This story is one of what will be many in my "Remembering Collin Warner" series. I do recommend you read my first story, "Collin's the Name" before reading this one or else this won't make any sense to you. As many others say, I DO NOT own the Outsiders or Any recognizable characters affiliated, although I did create my character Collin Warner and his backstory. I also DO NOT own Blackberry Smoke or the song, 'Sleeping dogs' of which this fic is based.
This one got away from me a little bit, it's much longer than I anticipated it would be, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. I hope the readers will feel the same. Please don't be shy, let me know how you liked this installment to the Collin Warner series!
"Sleeping Dogs"
You best let a sleepin' dog lie
'Cause soon you'll come to understand why,
Yeah you're gonna get bit right between the eyes,
If you don't let a sleepin' dog lie
"I came here alone, and you came here alone." Dallas Winston pointed out, leaning over the back of the row in front of his seat, he whispered loudly into the ear of the cute blonde that sat before him. "Why don't we leave together and have some fun tonight?"
He'd been making advances all afternoon, trying to pick up some action at the Drive-In but judging on the girl's eye roll, the boy wasn't getting too far. Collin's voice then drifts through his mind, Now don't you get dirty Dallas, the girls don't like that. They ain't greasy girls so don't talk to 'em like it and Dally inwardly sighs. He didn't want to back off but he did anyways, Collin would be disappointed if he found out that Dal had gotten loudmouthed with another girl. So he backed off despite what "Little Dal" wanted.
Dallas wasn't there for the movie to begin with so he decided it was best to get a move on, get the hell outta Dodge before he got himself into trouble.
So he threw the girl one last sly smirk and hopped over the row towards the exit and made his way out onto the street in the direction of the Dingo. Before he could get too far, a low whistle made him pause and turn to look over his shoulder. Behind him, three socs crowded the exit and leered over the lone greaser. "Well look at what we've got here boys, Winston without Warner, what a sight." It was Bob Sheldon and Randy Anderson who stood there with one other behind them.
Dallas Scoffed and turned away, walking once again towards his destination, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He shook his head as he walked, socs were the last thing he wanted to deal with. Behind him, Dallas heard one of the other guys tell the others, "Just follow him guys, he's not going to walk away from us."
Sure he was, Dallas had places to be. He wasn't going to be dancing around socs when he could be getting back to Collin, makin' sure he didn't get himself killed while Dally was gone. He'd said he would prolly be hanging around the Dingo to see if he could strike up some grub. Dallas kept walking and soon enough the Dingo came into sight. Bob and Randy and that other guy were still behind him, on his tail like a couple of dogs.
There at the front doors was the blonde in question, leaning back against the wall, looking straight back at Dallas and the socs.
Dal met him enthusiastically, "Would you look at what the cat dragged in?" They both smiled and knocked shoulders but Collin's gaze brought Dal's attention back to the socs, "Oh, Bob, I forgot you were there."
Collin smirks with thin lips, "You may go now. Look I appreciate you boys walking my friend home from the movies, but it was truly unnecessary."
Randy pushes past Bob and tries to rush Collin and Dallas, "Look here Grease, I don't want no lip from you so shut it."
Dally scoffs, "Alright Richie, we're zippin' the lips." All three socs step forward and Collin laughs like it's the funniest thing he's heard all year. It felt good to hear him laugh, it wasn't often that Collin could actually laugh without it hurting.
Collin's deep laughter faded and the two greasers turned to go into the diner to grab some lunch, all-knowing of the socs following them in, the back of Collin's neck had started tingling the moment he'd turned his back to them and he'd found their reflection in any glass in the area so he could watch his back. Dallas had found a booth in the corner of the diner and took the seat facing the wall, knowing how paranoid his friend was, he opted to give Collin the view of the room. Dal trusted His friend to watch his back with socs behind him.
Once Collin settled into the seat in front of him, Dallas leaned forward over the table and whispered, "Looks like you're feelin' better."
Collin leans back and shrugs, ever the picture of nonchalance, "I have my moments."
The waitress came along and asked for their orders, Dal being Dal had started to pull moves over on her but her eyes were set on the other blonde at the table. To both the waitress'- her name tag said Lou- and Dally's aggravation, Collin hadn't paid the girl any mind. Instead, his eyes were all over the place, looking for all the socs in the room and how many he'd have to get through before this inevitable fight was over. He was finally feeling good after a long time of hurt and he didn't want to ruin it today. Dallas had just ordered for him, knowing all too well what was running through the Warner boy's head. Strategy was a big part of Collin, he never shot first; asked questions later, it just wasn't his style.
Dallas had enough of his zoning, "Collin, you with me man?"
The Warner boy's head snapped around, "Yeah? Yeah, I'm good."
That hadn't convinced Dallas in the slightest.
Dallas knew that the socs were still behind him, could almost feel them breathing down his neck but he paid them no mind. Socs were creatures of pride and ego, it would only anger them more if the greasers ignored their presence. So that's what they did. The greasers went on to eat their meals and didn't give the guys behind them any attention. Meanwhile, the socs started to get louder and louder just to try to get under Collin and Dal's skin but to no avail.
"Don't bait them Dallas," Collin warns, "I don't wanna get into it with a bunch of socs."
Dal looks at him, "C'mon man, it'll be fine."
The three socs had become six and Collin was becoming antsy. Dallas was still sitting with his back to the room and the Warner boy had tasked himself with watching the scene behind him. Collin was thankful that the cough hadn't plagued him for the day yet, he actually felt pretty good with all things considered, that's why he was weary of a fight, it wasn't often that he felt well enough to go out and not come back with severe chest pains and breaking into a cold sweat.
Collin gets out of his seat and pulls out his wallet to pay for the meal and drops money onto the table only to turn around and come face to face with a maniacal looking Randy Anderson staring back at him. "That's just great," Collin sighs, "we don't want any trouble."
"That's funny Grease, your buddy Dallas Winston seems to think differently." Collin's shoulders drop and he turns his head to look at the gleam in Dal's eye, this'll end well.
Collin shakes his head and turns to pull Dally towards the door, "C'mon Dallas, let's get outta here."
The two greasers turn their backs and head for the door but are stopped by a soc hand around Collin's bicep- big mistake. Collin turns, but next to him Dallas decks Randy hard across the face, dropping the boy to the ground. Collin backs out of the way as the other socs try to rush the greaser who started it. Of course Collin can't just leave Dally to fend for himself but he'll let this genius plan play out for a little bit. The sight in the diner had caused two of the extra social elites to back out of the fight, leaving the standings one to four. While two backed out, the other three were ready to back Randy up at a moment's notice.
Collin let Dallas play out his little game for a few more hits from both sides, Randy and Bob both ganged up on Dal while the two others waited for their turn amidst the chaos. Dallas was a pretty good fighter blow for blow, growing up in New York with Collin certainly helped that but Collin had to admit, this one-to-four fight wasn't looking to be in his friend's favor. Though he still kept his head down to blend in with the rest of the crowd for a little while longer, maybe a couple extra bruises would teach the boy a lesson about picking fights.
Collin could only hope.
Apparently, the other two socs were getting impatient with watching Bob and Randy beat on Dallas because they then turned their attention onto the other greaser in the room who was making his best efforts to stay out of it. "Hey Greaser you look lonely," the one on the left taunts, he's the bulkier of the two and definitely eats more, "Why don't we keep you some company?"
Collin Holds up his hands, "I said I didn't want to fight guys. Leave me outta it." The blonde growls low.
"Not gonna happen, Hood."
The two boys advanced towards the third, taking fighting stances while Collin remained with his hands by his face. He knew that his part in the fight was going to fall into place any second now, and he still really didn't want to sacrifice how good he was feeling for a fight that Dallas started. But where Dallas knew how to fight, Collin knew better. He knew how to scrap for all he's worth and if it came down to it, he could fight dirty. Whether he liked it or not, he was in it now.
The kid on the left (also left handed by the way he was standing) swung first, wild and uncalculated, he was too big and bulky to really be fast and Collin easily stepped out of the way. He tried again but it only took the greaser to shove him to get the boy out of Collin's way. Righty- as Collin had dubbed him- followed suit but his punches were much more efficient, light and quick. Collin wasn't quite fast enough to dodge so instead he blocked the quick succession of hits with his arms, never striking back. Lefty came back from behind and put the Warner boy into a headlock effectively pissing him off and immobilizing him enough for the skinnier of the two socs to land a couple of hard hits to his face and ribs.
Collin spits the blood out of his mouth and uses all of the strength in his legs to push both him and Lefty back into the table behind them, breaking the soc's hold enough to twist out of his arms. He'd tried to stay out of it, now there was no other choice then to cut fence and sort some shit out.
Dallas wasn't too far away, dealing with both Bob Sheldon and Randy Anderson. He wasn't regretting his decision to start the fight just yet but by judging on the look on his friend's face, Collin was going to make him regret it once this was all over. Bob and Randy were good fighters, experienced in the art of greaser stomping and they were showcasing their skills in the diner. Dallas' lip was bloody from Bob's rings and judging by the wicked smiles on their stuck-up soc faces, Dal looked worse for wear. But he gave as good as he got considering the odds, both socs had been hit multiple times by the greaser but a kick to the knee had Dally crumpling to the ground like a bag of rocks.
Randy stood watch while Bob kicked the living daylights out of the greaser on the ground. Laughter echoed out of both of their throats, totally oblivious to the other half of the fight going on about eight feet away.
Collin tried to keep an eye on his friend as good as possible even though he was otherwise preoccupied. A well timed punch to the jaw clicked teeth and knocked out the skinnier soc, dropping him to the diner floor and leaving him with only one more competitor. When he saw Dallas hit the ground, Collin kicked it into high gear and scanned the room for some kind of leg up. He wasn't about to pull his knife against an unarmed opponent so he picked up the next best thing: the hot sauce off of one of the tables around them and uncapped it. He didn't know exactly what he was thinking, but a quick thrust of the bottle sent burning sauce onto the face of the burly soc, Lefty. He hit the guy one last time to knock him out onto the ground. Hot sauce to the eyes was probably a fate worse than the blade in his pocket, but Collin couldn't bring himself to care, Dallas was on the floor getting the shit kicked out of him and Collin would be damned if he wasn't gonna knock Bob Sheldon on his ass.
God he was gonna feel this in the morning.
Collin charged Bob just as he was pulling his foot back to kick his friend again, catching him off balance and tackling him to the ground. The feeble air in his lungs be damned, Collin was on a bend. He kept Sheldon underneath him and pummeled his face into the checkered linoleum floor. Blood coated his knuckles as it spewed from the kid's nose. Arms pulled Collin off of Bob and shoved him away only for him to rush the soc again in his fury.
Bob scrambled to his feet with the help of Randy Anderson but despite the carnage, their demeanors had not changed.
Dallas Got up and took on Randy while Collin was left with Bob. Bob was the scrappier of the two socs, the rings on his fingers were known to cut and he wasn't afraid to hurt someone, especially if they wore grease in their hair. His bloodied face painted a gruesome picture of Collin's abilities and he looked like he wanted to repay the favor. Collin only smiled a toothy grin.
"What are you smilin' about Warner?" Bob growls.
"Just can't wait to see you on your ass, Sheldon." His deep voice was smooth and clear for the first time in a long time and it felt good.
Collin didn't have much time to dwell on that fact because Bob came forward with a swing to his left side which Collin easily blocked, his forearm vaguely stung with the impact. He countered with a hook into Bob's stomach, knocking the air out of him. Collin kicked at the guy's shin but was hit in the back of the head with a wayward slap from the other soc.
"Dallas, please deal with him?" He bantered, and chuckled when Dal hit Randy in the face.
The boys traded blows for what seemed like hours but in reality was only about two and a half minutes, Everything happened so fast, it all blurred together. The diner's occupants had either cleared out or froze in their seats to watch the action and one of the waitresses had ducked behind the counter and dialed the police.
Bob threw a punch straight at Collin's face and cut across his jaw with one of his rings. The hit dropped the blonde to the floor of the diner and Bob jumped on the opportunity to kick him while he's down. Dally saw his friend go down and raced to fight off his last competitor before barreling down on Bob to get him to stop. The last soc turned his attention onto Dallas in a flash and left Collin on the ground, wheezing in what little breath he could manage. He struggled to get onto his hands and knees, questioning why he let Dallas drag him into fights like this, and hobbled to his feet. His head hurt and his chest hurt, his damaged lungs were his weakness and Sheldon had found it.
Taking the deepest breath possible into his damaged lungs, Collin tried to focus on the fact that Dallas was finishing off the last soc and he certainly didn't need Collin's help. All of the boys had blood on their faces from either blunt force or Bob's rings and the onlookers all had concerned looks on their faces as they saw the boys scrapping for their lives on the diner floor. Collin knew the cops would be there soon but he couldn't drag Dallas away from the fight just yet.
The socs that had woken up sat in booths, licking their wounds so to speak and watched the endgame play out with the rest of the diner occupants, Lefty was still out cold, splayed out on the floor and Collin stood above him just looking at the damage that he'd done to the young man's face. He didn't even know the kid's name.
Two-Bit and Steve had been walking towards the DX when they noticed the commotion coming from the Dingo. Through the windows, they recognized the socs first, but then the view of Dallas had compelled them to jump in on the action. The fight in the diner looked brutal to the two greasers who weren't involved, swelling up faces and bloodied knuckles on both parties. But by the time Two-Bit and Steve rushed in, only the aftermath was on display.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Steve yells over the crowd.
Dallas had Bob Sheldon by the shirt, Collin was looking over a downed soc and there were two others with busted up faces sitting in booths. Two-bit managed to get Dally off of Bob and push them apart.
"You're gonna pay for this Grease! Just wait, there's a rumble coming up with your name on it Winston." Bob growled, pointing a finger at the named greaser.
Dallas turned his back and walked over to Collin to check if he was alright, he could hear his friend's wheezing breaths but he wasn't about to mention it in a room full of angry socs. "I should'a listened to you man, I don't know what I was thinking."
Collin doesn't say anything, only his head snapped up when Steve made it through the crowd, his attention getting drawn to the movement immediately. "What the hell is going on?" He demanded again, taking in the sight of the cut on Collin's jaw and Dally's bloody lip, both dripping red onto the floor.
Collin still hadn't said anything, Dallas knew the silent treatment all too well from the Warner boy. He never yelled, never blew up, only grew quiet in the wake of Dallas' wrongdoings. So instead, Dal answered Steve's question. "Randy was ready to bust down on us from the moment I stepped out of the drive-in, I saw him grab Collin man, and I just hit him."
"The fuzz is gonna be here soon, we gotta scram." Collin murmured just loud enough for Dallas to hear.
The greasers agreed and got the hell outta Dodge, both Dallas and Collin being a bit slower because of their recent fight. Two-bit stayed behind them on the sidewalk while Steve walked up front in a protective manner in case any of the by standing socs wanted to finish the job that Bob and Randy had started. Two-Bit was talking non stop about the amount of destruction in the diner.
"Then there was that table that got knocked over, who did that? Those tables are heavy. You guys really did a number on Bob, he looked like hell and I hope his nose is broken, he deserves it. Who was that guy on the ground? I mean I've seen him around but I never got his name."
"Two-Bit," Dallas says, "You're givin' me a headache man."
Off in the distance, the wail of sirens fill the air and the boys pick up their pace, heading in the direction of the Curtis house in need of some bandages and painkillers.
Collin fumbled with the pocket of his jeans and his fingers pulled out a crushed carton of cigarettes, with a sigh, he pulled one out only to find that every single one had been crushed along with the box. In a fit, he threw the handful of ruined smokes into the street where they quickly got run over by a passing car. Just his luck his good day gets screwed by a fight with some socs and his brand-new box was collateral damage. Collin couldn't say that he was mad at Dallas, but he could be annoyed for a little while.
A tap on his shoulder brought Collin's attention to the cigarette being offered by Two-Bit from behind, a small "Thanks man" and a nod went to the boy before he took it and lit it up. The smoke he inhaled had burned going down but it was a welcome change to the ache in his chest that wasn't there that morning. Yet another reminder of why he should be mad at Dallas Winston.
The glare from Dal hadn't gone unnoticed.
Once the four boys made it to the Curtis house, no one was home. Two-Bit suggested just going in anyways, it's not like Darry would care, but Collin instead said that he had plenty of supplies at his place and it wasn't going to be any trouble. So they crossed the street and entered the Warner house. Once inside, Collin and Dallas both scanned the immediate area for any sign of Collin's medicine so the others wouldn't see it but It was all put away thankfully.
The cough hadn't caught up with him yet so that was a good sign that the fight hadn't completely obliterated his good day. Dallas flopped down on the couch with the other two greasers while Collin went into the bathroom to find the first aid kit. Once returned, Collin tossed it into Dallas' lap and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water, simultaneously asking Steve and Two-bit if they wanted anything.
"Patch yourself up Dallas."
The remaining three greasers could tell that Collin was mad, they just didn't know how to handle it. Dal sighed and opened up the kit, fully aware of the sets of questioning eyes on him from the other two.
"He didn't want to fight, he told me so but I started one anyways. Prolly ruined his good day or somethin'." Dallas filled in the blanks for the other boys. He could hear the difference in Collin's voice; before the fight it was deep and smooth, afterwards though, it was just as deep but lost it's clear quality. The gravel had creeped back into his speech and it made Dallas feel bad, he liked it when Collin's voice was smooth, it reminded him of when he wasn't sick and would use his voice as an advantage. He used to talk louder too, never afraid to yell at somebody or hoot and holler for a good time. Dallas missed the good ole days back in New York.
Collin was always in the mood for a good fight back then. Nowadays, it seemed as though Dallas' friend was the sleeping dog that you had to let lie.
Out of the corner of his eye, Dallas caught sight of Collin making his way down the little hallway towards the bathroom door, struggling to take his shirt off in the process because of his bruised ribs. Seeing the dark spots made him wince in sympathy but something in his mind told him that Collin meant for him to see the damage done.
Collin Warner was passive aggressive like that.
Two-Bit on the other hand, loved to put salt in the wound for all to see, He inhaled sharply and slapped his hand down hard on Dal's leg before standing up with a huff. "Good job, Dal."
Dally glared at him as Two-Bit laughed, effectively lightening the mood in the Warner living room.
News had spread quickly about the rumble between Dallas Winston and the socs, no matter where the gang ended up, someone mentioned it on the streets. It'd been only three days since the incident in the Dingo but Randy and Bob were definitely not dropping the fact that Dally had thrown the first punch, that's why there was a time and place set for the upcoming Saturday night.
While Collin usually took it upon himself to gather bodies for the rumbles in the past, he was still mad. This was Dallas' doing so he would have to do the work himself. Besides, after that bout of bruised ribs, Collin was feeling worse than he'd felt for months, and that was saying something considering the severe rough patch he'd gone through only weeks ago. His chest hurt way too much, like someone had broken every single one of his ribs then promptly set what was left of his chest on fire. It hurt to breathe, let alone talk so for the last couple of days he'd stayed almost silent and played it off as still being pissed off at Dallas. He didn't want to raise suspicion by staying home and being a homebody so instead he went out with the boys and defended the greaser name to whoever thought differently.
But on the Saturday of the rumble, Peter Warner was home from work that morning and noticed just how much trouble his son was going through. He didn't know about the Rumble, but he did know about the fight in the diner and he couldn't say he was particularly happy about it.
"How you feelin' Son?" Peter started as he walked into his living room and stood behind the back of the couch while Collin was laying stiffly across the cushions, looking up at him, "And don't try to lie to me, I can see it on your face."
Collin didn't bother, "God it hurts." he groans.
His breathes were shallow and quick, his lungs burning with every movement. It was an effort not to let the whine slip past his lips that was begging to let loose. How the Warner boy even got out of bed this morning and made it to the couch was a feat in it and of itself, he was so unsteady on his feet that a good gust of wind could have knocked him over. Peter knew how his son felt about being coddled when he was in a low spot so he'd stood by, letting Collin do what he wanted but was ready in case his son needed him, It hurt to watch but he'd seen the anger more than enough times that came with such coddling. Collin was independent and stubborn, Peter knew where his son got it and it wasn't from his mother. He wished that Collin would just stay out of trouble and not add extra strain on his body but it was no use wishing for something like that in this vicious world they live in. Peter remembered how tough it was when he was a kid, if anything, it's even worse now so to hope for something as simple as staying out of fights for his child, it was a foolish thought.
"Do you need anything?" Peter asked softly, mind flashing back to when he asked his wife the same thing so many times before, before she was killed by the same thing that was now killing his son. Just the thought made his heart hurt and his stomach clench.
Collin shut his eyes tight, pain evident on his face, and shook his head.
God he hated seeing his son like this. "Try to get some sleep while I'm at work, it might do you some good." He definitely didn't want to leave him alone but he had to go to the factory or risk losing another job.
Peter hoped that his son would start to feel better by the time he got home, he regretted leaving the house at all when his son was feeling like this. God what if something happened while he was gone at work and he wasn't there to help? He would never forgive himself as a father and a widower. If Sarah were still alive, she would have stayed with Collin, but the world is a cruel place and his son didn't have a mother to care for him when he was sick anymore.
Collin struggled to fall asleep on the couch, he knew he wasn't about to get up and go back to his own bed so he made due with what he had. It was hard to try to sleep when all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears and his raspy breathing that sent shivers through his muscles. It hurt like hell to move in any way and the cold sweat wasn't helping in the slightest. He was still cursing Dallas for his stunt in the diner, only an idiot would pick a fight in such a soc-populated place, now Collin was paying for his participation in the idiocy.
He vaguely registered hearing his father leave for work then proceeded to only curl in on himself further, hoping to quell the shivers racking his frail body. Luckily, the coughing fits hadn't been too strong this morning and he couldn't help but be thankful for the little blessings.
He ended up slipping into a shallow slumber, still aware of the pain but time seemed to speed by faster than what was usual for this time of year. Every Once in a while he'd wake up and notice the shadows had changed in the living room from the open windows that casted light into the house. But this time when he awoke, it was to a knock on the door.
A knock that was forceful but just tentative enough to reveal his hesitation, Collin knew of only one person who fit that bill at the moment. It was Dallas' fault he was in this position in the first place, Collin only hoped he hesitated before he'd knocked on his front door.
With a huff, the blonde made it to his feet and slowly made his way towards the door, 1. because his muscles still hurt and he was dog tired and 2. Because he wanted to make his friend wait, Dallas was not a patient person in the slightest and it peeved him to no end when Collin made him wait outside his door for any period of time. Collin knew he was a jerk, between those two it was common knowledge.
Pausing at the door for another moment just to waste a little more time, he smiled to himself then swung open the door. The afternoon light surrounded Dallas in the doorway and Collin stepped aside to let his friend into the house. Dallas took a seat at the dining room table, seeing the blanket laying bunched up on the couch while Collin went straight into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water and to check the time on the clock on the wall.
4:43. He'd slept through the entire day. Collin knew that if he wanted to take part in the rumble, then he'd better start greasing his hair soon because lord knew he didn't do it enough to be quick about getting it just right for a rumble. Where Collin and Dallas never usually had hair oil as part of their everyday look, Collin prized himself for his typical greaser look when it counted. It placed him on a side.
He made a quick trip to his bathroom and returned with the cylindrical tin of Pomade. One look at the tin had Dallas' hackles raising.
Knowing what that tin entailed, he locked eyes with his sick friend "You can just put that away now ya hear?"
"Dallas-"
"Look Collin, it's obvious you got no sleep last night, you look like shit. I don't want you to fight in this rumble man." Dallas warned, "You're in no shape for a fight like that."
Collin sighed in resignation but it turned into a rough, throaty cough. God it hurt. "Fine Dallas," he took a pause to catch his breath "I'm not gonna argue with you."
That immediately concerned Dal, Collin always wanted to argue. The fact that he didn't, threw up all kinds of warning signs. His voice softened, "You're really not feelin' so hot are you? You're feelin' so bad that you're not gonna fight me on this?"
"I'm tired Dallas," Collin says, deflecting the question, "gonna try to sleep this off." Yes, he'd slept all day, but it didn't do too much to make him feel any better.
Collin left to put the Pomade away and Dallas sighed to himself. Pretty soon he'd have to meet up with the gang and sort out this mess that he'd made. So he left Collin to himself and made his way across the street to the Curtis house, worrying that Collin wasn't telling him everything.
Ponyboy could tell there was a problem with Dally. He looked worried about something as he lounged on the couch with Darry while the rest of them were laughing and pushing each other around in high spirits. He'd told everyone that Collin wasn't joining them for the fight and now he just looked wrong. Dal wasn't a worrier, seeing it on his face now, it made Pony apprehensive.
Now he was wondering if something was wrong with the Warner boy. Collin didn't seem like the type to miss out on a fight.
The last couple of days, it did seem like Collin was quieter than usual but Dally had said it was the silent treatment towards him. Though, for someone as observant as Ponyboy, it was obvious that it wasn't just the silent treatment. That dreaded smoker's cough was at the Warner boy pretty strong and by the look on Collin's face, it hurt pretty badly. It might've been bruised ribs from that fight in the diner that had Dal's face all beaten up but he had those dark spots under his eyes again like he wasn't sleeping at night.
Pony definitely thought there was something wrong. Collin always has that tired look about him but in the last few days, it was more prominent than usual. How he'd stayed out with the greasers all day was beyond Pony's comprehension.
Ever since Collin showed up in town, Dallas acted different, now it just seemed wrong to see one without the other. Both their demeanors completely changed when they were on their own, so dependent on each other that it couldn't be healthy. Not at all.
Looking out the windows, the boys could see that it was getting dark: closer to rumble time. The energy in the Curtis house was buzzing, boys pushing each other for a view in the mirror, a tin of Pomade being passed around just as often as the bottles of beer and cigarettes. This was the usual sight in a greaser house like this one, the loud voices and rambunctious movement always drowned out the tension just enough to keep the greasers from getting too nervous.
What was not usual though, was the sight of Dallas Winston on the couch lost in the confines of his mind while the chaos surrounded him. It was odd to see the blonde so quiet before a rumble, especially one he himself had caused. The rest of the boys hadn't thought much into the fact that Collin wasn't joining them, he'd had a hand in the fight that kicked this all into motion but he wasn't going to participate in the grand finale, thinking too much into it would probably make them mad at the wrong person and that wouldn't help them any when it came to the rumble. So they overlooked the short sentence of explanation that Dal had given when asked where his other half was.
But while they overlooked the absence of Collin, the state of the other blonde on the couch with Darry had to be brought up before it got the rest of them down.
Two-Bit never was all that subtle when it came to calling any of the greasers out, "Dal, what's got you all mopey, man? You're ruinin' the mood."
Dallas looked up at the rusty haired teen but didn't rise to the bait, keeping his concern to himself and his temper out of it. "Nothin' man, I'm fine."
"Sure ya are."
Soda then turned away from his spot at the mirror, comb still in hand, "C'mon Two-Bit, lay off him. Everyone's tense before a rumble."
The Mickey shirt wearing boy looked reluctant to turn away from the subject but he did anyway, stepping away and going back to the mirror one last time to make sure his hair was to perfection.
Darry on the other hand, leaned over just a little bit to get Dally's attention and kept his voice low enough to not be overheard, "You sure you're good?" Dallas only nodded.
He wasn't good though, nothing was good. His best friend looked like hell and he didn't even try to deny it. Collin never just gave up like that when it came down to an argument, it worried Dallas to the bone. Maybe he wanted to just give up the fight against his consumptive body again, it wouldn't be the first time but as his disease got a better hold on him there was a larger chance that it may be the last time that Collin gave up. Maybe this time he wouldn't come back out of that hole.
Dal wasn't ready to lose his best friend just yet.
God, they'd been through too much together, it couldn't end so soon. But all Dally could do was hope that Collin wasn't ready to give up, that his friend would keep fighting.
Thankfully, time passed rather quickly as the night wore on, Ponyboy pointed out the time on the clock and just like that, all six greasers bounded out the front door and aerial flipped over the gate, cartwheeling and skipping through the dark empty street. Dallas gave in and had a little fun himself, expertly hurdling over the gate and chased Two-Bit down the road towards the park.
Collin stayed true to his word, almost as soon as Dallas had stepped out of the door, he layed back down hoping to go back to sleep. For a good twenty minutes, sleep didn't come back to him. Collin sighed and sat up, he was awake now, and it seemed as though it would stay that way. He could distantly hear the rest of the gang making their way towards the park where the rumble would go down and felt his heart pull towards them, wanting to join in on the action.
But he'd promised Dal.
So instead, flipped through a couple of his old magazines, folded a couple of shirts that laid on his floor, coughed his lungs up for a good fifteen minutes, but it didn't make him any more tired. Collin was getting antsy, a side of him that not many people got to see, he paced a rut into the carpet as the sky got darker. It wasn't until he heard people outside on the street, kicking cans and making a ruckus that he gave up on staying home that night. Looking out the front window, Collin could see the group of socs that were making the noise, all smiles and shouts. It grated on his nerves.
The process of slicking back his hair was incredibly sped up as Collin rushed the comb through his golden hair, the Pomade making his blonde strands much darker. He quickly tucked in a black t-shirt and looped a black belt into his jeans and practically flew out his front door towards the park.
The greasers made sure to show up early, this was how it always happened. The greasers, JDs and hoods came together at the spot before the other side decided to show up. During the wait, they'd usually talk trash and collectively pump themselves up for the fight.
Shepherd's gang had gotten to the park first to stake out the area and kick out any kids that were out for the night still, it hadn't been long though until guys started trickling in, all greased hair and leather jackets. Darry Curtis and his boys always grabbed Tim's attention whenever they walked up but tonight more than ever. It was Darry's boy Dallas who had started this mess, if it weren't for him and Collin Warner, none of them would have been there at the park that night waiting on a bunch of shifty ass social elites.
But when Tim Shepherd was expecting eight guys to come into the lighted area of the park, he was curious to only find seven. Someone was missing.
Going through his memory, Tim took inventory of the Curtis gang; Darry? Check. Dallas? Check. Sodapop? Check. Ponyboy? Also check. Steve? Two-Bit? Yes and yes. The little one, Johnny? Him too. It was Collin who was missing, one of the key players in this particular game they were playing. There was probably a perfectly good reason why the guy wasn't there, Tim couldn't let the new information boil his blood just yet, not until he knew the whole story.
He'd always kinda liked the Warner boy, it would be a shame if something ended up happening to him.
In his need to find answers, Tim broke out of the safety of his own gang and waltzed over towards the Curtis', the confident swagger was in his step that came with the leadership of a gang with his kind of recognition.
"Hello boys, nice night for a rumble isn't it?"
Darry turned to answer the question first, making sure to show off his intimidating stature, "Sure is Tim, thanks for bringin' your boys out, have you seen the Brumleys yet?"
The conversation came easily enough for the two, but it wasn't Darry who Tim wanted to talk to. If anyone had information on the whereabouts of Collin Warner, it was going to be Dallas Winston. "Yeah they walked up a couple of minutes ago, can practically smell the booze offa them from here," Shepherd joked, "Hey uh, it looks like you boys are down a man."
That had gotten Dally's attention, the blonde came up around Darry's shoulder and started listening in more to the conversation while Darry kept talking, "Collin ain't comin' tonight, that's what 'ole Dal told us."
Tim's eyes then fully shifted to the other greaser and Dally squirmed under the scrutiny, "Yeah, he's still mad at me, Man. Said since he didn't want to get into the fight to begin with, that he wasn't gonna help me finish it off."
Shepherd drew his eyebrows together, "That don't sound like the Warner I knew back in New York."
Dal shrugged and glanced around the dark area around the park, "Guess I really pissed him off this time."
A distant rumble could be heard on the street, signaling the arrival of the socs in their Chevys and Mustangs, soon they would be invading the area. That was the sign to the greasers to get together before the others walked into the ring, so to speak.
Before he walked away to join the rest of his gang, Tim threw one last comment over his shoulder. "If I know Collin Warner, and I like to think that I do, he'll turn up. It ain't like him to leave you hangin' Dal."
No one heard the low mutter from Dally in the dark, "He'd better not."
Collin kept his pace on the slow side, just to keep himself from keeling over on the pavement because his lungs thought otherwise. Luckily the walk wasn't very long, the park being only a few blocks away from the Curtis and Warner households, but even though the trip was short, Collin knew he would be late to the party either way. After only walking half of the way, the sounds of the rumble could be heard, shouts from both sides, Collin could pick out some voices that he recognized, they quickly got more and more heated. He itched to get in on the action but made sure to calm himself down before he got too excited and suffocated himself.
The last five minute stretch of walking felt like three times that to the blonde, he was afraid that all the fun was going to be over by the time he got there.
But there was no need to worry. In fact, Collin stood under the street light for a moment, taking in the sights. Greasers pounding on socs, socs beating greasers to the ground. There was a pretty good turnout, even without Collin's help to gather numbers. One greaser in particular seemed to draw Collin's attention immediately, well it was only natural to subconsciously look for someone in a crowd when you've known him for goin' on eight years.
It wasn't surprising to see the socs who started it in the first place to be the ones to have Dallas on the ground. It looked like Bob and Randy had ganged up on Dal pretty early in the game. Collin had found himself having the same thoughts as before. Maybe a couple extra bruises will teach him to slow his roll next time, but the hope had never worked before, why would it now? He still waited under the light for a couple extra seconds before deciding what he was going to do.
It wouldn't be very smart of him to run headfirst into the brawl, instead, the greaser had to plan out his route keeping his exposure to swinging socs to a minimum. He wanted to finish one fight and one fight only.
Those who weren't terribly preoccupied with the brawl took notice of the lean figure that stood under the street light. The slicked back hair told of a greaser, but with quick glances between opponents, it wasn't easy to identify who it belonged to. With someone like Two-Bit or Sodapop, one look at the guy's hair and you knew who it was, the greased up hair was an identity in itself, no two guys' hair was ever the same.
The guy was skinny, his tucked in black shirt only showed it more. But that wasn't an identifying factor either, quite a few guys on this side of town didn't get enough to eat on a regular basis. Tall and skinny was a common stature in a town like Tulsa whether people aimed for it or not.
It wasn't until Tim Shepherd yelled over to Dallas Winston over the action that greasers and socs alike started piecing together who stood on the side lines.
"Told ya he'd make it Dally!"
The shout was heard over all of the yelling and cheering, cut through the commotion like a switchblade knife, made Dallas stop for a moment.
So the sleeping dog woke up.
Collin's reputation had become well known through Tulsa over the months that he'd been there, stories from New York had been spread from Dallas and Tim and rumors spread like wildfire. Seeing Collin show up to the rumble, gave the greasers a renewed sense of fight. Now there was a little more greaser-stomping-soc action instead of soc-pounding-greaser. Everything seemed to get louder all of a sudden.
Dallas on the other hand, was still struggling with Randy and Bob, a couple more socs in line after them. The fight felt like it had been going on for hours, and the quick distraction of his friend joining the fray had thrown Dally off his game. Randy had taken advantage of Dal's lapse of concentration and started beating into him with a vengeance. But all Dallas could think was Don't get in on this Collin, please don't.
But one look at where the other greaser stood previously had Dallas Cursing his best friend. Of course he wouldn't listen to the one request Dallas had for him, it was too good to be true when Collin hadn't argued with him about the rumble, he should've known better. He should've gone to Collin's dad, at least he would have listened to his dad.
As if he'd made a beeline for him, Collin quickly appeared next to Dallas and decked Randy hard across the face, the soc hit the ground so hard, Dal heard the thud over the rest of the noise. Looking over at his friend, Dallas could see the cool determination written across Collin's face, he had a job to do and it would get done one way or another.
After Randy fell to the ground, Dallas turned to keep Bob Sheldon off of Collin's case, instead he took the brunt of the soc's fury, rings and all. While Dallas took care of Bob, Collin was attacked from behind, getting pulled back and spun around only to be hit in the gut by none other than Righty from the diner. Collin could see the bruises still on the guy's face. Behind him was the other unfortunate soc from that day.
"Hello Hot Sauce, long time no see." His voice was rough, but it still came off as cool as ever.
Lefty rose to the bait, it gave Collin a little break for his lungs, "Warner, I didn't really appreciate that little stunt you pulled this week." he said, shoving past his partner.
But Righty deemed the conversation to be over, "Ryan, enough with the talking, just kick his scrawny little ass already."
So, his name was Ryan.
"I mean, you can try." Collin shrugged.
It was harder to keep track of a fight when there was a rumble surrounding you, too much noise, too many obstacles, and a much larger margin of error. This wasn't a controlled environment in the least. Collin could see the other greasers in his gang, Two-Bit took on a soc that was tall and gangly, with Tim Shepherd right behind him, taking on two shorter ones. Sodapop and Johnny ganged up on one while Darry protected Pony from a scrappy lookin' one. As per usual, the socs outnumbered the greasers, but it never seemed to matter in the past rumbles. Collin didn't have enough time to assess the entire situation before Ryan's fist had made contact with the side of his face, whipping his head to the side.
It was the last thing Collin needed in the state that he was currently in.
He hadn't fully recovered from the first bout with those two, so Collin hesitated in fighting back right away, the idea of only defending himself favored his lungs just that little bit more. But he knew that in order to get Dallas out of the hot water he'd gotten them into, he'd have to deal with the obstacles in his way. Collin knew it would hurt, but he couldn't leave Dal to the sharks.
It didn't take him long to make up his mind.
Quickly running through the possible scenarios, Collin decked Righty hard enough to send the soc to the ground. The upperhand hadn't lasted long, but it was enough to give Collin a good start. Righty scrambled back to his feet and attempted to tackle the Warner boy. Collin managed to keep his feet beneath him and got a few good shots to the guy's kidneys before getting pushed away. Both Righty and Lefty tried to come at Collin at the same time.
It wasn't often that Collin doubted his abilities, but in the moment that the socs rounded on him once more, the realization came crashing down on him that this wasn't his brightest idea, and it hit him hard.
But he'd made his bed by coming here, he was damn well going to lie in it.
His body still hurt from the scuffle in the diner, he still asked himself why he always backed Dallas up as if it were his duty. He was sick, why the hell was he out here only to be beaten to hell again?
Dallas Winston. That's why.
Collin wasn't able to leave Dallas to drown in the hot water he'd gotten them into, it wasn't in his nature, and there had been many instances where that loyalty would bite him in the ass.
God he didn't want to be here.
The rumble was beginning to slow down, the area became quieter, but Collin still had two socs to deal with, and of course it had to be the two with a grudge.
Dallas had scrapped with Bob Sheldon many times, and this was no different. Sheldon always tried the dirty moves, using his rings to his advantage, going for the cheap shots. Dallas knew how to deal with the tricks the soc liked to pull, after all, none of it was new. What Dal did notice on the other hand, was how Bob had seemed to be keeping him at a distance, away from his partner in crime. Collin was a good three groups away from Dallas, Fighting with the other two from the diner.
Dal could tell the socs were bloodthirsty just by how they ganged up on his friend. Dallas knew he'd have to wrap this up quickly with Sheldon so he could back Collin up as soon as possible.
It brought Dal back to the task at hand when Bob lunged at him, going for a tackle. Dallas elbowed the soc in the face, knocking him back and hitting him in the jaw to make him fall to the ground. Sheldon then kicked Dal's feet out from under him, making him stumble knitting his knees. With Dallas and Bob both in the dirt, it was a scramble to see who would land the first hit. Dallas won out, getting on top and pummeling Bob Sheldon in the face.
Winston vaguely registered hearing footsteps running towards him and Bob, "Dal!"
It was Two-bit and Darry, seeing if he needed any help. He took one look over to where Collin was, seeing how the tubercular was on the ground using the length of his legs to keep the socs at a distance, away from greeting anywhere near the greaser's chest.
"Go help Collin, I'm good." Dal answered. Collin may not like to admit it but he needed all the help he could get. The two nodded and ran off, plowing through what was left of the rumble. Dal knew Collin was going to be fine, but just like he knew Collin wouldn't leave him to fend for himself, that loyalty ran both ways.
Of course Collin was plenty capable, he practically embodied the words, "Pin me in a corner, I'll fight my way out" but he hadn't been doing too hot lately. Dallas was trying to look out for his friend even if Collin didn't think he needed the help.
Dal resumed hitting Bob almost immediately after he told the greasers to go, taking out his frustration on the soc. Bob finally had enough and put up his hands, signaling that he was done. "Get off'a me Winston." He snarled, venom in his words.
Dally obeyed, getting up and stumbling back to let the soc up. Dallas kicked dirt at him as he slumped away on wobbly legs after getting the piss beat out of him. Looking around, Dal saw not a single soc stand triumphant, they'd won this one, not that it would matter in the long run but it felt good nonetheless. The socs would still get everything they wanted and the greasers would get in trouble for it. But they'd won.
He'd spotted Collin walking unsteadily with Two-Bit towards Tim Shepherd where they shook hands, smiling.
Somewhere among the greasers started a howl, and quickly, everyone joined in on the joyous noise making.
Taking a look around at all the howling greasers, Collin took the opportunity to take stock just to make sure everyone made it out in one piece. It was barely bright enough to see, the street lights only helped so much, but Collin was able to find who he was looking for.
The kids seemed fine, Ponyboy and Johnny stood together with Darry who'd left to find them after hauling up Collin's slight frame after he'd gotten the socs to give up. Part of that victory was probably due to the two extra greasers that came to back Collin up. Steve and Soda cheered and hollered with the rest, looking a bit banged up, but overall fine. Two-Bit stood close, most likely noticing the wobble to Collin's step, and chose to stick around. Two-Bit was much more observant than people gave him credit for, it was probably a good idea that he stayed.
The area was echoing, the greasers sounded like a pack of wild dogs. Hooting and hollering, all kinds of noise.
They'd won.
Once the noise died down, the greasers would congratulate one another, slapping backs, shaking hands, sharing smokes, before they went their separate ways.
Before he could make his way over to Dallas, Collin was stopped by Tim Shepherd, "Thought you were stayin' out of this one, Bingo."
Collin could feel the rattling in his lungs start to rise quickly so he reached into his pocket for a smoke and lit it up before saying a word. He was supposed to have a smoker's cough so he needed a reason to let this one out. "Someone needs to watch y'alls backs, if I don't, who will?" He let out the cough that was begging to be let out, "It's what I do best after all."
His voice was deeper, but there was no other reason for suspect. He'd gotten away with it once again.
Tim patted the Warner boy's shoulder, "Thanks for comin' through tonight. If it weren't for your scrawny ass, things might not have worked out for us greasers. Really gave the boys a second wind."
Collin nodded as another cough racked his frame. It hurt and almost made him stumble but a hand landed on his shoulder to steady him in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion. Only Dallas knew how to do that.
"I'm surprised you're here, thought you were mad at me, Man."
Collin grumbled but smiled, "Just feel lucky I showed up." He stood up straighter, shrugging Dal's hand off, "Dad'll kill me for this one,"
The realization hit him fast that he had to get home, now. His dad would no doubt be waiting for him to get home, questions at the ready. He was in no shape to be doing shit like this when his dad last saw him, and Collin would be coming home with fresh bruises and dirt stained clothes.
But it was worth it. He wasn't about to leave Dal out to dry. Never in a million years.
Collin quickly made it around, saying goodbyes and congratulations, then made his way back to the house. He had to keep his guard up in case there were any poor sported socs lurking the streets. His lungs burned and the rest of his body didn't feel much better from the walk.
He made sure to check his reflection in a car window to see how bad the damage was, bruising along both cheekbones, a scrape at one of his temples and a cut over the bridge of his nose, just wonderful. Soon enough, Collin arrived on his front doorstep, dreading his fathers reaction.
He lingered for a moment, getting his story straight. Collin wouldn't lie, he was going to tell the truth, just not all of it.
Fin.