"How many is that you've had." KJ asked as Tia cracked open another can of beer.
"Two less then you, so don't complain." Tia replied after taking a long drink.
"Tia?" Buck asked making his way through the crowd. "Where's Dally, there are two kids at the door for him, says their names are Pony and Johnny."
"I'll go get him, thanks Buck." Tia said standing up.
"Want me to come with you?" KJ asked looking up at her.
"Nah, Dally is going to be grumpy enough that I have to wake him up. I'll be back in a few." Tia said before heading for the stairs.
She ignored the obscene noises coming from some of the rooms and headed to the one she usually found Dally in. She knocked lightly not wanted to walk right in, in case it wasn't Dally. When there wasn't as answer she slowly opened the foor. The room was dark but the light from the hall cast light into the room.
"Dally?" Tia whispered walking over to the bed.
"What?" Dally asked, he was awake even though his eyes were closed.
"Something is wrong, Pony and Johnny are at the door." Tia explained.
Dally eyes shot open and he slowly sat up and groaned in pain. With his shirt off, Tia could see dark bruises already on his chest and stomache. He slowly climbed off the bed and motioned for Tia to head towards the door. She went slow as he followed her down the stairs. Tia stood back so Dally could make his way to the door.
"Okay kids, whatta ya need me for?" Dally asked.
Dally was leaning against the side of the door with his arm on the other side, supporting him. Tia stuck her head under his arm so she could see Pony and Johnny. She was shocked at how bad they looked. Johnny then told them all about what had happened.
"Good for you." Dally said grinning.
"We figured you could get us out if anyone could. I'm sorry we got you away from the party." Johnny said quickly.
"Oh shoot kid"-Dally said glancing over his shoulder "I was in the bedroom."
Pony looked at his feet as his ears turned red.
"Glory, but your ears can get red Ponyboy." Dally grinned in amused realization. "It wasn't anything like that, kid. Tia wasn't with me...she was with KJ."
That didn't seem to help Pony much, Tia rolled her eyes and Dally and poked him in the side making him flinch.
"I was in the living room with KJ." Tia explained.
"I'm just teasing." Dally said putting his arm around Tia "I was icing my ribs. I had a run-in with Shepard and I cracked some ribs. I just needed a place to lay over. Ol' Tim sure can pack a punch. He won't be able to see outta one eye for a week. Well, wait a sec and I'll see what I can do about this mess. Ponyboy are you wet?"
"Y-y-yes-s" Pony managed to say.
"Glory hallelujah! You'll die of pneumonia 'fore the cops ever get you." Dally yelled and half dragged Pony inside. Tia just shook her head at him and followed them up the stairs.
"Get that sweat shirt off." Dally said and Tia threw Pony a towel.
"Dry Off." Dally ordered. "Tia, go ask Meril for a shirt and as much money as you can get. If he gets smart break a bone or two."
Tia nodded and knew better then to argue, she could tell he wasn't in the mood. She closed the bedroom door behind her and headed towards the kitchen, the last place she saw Buck. When she didn't find him in there, she caught sight of him in the living room with a girl in his lap.
Tia rolled her eyes and strolled over. She tapped the girl lightly on the back, the girl looked quite annoying when she turned around.
"Leave." Tia said.
"Excuse me?" The girl asked, she wasn't used to 13 year old girls ordering around.
"Leave, before I break a few bones in that pretty little face of yours." Tia said smiling making the girls eyes go wide.
"I'll come and find ya later." Buck spoke up.
The girl glared as she got up and left.
"Buck I need an extra shirt and some money, fast, without any questions." Tia explained.
"I'll give you a shirt, but you have to come up to my bedroom with me. I'll give you the money once we get up there." Buck said with a sly smile.
Tia rolled her eyes and followed him as he went up the stairs. He unlocked his bedroom door and stood back so she could go in ahead of him. She folded her arms, growing impatient with him. She jumped a bit when she heard the door shut behind him.
He glanced at her, smiling as he walked over to his dresser. He took a shirt out and tossed it too her. He then started searching his room for some money.
"Fifty is all I got." Buck said walking over to her, holding the money out.
When she reached for it he pulled it back a bit, when she reached for it again he caught her arm and pulled her towards him.
"All of these favors come with a price." Buck whispered in her ear.
"Buck, quit being an ass." Tia said loosing her temper.
She felt his arm creep around her waist and he pulled her closer. She could smell beer on his breath, he was pretty wasted. She pushed back, she didn't think it would be right to hurt him too much, he was pretty drunk. When his hand crept down lower she didn't hesitate to knee him in the groin.
She grabbed the money and the shirt before heading out the door. When she got into Dally's room she found him giving Johnny a gun.
"Here, the gun's loaded for Petes sake Johnny don't point that thing at me." Dally said.
"I got 50 off of him." Tia said handing Johnny the money and Pony the shirt.
"What happened?" Dally asked glancing at her pale face.
"Its not important, just Buck being drunk." Tia said shaking her head.
Dally would have pressed her for more info but he knew that he had to get the guys on their way.
"Pony, do Darry and Sodapop know about this?" Dally asked.
Pony shook his head.
"Boy howdy, I ain't itching to be the one to tell Darry and get my head busted." Dally said handing Pony his jacket.
"Then don't tell him." Pony said looking at the ground.
Tia stayed silent as she listened to Dally give them directions on where to go and what to do. When he was done, they left the bedroom and headed for the front door.
"See ya soon Pony, you too Johnny." Tia said as they headed out the door, giving them a reasuring smile.
She watched as they disappeared into the darkness. She looked up to see Dally watching them leave, a troubled expression on his face.
"What?" She asked him.
"They are so screwed." Dally replied sighing.
"Two less then you, so don't complain." Tia replied after taking a long drink.
"Tia?" Buck asked making his way through the crowd. "Where's Dally, there are two kids at the door for him, says their names are Pony and Johnny."
"I'll go get him, thanks Buck." Tia said standing up.
"Want me to come with you?" KJ asked looking up at her.
"Nah, Dally is going to be grumpy enough that I have to wake him up. I'll be back in a few." Tia said before heading for the stairs.
She ignored the obscene noises coming from some of the rooms and headed to the one she usually found Dally in. She knocked lightly not wanted to walk right in, in case it wasn't Dally. When there wasn't as answer she slowly opened the foor. The room was dark but the light from the hall cast light into the room.
"Dally?" Tia whispered walking over to the bed.
"What?" Dally asked, he was awake even though his eyes were closed.
"Something is wrong, Pony and Johnny are at the door." Tia explained.
Dally eyes shot open and he slowly sat up and groaned in pain. With his shirt off, Tia could see dark bruises already on his chest and stomache. He slowly climbed off the bed and motioned for Tia to head towards the door. She went slow as he followed her down the stairs. Tia stood back so Dally could make his way to the door.
"Okay kids, whatta ya need me for?" Dally asked.
Dally was leaning against the side of the door with his arm on the other side, supporting him. Tia stuck her head under his arm so she could see Pony and Johnny. She was shocked at how bad they looked. Johnny then told them all about what had happened.
"Good for you." Dally said grinning.
"We figured you could get us out if anyone could. I'm sorry we got you away from the party." Johnny said quickly.
"Oh shoot kid"-Dally said glancing over his shoulder "I was in the bedroom."
Pony looked at his feet as his ears turned red.
"Glory, but your ears can get red Ponyboy." Dally grinned in amused realization. "It wasn't anything like that, kid. Tia wasn't with me...she was with KJ."
That didn't seem to help Pony much, Tia rolled her eyes and Dally and poked him in the side making him flinch.
"I was in the living room with KJ." Tia explained.
"I'm just teasing." Dally said putting his arm around Tia "I was icing my ribs. I had a run-in with Shepard and I cracked some ribs. I just needed a place to lay over. Ol' Tim sure can pack a punch. He won't be able to see outta one eye for a week. Well, wait a sec and I'll see what I can do about this mess. Ponyboy are you wet?"
"Y-y-yes-s" Pony managed to say.
"Glory hallelujah! You'll die of pneumonia 'fore the cops ever get you." Dally yelled and half dragged Pony inside. Tia just shook her head at him and followed them up the stairs.
"Get that sweat shirt off." Dally said and Tia threw Pony a towel.
"Dry Off." Dally ordered. "Tia, go ask Meril for a shirt and as much money as you can get. If he gets smart break a bone or two."
Tia nodded and knew better then to argue, she could tell he wasn't in the mood. She closed the bedroom door behind her and headed towards the kitchen, the last place she saw Buck. When she didn't find him in there, she caught sight of him in the living room with a girl in his lap.
Tia rolled her eyes and strolled over. She tapped the girl lightly on the back, the girl looked quite annoying when she turned around.
"Leave." Tia said.
"Excuse me?" The girl asked, she wasn't used to 13 year old girls ordering around.
"Leave, before I break a few bones in that pretty little face of yours." Tia said smiling making the girls eyes go wide.
"I'll come and find ya later." Buck spoke up.
The girl glared as she got up and left.
"Buck I need an extra shirt and some money, fast, without any questions." Tia explained.
"I'll give you a shirt, but you have to come up to my bedroom with me. I'll give you the money once we get up there." Buck said with a sly smile.
Tia rolled her eyes and followed him as he went up the stairs. He unlocked his bedroom door and stood back so she could go in ahead of him. She folded her arms, growing impatient with him. She jumped a bit when she heard the door shut behind him.
He glanced at her, smiling as he walked over to his dresser. He took a shirt out and tossed it too her. He then started searching his room for some money.
"Fifty is all I got." Buck said walking over to her, holding the money out.
When she reached for it he pulled it back a bit, when she reached for it again he caught her arm and pulled her towards him.
"All of these favors come with a price." Buck whispered in her ear.
"Buck, quit being an ass." Tia said loosing her temper.
She felt his arm creep around her waist and he pulled her closer. She could smell beer on his breath, he was pretty wasted. She pushed back, she didn't think it would be right to hurt him too much, he was pretty drunk. When his hand crept down lower she didn't hesitate to knee him in the groin.
She grabbed the money and the shirt before heading out the door. When she got into Dally's room she found him giving Johnny a gun.
"Here, the gun's loaded for Petes sake Johnny don't point that thing at me." Dally said.
"I got 50 off of him." Tia said handing Johnny the money and Pony the shirt.
"What happened?" Dally asked glancing at her pale face.
"Its not important, just Buck being drunk." Tia said shaking her head.
Dally would have pressed her for more info but he knew that he had to get the guys on their way.
"Pony, do Darry and Sodapop know about this?" Dally asked.
Pony shook his head.
"Boy howdy, I ain't itching to be the one to tell Darry and get my head busted." Dally said handing Pony his jacket.
"Then don't tell him." Pony said looking at the ground.
Tia stayed silent as she listened to Dally give them directions on where to go and what to do. When he was done, they left the bedroom and headed for the front door.
"See ya soon Pony, you too Johnny." Tia said as they headed out the door, giving them a reasuring smile.
She watched as they disappeared into the darkness. She looked up to see Dally watching them leave, a troubled expression on his face.
"What?" She asked him.
"They are so screwed." Dally replied sighing.