The Outsiders Imagines

Dallas Winston

- IN WINDRIXVILLE -

"I should have never let you get involved Amberlin. Just go home" Johnny argued.

"You're my brother Johnny. I refuse to let you and Pony go through this alone" I spat back. Ponyboy, sleeping against a church wall, shifts a little. I take it as a sign to lower my voice. Johnny seems to take note of this as well.

"This is dangerous" he states. "I couldn't take it if something happened to you because of me."

"Nothing is gonna happen to me... or any of us" I finish. "I'm in this just as much as you and Ponyboy are and I'm not going anywhere. Now get some rest; we all need it."

Johnny's jaw tenses. He nods slowly and we both try to get comfortable.

- FLASHBACK -

"Johnny killed a soc" Ponyboy choked out as Dally opened the door.

Confusion flooded Dally's face. And then his gaze fixed on me. "Oh don't tell me that you brought Amberlin into all of this. What the hell is wrong with you man?" he scolded at the boys.

Johnny kept his head down. "Come on inside, we can talk about this upstairs" Dally sighed, holding the door open for us. We followed him to his room and he quickly threw dry clothes at Ponyboy. "Put this on" he ordered, holding out a jacket. I looked back at Ponyboy. "No. You Amberlin. You're shivering."

I wanted to say 'thank you' but I was still in shock from everything that just went down. "Y'all gonna tell me what the hell happened or are we just gonna keep playing mute?" he bit out.

The four of us exchanged glances, trying to see who would speak first. Johnny's gaze never left his shoes. "They were drowning Ponyboy" he spoke up. "They would have killed him. And you should have heard the things they said about Amberlin. And..." Johnny's voice stopped. He tried to slow his breath and was visibly shaking.

"It was my fault" I spoke up. Dally's focus turned to me, his face never changing. "I didn't want to go home. Ponyboy and Johnny stayed out with me at the lot and it got Pony in trouble. We all went to the park to get away for a while and that's when the socs pulled up" I explained.

"They came up and just started threatening us. Before I knew it, they had me in the fountain and I couldn't breathe" Ponyboy started. Johnny had calmed down a little bit but still refused to look up from his shoes.

"They held us down. Beat me and said things about Amberlin. They let go of us to help hold Pony still and that's when I stabbed him. I didn't mean to but... but I didn't know what else to do" Johnny said, his voice stern.

Dally's eyes found mine and softened, but only for a moment. Before I knew it, he was spitting out directions on how to escape all of this until we clear our names.

Dally walked us out the door. Ponyboy and Johnny were in front of us; Dally walked behind me. "Amberlin" he said, so low I could barely hear him. I turned to look at him as he grabbed my wrist. "You need to go home. You are not involved in this."

I furrowed my brows. "What the hell. I was there Dallas. I am very much involved in this" I spat back.

"I know. But you don't have to be. You didn't do anything wrong and I can watch after you here."

"You're not my dad. Besides, I'm not alone" I argued, looking for Ponyboy and Johnny who disappeared into the crowd in front of us. "Dammit Dallas, let me go" I yanked my wrist from his grasp.

His jaw clenched, but he let me go. I stomped my way outside and saw my brother and Ponyboy waiting for me near the door.

"You ready" Johnny asked, glancing back and forth from me to Pony.