Chapter two. Thanks texaskid for the review!

it won't mend your heart if it's only a couple of lines

"James, if ya don't stop messin' up your room I ain't gonna let Buck let you board here anymore. He'll listen to me, too."

James Holt scowled. "I pay my rent, I can do what you want."

She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him her sternest look. "Actually, ya can't. It's in your lease. You better fix those damages or you're out on your ass, ya hear?"

James mumbled something underneath his breath that she couldn't quite catch but she knew it was snotty. She didn't have the time for this guy's attitude.

"What was that, James?"

That didn't come from her that was Dallas's voice. James cursed and kept walking, Dallas chuckled to himself and made his way to the bar where she was.

"Don't know why you're actin' like you're above him. Your rooms a wreck and you get free room and board, you'd think you'd have a little more respect."

Dallas smirked down at her. "I'll fix it all, Robin. Promise."

"You better, Dal. Or I won't let Buck let you mooch off him anymore."

"I don't mooch off your brother, me and him have ourselves an agreement."

Robin rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I've miraculously taken a liking to you or I'd throw your ass on the street right along with James."

Dallas chuckled and walked off, where - she didn't know but she knew wherever he was he was probably already causing trouble. He was arrogant and a bit of an asshole, but he had a charm. He was lucky for that charm or she wouldn't let him step a foot through the door. She trusted Dallas about as far as she could throw him but that was still a lot more than the other folk Buck let hang around here.

"Stop threatin' my boys, Robin," Buck laughed behind her. "They don't ride good when they're angry."

Robin let her eyes roll at her older brother's comment. Buck and Robin shared the same father but a different mother. Robin's mother walked off long ago and their father died of lung cancer a couple years back, since then she had been living a Bucks roadhouse with him. Bucks mother stuck around way long than Robin's did, she was still in the picture today. She had been their fathers' closest friend as long as they both could remember and she had gotten knocked up with Buck in high school. They remained friends until the day he died and she was the closest thing Robin had to a maternity figure in her life.

"Maybe you start lettin' people with more respect room here. Half these guys got criminal records that would spread out all the way to Texas."

"Quit whinin'."

She stopped chatting and got back to the cleaning she was doing. Buck had thrown a party last night and the place was a mess. Buck never noticed the dirt so it was always left up to her. She didn't mind as much as she thought she would, he let her live here and she helped him out best she could. She even dealt with the rowdy boys when Buck wasn't having it.

"Ain't no use cleanin' yet," Buck said. "Gonna be another wild one tonight."

Robin groaned and did a quick once over of the place. She wasn't going to get to into it if she was going to have the same mess again tomorrow. She wanted to tell Buck it was a school night but she doubted he cared. He didn't think much of education.

"I'm goin' out." Robin shouted to her brother, who she doubted was listening, and grabbed the keys to his Thunderbird.

She found herself at The Dingo, searching out Kathy or one of the other girls. She couldn't find any of them but she decided to order something and wait. They would show up eventually.

"You know givin' a guy a fake number ain't too nice."

In front of her booth was the guy from the Drive-In two nights prior, Steve.

She grinned. "It's not fake."

He squinted, "I called it and it was Bucks place."

She raised a brow and stayed quiet, letting the realization sink in on its own. His cheeks were tinted pink, but she didn't think he knew he was blushing. She didn't point it out.

"Robin Merril. Shit, I forgot."

"I'm not the type to give false hope."

"Didn't think you were, that's why I was so confused."

Robin laughed and gestured to the empty seat in front of her. "Would you like to sit?"

"Might as well, I'm waitin' for Soda. You know, Curtis."

Steve sure as hell didn't need to add Soda's last name, he was one of the cutest guys in Tulsa, she was sure. Girls lined up at the DX Station for him. Even if he lacked that pretty face, his first name was a hard one to forget. She didn't know of any other Soda's. Steve was cute too, in a whole different way. He was dark and brooding, the mysterious type. Something told her not all the girls lined up for Soda, Steve must have been attracting them, too.

"What are you doin' here? And all by your lonesome." Steve asked. Robin pointed to the mound of books at the end of the table.

"Studying and waiting for Kathy."

Steve nodded, "That Kathy chick, she have something going on with Two-Bit?"

Robin's face pinched up in confusion. She hadn't heard the name before, or rather nickname.

Steve caught himself. "Keith. Does she have a thing with Keith Mathews?"

"He got sideburns, red hair, and a little too much tongue?"

"That's the guy," Steve chuckled.

Robin nodded and explained to Steve that Kathy did have a thing with Keith, she just wasn't sure what it was. Kathy went out with whoever she wanted and apparently so did he, they just liked each other best. It was nice, in a way. Robin didn't hang out with them together too often. All they did was mack on each other.

Sodapop entered the diner and Steve was up and ready to go.

"I guess I'll see ya around," he said. "I'll try that number again and I won't hang up this time."

"Sounds good," she smiled and watched him disappear to some other part of The Dingo.

Kathy showed up not too long after that. Her hair was ruffled and her clothes were astray. It was no trouble telling she was late because of Keith. She really just have liked him best because she never let any other boy rough her up like that when she had somewhere to be.

Kathy chatted about Keith and the other boys she was seeing but soon the topic switched onto Robin and her love life, or lack of.

"Don misses you, you know. Talks about you constantly."

She looked away from her friend, slightly embarrassed. "Kathy I know he's your brother, but I think he's a bit too greasy for me. I tried it, it was fun, but me and him aren't going to work out. He kept putting Tim before me."

Kathy pursed her lips, unhappy with what Robin said. "I get it, I do. But he really does like you, Robin. Just think about it."

Robin agreed to think about it just to drop the subject but she knew Kathy wouldn't let up that easy. She would actually have to prove she was thinking about it - which meant talking to Don, something she hadn't done in almost two months. They had broken up in a fight and things didn't seem like they were ever going to be civil. She had just started being able to go over to Kathy's without things being awkward, thinking about talking to Don again made her uncomfortable.

Kathy and her drove around after eating, just chatting. Robin was relieved she didn't bring up Don again.

"Bucks throwing another wild party tonight, I'm not going to get a wink of sleep." she groaned, already imagining the loud noises and obnoxious people.

Kathy chuckled. "Just stay at my place, hon. Quiet as can be. Moms gone out, dads dead to the world."

Robin didn't miss the harshness in Kathy's tone. Kathy's parents didn't get along, her mother was always cheating and her father was oblivious to everything that went on with all of them. He was at work or he was passed out. It was still a good offer, school on no sleep never equated to a good day. The only flaw was Don would be there and something told Robin that Kathy was very aware of that.

"You know what? Yeah," she said. "I'll just go grab some things."

The roadhouse was almost rocking from the loud music. Robin ran up the staircase to get her things, Kathy stayed in the car.

"Where do you think you're off to?" Buck stood in the doorway of her room.

"Kathy's. It's loud here and I need to study."

"Alright, kid. Stay out of trouble."

Robin promised she would and went back through the crowd, trying to leave. Dallas cut her off.

"Where you headin' off to. My buddies been askin' about you. I told him you would be here soon."

Robin laughed. "I ain't stayin', Dal. And I ain't chatting up one of your fellow felons."

"He's not a felon. He lifts parts from cars, sure, but he's only ever been caught once. That's a petty crime. You've dealt with worse, what's petty crime to a girl like you?"

She pushed past him without another word, though she was grinning.

Kathy sat inside the Thunderbird blasting tunes and singing along. She was a bit too off key for Robin's liking. She switched the station to some Marvin Gaye song Kathy wasn't familiar with and enjoyed the quiet.

Kathy's was nothing like Bucks. It wasn't overly tidy but it was far from rowdy. Robin assumed they were the only ones there, other than Kathy's dad of course - who would be asleep in his upstairs bedroom.

"I'm going to hop in the shower. You can do whatever, you know where everything is."

She decided to make some snacks since they both hadn't eaten since The Dingo that afternoon. A couple sandwiches in, she realized she wasn't alone.

"Hey." said Don, he was smiling.

"Hi, Don."

Don was attractive, the Briggs were a good looking bunch. It was in his genes to be attractive. His blonde hair was greased back to perfection, becoming two shades darker than it should be. His smile was flawless: not a crooked tooth, not one even slightly yellowed even though he smoked more than three packs a day. But he was as dumb as a doorknob and had been to the cooler more times than she could count on two hands. He was trouble and he would never settle down, she didn't want that.

"Look, Don, I-"

He didn't let her finish, he cut her off with words of his own. A perk that also annoyed her, he was always cutting her off, never letting her finish.

"Robin, I was thinkin' and why don't we give it another shot? None of these other broads come close to you."

He was closer than he could have been, she could feel his warm breath on her face. It smelt like whiskey and cigarettes, a mixture she used to love, now she wanted far away from her.

"Don, no."

Closer. She could feel his body heat radiating onto herself. He seemed angry by her answer. "What, you still too good for me?"

"I don't think I'm better. I just don't want to be messed up in your crap. The gang and you being in and out of jail isn't what I want."

"Alright," he was further away from her now. "I'll take that, for now. But we both know you're gonna change your mind."

He was awful cocky for someone who was dead wrong but she let him be. There was no use angering him or starting a fight over nothing. She just wished he would back off, but you can't always get what you want.

Kathy wasn't too much longer, Robin wanted to talk about the way that Don was acting but she knew Kathy would just brush it off as that's how Don was. Robin didn't want her feelings to just be pushed away like they were nothing, so she said nothing. She just chomped down on her sandwiches and watched the sitcom Kathy had on the television.