here they were, so I guess they found a way. I smiled in spite of myself. That was Soda for you. If he wanted something, he was gonna find a way to get it, and you'd better believe he'd be dragging Steve along for the ride. By now, those two were closer than we were.

That wiped the smile right off my face. I really wasn't sure how we'd gotten here. My twin was closer to Steve than he was to me. That just wasn't right. Man, it didn't used to be this way.

I ducked into a bar. I needed to stop thinking like this. I needed to stop thinking at all. So I got down to one of my favorite pastimes: drinking myself into oblivion.

Why was I so worried about all this anyhow? What was happening was my choice. I could've been like my brothers, wearing my heart on my sleeve, trusting everybody and getting my heart broken over and over like an idiot. I just knew better than to be that way. And as a natural consequence, I wasn't real close to them. So what? Isn't that what I'd wanted? Not to be close to anyone? Wasn't that the only safe way to be?

"Well, well, what have we here?" After drinking for thirty minutes straight, somebody finally said something to me. I looked up from my lonely booth in the corner to find Christine standing in front of me. She was wearing a short skirt that I found way too distracting, an apron, and carrying a tray covered in empty glasses.

"You work here?" I slurred.

"Wish I didn't, but I have to make money somehow. A better question is: what're you doing here?"

I held up my bottle. "What's it look like I'm doin'?"

"Something you shouldn't."

"Yeah, well, I'm real good at that."

"Something's bothering you."

"Who says I don't like just sitting and drinking every now and then?"

"I'm sure you do, but it's also painfully obvious that's not why you're here. So don't bother lying to me. What's up?"

Could I never win with this chick? "We probably shouldn't talk about it while you're workin'."

She turned and shouted, "Larry! I'm taking my ten!" and sat down next to me. "Okay, go."

I shook my head. Damn. "Alright. It's pretty simple. Tell me if you can see this. I'm walkin' down the street, picture of innocence-"

"I doubt you've ever been the picture of innocence."

"Once. A long time ago." I paused, thinking. I had been once. But I sure and shit wasn't anymore. "Either way, picture of innocence down street, and what should I see but a certain carbon copy of myself and his best buddy since grade school sitting on some crates outside the local grocery story, neither of em lookin' very happy."

Christine put a hand over her mouth. "Oh."

"So now I probably can't go much of anywhere anymore, 'cause if he finds me, it's over."

"It's not like he can make you go home."

This was a chick who thought like me. "If it were anyone else, I'd agree with you. But it's Soda, and I got a real hard time sayin' no to him. If he begs me to come home and gives me that look of his, I'll follow him."

"Well then, we'll just have to keep you away from him." she said resolutely. "C'mon, let's go out the back and I'll take you home."

"That'll take more than ten minutes, though." I didn't want her to get fired because of me.

"If I flirt with my boss for five minutes, he'll forget I was ever gone."

The confidence off this chick was insane, let me tell you.

Author's afterthought: I know the idea of stitching your arm up sounds crazy, and yes it is, but it does work. Infection is a very real possibility, but still. Not pleasant by any stretch, but effective.

See the trouble Soda and Steve can get themselves into? They're in LA for twenty minutes and they've already joined a gang and gotten in a knife fight. *shakes head*

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