Stay - Dallas Winston

13

When I woke up the next morning, Johnny was still asleep on the couch next to me. 

Darry was awake, making breakfast in the kitchen. 

I forced myself up. 

God, my body hurt. 

"Morning, kiddo." Darry smiled, as I poured myself some coffee.

I gave him a sweet smile in response. 

I took my coffee outside, so I could enjoy it with a cigarette. 

The breakfast of champions. 

When I reentered the curtis house, I noticed Dallas sitting at the table. 

I didn't notice him sitting there before, but to my defense... I wasn't really paying attention. 

Ponyboy had just woken up, walking around rubbing his face. 

Johnny was just waking up as well. 

"What happened to you, Dal?" Darry asked him, as he handed him a plate.  

"Courtney punched me." Dallas said in a low voice. 

Darry quickly looked up at me.

"It was well deserved." I defended myself. 

I walked into the kitchen, as quickly washed my cup out. 

Darry turned back to Dallas. 

"Why did she hit you?" He asked him. 

"I shoved her... a little."

Darry sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. 

"Courtney, you can't be hitting people.  Dallas, you can't be shoving people.  I can't believe I have to yell at you two like you're five!" Darry yelled at us, like a parent yelling at their kids. 

"OK, sorry.  Can I take a shower?" I asked Darry sheepishly. 

I always feel bad asking anyone for anything. 

"Yes, you don't have to ask." Darry spoke in a much softer tone, before yelling to Ponyboy to have him wake soda up for work. 

Darry, Soda, and Steve had to work today. Darry usually gives them a ride on his way. 

Taking a shower had never felt so good.  

I truly did feel absolutely disgusting. 

It felt nice to get all the dirt and blood off. 

I felt, and looked like a new woman when I got out of the shower. 

Before I left the bathroom, I took a hand full of aspirin. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Ponyboy asked me, as I walked back into the living room. 

He was cleaning up the house. 

Dallas still sat in his same spot at the kitchen table. 

"I want to change my clothes.   I want to wear my clothes.  I want to do my makeup, and brush my hair." I sighed. 

"You shouldn't be going there, I've been instructed to not let you walk the streets alone." He said, as he continued to clean up. 

Oh here we go.

"He's not gonna be there at 9 in the morning.   But if you want to come with, be my guest."

Ponyboy looked up at me. 

"I've gotta clean the house." He cocked an eyebrow at me. 

"I'll go with her." Dallas finally spoke.  

He hadn't said anything to me since the night before.  

But of course Dallas would have to come.  

I rolled my eyes, as I slipped on my shoes, and walked out the door. 

Dallas had to jog a bit to catch up. 

"Slow down, man!" Dallas huffed, as he came to my right side. 

"You got a cigarette?" I asked him. 

Dallas reached into his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette from his pack. 

He placed it between his lips, then stuck a match off of his necklace to light the cigarette. 

Dallas took a long, slow drag off of it, before handing it off to me. 

It wasn't long, before we reached my house. 

We made it there before I finished my cigarette even. 

"I don't think I've ever been to your house.  In fact, I don't think I ever even knew where you lived." Dallas let about a booming laugh, as we walked up to the front door. 

"You're not missing much." I spoke quietly, as we entered. 

My dad wasn't home at the time. 

His empty liquor bottles still remained on the floor, from the night before, along with a stain of my blood. 

"I thought you said you fell down some stairs." Dallas spoke softly to me. 

Dallas stared at the blood stain on the floor. 

"Come on." I said, grabbing his forearm, and leading him to my room. 

Dallas Winston had stopped instantly, the moment he entered my room. 

His eyes darted in every direction, as he took in every inch of what he was seeing. 

I didn't quite understand though. 

There was nothing special about my room. 

A bed, a dresser, a closet, a mirror.   

Along with hundreds of little items all around. 

They weren't fancy decorations, or anything special. 

None of them matched in anyway.

They were just little things I would buy, because I liked them. 

"What's the meaning off all this stuff?" Dallas asked, he walked up to my dresser and began touching anything he could get his hands on.  

Picking up items, examining them thoroughly, before setting it back down and moving onto the next.

"I don't know, I just like them.. that's all." I chuckled, as I sat down on the floor in front of my mirror. 

I began brushing my long, snarled hair. 

It hadn't been brushed in days, it made me look like I took a nose dive into a hurricane. 

"Where'd you get this, man?" Dallas asked, holding up a little metal flower pin. 

I looked at him through my mirror, I had never seen Dallas Winston so focused. 

"I don't remember, why?" I continued to brush my hair. 

Dallas shrugged, as he continued to look at the small pin. 

Like a kid at a candy store, hinting to his mother that he wanted something. 

A little laugh escaped my lips. 

"If you want it, you can have it.... but only if you sit down and stop touching shit."

The corner of Dallas’s lips curled up into a small smile, as he stuck the pin into his front pockets on his jeans. 

Dallas Winston slowly walked over, and sat besides me. 

He sat so close that his legs touched mine. 

"Can.... can I tell you something?" Dallas picked at his fingers, as he spoke. 

"Sure." I put my brush down on the floor, and began doing my makeup with the products that were scattered around us.