My internet has been down for nearly three days in a row and we just got it back up today. I swear to God, I was losing my mind. Definately went through some withdraws.

Anyway, this actually took me forever to write. Weird huh? I suppose I should mention this is really just a story to keep me writing (Nooo, that doesn't mean I don't have some sort of plot) so, that's why I haven't been focusing on this story. Er, check out my Livejournal. There should be a profile for Lauren up there if anyone wants to check it. Link be in the profile.

On with the show.

Identity Crisis

Three

When I finally got back to the Curtis house with Soda, Steve and Two-bit were more than a little confused. I was pretty sure Steve was wondering why Angela was walking into the house with Soda at her side and Two-bit...well, I'm not really sure. But he rushed over, grabbed my arm and pretty much carried me back outside.

"Lauren?"

"What? Is there a reason you're rushing me like a football player?"

"You're still wearing your clothes from earlier," Two-bit pointed out, grabbing the hem of my skirt and holding it up. I paled. That must have been what Steve was so confused about. "Man, I didn't believe you at first," Two-bit muttered. "But I really don't think Angela is smart enough to pull something like this."

Two-bit watched me carefully as I laughed. I had the feeling he would be watching me for any signs of anger at that statment for the rest of the day.

"Two-bit?"

"Yeah?"

"...I'm not gonna have many fans around here, am I?"

Two-bit cocked an eyebrow at me and I sighed and crossed my arms, looking at the house next door instead. "I mean...I'm getting the feeling people don't like Angela that much around here. Or is it just you guys?"

Two-bit slung an arm over my shoulder, making me stumble a bit, before leading me to the side of the house. "Well Lauren, Angela is as greasy as they come, remember? That ain't a good thing around here. I'm sure she's got some fans out there somewhere, but, people ain't gonna mess with you. Angela is Tim's sister after all.

"Truthfully though, I don't know that much about dear Angela," he admitted with a shrug as we kept going to the back of the house. He stopped in front of a window. "She's part of the Shepard outfit and I don't know any of them real well."

He removed his arm from my shoulder and picked up a thin piece of metal. Carefully, he wedged it under the window. "Of course," he continued cheerfully. "She has her share of boyfriends and dumped boyfriends. Guys that want her and guys that hate her. Girls probably hate her too."

I watched him quietly as he pried the window open a bit and slid his fingers under the window, lifting it open some while I processed all of this. He tossed the metal aside and lifted the window all the way up, crawling inside. Two-bit turned back to me, a cocky grin on his face. I couldn't help but grin back as I approached the window.

"You expect me to climb through a window in a skirt?" I asked, cocking my own eyebrow. That was one of my little talents. You know the wrestler, Rock? His little eyebrow trick? Yup, I can do that. I didn't realize most people can't until third grade.

Two-bit's grin only widened. "Hey, I promise I ain't gonna look on purpose. I ain't gonna mention it either. On my honor." he said, placing a hand on his heart and raising the other. I laughed.

"Honor?"

"Hey now, just 'cause I'm a greaser don't mean I don't have honor. Come on, I'll help you through," Two-bit said, taking one of my hands to held me steady as I got a leg up on the window sill. I've climbed out of a window once, but it wasn't in a skirt. The one person I do know that climbed in a window back home did more falling through than climbing through.

"See, you're already halfway there and ain't havin' no problems yet," he said with confidence in his voice. "Alright, give me your other hand and we'll get that other leg through."

"Uhm...I think I'm stuck," I said after I had my other leg halfway lifted to the window sill. I couldn't turn without my skirt going up. Two-bit laughed and leaned forward a bit, grabbing my waist and moving me, which forced me to lift my other leg through.

I felt my face grow hot again. I was pretty sure he had seen under my skirt, but true to his word, he didn't mention it or act like anything happened.

I picked up Angela's clothes and was about to change, but Two-bit hadn't left. I stared at him for a moment and he grinned, before I kicked him out of the room. I really didn't think he had that much honor. I heard Tim calling that he was in the house as I pulled my shirt over my head. The door nearly hit me in the face as he pushed it open.

"Watch it," I snapped angrily. Tim smirked.

"Well, ain't you lookin' better?"

"Well, ain't you funny?" I mocked as I walked past him. He messed my hair and followed me to the front door. If Steve was confused before, I think he was beginning to question life itself when he saw me walk out of the front door with a casual wave.

xxxx

That night I realized that Two-bit wasn't kidding when he said that Angela came from a greasy family. She figured that greasers were greasers because of their home life and the Shepard home life was pretty loud. A lot of yelling and a lot of throwing things. At first, I had found it kind of fun, chucking things at my brothers and yelling at them. It felt sort of like a game.

But then Angela's mother would join in, yelling at us for yelling, then her step-dad would yell at all of us to shut up and throw something at us. I had never been so grateful for older brothers I could hide behind.

Not because I was really that afraid of getting hit with something; my friends and I used to throw stuffed animals at each other and as we grew up, it became shoes. Then when we realized those could really do a lot of damage, we resorted to Pinecone Wars.

No, I was a veteran when it came to throwing and getting hit with things. I didn't like the yelling or the way my new Step-dad kept looking at me. Curly had complained and teased me when I tried hanging around him, but Tim didn't snap at me the way he did, so I stuck close to him. In the back of my mind, I sensed that Angela probably preferred hanging around Tim because, no matter how hard he was, he still cared about his two younger siblings.

Curly was just a mean little snot as far as I was concerned. The typical brother who'll stick up for you if someone picks on you, but makes you miserable during the time in between. The kind of brother my friends complained about all the time.

So I sat around in Tim's room while he smoked a cigarette, bouncing the kick ball Two-bit had given me off the wall. "Who'd you get in a fight with?" I asked, almost out of instinct.

Tim sighed, the cigarette smoke leaving his mouth like smoke from a chimney. "One of them Brumly boys...one of they guys saw him bummin' around with Kathy-"

I realized more and more that my sub-conscience was identifying things that I normally wouldn't know. Kathy was Tim's current girlfriend. Apparently, it was an off and on relationship, but I had the feeling it would be off permanently now. I was a little worried that I was starting to think like Angela, that I would turn into her soon if I wasn't careful.

"So I beat the tar outta 'im and ditched Kathy...'course, those Brumly boys aren't bad fighters...kinda sore...Angela, stop it with that ball, it's getting annoyin'."

I threw it one more time, just because I felt it was something Angela would do and caught it, before rolling it into Tim's open closet. "You really upset about Kathy?"

"Nah...she'll probably get picked up by ol' Two-bit faster than she can walk. What's up with you though, huh? You're actin' like the cops are gonna break the door down and haul you away."

"No I'm not."

"Yeah ya are."

"Prove it then."

"You've been attatched to my side ever since we got home."

Huh, I didn't think he would notice. I thought as I sat quietly on the floor at the end of his bed. Hell, I didn't think he would care.

"What, you don't want me around?" I asked, turning to look at my brother. He grinned and put his cigarette out.

"Hell, I don't care if you're here or not, it just ain't like you to hang around. You ain't gonna get dolled up and go partyin'?"

"Got no one to party with. 'Sides, I really don't feel like goin' anywhere...but you're gettin' kinda borin' so I think I'll go watch TV or somethin'," I said as I stood up. Tim raised a hand in a wave as I walked out of his room and into the living room. The house was pretty quiet, so I figured Curly and my new parents must've run off somewhere.

Which was nice, since I had the TV to myself. Too bad I didn't know what shows Angela liked; I didn't even know half of the shows that were on. I watched an old Mickey Mouse episode, but when that ended, I flipped through again. Okay, so TV wasn't the main source of entertainment these days.

I fell asleep on the couch watching some old movie. It was really boring, which was probably why I dozed off, since I wasn't tired at all.

"Hey, where's your brother, kid?"

I groaned, smacking the hand that was shaking me. "Check his room, stupid," I muttered. I heardhim mutter something about me being a smart-ass bitch before walking away. I heard swearing and someone hit the wall in the hallway, which definately meant that I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. I sat up, looking over the back of the couch as Tim stumbled down the hallway, holding his nose.

"What the fuck was that for man?"

"That Brumly boy you beat the shit out of thought I was in your gang and had his damn friends jump me as pay back. So I told 'em I'd beat you up for 'em," Dally spat. Tim glared at him, before tackling him to the floor.

"Ma's gonna throw a fit if you mess up the house Tim!" I called over their swears. "Tim, I'm serious! What if dad comes home?"

Dallas and Tim stood a few feet away from each other, panting and glaring. "He ain't gonna do nothin'. That ol' bastard isn' gonna get onto me for anythin', he's a damn coward."

"He's still gonna get hacked off and take it out on everyone else. If you're gonna beat the shit outta each other go outside."

Dally seemed to be calming down though, seeming pleased with Tim's bloody nose and bruised eye. "Nah..." Dally said, smirking as he wiped the blood from his mouth away with his sleeve. "I don't think Tim'd win against me anyway."

"Just get outta here ya bastard, if ya ain't gonna do anythin' else."

Dally cracked his knuckles as he walked back out to the living room. "There's a party down at the Tiger's territory tonight," he said off handedly as he headed for the door. "Probably gonna be a few good fights down there...and those Tiger girls aren't half bad lookin'."

"Yeah, I'll be there...just get the fuck outta my house, greaser," Tim said as he opened the front door and shoved Dally outside. Dally turned and gave him the bird, before walking away.

"I love when he visits," I said sarcastically, running a hand through my hair, to make it neater. Tim sat down and messed it up again.

"You gonna go to the party or stay at home with Ma and that ol' bastard?"

I stopped myself from shivering, remembering how my step-dad had looked at me. "I'll go to the party."

Fiiiiiiin...beeotch. Haha.