The Little Winston

Chapter 3- I Meet My Brothers Really Hot Friends

 "Oh my god, Dallas, I missed you so much!" I murmured against his chest, the musky smell of cigarettes enveloping me in a sick fog. It took him a second to react, but he slowly wrapped his arms around me, and in that moment I realized that I was stupid to think he didn't want me.

"What happened? Are you okay kid?" He quickly pulled back and his expression flashed with concern. He looked so different. Of course it was him, there was no doubt in my mind, but these eyes didn't belong to my brother. They were filled with an ever growing fire, tough. Hardened. It seemed to spit flames at you, the kind of fire that you just couldn't control. Intense.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The old man kicked me out, and I figured this was my best bet." I slid the backpack off of my shoulders and pulled out the postcard, waving it slowly. He took it out of my hands and looked at it, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. I felt one at mine too.

"I remember this. First thing I bought here, man. Shit, I didn't think you'd remember this."

"To be fair, I didn't. I pulled it out of my bag about 2 days ago."

He handed the post card back to me, doing a once over of his once young little sister. "You grew up, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I did. 3 years does that to a person." He nodded a little bit in understanding, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets smoothly. A small movement from behind us caught my glance, and I noticed a group of boys crowding in the doorway, all struggling to get a good look at what was happening. I laughed at their failed attempts to fit, and once they realized this, they started to go inside rather quickly. Dallas looked behind us, before turning back to me.

"Come on, there are some people I want to meet you." I followed his quick pace into the house, sitting beside him on a small couch while a few of the boys looked at him in confusion. I smiled at one, a boy who looked a little bit more reserved than the rest, and he smiled nervously before his glance shifted to the ground.

Dallas spoke quickly and loud, and I noticed the lack of his once-prominent New York accent. "Guys, this is Nicole. She's my little sister." Another guy spit out his drink and went to the kitchen, most likely grabbing a napkin. A few muffled snickers came from the group, each finding their eyes resting on me. I looked away from the gaze of a few, choosing to instead focus on the set up of the somewhat small house. Everything was clean, which surprised me, as only teenage boys appeared present.

"Jeez Dal, she's the spittin image of you." The boy who answered the door spoke, his voice smoother than Dallas's.

"Yeah, yeah." He shoved it off a little bit, remembering just how many times people had told us that. If I had a nickel for every time I had heard that sentence, I'd be set for the rest of my life.

"Well, hello there." The other boy returned from the kitchen, his rusty colored hair sparkling with the sun from the window. He had on a mickey mouse shirt, and with his cocked eyebrow, he reminded me of someone I had once met in New York.

"Hey. Love the shirt by the way. You have good taste." I answered casually, and a few of them looked at each other. I hadn't said anything wrong, I thought. Perhaps they thought I would talk differently.

"Wow, she's got an accent too." One spoke too loud, promptly earning an elbow to the ribs from a boy I couldn't quite get a good look at. Dallas shot him a fierce look, and he immediately retreated from his prior stance. I didn't mind the comment. Of course I had an accent, I had grown up in New York. It seemed quite obvious to me, but maybe rules were different here.

The boy who had elbowed him stood up, walking to stand in front of me. His voice was smooth like velvet, calming even. "I'll have to apologize for him. Steve here has a hard time controlling his mouth." As my eyes met his, I felt a spark erupt in my chest. His eyes were blue, like mine, but not the storm cloud kind. No. His were deep like oceans, the type that you could drown in if you weren't careful enough. He smiled a pearly white, movie star smile. His hair was the color of raw straw, but seemed to be darker with the amount of grease that clung to it, creating a popular style I had seen a few boys around town wear. I couldn't say I hadn't taken a liking to him already; I'd be lying if I did. I smiled to keep my face from flushing pink, though I knew it paled in comparison to his. Nothing could top it.

Dallas started talking again as the boy left the room, but he promptly returned before Dallas could finish his sentence. "So Nic, the one with the Mickey shirt is Two-Bit, he's the wannabe comedian of the group." He smiled at me again, before turning on the TV, to nothing other than Mickey Mouse. I thought about asking if Two-Bit was his real name, but decided against it.

"Good luck talking to him when Mickey's on." The one who answered the door smiled at me, and I nodded with a smile myself.

"Noted."

Dallas started again. "You've already met Ponyboy." Ponyboy's face filled with grim anticipation as he waited for what I assumed was a smart remark.

"Ponyboy. I like that name. It's original." He smiled again, this time a little brighter.

"Then the guy sitting next to him is Johnny. He's 16." He said the last part a little quieter, just to ensure I knew. He was the reserved one from earlier, and I understood why Dallas had wanted me to know the last part. He didn't look 16 in the slightest, with his big doe brown eyes that seemed to almost tremble in front of me, almost afraid. I knew that look better than anyone. He was tan, and almost resembled a teddy bear. I smiled at him as he looked up at me quietly.

"Hi Johnny. It's great to meet you." He nodded silently, and I knew he had felt the same.

"Then that's Steve." He pointed at the guy who had said something about my accent, and boy, his hair was greasy. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and perhaps I would get to know him a little better. I nodded.

"The kid next to him is Sodapop, he's Pony's older brother." He gestured to the movie-star. His parents must have a thing for unusual names, I figured, and that made me happy inside. I wished for a unique name like theirs, something people could remember so easily. I smiled a little and he mirrored me, our gaze lasting on the other for just a few seconds too long in my mind.

"Darry is their older brother, you'll meet him at some point." I broke my eyes from his and turned to Dallas, licking my lips a little bit.

"Sweet." I looked around, realizing they all were dressed in a similar fashion, clad in jeans and t-shirts. All of them had at least some grease in their hair, except for my brother. I remembered his deep hatred for haircuts, and his hair seemed to be a little longer than everyone else's, even now.

"I should take you to Buck's, get you a room or something." Dallas stood up and gestured for me to do the same. He gave me a silent look, and I understood. He had noticed the gazing too.

"You don't have to that, Dal." Sodapop stood up and smiled at the both of us. "She can stay here with us. Besides, you don't want her sleeping in a bar, do you?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, man? I mean, Darry probably isn't gonna be too happy with having another kid in the house."

"I'll take care of Darry, don't worry about him. She'll be fine." Dallas just sighed, but didn't sit back down.

"Fine. But no funny business with my kid sister, you hear?" He pointed an accusing finger at Sodapop, who tensed back a little while I smirked quietly to myself. "Come on, kid, I gotta give you the tour of this place."

I looked up at him, realizing the difference in our height was now a foot, which made me a little sad, as we used to be the same height once upon a time. I had always been on the shorter side anyways, but compared to him now I was a shrimp. "I'm ready when you are, kid." He smiled sarcastically as I waved to the other boys and we walked out the door, venturing out into the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma.