Two-Bit was back downstairs at the bar, waiting for Dally's return. Most of the crowd had filtered out. There were only a couple of washed-out drunks that remained.
"Want another beer, Mathews?" Buck asked, waving a bottle in Two-Bit's face.
Two-Bit lifted his head. "Do I ever," he mumbled. He'd do anything to get himself to relax. All he felt like doing was drinking until he had no memory of the night. He wanted to go back to not knowing.
Buck handed him the beer and Two-Bit downed it in less than two minutes.
"Lordy, Two-Bit, pace yourself will ya?" Buck said.
"Shut up you filthy cowboy, and give me another one," Two-Bit droned.
Buck chuckled as he handed Two-Bit his next drink. "Sassy tonight, are we?"
The last thing Two-Bit wanted to do was carry on a conversation with Buck Merril. So he picked up his beer and made a beeline for the front door, refusing to dignify Buck's comment with an answer.
Two-Bit dropped down onto the front steps. He should've been cold without his jacket, but he wasn't. He was too numb to feel much of anything. Come on Dally, where are you? He wondered. He hoped he had just gone for a walk around the block.
Two-Bit focused on flipping his bottle cap instead of thinking about what he'd learned about Dally. Every time he thought about it, his stomach dropped into his toes. So he didn't think. He just cleared his mind.
But Two-Bit didn't need to use his bottle cap to distract him for long, because moments later he heard shouts coming from behind Buck's. Someone was shouting, "Greaser!" and that could only mean one thing: Socs were here.
As if this night couldn't get any worse, Two-Bit thought as he grabbed his beer bottle and sprinted to the back of the building. He knew Dally was the target. There was no question in his mind.
Two-Bit could make out four Socs huddled beside the dumpster behind Buck's. He could tell they were Socs because they were all wearing their ridiculous flood pants. There was another body at their feet, looking limp and lifeless. It was a tow-headed fellow…
Two-Bit started seeing red. He busted his beer bottle against the side of the building, and ran at them full force, holding the jagged edge out in front of him like a switch. "Hey!" he shouted, to get them to stop kicking Dally and to focus their attention on him. "You girls better beat it. I'll cut every last one of you up, I swear to god."
Two-Bit couldn't believe it when the Socs scattered. He didn't think his threat would work since he and Dally were so outnumbered. But then he realized that Buck and a couple of the Brumly gang had emerged from the back door and were heading their way. They chased the Socs away while Two-Bit tended to Dally.
Since it was dark, it was hard to tell the condition Dally was in. He was at least conscious. Two-Bit could hear him groaning in pain. "Dal, you alright man?" He squatted down in front of him and carefully helped him sit up so he could lean against the dumpster.
Dally didn't answer him. In the dim light, Two-Bit could tell he was shaking.
"What happened?" Two-Bit asked. "Talk to me, Winston."
"I got jumped," Dally said flatly, and then he let out a string of curse words.
"Did you see who they were?"
Dally shook his head. "I didn't know any of 'em." He swallowed hard. "They knew who I was though." Two-Bit had never seen Dally so shaken up. Those Socs had scared him bad. He couldn't stop trembling.
Dally struggled to stand up. Two-Bit knew better than to try and help him. "Dal…?" he said slowly. Dally was bent over and had his hands on his knees. "You okay?"
Dally didn't answer. He couldn't. Because seconds later, he was throwing up onto the pavement.
Two-Bit jumped up in surprise. "Shit, Dally," he breathed, carefully putting his hand on Dally's back. "You're in real bad shape."
Once Dally had stopped gagging, he straightened up and wiped his mouth with his hand. He continued to swear under his breath.
Two-Bit didn't think twice. "You're coming home with me," he told Dally bluntly. He didn't care what his mom had to say about it. There was no way Two-Bit was letting Dally out of his sight tonight.
Dally was too beat up to protest. He allowed Two-Bit to walk him to his car that was parked on the street beside Buck's. As Two-Bit was helping Dally get into the passenger seat, Buck came running up to meet them.
"Is he alright, Mathews?" he asked. "It looked like those Socs gave him a helluva beating."
"I'm fine, Merril," Dally growled from the passenger seat.
"Yeah, he'll be okay," Two-Bit said as he closed the door. "Thanks for backing us up, Buck."
Buck chuckled. "You know I'll always jump on the chance to beat up on some Socs," he said. "You guys take care now, you hear?" He tipped his hat and headed back inside.
On the drive home, Dally didn't say a word. He just leaned his head up against the window and closed his eyes. Two-Bit talked the whole way though. He couldn't stand the silence. Mostly he just ripped on the Socs' preposterous outfits. It was all just nervous gibberish.
When they arrived home, Two-Bit parked the car and went around the other side to open it for Dally. He could see Dally's face clearly from the light from the porch. He noticed a gash on the right side of Dally's forehead that he hadn't seen before. Two-Bit cursed under his breath, and pulled Dally out of the car.
"Your mom ain't gonna let me stay," Dally mumbled as he and Two-Bit walked up the steps.
"We'll see about that," Two-Bit said. "Just let me do the talking."
Two-Bit stepped into his house first with Dally behind him. Liz must've already been in bed. His mom and Rick were on the couch watching the TV. Both of their jaws dropped as they laid eyes on Winston.
"Dally's staying here tonight," Two-Bit said. He was trying to make his voice firm, but it came out wobbly and uneven. "He's staying here."
Rick looked to Mrs. Mathews, who nodded her head slowly, before he stood up to take action. "You okay, kid?" he asked Dally gently. When Dally nodded, Rick looked at Two-Bit. "What happened?"
"He got jumped," Two-Bit answered. "He'll be okay, he just needs to be patched up…"
"I'll take care of it," Rick said. "Come with me, son." Rick took Dally by the arm and led him to the bathroom, leaving Two-Bit and his mother staring at each other.
Mrs. Mathews patted the seat next to her. "You okay?" she asked softly. "You ain't hurt are you?"
Two-Bit shook his head as he sat down beside her. "No, they only got Dally," he answered. He leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. He wanted so badly to hold it together, but it was a losing battle. He started to cry.
"Hon, what's the matter?" Mrs. Mathews asked, pushing the hair out of Two-Bit's eyes.
Two-Bit took in a shuddering breath and straightened up to face his mother. He wished he could stop the damn tears from overflowing from his eyes. "I'm sorry for bringing him here," he told her, and then he hung his head. "I know he makes you feel uncomfortable. It's just… he ain't well right now, and he has nowhere else to go…"
His mom pulled him in for a hug. "I told you I was going to try to do better, didn't I?" she asked. "For whatever reason, this boy is important to you. You've made that clear." She let out a deep breath. "He can stay here until he's well again."
Two-Bit pulled away from her and wiped his eyes. "You mean it?" he asked.
She nodded. "But only until he's well. You know we can't afford—"
"I know," Two-Bit interrupted her quickly. He looked down at his hands. "Thanks."
His mom smiled at him. "Go see if Rick needs any help," she told him. "And then get to bed. You have school in the morning." She stood up. "I'll set the boy up on the couch."
Two-Bit didn't bother telling her that it'd be him who was sleeping on the couch. He was just relieved that Dally was finally welcome in his home. And after tonight, Two-Bit was convinced that things could only get better.