1 Slashed Tires Chapter 29
A/N: I forgot. There's that rumble. Well, I don't know exactly how many more chapters there are, but I guess you will all find out won't you?
P.S. Apologies for the long sentences: I'm reading Charles Dickens.
P.P.S. Charles Dickens writes sentences that are paragraphs.
~
"You listen here woman-"
"I said there is NO SMOKING! Why can't you just accept-"
"I don't want to!"
The nurse's reply was cut off by a loud knock. Fuming, she stomped over and wrenched open the door.
"We're here to visit Dallas Winston-" Two-Bit began awkwardly, staring at the voluptuous blond planted firmly in front of him, both hands on hips, eyes contorted in an angry glare.
"You got company," the nurse yelled over her shoulder. "Beats the hell outta me why anyone would wanna visit you." She stormed out, muttering angrily about rude teenage 'dickheads'.
Two-Bit smirked. "Score one more for Dallas Winston, the amazing woman repeller." To which Dallas flipped him off, rolling his eyes.
Ponyboy stepped in after his friend, wearily rubbing his aching head. The minute they'd left Johnny, his head had begun to pound, and it steadily grew worse. Now it felt like there were a dozen tiny men with pickaxes, chopping away at his brain. He caught Dally's eye and tried to smile.
"Man, am I glad to see you!" Dallas returned the boy's grin. "These fucking hospital people won't let me smoke – and I want out!"
Two-Bit grinned and Ponyboy gave the little half smile again.
"Shepard came to see me awhile ago," Dally informed them.
"So we heard. Johnny told us. What did he want?" Two-Bit plopped down on the bed (whose sheets were rumpled again). Ponyboy gave him an inquisitive look, paired with characteristic silence.
"Said he saw my picture in the paper." Dally made a face, covering his smile. He'd never admit it, but secretly he was enjoying the (for once) POSITIVE attention. He wondered if Cherry would see it. A pang of guilt ran through him as he realized he'd been looking at another woman. Then he remembered that he didn't really care about Cherry, and that his was only interested as a vital young alpha male in the prime of his reproductive era (or, he wanted sex). Then he had to push the matter from his mind, because he knew if he didn't, he would end up confessing it all to the two boys and begging for their opinion, enduring Two-Bit's scorn and Ponyboy's impregnable silence.
"He mostly came to rub it in about the rumble. Man, I hate not being in that." He wanted so bad to whip the damn Socs. They'd beaten him up last time, and in front of Cherry even… 'Damn,' he cursed. Well, he wanted to beat them for Johnny. Anger rolled over him when he thought of how the poor kid had ended up. Dallas took a deep breath, calming himself down.
Two-Bit rolled his eyes. He'd be willing to trade places with Dallas any day. Being able to sit back, relax, and have dinner served to you by gorgeous cooing blondes in nurse outfits was a million times better than slouching around in a cold, dark, alley, occasionally punching someone you didn't know, and ending up with a black eye, bloody nose, and cracked rib.
Ponyboy sat down in the only chair, a battered maroon vinyl armchair, which had a broken leg and squeaked loudly when anyone sat down in it. Dally watched him, and had to grin when the chair uttered no sound under the silent boy's weight.
"Kid you scared the devil outta me the other day. I thought I'd killed you."
"Me?" Ponyboy pointed at himself, his eyes wide, puzzled. "Why?"
'Two words. There's a start,' Dally thought dryly. "When you jumped out of the church. I meant to hit you only hard enough to knock you down and put out your back. When you went down like a ton of lead I thought I'd aimed to high and broke your neck." Dally smiled. Pony's eyes were wide, almost like it had actually happened and he was just being told about it now. "Glad I didn't though," he added, trying to reassure the kid.
To Dally's surprise Ponyboy grinned. "Yeah, I'll bet," he said smirking.
For a while no one said anything. Dally stared back out the window. The sun was just beginning to go down.
"Uhh…" he tried to fill the silence. "How's the kid?"
"We just left him." Two-Bit hesitated. "I don't know much about this stuff or anything, but…he didn't look so good to me. Passed out cold before we left him."
A pain went through Dally's heart and he swore. All other thoughts were gone, leaving him with only the all-consuming anger he felt when Johnny was hurt.
"Two-Bit." His voice was dead cold. "You still got that fancy black handled switch?"
"Yeah."
"Give it here." The cold metal was in his hand in a heartbeat.
"We gotta win this thing tonight. We gotta get even with those Socs. For Johnny." The switchblade safely under his pillow, the two boys forgotten, Dally glared up at the shiny white surface of the hospital ceiling, his heart pounding with a deadly hatred. He'd get even all right. If it killed him.
A/N: I forgot. There's that rumble. Well, I don't know exactly how many more chapters there are, but I guess you will all find out won't you?
P.S. Apologies for the long sentences: I'm reading Charles Dickens.
P.P.S. Charles Dickens writes sentences that are paragraphs.
~
"You listen here woman-"
"I said there is NO SMOKING! Why can't you just accept-"
"I don't want to!"
The nurse's reply was cut off by a loud knock. Fuming, she stomped over and wrenched open the door.
"We're here to visit Dallas Winston-" Two-Bit began awkwardly, staring at the voluptuous blond planted firmly in front of him, both hands on hips, eyes contorted in an angry glare.
"You got company," the nurse yelled over her shoulder. "Beats the hell outta me why anyone would wanna visit you." She stormed out, muttering angrily about rude teenage 'dickheads'.
Two-Bit smirked. "Score one more for Dallas Winston, the amazing woman repeller." To which Dallas flipped him off, rolling his eyes.
Ponyboy stepped in after his friend, wearily rubbing his aching head. The minute they'd left Johnny, his head had begun to pound, and it steadily grew worse. Now it felt like there were a dozen tiny men with pickaxes, chopping away at his brain. He caught Dally's eye and tried to smile.
"Man, am I glad to see you!" Dallas returned the boy's grin. "These fucking hospital people won't let me smoke – and I want out!"
Two-Bit grinned and Ponyboy gave the little half smile again.
"Shepard came to see me awhile ago," Dally informed them.
"So we heard. Johnny told us. What did he want?" Two-Bit plopped down on the bed (whose sheets were rumpled again). Ponyboy gave him an inquisitive look, paired with characteristic silence.
"Said he saw my picture in the paper." Dally made a face, covering his smile. He'd never admit it, but secretly he was enjoying the (for once) POSITIVE attention. He wondered if Cherry would see it. A pang of guilt ran through him as he realized he'd been looking at another woman. Then he remembered that he didn't really care about Cherry, and that his was only interested as a vital young alpha male in the prime of his reproductive era (or, he wanted sex). Then he had to push the matter from his mind, because he knew if he didn't, he would end up confessing it all to the two boys and begging for their opinion, enduring Two-Bit's scorn and Ponyboy's impregnable silence.
"He mostly came to rub it in about the rumble. Man, I hate not being in that." He wanted so bad to whip the damn Socs. They'd beaten him up last time, and in front of Cherry even… 'Damn,' he cursed. Well, he wanted to beat them for Johnny. Anger rolled over him when he thought of how the poor kid had ended up. Dallas took a deep breath, calming himself down.
Two-Bit rolled his eyes. He'd be willing to trade places with Dallas any day. Being able to sit back, relax, and have dinner served to you by gorgeous cooing blondes in nurse outfits was a million times better than slouching around in a cold, dark, alley, occasionally punching someone you didn't know, and ending up with a black eye, bloody nose, and cracked rib.
Ponyboy sat down in the only chair, a battered maroon vinyl armchair, which had a broken leg and squeaked loudly when anyone sat down in it. Dally watched him, and had to grin when the chair uttered no sound under the silent boy's weight.
"Kid you scared the devil outta me the other day. I thought I'd killed you."
"Me?" Ponyboy pointed at himself, his eyes wide, puzzled. "Why?"
'Two words. There's a start,' Dally thought dryly. "When you jumped out of the church. I meant to hit you only hard enough to knock you down and put out your back. When you went down like a ton of lead I thought I'd aimed to high and broke your neck." Dally smiled. Pony's eyes were wide, almost like it had actually happened and he was just being told about it now. "Glad I didn't though," he added, trying to reassure the kid.
To Dally's surprise Ponyboy grinned. "Yeah, I'll bet," he said smirking.
For a while no one said anything. Dally stared back out the window. The sun was just beginning to go down.
"Uhh…" he tried to fill the silence. "How's the kid?"
"We just left him." Two-Bit hesitated. "I don't know much about this stuff or anything, but…he didn't look so good to me. Passed out cold before we left him."
A pain went through Dally's heart and he swore. All other thoughts were gone, leaving him with only the all-consuming anger he felt when Johnny was hurt.
"Two-Bit." His voice was dead cold. "You still got that fancy black handled switch?"
"Yeah."
"Give it here." The cold metal was in his hand in a heartbeat.
"We gotta win this thing tonight. We gotta get even with those Socs. For Johnny." The switchblade safely under his pillow, the two boys forgotten, Dally glared up at the shiny white surface of the hospital ceiling, his heart pounding with a deadly hatred. He'd get even all right. If it killed him.