Stay - Dallas Winston

6

I ran all the way across town to the bus stop.  

I got there just in time for the 5 am bus.  

The bus ride was about 45 minutes long,  but it felt like hours.  
I watched out the window as the sun rose into the sky, and the scenery passed. 

The bus dropped me off in the middle of Windrixville.
It wasn't a long walk to the church, but it was all up hill. 

I snuck around the church to the back door by the water pump.  

I cracked the door open, and slid in.   

Ponyboy and Johnny sat in the corner shivering.  

Their hair was cut short and was soaking wet, Ponyboy's hair was now blonde.  

“What are you two doing in here?  You're soaking wet, and shivering.   Go sit in the sun and warm up!” I yelled at them. 

I must have scared the two, because they nearly jumped out of their skins. 

Their heads quickly turned towards me.  

Relief washed over their face when they both realized it was me. 

“What are you doing here?” Johnny asked me, as they both stood up. 

“Outside, now. You guys are gonna catch pneumonia.”  I raised my eyebrows at them, and pointed at the door.

They both hurried outside, I followed them out the door.  

They sat out in the sun, and I sat about 10 feet away from them against a tree.

Of course, I forgot my cigarettes. 

So, I had to smoke theirs.

We sat for a few moments in silence, before Johnny talked. 

“He tell ya what happened?” he asked, as he picked at the grass. 

“Yeah, he did this morning. “ I said quietly, as I took long drags off of my cigarette. 

“I had to do it-” Johnny began saying. 

His voice cracked, and it sounded like he was going to cry.  

“Johnny,” I said cutting him off, “you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.  I don't want either of you more upset than you already are. I'm here to help you two.” 

Johnny swallowed his cries, and simply nodded.  

It was true, they have already been through a lot in the last day. 
They didn't need any more unwanted stress.  

“Did you see what Johnny did to my hair?” Ponyboy pouted.  

“Yes, you look fine with blonde hair.   You both look a lot better with shorter hair, and all that grease washed out.” I joked with them.

They both chuckled for a bit.  

Once their hair dried out and they were warm, we went back inside the abandoned church.  

The rest of the night we played poker, and bet on the cigarettes that we had. 

I ended up winning just about every round.  

Johnny had gotten back from the store just before I arrived.  

He picked up bologna, bread, and peanut butter to eat. 
There was a water pump in the back that we drank from.
He got some cards, cigarettes, and a book to help pass the time. 

It was going to be a long few days.  

That night we slept on the floor of the church. 
It had a layer of sand/dirt built up, so it wasn't too uncomfortable. 
I slept between Ponyboy and Johnny, trying to keep warm.   

They both fell asleep before me. 

I laid there for a while, thinking about Dallas. 

All of those times we snuck out together. 

I remember one time...

I was heading to sleep in Ponyboy's room. 
Soda was out with his girlfriend Sandy, so he wasn't going to be back till the next morning. 
Ponyboy was playing cards with Johnny and Dallas, and Darry was doing the dishes. 

I was tired so I went to bed.  

Just before I fell asleep, Dallas climbed through Ponyboys window. 

“I told them I was leaving and walked out the front door. They're going to be busy for a while.” Dallas said, taking his shirt off and locking the door. 

He pulled the blanket off of me, and climbed on top. 

He began kissing my neck.  

“He's gonna come in any minute.” I replied, as I breathed heavily. 

“You better be quick then, princess.” Dallas whispered in my ear.  

That's when we heard footstep coming.

Then, the door knob jiggled. 

Dallas quickly jumped up, and hid in the closet before Pony was able to unlock the door. 

I pulled the blanket over myself before the door opened. 

“Sorry, I must have accidentally locked it when I came in.” I said, trying to play it off. 

“It's ok, it's not a very good lock anyway.” Ponyboy said, sitting down on the bed. 

“Ponyboy, can you get me a glass of water?” I asked him. 

I gave him my ‘puppy dog eyes’.

He sighed, and nodded yes before walking back out the door. 

“Go.” I whispered to Dallas. 

He grabbed his shirt, and hopped out the window.  

“Met me outside in ten minutes.” Dallas winked at me, before closing the window.....

There was a poke into my side. 

“Are you awake?” Ponyboy asked me as he interrupted my train of thought, especially when I was getting to the good part.  

“What?!” I groaned, as I turned over to him. 

“I think there's a monster outside.” Ponyboy gaspted.

There was a faint sound of scratching on the outside of the church. 

“It's probably a mouse. Theres no fucking monsters.” I groaned at him. 

I turned on my back, and closed my eyes. 

I drifted off to sleep.