Author's Note: Hey kiddies, yes I know most of you are upset that haven't updated. Sorry. I just updated The Price of Being a Joker last nite and its around mid afternoon right now and im typing up the next chappie for No Tears No Fears Die Numb! I'm working late tonight so I don't know when this will be up. Hope you enjoy. Also I wont be thanking the reviewers one by one like I usually do. I didn't for the other story and I'm just real lazy. So thank you to all the nice people that reviewed this mess of a story. I love you all lots. Thanks : greendayrocks, oldschoolchicka, Friends4ever, watergurl67, Frenchfry44, Hawaiichick14, darkdestiney2000, Fairlane, Scarlett7, Reviewer, Not-that-kinda-gurl, Ale Curtis- Carter, Parixs. Thanks everyone. Lol and a side note either most of you anonymous reviewers ganged up on me at once or its just one person who really wanted me to update. Lol, either way it made me laugh when I opened my email and found all these "Why aren't you updating? Jeez, update. Haven't you updated yet." Lmao well here's an update. Hope everyone enjoys.

Chapter 5:

Sunday, long and agonizing it slowly crept by before anyone in Tulsa had realized it had arrived. Sitting all day, waiting on the edge for Monday to start. Dallas got in at the Curtis' near twelve o'clock, tossing his bulky jacket onto the floor and dragging his feet throughout the house. He stuck his head into the living room, saw Steve and Soda relaxed on the couch and watching something on Tv. Darry wasn't anywhere to be seen, probably at work Dally thought.

"Hey,"

"Hey Dallas" Steve mumbled.

"Where's the kid?"

Steve shrugged.

"He went out with Two-bit and Pony. Took him to get his leg fixed and then go off somewhere. They left bout two hours ago."

Dally nodded and turned away, heading right back out the door. He wanted to see Johnny, no needed to see him. Make sure the kid was okay and all, but he wasn't planning on going all over Tulsa. He'd come back later on to check up on everything, just to be sure and then he'd take off again like usual. You couldn't tame Dallas Winston.

Across town, shrugging off the familiar feeling of a midday hangover, Leon Cade sat bent on his knees leaning over a toilet bowl rim. Whatever he'd eaten was coming back up. Tears rolled down his cheeks and his body shook from the continuous vomiting, but he'd become accustom to it over the years of drinking. He didn't much care for it, but he was used to it. After moment the sickness inside subsided and he was able to release his tight hold on the ceramic bowl. The smell in the room wasn't helping his uneasy stomach, not in the slightest. With a shaky hand and unsteady feet, Leon flushed the toilet and left the room. The taste still lingered on his tongue and in the back of his throat, but a quick drink would wash it away.

As he passed the empty rooms, Leon lit up a smoke, puffing on it hurriedly the way he always did when he was nervous. Not that cold as ice Leon Cade was nervous or anything, just troubled. What Dallas had said the night before, just getting up in his face over some little thing in Bixbie. It wasn't Dallas Winston's place to be telling him how to act, especially with Johnny. Johnny was his little brother not Dallas' and that's how it was going to stay. Just because Dallas came from New York and could push everyone else around didn't mean he was going to start pushing him around.

With a flick of his index finger and thumb, Leon tossed the cigarette to the floor and rubbed it recklessly into the carpet. Ashes and filtering left a small misshapen circle by his foot but he simply ignored it, stepping across the smudge and exiting Buck's. He spied Tim Shepard jumping into his car, but he didn't have time to bum a ride. The car tore out of the dusty driveway and swerved onto the road. A car horn sounded off and Leon smiled to himself, knowing Tim would end up in jail no doubt by the end of the day.

Ah, Sunday, the only day of the week he couldn't stand, only because it meant the end of the weekend and the beginning of a new week that was sure to be a lot worse than the week that had just passed. Everything was always that way for him it seemed. Not just him, everyone on the North side.

Walking along the sidewalk, Leon lit another cigarette but savored this one a bit more. He dawdled, kicking stray pebbles in front of him as he went, counting the trees and the broken in windows on cars. Leon hated to go home; to find his dad not quite sober and his mom all unkempt. She used to be pretty good looking, but that was a long time ago, back when Johnny was only four and then the ol man started to drink and she just let herself go. Be lucky if she even showered some days. That was why he never went home, except for the bare necessities, like clean underwear and food everything else he could live without. He'd been raised without their company and love and he could live without it a lot longer. Going back reminded him of all the times he'd spent alone and afraid of them, probably the way Johnny felt. Johnny reminded him of his past, just like the house did. The kid was a spitting image of him when he was fourteen, alone and scared of his own shadow. Course Johnny wasn't alone; he had friends, a gang to lean back on. Maybe if he'd had Tim Shepard back then things might have turned out different for him. Nawe, probably not.

Leon stopped abruptly in front of his small, rundown house. Old memories overcame him and a sickening feeling of nostalgia filled his senses. Easing the back door open, he lingered in the porch a moment, listening attentively to any sound of his folks waking up. Mildew and stale beer and cigarettes strangled his lungs. Awe, good to be home, he thought bitterly.

Stepping out of the porch he headed through the house towards his room. He found it the same way it had been when he'd left it a week and a half ago. Johnny's bed was at the other end of the room. Leon felt a pang of guilt wash over him, wondering if his brother ever cried himself to sleep, feeling that no one would be able to comfort him. It was how he'd felt years ago. Ignoring the pain, Leon pulled out a few pairs of jeans from his dresser drawers and tossed them into an old worn out backpack. There were holes everywhere in the bag and nearly half the clothes he stuffed in it were sticking out, but it was nothing really important. Adding a few pairs of socks and underwear, Leon shut the door to his room and sat the bag in front of it.

From the next room over he could make out the sounds of his mother talking in her sleep again, the way she'd always done. His ol man he figured wasn't home, because whenever he was and he heard the ol lady talking like that he'd hit her once to shut her up. Leon cringed at the old memories. The beatings, the pain and all the blood he'd washed from his clothes.

"I shouldn't have left him there" he whispered to himself, the realization finally dawning on him.

Falling across the stiff bed, Leon let his eyes flutter and start to close. It was only three in the afternoon but he was already beat. That's how it was on Sundays. His stomach churned once more from the hangover and his head pulsated, shrinking and expanding with every intake of breath. However he soon felt this start to pass and his grip of conscious slowly start to falter. A few minutes later his breathing relaxed and he fell asleep.

It wasn't until six thirty that Leon began to stir from his sleep. Raising himself in a sitting position, he cursed at the time. He hadn't meant to doze off and certainly not for that long. Cigarette dangling from his lips, Leon picked up the bag from off the floor and stepped out of the room. Forgetting to be quiet, he just needed to leave. His feet thumping on the hard wooden floors sounded through the house, shattering a dangerous silence he hadn't realized was there. He'd made it halfway down the hall when he heard a squeal followed by a series of curses. The ol lady couldn't curse that well, he was sure of that and his lil brother wouldn't even know half of them.

Cautiously Leon sucked on his cigarette while tightening his grip on the strap of his bag before making his way into the living room. It was dark in there, only a small pool of light from the dining room and kitchen area lit up the far end of the room. Family room, some people would call it. He didn't ever remember a family staying the living room. In the kitchen though, well he supposed their little group would call it the beating room. Not too original, but it was the best thing he could think of.

Edging forward, Leon stopped and caught sight of what was happening from behind the corner. His ol man had his belt out, raised in defense mod but Leon knew he would never use it, it was for show, to scare them just as it had scared him. On the ground, helpless as usual was Johnny. The punks back in Bixbie sure had done a number on him. His face was bruised worse off than it had been before and there were cuts on his arms.

"Don't you talk back to me!" the ol man shouted.

Johnny flinched as the ol man made a move to hit him with his belt. He smiled, and before Johnny could relax the drunken bastard hit him. There was a horrible cracking sound, not too loud but loud enough for Leon to hear. Blood began to trickle down the side of Johnny's mouth, reopening the cut on his lip. Ol man probably dislocated his jaw or something.

Leon made a move to step forward but the ol man began to talk again.

"You think you can come and go as you please huh? Worthless shit. Get up and fight me!"

Johnny's eyes widened and something came over Leon. Anger. He recognized it immediately but he'd never felt it when it came towards something like this. Part of him was saying get your ass on out of there while the other half, the stupid half said nawe you gotta stay. It ain't right to leave the kid there and you know it.

"You gonna fight me or ain't ya?" the ol man antagonized. Johnny's crippled form shook and he lowered his head in defeat. Leon bit back a curse and left the safety of the shadows.

"That's what I thought. Fuckin gutless shit."

The ol man back handed Johnny and pulled back, getting some air to come down with a hard fist. Leon moved quickly, before the second blow could be thrown he wrapped his right hand firmly around his ol man's wrist and with a hard shove knocked the ol man back a few steps. Never in his life had he'd done that. His dad scared the shit out of him and it had taken a lot more thank courage to do that, most of it was impulse and now his common sense was starting to kick in and he knew if he didn't run now his ol man would have his ass.

"You little punk."

He got back his stability and stood before the two Cade brothers. Wiping of some access drool that had accumulated in the corner of his mouth, he stepped closer to Leon.

"You want some of this? Hmm, you think you can come in here and interrupt me while I discipline your little brother? Is that it?"

Leon looked down at Johnny and hauled him up to his feet by the back of his jeans jacket. "Start walking to Pony's"

Johnny shook his head and Leon gave him a slight shove. His younger brothers legs buckled and he came crashing down on his knees. Leon noticed the brown stain on the leg of his jeans.

"Come on" he continued, straining his voice to sound tough as usual. "get up and go on out of here."

Johnny got back up and started to bypass his ol man who blocked the doorway.

"You ain't leaving. Not t'ill I've finished with you."

"Move aside ol man." Leon's voice came out through clenched teeth, commanding and annoyed. "You ain't in charge right now."

Their ol man laughed. "Oh and who is?" He made a move to hit Johnny, grabbing hold of the back of his neck. "Looks like I am."

Leon flicked out a switchblade he'd lifted from Johnny's pockets only a moment earlier when he'd helped him to his feet.

"Move."

His ol man smiled sadistically and released his hold on Johnny. The young greaser inched further into the kitchen and towards the door, his only sign of freedom. Leon held the blade out from himself in a tight yet relaxing grip.

"Tell the ol lady I said hi" Leon smirked and followed his brother out the door, all the while keeping an eye on his ol man.

Johnny was waiting on the front steps for him when he stepped outside. Leon felt a smile, a genuine smile tugging at his lips but he covered it up.

"Thanks…" Johnny began but Leon grabbed hold of his arm roughly and shook his head.

"You no better than to go home. Why don't you just stay at the Curtis' huh. You stupid or something?'

Johnny's eyes glazed over and Leon regretted saying what he'd said but it was too late. Besides he couldn't start turning soft now.

"Come on" he encouraged. "I'll drop you off there."

The two made their way through the neighborhood t'ill they reached the fence encasing the Curtis yard. Leon stopped a few feet from the end of their driveway, remembering what Dallas had said and not wanting to start anything.

"I guess I'll see ya around." Johnny nodded silently. "Oh, here." Leon handed the switchblade back to Johnny. "Thanks for letting me borrowing it."

"It's okay" was all the dark hared greaser could manage out. Leon smiled and gently punched his kid brother in the arm.

"Get inside before you get yourself into some more shit."

"Okay."

Once again his childlike voice, quiet and scared came out and he limped up the steps to the front door. As he turned to look back, he caught sight of his older brother's form fading away into the sunset. Back hunched and feet digging into the asphalt as he walked, Johnny smiled at the sight of Leon once more before he disappeared into the house.

Author's Note: Okay, hope you guys enjoyed that. After work I didn't want to write anymore but I no you guys will start coming after me so there it is. Hope it was okay. I wanted to let you in on Leon's perspective for once seeing as how everyone hates him. Oh, and I've started writing on Fiction Press, I added an old chapter for a story I started to right months and months ago. Check it out, it would make me happy. Lol. just type in babyhilts its the same name on there and it's called Back in the Day.It's gangs and stuff too like the outsiders but a bit darker than the outsiders I guess. Enjoy. And thanks for not getting too mad for me not updating, course I know I'll hear about it in the reviews. Lmao. But that's cool/