The next morning, Kizzy woke up to the sun glaring in her eyes. She groaned and put an arm over her face, afraid to talk. There was some commotion in the kitchen and she almost cried, putting a pillow over her face.

When she finally pulled herself out of the bed, she immediately went to the bathroom and peed, her eyes closed most of the time. When she re-entered the living room, she sat down on the couch and was practically tackled by Two-Bit.

"Hey Kizzy! I heard you got pretty drunk last night!" He said.

Kizzy whimpered, slamming a pillow back on her head, "stop yelling!"

Two-Bit gave a cackle, hopped up, and went twirling into the kitchen singing, "Kizzy's druuuunk."

Shaking her head slightly, she gave another groan. What had happened last night? She remembered a light shining on her, and cheering. She moved a bit, it felt like someone was watching her. Looking up, she noticed Dally, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, "Need coffee, Little?" he asked quietly.

She gave the slightest nod, as he turned to get her a cup. When he came back, she asked, "What happened? I remember the bar...but what I did is a total blank."

Dally smiled softly, "You did Karaoke."

Kizzy's eyes widened, "I did What? Why didn't you stop me, I have the worst voice on the planet!"

Two-bit, who had heard what Dally said, busted out laughing. Kizzy glared as it sent pain through her head, then threw a pillow at him.

After Two bit escaped back into the kitchen, Kizzy looked up at Dally. "Did I do…anything else?" She asked tentatively.

Dally bit his lip, deciding not to tell her about the kiss just yet. "No, you were too drunk to do anything. After you did Karaoke, you practically passed out in the booth so I brought you here and you went to bed."

Kizzy nodded and looked at the clock, jumping up, "holy shit…I gotta get to work. Oh my God…" she rushed over to her book bag and reached in, pulling out a shirt and pair of jeans and rushing into the bathroom to get dressed. Dally laughed as he heard her cry out at the pain in her head when the glare from the sun hit her again but seconds later she was out of the bathroom and rushing out the door.

The petite girl got there exactly on time. Greg, smiled and sent her over to a bay to work on an old Caddy. Kizzy grumbled, Cadillacs were the worst cars to work on seeing how their wiring sucked.

When she was finished an hour later, she went over to hang out with Soda and Steve. She hung out with them till they had another customer, and they were more then willing to let Kizzy do it.

It was towards the end of her shift (and her energy) that she overheard Soda talking to who she presumed was an old friend.

"...and Dally's girlfriend is living with us. Yeah, she pretty nice, works here in fact. A real wiz at cars." Kizzy wondered why Soda called her Dally's girlfriend, and resolved to ask him when he was alone.

Once their shift was over, they both climbed into Steve's truck and started toward the Curtis'. Finally, Kizzy piped up, "So Soda…I heard you earlier say something about me being Dally's girlfriend. Where did you get the idea?"

Soda snorted, "oh come on Kizzy, I saw you guys last night when you got home."

She raised her eyebrows, "I'm lost."

He rolled his eyes, "when you guys got home I was in the kitchen getting something to drink. I saw you kiss him."

Her stomach dropped to the road beneath them, "say what?"

"You. Kissed. Dally." He said slowly as though she were a small child.

She stared at him for a moment before her hands flew to her face, "oh God! I did?" she peeked between her fingers and Soda nodded in confirmation. Her hands fell to her lap, Dally hadn't told her. "I'm gonna hurt him."

Soda felt slightly guilty, "Don't hurt him. I mean he probably had a good reason not to tell ya. Right?"

Kizzy was still fuming, though, it didn't matter if he had a good reason, he shoulda told her that she had made herself a fool by kissing him.

Soon as she walked through the door, she spotted Dally, "Hey, Little. Hows work?" He said, smiling slightly.

That stopped her. Maybe he did have a good reason? When they were little, he usually only kept the things from her that would hurt her. But, still he coulda told her.

She was torn, to yell at Dallas for not telling her all that happened, to just telling him her day was fine.

"Earth to Kizzy." Dally said, waving his arms, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

She shook her head, it would be good blackmail later, or when he pissed her off, "It was fine, Dally. But they made me work on a Caddy." She made a face, and out of the corner of her eye she saw how surprised Soda was that she didn't blow up on the tow-headed guy.

Dally nodded slowly, "ok…?" She sat down on the couch, snatching Dally's cigarette from his lips and taking a long drag from it, keeping it between her fingers. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him.

"Oh, my bad." She muttered, handing it back to him. After a few moments, she reached into his pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and lighting it.

"Why do you and kyfing my cigarettes?" Dally asked, grinning.

She shrugged, "to make you ask questions."

He shrugged and she smirked, flicking him in the nose. He raised an eyebrow at her and flicked her back.

She grinned and punched him in the arm; he punched her arm also, but not hard. "Oh, it's on!" She confirmed and shoved him, he shoved her back but she grabbed his arm, pulling him down with her. He landed on her and her breath came out in a whoosh. "Ugh! Get off me!" She gasped, laughing slightly. "I swear to God you broke my back!"

Dally got off, slyly prolonging it. When they were finally back on the couch sitting (not on each other), Kizzy sighed, "What're we gonna do tonight?"

"Not getting you drunk again." Dally replied, giving a large yawn.

"Aww, but aren't I fun?" she asked, jokingly.

"Suuure. Except when you threw up."

"AH! I did not throw up. I never throw up." Kizzy said, smacking him slightly.

"You're right, but another beer or tequila shot and you would have. I was half afraid you'd get alcohol poisoning."

"I never do." Kizzy said in a superior voice.

Dally snorted, as Johnny walked in. He was sporting a black eye and a few cuts on the cheek, "Heya, Dal, Kizzy, Soda, Steve, Pony." he said quietly.

Standing up, Dally and Pony took Johnny to the kitchen to clean him up. Kizzy followed, feeling angry with Johnny's dad, and relieved she had left her part behind. Johnny was lucky, though, he had people to clean his cuts.

She stood there and watched for a minute, noticing how the smaller boy was slowly getting paler and there was a damp spot on his shirt. "Uhh, Johnny…sit back for a second…I want to see something." He did as he was told and she pulled his shirt up slowly, there was a deep gash on his stomach and she winced. "That needs stitches."

Johnny's eyes immediately went alight with fear, "I can't go to the hospital." He said, his voice quiet and shaky.

She bit her lip, "I can do it. I mean…I've done it before; I just need a needle, thread and something for him to bite on. And maybe something to take the edge off." She said.

Dally went around, getting a needle and thread and then took his belt off for Johnny to bite on. "No alcohol or anything in the house." He said.

She nodded, threading the needle. Once that was done she looked up at Johnny, "I need you to bite hard on that belt, ok?" She said. Johnny nodded and closed his eyes, fastening his teeth on the belt. Kizzy took a huge breath and started stitching him up, her hands shaking slightly.

When she was finished, she cleaned off the cut and bit her lip, "keep it clean, if you have to, stay over here until it's healed. That would probably be a good idea because then I can keep my eyes on it."

Johnny gave another nod, then, with Dally's help, limped a bit over to the couch. He layed there for a moment, breathing heavily, then slowly looked up at Dally and Kizzy, "Thanks."

Kizzy smiled softly, "No problem, Johnny." Dally nodded beside her.

The boy laid his head back, slowly drifting off to sleep, happy that, for once, Dally was around.

The dark haired girl gave a sigh, she hadn't been this worried about someone in a long time. While she hitch-hiked across the country, all she had to worry about was herself, and now, she worried about them all. It had only been about a week, but these boys, especially Johnny, Dally, and Pony, had come to mean so much.

Kizzy heaved a sigh and walked into the kitchen to clean things up, she used a rag to mop up the droplets of blood that had fallen onto the floor while she stitched Johnny up, biting her lip and trying not to think about what had happened when her father had stabbed her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jerked, crying out in surprise.

Dally held his hands up, "it's just me, calm down."

She relaxed slightly and ran a hand through her hair, "don't ever sneak up on me again." She growled, turning back around to clean up everything.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were so sensitive about stuff like that." He muttered.

"Well I am." She barked and then bit her lip, calming down. "Sorry…just plotting the 'accidental' death of Johnny's dad."

"That pissed?"

She shrugged, "he shouldn't have to live with that ass."

"You lived with an even worse one." He shot back.

Kizzy shrugged, "that was different, I'm different than him. I'm not stupid and I know how to read people…Johnny…he can't handle that shit."

"Oh but you can?"

"Yeah, I can!"

Dally just rolled his eyes, not really wanting to get in a fight, but not being able to point out all the times she came to him...atleast before he had gone to jail.

It had all started when Kizzy was about five. Her mother had came down with leukemia, and had lasted about five months, before finally giving in. Kizzy and her dad had been heart broken. Her mother had been the sweetest person, Dally remembered. Always smiling, cracking jokes, baking him and Kizzy cookies to eat with glasses of milk. She seemed to understand and get along with everyone, much like Kizzy could if she set her mind to it.

Being so much like her mom, Kizzy tried to cheer her dad up, but, her dad would not accept her. That's when the beatings started, and slowly they had climaxed to stabs and blood loss. Dally had been helpless, and Kizzy only wanted her fathers love.

Each time when she had come to his apartment, sobbing her eyes out, him and his mom would quietly clean her up. Till his mom died, and it was only him.

"Kizzy..." Dally started, but stopped. How could he remind her? She had lived so long like that, she probably had nightmares.

"Dally." Kizzy replied, staring at him hard. "Drop it. Unless you want me to go storming outta here."

The blonde headed boy analyzed the girl, then quietly turned and went into the Living room.

Once Kizzy finished cleaning up the kitchen she sat down at the table and lit a cigarette, glaring down at the floor. Her head ached and she rubbed her temples she found it hard to believe that she'd actually said that to Dally but shrugged it off. She could really handle it; she was a tough, Brooklyn girl. No one could touch her.

At least that's what she'd made people think.

Thoughts of her mother and father raced through her head and she wiped at her eyes that were brimming with tears. She couldn't cry.

"Kizzy?"

She looked up to meet Dally's eyes, he was standing in front of her, "what?"

"What's wrong?" He asked and she shrugged. "Not good enough, c'mon. Talk to me."

"I can handle it Dal." She whispered, "you might not think so, but I know so."

He nodded and pulled her into a hug, "I know. I just was thinking about when we were kids, you know? You were so…fragile."

"And now I'm not. Dally, we aren't kids anymore…"

He nodded again, "I know."

A/N: Theres chapter 8! We hope you all liked it! thanks to babygurl33 really hoped you liked it, and everyone else, please review! it would be nice to get a few! (lol that rhymed!)

SwallowTheStuffUnderTheSink

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