Chapter Five
"And over there's the Dingo, where we hang out. Pretty cool drive-in, but it's rough there sometimes," Sodapop informed me. He, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, and Steve were showing me around Tulsa.
The areas we were in were like nothing I'd ever seen before, but I was enjoying myself, despite the funny stares we were attracting from passersby. Dally had been right- girls from this side of town didn't dress like me.
"Would Madam care to stop in for refreshment?" Two-Bit asked me in an exaggerated British accent. He had been doing that all day, but it was funny. He held out his arm to me, and I giggled and took it as we stepped inside the restaurant.
The interior was dark and smoky, with Elvis playing from a large jukebox in a corner. There were people everywhere, boys in jeans and T-shirts with slicked-back hair and girls in short skirts, their hard eyes heavily lined with makeup. Suddenly very self-conscious, I smoothed my plaid wool skirt and black cashmere sweater set. More people turned to stare as we slipped into a booth, Two-Bit on one side of me and Ponyboy on the other.
Steve took out his cigarettes and passed them around, then held the pack out to me and said, "I'm betting you don't smoke, do you?" Nearly everyone else in the place was, including the girls. I shook my head.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sodapop said suddenly. I nodded, and he asked, "Why do you always call your adopted mom Risa?"
I froze for a moment and said calmly, "That's not something I talk about."
Ponyboy frowned. "But-"
"No," I said sharply. "Not under any circumstances."
Sodapop just shrugged at that and said, "Okay, Mia, whatever." I had a feeling he was like that about a lot of things, and I tried to relax.
The waitress came and set down our Cokes. I was sipping mine idly and listening to the boys' stories about the various people who had stopped by our table when a lazy voice interrupted.
"Didn't think I'd see you guys here today. Guess the princess decided to go slumming?"
Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade slid into the booth across from me, next to Steve. Johnny said a shy hello to me, which I returned, ignoring Dallas.
"Hey, Dal," Two Bit said cheerfully. "Hey, Johnnycake. What's going on?"
Dallas lit up a cigarette and said to me, "So what does a lady like you think of our hangout? There ain't any crystal chandeliers or fine china, so it's not what you're used to, but I bet they'd roll it out for you if you told them they had a de Barbarac here-"
By now I had had enough. I leaned across the table and took the cigarette from his lips. I inhaled, then exhaled the smoke through my nose, a trick my friend Jumana had taught me.
"I think," I said slowly, "That you have no idea what my life is or who I am." Ignoring the other boys, who were gaping, I took another puff on the cigarette and ground it beneath my heel.
To my great surprise, Dallas laughed. He looked different that way- younger, maybe. He leaned back and said to me, "So you think you're a tough broad, huh?"
"I don't know if I'd phrase it like that," I said coolly. "But I'm not some prim little Soc, if that's what you think." I was inwardly triumphant at using some local slang, and hoped I'd pronounced it correctly, but I wasn't going to spoil the effect and ask. I figured I could ask Ponyboy later.
He cocked an eyebrow at me, like I'd seen Two-Bit do sometimes and drawled, "You want to prove that?"
"Dally-" Soda started to say warningly, but I held up one hand for silence. I wasn't going to let any hoodlum speak of a de Barbarac that way.
"What, exactly, did you have in mind?" I asked, crossing my arms.
Dallas stared for a moment and then grinned, his eyes hard. "I'm headin' to a party tonight. Should get pretty crazy. You think you can handle it?"
"Sure," I replied, my head racing. A party with Dallas Winston? Was I crazy? What would being seen with a person like that- I could hardly call him a gentleman- do to my reputation? But this isn't New York, I reminded myself. I didn't know anyone from my own class here. Besides which I had something to prove. And although I vehemently disliked him, Dallas fascinated me, there was no doubt about that.
"Pick you up at nine then, doll. Got an address?"
With mixed feelings, I quickly wrote down the address of my hotel and handed it to him. Pocketing the paper, Dallas got up and sauntered out, then turned and said to me, "The guys'll be happy. Told Tim Shepard I was comin' to ask you, and they're lookin' forward to seeing what an heiress looks like."
I didn't respond, fuming slightly at the contempt in his voice at the word 'heiress'. Who did he think he was? What made me inferior in his eyes, just having money?
I noticed then that all the boys were staring at me again.
"What?" I said, nonchalantly taking a sip of Coke.
"Darry," Ponyboy said finally, "is not going to like this."
Steve chuckled. "Are you kidding? He's gonna hate this, especially since that party Dal's going to is at Buck's."
"Oh, no," Soda said with finality, turning to me. "Mia, kiddo, there is no way Darry's gonna let you go to a party at Buck Merrill's. That's one of the roughest hangouts there is-"
"Soda," I said, suddenly feeling very tired, "I appreciate the concern, but I don't actually need Darry's permission to go anywhere, if you'll remember. I'm an adult and I can take care of myself."
Two-Bit snorted, but all he said was, "Hope you're into Hank Williams."
"Who?" I said, feeling confused, but Two-Bit and Steve had both burst out laughing. Rolling my eyes, I leaned back and took another sip of Coke.
I returned to my hotel suite shortly afterwards, and dashed into Kelsey's bedroom.
"Kels," I said with a grin, "I'm going to a party tonight!"
Kelsey sat up and raised her eyebrows. "Tonight? An evening party? But what on earth are you going to wear? You didn't bring any evening gowns, no elbow gloves."
"I don't think it's that sort of-" I cut myself off and sat down, chewing my lower lip thoughtfully. Dallas didn't think a girl like me could handle a party like his because I was a rich girl, a de Barbarac. If they want to see an heiress at one of their 'rough' parties, I thought grimly, then I'll show them an heiress.
Smiling slightly, I grabbed Kelsey's hand and pulled her to the elevator. It was time to go shopping.
A/N: As always, many thanks to my wonderful reviewers, who give me the drive to keep going.