I do not own The Outsiders!
Six males were seated side by side in the waiting room. Five wearing bloody
and muddy clothes, their hair greasy and messy, stoney expressions
on their faces. The other wearing a police uniform. All waiting for
the news of Dallas Winston.
. . .
Two-Bit and the rest of the gang got a ride with the police, but one
of the officers insisted on staying. No one moved, the tension in the
room could be sensed as soon as you walked in.
Finally Steve couldn't help himself. "Why'd yah help him?" he asked
the police officer. Jake Wilson.
Jake looked at them for a minute studying them. Their bruised faces
and blood stained clothes. Stained with Dally's blood Jake relized
with a shudder. Finally he sighed an rubbed his brow. "I don't
know...I don't know. It just felt right, you know, like my duty..."
he admitted.
Steve nodded curtly before resuming his previous position, silence
triumphing in the room again.
Eventually a nurse came the room, everyone standing up expectedly. To
their disapointment she only needed them to fill out some forms.
And get them signed by his gardian if he was under the age of eighteen.
Darry looked through the questions and sighed.
Sodapop, noticing the blank look in Darry's face suggested that he read
it aloud, because no one or knew much about Dally. He liked to
advoid conversations about him.
Darry read the first question "Full name, date of birth and sex."
Two-Bit answered not missing a beat. "Dallas Kyle Winston. Male. And
sometime in May I think.."
"Naw it was July" Soda argued.
Ponyboy sighed than muttered something incoherent.
"What?" Darry asked. Everyone looked at Ponyboy expectedly.
After he sniffled Pony cleared hIs throat "January 3,1953."
Darry nodded than asked the next series of questions "Allergies, age,
phone number?"
"Well seventeen but I don't know 'bout the rest." Soda answered glumly.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense." Jake interrupted. Everyone looked at
him surprised. He was so quiet they forgotten he was there, with the
exception of Ponyboy, who's gaze never left him.
"What'd'ya mean?" Two-Bit asked.
"If he was born in '53 he'd be sixteen not seventeen." Darry did the math in his
head. "Shit he's right! Pony you got the year wrong!" he was about to erase
it when Ponyboy stopped him and shook his head.
"No he's sixteen."
"What? That doesn't make sense. How could we all get his age wrong?"
The youngest boy looked ready to cry.
"Darry, Two-Bit, Soda. Y'all been counting his age since we met him
when he was twelve and we went to his dads house and his old man said
"Happy twefth birthday Dally", right?" He continued when they nodded
their heads in agreement. "Well, than you guys told Steve and stuff
he was twelve right? Well his dad got his age wrong. And the date for
that matter. He was too embarrassed to tell y'all."
They looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
Pony nodded sadly.
"How'd you know then?" Sodapop pointed out.
"Dally told mom," Ponyboy paused, looking even more depressed at the
mention of his dead mother, "and me and Johnny were evesdropping, you
know, playing spies. Well when Dally opened the door we were hiding
behind and saw us, we musta' looked pretty damn terrified 'cause he
started laughing 'stead of killing us."
Darry laughed softly. "Okay how about allergies?" No one answered.
"Well he never ate any of my eggs.." Soda said, with a hopeful
expression.
"That's cause your eggs are green and taste like shit," Two-Bit sneered.
Sodapop looked down with a defeated expression on his face.
"He was just trying to help. You don't gotta be mean Keith!" Steve
said sticking up for Soda.
"It's the truth, anyways." Two-Bit growled, looking even more fierce when
his real name was used.
"You know what...!" Steve yelled standing up suddenly to challenge Two-
Bit.
"Sit the hell down Steve!" Darry yelled grabbing Steves shoulder and
trying to push him down roughly.
"Make me Darry! Make me fuckin' superman!"
Soon everyone was on there feet and yelling, some one started shoving
and it was about to turn into a full out brawl when suddenly Jake said
something, though it was lost in the yells from the group.
He shook his head angerly. These kids weren't getting anywere getting
into a fight. He stood up and yelled against the noise from the group,
but only to get ignored again.
Enough of this shit! he thought angerly while standing on his chair
and screaming at the top off he's lungs "Shut the fuck up!"
Everyone went silent and looked at him with angered eyes.
"You guys ain't helping Dallas by fighting. If he was here what would
he say." he accused but as soon as he said this he wished he hadn't.
He usually said this to kids who were fighting over there lost of
their parent, not over their friend who just happened to be a hood.
They looked at him in shocked silence before Two-Bit started laughing,
followed by everyone else.
"He'd be kicking Steve's face in!"
"Nawwh he'd be strangling Two-Bit!"
"Hell he'd being doing both of those at the same time!"
Jake felt his face blush a little but after seeing those teens
rolling on the floor, holding their ribs, laughing like six years old
he couldn't help but chuckle too.
Once everyone calmed down again and returned to their seats Jake said "Peanuts."
"What?" they all looked at him confused.
"Peanuts." he reapeated. "Dallas is allergic to peanuts."
"Alright..." Darry murmured and jotted it down.
Everyone gave Jake a confused look and he sighed saying "We do have to
feed you in jail you know." Which they responded to with a chorus of 'ohhs'
and nods in agreement.
"Okay almost done, just a couple more..umm phone number and gaurdian/
parent signature"
"Damn,well that gonna be hard.." Sodapop sighed looking defeated again.
Jake looked at them confused. "What do you mean? That should be the
easy ones."
Steve sighed and looked at him "Well I don't know how yah socs live,
but a lot of us don't really live at home, or have a house do that
matter."
Jake looked confused at them once again. "So he doesn't have a parent?"
"Well," Darry replied, "He's dad ain't a good one so he doesn't really
go home."
"So where does he live?" Jake asked, shocked by this new info. He knew
that alot of greasers have shitty lives, but not having anyone to look after
you...it's horrible. He wondered if any of these guys lives were like Dallas',
or even worse.
Ponyboy spoke up, for the first time in a while. "Bucks most of the
time, but he'll stay with us the odd night. He hates relying on
people, you know, getting help. I mean we've seen him on park benches
or under bridges the odd time, but he just shrugs it off as nothing."
He narrowed his eyes at Jake "Why the hell do you care anyways! You
never cared 'bout us greasers before, why the sudden interest! Why
don't you never help people like Johnny, huh!"
Ponyboy put his head in his hands and sobbed quietly. The one they called
Soda put a protective arm around he's shaking shoulders and pulled him into
a hug.
Ponyboy pressed his face against Soda's chest and cried. He tried to
stop crying an succeeded after a few minutes. He kept his head to
his brothers chest for a minute, listening to his heartbeat. After a
minute when Ponyboy was about to pull away Sodapop gave him a tight
squeeze than let go.
He shook his head in wonder of how Sodapop knew he was ready to let
go, without him even needing to make a movement. Sodapop really was
one of a kind.
He looked across the room to see the cop looking at him
concerned. Maybe he actually does care...
"Who's Johnny?" the officer asked softly.
Pony wasn't ready to talk without crying again, but he guessed Darry
picked up on this cause he answered for him.
"Johnny was Pony's best friend. He died saving those kids in the
church" The cop nodded in understanding, he'd read about them in the
paper. Was this Ponyboy? He only remembered he's name because of it's
originality. And the fact Dallas Winston was in the paper do something
good..."Well his parents abused him something fierce," Darry continued,
"but you guys ain't ever gave a shit. You'd come to his house and do
nothing. He's the reason Dally tried to kill..." Darry couldn't finish the
sentence. The truth hit him like a ton of bricks. Dally was trying to die,
and was doing a hell of a job of it.
Jake Wilson felt his eyes open wide in shock. He couldn't believe it.
Dally wanted to kill himself? No. Can't be. He loved life. But
anything is possible...
"What do you mean?" he managed to ask.
Two-Bit shook his head "He was calling a bluff. The gun wasn't
loaded...he wanted you to fucking kill him...death by the
cops...he couldn't handle Johnnycakes leaving him...fuck he wanted
to leave too!" He stood suddenly and hit the wall. "He fucking wanted
to live this shithole...fuck" he sobbed and let his head fall
forwards slowly until it hit the wall. He leaned against it and sobbed
quietly with his back to the everyone.
Steve almost started crying himself when he saw Two-Bit break down
like that. What happened to the normal Two-Bit, that could never be
serious, or stop himself from saying a corny joke. If Dally died,
could Two-Bit last? He was scared of the answer. He was scared that
none of them could.
"Put my name down." Jake ordered.
"What?" Everyone looked at him shocked.
"If he doesn't have a legal gaurdian, I'll fake be he's. My insurance
should cover the cost anyways"
Steve looked at him in shock. The freakin' fuzz cared about Dally.
Dally's going to be fine, he decided. He's got to be. He has to know
people care...
. . .
Once again this is refirbished :) Of course reviews would be awesome
but just the last chap is fine :)
Tell me if you see anymore mistakes :)