DALLY WINSTON'S PRIZED POSSESSION

Chapter one: Aftermath

He kept chasing me until I started to slow down, I was near a street light, that's where it was going to happen. Two-Bit, Ponyboy, Soda, Steve, and Darry, right behind him. "Dally!" They yelled. I couldn't take the pain anymore. He's gone. Johnny, he's gone! I stopped, nodded my head towards the boys, all while the officer was behind me, his heavy breathing filled the silence. I shook my head and slowly turned around to face him now, his badge was intriguing. I gripped the handle of my pistol and smirked to myself.

I aimed the gun at the police officer and chuckled, I didn't need anything anymore, I already lost everything. Johnny was like my brother, the brother I always asked for, the brother that was just in the same room as me and could change my whole mood. The officer's facial expression was shocked, he probably thought, 'What is this hood doin' pointin' some gun at me?' I knew that was what he was thinking. I knew this officer as well, he was the one that shot a 14-year-old right in front of my eyes in New York. I was only 10 years old when I was arrested and brought to jail. That boy was my best buddy in there, Nathan Carson. He had my back when all them other hoods' tried to get me.

When I moved to Oklahoma I was always in and out of jail, and that corpse was the only one that taught me how to protect myself; I even remember, the feeling of the blood passing my shoes like a wave of cold water. But everybody knows, blood is thicker than water. I wish I had a bullet in this gun, just to blow his brains out and show him that what you do is sometimes terribly wrong, and will affect others. He jolted up like if were to shoot him. I laughed as I passed my hand through my hair.

"You people think that just because we don't have money or don't have decent clothes or even just our greasy hair, we can get treated like complete crap," I said, having more tears falling down my cheeks as I grabbed onto my hair. "Look, we ain't trying to shoot you dead. But you shoot that gun and we will have no choice—" I cut the officer off by aggressively letting go of my hair and pointing at him. "—Johnny didn't either! He didn't have no choice either! He died because of you guys changing him!" I interrupted him, my hands shaking.

I was...thinking...thinking...Johnny...he...he is dead...all because of me...I should've left them...those kids... they will pay...my...my Johnny's dead. But then I blinked. That blink changed everything about this moment. "Daddy! Stop, it isn't loaded! It isn't! It's a star model PD! They don't sell that type of ammo no more! He is just drunk! Leave please! Please! Spare him!" A girl with blonde hair, red plaid pants, mixed matching socks, and pale skin said as she placed herself in front of me. "Nicole—" The officer sighed as he watched his daughter plead. "Please daddy! For me! I can't see my father kill some hood!" She cried, placing her smooth hands on my bare chest. I flinched but she moved her hand up and down to comfort me.

"Nicole, ch—check that gun for your old man." Another officer said. "Nicole, check please." Her dad said as he placed his gun in his holster. I stayed frozen, she was still passing her hand down my chest, she turned and faced me, but she didn't make any type of contact, she had her eyes just glued on my gun. "Pass it here." She whispered. "I'll shoot your brains out, it's loaded." I had a fake grin plastered on my face. "I said pass it!" She yelled still with her hand out. I placed it in her hand, by the looks of it I could tell she could handle a gun, she popped the muzzle and spun it.

"Clean, daddy." She locked it back up, dropping it on the floor and sliding it to the man she called 'daddy'. He checked himself and began walking to his car. "Nicole, tell your mother that I'll be back." He pulled up next to us. "Get some sleep, both of you; Kid, don't play a stunt like that ever again. For your safety." He said as he started driving away. I scanned her, her clothes were dripping wet, her hair was also soaked, but her green orbs were the driest I have ever seen.