Outsiders imagines

Dallas

I plan what I'm going to say as I walk up the sidewalk to the Cutis house hold. I just can't do it anymore. I can't stay in this town. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder every other minute when I go somewhere. I'm tired of being scared every time I leave my run down house. 

Luckily as I swing open the front door to the Curtis' I seethe entire gang hanging out in the living room. Perfect. I only have to go through this one time. 

"Guys," I pause as I look at the group of boys in front of me, "I'm leaving."

"What do you mean? You just got here." Sodas eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at me from the TV. 

"That's not what I meant," I say with a small smile, "I'm leaving Tulsa."

You could've heard a pin drop as all of them turned to look at me in shock. Their mouths were agape and they stared at me with wide eyes. 

"What?" Johnny asked quietly.

"Why?" Steve added on aggressively. 

"I can't live like this anymore. I'm just so tired. I got jumped for this week for the third time in theist six months. It's exhausting to always be looking over my shoulder." I start to ramble as tears slowly start to fill my eyes. 

Dallas started to laugh, I hate that laugh. That sarcastic, condescending laugh he does to try and make a point. "You're not leaving."

"Yes, I am!" I snapped back. "I'm leaving and I'm going to make something of myself instead staying in this pathetic town and rotting my life away!"

"How do you plan on making something out of yourself without a high school diploma? Huh?" Darry asked, raising his eyebrows. 

I completely ignore him as I wander around the small house and throw the few things I had left there into my backpack. 

"You can't make stay," I say, avoiding eye contact with all of them. 

"If you leave you're gonna get yourself killed!" Dally yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me back towards him. 

"I'll get killed if I stay!" I argue.  

With that the entire house erupts in chaos as everyone starts yelling over top of each other. Dallas tries to take the bag off of my back hole Darry stands infant of the front door to prevent me from leaving. 

"Everyone shut up!" Soda yelled, quietening everyone. "This is her decision. Obviously none of want you to leave, but there's nothing we can do to force you to stay. Just think about who you're leaving and not what you're leaving. 

The room fell into a tense silence as everyone stared at me, waiting for me to say something, anything. I nervously picked at my nails, thinking about what he had just said. 

"I don't know," I whisper, "even my parents don't care about what happens to me."

"Can we talk? Alone?" Dallas asked, stepping up to me and carefully grabbing my hand.

I nod in response, following him outside. Two-Bit hollered something behind us, but all I could understand was Steve yelling him to shut up. Once we got out onto the porch Dally pulled out a cigarette and lit it, pulling a long drag. He offered it to me and I only softly shook my head no.

"You can't leave. I need you to stay." He said it so matter of fact and I felt my back and shoulders tense up in anticipation for the argument. 

"Dally," I sigh. 

"Just listen okay," he mutters rolling his eyes. I bite back a remark and nod for him to continue. "Look, I love you okay? I know this is coming out of left field but I do. I love you and I have since the moment I met you. If you leave this town I might just lose my goddamn mind. 

"Why would you wait so long to tell me?" I choke out as tears fall out of my eyes. "I was leaving, Dally. Tonight. I already have my bus ticket and everything! Why would you tell me this right now?

"Because I'm selfish! Because you were gonna leave and I don't want you to! I was fine without you knowing as long as you were still here, as long as I could love you from a distance. I was trying to keep from ruining your life, but if you're gonna ruin your life anyways it might as well be from me instead of you getting killed while hitchhiking!" He yelled the words at me, waving the cancer stick around in the air while trying to prove a point.

I stared at him with wide eyes as I processed what he had just said to me. He's loved me this whole time? This entire time we could've been taking care of each other. Shocking both him and myself I walk up to him, grab his face, and kiss him. 

His shock only lasts for a moment before he's kissing just as aggressively as I was. his hands go to the back of my head as he pulls me closer to him, nippingly bottom lip. I let him kiss me for a few moments longer before shoving him off of me and fixing my mussed up hair. 

"I need to think about things," I say as he watches me carefully. "I'll let you know what I decide."

"What time is your bus ticket?" He asked.

"I won't tell you that." He only stared at me as left the house, making my way down to the gate. 

After I left the Curtis' I just walked around town a for little while, trying to decide if Dallas would be enough for me to stay. Would he treat me right? Would I regret staying for him?

Darry also had a point. Not only would I have no high school diploma, but I'm also a girl. No one wants to hire a girl who has little to no education. Maybe I'm pretty enough to get a job anyways? Then I would have to deal with pervy men and have to worry about them using my job against me. 

After walking around for a while I sit at the park, just people watching. As much as I hate this town I have to admit that it can be beautiful, especially during the sunset. I pull out my bus ticket, 8:00 P.M. I tap it against my hand as I stare at it. 

Finally I take a deep breath and then throw the ticket into the fountain, watching as the paper absorbs the water. 

When I get back to the Curtis' my face warms in embarrassment. Will they laugh at me? Call me a chicken? If they do I guess I could always just buy another ticket tomorrow, but every cent is precious right now. 

I open the door to be faced once again with the entire gang, all staring at me. I say nothing as Dallas elbows Steve beside him, muttering for him to move. Steve grumbled but followed his instruction. 

"Here, I saved a seat for you, baby," Dally said, winking. 

I smiled and settled in next to him, and like a switch was flipped, the boys broke out into their usual rowdy conversations, joking with each other and yelling across the house. I sit in to his side even further and my stomach warms as I feel him place a soft kiss on the top of my head.