This Might Hurt A Little-A Dallas Winston Fanfiction

No Mans Land

Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle.-Anna Quindlen

When I woke up the bed was empty, except for the indent of where Soda used to be laying. He has a habit that drives me crazy, getting up before the sun even rises and then complaining to nearly everyone how tired he is. You could tell him to sleep in, but he wouldn't listen. Normally, Ponyboy would have been sleeping in this bed instead of me but, when I slept over he always took the couch. It couldn't have  been comfortable but, there was no way he was sharing a bed with Soda and I.

I stood up in the dusty room, my toes curled up against the cold wooden floor. My clothes were thrown in the corner but, Soda's shirt was big enough on me that it reached my knees so, I didn't grab them. I could hear yelling all the way from the living room so I took  that as my cue to go downstairs. My muscles protested my movements as I walked across the creaky floorboards. Whenever I slept at Sodas I always woke up with a soreness between my thighs.

As soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs I ducked immediately as a pillow flew past my head. I looked for the assailant and saw little Johnny Cade standing there, and even through his darker skin color, I could see him blushing.

"Sorry Scarlett. I was aiming for Two Bit."

At least that's what I think he said. You never really know with Johnny, he talked so quiet. I just gave him a smile and tossed it back. Finally, Two-Bit turned and whistled at my bare legs. I rolled my eyes and let my dark brown, almost black, hair fall in front of my face. I walked into the kitchen and nearly fainted when I saw Darry still there cooking eggs. Normally, he would be long gone to fix roofs and him seeing me like that made me feel a little green around the gills. Even though Soda had told me a million times that Darry liked me, I still didn't believe him. There's something about those eyes. Darry's almost as handsome as Soda but, he's so cold and serious that no girl I know has ever dared to go after him. Still, he didn't even take a second glance when he saw me standing there in just Soda's shirt.

He just went back to frying eggs and asking Ponyboy about school. He doesn't care about much else. I would never tell Soda but, I think Darry's a real bore most of the time. He just doesn't dig anything that's not serious. Not that I could blame him. After their parents were killed in an auto wreck Darry had to start taking care of Soda and Ponyboy. Those years had aged him and aged him fast. Soda spotted me and jumped down off the counter, planting a warm kiss on my cheek as I mumbled a good morning.

"Morning sleepyhead." He said to me, smiling cheek to cheek.

Sodapop has real warm blue eyes, the kind that look like they're always smiling. I gave him my own smile and sat down at the table with Pony, Steve, and Dallas. Dallas looked like he'd gotten into a rumble all by his lonesome. The left side of his face was alternating between shades of red and purple. Sometimes the bruises make the boys look more cool. These just made Dallas look meaner.

"You have to pay to stare." Dallas snapped at me, noticing my inspection of his battle wounds.

I didn't even bother replying. Sometime's it's better to just not say anything to him. He wouldn't dare hit me but, he would make a retort that I would be thinking about for weeks. His bark is worse than his bite in my opinion and hell, his bites really bad. Dallas is different in that way. Soda and Steve only look for fights for fun and they never go too far. Ponyboy and Johnny probably wouldn't even fight back if they got jumped. And the only time Two-Bit gets in fights is when he's wasted. Which is pretty much always but, he'd rather go to a rodeo or party than fight anyone. Darry just doesn't have the time. Dallas doesn't go looking for trouble, Dallas is the trouble. He's more experienced than anyone else in the gang and it's made him a whole lot wiser. Not smarter, but wiser. Ponyboy is smart but Dallas, he's wise. Time has only done one thing for Dallas, made him colder.