A/N: Thank you so very much for the feedback from the last chapter. I appreciate all comments that are left. I decided to chill out at home today so I figured I'd be useful and update.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. Thin Lizzy owns The Boys are Back In Town.
Guess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed boys that had been away. Haven't changed, haven't much to say. But man, I still think those cats are great.
The pace of the diner slowed down. It was getting closer into the evening and most people were making their way home from a long day at work. Jennie was over by the counter counting her tips, and the cooks in the back had taken a break to go out and smoke a few.
I had my feet propped up on a table, listening to Jennie sing along with Elvis on the radio. "In my eyes, oh can't you see in my eyes, that you're the only one who can make my young dreams come true."
She smiled to herself and went back to counting the change of tips she had collected.
I looked down at my poorly painted nails and started to pick away at the peeling paint. The color was Cherry's. She let me borrow it a few months back when she was over at the house. Cherry doesn't come around much anymore.
"Jennie, you miss Kansas?" I asked as the next song came on the radio.
She leaned back and sighed. "Not really. There wasn't really anything back there to miss unless you like piles of snow in the winter and tornados the rest of the year."
"What about your family?" I piled the last bit of chipped nail polish on the table top.
"What 'bout 'em?"
I looked up at her for the first time. She refused to look at anything but the few coins in her hand. "Nothin'."
The only things I knew about Jennie were that she was from Kansas and that she was related to the Addersons. That's all she'd let me know.
"Coffee's out ladies." One of the greasy cooks tipped the pot down showing that there was nothing but drops left. He scratched his stomach and waited for us to respond.
"Fill it back up," Jennie suggested as she threw the coins into her purse.
The cook threw the pot back down on the counter and headed on to the back. "Ain't what I get paid for."
I brushed off my paint scraps and went over to fill the pot. "Jennie you want some?" I poured myself some into a baby blue mug.
She scooted off her seat and came over. "Is it caffeinated?"
I picked up the label. "Says so."
She grabbed a cup from the shelf and handed it to me. "Fill it up."
"Are you guys open?" A dark haired teenage boy came through the front door, his shoes squeaking as he made his way to the counter.
I nodded as he took a seat at the counter. "Um, yeah. Can I get you something?"
"Coffee."
Jennie motioned at me and took a cup from the shelf to fill it up. I grabbed a menu and walked over to the young guy.
Dark blue jean jacket on, white shirt with unknown stains on it, hair so greasy I could use it to wax the floors, and a smell of cheap beer and colon; the perfect mixture used to make a greaser.
"Anythin' else I can get ya?" I placed the menu out in front of him.
"Cheeseburger and fries." He smiled slightly and handed the menu back.
His face made him look older than his body did. It was covered with dirt, and it looked like he hadn't washed it in days. HIs body looked tired and worked but his eyes were chipper and shinned as the lights hit them revealing a beautiful icy blue color.
"That it?" I leaned over and wrote it down on a ticket.
He nodded and looked to my right. "Yeah... Danielle."
I looked down at my nametag. It was rare people actually called me by my real name rather than Miss, ma'am or just waitress girl. I was starting to wonder the use of a nametag.
I grinned back and handed the ticket to the cooks in the back. "You can call me Danni." I twirled back around. "Are ya new in town? Hadn't seen you around here before."
Jennie placed the coffee in front of him. "Thanks." He took a strong sip. "Ronnie. I'm visitin' some relatives in Turley. Heard this was the town to come for a good time."
Jennie took a seat on a stool and sneered. "Yeah, you've hit the party half of town."
Third thing I know about Jennie: She lives at Buck's.
"She's just sayin' that because she don't sleep at night for the partyin'. Buck's, a few blocks over, is the place to go if you want to have a good time." I placed his order in front of him.
"Thanks." He placed a fry in his mouth. "Is there a hotel nearby?"
"Closest one is down the street. It's kinda expensive. Buck rents out rooms sometimes. You can probably ask him for a place to crash."
Jennie let out another smirk behind me.
The sound of the engine caught my attention. I knew that sound. I knew that purr. He worked every Saturday to make it sound that way. He obsessed over it all summer. He'd vroom it up in front of large crowds just to show off how cool he was. Soda fixed it after he blew it out for the fifth time last week.
I know that sound.
"Fuck you!" The scream was loud. Some of the cooks in the back stopped what they were doing and glared out the small window. "Get the fuck off of me you fucking bastards!"
Ronnie threw a glance our way, confused as the rest of us once the silence came after. "What was that?" he asked.
We all stood still. The sound of the engine had stopped and everything was quiet out there. The world could hear a pen drop. It was too quiet for it to be over. We knew that much.
Soon came the sound of breaking glass and the scream that lit the fire. "Fuck off you stupid son-of-a-bitch! Don't touch me, ape face!"
"Goddamnit, Two-Bit!" I punched the swinging side door attached to the counter, knocking over a ketchup bottle and a sugar jar as I did.
I raced to the door only hearing the screams as Jennie and Ronnie followed behind me.
The door swung open showing three socs on top of one guy. One guy who hadn't stopped cursing since he got out of that Ford vehicle.
From across the street, Soda and Steve began running over to assist. People from nearby businesses were starting to close their doors and locking them, not minding the fighting going on right in front of their eyes.
"Get off of him!" Steve pulled one of the Socs out of the way and landed a punch to his left jaw. The guy groaned and spat before turning his focus on a new victim.
Soda joined in on the action and helped Steve out with pulling the guys off of Two-Bit. "Stay out of this, grease!" one of the boys shouted at Soda before slugging him in the nose.
Blood ran down his lip. It didn't faze him. He kept swinging and getting blood all over the green Cashmere sweater Billy favored more than he's own life.
"Damnit!" He groaned and looked down at the stain. "You've done it now grease."
"Hey!" I screamed at the brawl of dust brewing, hiding the boys. "Hey knock it off!"
Steve's eyes were the only ones I saw. Steve has fire in his eyes when he fights. "Danni shut your trap!" He pointed a finger over at me before diving back into the dust.
Jennie gazed on dumb founded with Ronnie. "What are they goin' at it 'bout?" Ronnie whispered to Jennie who just shook her head.
She knew. She'd gotten used to this in the short time she's been here.
"Get the fuck out of 'ere." A new voice was thrown into the mix. A voice I also knew and should have expected. It'd only be natural for him to be here, for him to get in on this. "I said get the fuck off of them and get out of 'ere!"
He ran over to the commotion and pulled everyone away landing a few punches to the three socs.
"Dally."
One of the guys looked up at him, blood slightly coming from his lip. "Ay, grease. Who you think you're talkin' to?" The tallest boy stomped over to where Dally was, towering over him. "Huh?"
Dally looked to the side and rubbed some spit off the side of his face as he chuckled at the idiot trying to intimidate him.
He turned and stared in the eyes of his aggressor, this dumbass, watching for the moment they'd both second guess themselves, and watching for that moment where the lightning would strike and they'd both pounce.
It was maybe less than one second, but Dally wasn't himself anymore and neither was anyone else. Things were slowed down like he was a Lion and this guy was his dinner that'd lost its footing and he was hungry, ready to feast.
Dally chuckled and swung his fist into the sweat dripping face of the boy. Flesh met flesh and the boy stumbled, fell like a drunken transient before God himself, confused and unaware of who or what had knocked him so hard.
The boy struggled to his feet, this was only the beginning.
Dust clouded up as the fighting animals tossed about on the gravel. Soda pinned down one of them. Steve was held down by another. Two-Bit was bleeding and spit and sweat was being spewed by all ends. His blood trailed on the dirt, and as each boy tangled with each other, they'd soak it up.
Dally stayed over to one side with the same guy. Punch, punch, after punch. One hit, the other one would hit harder. They'd stumble on the ground and then jump up on two legs again, ready to punch harder than before.
The sound of the whistle, and everyone stopped moving.
The boys in baby blue sweaters sprung up, some getting in a few more kicks and punches, and scrambled over to their car, piling in it like clowns at the circus, and driving off as fast as they could.
"You watch yourself!" The driver was the one to speak. "You're going to pay for what ya'll did. Each and every one of you. This isn't over."
And we knew it.
I strolled over timidly to the boys once everything was clear. Soda wiped some blood off the side of his face and Two-Bit washed his off with the bottom of his dark gray tee-shirt. Steve was sitting on the curb breathing heavily and cursing about how he should have hit harder.
I approached the guy standing behind all three boys, lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves. I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step near Soda to take a look at his busted lip.
"You ok?" I wiped a finger over the dripping blood.
He swiped the rest off with the side of his arm. "Yeah, I'm 'ight."
I sighed and looked over at Jennie who'd gone back into the dinner and had returned with a wet rag in her hand. "Here." She handed it to Two-Bit. "Might help more than your shirt there."
Two-Bit gave her a funny look before finally taking the rag. "Thanks."
Jennie nodded and turned to me. She pointed to Soda. "He ok?"
Soda looked at her for a moment. "Uh, nah, I'm good, thanks."
She muttered an okay and went to helping Steve pick up what was left of his dignity, and clearing the dirt and blood from his face and clothes, cursing at him to shut-up and sit still when he struggled against it.
"Who's that?" Soda asked, his eyes still following the blonde, still struggling against his best friend.
"Jennie," I answered with a sigh. "Started working here about two weeks ago."
"Thought ice would help." Ronnie came walking out of the diner and over to us with a bag in his hands. He handed it over to Two-Bit who had decided to take a seat beside Steve and enlist in his cursing.
I looked behind my brother and over at the guy still enjoying his weed. How I wanted to snatch it and crush it with everything I had inside of me. How I just wanted one for myself.
I sucked in a wind full of air and took a few steps. "You alright?"
He blew out a breath of smoke into the air, his lips still watering for more. "Ain't I always?" he spoke with a wink.
Suddenly, footsteps began making their way over to us. "Hey are you-" The sentence was cut off once the two set their eyes on each other and that cigarette almost feel from his face. "... alright?"
No one answered. The question didn't matter anymore. They both just gazed at each other, not blinking, not moving, not breathing.
"You two alright?"
Dally scoffed and turned to the side, pretending as if nothing happened, and sucked back on his weed, enjoying it just as he'd done before.
"Wondered how long it'd take before I saw you again." Ronnie sneered and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Guess I should've expected this though. Small town Tulsa huh Dal?"
The eyes of everyone else were starting to glue onto the two, confused as I was.
He didn't answer. He just blew out a bigger cloud and muttered a few cuss words under his breath.
"Not even goin' to say it huh?" Ronnie jumped. "Figures."
No punch. No rude comment. No attack.
I raised my eyebrows. "You two know each other or somethin'?"
Everyone began to crowd around us, egger to see this scene. "Dal," Steve spoke up. "You know this guy?"
"Yeah, Dally," Ronnie cooed. "Go on an' introduce me to your friends."
Dally shot him an intimidating look, one of warning and anger. He rolled his eyes, blowing smoke out to the side. "Yeah."
"Who is he?"
He studied the stick in his hands. That stupid little stick that was almost gone and still there for him to focus on rather than us.
He took a breath and gritted his teeth and spoke, "He's my brother."
That jukebox in the corner blasting out my favorite song. The nights are getting warmer, it won't be long. It won't be long till summer comes. Now that the boys are here again. The boys are back in town.
A/N: What are your thoughts about Ronnie? Reviews are much appreciated.