Stay - Dallas Winston

10

Johnny quickly grabbed us some cigarettes, and met me back on the front porch.

We both leaned against the railing, talking a long drag before he began to speak.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" He questioned. 

"No, I have no reason to be mad at you.  Don't you think for a second I'm ever mad at you.  I don't think I could ever be mad at you, Johnny." I replied. 

I knew exactly what he was talking about.  

He was talking about the fact that Dallas had told him everything from the start.  

"I don't know, I just feel guilty for not telling you that I knew.   Dallas made me promise not to tell you." Johnny looked at the ground as he talked.

"Is that why you would always ask me about him?" I questioned. 

A small smile formed across Johnny's lips, as he looked up at me. 

"Well, that's part of it. I do think you two would go good together." Johnny took another long drag from his cigarette. 

"I don't."

"Why?" Johnny quickly asked. 

"Well, I don't think it would work out. I'm too much to deal with. I'm too difficult, too much work.  I can see him drifting away, finding out how my home life isn't good.  Finding out that I'm just too much of a ticking time bomb. I don't think a person like Dallas could ever care about anything, let alone have to deal with me." I spat out. 

The words just seemed to spill out of my mouth, before I could even think about what I was saying. 

"He asks about you a lot, even before all of this." Johnny spoke quietly, as he looked over his shoulder. 

I looked back into the house where he was looking. 

Dallas Winston, had finally sat down. 

He was sitting at the dining room table, watching Johnny and I talk. 

As soon as he realized we were looking back at him, Dallas turned his head away quickly. 

"Yeah, what does he ask about?" I shook my head. 

"Anything, and everything." Johnny simply replied. 

"Real descriptive." I rolled my eyes.  

"Anyway, I think you two would dig ok." Johnny let out a light laugh. 

I didn't reply, I flicked my cigarette butt into the yard, and shook my head. 

"Besides, you've still got his ring on your finger." Johnny winked.

Dallas' silver skull ring was still wrapped around my left thumb. 

"Shut up!" I joked, as the two of us walked into the house. 

Everyone was all in their own conversations. 

Talking and joking around like before. 

I sat down next to Ponyboy on the couch. 

"You alright, Ponyboy?" I asked him. 

He looked deep into thought, as he slowly looked over.  

He grabbed the newspaper from the table in front of us, and handed it to me. 

"Take a look at this." Ponyboy said. 

The paper read 'delinquent youths turn hero aftet daring fire rescue', the four of us had our pictures on the front page of the paper.  There was a whole article about the fire, and how we saved those little kids. 

As I scanned the article, a pair of shoes appeared at my feet.  

I looked up, and Dallas Winston stood over me. 

He looked over at Ponyboy. 

"I'm gonna have a cigarette." Ponyboy said awkwardly, as he quickly got up and went outside. 

Dallas smiled, as he sat down where Pony was sitting. 

Dallas kicked his feet up onto the table, and rested his arm on the back of the couch behind me. 

"You see this." I spoke quietly, as I handed Dallas the paper. 

"Yeah, I did.   I can't believe it.  It's the first time my picture has been in the paper without 'wanted: dead or alive' written on it." Dallas let out a loud, booming laugh. 

His laugh seemed to echo through my head, which didn't help the headache that I already had. 

My whole body hurt to begin with. 

"Dal, I'm sorry about your jacket and all.  I'll get you a new one." I told him.  

His jacket that he put around me earlier that day, took a lot of fire damage. 

"Don't worry about it, that jacket means nothing to me.  I'm just glad you're ok." Dallas spoke at almost a whisper. 

His eyes locked with mine. 

They seemed to soften, as he continued to look at me. 

His face seemed to inch closer to mine. 

I quickly turned my face away from his.

I could feel my heart began to race. 

"Thanks for pulling me out of the building." I quickly spoke. 

"I wasn't just gonna leave you to burn to death." Dallas seemed to talk in a much softer tone than normal.  

His voice was so soothing to my ears in that moment. 

I felt like I could listen to him talk for hours. 

Dallas let out another chuckle. 

"What?" I asked him. 

"You look tired, man.  You look beat." He replied. 

"I am tired.  I am beat." I laughed, as I attempted to rub the tired look off of my face.  

"Why don't you lay your head back, and rest your eyes for a while?" Dallas leaned in, and whispered into my ear. 

I looked around the room, and everyone was still in their own little conversations. 

So oblivious to Dallas and I. 

"I think I might just do that." I whispered back. 

I leaned my head back against the couch, and closed my eyes.