A/N: Hello, everybody! Not much to say here unless it's thank you all for all of the favorites and reviews, and I thank my great friends for talking with me and having me keep going with my writing! You all are the best! I adore each and every one of you! Now, enjoy chapter 12! :D

Chapter 12

Meanwhile at the Curtis's house, with Johnny and Sondra on their way for her to meet Darry and actually meet Dally, everybody was just busy doing whatever they usually would do at that time of day. Two-Bit was none other then watching Mickey Mouse on the TV as he drank a bottle of beer that was already half drank, and Kitten was sitting next to him, flipping through the pages and reading a book from the Curtis's bookshelf. Steve and Soda were both playfully wrestling each other, while Dallas was chilling in the recliner with his switchblade, using it to clean the dirt out from underneath his nails. Cassidy was sitting at the Curtis's table in their kitchen, doing her homework, as Darry fixed up dinner, which was some roast, corn, and little rolls. Ponyboy had just gotten Jocelyn to fall asleep for her little nap upstairs, and she was now peacefully sleeping on Pony's and Sodapop's bed, while Ponyboy came quietly back downstairs and decided to just relax on the couch inbetween Two-Bit and Kitten.

"Dallas, can you just let that go?!" Steve dared to ask, grabbing Soda and placing him in a headlock, as he playfully noogied his hair, making the second oldest Curtis laugh as he tried to escape. Dally had been going on and on about how much he hated that Johnny was tutoring that Regular who kept bumping into him on the street ever sense he asked about where the oldest Cade was, and Ponyboy told him that he was tutoring Sondra. Dallas instantly demanded by calling her that 'golden blonde Regular that looked like she came off of the street', and Steve secretely rolled his eyes as he told Dally that Johnny didn't think of Sondra that way.

"No, Randle! I won't just let it go! That broad kept bumpin' into me on the street! I understand that Johnnycake has to tutor her, but...why, oh why, does it have to be that golden blonde Regular?!" Dallas objected as he smacked his free hand straight on his forehead. His face was beating bright red, so he was pretty ticked about the whole idea of Johnny tutoring and hanging out with Sondra, and that was only because he hated that Sondra kept bumping into him on the sidewalk just a couple days before.

"But Johnny just so happens to like Baby, Dally." Ponyboy pointed out, his voice cautious, considering he was talking to Dallas Winston.

"I ain't in the mood for one of my best friends to get hurt by a Regular sooner or later." Dally grumbled, growling like a junk-yard dog a bit under his breath when just remembering those pair of pale blue eyes and the short, messy, golden blonde hair of the Regular that kept bumping into him in town.

"Hm, I don't think it's actually like that, Dally..." Two-Bit shared his opinion, drawing everybody that was in the rooms full, undivided attention. The room was now dead-silent, and Two-Bit took a drink of his beer, swallowing what was in his mouth and wiping off the drops that remained on his lips with the back of his free hand before going on with what was now on his mind. "Trust me," Two-Bit continued "I can't believe I'm the one who's stating this, but that Baby girl doesn't seem so bad. Ya know what happened? Carla was 'bout to get hauled in by the fuzz when she just simply was walking out of the Dingo, and without any hesitation, that Baby girl, along with two friends of hers, whom are named Charlie and Rebecca, came rushing in and actually lied to the fuzz to keep Carla safe from goin' in."

"Two-Bit, your brain has finally left the building...and after all these years." Dally moaned as he rolled his eyes, instantly giving it away that he didn't believe what Two-Bit just shared about was actually true.

"No, Dally," Steve shook his head after he released Soda from the headlock, then pushed him down on the couch beside Kitten, ending their playful and friendly wrestling. "Believe it or not, Two-Bit is telling the truth. That Baby Regular actually did save Carla from being taken away to the slammer, along with these Rebecca and Charlie friends of hers."

"...But that's impossible," Dally grumbled, narrowing his eyes in an angry manner. "...Regulars are no good at lying to the fuzz. That's our thing, a Greasers thing."

"That's what we thought so, too, Dallas." Kitten shared as she closed the book that she was reading, then placed it down on the Curtis's coffee table. "But then we were proved wrong, because Baby, Rebecca, and Charlie made up new names and a whole short plot for what happened at the Dingo, so Carla wouldn't get taken to jail."

Dally rolled his eyes as he pulled out a cigarette and his lighter out from his pocket, sticking the end of his cigarette in his mouth and lighting up the opposite, right before he stuffed his lighter back away into his worn out jeans pockets. Everybody else that was actually in the Curtis's living room with Dallas watched him in complete silence, as he took a long drag of his cancer stick, then gently relaxed his lips and he blew out a gentle puff of gray smoke. Smoking was Dally's second option to help calm himself down. What was his first? Beating somebody up until they were nothing but a part of the earth's core. But Dally knew that Darry wouldn't dare allow him to harm and physically abuse anybody that was in their gang, considering that they've all been best friends since childhood. Not only that, but Dallas didn't actually want to beat any of his friends, because none of them were the reason he was now starting to feel full of rage. It was because of Johnny now hanging out with and tutoring Sondra, a Regular.

"...Just like us, the Greasers, and the Socs..." Dally chuckled, right before he took another drag of his cigarette, then released another breath of a gray cloud from his lips. "...The Strangers will never mix with us...the Regulars and the Greasers...the Strangers and the Greasers...the middle-class and the Greasers...ha! It just doesn't add up!"

"Dallas!" came Darry's voice, calling out from the kitchen in a slimly warning tone. "You better not be teaching my kid brothers any crap about 'em Regulars!"

"I ain't, Dar!" Dally promised, his voice in its usual flat tone.

"You better not be! Anyway, dinner will be ready in a few!" Darry announced, still being away in the kitchen.

Dallas gave a small, satisfied grin, considering that he was hungry, and he gave his flat, rock-hard stomach a single smack with his free hand. After that, he stuck the end of his cancer stick back into his mouth, then took another drag of it.

"How come if the Socs actually go through just as much as we do," Ponyboy shrugged his shoulders. "Then why can't we actually believe the Regulars have it rough, too?"

"We went over this earlier, Ponyboy!" Dallas reminded, using a bit of a hard voice as he gave the youngest Curtis a stern and pointed look, which instantly made Ponyboy whimper and keep his mouth shut. Sodapop slung a protective arm around his shoulder and held him close, while Kitten narrowed her eyes and glared straight off at Dally.

"If you know what's good for you, Winston," Kitten warned "you'd stop being harsh on Pony just for a simple little question! Otherwise, you'll be dealin' with me!"

"Andrews, things are not completely rough all over!" Dally exclaimed. To be honest, Dallas was actually a little bit afraid of Kitten, because she was one heck of a tough girl. You ticked her off, and you'd most likely wake up in a different state, or possibly underwater. Yeah, that's how stern Kitten is if you fill her rage side up to its maximum level. "I bet the Regulars have it made! I admit that they have to work to get what they want, but at least they have their folks around, and they actually love and care 'bout 'em!"

"Really?" Kitten cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's your best arguement, Dally?"

"Hey, I'm just saying," Dally paused and took another deep breath in of his cigarette, then blew out another puff of a light gray shade from his lips. "My old man abandoned my mom when he found out that she was pregnant with me, and up till this very day, he doesn't give a hang 'bout me, considering he's now remarried and out of Tulsa with some new Soc lady, and they have no children. Meanwhile with my mom, she's spending all of her hours at bars, drinkin' her life away. I bet no Regular has it bad like I do."

Kitten rolled her emerald green eyes, and she stood up from the couch, still having her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Dallas. "I can't say what being a Regular is like, nor be positive with what their folks are like with them, considering that I'm a Greaser and my parents don't even notice me, but compaired to your folks and the Cade's parents, Dallas, you're parents are angels sent from Heaven." Kitten lectured, her voice slightly stern to only get that message clearly through Dally's skull.

"Kitty-Cat, you should think and remember that according to these Regulars, we're nothing but dark and evil hoods who are wearing orange jumpsuits with different numbers 'cross the back." Dallas informed.

"Aw, come on, Dallas! You don't know if that's true!" Steve came into the conversation to keep a fight from possibly breaking out, and he placed his hands on Kitten's shoulders, slightly squeezing them in order to help Kitten's slight anger and sass to decrease.

Sodapop nodded his head with absolute agreement, while Two-Bit just continued keeping quiet and drinking more of his beer, and Ponyboy only watched.

"Stevie's right, Dally. And besides, I met that Baby girl today when she was walkin' by the DX. She's just a very shy and sensitive girl, not a bad and troubled one at all." Soda described. Kitten clenched her fists together and placed them on her hips, trying her best to tune down her anger on the inside towards Dallas, but the redness that was starting to shade in on her face was giving it away. Steve gently squeezed her shoulders a bit harder, but still carefully so he could continue to try to get her to calm down.

"Yeah," It was then Two-Bit's turn to come into the conversation. He drank the last remains of the clear, brownish liquid from the glass bottle of beer, and then he wiped his mouth with the back of his free hand, standing up on his feet from kicking back on the couch and placing the now empty bottle of beer down on the coffee table before going on with what he wanted to share with the others. "Look, I hate to admit it as much as the next guy, but even though she's a Regular and not a Greaser like us, Baby actually seems pretty tuff. I know I just actually cared to realize her today, but when she was lying to the cops and had her two friends, Rebecca and Charlie lie along with her...man, my heart leaped one heck of a major hop. I swear, my heart properly took a trip to China!"

Dallas crossed his free arm that wasn't holding his cigarette over his stomach and rolled his eyes at what words just came out of Two-Bit's mouth. "Why don't you marry 'er if your heart took one heck of a leap like that, Matthews?" Dally mumbled in an uncaring and flat tone, sticking the end of his cigarette back into his mouth yet again after speaking. Two-Bit wanted to roll his eyes, but he figured it'd be the best thing to not do so, because unless you were Darry Curtis or Kitten Andrews, sassing off to Dallas Winston wasn't properly such a great idea.

"This isn't a joking matter, Dally!" Kitten pointed out.

Dally grinned after he blew a perfect smoke ring. "Of course it ain't..." he snickered, obviously giving it away that he was lying.

"Dally, this is serious. We know that Regulars are nothing like us, but we're thankful that they're not like 'em Socs either." Ponyboy then decided to stand up from the couch, while he spoke up with the words that were on his mind.

"You're point bein' what exactly, Pony? They're Regulars, the Socs are the Socs, and we're Greasers..." Dallas shrugged his shoulders in a simple, but yet flat and uncaring way. "What's your point?"

Soda swung his arm back around his kid brothers shoulder and held him close, keeping his handsome eyes on Dally when doing so.

"I believe Ponyboy's trying to explain that, if the Socs have it rough like we do, then the Regulars must have it rough, too." Sodapop explained.

Ponyboy nodded his head. "Exactly." was the only word that he could think of saying in order to back him up at that moment.

Dally scratched his chin, keeping his mouth shut as he took a few more drags of his cigarette, then decided to finally put it out in one of the ashtrays, this one being on the stand beside the recliner, having the phone resting on the opposite side of it. The ordinary scent of ashes and smoke filled the Curtis's living room, but the Greasers were all used to that, but when ever Jocelyn is around, some actual good scents is sprayed around to keep the six-month-old baby girl safe from any ashes and/or smoke.

"I don't believe it until I see it. That's my quote." Dally informed as he rested his hands behind his head and rested his eyes closed to earn just a little bit of rest.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow in a confused manner and made a confused expression upon his face after he and the others took in and digested Dally's recent words.

"I thought your quote was 'Drink all day, party all night', Dally." Two-Bit shrugged his shoulders, but Dally shook his head.

"It used to be, but now it's 'I don't believe it until I see it', ya dig?" Dallas asked, and Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Sodapop, Steve, and even Kitten each nodded their heads, keeping their mouths shut at that time. Even though Dallas didn't have his eyes open, a smirk spread across his face, and he could just tell that the others who were in the room with him nodded their heads will full agreement on what he just said.

Suddenly, the door of the Curtis's house was heard all throughout the household swinging open, and all of the Greasers that were in the living room turned their full, undivided attention over to the doorway, where they all grew instantly nervous, except Dally, who's eyes were now huge, and his face was starting to turn beating red from both shock and rage. There standing in the doorway of the Curtis's house...was Johnny Cade, who's eyes were now widened, with his face lighting up with the color of a bright, bright red from nervousness. A tight knot was now in the pit of his stomach, and Sondra was facing the doorway, quietly closing the door in order to keep it from slamming shut, considering that she had that habit from doing it all the time she went in and out of her own place.

The smell of ashes and smoke made Sondra's eyes slightly water, as her nose crinkled and she held back her coughs, feeling her face and ears heat up from instantly getting struck with all of the attention that she knew was completely and heavily tensed up within the single room that she just stepped through the front door with Johnny. None other then the Curtis's living room.

"Um...hey, guys...and gal..." Johnny slightly stuttered with his greeting, as his face burned up with his nervousness, but some humiliation added in this time because he absoluetly hated it when everybody had their eyes on him during a serious time. Well, having a Regular over isn't that serious...but if any of the other Greasers around town spotted Sondra hanging out with the Curtis's Greasers gang, then God knows what'll happen. The only thing that's positive is that it won't be pretty one bit.

"Johnnycake, why is she here?!" Dallas instantly demanded without any hesitation, not giving the eldest Cade a single chance to introduce Sondra to everyone that was in the room, even though they already knew who she was. Sondra let out a little yelp of nervousness/fear after hearing the sound of Dally's voice, ticked off as ever, and she started to regret how she allowed herself to get sucked into coming over to the Curtis's house. But Sondra couldn't say no to Johnny. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't...his eyes were such filled with plead, and his adorable puppy-dog look was on his face, and...oh god, Sondra thought to herself. She just couldn't say no to Johnnycake!

"Dally, please let me explain!" Johnny begged as he connected his hands together in a pleading form, as if he was begging for mercy for himself.

"Explain what?! What's there to explain?! It looks simple to us that you brought a Regular into our territory, and not to mention our usual hang-out!" Dally grumbled.

"Dallas, that's not all of it though!" Johnny informed, but he simply understood that Dally wouldn't take that into any thought one bit.

"Oh! How much more could there be with a Regular involved?!" Dallas commanded as he threw his arms across his rock-hard chest, and his dark blue eyes flooded with rage, while his face turned redder then ever before. Man, Sondra was terrified, her completely innocent and pretty, pale blue eyes now huger then ever before, while her face brightened up more and more when hearing how ticked off Dally's voice was sounding.

"Dally, come on!" Johnnycake went on pleading. "I was just tutoring her, and then I came up with the idea for her to come here so she could meet Darry and officially meet you!"

Considering that Iris wasn't with Sondra at that time, it was like Dally had never even backed down from the oldest female Prescott, because when he stared into those grayish-whitish eyes of Iris's, glimmering away under the sunlight with what felt like with no life at all, Dally might've not looked like anything was happening to him on the outside, but on the inside, he could feel pity starting to gather around and squeeze his heart. Dallas might've hated little kids, but certain ones he didn't, like Iris because she was blind, and Cassidy and Jocelyn because they were the Cade's, along with Johnny.

"Alright, I hope yawl are hungry, 'cause dinner will be ready shortly. We're having rolls, corn, and ro-" Darry began listing as he walked out from the kitchen and into the now dead-silent living room. The eldest Curtis shut himself up without any hesitation, and his eyes grew big whence they rested on Sondra, who was still not turning around from the door to actually face the many pair of Greaser eyes that were on her, even though she already met all of them, except the eldest Curtis and Dallas Winston. Heck, none of the Greasers needed to see Sondra's face to understand instantly without any hesitation that she wasn't a Greaser or a Soc, but a Regular.

"...Regular?!" Darry then blurted out instead of continuing telling the gang what was going to be for dinner. Sondra's heart tensed up even more, and she took in a deep, quiet, shaky breath, releasing it shakingly through her nose, right before she closed her frightened eyes and forced herself to turn around, allowing the dark and terrifying thoughts about possibly getting beaten up to come to her, because she already knew that Dallas didn't like her, and it would take a bit for him to actually grow to like her. But Darry was different. He really didn't mind if anybody was a Greaser, Soc, or a Regular. As long as you didn't mess with him, his kid brothers, or the rest of the Greasers gang, you'd always be liked by the oldest Curtis. But at that moment, Darry was just too surprised to say anything else, because he never expected to encounter a Regular in his own house.

"...Please..." Sondra gulped as she hesitantly opened her eyes back up, and everybody could see how they were slightly tearful now, but not that much. Every single second that was passing, Sondra was just growing more and more scared, and Johnny was starting to wish to himself that he hadn't have allowed himself to ask Sondra, a Regular, to come to the Curtis's house on Greaser property to meet the leader of the Greasers, Darry Curtis, and officially meet the most violent Greaser, Dallas Winston. Seriously, Johnny thought to himself that he should've known that Dally wouldn't be able to instantly grow on Sondra like he did for certain children, and it was most likely with Dally speaking with the Regular that he's been complaining about for over an hour or so, it wouldn't end up good. Darry, on the other hand, was okay in Johnny's opinion. He didn't really know how Darry would actually handle this, him being the leader and all.

"...Please..." Sondra sighed again, holding back her tears and sniffles when nervously and hesitantly speaking to the Greasers gang in the living room of the Curtis's house. "...Don't call me a Regular...it doesn't make me feel too hot..."

The Greasers each knew how that felt. Being called something that didn't make you feel too hot, obviously, especially by the Socs and a very little amount of sassy Regulars. But Sondra wasn't anything like those kind of Regulars. Neither was Iris, nor Sondra's 'gang', unless you extremely ticked them off, but that was mainly only positive to happen if you ever dared to harm somebody they adore completely in anyway or form.

"Why are you here?" Dallas asked, his voice snarling and growling softly, but angrily at the same time, like a junk-yard pooch. "This ain't your territory! You should be in the center of town, along with the other Regulars!"

It was rare for Regulars to live on either the Greasers or the Socs territory, because the Greasers and the Socs, not only didn't they hate the Regulars guts, but they always thought that the Regulars didn't have any guts of their own to actually do things and talk about certain things that's actually worthy of time in their eyes. After hearing Dallas instruct Sondra as a Regular again, the fourteen-year-old girl clenched his eyes shut in a pleading way, and Johnny could've sworn that he heard her begin to slightly sniffle to herself. Johnny knew how that felt, and all of the other Greasers, including Dallas himself, understood what if felt like to be like...like...an...outsider. That's technically what Regulars were. They were the main, main outsiders, with Greasers stuck in the middle with second place, and the Socs were the high-class preps and whatnot, who referred to the Greasers and Regulars, but mainly the Regulars, as pesants.

"Dally, she kindly asked us to not call her by that label! You should respect that and do what she asks, please!" Johnny blurted out, his voice mumbling a bit, and his tone was filled with both annoyed and slightly angry voices mixed in together. Believe it or not, that was quite a mouthful of sass for Johnny Cade, considering that he rarely talked, and when he did, he was always shy and polite. But in this case, he was shockingly being a bit harsh and completely demanding towards Dally.

Ponyboy's eyes were now huge, and he and Kitten were exchanging such startled expressions, while Two-Bit literally fell back on the couch from being so shocked that it was Johnny Cade who just mouthed off to Dallas Winston, his own role model. Darry and Soda were just as surprised, their faces red from so much unexpecting shock, and their eyes widened like marbles. Lastly, Steve's mouth was hanging slightly open, and his hand was over his heart, feeling how rapidly fast it was now going and beating, going and beating. Sondra couldn't believe what was happening as much as the next guy, as she hid there behind Johnnycake, too scared to come out from behind him, even though she knew all of the Greasers, except Darry and Dally. She was still dead scared of Dallas...actually...who wasn't in Tulsa?

Dallas was just as surprised in Johnny's sudden behavior, and he really wanted to allow his mouth to fall open while his eyes shoot huge, but he wouldn't allow himself to act so shocked in front of all of his best pals. Instead, Dally crossed his tough arms across his rock-hard chest and narrowed his eyes, as his face turned red, and he scrunched up his nose in an angry manner.

"Oh, fine! How 'bout I call her the girl who isn't a Greaser or a Soc?!" Dally growled.

"Cut it out, Dallas!" Johnny demanded, and his voice started rising with anger, getting so close to snapping.

"Excuse me, Johnnycake?!" Dallas commanded.

"Guys, please! Stop!" Sondra came pleading into the conversation. She was starting to believe that all of this sudden fighting was all because of her, and she was actually correct, even though none of the Greasers wanted to fight one bit, epecially in front of her. "Look, Johnnycake asked me to come over here to meet Darry Curtis and actually meet Dallas Winston!"

Dally shot his full, undivided, ticked off attention over to the fourteen-year-old girl, making her yelp as Johnny wrapped his arms around her waist with her still there behind him, keeping her protected and safe from any violent blows of the fists or bone-crunching kicks, or just simply getting spit upon.

"Why are you saying our names like we're not even here?!" Dally growled at Sondra, obviously referring to Darry and himself.

"Hey, this was Johnny's idea! Not mine!" Sondra panicked out, and she locked her hands over her face to keep her fear, nervousness, and shyness hidden from any of the Greasers views or sights.

"Gee..." Johnny sighed "thanks, Baby, you're my rock."

"I'm sorry, Johnny! I panicked! I didn't mean-"

"Can it, Regular! Just get out! You wasted your time coming here, whether it was Johnnycake's idea or not!" Dallas exploded with rage, and the rest of the gang gasped after they took in and digested Dally's words...but before anybody could say a single thing...Sondra was out the door, crying her heart out...

A/N: Cliffhanger! What's going to happen next? Well, yawl will have to wait until the next chapter to see! Please review, and I still give props to my great, tuff, golden friends who've been chatting with me and keeping my writing spirit strong! Thanks, guys! Read yawl in the next chapter now! :D :D :D :D