I had been living with Tim and Curly for 3 years now. I was 17 and very much a woman. My hair had grown down to my lower back and the fake highlights had faded out. My eyes were still a bright glassy blue. I had a nice tan and was still skinny and almost anorexic looking, although I could never do that to myself. Tim, Curly, Mrs. Shepard and Mr. Shepard were my family. I hung out with Tim's gang and was a senior in highschool and on the volleyball team. Tim and Curly didn't scare me, sure they drank, swore, and robbed people and stores but they loved me and I knew it. I dressed like a soc but my attitude was very much greaser. My parents had somehow found me, even though they never actually wrote me, they sent $500 every month. Last year for my 16th birthday I got a cherry red Mustang. It was not what I wanted, I wanted my dad to come and get me, but after a year of wishing I'd given up. They don't care about me and aren't coming to get me. So Mrs. Shepard is my mother. I knew of other guys my brothers hung around with but I'd never met them, I don't talk in school that much and Tim comes and gets me for lunch. So I knew only one gang in the whole town.

I checked my reflection in the mirror, I had on a pair of dark blue jeans and a lime green fitted tank top that was cut low to show just enough cleavage and matching sandals. I had my hair pulled half up half down and the shorter pieces of my hair hung down around my face. I pushed them back behind my ears and walked out of my room. "I'm going out Tim!" I yelled and he yelled back from the kitchen. "Be careful, you got a blade with ya." "Yep." I hollered back. "Alright I'll be out in a while."

Tim had taught me how to fight and told me no matter what to always have a blade with me. And I didn't argue. I walked out onto the porch and down the steps. The afternoon was sunny and bright. The warm sun felt good on my shoulders as I walked towards the Dingo. As I walked down the street I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I turned and look up into dark blue eyes, the eyes of my brother. "Hey." I put my arm around his waist, I'm too short to reach his shoulders, and we walked in silence towards the Dingo.

As we walked back from the Dingo I thought about how I didn't know many people. I saw a group of boys in a lot talking while drinking, smoking, and sitting on cars.

"Hey looks like Tim picked himself up a broad." A boy with reddish brown hair and long sideburns whistled at me.

"Come on." He said to me. "Naw Two bit you can take her she's free." I looked up at him like he was insane. We were close to them as Tim pushed me into Two-bit's arms. "If you wanna get your head beat in." Tim said back to him. He caught me and looked up at Tim. "Why?" Two-bit asked cocking an eyebrow.

"She's my sister."

"I didn't know you had a sister Tim."

"Well she's more like my adoptive sister Dally."

Dally eyed me up and down making me kind of nervous. I had heard of him and his wonderful police record.

"Well she certainly is a pretty thing, what's your name sweetheart?" Two-bit asked.

"It's certainly not sweetheart I can tell you that much." I snapped at him walking back to Tim.

"Uh huh well she certainly is feisty Tim."

"Two- bit maybe if ya be nice to her she'd tell ya her name." I looked at the guy who had said that. Wow. He was cute, no not cute beautiful. He swung his arm around my shoulders playfully. "Now, I'm Sodapop." He put his hand to his chest. "This is my brother Darry, and Ponyboy. The one running his mouth is Two-bit. That's Steve, he's my best friend. That's Johnny, and that's…"

"Dallas Winston." I cut him off.

"Well, looks like she already knows me Soda." He said stepping up to me.

"No actually I don't. I've heard about you and that's all. You fought my brother, and from the way he looked you lost that fight."

I stepped back to Tim again.

"Aw come on, I don't bite." I stayed where I was. He turned his head around to his gang. "Guys I think she's scared of me."

"Dallas Winston I am not scared of you in the least. There is nothing about you that scares me, at all. Not your looks, not your record, not your attitude, or the way you fight." I stepped up to him. "I live with Tim and Curly Shepard do you really think YOU scare me?" I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

He stepped back holding his hands up. "Alright you win sweetheart."

"My name is NOT nor will it ever be sweetheart it's Alice."

"Hey calm down, Dally's a friend of mine."

"Tim I think you need to make new friends." I said looking up at him.

"Alice" Tim said sternly looking down at me and I gave him my puppy eyes.

Two-bit came up behind me and took my face in his hands saying. "Look at this cute little face Tim, how can you be mad at her?" I turned to face Two-bit and smiled at him as I swatted away his hands. He swatted mine back. And I tackled him to the ground and we began to play fight. I pinned him and flipped my hair out of my face. "Wow, I pinned ya. And I thought you were a greaser not a soc." The guys ooo'd at him and we began to roll around again. I pinned him again and sat on his stomach, my hands held his shoulders down. "Like I said I figured since you were a greaser you'd fight like one not like a soc."

He smiled at me. And laughed. I looked at him puzzled and turned around to see Tim pick me up and throw me over his shoulder.

"Now come on, you gotta know by looking at him that boy's a greaser." Tim said as he smacked my butt.

"Ow. I wouldn't be talking Tim, you look more like a hood than he does." Tim threw me up in the air and I was caught by someone I didn't know. "Why hello, and who might you be?" I joked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Hello to you too. I'm Darry and I will be throwing you today." He laughed and so did I as he tossed me into the air and I was again caught by someone. "Well hello I'm Steve and I'd like you to meet my friend Soda." He handed me over to Soda whom smiled down at me "Why I think we've met before." "I think we have too." I said laughing. He handed me to Dally. I struggled to get out of his arms but he held me tighter. "Well, well, well look who I've got here. Looks like she can't fend for herself anymore." I gave up and relaxed into his arms. They were strong and supportive. Something shot through me and I felt different around Dally.

The sun was beginning to set so Tim and me headed for home. I looked forward as I asked Tim a question. "Why haven't you introduced me to them before, they were fun?"

"You mean why haven't I introduced you to Dally before and you like him?" Tim looked down at me knowing very well that he was right. But I wouldn't let him know that.

"No, I don't, I asked why you never introduced me to them before. You seemed to know who they were and were comfortable with them throwing me around like a sack of potatoes."

"Well, I trust them, I can call them to help us fight and they do the same. And you seemed to handle yourself pretty well anyway."

"True," I said walking up the front porch steps and turning to cut Tim off. "But why haven't you introduced me to them before?"

"Because Dally has only been here as long as you, and he's not someone I wanted you to meet, until you did on your own. They are nice and I trust them with you I just never wanted to let you meet Dally who is always with them."

"Oh." I said and let Tim pass me and I followed him into the house. I went into my room and lay down. I thought of the way I had felt when Dally caught me, the way his body felt against mine. It was an odd feeling, but surprisingly it was a feeling I liked and could get used to. I began to drift off to sleep.