AN: I worked really hard on this. Hope you enjoy loves xX
I stood looking in the cosmetics mirror behind the counter, watching a beautiful boy with crazy blazing eyes, sharp features and a tough look to him. "Hey, with the blue eyes!" I heard a voice behind me. I was turned with my back to the counter. My shift was almost over, and I was itching to get out.
"I have a name." I smiled coyly at the beautiful boy behind me.
"Yeah? Why don't you tell me then?'' he popped a sucker out of his mouth.
"Kenzie. And while you tell me what I can get for you, with don't you tell me yours?"
"Dallas Winston is the name, picking up pretty ladies is my game." he smiled a heart stopping smile. "Just a pack of Palmals."
"Each one takes a year off your life, yanno." I smiled and put one between my lips."
"More of a live fast, die hard kinda guy. Besides, if that was true, I'd done be gone, dollface."
"Think of it like this," I smirked "that's less time you could be spending with me." I blew a bubble with the pink chewing gum in my mouth, and popped it with my lips, the gum staining my pink lipstick.
"Maybe we should spend sometime together right now, then?" he lit up one of the cancer sticks.
"Yeah? Think so?" I asked.
"What time do you get off?" he blew little O's with his smoke.
"Six." it was only 4:45.
"How bout I come pick you up?" I smiled back at the dark, handsome boy.
"I'd like that." I smiled, my cheeks blushing.
"See ya then, pretty girl." he walked out and got into a beautiful black car.
I instantly called my best friend April.
"You're never gunna believe this!" I squealed.
"What?!"
"A boy just asked me on a date."
"What's his name?!" she exclaimed.
"Dallas. Winston? I think he said."
"The hood? Ugh," she scoffed. "I will never understand why you have a thing for such trash! He's been to prison Kenzie. And he was in a gang in New York! Marty finds out and you're dead." Marty was my big brother...who didn't approve of my taste in guys even more than April. Marty was big. And tough. He's all I got since Mom died. We had never known Pops and well, Marty wasn't much. I mean, he drank, partied and smoked. Even every once in a while...he'd laid a hand on me, I know he didn't mean much by it.
"Oh well! I'm having fun!" I hung up the phone after a maybe too long pause.
When the clock said 5:55, I was fixing up my hair and make up. I wore a white button down shirt, my blue work scarf around my neck, a pair of park navy tight fitting pants and red pumps.
"Hey Kenz." his voice sounded like we had known each other forever.
"Hi, Dallas." I smiled at him.
"Please. Dally, or Dal. We're friends, right." he winked at me.
"Maybe. If its Dally to you, it's Mac to me. " I sauntered close to him.
"Mac, I like that. You dig okay."
"I like you."
"So, do you always look this good, or did you plan on meeting a hunk like me today?" a small smirk played on his lips.
"Just got a feelin'." I flicked my long blonde hair over my shoulder. Soft waves fell all the way down my chest.
"Ready?" he asked as soon as the clock struck six.
"Where to?" I asked as he intertwined our arms.
"Let's go to the drive in." he smiled.
"Anywhere with you." I smiled as he opened my car door.
"Hey, Dal?"I said softly before the movie started, trying not to get lipstick on the straw we were sharing
"Yeah, babe?" he said softly.
"You're not...you're not as dangerous as everyone says, are you?" I nearly whispered. For a second, his eyes lit up like a blazing blue fire I had never seen on anyone before, then they slowly cooled back down to the ocean pools I was catching myself staring into.
"Let's go somewhere else we can talk, yeah?" he started the car before I could answer. Next thing I knew, we were sitting at the park in his car. "Now, I'm not...I'm not what everyone seems to make me wanna be, yanno?" he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "But...I've done what I've had to to get where I am. All the jazz about New York, I made half of it up to seem tough. But the gettin shot part was true, I'll show you the scar if you don't believe me. I just...I gotta he tough, if you're not tough you get hurt, and let down, beaten and broke. You get tough and no one can hurt you..." he laid his head on the steering wheel. "I'm not soft like Pony, I'm not charismatic like Soda, I'm not broken like Johnny." Soda...I worked with Sodapop, I knew I'd seen Dally before. "I just, I feel like I ain't gotta spot, so I'm the tough one and then...I do." his voice was strained like he was trying not to cry. I titled his chin up and made him look at me.
"Hi, I'm McKenzie. My friends call me Kenzie, but I hate it. I prefer Mac. I'm not the popular one, I'm not the funny one or the smart one. I'm just me. I fit better with hoods than I do my own group. I know exactly how you feel. But...maybe I can give you a spot, maybe you can have a spot with me?" I smiled at him. His ocean eyes softened. He bit the corner of his lip and leaned in. His lips softly grazed mine and his hand rested on my cheek, it was almost as if he was scared he'd break me. Like I was the most fragile doll and he had to do everything he could to protect me.
"I'm never gunna let anyone hurt you." he said, his forehead against mine, his breath hot, his hair messy. It was perfect. He was perfect. This broken, hostile boy, was...flawless.
We pulled into my driveway around 10:00 the lights were still on and Marty's car was in the driveway.
Dallas opened my car door and helped me out, holding my hand as we stepped up onto the porch. As soon as we did, Marty opened the door.
"Hey Mar..." I smiled at him.
"Who is he?" he asked, his tone forced.
"Marty, this is Dallas Winston. Dallas...is very very sweet. And I like him, a lot." I said slowly. Dallas' fixed face, blazing eyes, messy white t-shirt and leather jacket didn't much help.
"I know Dallas."
"Woah. Marty Lowe is your brother?" Dallas looked at me with those cold eyes.
"Yeah?" something told me they knew each other.
"Do you know what trash this guy is? The things I've seen him do! To girls, innocent people and greases, too!" Dal yelled...
"You're one to talk!" Marty pushed Dally, hard. "I've seen you pull blades, and heaters! Leave your friends in fights by themselves!"
"Now.." Dally pushed Marty against the house, his arm pinned against his throat. "Mac, has he ever laid a hand on you?" I didn't say anything. "Mac. Answer me. Now." his voice was harsh, but his eyes were soft.
"Yes." I looked down. "But-!" I started.
"Thats enough for me." Dally pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket. "She's gunna go upstairs. She's gunna pack her clothes. She's taking whatever she wants out of this house. And you will not say a damn thing about it. Do you understand?" he pressed the blade to his throat.
"Fine. Take whatever the fuck you want." I knew Dal didn't have a safe enough place for us.
"No." I coughed up. "I want you out. Take your clothes, leave me the car. I have a job I was taking care of both of us, I can take care of myself. I'm 18. I don't need you. Leave." I was shaking yet held my voice strong, Dal just smirked at me.
"Kenzie..." he soothed.
"I said get your shit and leave."
"Fine. Fine. Fine." he held his hands up.
"Get your shit and get gone. I'm sick of looking at you." we watched him walk upstairs, walk to his room and began packing.
"Dallas Winston. You are the bravest boy I have ever seen!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him forcefully.
"Think so?" he smiled down at me.
"Know so." I giggled. Soon, Marty came back downstairs and waited for one of his lowlife friends to come get him. While doing so, I ran upstairs and put on a big t-shirt, throwing my hair into a bun. I slipped on a pair of long socks and ran back downstairs. Marty was just getting ready to leave.
"Of course you'd dress like a slut for your new boytoy." Dallas quickly shut him up by hitting him square in the jaw.
"Go. Before I finish kicking your ass." he pushed him to the car before rejoining me on the porch.
"Gimme your necklace." I smiled up at him.
"Careful, it means a lot to me." he took it off and slid it into my hands. I happily pulled the extra key from above the mailbox and slipped it onto the chain.
"You're welcomed here, anytime. Always." I kissed it and clasped it back around his neck.
"I'm always going to protect you." as much as I tried to hide the fear in my eyes, I knew it wasn't working.
"C'mon, I'm tired." I took his hand and pulled him into the house. I pushed him down into a recliner and fell into his lap. "I'm not scared when you're around." I soothed his hair.
"No reason to be, baby girl." he laid his forehead on mine. And I slowly drifted to sleep.
SIX MONTHS LATER
I stood at the stove making a chocolate cake bigger than me.
"Mac!" I heard Soda yell from the door.
"Sodapop Curtis! Go clean up, now!" I laughed. He was a greasy mess from work.
"It's Dal. He won't mind." Soda kicked his feet on the table.
"Fine. Just don't make a mess."
"Mac! You got any Mickey cartoons?"
"Channel six Two-Bit."
"Mac, where's Johnny?"
"With Dal, Pony."
"Is that cake?"
"Later, Steve." I laughed "Darry, Advil are in the medicine cabinet.
This is what my life had become. I had adopted so many more brothers. The Curtis boys, Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny and of course I still had my Dally.
An hour later we all stood at the door. "Awe, c'mon Johnnycakes, why are you being so weird?" Dal opened the door.
"Happy birthday!" we all screamed. Two-Bit handed him a beer, Soda and Darry through confetti from a newspaper, and I greeted him with a kiss.
"Happy birthday, baby." I smiled up at him.
"Awe, you shits." he laughed throwing paper off his shoulders, "thank you baby." he kissed me softly. I wore a little black dress with his jean jacket, the sleeves rolled halfway. "This is why you kept me out all day." he roughed around with Johnny.
We drank, and partied, and ate cake until early in the morning before everyone was gone.
"How did I get so lucky?" he kissed me at the foot of the stairs.
"Let me show you." I shimmied off my jacket, revealing the low cut of my dress, I slowly skipped up the stairs. "Come get me." I ran until he chased me to what was basically our shared bedroom. This, this was my every day life. I had fallen in love with a fallen angel and made him my Prince.
