Chapter Three: In Spite of the Socs

Featuring:

Cherry Valance*

Ponyboy Curtis

Dallas Winston*

Cop

Johnny Cade

* = featured character narrates part or all of the chapter

/ = character isn't ever physically present in chapter but is still featured

A/N: Ok this first scene is right where the last chapter left off, after this is a little bit of a time jump.

Cherry Valance:

"Hey Cherry?" I looked up from the cover of my book. "Did ya mean what you said bout Dally?" I looked back down, trying not to give anything away, because I did mean it. I meant everything I had said to Ponyboy ever. Except for now, "I don't wanna see that no good hood ever again. He ain't nothing but cigarettes and a smirk." I could see him looking down too. I know greasers aren't supposed to talk bad bout their gang.

"Dally ain't all that bad, so if you really did...ya know."

Really did what? Really was fallin' for him? Fallin' for him faster and harder than I intended? "Well I really don't Pony! And he really is that bad, that greaser brags about his criminal record, he's a hood and he knows it." I huffed, I knew I wasn't saying anything believable, besides the hood part. Everyone knew that.

"Things might be rough all over but Dally's has got it rougher than anyone I know. He's been on the streets since he was 8." I tried to inhale but I couldn't. That couldn't be true. "He ran away, no home or nothin'. That's why he was in jail by 10, cops ain't got no sympathy for a greaser. He just needed that food to get along okay. He wasn't tryna harm nothin'. Those young experiences screwed him up some. Ya dig?"

So Dallas did have a family. Did have a heart at some point. Maybe Dallas ain't who he is cause he's bored, maybe it's cause life's unfair. Maybe he's so aggressive cause he wants to fight for it. Fight for all that unjust. Even if he's comin' bout it all wrong.

A/N: I like to think that Dallas' aggression and his fighting comes from multiple reasons, the unjust and pure anger in general. Pony sees the anger in his fighting while Cherry sees the unjust.

Then I thought about myself, how I feel about unjust. Dallas fights the unfairness of the world by physically fighting. I don't fight at all even though I feel the same way. Dallas fights and it does nothing, I do nothing and it still does nothing. We are the same but different.

Pony was looking at me weird, realizing he left me on a question I open my mouth to say "I dig".But instead I say, "That don't mean a thing, he's a hood and I'll never want to see him again, no matter what."

It felt like my pride was blocking the truth. The Soc in me forced me to lie to a greaser.

I rushed out of there, knowing nothing I was saying was the truth. I could trust Pony, so why was I lying to him? I'm not even sure I'm being fully honest with myself.

But I know one thing, I'll do whatever it takes to not cross paths with Dallas Winston again.

And I really wasn't honest with myself, because four months later I went as far East as I could. Trying to convince myself I wasn't looking for a hood.

Dallas Winston:

I don't dig bein' by my lonesome. I took a likin' to how I am with company, 'least them people know I'm tuff. Being alone n all, it leaves me with my own thoughts, and it ain't ever pleasin'. I thought about how Johnny was cuffed for just plain survivin'. I thought about how Pony's in danger for just tryna see a movie on the other side. And how Soda's gotta suffer cause them greaser girls ain't ever decent enough to keep them pants on.

I thought about Cherry, and how someone like me could take a likin' to her. Bein' attracted to a Soc girl ain't nothin' close to bein' attracted to a greaser girl.

I could tell she was behind me, call it instinct. I blew my smoke, "Hey baby," I could feel her hesitation. "Come here will ya? I don't bite dolls like you."

Cherry Valance:

I don't know why I came over to him, I really shouldn't have. He looked just like I had remembered him, not like I memorized him or anything like that. He was sitting by a creek, with a forest behind it. There was a cigarette in his hand, I tried to ignore how cool he looked holding it like that, I couldn't let myself be more intrigued than I already was.

"What's a broad like you doin' so far East?" He asked coolly. God, his voice is like butter. As I walked closer I noticed what he was wearing, it was that leather jacket. The one Pony was wearin' in the paper.

Rumor's got it that Dallas always wears it now. After everythin' he don't share it that easily anymore, you really gotta matter to Dally if you want that leather jacket. I wonder if he'd ever give it to me. It was like his way of saying he wanted to protect you.

Would he ever want to protect me?

He looked over at me and tilted his head, he looked awful cute doin' that, and you wouldn't really expect an adjective like that going on a hood like that. Dallas really can do anything. "Lookin' for me or somethin'?" he grinned. He knew what he was doin'. And it almost bothered me.

"You'll never find me looking for you. Not ever, Dallas Winston." That same grin got even bigger on his face. It was almost even more annoying. "I can't tell if you say my full name to scare me or cause ya just like sayin' it."

I really want him to get on my nerves. It'd make it all so much easier. I heard my girls call it a crush when this happens but I can't. I can't crush on a greaser.

Maybe if it was someone like Sodapop my friends would get it. He's awfully charming, and he's sweet. Real doll that guy. But it ain't Soda.

But Soda's got nothing on Dallas Winston. Dallas is charming in his own way, and that rustic kind of good lookin'. My friends would've understood the good looking part, it ain't no shocker Dally's a looker. But I couldn't ever tell them I liked him.

So I can't. So I don't. So it's not a crush. That term's way too giddy anyways. I gotta be better than that. I've got to pull myself together. It wasn't ever like this before. Before those greaser boys.

He laughed a little. I could tell it was cause I hadn't denied what he said, sometimes I really just gotta get out of my head, "I don't-"

"Don't bother baby, I ain't new here. I know when broads take a likin' to me." I huffed, hoping he didn't mean that. Wondering if I'll ever be able to get myself out of this rabbit hole that I dug for myself. "In your dreams Dallas."

It was weird, the way we worked, Dallas and I. I always say his name cause I like him. He calls me anything but my name because he, well I'm not sure.

And I don't like him, I don't.

"Sweetheart I'll have ya know, I don't dream shit, I just get it." Of course he doesn't. How does someone with such a terrible past make it look like he's got the world wrapped around his finger?

There was a little more banter between us, but certainly not enough. Before I knew it he began to stand up. I didn't even notice how attached I was to his being beside me until he wasn't. "Well this was cute 'n all but I gotta git outta here."

I sat there frozen for a good amount of time. It was only till he just reached the sidewalk when I asked, "Wait, where are you going?" He stopped, and smirked. That trademark smirk that I'm convinced was printed onto his face at birth.

"Miss me already huh? I gotta go see Johnny. Them docs forced me to stay extra cause of how much I tried to escape the damned place." I think it was the first time I ever heard regret in a sentence like that. Dallas is always braggin' about causing trouble, he hasn't ever been upset about doing it.

"You comin'?" He gestured further East. I knew there wasn't a chance I could go even further East than I already was without regretting it. So I shook my head, stood up, and went the other direction.

"Fine by me, change your mind and catch up, I ain't waitin'." I kept walking. Looking back more times than I would've liked.

It was a good amount of steps and a good amount of looks back till I decided that following him wouldn't hurt. But he said he wasn't waiting so I better run.

I got all my huffing out of my system by the time I reached him. I ain't ever going to enjoy running in a skirt and flats. Maybe I could get some different shoes around here for when I come to the East side. No, I'm never coming back here.

"Knew you'd come back." He took another drag on his cigarette. "Don't talk, just lead the way will you?" I asked harshly. He took his cigarette out of his mouth just to chuckle at that. It's so close to aggravating. "You don't tell me what to do princess."

Prison was awful quiet. Nobody was there except for an approaching cop. "What do you want? My shift's over you don't got much time." He looked young, probably new. Dallas grinned, probably because that cop didn't know who he was. I thought he would start going on about his criminal record. And how that cop should be scared of him.

But he didn't. He was actually awful polite, and I couldn't tell if that bothered me more. "I just gotta see someone, Johnny Cade. I'll take as much time as I can, just let me see him man."

There was almost a little bit of pleading behind his voice. The cop exhaled, "I got a girl to get home to, go 'head. Y'all his parents I assume, they haven't come by yet." Dallas swallowed, almost like Johnny's parents being absent upset him a little.

"That's us, sir." He took advantage of this moment, wrapping his arm around me. I took advantage of this moment, leaning into him. As the cop got closer to the moonlight he tilted his head. Probably wondering how on Earth two teens could reproduce another teen. But left without saying anything. Good thing Dallas has got a knack for lying through his teeth.

Eventually the cop came back, "I'm gon' head out, he's in the visiting room. Don't take too long they got lights out soon." Dallas smiled, like a real one. Not a smirk or grin, just a smile.

That hand formally rested on my shoulder slid down to my arm as he forced me to dash down the hall right behind him. "Johnny's gon' be put back after the sun sets so we gotta get a move on." I didn't question how he knew the way. And I wasn't surprised that he did.

When we got there I could see a little blurb of a human that must've been Johnny. His figure was getting clearer as he got closer to the visiting room. The second we could get a good look Dally started dragging me again.

I find it funny Dallas could be so eager for something like this. He abandoned my arms before jumping onto that table you're supposed to sit at and hopping over the glass wall that's supposed to block you from the prisoner.

Dallas didn't care about any of that though. As far as he knew he wasn't any less of a prisoner than Johnny was. Whether that was because Dallas was trouble or because Johnny was a good soul I'll never know, it was probably both. They balanced each other out.

Dallas Winston got soft for a real long moment, pulling Johnny into the biggest hug he could fathom. I noticed the way Johnny buried his head into Dally's shirt, like a sense of safety, because Dallas protects Johnny. More than he protects anyone else.

"I was waitin' and waitin'. I thought ya had forgotten 'bout me." Johnny said, half sarcastic, half disappointed by the memory.

I took advantage of their interactions to ungracefully push myself over the glass border and hop off the table. Thankfully they hadn't noticed.

"Docs had me stay longer, wish I'd come sooner Johnnycake, next time I'll try harder to escape them nurses." Johnny nodded, tryna pull Dallas closer at the same time. I could tell he was trying to savor the moment, understanding that Dally probably wouldn't be caught hugging someone again anytime soon.

I walked closer, noticing the paper on the table by the door. Flipping through the paper I noticed another article with Johnny's face in it. I thought it would be about the church fire again but it wasn't. It wasn't even about him, well it was, but it was about his parents. 'Parents of Church Fire Hero Disown Him.". I hadn't ever seen this one before. Dallas finally pulled off Johnny.

"Johnny where are you gonna go? After this?" Johnny scratched the back of his head. "What kinda question is that? Nothin's gonna change." Dallas asked, getting awful defensive awful fast.

Johnny ignored him, "Wish I knew Cherry, prolly just gon' hang 'round Pony's house, stay in the lot the rest of the time I guess." Dallas' head jerked in a sense of panic you never ever see in him. "Whatdaya mean? Ain't nothins gon' change."

"My old man disowned me Dal, everythin's changing. I ain't got nowhere to go." I held the newspaper up for him to see. I noticed Johnny swallowing hard trying not to cry. Dallas coughed, like he didn't know what to do.

Johnny kept talking in spite of himself, "I knew he wasn't ever fond of me, wasn't ever gonna be either, but I'd always assumed I had a place to go, ya know?" His voice cracked a little. And it's like every time he thought of not crying in front of Dallas the more he started to do it.

"Man I'm sorry Dal' somethin's up with me, I swear I normally pull myself together.." Dallas shook his head. And this is the part where I realized Dallas wasn't just happy to see Johnny, Dallas was truly showing how much he loved him. He was opening his heart in a way he hadn't before.

Because once again, Dallas hugged Johnny. "You ain't spendin' no more nights at that blasted lot ya hear? There ain't no mattress or blanket or anythin'. Buck's place got one of them pullout couches. I'll fix it up and it'll work real good." He smiled best he could, trying his best to cheer Johnny up. "Buck won't notice shit, and once he's outta there by the summer his room's yours. Ya don't gotta worry 'bout nothin no more."

Johnny's eyes widened. Like a happy golden retriever, "Ya mean it Dal'? Ya mean everythin? Thanks Dal'! I owe ya everythin I've got." I don't think I've ever seen either of them look so vulnerable. I began to wonder if maybe I knew less about the greasers than I thought I did.

"You're bouta owe me more, Johnnycakes. I got an extra box of cancer sticks for ya, use 'em wisely." Dallas finally pulled Johnny off him, tossing him that box of cigarettes. And that infamous jacket was in Dallas' hands, and then it was on Johnny's shoulders.

Dallas patted him on the back, the sun was nearly set. There was just something I had to say, to make up for all those lies I said to Pony. "Johnny, just so you know, I think you did the right thing. For everything." It wasn't a good way to come about it but it was the best I was gonna get at it. And I'll still take it as a win, a win in spite of the Socs.

He smiled, "Thanks Cherry, it means an awful lot y'know."

"Alright now git outta here." Dallas said with a smirk that might be even more crooked than normal for him. Dally and I turned around. And even though a cop wasn't watching us this time, Dallas hooked that same arm around my shoulder. I don't think I'll ever truly understand his motives behind doing things like this. We couldn't get too far cause Johnny said something that made us turn around.

"Hey Dal'? You're like a big brother to me ya know. I mean, Pony will always feel like my best friend but you're like the family I always wanted. I always felt like my family woulda been better with a big brother like you." It was only now that I could truly see, Johnny has dimples.

"Sure would've. And now your big brother's tellin' ya to get your ass back into that cell of yours 'fore you get jumped by one of them cops. G'night bud." I heard Johnny say 'Night Dal' under his breath. And then he left.

That relationship between Dallas and Johnny was truly something special. I don't think I could ever have that kind of relationship with any of my friends, not even Marcia. It only made me feel more gratitude for Dallas, in a time when I should've been feeling less.

And in spite of myself, and especially in spite of the Socs, I was ready to call whatever interest I had in Dally a crush. It sounds silly, and it is. But I finally feel at ease with myself knowing that I'm not being contradicting towards my feelings. And I'll wait until the day that little silly crush fades away.