Winstons |The Outsiders|

12. Ready To Rumble?

The next three days were uneventful. Dallas and Hannah stayed in their rooms as much as possible, not risking running into Tony a second time. The two hadn't even been to the Curtis house.

Friday was when everything went to shit.

"I'm gonna run to the DX. If you leave this laundromat, I'll kill you, got it?"

"Uh-huh. Got it."

"Just scream or something if he shows up, okay?"

"Christ Dal, I got it. I'm just washing my clothes, chill out."

The greaser scoffed and left the building as Hannah dropped the black garbage bag on the cold tile floor. The building was a bit warmer than the light November breeze, and the fluorescent lights made her cringe if she stared at them.

She couldn't decide if she liked the building being empty. Sure she didn't have to wait for other people to do their laundry, and she didn't have to deal with judgemental side-eyeing. But being alone meant being vulnerable.

Now that Tony was roaming the streets, being vulnerable was a death sentence.

She emptied her clothes onto the floor and began feeding them into the washing machine. Once finished, she fished a dime out of her pocket and placed it in the slot. She had ten minutes to kill before her clothes would be finished. Hannah propped her elbows on the machine across from her clothes and began to think.

Dallas had kept his hand on the collar of her jacket the entire time they walked, almost like he expected her to run away the first chance she got. They talked quietly as they walked, Dallas told her to keep Tony a secret.

"I know what the guys are like. If we tell 'em about Tony, they'll wanna do something about him. They'll either wanna fight him, or tell me to go to the cops." He scoffed. "We're not goin' to the fuckin' pigs for help, they'll probably lock us up instead."

She promised not to tell anyone about Tony. Dallas hadn't asked her about what Tony said, he didn't say anything about Tony, or Dominic at all.

Her mind was still reeling with confusion when she noticed a head of blonde hair across the street. She recognized the head quickly, this time not mistaking Sylvia for her brother.

Sylvia ducked into an alley and was followed by a boy. Hannah knew this boy wasn't her brother. Dallas was blonde and was wearing a leather jacket. The stranger had brown hair and wore a green ski jacket.

Hannah's eyes glanced at the clock above the machines.

Seven minutes left. Dal will never know.

The wind bit at her arms, her jacket was currently in the wash. Hannah ran her hands up and down her arms while cursing in her mind.

Stupid fucking Sylvia. If this is what I think it is, you're so fucking dead.

Ponyboy's voice echoed in her mind, him saying that Sylvia cheated on Dallas more than Steve did at cards.

I know Dal's a dick, he's my brother. And yet, he's still too good for you.

As she neared the alley, it became increasingly obvious what Sylvia and the stranger were doing. At the same time, Hannah wished she had chucked that shoe a little harder. Finally, Hannah was able to peek inside. The boy's back was up against the wall, Sylvia's lips against his while he pulled at her tight shirt. Sylvia's delicate hands roamed over the boy's chest before pulling at his belt. Hannah cleared her throat.

"Oh! Hey, Sylvia. Are you still coming over to visit Dallas tonight?"

Sylvia pulled back while the boy hastily pulled his pants back up. "Dallas? Like Dallas Winston? Y-you told me you two broke up," he stammered. Sylvia was quiet as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I haven't seen him much lately, so we might as well be."