The Outsiders: Book Two

Old Ties

Dally flopped back onto his pillow, astonishment decorating his features. Well, the features that weren't obscured by the thick cloth over his eyes. “But...Darry said...”

I felt my smile flicker. “It doesn't matter what Darry said.”

“No...Pony...he said...he said you—I didn't even understand it really. He said it was like I never exist—”

I held up a hand. “Dally...I—” my voice faltered. “I don't know what to tell you. Really, I don't. So don't get mad—I'm treading carefully as it is.”

“I wouldn't get mad. I...I missed you, kid.”

I couldn't help but smile. “Aww, c'mon Dal, don't get mushy on me.”

“Who's mushy?” Dally asked huskily. “I sure ain't. A guy can't be happy to see his ol' pal?”

“Can't argue with that logic. It's great to see you, Dally,” I said, grinning and flopping down on the end of his bed. He winced. “Oh, sorry man!”

He waved me off. “I'm fine, kid.”

He didn't look fine. Yellowing bruises colored his skin. His angel-white hair was completely askew and stuck out oddly, and needed washed badly. His jaw was covered in scrapes and burns, and bandages were wrapped around his knuckles and a spot on his collarbone. A slash went through his eyebrow. For some reason, that reminded me of Red.

“You sure?” I asked seriously.

He cracked a grin. “If I weren't fine, wouldn't I be in the hospital?”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. “Don't even start on that. I just got a lecture from the neighbor girl about taking people to the hospital.”

“You don't have any neighbor girls. Or wait—was it that dame that was up here earlier? Because if it was—” he said, grinning slightly.

I stopped him. “No Dal. That wasn't her. That's just a girl who's staying with us.”

“Hmm. Can you tell me about her?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “Like what?”

“What does she look like? Is she good-lookin'?”

“Well...yeah. She's got long dark hair, but it's funny, because it isn't all dark. Like...it's light at the ends...gradually, sort of...”

“Yeah, yeah, keep going. Tell me about the rest of her,” Dally persisted.

Oh jeez. “Well...she's got these pretty blue eyes, like ice sort of, and really thick eyelashes. She's pretty...pretty.”

“Does she have a good figure?”

“Dally...”

“Well, does she?”

I sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess? What does that mean?”

I shrugged again. “It's weird talkin' about her like that. She has a colorful personality too, you know. She's not like other girls.”

A smile slowly crept onto his face. “That's weird.”

“What?”

“Sodapop said the same thing.”

“You asked Soda about her?” I said in surprise. “Why'd you ask Soda about her?”

Dally sighed. “Ponyboy—I can't see,” he said, tapping his blindfold. “She's the first girl I've been around in about a month. I wanted to know what she was like. The best I got from when I met her is that she has a nice voice.”