Five For Fighting
Rated: PG-13
Diclaimer: I still own nothing
A/N: Dallas )
E.L.E.V.E.N.
I stared open mouthed as Dallas climbed easily through the window, as if he had come into countless girls second floor bedrooms at ten o'clock at night.
He surveyed the room, a faint sneer on his face before turning to me.
My heart pounded, I hadn't seen him since that first night in Tulsa, I was hit again with that love struck feeling as I watched his eyes travel the room and then to me.
He was wearing a black shirt and a leather jacket with jeans and boots, his hair fell over his forehead in such a way that I wanted to reach out and push it out of his face, but I got the feeling he would break my wrist if I tried. His eyes were still cold, possibly more so in the Master's house.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, thinking fleetingly that he had come out of feelings for me.
"Your brothers want to see you"
"So why didn't one of them come to get me?" I asked
"Can't afford any more trouble after Pony and Johnny killed that kid, sent me instead."
He lit a cigarette, which I snatched out of his hand and threw out the window before I could think about what I was doing. The Masters could smell cigarette smoke a mile away and did not like it polluting their house.
I had been sneaking smokes in between classes behind the school. Even that was a segregated affair, the Socs took the side of the school with the trees, the Greasers, the side with the dumpsters. I stood in the middle, Ponyboy still refusing to say much to me, the Socs acting as if I was a dangerous bomb that might explode any minute and infect them with my orphan status.
Dallas looked livid "What the hell did you do that for?"
"You can smoke it down there" I hissed swinging my leg out the window, though I was unsure of how I would get down.
"Take a coat stupid, it's freezing out there." He growled
I glared at him and snatched my coat
"God, you and Pony both, you don't think at all do ya?"
He swung himself out the window and I could see that he was standing on the white picket fence looking ladder that ran the length of the house and was covered in ivy.
I followed him out and I felt his arm encircle my waist as we climbed down as noiselessly as possible.
He let me go the second my feet hit the ground and he searched the ground for his cigarette.
"For God's sake, take one of mine" I said handing him one from the inside pocket of my coat.
He lit it, taking a deep drag and then started off with his long strides towards the front of the house and down the street. I practically had to jog to keep up.
"What do my brothers want?" I asked as we neared an old T-Bird.
"What do I look like, a mind reader? Get in" He retorted.
I pulled open the rusted door and grasped the door handle for dear life as Dallas sped even more quickly than Jake down the road, leaving tire marks in the road.
As we came to a screeching halt at a red light I lit a cigarette for myself to steady my nerves, now I truly did feel as though I would throw up. Being next to Dallas made me nervous and I was worried something was wrong with Darry or Soda or Pony.
We finally reached the house, Dallas didn't stay, merely dropped me off and left saying he would be back in three hours to pick me up and bring me back to the Masters.
I walked into the house wishing I could just lay down with Soda and Pony in the big bed in the room that should be mine and sleep for the next week, wake up and live happily with them and Darry, but I knew that couldn't happen.
"Darry?" I called. "Soda, Pony, I'm here"
Darry came out of the kitchen and wrapped me in a hug. I don't think he wanted me to know that he had been watching for Dallas's car from the kitchen window.
"Darry, is something wrong?" I asked.
"Not really, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."
I nodded, "Where are Soda and Pony…they aren't angry at me are they? You know I don't like living at the Masters right Darry? You know I'd rather be here than there"
"I know, Amber, I know…and so do they. Pony feels awful for how he's been acting, it's just so hard for us." He said helplessly. "Soda and Pony will be here in a few minutes, I sent them out for a walk so they'd stop pacing the room waiting for you."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"About getting you back, of course. I've been talking to some people and researching night and day and I think we have a fairly good shot." Darry said shuffling through a stack of handwritten papers.
"We can't afford a lawyer though, if the state didn't listen before, why would they now without making it a legal proceeding?" I asked.
"The Masters can't adopt you when you have living relatives who are the legal age to be your guardians, I turned twenty one last year, that makes me legal. Now we just need to convince them that I'm fit to take care of you."
"We should stick Mr. Adams in the house with you for a week while you force him to do his homework and wash the dishes" Soda said from the door "You could even give him a bedtime, just like Ponyboy"
"Very funny little man" Darry said as Soda came across the room and enveloped me in a hug. Ponyboy was hanging back, looking ashamed and nervous.
I offered him a smile to let him know I wasn't angry, and he came over sitting next to me taking my hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze.
"So what are we going to do?" I asked gazing up at Darry who resembled our father so strongly according to the pictures strewn around the house, that it made my stomach constrict in longing for the father I never knew.
"Appeal the state's decision, I've arranged a meeting with Mr. Adams and some other important people next week, Thursday, after you and Pony get out of school." Darry said. "I don't know if there's much we can do in preparation."
"Got any dirt on the Masters Amber?" Soda asked
"You mean besides the fact that they're forcing her to go out with a psychotic football player?" Pony said with a scowl.
I shook my head, "They're nice people, and they make real good parents…just not for me." I said with a shrug.
"I'm thinking this will fall mostly on you, like it should, Amber, so just be honest, no matter what you say, we won't be angry with you." Darry promised.
I nodded, "Lets put this aside for the night, I just wanna spend some time with you guys before I have to go back."
Darry nodded and put the papers aside and for the next two and a half hours we hung out and talked, watched some TV, Two-Bit came over boozed up and extremely cheerful bringing noise and the strong smell of beer with him. Steve showed up awhile later, jumping over the back of the couch and landing in between Soda and myself, nearly sitting on our laps.
I clung to Darry's arm as Dallas pulled up to the curb (running over it in the process) and swaggered into the room.
"Don't make me go back Darry" I begged.
Darry smiled, "If all goes according to plan, you'll be back here by the end of next week, until then, hang in there."
I nodded "Ya'll will come and have lunch with me and Pony again this week right?" I asked.
I wouldn't follow Dallas out the door until they had all promised.
Once assured that I would see them soon, I hugged my brothers, kissed Two-Bit on the cheek and received a punch on the shoulder from Steve and left with Dallas who still wasn't talking to me.
The car ride back was quiet, and the silence rang in my ears.
"Thanks for getting me" I stammered as we neared the Master's house and Dallas pulled over to the curb so let me out a safe distance from the house so his car wouldn't be spotted.
He grunted in return leaving me to feel helpless amongst my feelings for him.
"I uh, think I can manage alright by myself from here…thanks again, really, I appreciate it." I said opening the car door, and before I could think about what I was doing I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, before hurrying out of the car and running to the dark house a few yards away.
I scurried up the side of the house as quietly as possible, crawling in through the window and laying down on my bed trying to still my beating my heart, but there was no calming myself down, I was in love with Dallas Winston, and that was nothing to be calm about.