The Little Winston

Chapter 17- Dally Blows

 I stared at him from my side of the bed. He was so peaceful and beautiful in that moment that I questioned if he was even human. No one that beautiful could be human. Greek god, maybe, but definitely not human. The sun poured in through the blinds and over his body. I knew I would have to wake him up eventually, but in this moment I just wanted to sit there and love him.

His eyes fluttered open and met mine for a brief second and my heart skipped a beat. He smiled sleepily and I giggled a bit, tucking a peice of hair behind my ear.

"Good morning, beautiful," Soda yawned and pecked my cheek, "I didn't expect you to still be here."

"I didn't either. I just got a little preoccupied."

"Oh really. Doing what?" He grinned sarcastically, knowing damn well what I was doing. We just sat there for a moment, not saying or doing anything.

Darry's booming voice broke through the silence "Get up, little buddy, or we're gonna be late for work."

I shot up and grabbed my jacket off of the floor and attempted to put on my shoes, but failed miserably and fell face first onto the floor. Sodapop laughed as I pulled myself off the ground and tried my hardest to open the door without it creaking. Soda reached over and grabbed my arm, causing me to turn around.

"Please don't sneak out." He still hadn't put on his shirt, and it was hard to focus on sneaking out when a god like boy is sitting there telling you not to go. I knew I had to. If Dally found out about me and Sodapop, well, I know it wouldn't be fun for anyone, especially not me and Soda.

I gulped as he stood up and our faces were almost inches apart. I wanted to kiss him so bad. "What are you asking me to do, Soda?" He knew as well as I did that Dally would have a few choice words about us, and at least one of those words ended with someone in a hospital.

He looked at me. His hair was still a mess, and in the bright morning sunlight he looked more handsome and more human than I'd ever seen him. " I guess I'm asking you to trust me." He said.

I closed the gap between us, feeling Soda smile as he rested his hands on my hips and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"Are you coming down or do I have to drag you down?" We both laughed at Darry's remark.

"Yeah, yeah, superman. I'm coming." Sodapop shouted, tracing his hand over my cheek. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, but I feel like this would go over a bit better if you put a shirt on." He chuckled and reached for his white t-shirt on the floor. He grabbed my hand and smiled his award winning smile. I blushed and looked down at my feet. I found it hard to think about how one person could have this much power over me, how he could break me if he wanted to, and to be honest, it terrified me.

He led me down the stairs and nodded at me, making sure I was okay with what he was about to do. I smiled and we walked into the living room. Darry was focused on putting his tool belt on, and Two-Bit was watching Mickey very intently. Ponyboy was fixing his hair in the bathroom while Steve was constantly ruffling it, annoying the hell out of him. I assumed Johnny and Dally were in the kitchen trying to find something to eat. " Hey so I was thinking about picking up an extra shift- oh hey Nic- so you guys might need to drive yoursel- wait Nicole? Why are you guys standing so close to each other?" The whole room turned to look at us holding hands and went silent. Sodapop squeezed my hand tightly as Steve and Ponyboy started to walk towards the kitchen, but they were too late.

"Well you guys ain't got nothing good to eat, man." Dally strutted into the living room, but stopped in his tracks when he saw me and Soda. His jaw gritted and his eyes narrowed, his hands turning into tight fists. "Let go of her hand," He growled.

"Think very carefully about what you're about to do, Dallas." Darry put his hand out towards Dallas, pointing at us with his other hand. I knew no one in that room would be able to stop him if Dally got started.

He walked over to where me and Soda stood. I protectively pulled Soda behind me and looked up at Dally. His eyes met mine and the fire softened, but didn't go out. He stopped in his tracks as I silently pleaded with him. I knew he wouldn't hit me, but that didn't make me any less scared. Dallas stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

I ran to the door, but Johnny came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you should let Dal cool off for a while," He grimaced.

"But-"

Sodapop stopped me by coming up from behind and hugging me tightly. "No buts. Johnny's right. Just let him cool off." He whispered into the crook of my neck, sending tingles down my spine. I didn't know if I would ever get tired of that feeling, and I hoped I would never have to. But right now, Dallas needed me.

"I appreciate the concern, guys, I really do." I stepped away from both of them, heading out the door.  "But you both know Dallas needs me."

They didn't say anything as I left and walked down the street towards Buck's. After everything that had happened this past month, I could see why Dallas got drunk a lot. Hell, I could even use a drink right now.

Many people stumbled out of the bar, the smell of booze wafting like fog out of the door along with smoke from people's cigarettes. It was only about 8 in the morning. I couldn't imagine how people could drink so much this early. I held my breath and navigated my way through the room to find Dallas dancing with a girl who had too much eye makeup and too short of a skirt to be considered wholesome.

I grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around so he was forced to look at me. "What the hell do you want?" He spat as his skank gave me a look that could only be described as hateful.

"I want you to come home, so what do you want from me?" He shoved off the girl so I could have his full attention. I smiled grimly as he laughed.

"Do you love him?"

I shifted uncomfortably and broke eye contact to stare at the floor. Did I love Sodapop? Who am I kidding, of course I did. "Yeah, Dally he makes me feel safe." What he did next surprised me. He pulled me into a tight hug right in the middle of the dance floor.

"Okay. I guess I have to allow it now. But just know that if he hurts you, I will break his face."

I giggled before pulling away to see Dally grinning like a maniac. "Okay." I knew he wasn't gonna come home with me. Dallas still wasn't cooled down all the way, he would need a couple of shots and maybe a chick or two to do that. 

I waved before I left for the Curtis' again.