Partners In Crime | Dallas Winston FanFic

Chapter Ten: Shadows

It had been four days since Dally and I started dating, with no problems so far. The gang didn't seem to mind too much, as long as we kept the "lovey dovey crap" (as Steve so kindly worded it) to ourselves. Which we did— mostly. But we'd still get made fun of relentlessly for showing even the most simple display of affection, like holding hands. Every. Single. Time. I guess that's just what you have to deal with when you date a member of the gang. And without Pony and Johnny to make fun of, we were getting a lot of attention. But me and Dally also make fun of those two lovebirds, so I guess "what goes around comes around."

Those four days had been really rough on Darry, though, and it only got harder as the days passed. Each day without Pony. It was killing me not to tell him where they went. I know Darry pretty well, so I knew he was beating himself up about it— blaming himself as the reason Pony ran away. He spent a lot more time at work that week.

"If I hadn't hit him, he wouldn't have run off in the first place!" Darry said one night, his voice cracking. He had walked passed Pony and Soda's room, where Soda was sleeping alone, and now he was a wreck. I tried to reassure him, but nothing could change his mind. It was his fault, and he felt really sorry. "What would mom and dad think? They trusted me to take care of y'all— and now Pony's gone," he sobbed. He was sitting at the foot of my bed, crying into his hands, as I gently rubbed his shoulder. God, not telling him was killing me. 

But Darry wasn't the only person worried about the boys, so was Sodapop. Usually he's full of energy, just plain excited about life, but he had been quieter— more closed off— for those few days. He even wrote a letter to Ponyboy, then gave Dallas half his paycheck to deliver it to him. I would've done it for free, but no one knows that I'm involved in this mess— except Dally. Soda and Pony had always had a special bond, so I knew he was worried about him. Probably a good bit lonely, too. 

"Hey Lex!" A voice yelled from porch, disrupting me from my thoughts, "Lex! You home?" 

"Yeah, Dal" I replied, "It's just me, come on in!" I said, a smile already growing on my face. 

"Thank god, I can't handle any more of the teasing, man" he said with a frustrated sigh.

"At this point, I'm thinking about running away too!" I joked, laughing. He laughed too. God— that laugh. Even his laugh is hot, and I don't even know how that's possible.

"About that, tonight I'm heading to Windrixville to check on Pony and Johnny. I think everything's cool by now. I'll probably get there early tomorrow morning, and I'll bring 'em back with me that afternoon. Sound good? Think you can cover for me?" Dally asked.

"I'm going with you," I said without hesitation.

"But Lex— what about the gang? With Me, You, Pony, AND Johnny gone— they'll definitely think something's up," Dally replied reluctantly.

"I'm worried about them too, you know. It's not just Darry. I want— hell— I need to see them as soon as possible. I can't wait any longer, those are my best friends, Dal" I said, looking down to hide my tear-filled eyes. God, I missed them.

"Fine, you can come. Just don't cry, Doll" He said softly, then he kissed me on the forehead.

I let out a little laugh, then hugged him tightly around the neck. What would I do without him?

"I love you, Dal"

"Love you too, Doll"

Later That Night:

I silently slid open my bedroom window, then carefully lowered myself out. It wasn't that big of a drop, since our house is only one story, but I wanted to be as quiet as possible. 

I made my way out of the flower bed, which was full of weeds and dead plants, then some headlights shining from the street caught my eye. I paused and held my breath— socs? 

"Lex," I heard Dally whisper-yell from the car, "Lex, it's just me!"

I let out a heavy sigh of relief, then stepped out of the shadows. He was driving a shiny, red Cadillac that I'd never seen before.

"Dal, where'd you get that car? You didn't steal it— did you?" I asked cautiously, while approaching the car.

"Naw, not this time. It's Buck's, man, he let me borrow it for the night," he said.

I laughed a little, then opened the passenger door and got in. Any other guy would've gotten out and opened the door for me, but I didn't mind. Dallas Winston just wasn't that kind of guy— which is fine by me. I can open the door for myself. 

He shifted the car into drive, then we sped off. We were finally gonna get to see Pony and Johnny again, and I was pretty excited. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. I think Ponyboy told me that's called premonition. Everything seemed perfect, but I could tell it wasn't going to stay that way.

For greasers, it never does.

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Author's Note:

This chapter wasn't NEARLY as fun to write as the last one, but it gets the job done. It was a lot more actual writing than I'm used to, with a lot less dialogue (so I tried my best) But I just needed to set the scene for the next few chapters, which will be REALLY fun ones— so stay tuned!!

Hope you enjoy and stay gold 🌅