Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders or the song "Cold Blooded".

A/N: I'm back and updates are on regular schedule. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Can't trust a cold blooded woman. Boy, don't you lie in her bed. You can't trust a cold blooded woman. She'll love you and leave you for dead. There's one thing you must understand. You can't trust a cold blooded woman.

I stand in the middle of the room with my warm drink in hand. There are little drops of water running down my hand from the cup. Peter is beside me with an arm around my shoulder. He's telling a story to a group of people surrounding us and we're all laughing. He takes a sip form his drink and kisses me on the forehead and we stand and listen to the others talk.

Sarah stayed at my house all night. I forced her to go to this party but she's just sitting on the couch talking to a few people she knows from school. I know this party won't help her forget her problems. I know that right now all she wants to do is cry. Maybe that's why I brought her. To make her feel like she doesn't want to cry.

She came home the other day and found a note:

I'm sorry. I still love you. I just can't be here.

No one knows where he's at. Soda did a quick search and asked a few people but no one knows anything. He's gone for now. That's all we know. We don't know when he will be back, if ever.

My drink is half empty now and I leave to go fill it back up.

"Are you having fun?" Peter puts his arms around my stomach and pulls me into a backwards hug. His hands squeeze me tight and he rests his chin on my shoulder.

I lock my fingers with his and smile. "Yeah. This is nice. So this is Dale's house?"

"Yeah. It ain't much but it's still ok." He pauses once I turn around to face him. "You're real worried about her, huh?"

I take a sip of my drink. I look around him at the small girl sitting on the couch surrounded by pillows and people she doesn't want to be talking to. "I thought this might help. I think I should take her home though."

"Stay a little while," he wines. He kisses me and I can taste the alcohol. "She'll be ok. I'll talk to Doogie and see if he'll go talk to her some. Maybe make her feel a little better by laying on the southern charm."

I still keep my eyes on her as he kisses my neck. I should be over there with her but it feels weird to be near Sarah. It feels weird to feel what she's feeling. It's too much to really talk to her.

So I stand here, letting Peter kiss me - kiss me probably too much. I close my eyes as people make glances because this is our coming out party and everyone now knows we are an item now and I am no longer the girl who dated Dally.

Sarah looks at us now too. She lifts her swollen face up and our eyes meet just for a second.

It's a sad look. Her big brown eyes are wet with sticky old tears and her lips are frowned. She has her hands in her lap and she eventually looks down at them. I push Peter off a little, still watching her.

"I should go be with her," I tell him, forcing him to get off. He stares at me. "I really should get her home."

Peter looks around at her. "Don't leave. I'll be right back."

I go and sit beside Sarah. She doesn't say anything and I just sit and sip on my drink. I don't know many people at this party. Most are older than me but a few are Peter's age. I know Dale and Peter's other friends. They're not mine though.

"Sarah, darling."

We both gaze up at the two people standing in front of us. It's a recognizable face and from the moment I stare into his eyes and he stares back, I know where I've seen him before.

"Why is such a pretty girl so sad?" He sits down beside her, giving her his drink. "Care to talk about it?"

Peter steps forward. "Sarah, this is Doogie."

"Hi."

"Hello."

I gaze up at Peter as he stands with glee because he is proud of his task. He thinks he has pleased me - his girlfriend, and that's an accomplishment for a man. He's happy because now he can have my full attention. He handed Sarah over to someone else so I won't have to worry and I can be with him.

He pulls on my hand and I get up and we walk back over to the kitchen and I sit and he starts kissing me again.

I look over at this two. Doogie is chatting her ear off and Sarah is as silent as ever.

"Dally came into the diner the other day," I confess. I'm not sure if he hears me at first because he doesn't jump up. He finishes kissing my neck and then looks at me.

He knows now, and I've got his full attention. "What happened?"

I swallow hard. "I, uh, he just talked. That guy was with him. Doogie. They...they were teasing me and stuff. Then that guy - he grabbed me and I threw a drink on him and-"

"Doogie?" he asks, shocked. He looks over his shoulder. "He'd never do that. It must of been someone else."

I shake my head as I look back over at him to get a better look. "No. It was. He was there with Dally."

"Doogie is not friends with Dally, Danni." He laughs and wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side so I rest on him. He takes my drink away from me. "I think you've had a little too much to drink, babe."

I watch as my cup slowly floats away from me. I reach forward and take it back. "I've barely had one drink. You think I'm lying? I remember his face. He grabbed me and he was with Dally."

"I'm not saying you're lying. Calm down. Look, Doogie isn't a saint but he respects girls. I would never set him up with Sarah if he wasn't gentle. They don't even know Dally, Danni. They're my friends. What did Dally say to you?"

I shake my head over and over again. "No. He does know Dally. They're friends Peter."

"Danni-"

"Peter I swear that was him!"

"No it wasn't!"

We both look at each other. He's shaking his head and biting his lip and he's angry. I watch him as he scowls and shakes his head and drinks a little more. Maybe he thinks I'll shut up now but I don't. "Why don't you believe me?"

He narrows his eyes at me. "These are my friends. What is your problem with them?"

"I don't have one. I'm only telling you what happened. You're the one that got offensive."

He rubs his face all the way down to his chin. He takes another big sip of his drink. His face is red and I don't know if it's from the alcohol or from his anger towards me. "You've always been against them."

"I have not!" I defend myself. "I only know what I know happened. There was another guy with him...Meg...Mega."

He laughs now and it's not a happy 'oh that's funny' laugh. It's one that makes me feel stupid. "Oh so Mega was with him now too? You're...you're crazy! They hate Dallas Winston. They barely even know him why-"

"Is that what they told you?" I ask with a snap. "Because they looked like pretty good friends at the diner."

He raises an eyebrow. He brings that look back. The one that makes me feel useless and dumb. "I can't believe you. I...I can't believe you'd make up such a lie so...so I won't be friends with them."

I blink. "What?"

"I'm out of here."

"Where are you going?"

"To hang out with my real friends!"

I cross my arms and watch him stomp away and push his way through people. This is the second time I've seen his temper though I've been through worse and this shouldn't faze me the way it is. It stings, and I don't know why.

I slam my drink in the trash and go back into the living room.

"Dally's here."

I swiftly turn around. "Jesus, Pone. Don't sneak up on me like that!" I pour a new drink. I can feel him watching me and I ignore him and take a sip. The warm liquid runs down my throat. "How much of that did you hear?"

He leans on the counter. "Enough. You ok?"

I nod. "Where's Dally?"

He does a quick scan of the room. "I think he's out back. Is that Sarah on the couch with that guy?"

"Yeah," I say while taking another sip. "I suppose you heard what happened."

"I live in the same house that you do," he says. "I heard her all day. I could put it all together."

Everyone at this party is drunk. There are girls falling over and laughing. There are some that don't get up from the ground and just stay there and roll around. They don't look good, none of them. They look like those girls you find at jail who have just gotten off something bad or just gotten on. They're disgusting.

I've never seen most of these people before. They look and act different than the people I'm used to. I don't belong here.

"I should go talk to her."

I don't argue with him though I would like to be there when he really talks to her. I decide it's none of my business and take a big sip of my drink. "I'm getting ready to leave. Will you take her home?"

He nods and slowly walks for her.

The house is bigger inside than it looks from the outside. I figure that out as I search each room for Peter. There are over fifteen rooms and even more doors. This is just on the first two levels too. There's a basement I'm afraid to go in.

I run into people I don't know and don't want to know. Everyone at this party scares me. Why is Dally here? His new friends must have been the ones to give him an invite. This isn't his scene either.

What was Ponyboy doing here?

"So this is the Danni Curtis."

I look up at the tall broad man sitting in front of me. He's big but none of it is fat. His shoulders are wide and he's built like a tank. His dark greasy blonde hair hands low above his eyebrows and his brown eyes sparkle a little at the sight of pretty girls. He's got a big smile that matches his body size.

He's a charmer. I could tell that right off the back. He's got a trusting smile and wink.

"Yeah," I say quietly. "Peter..."

He sits in a big room on the second floor. Peter is next to him, not looking up though he knows I'm here. They both sit on a leather couch with a dead deer's head over them and they are both drinking and smoking.

He sticks out a cold wet hand for me to take. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Dale. I've heard too much for so long."

"Oh," I say. "From Peter?"

He shrugs. "And others."

"I didn't think I was so popular," I say lightly. "Peter, are you about ready to go?"

He's still angry. He barely looks up at me as I speak. He has a warm beer in his hand that he hasn't touched. "No."

I sigh and let my shoulders slag. "I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have said anything. Can we go home now?"

Still, no response.

"Are you just going to ignore me all night?"

Dale clears his throat. He sits his drink down on the coffee table and crosses his legs. He lights a fresh cigarette and smiles at me. "Why don't you sit down and take it easy, Dan. Sit and tell me about yourself."

"I really need to go."

He breathes out his smoke slowly. He lets it glide off his lips. "I heard you were spunky. Really though, have a seat. We're all friends here. We're just talking and playing some poker. You know how to play?"

I watch as he shuffles the deck. Each card rolls off the others, making them flutter. "I do. I just...I have a curfew and I really need to be home so Peter can we just-"

"Danni..." Someone comes up behind me. He comes to my side and puts his hand on my shoulder and starts to pull back a little. "I'll take you home, come on. You don't need to be in here."

Peter looks up finally. He begins to stand up and hovers over me. "Hands off! She's mine. I'll take her home."

Tim studies him. He narrows his eyes and tightens his grip on me. I watch as he doesn't look at Dale but Dale can't take his eyes off of him. Tiffany is in the background, holding her purse and wanting to slip back away unto the shadows.

"I said get off of her." Peter fully stands up and takes a step forward. His eyes are large and his veins are popping.

"Peter, just relax," I try to reason. "You're not ready to go. Tim, I'll just get my stuff and we can-"

Tim steps forward. He lets go of me and faces Peter. He looks him over and then smirks. His eyes then wonder over to the person who's completely content on the couch. "Hello Tim."

"Dale."

Dale's smoke burns my nose. I can feel my legs shake the more I stare into his cold dark eyes.

"How's Angie?"

My mouth falls open but Tim speaks, "How's 2moro?" Dale sneers at that. He brushes the ash off his stick and takes a long drag. Tim backs back up to me. He takes my hand and turns his back. "C'mon."

"She's not going anywhere with you!"

Tim's feet stop and so do mine. I look up and sigh. I can feel my hand being pulled in the other direction and I don't know if it's the direction I want to go in or not. "Peter, let go."

"No. I'm not letting you go anywhere with this bum."

"Who you callin' a bum, pip squeak?"

Their chests bump against each other. From this view, I can see how young Peter really looks compared to Tim. I can see how old Tim is compared to the first time I ever met him when he was seven. His face is older than his body. It shows the stress and struggles his been through in his life. Every vein and gray hair has a story.

I brush by him and take Peter's hand. "Let's go then."

"You are nothing compare to him," Tim snaps to Peter.

"To whom?"

"Dallas."

Dale whistles under his breath and looks away to hide a little snicker. He's the only one in this room who is enjoying this battle that he has a front row seat to. He likes the fighting and this is probably the most entertainment he's gotten all night.

I pull on Peter a little more. This causes him to move. "Let's go, Peter."

"Stay away from her," he warns before he parts. "I mean it! You and Dallas both. Just stay away from us."

Tim rolls his eyes. He crosses his arms over his chest. "You have no idea what you're getting into, kid. No idea at all."

I look around at the dry woods around us and gaze out beyond the cliff. I've been here before a couple of times. A few more than I can count. "I thought we were going home."

He peels off his leather jacket. He slowly lowers it off his arms. "Why not have a private party?"

I smirk, looking to the side and shaking my head. It's just us here. It's quiet and alone. From up here, you can see the whole town lit up. It's a Friday night and early. This is when Tulsa is truly beautiful. It almost looks like a big time city from up here.

"You're angry."

"You really made an ass of yourself, you know that?" I look at him. "Tim's a good friend of mine and he was only looking out for me. You didn't have to prove how much of a fucking man you are. I had someone who did that and I hate it."

He's getting closer to me. I can feel his warm breath on my face. "I'm sorry about tonight. I shouldn't have been such an ass. You're right. I was rude to you. You wanna talk?"

I've never been told that I was right before in an argument. "What do you wanna talk about?"

He shrugs, look around at the gorgeous scenery around us. "Tonight...with that guy. What was that scene all about? Who is he and why did he get so protective over you?"

I rest back. My back hits the door knob and my head leans against the cool glass window. I tuck my hair behind my ear and look at him, his big green eyes. "He's a good guy. We have a lot of history together."

"You dated?"

I shake my head. "Last summer was a rough time for me."

The seat squeaks as he leans forward so he's closer to me. He tucks a loose hair away. "What happened?"

"He's name's Tim. He had a sister. We were best friends ever since we were kids." I pause to wear a smile at the memory. "She was messed up a lot. She had a baby when she was fifteen. I always had to watch her. It was sorta my job."

He's closer than before, practically on top of me. He's listening with welcoming eyes as he pets my leg.

"Last year, she was dating a real bad guy. We warned her over and over again but it wasn't enough." I swallow, pausing again. "She...He found her one night. I was there. They fought and...he shot her."

He's hand stops moving and his eyes go soft. "Danni-"

"There was nothing I can do." Warm tears fill up in my eyes. I hadn't told this story in so long and it seems almost like a distant memory. "I had to wait and watch her die. He tried to kill me. He shot me."

He looks down at a place that's showing on my upper thigh. He pulls back the pink fabric of my skirt so he can fully see the horrible site that's so easy to hide. His hand goes over it, tracing around it.

I sniffle as I watch and tears hit my leg as they fall. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if she were here. Everyday really. I pretend like I'm asking her a question and think of what she'd tell me. I always went to her about boys. She knew more than I did and she always told me what to do. She was right most of the time."

His hand is so warm. He hasn't moved it from its spot on the scar. He's still looking at it.

"I miss her." I say, half-laughing as I try not to drawn him. "She was like my rock. Jennie and Sarah can never take her place and I know they try.

"Some days are better than others. I can go a day or two and only think of her a few times. Lately though, I really need her. I need her to tell me what to do and to help me. I need her because she knew me better than anyone else. I want to go to her and tell her all about you and how I think I love you and how I'm over Dally and that I feel good!"

He hasn't looked up at me as I say these things. He's too focused on the spot where his hand is.

My face feels wet. My make-up is ruined and as hard as I rub, I can't fix it.

"You...you think you love me?"

I swallow again, watching his fingers start to move. "Y-Yeah."

"I'm sorry," he says. "About your friend. I know what you're going through. Two years ago, my friend got in a car wreck. He was drunk, and we were at a party. I fought him for the fucking keys. I fought and fought with him."

I watch the way his eyes well up slowly. The water inside just wanting to come out. I haven't seen him this way. Peter is never at a loss for words. This is emotion.

"The last time I said to him was that I hated him." He shakes his head, sniffing. "I got a call around three."

I reach out slowly, taking his face in my hand. His tears wet my hand. "Peter..."

His eyes are greener with tears. He glances up, watching me. He sees my face, my black make-up running down my cheeks. He sees my frizzed hair and my scar and my thick thighs. He doesn't look at any of this though, only my eyes.

I touch his lips with mine, just barely grazing them.

"That's why I'm friends with Dale. Dale understands what I went through. He's a good guy and he has my back. I didn't have any friends for a long time, Danni. I took these pills to make me feel better but they just made me push people away."

I slowly trace the outline of his hand on my leg, listening intently.

"I won't let him hurt you anymore. I won't let anyone." He breath hits my face as his hands wrap around the back of my neck. "Mark my words, the creep touches you again, he's a dead man. Anyone ever hurts you again, I'll destroy them."

His kisses are soft and gentle. He's moving slowly and easily down my stomach and stopping at my navel. I can feel his fingers rubbing against my bare belly, stroking and tickling me all over. His hands are smooth and cold as they grab me.

He goes back up to my neck, sucking and kissing the same spot. His breath is warm on my neck and cheeks. His body is on mine and his hands are on my bra-hook and my hands go to his butt and grab tightly.

He lifts up, taking his shirt off, showing off how muscular and strong he really is. I take a minute and stare at the beauty that is his stomach. He sees me and laughs and he becomes confident and proud of himself.

I can't stop my body as I force upwards and attack his lips with my tongue. I feel so close and connected to him and all I want to do is show my affection and let my body think for me.

His cold hand makes me shiver as it goes to my bare back and easily lift my shirt up and over my head.

He stares at me, mainly my breasts and my face turns read. What kind of bra am I wearing? Is it the pretty lacy one or just a dull white one? I'm too scared to look so I focus on his eyes.

"You alright?" he asks as he goes back to kissing me, only this time, more heavily.

"Yes," I breathe into his mouth. Yes Peter, please be quiet.

I feel cold without my shirt on. He shifts me back to my back and lies on top of me again. We kiss for a few more minutes until his hands find my breasts and stay there, groping and squeezing them so tightly that it hurts.

I think I'm going to throw up as he touches the top of my skirt, pulling on it. I don't stop him though, and he slides it down to my ankles and I look up and watch as he tosses it on the ground.

I lick my lips, tasting him still on them.

I jump as his hand goes to my panties, staying there and feeling all over, inside of them and out. His fingers go inside of me, making me cold and then he slowly pulls them back out.

"I don't want to make you do this." He notices my sudden surprise at his touch and pulls back. "Just say the word and I'll stop. I'm serious."

I nod and tell him to continue. "I-I'm ok."

I feel so cold and I'm almost shaking. I think of the last time I had another guy touch me like this besides Dally. I think of Dally. Damnit! Get out of my head! I can't think of him. Not now with Peter's hot naked body on mine!

He sucks on my stomach.

We roll over on the bed, our tongues wrestling. I feel like I'm not doing much and try to pick up my pace but it's all Peter tonight and he's calling the shots and I have no opinion. I feel as useful as a doll.

He pulls his pants down, showing off his white underwear. I gape at it and I can't take my eyes off his erection sticking out.

He goes back to kissing my neck, whispering things I can't hear in my ear. I breathe out heavily and reach my hand down and feel how hard he is. It's rubbing against my thigh.

He puts his hands on the hems of my panties, looking at me. "You sure about this?"

Maybe this is how it always is. Girls fucking guys and guys fucking girls. It's no longer called 'making love' because you don't have to be in love to do. The majority aren't. We pretend we like it and say it, but in reality, we just want to throw up.

I gulp and shut my eyes. I'm not sure of anything anymore. "Yes."

You can't trust a cold blooded lover. You can't trust a cold blooded slave. You can't trust a cold blooded other. In the end they'll just drive you insane. There's one thing you must understand. You can't trust a cold blooded. Can't trust a cold blooded...