Pain and Cigarettes|Dallas Winston|

Twenty three

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬
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MARGOT BARGED INTO Isla's room, "You we're right, I think I like Dallas." She said. Isla stared at her wide-eyed from her bed, "Are you serious? Are you actually admitting it? And how did you even get in here?" She questioned.

"Your brother let me in, but yes, I think I am, I don't want to admit it but...I can't deny it anymore." Margot said. "Okay, sit down, and tell me everything." Isla patted the bed and Margot sat down.

"I hung out with him yesterday, and I actually had fun, and I can't stop thinking about him and every time I see him I just want to..." Margot trailed off.

"Kiss him?"

"Yeah that."

Isla grinned, "I can't believe you like Dallas, I mean you've always hated him and now you like him, it's just crazy to think about."

"Yeah, I know, and I know I shouldn't like him because he's a terrible person and everything but I just can't help it." Margot said. "Then don't, let him know how you feel, maybe he'll feel the same way." Isla shrugged.

"He won't, it's Dallas, the guy doesn't do feelings, he doesn't like anyone but himself, and even if he did reciprocate these feelings it wouldn't last very long, he'd probably just dump me the next day." Margot said.

"True, but do you really want a real relationship with him? With Dallas, of all people?" Isla asked.
Margot sighed, "I don't know, this is all so new to me, I mean I've liked people before, but never people I couldn't have." She frowned.

"You always could get any guy you want, but I get it, with Dallas it's different, you've always hated each other and he probably still thinks you hate him, maybe you can be nice and let him know you don't hate him anymore." Isla suggested.

"And feed into his ego? No thanks, it's already big enough." Margot said. "See, these type of comments are what make it all so confusing, you say you like him and then you go off and insult him." Isla crossed her arms.

"Well I can't help it, it's become a habit."

"Well get rid of it, Dallas isn't gonna date a girl who insults him, especially not with that big ego of his where he has to be in charge or whatever, you know how men are and their "reputations" and whatnot." Isla said.

"Insulting him is the only way I can talk to him, what are we gonna do? Talk about school? History? He doesn't care for any of that and neither do I, normal conversation is boring." Margot said. "Dallas isn't a normal guy, so just talk about knives or something, that'll peak his interest." Isla suggested.

"Okay, fine, I'll try and make conversation with him but if an insult happens to slip out it's not my fault." Margot raised her hands in defense as she stood up from the bed.

"Just don't swing a bat at him this time."

Margot left Isla's and walked back to her own house. It was already dark out and Darry would probably yell at her for being out so late but she didn't care. She walked into the house and she spotted Johnny and Dallas sitting on the couch, watching tv.

"Hey Johnny." She greeted him and ignored Dallas, she wasn't going to try and make conversation with him in front of the boys.

"Hey Margs." Johnny nodded his head in greeting.

Dallas raised his hands, "Hello to you too."

Margot rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen where Darry was making dinner. "Hey, I'm making spaghetti, it's almost ready." Darry said.

Margot nodded and she grabbed a soda from the fridge and she walked into the boy's room, "Hello boys." She flopped onto their bed.

"What do you want?" Pony asked, not looking up from his paper. He was at his desk doing homework. "What crawled up your ass?" She asked and he glared at her.

Soda laughed, "He's on work mode." He said. "Yeah, which you should be too Margs, if you fail Darry will have your head on a stick." He remarked.

Margot rolled her eyes, "I'll study tomorrow, I'm too tired."

"Dinner ready yet?" Soda asked.

"Almost, he's making spaghetti."

Pony looked up from his papers and pulled a face, "Oh god, he's not putting garlic in it this time, is he?" He asked. "I think I saw the garlic on the counter, yeah." Margot nodded.

"Just make sure to brush your teeth twice tonight, I'm not sleeping next to garlic breath." Soda said. "Are you not eating dinner?" Margot asked Soda, she just noticed that he was all dressed up.

"No, I'm going out with Sandy tonight." He stood up from the bed and went to check himself out in the mirror.

"Sandy, huh? Is it getting serious?" Margot smirked. "Maybe, she's real nice and pretty, I like her a lot." Soda said. Margot smiled and stood up, "That's good, you deserve to be happy little brother." She patted his shoulders.

He glared at her through the mirror, "For the last time I'm not your little brother!" He shouted.

Margot ran out of the room laughing as Soda chucked a pillow at her, barely missing her as she leaped out the door.

"What'd you do to him?" Johnny asked. "I called him my little brother, I was born first so technically it makes me older." Margot sat on the other couch. "Clearly it doesn't make you more mature." Dallas murmured.

Margot narrowed her eyes at him, "Look who's talking."

Johnny glanced between them, he was used to their arguing by now, but he always wondered why they argued so much. He knew they supposedly "hated" each other but neither of them really had a reason to hate the other.

Margot's reason was because Dallas was a bad person, Dallas' reason was because Margot was annoying. Neither of them had good enough reasons, but Johnny was quiet, he was an observer, and from watching them argue so much he knew that deep down they didn't hate each other.

He could tell that Dallas liked when Margot insulted him, Dallas liked being challenged and Margot did that to him. No matter how many times Margot said that she hated him, Johnny never believed her. If she hated him so much why would she always feed into their arguments?

Both of them were stubborn as hell and neither of them liked to lose, especially not fights. They never backed down from an argument, they would only end when Darry or someone else in the gang would shut them up.

Johnny watched as they argued once again, he kept his eyes on Dallas and he realized something. He wasn't angry, or annoyed, he was actually smiling. Not a genuine smile, of course, he had never seen Dallas genuinely smile before, but he had a small smirk on his face that hinted that he enjoyed their arguing.

He saw how Dallas looked at her, like she was the only one in the room. That's when he realized why Dallas always annoyed her so much. He wanted to argue with her because it was the only way she would talk to him.

He didn't hate her, he never did. He just didn't know how to show that he liked her, so instead he just insulted her and annoyed her all the time because it was the only way to get her attention.

Johnny knew he'd never admit it to anyone and maybe not even himself, but Johnny knew that Dallas was secretly infatuated with her. Maybe Dallas didn't even know himself about this attraction he had, but Johnny knew.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Sorry I've been a little MIA I've been a little busy, but school is starting up again soon so I probably won't publish as much but it rlly depends🤷🏻‍♀️