Grease and Gasoline-A Dallas Winston Fanfiction

Fear of the Unknown

There is no illusion greater than fear.-Lao Tzu

I went home with Cherry. Our ride was uncharacteristically silent, something that typically never happened when she was around. The silence was painful. The news of Dallas and I had spread fast. Jet wasn't one to keep a secret when he was angry.

When we arrived at my house, Cherry locked the door right shut, making it impossible for me to leave. I knew I was in for it then.

"Is it true, Skylar?" She stared at me, her eyes demanding an answer.

"Does it really matter if it is?" I asked her.

Her emerald eyes flared, "Yes! We're supposed to be best friends, you're supposed to be able to tell me anything!"

"How can I tell you something when I know you won't understand it?" I yelled at her, my frustration of the night bubbling to the surface.

She raised an eyebrow at me, "How do you expect me to understand when you never tell me anything?" She took a deep breath, "I get it Skylar, you're different than me. I get that. But that doesn't mean I can't understand what you're feeling."

I stared back at her, doubtingly.

"You think I never want to live my life in a different way than what people tell me to? Well I do, Skylar! And you would know that if you ever took a second to actually listen to me."

I rolled my eyes at her, "Cherry, you love being a soc, you can't deny that."

"If that's really what you think of me then get out." She unlocked the door, "I mean it, get out!"

She didn't wait a second to drive off after I was out on the sidewalk. I ran through my yard, throwing open the door when I got to it. I heard my dad call my name, but ignored him as I slammed the door behind me in my bedroom. It was only seconds before he was knocking on the door. I could picture him pressed against the door, knocking tentatively as the wrinkles in his forehead etched themselves deeper into his forehead.

"Skylar honey, what happened?" He rattled the doorknob.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead as I slid down the door, "Nothing, Dad."

"Come on, let me in. Did something happen at the dance?"

"Nothing happened!" I barked back, a little sharper than intended.

He was quiet for a few seconds, "Are you alright, at least?"

"I'm fine. Goodnight."

He mumbled back a goodnight and I heard his footsteps fade as he walked down the hallway. I was too much to handle for my dads fragile state, I knew that. Ever since my mom died he just seemed like a shell of a man, much too afraid of everything to even bother living. I didn't blame him for it, but I didn't understand it either. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples until I heard my screen in my window fly open.

My eyes shot open to see Dallas staggering through the window. It was a miracle how he didn't kill himself doing that. My anger flared up again as I saw him standing there. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" I whispered angrily, pushing him in the chest slightly.

His teeth were gritted, "One, I would advise you not to touch me like that. You know I would never hurt you, but I still don't care for it." His  dark eyes flashed a warning. "Second, if you would have let me talk I was coming to ask if you had a plan."

I couldn't believe my ears, "A plan? You show up drunk to my school dance, beat the living hell out of a kid, then ask me  if I have a plan?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I just figured you would have one."

It was my turn to grit my teeth, "No, I do not have a plan, Dallas. There is no plan! There was a good crowd out there who saw and anyone who wasn't out there knows, anyways. We can't cover this one up."

He was silent for a moment, his facial features sharp under the lowlight of the lamp on my desk, "What the hell then? It was only a matter of time before people figured it out. I mean, I don't think I could keep seeing you in public like that and keep my hands off you." He grinned, doing his best to charm me back.

I was taken aback by his newfound pride, "You're lying."

He leaned back against the wall, "I'm a lot of things, Skylar, but a liar isn't one of them."

A sudden warmth came over me when I realized what he suggested. No more sneaking around. We could be a real couple, like the kind I always wanted us to be. We'd been to nervous before, to scared and bound, but after we broke through that fear we were free to do whatever we liked.

I grinned at him, "Everyone's going to think we're crazy, you know."

He lit a cigarette, "People already thought I was. You're the one people are going to be surprised about."

He pulled me, and wrapped his arms around me protectively. I wish I could have stayed there for the rest of my life, safe and protected in his arms. But the moment passed, the way all things do.

"Cherry is furious with me."

"That's that redhead, right?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't believe him for a second that he didn't know who Cherry was. Every boy in Tulsa did.

"You ain't foolin' me, Dallas Winston. I know you know who she is."

He took a drag of his cigarette and grinned at me, "Just figured I would earn some points with you." He tapped the end of his cancer stick, then put it out, kindly, on my floor. "Listen, I've got to get goin'. There's a rumble tonight and you know I can't miss it."

I pouted, "Not even for me?"

He winked, "Not even for you."

He started climbing out the window, somehow managing to do it with ease, but I called out to him, "You'll watch out for the rest of the gang, won't you?"

He said something then, something I should have thought of for longer. I could have saved myself and him a whole lot of trouble if I would have. He just stared at me with his dangerous, violent, and wild eyes and gave a sharp tooth smile, "I don't watch out for anyone but myself."

*****AU:

Okay, I know I do a lot of these, but I just decided to rant for a second. Bear with me, if you will. I got a comment a week or so ago saying that I'm portraying Dallas in a way that seems unlike him. Being a strong believer that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I figured I would let it slide. It could be a fair assessment, after all. But I decided just to put in my two cents on the whole situation. I think in a lot of cases, many authors chose to portray the characters from The Outsiders in such a one dimensional way that it limits their stories from ever going anywhere. 

Yes, Dallas is a complete ass. But he became that way out of self-interest, attempting to protect himself from all the hurt in the world.  So yes, I do believe Dallas should be portrayed with many negative characteristics, but to limit him to only being dangerous and angry is completely unfair, in my opinion. I firmly believe there's more to his character than that. The same goes for other characters in the book, specifically the Curtis brothers. 

Yes, Darry is the protective, intimidating, and over controlling character, but he's also arguably the most selfless character in the story and is never given enough credit. And yes, Ponyboy is creative and a dreamer, but he's also incredibly close-minded and judgmental when it comes to a lot of things. And finally, Soda is swoon worthy, but he's also careless and irresponsible.

I just find it worth considering the other aspects of characters before limiting them to just one archetype. Okay, rant over. My apologies.