"How old are you for starters?" Darry asked.

"Like I told Two-Bit, thirteen and a half." Tia said leaning back.

"Thirteen!?" Darry exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't you guys tell me?!"

"Cause we knew you would freak out like you are doing now." Two-Bit said managing to make a full sentance.

"Is your name actually Thalia?" Darry asked sitting down.

"Yeah, Thalia Amber Laurel." Tia said, he voice thick with boredom.

"Your parents are dead, right?" Darry asked.

"Nope, my dad is in Dallas and my mom is six feet under." Thalia said tucking a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear.

"You lied?" Darry asked.

"Yeah." Tia said without any remorse.

"Why did you run away?" Soda asked when Darry didn't say anything else.

"I was sick being shoved around by my older brother Evan and even more sick of my dad taking swings at me." Thalia said slouching down farther on the couch.

"Your dad and brother hit you?" Johnny asked.

Tia quickly sat up straighter, Johnny had barely said three words to her since she got here. He was now looking her directly in the eyes. She looked back at him, she could see the pain and fear in his eyes, it broke her heart. In that moment she knew, he had been abused too.

"My brother didn't hit me too much, he just made fun of me alot and kept getting me into a lot of trouble with the fuzz and stuff. My dad would beat me alot but he could have done worse. I left cause I didn't know how much longer it would take him to take that step further. Plus the night I ran away he finally pushed me too far. He cracked a bottle on my knee cap while I was sleeping. I still got the pieces of glass in there since the wound healed over." Tia said looking directly at Johnny. "You dad hits you too?"

Johnny nodded and Soda hugged him to make him feel better. He probably would have hugged Tia too but knew better, she didn't look in the hugging type of mood.

"You hitch-hiked here?" Darry finally asked.

"Yeah, I rode with a trucker from Dallas to Wichita Falls. From there I rode in a van of high schoolers to Oklahoma City. From there I rode in a truck with two guys to Muskogee. I rode with another trucker to Sapulpa and walked to Tulsa and the rest is history."

"Wow." Dally whistled. "Hitch hiking is kinda dangerous."

"I had my blades with me, I am quite sure I was more dangerous then anyone I could meet on my travels." Tia said making them laugh.

"And you didn't do anything with Tim, right?" Darry asked.

"Come on Darry. I am not that type of girl, I don't sleep around with Hood's I meet at parties." Tia said smiling when Darry turned slightly red and looking away.

"One more question?" Two-Bit asked, his words still slurred.

"Sure." Tia said shrugging.

"If you didn't mess around with Tim then how many guys have you-"

Darry shoved Two-Bit, cutting off his sentance.

"You don't have to answer that." Darry said giving Two-Bit a filthy look.

"Wha?" Two-Bit said getting up "I was just wondering, take it easy."

"None." Tia said in between laughs.

"What?" Dally asked turning to face her.

"Matthews asked me a question and I answered him, I haven't been with any guys." Tia said still laughing at the look on the guys faces.

"You kiddin'?" Dally asked.

"Nope, I don't wanna get pregnant, I live too fast and I don't want to be slowed down now." Tia said shrugging.

Dally didn't say anything else. She was one of the very few people he actually admired even though he didn't admit it. She knew how to take care of herself and she used good judgement, he should have known she could handle Buck's party and Tim.

"Is there any chance your father or brother could be looking for you?" Darry asked when everyone had regained their composure.

"My brother probably will, he still thinks I am his baby sister. If he finds me, he will take me back to my father. I would prefere to die then go back home, hell if I went back home he would probably kill me anyways." Tia said sighing.

"Don't worry Tia." Dally said putting an arm around her shoulders. "We won't let anything happen to you."