A/N: Eh, not too much to say about this one. To JustPlayin' (I love your name, BTW) I'm not exactly sure what year the draft started. Blame this chapter on the fact that I've over-watched "Moulin Rouge" and have listened to the song "Lounge Act" by Nirvana one too many times. (For all those who care, I bought a Kurt Cobain lunchbox at the Record Exchange today. It's quite hot.) And, for another note, the bit in the middle-part, the one in italics, that's Tim's flashback of when he dumps Dally. Just for the very slow among you.
Disclaimer: I only own the plot, all the characters you don't recognize and my copy of "White Houses," by Vanessa Carlton. I will own her CD "Harmonium" very, very soon. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.
"What?" Alicia blurted. Her dark eyes darted around and were welling up. "Why? When? No, Tim, please don't go!" Then, for the first time in ages, she broke down crying.
Angela looked pissed. "Why?" She asked, in a deadly calm voice. "Why are you gonna go? I thought that you, out of all the people I know, wouldn't follow the rules."
Her father put an arm around Tim's scrawny shoulders. "I think it's an honor for you, Timothy. Maybe it'll change your outlook on life." He chuckled and slapped Tim's back. "I'm so proud of you."
Alicia's head snapped up. "Why? Tim didn't do nothin' to deserve this! He got drafted because he's eighteen. He didn't ask for this. Dad, they're sending him to die, and all you're thinkin' about is your fucking pride!" In two quick strides, their father walked up to her and cracked her across the face. Alicia staggered back and almost fell, but Curly grabbed her arms and helped her to her feet. Angela immediately started in on her father and their mother was yelling in Spanish at Alicia, while Curly shouted at both his parents. Tim took advantage of the situation and ran out.
The cool wind slapped his face and blew through his hair. He bit his lip as he looked at the crumpled letter in his hand. A soft voice said behind him, "hey, Tim." He whirled around and came face-to-face with Cassandra Ellison, one of his ex-girlfriends and now one of his best friends. Cassie and Tim went out in sixth grade and they broke up in seventh, but they remained friends. She came from a fairly decent East side family and she was one of the nicest people Tim knew.
"Oh, hey Cassie. What's up?" He asked, distractedly.
She shrugged and smiled. "Nothing much. My sister got married to her boyfriend and my brother's girlfriend ran away with a Texan. Oh, and Dallas stopped by."
That caught Tim's attention. "What did he say?"
"He wanted to know where you were this afternoon. Said you'd talked about meeting up." She saw the letter in his hand. "What's that?"
"I got drafted," Tim said, softly.
Cassie's brown eyes widened. "Oh, God, Tim, I'm so sorry." She reached out and touched his arm. "What did your family say?"
"Dad's proud, mom's scared and Alicia, Angela and Curly are pissed. That's basically it. What else did Dally say?"
"He said for you to meet him at the Dingo at seven," she said. "Are you going to tell him then?" When Tim didn't answer, she whispered, her voice full of kindness, "it's okay, Tim. I know."
"What? How…- why…- who…-when-"
Cassie looked a little shocked after Tim's outburst and she cut him off. "Of course I knew," she spoke gently and softly. "Relax. I was at Buck's place last week and saw you two go upstairs. Tim, I went out with you. And even since we've broken up, I still love you and remember you as the somewhat awkward kid that asked me to dance in sixth grade. I know you better than a lot of people do, and I know what you're like and how you act. Trust me, I knew about you and Dallas before even you did."
Tim groaned. "How many people know?"
His friend guided him to a bench. "Don't worry. I think it's only me. Anyways, if anyone else finds out, don't give a shit what they think."
He smiled up at Cassie. She was headstrong and stubborn, but she was still one of the sweetest people around. Then he remembered Dally. "Oh, fuck, Cassie, what am I gonna do? Dallas'll-"
"Break up with him," she said, quietly. "Tim, it's the only thing you can do. If he finds out that you have to go, he'll follow you there. He'll go all the way to hell and back for you and you know that. If you tell him the truth, it means death for both of you." Running her hand through her short, brown hair, Cassie looked over at Tim. "It's all you can do, Tim. Hurt him to save him."
Tim bit his lower lip again. What could he do? What was he supposed to do, walk on up to Dally and say, 'we're done?' One of Tim's dark curls fell in his eyes, and one of Cassie's long, bony fingers brushed it away. He inhaled deeply and stood. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was the only way.
When Tim returned to the house, he found his siblings sprawled about the living room. Angela was on the couch, grudgingly nursing a black eye and Alicia was cross-legged on the floor, leaning against a pile of pillows with a purple bruise forming on her cheek. Curly was the worst off. He had bruises on his forearms, a black eye and a split lip. Their parents had obviously hit them in their anger."Where the fuck were you, Tim?" Angela started in on him. "Mom and Dad went out; they're pretty fucking pissed and when they get home, you're gonna be in so much fucking trouble- where're you going?"
"Upstairs." Tim wasn't in the mood for talking. He'd just dumped the only person in the world he'd ever really cared for. He was going to lie down for a while, listen to some shit on the radio, then go to the bar for a few drinks to drown the memory of Dally's anger, his hurt and his eyes…
"Dal?" Tim walked up to Dally, head bowed and eyes cast downward.
"Hey, Tim." Dallas had immediately grabbed Tim by the arm. "C'mon, I've gotta show ya something! You know that kid, Zac? Well he-"
Tim wrenched his arm out of Dally's grasp. "Dal, I can't. I can't do this anymore; I'm done. I can't be with you anymore. I…I just …can't. Sorry. We- we can be friends… right? Er, yeah. Bye."
As he started to walk away, Dally's hand shot out and grabbed Tim's arm. "What the fuck, Tim? You think that you can just do that, don't you? You think you can just dump me, and I'll take it lying down, like some fucking pussy?" Dallas raged on, but Tim didn't listen. He was focused on Dally's eyes. The cold, blazing blue bore into him, ripped him apart and that was killing him. So, he lowered his eyes and let Dally cut into him like that. Finally, when the younger boy had enough, he turned and walked away, disgusted. And Tim ran.
"Oh, sweet Jesus," Tim groaned and he put his arm over his eyes. He'd been laying on his floor, listening to the radio and replaying the scene in his head for an hour now. "I can't take it. I can't do this." He stood and walked to the door. As he passed his sisters in the living room, he called over his shoulder, "I'm going to the bar."
Tim wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and he slammed down his drink. He'd been at the bar for two hours and had about eight beers. He was going to be seriously fucked in the morning, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Dally and him were broken up, he was going to war, his parents hated him and his siblings and he was going nowhere fast. He would have just committed suicide, but as far as Tim was concerned, only girls and pussies commit suicide. And, even if he had been in love with- and slept with- another guy, Tim refused to think of himself as a pussy.
Someone entering the bar caught his eye. It was Cassie. She was actually looking pretty cute, dressed in a tight white sweater and black skirt. Maybe he was attracted to her. Maybe the whole Dally thing was just a phase. She sat down next to him and smiled prettily. He wondered why he'd never really thought about her. Her feathery light brown hair fell to her chin and she looked sort of like that actress, Elizabeth Taylor. "Hey, Tim," she breathed as she sat down next to him.
"Hey, Cassie. What's goin' on?"
"Oh, nothing." She lowered her voice. "How'd it go with Dally?"
Tim felt a lump rise in his throat. The last time he'd cried was when he was seven and five sixteen-year-olds had jumped him. "Fine. He was, uh, mad, but it'll all blow over." He gave her a small smile. "Thanks for helping me, Cassie."
She gently brushed away his curls. "Don't mention it, Tim." Her face was close to his, and he was staring into her soft, dark eyes. His hand found hers and she almost smiled. She leaned forward and could smell alcohol and pine on him. Their lips met, softly brushing up against each other. Neither noticed the person who had just entered the bar.
Dally was pissed. Pissed as fuck. Tim, the only person in the world he'd given more than two shits about besides Johnny, had just broken up with him. And now there was only one thing for Dally to do: get drunk. Very drunk. He went to the bar where he and Tim had gone so many times. Upon entering, he saw bright lights, masses of people and Tim.
Tim Shepard was sitting on a barstool with some chick. And they were kissing. Only a few hours after dumping Dally, Tim was kissing a girl. No fucking wonder. He wanted to go out with her. He turned and stormed out, pushing some guy against the wall as he went.
A/N: I know, it wasn't very long. (Cough)Four pages(cough) But I have, like, no free time now, but I'll try my hardest to update soon. I promise. I love you all, I really do. Track regionals are tomorrow. Mother of fuck.