Black Tears

two

Dally's POV

We were sitting around the Curtis house at about 11:30 and we had nothing to do. We had celebrated Darrel's 21st birthday with a beer or two and then just talked while Ponyboy went into his room to do homework.

"Come on Darry why we can't we celebrate properly?" Sodapop asked. He had wanted to go to a bar or club or something for Darrel's birthday but of course Darry didn't want to.

"I'm going to bed, Pepsi cola," he said rubbing his sodas head and walking back to his room.

Steve had already left to go out with Evie so at the moment there was just me Soda Two-bit and Johnny.

"Let's do something, man." I brought a cancer stick up to my lips.

"Like what?" Johnny asked. He didn't like doing dangerous stuff but the kid needed to have funny every once in a while.

"I know a nice club downtown, I ain't been there in about a year man but they have some nice broads down there." Soda and Two-bit's faces lit up and they look at each other smiling.

"I don't know, Dal. I might just head home. Lilly outta be home in a couple hours and I should be there when she is."

"Look man," I said walking up and slinging my arm around him. "We can go watch some chicks get naked and then we can go pick your sister up from work so she doesn't have to walk home," I negotiated.

Johnny still seemed uneasy but he finally nodded in agreement. Two bit and Sodapop ran out the door. Those two sure know how to have a good time.

We arrived shortly and a sexy blonde had just finished her dance and was heading back. We got pretty close to the stage and Johnny was still looking awfully guilty.

"Relax man, just try and have a good time." He nodded but still looked down at the ground.

"Gentle men please welcome our next dancer: Rose," said a raspy voice over the loud speaker. Men clapped and hollered as a small brunette girl came out on stage.

"She's my favorite," a tall intoxicated man leaned over and said to me. I smirked and took a puff of my cigarette.

The girl was wearing fishnet pantyhose and a red corset. She spun and then found her way to the pole in the middle of the stage. After doing some impressive tricks on her pole she crawled seductively to the edge of the stage. That's when our eyes met and everything went quiet.

"Lilly!" I yelled. Johnny's head shot up and his jaw dropped. Sodapop and Two-bit looked as surprised and angry as we did.

She just froze and kept her eyes on mine. I felt my anger rise and I reached up and quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her off stage. She squealed and carried her in my arms and began storming out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" A man yelled in my face. I set Lilly down in front of my but kept my arms around her. 

"Getting her out of here! She's a kid man!" I screamed in his face. I want him to try and stop me just so I could mess him cup for even letting her work here in the first place. 

"She's my sister, we're taking her home!" Johnny's voice was angry and louder than I had ever heard it. I almost didn't recognize him.

"Rose, you know these guys?" He asked her and I almost punched him.

"Yes," she mumbled and I could tell she was crying. I could feel her shaking and breathing heavily. 

"Get out of the way man or I swear we will mess you up!" Sodapop got into his face and this seemed to anger the man, but as soon as Two-Bit brought out his new blade, the man stepped aside and we stormed out. 

We walked back to the Curtis's house without another word being said. As soon as the doors opened Lilly ran for Ponyboy's room. They weren't real close, but he reminded her of Johnny so he was as much of a safe haven as she had at the moment. Johnny was fuming so were the other boys. I grabbed her arm and stopped her before she could.

"What the hell, Lilly!?" I yelled. 

"What were you thinking?" Soda added.

"You could have been so fucking hurt, it ain't even funny!" Two-Bit screamed.

"How long has this been going on?!" Johnny questioned.

She tried to catch her breath from all the crying, but she couldn't. She fell to the floor crying and just sat there. Darry and Ponyboy came out quickly, both with concerned looks not their faces. 

"What the hell is going on?" Darry asked.

"We just pulled her out of the strip club across the street!" I answered and Darry's face went to pure shock. Ponyboy's face turned real red and he looked like he was gonna cry or something. 

Johnny reached down and pulled Lilly up. 

"Answer me. Why and how long?" He wasn't yelling no more. This time he was just real close to her face and looked more sad than angry.

"Just a few months, I promise," she said in between sobs as thick black tears ran down her face. 

"Why, Lilly?" His voice rose slightly again and she sobbed even harder. She didn't answer and he repeated himself again. She just kept crying. 

"I have to get us out," she finally said with what was left of her voice. It was raspy from all of the crying. I felt my heart sink.

"I gotta get us away!" She yelled pulling away from Johnny's grip and taking a few steps away from him. His face, along with all of ours, was no longer angry. But hurt. She was broken and we were all starting to see it. 

"I am so afraid of this being our whole life, Johnny. I gotta get us out of there," she broke down again and this time I grabbed her and pulled her into my chest. 

I just hugged her. I didn't know what else to do and the thought of not holding her in my arms seemed impossible at the moment. I just wanted to hold her and tell her it would be okay. That I would make sure she was okay. The boys all just looked at her as she cried into my chest. Johnny had been through hell, but I had never seen him look like that. Almost empty. I just hugged her and whispered that it was going to be okay over and over. Finally I took a couple steps back with her still in my arms and sat down on the couch. I pulled her legs up so she was laying halfway on the sofa and halfway on me. I never wanted anything to happed to her and in that moment I decided I would never let her go. 

Darry brought her a blanket and clothes tp change into to if she ever got up. Johnny fell asleep in the chair across from us and I held Lilly all night. I never wanted to move. Finally she stopped crying and I knew she had fallen asleep. I looked down at her and admired her. She was beautiful. And not because of her lack of clothes, but because she was just beautiful. I pulled her tight and then, without ever letting go, I fell asleep too.