Long Road Out (Dallas Winston love story)

Chapter 11

     When we chased away the Soc's Darry and Soda ran Pony's aid.  I stared at the red mustang driving off.  Dallas wrapping an arm around my shoulder.  I watched Pony get scolded by Darry.  I feel bad for Pony but Darry don't mean no harm.  He just cares bout Pony.  Darry storms into the house.

     "Heya Dal, what are you doing out the cooler already?" Johnny asked Dallas.

     "Good behavior."  Dallas out his shoulder around Johnny.  The two boys were close.  Dallas took Johnny under his wing the day we met.  I remember Dallas was real shy around the gang for a long time, but he wasn't around Johnny.

     "Why don't we all go to the drive-in tomorrow,  as long as Darry don't mind you can stay with us for a bit Pony.  I know he's getting to you kid, he don't mean no harm kid."  I pat  Pony's back he was around Sean's age and they got along real well.  Ponyboy was a fun to be around and he thinks like I do, I can't share my deep thoughts with anybody but him because they just don't get it.  But Pony does alright, he's younger then me but a real good friend when you need someone to talk too.  Sometimes Dallas just doesn't understand and that's okay.

     "It's a Friday tomorrow so Darry shouldn't mind."  Pony says.  He walks to the porch.

    "Pony you got homework." Darry calls from the kitchen.  Pony walks inside.  Johnny and Dallas follows Pony inside since Darry is making dinner and god forbid they learn to cook sometime up. 

Which leaves me on the porch with my thoughts.  I light a cigarette and take a hit of it, I look around the beat up neighborhood.  Watching the occasional car drive by. 'I need to go back to school' I used to go to the high school until the Curtis parents died.  They were the happy Mom and Dad I hadn't had in a long time.  I wonder where my mom was, where she has been all these years.  I think about my dad, how he had died of cancer when I was just a kid.  Dallas taking be under his wing because I had no family left at that point, sometimes I miss New York.  I could never tell Dallas that, never in all his life would he wanna go back.  I remember the nights I would stay up with Dallas on the top of the buildings watching the stars, I remember the midnight walks I would go on with him when we couldn't sleep.  The night we ran away, his Dad never came looking for him.  Maybe he never found him.

     "You been out here awhile, you okay Bess?"  It was Darry. He stood by the door.

     "Yeah, just thinking is all."  I blow out smoke from my cigarette.

     "You should come inside it's getting cold and you might get sick."  Darry goes back inside with the other boys. I stomp out my cigarette and head inside.  I'm greeted by Sodapop who was playing cards with Dallas and Steve.

     Pony emerges from his room putting his work in his backpack.  I walk to the book pile me and Pony made.  We like to read books together.  I pick up a few of my favorite books to read again.

    "Hey Anna-Joe, how come you read the same books all the time?" Soda ask me.  I really didn't know the answer.

     "It's like living another life for a minute, sometimes you wanna relive moments you have but you can't,  but when you read a book you can relive that moment for as long as you want.  It's something I take advantage of."  That's the only reason I could think of.  Maybe it was why I read the same books over and over.

     "Gee Anna-Joe, that's real smart.  How come you dropped out of school, you real good grades.  You never caused trouble in school, you coulda graduated if you wanted."  Soda scratches his head.  He was right, but I just lost interest after his parents died.  I lost interest in a lot of things after that.

     "I guess I lost interest,  I might just stick with some job when I'm 18."  I grabbed a soda out of the fridge, and Soda looked real offended.

    "That's my cousin!" He screamed, I started laughing and choked on my Pepsi.  Which caused everyone else to start laughing.

    "Drink much."  Dallas smirked.

    "Can it Winston I wont the only thing choking if you keep talking."  I flipped him off.  Sean laughed in the distance. 

Pony was helping Sean with his essay due in a week.  I laid on the couch flipping through the channels, it was nice and quiet.   Pony read a book with Sean. Dallas, Soda and Steve playing card games and drinking. I stole a sweater from Pony's closet and went back the couch resting my head in on Johnny's shoulder.

     "The stars are out, you wanna go watch them with me? Dallas is playing poker."  I asked Johnny.  He nodded and we went outside.  Me and Johnny climbed on the roof and watched the stars.

     "How come you dig the stars like Pony digs sunsets?"  Johnny asked me.

     "Because stars are the very few lights in a huge amount of darkness,  kinda like when things go to shit but you still have that one good thing left that keeps you going.  The gang is the things that keep me going.  When all that goes out, I got nothing. You guys are my stars."  I looked up at the sky.

     "Who's your sun."  Johnny asked.

    "What?" I questioned.

     "The sun is a star, and the biggest one.  Who's your sun, your biggest star?"

     "Dallas is my sun, people always call the people they love 'their world'. But he is my sun."  I looked out into the neighborhood.  It was real nice when it was dark.  Being a greaser isn't bad when it's dark, just quiet.