From Weakness to Strength

Dallas Incoming

That night, they slept on the church's benches. Darla was out like a light, while the two boys had trouble falling asleep at first.

The next morning, someone drove up to the church in an old T-bird. He entered the church and woke up Ponyboy. "Hey blondie." Dallas laughed. "Hey, Dal." Ponyboy greeted sleepily, starting to gain consiousness. "How've you been?" he asked. 
"Hey Johnny, rise and shine, man." Dallas said, kicking the bench, waking Johnny up. "Hey Dallas, how are ya?" Johnny asked groggily.

The two boys started to shoot Dallas with questions.
"How's soda doin'? Is he pretty upset?"
"Are the fuzz after us? Did ya hear anything?"
"-Wait, one thing at a time." said Dallas, walking up to Darla's bench. "Hey, Honeybear. The sun's up, show me those eyes."

Darla slowly stirred. Once her eyes stared gaining focus, she smiles. "Dally!" she exclaimed, tackling Dallas a hug. 
"Nice hair." he teased., stroking  the bleached ends. "Gee, thanks." Darla replied sarcastically as she got up. 
"are you guys hungry?" Dallas asked. "I'm starving, man."
"Ha! You're starving?" Darla Exclaimed.
"-Yeah, try baloney for four days." Johnny agreed. Dallas laughed. "Hey, you got a cancer stick, Johnny?" he asked. Johnny handed him one. "I got a special delivery for-uh- Ponyboy Curtis." Dallas, said taking out a note and giving it to Ponyboy. "Who's this from?" he asked. "The President of the United States of America." Dallas replied sarcastically. "Yeah, right." Ponyboy replied with the same tone of sarcasm. 
"-Seriously." Dallas reassured sarcastically. "It's from your brother, Sodapop." Dallas said.

Ponyboy read the letter. "Sodapop says hi." Ponyboy said. Darla cupped her hands and yelled. "Hi Soda!" making Dallas laugh.
"Hey Dal, what's goin' on with tha cops, man? Did you hear anything?" Johhny asked. 
"-Why did you get hauled in?" Ponyboy asked.
"-Wait, you got hauled in?" Darla asked in a Panicky voice.
"Those boys at the station know me by now. While I was there, they tried to beat it out of me that you guys were-" he laughed. "-Get this one. That you guys were headed for Texas man. They think you're in Texas."
"Yee-haw!" Darla whooped, making the boys chuckle. 
"Texas, man. God!" Dallas laughed. 

"look at this guy with his hair, man. I can't believe it. Look at it." he winks at Ponyboy. "Honeybear pulls the blond off better than you do. Heh-heh!" Dallas laughed. 
"I know I look lousy, but don't rub it in." said, Ponyboy, putting his jacket on. 

"Want to get something to eat?" Dallas asked. "You better believe it." said Johnny. "Yeah, let's get the hell outta dodge." Darla agrees. 

They got into a the red t-bird and away from the church. Dallas drove like a mad-man. 
"Where sis you get his car?" Johnny asks. "It's Buck's." Dallas answers. "Of course it is." Darla said sarcastically. 

"Dal, don't!" exclaimed Ponyboy as Dallas was about to hit the side of the road. "I got it." Dallas said Calmly.

Once they got on a smoother road, into town, Dallas's dumb-ass tried to drive with no hands. "What are you doing, man?" Johhny exclaimed.
"Don't Dal!" Pony yelled.
"Careful!" Darla screamed.
"Watch it!" Ponyboy yelled to Dallas. "I hope you guys are in the mood for BBQ." Dallas said, swerving his way to a Dairy Queen. A tow truck honed at him and yelled "Jerk!" the man in the truck yelled.
"Are you trying to kill us?!" Johnny yelled.

Dallas pulled up at the drive-thru. "I'll have four BBQ sandwiches, four cokes, and make all those combos." Dallas said into the speaker. 

When they got their food, Pony, Johnny, and Darla dug into their food before Dallas parked his car.
"You guys really are hungry, huh?" Dallas said. 

Dallas then changed the subject. "That kid you killed had plenty of friends. It's all over town, 'Soc against Grease'. I started carrying a heater, man." Dallas said, pulling out the gun. "Dal, you kill people with heaters." Ponyboy warned as he chewed on his sandwich. "Don't worry, it aint loaded." Dallas said, showing the empty magazine. 
_'Hey, mister!" came a little girls's voice, making everyone jump out of their own skin. "Do you have fifteen cents?" she asked. Pony, Darla, and Johnny hid their faces, while Dallas put in sunglasses. "No, I don't have any money, man."
"You sure? Do you have a dime?" the girl pestered. "Uh, could you please go away? We're a little busy here. Could you go away?" Dallas said annoyed. The girl turned to leave, but then pestered again. "Do you have a dime?"
"-GO AWAY! GET OUTTA HERE!" Dallas yelled, making the girl, who had her little brother with her run like the wind.

"That was a close call." Dallas said, putting his sunglasses on his jean jacket. "Tim Shepard and our outfit are gonna have it off with the socs tomorrow night."
"Another rumble?" asked Darla. "Yeah. Hey, didn't tell you. We have a spy."Dallas said. "Spy. who?" Johnny asked. "Remember that good looking broad I tried to pick up that night you-uh-wasted that kid. What;s her name? Uh-Cherry something? The redhead?"
"-Cherry Valence!" Ponyboy exclaimed. "Cherry the soc, yeah." Johnny assured. Darla sank back in her seat and gagged. "Yeah, we were all hanging out at the vacant lot and she pulls up in a little old Sting-Ray, right? I thought that took a lot of nerve."
"Yeah." Pony agreed. 
"She said that she'd-uh-testify that the socs were drunk and they were the ones that were looking for a fight. And you guys just fought back, strictly on self-defense. So, it's cool." Dallas said. "-Man, that little broad sure does hate me. I offered to take her to the Dingo for a coke and she told me to go to hell. So, do you think she might like me a little bit? I think she's cute."

"Dally, you're gonna make me sick." Darla said sassily. 

Dallas looked around. :What do they do for kicks around here? Play checkers? This place is out of it. I've never been in the country before."
"-We're going back to turn ourselves in." said Johnny. Darla looked at him in surprise. "What?" asked Dallas in disbelief. "I got a good chance of being let off easy. It was self defense, you just said. Pony, Darla, and Cherry could testify to that. And I won't say that you helped us. I'll give you back that gun, so you won't get into any trouble, Dal." Johnny said. Darla just stood there, blankly.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Dallas asked.
"-Yeah, i'm sure." Johnny replied. "It aint fair for Darry and Soda to be worried about Pony and Darla all the time." Johnny took a swig of his coke. "You know I don't-I guess my folks aren't worrying about me or any-"
"-Hey, the boys are worried!" Dallas exclaimed. "Did you know Two-Bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt for you?"
"-Dallas, I asked if my parents asked about me."
"-No, they didn't ask about you! So what? Do you think my old man gives a damn if i'm dead in a car wreck, drunk, or in jail or somethin'? He doesn't care! But, that doesn't bother me none. Come on, you're not goin' anywhere. You know people are still looking for Darla? And if they found out she's involved with this, her identity would be exposed and she could be in real trouble, man!"

Johnny looked down. Darla sighed. Dallas voiced seemed to calm down as he said. "I get you a hide out. Hang out, man. And now you wanna split. This is terrific." Dallas started his car and drove out of the parking lot. Once he started to drive, he started to talk Johnny down. "Johnny, you don't know what a few months in jail can do to you, man. You get mean in jail. I just don't want to see that happen to you like you did to me, man. You understand?"
"Johnnycakes could never get mean," Darla said, patting Johnny's shoulder.

They looked up in the direction of the church. There was a school bus surrounding it and smoke coming from the church.