Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders.

I sat alone in my room the rest of the night. Dally and Cherry both stayed over for a while after the movie. One of Darry's work friends had taken him out to a bar so he could have some time off, so we had the whole house to ourselves. They stayed over until we ran out of food and Cherry's curfew came. Dally took her home and now it's just Ponyboy and I left.

I thought I heard Darry come home. I lied back down on my bed and shut my eyes in case he decided to come up to my room. I wasn't supposed to be up this late since I was still technically being punished and all.

"Danni?" Darry asked as he knocked on my door. "You ok?" He slowly walked in.

I rubbed my eyes, acting as if he had just waked me up. "I'm fine. How was work?"

He sighed and took a seat on the end of my blue bed. He was obviously exhausted. "Tough. I didn't mean to wake you. I just….wanted to check up on you."

I'd caught Darry doing this a few times at night. He wasn't sleeping much, and at around two am, he'd come upstairs to check on Ponyboy and I. I'm not sure why, but maybe before he went to bed he just needed the satisfaction of knowing that at least we were safe.

"I heard you went on a date with Dally tonight." He cracked a smile at me.

I rolled my eyes, smiling at the sound of that. I went on a date with Dally. "Yes. It was nice."

"Good. You need to have fun once in a while. Good fun."

I nodded, turning my head at the way he said good fun. "I'm going to turn in. I'm real tired."

He ruffled my hair before standing up and heading for the door. "Night kid."

"Night, Dar. Take it easy ok? I already cleaned the house."

He looked over at me. " You really don't have to do that."

"I want to."

I slept throughout the night that night, which was shocking because that hadn't happened in a long time. Usually I would jolt awake with some dream about Soda. Not tonight though. Tonight was a good night. If only tomorrow would be the same.

"Danni up!" Darry shouted from down stairs.

I groaned and looked over at the clock. I had to work today. The one day I could actually sleep I had to get up at nine in the morning and work the breakfast shift.

"Hey!" I said happily as I went into the kitchen. I walked up behind Darry as he was scrambling some eggs up. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

Darry looked over at me from the stove. "Since when do you eat breakfast?"

I shrugged. "Since I got hungry?"

"Get dressed first."

I rubbed my growling stomach and went back and ran up to my room to change. I could hear Ponyboy snoring from his room. I slammed my door shut a little harder than normal, hoping it would wake him up. My idea didn't seem to work, so went back down stairs.

After I inhaled my breakfast Darry drove me to work. We drove in silence until we reached the little diner at the end of the street.

"Here," Darry said handing me a couple of dollars before I jumped out of the truck.

I looked at it, counting out around five dollars. "What's that for?"

He pushed it further to me. "For you. Go fix your hair."

Last year, when Ponyboy and Johnny went to Windrixville, I had bleached me hair along with Ponyboy so he wouldn't feel so bad about doing it. It had gone from dark brown to a Barbie's hair color in a matter of minutes. I had been keeping up the bleaching until just recently when I didn't have the time or the money to keep it up.

"I can't take your money," I told him flatly. I especially couldn't take it for doing something as silly as turning my hair back to brown.

He shoved it at me, not backing down from the argument. "Yes you can. I got some to spare. Just take it."

"I have my own money," I said pushing it back, not backing down either.

He sighed and glared at me. He laid the money down on the seat. "You really are stubborn."

I sneered. "Who do you think I get it from?"

"Just take the money, Danni. I want to do this for you so just let me."

I looked back down at the money. It looked like an awful lot for a hair job and I was wondering why he was so willingly giving me cash. "Why do you want me to change it back so badly?"

He shrugged, putting his hands back on the steering wheel. "I didn't want you to change it in the first place. You just ran off and did it yourself when you took off with Dally. Just take the damn money and shut your mouth."

I smiled back. It was nice to see Darry kidding around again. It was showing his age more. I took the dollars. "Thanks Dar."

"I'll pick you up after my shift."

It was rare Darry ever offered me money. I usually had to beg him whenever I wanted clothes or something. We didn't have a lot of it to go around, not even when Mom and Dad were around. Mom had taught me to sew, so I mostly made my own clothes and settled for only getting things on my birthday or Christmas. I have my own money now though. Although Darry does give me two dollars a month for woman stuff. He doesn't like to talk much about it with me. He just pulls the bill out of his wallet and hands it to me without a word. We both know what it's for though.

Work was crazy. People were coming in left and right. I couldn't seem to focus either. I kept on thinking about my hair. I could never get it back to the color it once was. Ponyboy grew his back out after it had happened which was probably what I was going to have to do. I could at least get it cut. I hadn't had a haircut in two years.

I don't know why I kept the blonde for as long as I did. It made me look like Sylvia. I guess I just liked the idea of being a blonde and standing out for once. Dally seemed to like it too.

"Danni! Danni, are you here?" someone yelled from up front.

I walked out of the back room to find Steve frantically searching for me. What did he want with me? We haven't had a conversation since that day at school.

"Hey," I said coming out from the back. "What's going on?"

He breathed out a breath of air and came over to me. He was panting like he ran all the way over here. "Can you leave?"

I made a face. "I don't know. Why?"

He tried to regain his breath back. "We really have to go, like now!"

"Why?" I asked again. "I can't just leave without an excuse."

He sighed, and leaned over. "It's Johnny. Man, Danni, there's cops and paramedics all around his old place. I think something's up with one of his parents. Two-Bit and him are already there with Pone. We got to go." He grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him.

I explained what was happening to Mrs. Adderson and she was really understanding and let me go.

Steve and I sat his car in silence throughout most of the ride. I still wasn't sure why he decided to come and get me. I usually wasn't involved in anything his gang did, so why was I here in this car with Steve.

Wasn't he supposed to be in Canada?

"What do you think's going on?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He shrugged and kept his eyes forward on the road. "I got the call at work. Pony just said something was up at Johnny's old place and to get you."

So that's why I was here. It must be serious if I had to come.

Steve speeded all the way there. I was surprised that we didn't get pulled over, though Steve never gets pulled over for speeding. He was swerving right and left. I just sat back and took a death grip onto my seat until we pulled up to the little shack.

Steve slammed on his breaks and we ran out. He was right. Cops and ambulances were surrounding the place. Something big happened. Johnny's parents fought all the time. It wouldn't surprise me if they killed each other. I had suspected that for years.

"What's going on?" Steve asked as he ran over to Two-Bit, Pony, and Johnny.

Johnny had a slum expression on his face. He wouldn't look at us. He just stood there with his arms folded staring at the old shake he spent all his life in. He hadn't spoken to his parents in months. Not since the fire at the church happened. Right now though, I could see into his eyes, and there was worry and concern there.

"We don't know, man," Two-Bit said. "We heard the sirens and came over here. They've been over there for at least thirty minutes."

This place used to scare me when I was little before I knew Johnny lived there. Soda and Steve would tell me that it was haunted and if I walked by it, a ghost was going to come out and eat me. I wouldn't walk by that place for months. The place looked like something out of a horror movie. It was about the size of my parent's bed room and the boards that were holding it up were rotting. The roof had a few holes in it as well. It was surrounded by a chain link fence like mine. Only mine was less creepy looking.

"I don't hear anything," I said biting one of my nails.

Ponyboy hit my hand out of my mouth. "Well just shut up and listen."

I ignored him and put my hand back in my mouth to bite off another nail. I brushed by him and headed over to Johnny. "How you doing?" I asked.

He continued to look straight forward. "Fine."

"Man I'll go over there and ask myself!" Two-Bit scuffed

"And why would they tell you anything?" Steve snapped. "You don't live there."

"I'll go," Johnny mumbled, stepping forward. "It's my place after all. They have to tell me something I guess. Maybe it's not too bad."

"You sure?" Pony asked.

Johnny nodded and took a step forward. I watched as he went over to one of the paramedics that was standing in the yard.

"Man this is great," Two-Bit huffed. "One of them old crows probably killed the other one."

"Where's Dal at?" Steve asked, looking over at me.

I shrugged with my fingers still in my mouth. I really need to stop biting my nails when I'm nervous. I put my hand down my by side. "I don't exactly keep tabs on him."

He looked at me weird. "Ain't you two together or something?"

I shrugged again as I bit off the nail to my middle finger. "Do you know where Evie is?"

He didn't say anything, just turned away. Half the time I didn't know where Dally was at. I didn't even hear from him sometimes. I trusted Dally enough to let him go. Dally didn't like questions or to be suffocated anyway. He was a free mustang and he had to run. Besides, he worked a lot now. That's where he was most of the time.

I watched as Johnny nodded at the paramedic and headed back over to us.

"So?" Steve asked.

Johnny looked down at the ground. "My dad died. Cirrhosis. It took his liver or somethin and he just died on the floor. Ma called the cops and stuff." He shrugged his shoulders. "No big deal."

I looked over beside me at Two-Bit with my mouth open. He was thinking the same thing I was. "No big deal?" he asked. "Johnny…."

Johnny just shrugged once again. "Sorry to take you guys away from work."

Johnny stayed with us for a few nights after that. He didn't talk either. Not to Darry and I at least. I was hoping he'd talk to Ponyboy about things but I could tell he wasn't telling Ponyboy things either. Pony and I had stayed with him the whole time too. We didn't talk much. We just stayed together. I don't know why but it seemed to help.

"Wanna go to the store for me?" Darry asked me.

I shrugged and got up off the couch. "I ain't in the mood to get my hair done, so don't even bother to ask."

He handed me some money. "Milk and eggs."

I walked down the street as the blazing sun hit me. It was only April and it was already getting hot out. I, sadly, missed the snow. I liked snow. It was beautiful to wake up and see everything coated in white snow. Winter was my favorite, even as cold as it was. It was beautiful.

"Well look what we have here."

I looked up from the ground to see the platinum blonde standing in front of me. My heart skipped a beat, and I hate it did. I shouldn't be afraid of her. She wasn't as tough as people said she was. Angela was tougher. I could take Angela, so I could take Sylvia.

Maybe I'll start to believe that.

"Move," I huffed, brushing by her.

She jerked my arm back around to face her. She didn't waste any time before raising her hand up, hitting me smack dap in the eye.

I stumbled backwards, and grabbed my face. "What the hell?"

She grabbed my arm and swung me into the empty ally beside us. She grabbed me by my hair and swung me to the ground. I tried to fight her off but she was faster. I yelped out and tried to cover myself the best I could. My head was ponding. I couldn't even see let alone get back up to my feet.

"Get off me!" I yelled as I tried to kick her off.

She took about three more swings to my face. I rolled back over and kicked her off me. I stumbled back up and on to my feet. I couldn't even stand up straight. She stood up too and laughed at me. "Come on Danni. Hit me. Take one good swing at me."

I glared at her and held my bloody face.

She laughed. "I thought you liked to fight. Guess I was wrong. You're just all talk and no game."

I glared at her and tried to take a swing at her. I was so dizzy that I missed and nearly feel on my face.

She laughed at me and jerked my up by my hair. She pulled me up to face her. "Not so tough now are we?"

She let go of my hair. I bent down and held my swollen face. I watched as blood dripped down my fingers and onto the hard ground.

I could hear her laugh at me. I didn't look up though. I didn't even want to see her face. "See you around, Danni. Let that just be a little reminder to you next time you decide to mess with me."

I grunted my teeth as she left. I could barely lift my head up. Blood ran down my face and onto my shirt. I felt like my head was going to explode. I didn't even do anything to her. Was she just that crazy? What the hell happened this time?

I stumbled over to the trash can and spit out blood. I didn't even get in one hit. I sighed and gently lifted myself back up. I couldn't feel my head. I groaned and stood up.

Damn.

I caught myself on the door knob as I got to my house. I still couldn't feel my face. Darry was going to have a fit about this.

"Damn what happened to you?" Two-Bit shouted as I entered the house.

My face grew red. I was hoping that no one was home. Girls in our neighborhood got beat up all the time, just like boys did. Boys wouldn't normally hit girls, but girls sure did hit girls. I remember Angela telling me about fights she'd get into. I'd even witnessed some of them. I just never thought I'd be the girl who got into one of those fights.

I stumbled over to the kitchen door way. Darry immediately saw me and jumped up from the table where he was sitting. Ponyboy looked at me with his mouth open.

"What happened to you?" Darry asked as he came over to me. He lifted my chin up to get I better look. I hissed in pain. "Who did this to you!?"

"Said she got in a fight," Two-Bit said with his mouth full as he entered the kitchen with us.

Darry was still holding onto my chin. I shut my eyes and tried not to cry.

"Pony, go get the first aid kit outta the bathroom," Darry told him as he wiped some blood off the side of my face.

"Looks like she handed it to ya Danni-Bear," Two-Bit said taking a look at my face too.

"Here sit," Darry said, helping me over to the table

I winced in pain as I took a seat on the wooded chair. Two-Bit, of course, took a seat with us at the table. I wondered if Two-Bit's family missed him. He was over here more and more as the days Soda was gone kept adding up.

"Here," Pony said handing Darry the kit. "Do you need ice?"

Darry nodded as he looked at my face again.

"I'd say so." Two-Bit smirked.

Darry gently turned my face back around to face him as he dabbed a cloth onto one of the cuts I had. I winced again as a stinging pain hit my cheek. Tears ran down my face.

"Who did this, Danni?"

I sighed as Darry dug through the kit for some alcohol. I didn't want to be a rat, but I figured Darry wouldn't give up until he heard the whole truth. "Sylvia."

Two-Bit coughed as he choked on his food.

"Sylvia?" Darry asked, glaring at me. He had fire in his eyes. The anger wasn't towards me.

"Dal's Sylvia?" Two-Bit asked.

"She's not his anymore," I said lightly.

Darry just shook his head as Ponyboy handed him some ice. "Do I even want to know what it was about? I have a good guess. Jesus."

He poured some of the alcohol onto a cotton ball.

I prepared myself for the pain it was about to bring me.

"Hold still," he said as he grabbed my chin to steady me. I hissed as he dabbed the ball onto my face. "Sorry," he mumbled. He eventually pulled away allowing me time to breath. "So how did this happen?"

I sighed as I watched him get a new cotton ball out. The last one was completely covered in blood

"I got to do this again. Sorry," he said as he repositioned my face.

It took all the energy I had not to yell out in pain. "She just attacked me," I said, grinding my teeth to fight through the pain from the alcohol.

"Why?"

I shrugged as he lowered his hand. I didn't want this to come back around to Dally and Darry blame him for this happening. It really wasn't Dally's fault. It was his fault for dating someone as crazy as Sylvia, but he didn't cause her to jump me. Sylvia had a mind of her on.

"She just came at me," I told him the best way I could. "She said something after she was done about that should teach me. I didn't do anything to her though."

He nodded and grabbed the ice that was sitting beside him. "Hey, Pone, will you go stir the soup for me?"

"Are you mad at me?" I whispered.

Darry shook his head as he repositioned the ice. "It doesn't sound like it was your fault. I'm just kind of upset it happened, and who it probably happened because of."

I looked down. I hated the sound of that.

"You should take a shower and clean yourself up."

I nodded and got up from the table. At least I wasn't in trouble. I had been in enough trouble this past month. I couldn't do another week of house arrest.

Where was Dally at?