Short Stories | The Outsiders

My Last Laugh • Dallas

"Dallas Winston. Yeah I've heard of him. He's gone. Fucking dead delinquent, that's what people call him now. It's my fault, I regret it all, but none of it at the same time."

"It all started on Valentine's Day, Dallas asked me out. What a surprise, as people would say, but they didn't know him like I did. He's always been looking for a girlfriend."

"Dallas! I'd love to" I said, hugging onto him for dear life. "Thank god, I'm glad I didn't get rejected" "Who the hell would reject you" "you'd be surprised" I laughed, he was adorable.

Dallas picked me up and swung me around. I kept on laughing, we've been best friends for years and now we've finally started to confess our feelings for each other.

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"It was the night of our date, I wore a pretty black dress, it was short but comfortable. I met Dallas at a park near my school. We held hands and walked to a nice dinner joint. Dallas had saved up money to bring me here. All he wanted to do was change his life around."

"Dallas, this place is incredible!" "Expensive too" "just for me?" "Just for you" He grabbed my hand from across the table and held it. I smiled at him, I didn't realize he was romantic. Obviously I knew he was, but I didn't know he was this kind of romantic.

We ate our food, laughed and continued having a great time. We walked over to the beach and stared at the stars. I held onto his hand tightly, he looked down on me and kissed my lips gently, our first kiss. The best one yet.

"That was sweet" "Yeah, I know" Dallas said, cocky and all. I pushed him slightly, which he reacted in tickling me. "Dallas! Stop!" I giggled, he smiled and continued tickling me. Then he started kissing me, on my cheek and on my neck.

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I sat on Dallas's lap, he played gently with my hair. We sat on a park bench staring off at the sunset. "Hey, Amelia?" "Yeah?" "Will you- uh" Dallas said, scratching the back of his neck. "Will you be my girlfriend?" I gasped louder than I should've, my own gasp started me laughing. I think Dallas thought I was going to reject him.

"Of course I will!" "Really?" "Yes!" I screeched. Dallas flinched a little and started laughing, I kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed my waist tighter and started kissing my cheek and neck again, it was his little thing to make me smile.

I pushed him down onto the bench and laid on his chest, his heart beat was faster than lion chasing after a gazelle, his body was warm and calming, soothing, it put me right to sleep.

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Dallas stared at me while I decorated the tree on Christmas Eve, he looked cute sitting there watching the tree shimmer with ornaments and lights. "Woah" he said, taking another swig of his beer. "You never seen a Christmas tree before?" "No, I've never had Christmas, you know this, my family wasn't festive" I smiled at him.

I motioned to give Dallas an ornament so he could put it on the tree. He stood up and grabbed it placing it higher up on the tree. I was neglecting that part because I was so short. I bent over putting an ornament lower on the tree. Dallas came behind me and gave a big smack to my ass.

"God dammit Dallas" I said, he started laughing hysterically, grabbing another ornament to put up on the top. "I love you too Babe" he said. I smiled placing another ornament on the bottom of the tree, getting another slap on my ass. "I swear, I'm going to kill you one day" "I'd like to see you try"

I grabbed Dallas's beer and took a sip for myself. The tree looked beautiful, so did Dallas, his body was lit up by the bright white lights. "I didn't know my boyfriend was an angel" I said, Dallas started to pretend like he was playing the harp. We started laughing together.

"Laughing, that was our favourite thing to do, we always laughed. Day and night, we laughed. Never stopping, never wanting to stop, never could stop. There was this one time, where neither of us were laughing, we wouldn't, we couldn't"

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I stumbled around the party, joking with people I knew, saying hi to people I didn't know. I was looking for Dallas. "Dallas!" I called out, I didn't even know if my voice left my mouth because it was so loud. Finally I found him.

He was pinned up against the wall, a slick woman, slightly shorter than him, had him up against the wall. She had her lips on his then would pull off, would play with his face with her long dainty finger, then kiss him again. I squinted to see who it was. It was Sylvia, his ex. I was pissed.

I stomped their way and stood next to them, I realized how short I was compared to Sylvia, I looked like a child.

"Hands off, Chic Flic" I said. Sylvia looked at me. "What? Is he claimed? I don't see a mark" Sylvia sucked on Dallas's neck leaving a red circular mark. "You little fucker! That's my boyfriend" "Oh boohoo! That's just the fun" "Sylvia, enough, I told you to stop!" Dallas said, pushing Sylvia away.

"When? Last I checked you were into it" Sylvia giggled, pushing her body up against Dallas's. I stood there, mouth falling open. I believed Sylvia, I knew Dallas's antics. I ran out of the house. Dallas soon trailed behind me, hot on my heels.

"Amelia!" "Fuck off Dallas" He grabbed my arm and put me in his car and got in it as well. All the doors were locked and I was stuck inside. "I want to break up" I said. Dallas's face saddened, he was about to cry, I could tell.

He started the car and drove towards my house. "I'm sorry, please I didn't mean any of it" "Oh sure you didn't! You haven't changed and you won't!" "I told her to stop!" "I know you too well Dallas! You never told her stop. Everything we have! Everything. It's over"

"Amelia.. I love you"

"That's when the car struck ours. Drivers side. I had minor injuries. I remember looking over at Dallas, seeing all the blood spewed everywhere. His arm was completely gone. His eyes rolled back. Everything I had ever loved was completely gone."

"Seeing him in that coffin hurt. Watching the coffin get buried hurt. I visit him everyday, I miss him. I'll never marry anyone, date anyone. Because I want Dallas. I reserved the grave right next to his, for me. When I die, I get buried there. Maybe our spirits will live on together. I still can't get over that accident, even though it was four years ago. It hurts too much to let go"