My Strange Addiction | Dallas Winston

twelve

Madelyn arrived at the front door, with Dallas following behind her. She had a bright smile on her face as she walked in the house, "Hey y'all."

Two-Bit grinned at the couple, teasingly, "Look who finally decided to show their face again." Madelyn replied, "Yeah yeah," as Dallas sat on the couch.

Madelyn asked, "Where's Pony and Johnny?" She walked across the living room as Soda replied, "Pony's room," not taking his eyes off the TV.

Madelyn walked down the hallway and lightly knocked on Pony's door before pushing it open. "Hey guys," she smiled. Johnny sat up from his spot on the bed and said, "Hey Mads."

She sat at the edge of the bed and said, "Uhm, I wanna tell you guys something." The two boys looked at her, curious. "Tell us what?" Ponyboy put his book in his lap.

Madelyn hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uhm, well, me and Dally are kinda..." she trailed off, looking at them. Johnny and Pony looked at each other before looking back at Madelyn. She finally said, "You know we're.. we're dating," as the boys' eyes widened.

"Really?" Johnny asked, with surprise. Ponyboy, on the other hand, seemed to have already guessed it. "I knew it," he said, picking up his book.

Madelyn nodded at Johnny, then turned to Ponyboy. "What do you mean you knew it?" she asked.

Ponyboy replied, "Well, I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but Sodapop mentioned something about y'all, and it was also kinda obvious."

The girl replied with a quiet voice, "Hmm, course he did." She was fidgeting with her bracelet while asking, "What do you guys think about it?"

Ponyboy spun around in the desk chair and said, "Honestly, I feel like most people saw it coming."

"I think it's like whatever but don't get too attached cause you know, it's Dallas."Johnny said and Madelyn agreed, "Yep, it's Dallas," while looking back to the door.

Ponyboy said, "Come on, let's go out there," while he opened the door to the room. Johnny got up from the bed and followed behind Ponyboy, but Madelyn stayed back for a second before getting up and meeting the two boys in the hallway.

As they walked down the hallway, they could hear the sounds of Steve and Sodapop's voices getting louder and more boisterous. The smell of cigarette smoke and cheap cologne wafted through the air, mingling with the sound of laughter.

When they finally reached the room, they saw that Dallas and Two-Bit were in the middle of an intense arm wrestling match, with Steve and Sodapop cheering them on. Dallas pushed Two-Bit's arm down with a triumphant grin, while Two-Bit furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.

Madelyn and the two boys walked into the kitchen, and she rested her hand on his chair, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Did you tell them?" Dallas asked, his voice low and quiet, but loud enough for everyone to hear. She slightly nodded her head, while Ponyboy said, "Yes she did," while jumping onto the couch..

"Hmmm," Dallas hummed, as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his St. Christopher lighter.

"So you've told everyone then?" Sodapop asked, sitting next to Ponyboy. The question was directed at the person who was sharing a cigarette with Dallas. She seemed to be the center of attention, and everyone was waiting to hear what she had to say.

"I have to figure out how to tell Darry," she said, her voice low and hesitant. She took a drag from the cigarette, and her eyes flickered around the room, as if she was looking for a way out. Dallas was watching her closely and she rubbed her eyes and took another drag from the cigarette.