West Side Born, East Side Raised- Dallas Winston Fanfiction

Chapter 5

"Look what I found!" I said as I dragged Dallas into the house.
"You guys alright?" He asked Pony and Johnny.

They nodded. Soda was looking pissed but glad to see himself . That's pretty much how they all were. The only one glad to see Dallas with no strings attached was Johnny.

"I got him, got him good" Dallas said. There was a thick silence.
"So...dinner?" I asked as they all cracked a smile.

Dallas sat by Johnny and Pony while Soda, Darry and I went to make dinner.

Dallas didn't say anything. Just sat beside the boys and looked at the floor or TV. After dinner I told Soda and Darry we'd keep an eye on the boys so they could go to bed.

"I'm almost jealous of Pony's hair" I smiled as I pushed the lose strands out of his face while he slept all curled up in a ball on the couch.
"I told Johnny you wouldn't have last as long as he did with Morgans. You shoulda see him jump to defend you" I smiled. "Told him he was a mini you, don't think I've seen a kid so proud" I said as I sat down beside Dallas. "Ain't gonna talk?" I asked him. "It's been a long night, a long month" He defended.
"I didn't, I didn't get you... Did I?" He asked after a while.

I couldn't see Dallas as a family man. Christ I couldn't see me having a family either.

"No you didn't" I promised.
"Did Tim fix you up?" I asked. "Yeah, the jackass put booze on it! That's not how that works! He says 'the alcohols to stop infection' and I says Tim you fucker Jack Daniels ain't gonna stop no damn infection!" He said as I laughed at the idiots I have as buddies. "Christ I bet he takes his pills with rum" I smiled.
"You ain't supposed to?" He asked seriously.
"No!" I said as he laughed.
"Jack Daniels eh? I could go for one right about now" I said resting my head on the coffee table behind me.
"What've you been up to?" I asked him.
"I stayed at Tim's for a bit, then Pete's. What about you?" He asked.
"Stayed at Buck's for most of it, stayed here a few nights, drank a little more than I usually do" I frowned.
"So you're an alcoholic now?" He asked.
"No-"
"Well if you's is drinkin' more then you usually do I'm pretty sure they call that an alcoholic-"
"You know what? Shut up, I wasn't drinkin' every night" I said as he grinned.

When I woke up the next morning I was beside Dallas on the floor using my arms as pillows like I was looking up at the stars. Dallas and the big guns weren't up yet, but someone was in the kitchen. I sat up to see Darry making breakfast.

"Hey Superman, Dallas and I can leave if you want to hang with the boys" I spoke up in a voice just above a whisper.
"It'll do them and Dallas good to see each other" He said as he cooked whatever it was he was cooking.
"How do you do it?" I asked suddenly.
"How do you keep your head?" I asked him as I came into the kitchen being careful to stay out of his way.

I don't know how he does. He's runnin' after Pony, working two jobs, takes care of Soda and Pony. He really is Superman.

"I don't know, I guess the same reason why you don't care about much" he said.

It wasn't an insult. I had to toughen up, just like he had to too I guess but in a different way, but not so different. His toughening up made him care for just two people really, his brothers. Just like mine, and Dally's, and Tim's were to not care about a damn thing. But I guess none of us did a good job of that. Darry cared about every last one of the guys in the gang, Dally and I cared about the gang, about the Shepard's just like they did us. I guess we did a pretty bad job of getting tough.

"But it's different, you still see the good, Dallas don't, Tim don't, no hood does, and if we do it's for a split second and somethin' terrible happens right after" I said.
"Either way, you are one hell of a big brother" I said with a crook smile thinking of my own.