Author's Note: Well, well, well what do we have here? Another update perhaps? Lol Of course it's an update. I know I said I'd be updating between Friday and Sunday but looky here, I just realized theres no school tomorrow :D. So, I couldn't leave you kids hangin. What with Johnny in trouble. Plus, I really want to add another chappie, im all giddy with excitement. This one will be a good one. So, hang onto your seats once more! I'm going to be turning up the heat. Just because I can. Lol.
Big big thanks to my special buddies. No! Not the invisible ones. My reviewers :D
Darkdestiney2000: Awe, I hope your feelin better. I hate getting strep throat, it always hurts when you eat :( and that's sad when you can't eat. Lol. Anyway don't be sorry for updating late, I'm just glad you reviewed. It always makes me happy to get reviews. Real glad your enjoying the story. I really liked the chappie too, and I wanted to update fast so here it is. Dallas has a big part to play in here. So watch out! Thanks for the review.
Parixs: LOL! Yes, I'm doing my job well. I wanted people to hate him. Well, not entirely cause if things work out right he'll have a big part later on in the end of the story. But that's not for a while, so keep hating him. :D Don't want to say anything but I find him kinda an asshole in this chappie too. So, ya. Enjoy and thanks for the lovely review. But if you do decide to kill Leon, do it after I'm done with him. Okay? I'll save him for you.
Scarlette7: Oh, I loved your review, it was really really nice. The things you mentioned were the exact things I am trying real hard to do in this story. Johnny being blinded by this obsession of worshiping his brother and the whole Dallas being jealous thing. This chapter is way worse for it. Glad your liking this. Hope you enjoy the next chapter a lot too. Thanks for the kind words. It makes writing so much more fun.
JamesDeanismygod: OMG, I know what your talking about when you say random characters, that's why I was scared to put this one out. No offense to people, but some of those stories were done too many times and it just gets a little boring. The only one that I really liked was the one by Tensleep which isn't finished yet. But I'm glad you find this one better than those. I wanted to get passed those other stories that seem to keep repeating. Keep reading and thanks bunches for the review.
NittanyLizard: LOL, awe im so glad you brought up the Christmas cards thing. I was writing that scene and I thought wow that's cute so I put it in. I'm happy you liked the interactions at the beginning. I wasn't sure about it, but I guess it came out good enough. I really like your review, it was nice and encouraging, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.
Streetpanther1: lol, everyone wants Dallas to save Johnny. Well, I don't want to say what happens or not, so you read on and find out. Hope you like it, no matter how it turns out. Thanks lots for the review, enjoy the chappie.
Ale Curtis-Carter: Ooooh, another review. Thanks bunches for it. I'm really excited that everyone seems to be enjoying this story! I hope you like the next chappie too, I'm putting it up right now. Well, while your reading this its up already so, that's kinda funny. Anyway thanks and enjoy the chappie.
Jacky Higgins: Well, you couldn't wait till Friday, so look I'm putting it up now :D Hurray! I am like the nicest person ever. 'Ego slowly grows while she talks' Anyway, I'm really happy your enjoy this so far. Sorry for leaving that dang cliffy, I couldn't help it though, that's just the way I am with cliffy's. But I'm really having fun writing this story and I needed to get Johnny out of that sticky situation so, here I go. Enjoy.
Now, my fellow reviewers and those who don't like to review and just wish to read(which I do a lot) heres the next chappie. Enjoy!
Chapter 1:
Dallas paced about the Curtis house like a caged lion. Hands dug deep inside his jeans pockets; he shot a death glare at the youngest Curtis brother who just couldn't tear his eyes off the hood. Pony looked away, blushing in embarrassment and staring at the hole in the toe of his sock. Two- bit sat on the couch, glancing back and fourthbetween the Tvand Dally, wondering if after twenty minutes of pacing his friend would get tired enough to sit down. Course, Dallas was a stubborn guy, so you could never really tell. Steve and Soda had been sharing in this same game of watching Dallas, but had left along with Darry a few minutes earlier. They'd had dates that night and they weren't going to miss them on account of Dally being overdramatic. Darry on the other hand, had Saturday off for once and had left to go to the Dingo for a little fresh air. The air wasn't that much fresher at the Dingo, but it had a lot less tension in it. The same couldn't be said for the Curtis house however.
"You know Dallas, if your plannin on digging a hole to China that ain't the way to do it" Two-bit said noting his pacing." I'm sure a big ol shovel will do a lot better job."
Dallas snapped his head back around with lightening speed. Feet silent on the wooden floors, he stared at Two-bit angrily. "You don't want to push me right now Matthews." Two- bit forced a grin and turned off the TV before rising to his feet.
"How bout we all go out huh? Catch one of them surfer flics at the Nightly Double?" Pony stay quiet, still scared to move in case Dallas suddenly pounced on him. But the greaser never moved. He hadn't even continued his pacing. Head tilted towards the dangling light in the kitchen, he seemed to be thinking. Strange as it was to find Dally Winston pondering so heavily, but that's what it looked like from Pony's angle. Two-bit was staring with a twisted smile, tobacco stained teeth glimmering in the dim lighting. "Hows about it?"
"Two-bit…" Pony tried uncertainly.
This obviously wasn't going right. Dallas would yell at Two-bit any minute, telling him to shut his trap and sit back down on the couch. They would stay there, not moving because Dally would demand it and together that's how it would remain until Johnny came back. Although Dallas might have never admitted to anyone, he cared about the dark hared greaser. The little boy that had been kicked too many times as a child and carried with him a wound that never healed. Pony thought of Johnny as his best friend but he knew Dallas thought of him as more; closer to a little brother than anything. It was for that reason Dally had begun to pace about his house. When the boy hadn't showed up that day like he would normally, Dallas had begun to get a little bit agitated; yelling at the rest of the gang for little things. At five he'd left in search of Johnny, where he went they weren't sure but he'd been gone for over two hours. He looked tired and worn down when he got back. Since than he'd been restless and on edge, waiting for the kid to come stumbling through the doors and collapse effortlessly on the couch next to him.
"Let's go." Pony looked at Two-bit uncertainly. Dallas caught the look and smiled. "I said lets go. Shit, you two wanna get outta this dump so bad then haul your asses out the door."
Dallas stalked across the kitchen and slid on his worn down shoes. Two-bit and Pony followed after him and together they left to wander aimlessly around the streets of Tulsa.
Rough gravel pinched Johnny's cheek. He could taste something awful in his mouth. A metallic flavor as he played his tongue across a swollen bottom lip. A bruised sky sat above him, with shifting grey shadows playing across an orange moon. Hadn't it been early evening only minutes ago? It was then Johnny realized he was lying across the cool parking lot, pain engulfing his entire body.
With the little strength he had left, the young greaser pushed himself up into a sitting position. A fire burned inside his stomach, lighting a burning flame that ignited inside his head. The ground titled, things became unbalanced and Johnny was near ready to pass out when he once again regained his equilibrium. Rubbing a gentle hand across his left leg, he tried to bring back the feeling into it. For the last little while it seemed as if it had gone numb and he couldn't feel it at all. To him it was just a piece of lead, attached delicately to his hip. He sat for a moment, eyes playing across the unfamiliar surroundings of the Bixie countryside. A fog lifted from his mind, clearing the way for the flood of memories that were only minutes away from being reenacted inside his head.
Somewhere, way back in the corners of his mind he could remember being at Rex's tavern. He'd been leaving the bathroom when Curly Shepard…his older brother and Leon, they had dragged him out to Bixie. Johnny looked around the empty lot again, eyes wide in horror. The memories were back, but it didn't reassure him. A kick to the stomach and blacking out, those were the last things he could think of and then waking up, cold and sore in the same parking lot. Of course this time he wasn't sure if his older brother was there with him.
"Leon?" Johnny's voice came out in a hoarse whisper, becoming lost in the night air. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "Leon…"
Voices shouted behind him. Johnny shook nervously. The voices were loud, boisterous and wild sounding. That was how he'd describe his brother and the Shepard's voices, but these ones weren't familiar to him. By this time he was more than certain Leon had already deserted him. Shrinking back into the shadows, Johnny watched while a group of not so sober men stumbled out of the tavern doors and into the parking lot. They laughed, trying to force open car doors and when that didn't work, they gave up. Continuing their waltz onto the side of the highway. Johnny heaved a sigh of relief.
It wasn't safe for him to stay put anymore, not in a place he didn't recognize. Heck, Johnny was never safe anywhere, he knew it. Not in Tulsa, not in Bixie and especially not with the Shepard's. He was positive that was why his brother was no longer with him at the moment, tending to his cuts and bruises. The Shepard's had probably taken Leon off with them and left him there to rot. He'd never liked the Shepard's and now, he hated them. Not just because they'd left him there, but because they'd taken his only real family away from him. Leaving him to suffer and be on his own, just like it had always been. And no matter how crazy it sounded, he believed that was why Leon hadn't been there when he woke up. Maybe his brother was on his way back for him? No, he wasn't coming back. Johnny would have to find his own way home.
Steve and Soda threw open the front door to the Curtis house with a strong thrust, letting it bang against the wall. Dally trailed behind them, dragging his feet up the wooden steps. He'd been out for a mere hour and a half, the thrill of leaving the house was gone and he had begun to walk back when he caught sight of Steve and Soda. He was half hoping he'd catch Johnny sound asleep on the couch when he walked in but the house was empty.
Settling himself in Darry's arm chair, Dallas leaned his head back and rested his eyes that were slowly beginning to shut. He must have dozed off, because a few seconds later someone was shaking him awake. Startled and a bit angry, Dally jerked out of his comfortable position in the soft cushion.
"The hell do you want?" he growled as Soda slowly began to take a step back.
"It's…Johnny's on the phone." Soda's face was pale and sickly looking, it hadn't been like that earlier. Dallas turned to where the phone was and caught sight of Steve talking quietly and calmly into the receiver. Dally felt a pang of jealousy. Steve shouldn't be the one talking to Johnny, he should have been. Getting to his feet, Dallas stepped up behind him.
"Get off the phone Randle" Dally demanded and without waiting for a reply, greedily snatched the phone from his hands and lifted it to his own ears. "Hello?"
Leaning his weight on his right leg, Johnny leaned himself up against the pay phone. Pain shot up through his left leg from where the blade had torn his flesh. Blood had caked the area of his jeans a crimson red, and although it was dry there, he could still feel it running down now and then into his shoe. Teeth clenched, he fought back the discomfort and dug shaky hands into his jeans pocket. His nails made a familiar clicking sound against the loose change. Johnny tugged a few dimes out of his jeans and dropped them into the slot, listening to the rattling as they hit the bottom. He dialed the number he knew by heart and waited. Eyes shut, he clasped the phone tightly in both hands, tears slowly escaping his eyes and slapping against the pavement. Maybe if he held on tight enough he'd find himself back in Tulsa.
" 'lo?" a scratchy voice called. Johnny shook and his eyes opened into tiny slits to try and keep back the steady flow of tears. "is anyone there? Shit, you gotta be kiddin me. Eleven o'clock at night…"
Johnny recognized that whiny voice. "Steve?" There was a quick pause on the other line. His weight on one leg was starting to pain, but Johnny did his best to ignore it.
"Who is this?" Steve asked, a little more quiet than before.
"It's me. It's Johnny…"
"Johnny? Boy, where have you been. Soda, jeez Sodapop will you let me be. I'm trying to talk to him. Just leave…" there was few curses thrown back and fourth on the other line until Johnny heard Steve's voice once again. "Sorry bout that. Yeah, we've been waiting all day for you kid. Where were you?"
Something clattered against the asphalt out in the far end of the parking lot. Johnny shivered looking around worriedly for any signs of danger. He didn't like feeling on edge like this; waiting for some stranger to jump out of the shadows and attack. It was a helpless feeling that was eating away at him, making him more jumpy by each passing second.
"Where's Dally?" His voice came out shaky and weak.
"He's here. Johnny you okay?"
Johnny nodded than realized he couldn't seem him. Swallowing back the growing lump of fear in his throat he said
"Yeah, I need to speak to Dallas. Please Steve."
"Yeah, sure Johnny. Soda's just getting him right now. Okay. Just relax…"
"Hello?" A new voice this one more thicker and a bit more rough cut off Steve's.
"Dally?" The tears started to fall faster. Holding the phone between his neck and shoulder, Johnny hurriedly wiped them away. He let out a sniffle, cleared his throat and listened patiently for the reply.
"Yeah, it's me. Johnny where the hell have you been? You ain't showed up all day…"
"Dallas I need a ride."
"What? Where are you?" Dallas voice was starting to sound a bit frantic.
"I'm in Bixie" Johnny whispered into the phone.
"Where are you?"
"Bixie. At a place called Rex's tavern" he continued squinting at the neon sign above the door.
"Shit, how'd you get there? That ain't a place to be at damn near midnight Johnnycake."
"I know. I came with the Shepard's and Leon."
"Glory! Where are they now?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Dallas repeated.
"When I woke up they were gone."
"Jeez Johnny, they left you stranded all the way out in Bixie? The hell did you go with them for anyway? Wait. Why were you asleep?"
"Dallas…" Johnny felt his knees growing weak beneath him. How much longer he'd be awake for, he wasn't sure. Dallas listened to the faint voice on the other end of the phone and sighed. He knew he was only making things worse by snapping at Johnny.
"Okay, kid I'm coming. I'll be there in twenty minutes. You just stay put alright? You got your blade on you still?" Johnny searched his coat pocket and then his jeans.
"I think they took it."
"Shit. Alright just stay put you hear me?"
"Yeah,"
"Okay and we can finish this talk then."
"Okay."
"Hang up the phone Johnny. We're leaving right now." Johnny nodded, ignoring the fact that once again no one could see him and dropped the phone back on it's hook. He moaned, the pain was getting worse the longer he seemed to stay awake. Back pressed up against the hard brick siding of the tavern, Johnny let his body slide slowly to the ground. Legs out and throbbing, he closed his eyes, letting the traffic pull him into unconsciousness.
Dallas got out of Steve's car twenty minutes later and walked across the dead parking lot of Rex's tavern. He searched the empty area, looking for any signs of Johnny. Steve and Soda had come too, but were somewhere behind him and where they were exactly didn't concern him much at the moment. Something sparkled in the pale light emanating from the moon. It sat alone, covered in sand just a foot from Dally. He scooped up the familiar switchblade in one hand. It must have slipped fromJohnny's pockets, buthe never left the blade anywhere. He was a nervous wreck and if he knew it weren't by his side he'd have gone looking for it. Something didn't sit right about this. Dallas dropped the knife into his back pocket and headed for the tavern. A silent payphone caught his attention at the corner of the building, where the glow of the neon light ended and the shadows began. Legs sticking out in thin lines and head dangling forward in an awkward way, was Johnny Cade.
"Shit." Dallas whispered and took off at arun towards the still figure. The others must have noticed him too because footsteps pounded hard and heavy against the aphalt behind him.
He could see the blood and the new bruises, even before he had reached Johnny and when he had stopped and bent down to get a better look, he found it only got worse. There were new patches of dark purple spread out in circles across his face and his lip was swelled up, thick and sore looking, with a raw cut dug deep in the side of it. Besides that Dallas couldn't see anything else but there was a tiny puddle not very big, next to whereJohnny must have been standing when he'd called them earlier.
"Johnny?" Dallas straightened the head up and pushed back some stray hair. "Johnnycake, come on say somethin'."
The young greaser stirred slowly, head staying raised on it's own he began to open his eyes. By then Steve and Soda were knelt down next to Dally, peering in at their injured friend with pitying looks.
"Dally?"
"Yeah, it's me. What did you get yourself into?" he tried to joke, buthis attempt to liven thingsup came out lame.He knew he still must have sounded angry.
"There was a fight. I don't know how it started, but the Shepards and Leon got into it with these big guys from the tavern. Two of em jumped me. I tried to do somethin' honest but I lost my blade and they were so big…"
"Shh, it's okay Johnnycake" Soda tried soothingly. He rested a warm hand on Johnny's shoulder. "It's over now."
"Come on, lets get you in the car" Dallas said gruffly. Putting a hand under Johnny's arms, he lifted the weak body to his feet. Johnny shook in his grasp, moaning quietly, Dallas watched a bit taken aback to see small tears of pain running down the dirty face. "Johnny?"
"It's my blasted leg." Steve lowered himself down and started poking around at the bloodied jeans. "Careful" Johnny whined.
"What is it?" Dallas asked. Steve looked up a bit disgustedly.
"I can't see, there's all this dirt and dry blood everywhere."
"Someone had knife" Johnny muttered, the memory slowly creeping up on him again. "Cut right through."
Dallas cringed. "Come on, lets go."
Him and Steve, half and half carried Johnny's battered body back into the car. Placing him with care in the back seat, they let him stretch out, his head resting comfortably on Sodapop's lap.
"Johnny?" Dally called from the passenger seat.
"Yeah?"
"Where'd you say your brother was again?"
Johnny could feel himself falling asleep. Everyone was asking him too many questions; it was getting kind of annoying. "Hmmm… he was gone when I woke."
"That's what I thought you said." The engine roared to life a moment later and the foursome started back on their way to Tulsa.
Dallas found himself thinking over hasty thoughts in his mind as he handed Johnny's sleeping body over to Sodapop and Steve. The two greasers were staring at him with wide eyes.
"Where do you think your going Dallas?" Steve snapped in a quieted tone so that he didn't wake Johnny.
"None of your buisness. Now take him inside and clean him up. Make sure Two-bit doesn't get all loud if he comes back tonight."
"Dally..."
"Just do it, okay Steve. There's somethingI gotta do."
"What are you talking about?"
Dallas walked away from them and slid into the drivers side of Steve's car.
"I'm borrowing this for a few hours" Dally told him and before Steve could get out any objections the car was gone. Racing down the silent Tulsa road, Dally turned on the radio to help calm his nerves.
He'd already made up his mind back in Bixie. Johnny had been left, laying unconcious in some hick bar with no one around. His own brother, had left him there. Dallas had known the guy was trouble, from the moment he met him but he never knew he was that bad. That he could just leavehis little brotherthere. And Johnny, the kid didn't even seem to care, or maybe he was hiding it. If he was he was doing a damn good job, course he had been half asleep when they found him in the parking lot.
Pulling into Buck Merril's driveway, Dally jogged up the front steps and shoved the door open. He didn't care about anything at the moment. Trampeling through the house carlessly, Dallas pushed through crowds of people that stood in his way. The music was screeching tonight, a little bit louder than usual.
"Hey!" Dally shouted over the Hank Williams. He saw them, the Shepard gang and Leon sitting in a corner of the house. Leon's face was a little messed up but it wasn't as if Dallas cared how he was doing.
"Hey Dallas" Leon called back. "Feel like playin a little Texas Holdem..."
"Dally" Tim Shepard's boistrous voice bellowed from behind .The hood stumbled forward into Dallas' chest. He reaked of booze as he straightened himself up and leaned against a wall.
Dally wanted to attack the both of them, right then and there but he held back. He wasn't sure why, maybe because it was Johnny's brother and he knew how much Johnny loved him. Maybe he was doing it for Johnny, but wasn't that why he'd come there tonight too. It was for Johnny. For what had happened back in Bixie in the run down tavern.
"You're a real son of a bitch you know that?" Dallas said suddenly. The words had escaped his mouth without him even realizing it. Leon looked around himself for a minute and then back at Dally before laughing.
"Are you talking to me?" he asked, before taking a sip of his beer. Dallas nodded.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you" he snapped. "You're a worthless piece of shit."
"The hell is your problem Winston. You got something shoved up that tight ass of yours or what?"
"Fuck you Cade. I just finished picking Johnny up in Bixie. You know that?"
"Oh, is that all?" Leon said, waving Dallas off. "It's not that big a deal. You want money for the gas or something get it from him. He didn't need the ride when he could have hitchiked."
"Well he sure as hell needed it after you left him!"
"Hey, lay off okay. I don't need no lectures from Mr. New Yorker okay. It ain't your buisness anyhow. He's my brother."
"Funny, you sure don't act like his."
"Dallas just butt out huh," Shepard slurred drunkenly. "You ain't part of it. Sides, the little shit was whining the entire time. Not Leon's fault either that the kid couldn't fight worth a damn when it came down to it."
Dallas felt his anger boiling over. With one swift swing, Dally punched Tim out. The hood stumbled over his own feet and hit his head on the linoleum floor below. Leon watched angrily, ready to get out of his seat and defend his friend when Dallas raised a hand to stop him.
"You stay the hell away from Johnny! You hear me?" he warned viciously. Leon was silent. "Next time it wont be Shepard thatI deal with, it'll be you."
Authors Note: whew that felt like a long chappie, i think it was. Okay i hope you guys liked it. hope it wasn't too boring or anything and didn't sound to unrealistic or confusing. i was going to have Dallas fight SHepard but i was like no, lets just knock the hood out. So, review and tell me wut u think.