Starboy - DarLas -The Outsiders

Chapter 15

I ran down the street, blinded by my own paranoid confusion. All of this started out as a strange thought. Now I was running towards the vacant lot, desperate to get to Darry. A splitting pain filled my side and I was panting and gasping for air. The humidity clung to my skin, suffocating me in the hot moisture. I flew by passerby and jumped in front of cars, earning me the same weird looks and whispers I usually get nowadays. I'm surprised people let me be; either I was going to fast for them to think or they didn't want to bother the terrified gay kid running like the devil was chasing him. Probably the latter. But my main priority was to get to Darry. 

My dad, my old one, he used to say I let my thoughts become instincts before I even knew them. He always considered it a flaw, while I never knew what it was. Right now, I thought it was a blessing. That, on top of the fact that Darry's brothers got the same impulsive feeling convinced me this was no coincidence. I let violent possibilities fill my head while the anxiety slowly ate me alive. I picked up the pace and ran even faster, setting my lungs on fire and burning my legs. But I needed to get to Darry. 

I eventually reached the lot, lightheaded and weary from sprinting all the way here. I looked around, searching for any sight of Darry. I steadied myself on the side of a car. I looked a little closer, and recognized the rusty exterior, which had weeds crawling through the tires. I Let my eyes glimpse at the worn leather seating, remembering my first kiss with Darry. His soft lips against mine, his rough hands around my neck. I welcomed the memory, wanting to relive the feeling again. I stayed focused on the task at hand, and stood back up.

Suddenly a pained, desperate scream echoed throughout the lot.

I spun my head around towards the noise. I ran towards the scream. I could barely breath, and the rush overcame me once again. I recognized that scream. I had heard it before, but I wish I hadn't.

"Darry!" I cried, running around the lot, searching for the source of the scream.

"Dally! Over here--" He was muffled, stopping his agonized voice from speaking. I ran towards that scream, now confident in where I was going.

There I saw Darry, pinned down by the same four Socs who jumped us the other day. Paul kept a knee on Darry's chest, which doesn't feel to great if you've ever gotten jumped. I felt my head get hot, and my hands balled into fists. I ran faster, straight at Paul.

"Paul, you son of a bitch!" I barked. I dove at him and tackled him to the ground. I wrapped my hands around his throat, ready to choke him. The other Socs ran at me, trying to free their friend. I kept a tight grip. Then I looked into Paul's eyes. I saw fear. I saw regret. I saw a poor boy who doesn't know any better than to hate on people different than him. I saw a human being. I took a deep breath, calming myself down. I got off of Paul, then got up. The other Socs just stood where they were, marveling at my sudden mercy.

I ran over to Darry, who had his knees pressed against his chest, clutching his forearm. My heart shattered at the sight of him. He was bleeding pretty bad, and his breathing was fast and offbeat. I knelt down next to him and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Not just for him, but for me as well. His breath was shaky, and he was shivering something awful. I messed up his greasy hair a little.

"I'm here. It's alright," I whispered. I pulled away and looked into those blue eyes of his. "You alright, Starboy?" Darry nodded. What hurt the most is that there wasn't a tear in his eyes. It was all pure fear. Darry relaxed a little and buried his face into my chest, gripping onto my shirt. 

"Aww, is the worthless faggot gonna cry?" Paul teased. The other Socs snickered and giggled. I shot him an icy look. Paul laughed, and I was fighting to keep my cool. Darry saw what was going on, helped me up and started walking in the other direction.