That night, I had one of those dreams again. It was about Dally, but this time, I don't think he was hurt.
Even so, I know it's one of those dreams because I had the same feeling I did last time. Like it was real, like I was someone standing by and watching it happen.
Dally was sat at a table with one chair. He was leaned back, his feet kicked up on it. He was talking to a man in a hat, though I never got a good look at him. Dally was saying something- probably something impish by his common expression. I couldn't tell what anyone was saying becuase everything was muffled. I could still hear the voices, but it was like they had all been blurred.
Even though the dream didn't scare me, I still woke up sweating, my heart pounding. I was on the Curtis' couch, covered in the spare plaid blanket. I was the only one in the room. There was the usual commotion in the kitchen, and I headed in to check it out.
"Yeah, you gave us all a scare man." Soda was saying. He was serving Dally a plate of eggs, which was weird, because Dally was never much of a breakfast guy.
"I wish I'd been here." Steve said. Looking around, I realized someone was missing.
"Where's Two-Bit?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"He was our partying last night, who knows." Pony said, scrambling eggs. He glanced up at me. "Say, your face is puffy Johnny. What's that about?"
"Allergies?" Darry handed me a plate with a slice of chocolate cake. "Me too."
Darry winked at me, and I nodded, sitting at the table by Steve. Darry had been generous to try and shake the subject like that. He knew well my face was puffy from all the crying I did last night. I was still out of sorts from everything. I was nervous to be around Dally and Darry, hell, I was nervous to look at Pony in Soda's presence. And if I really must include Steve, I was already pretty sure he thought I was a buzzkill because I hang out with Pony. So everyone was putting me on edge this morning.
"Man, I slept like a baby!" Dally was saying, stretching.
"Didn't you sleep on the ground? At the lot?" Steve asked, a cake crumb falling from his mouth.
"Yeah, and it was great." Dally said. He took a bite of eggs.
"Okay, Mister Sunshine." Pony was scooping his eggs out of the pan into his plate.
Dally shrugged, before making an attempt at a forkful of Steve's cake. Steve was too fast though. The two started bickering, and the room started bustling with excitement. I thought Dally was acting strange this morning, and I concluded that him pointing out his good sleep may have been him communicating that he didn't dream. I had, which made that a little odd. At this point, these appearances weren't weird anymore. I just wanted to figure out what the hell they were.
And not be torched before I get the chance to.
At the end of breakfast, the phone rang. Soda left the room to go get it.
"It's Two-Bit." Soda said when he came back. "He found a pay phone, he got kicked out of the party place, and he left his car here."
"Yeah, he was telling me about going to the party yesterday." Dally said. "I know the neighborhood, I'll go look for him."
I stood at the sink rinsing my dish. Dally came up and handed me his too.
"Hey, Johnny, why don't we go do something later?" He said quietly, not to interrupt the general conversation at the table.
"Why?" I asked, kind of bluntly. Cake wasn't settling so well with me, everyone was putting me on edge.
"Well the movies was a bust, remember? I was thinking we find something else to do."
I turned back to the sink, hiding behind my overgrown hair.
"Yeah, okay."
"Great!" Dally patted me on the back. "Cya' around." He left the room. I turned around and realized I was shaking a bit. Darry was standing at the fridge, and he was looking. He'd probably watched the whole thing go down.
*** *** *** ***
"So, I'm coming with, right?" Two-Bit slung an arm around both me Dally. Dally hobbled on one foot before falling on his bottom.
"C'mon, man! I was putting on my shoe!" Dally bickered, forcing his foot into the shoe from the floor.
"Eh, sorry, but not really sorry." Two-Bit shrugged.
"I suppose it doesn't make much a difference if you come." Dally added, standing. "I just owed Johnny, so I was going to buy him something to eat."
I loved Two-Bit. He may be lazy and a bit insensitive at times, but he's a loyal friend, and would do anything if it meant protecting any of us. Still, I didn't want him to come along. I'd really rather it be me and Dally, but I didn't speak up. What would I say anyway?
"That sounds like a good idea." Darry said, coming into the living room. He was getting ready for his second shift. He caught the look of confusion I gave him. He came over and patted Two on the back. "After all, the more of you there are, the safer you'll be. And Two-Bit's a big guy."
Two-Bit proudly opened his arms, showing off his stocky chest and arms. He was 6ft. Dally was 6.3ft.
"Dally's got a lot of muscle too." I said, without thinking much first. Darry laughed a little, probably more at the look on my face after I said it.
"Yeah, but Two-Bit could wrestle a guy to the ground easily."
"Well, I'm not paying for Two, so you'd better get your own money." Dally said.
"I've have my ways." Two-Bit said, pulling a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. He showed it off from between his two fingers. "Plus, I can drive you."
"Fine." Dally said. Darry reminded me to be careful, and the three of us left the house. A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a Cattleman's.
"Steak?" Two-Bit looked in the review mirror of his rundown little car. He was looking at Dally, in the backseat.
"Yeah." Dally said. "Did you want a salad?"
Two-Bit shrugged. "Steak is expensive."
Dally laughed, leaning forward in the backseat. "Well, you have your ways, don't you?"
Two scoffed playfully as Dally got out of the car. I was undoing my seatbelt when my door opened. Dally had opened it for me. I looked up at him.
"Did you want me and Two-Bit to eat without you?" Teased Dally. "C'mon, man."
I got out of the car. Two-Bit was standing by the open drivers door. He had one arm resting on roof of the car, looking out into the driveway towards the building.
"Well shit." He said. He looked back at me and Dally. "A few Socs came out just in time to catch us."
"Just act natural." Dally said, closing my door and leaning on it. He turned the opposite way of the building. "Maybe they didn't see us. I'm not looking for conflict."
"You're not exactly hard to spot, Dal." Two-Bit brought his other arm up onto the roof of the car, turning away as well. "You, and your freaky hair, are pretty conspicuous. Everyone knows you, why don't we just holler at 'em or something?"
"No, man, there's too many." Dally said, glancing back. "Not with Johnny."
"Awe, they won't do nothing in a crowded parking lot." Two was saying. "It's too late anyways, here they come."
Dally breathed heavily. "Get back in the car, Johnny."
"What, no, I'm alright." I said. Dally looked over at me.
"Get in the car." He opened the door. I didn't get it.
"Go!" He shoved me at the car and I climbed in, shaken. Then he whispered. "Sorry." He slammed the door and came around the hood of the car.
"Dallas Winston." It was one of the Socs. I tried to see them, but I couldn't get a good look between Two and Dally. "I've heard of you a couple times."
"Sweet. Did you want an autograph or something?" Dally cooly leaned against the car.
The Soc scoffed. "No, I don't want your autograph." He started pacing around the car, and I could see him come into view when he passed Dally. He had short straw colored hair, was a little short, and wore a purple sweater. He was studying the front of the car.
"Sad looking car. Disappointing, coming from the great Dallas Winston." A few of his friends snickered as he made his way around the hood of the car. He stopped and looked me over, then grinned a smile. The kind of smile only cocky, spoiled people get. "Sad looking kid."
"Listen man, why don't you back off, we're just here for some steak." Two-Bit said. A breeze carried through the open car window, and I got a waft of the Soc's cologne. He scoffed.
"Really? I thought you guys ate from the garbage!"
His friends collectively laughed.
"Oh we do." Two-Bit said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "Except I don't see your girlfriends legs around here anywhere, so we thought we'd opt for something else."
Yikes.
"You think you're wise, don't ya?" The Soc was suddenly not smiling. He came back around the front of the car, eyeing Two and Dally but then he stopped and looked back at me. He smiled again.
"I'll ask your friend what he thinks." He walked around the car, quicker than he'd moved before. He was suddenly reaching through the window, grabbing me by the collar of my jacket. My blood went cold.
"Heya' pal!" He said, aggressively in my face. "Whatcha' think of that guy, he's pretty funny ain't he?!"
"Let go of him!" Dally was coming around the car.
"Speak up, pip-squeak!" The Soc was shaking me.
Dally grabbed the Soc by the shoulder, turned him towards him, and pulled his fist back.
He punched the Soc across the jaw.