East Side Losers (The Outsiders)

XXII

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"Has anyone seen Dallas?"

Johnny returned to the boys about half an hour ago, and all of the guys were worried about the Winston boy. They all knew he cared about Rosie as much, if not more, than Two-Bit.

"Okay, I'm done waiting. I'm going to find Dallas and hopefully find Rosie as well." Darrell said as he grabbed his coat off the rack by the front door.

The boys soon followed him and started searching down every street.

"Soda and Pony, you guys head south, Steve and Johnny you go east, I'll search west. We all meet back at this stop sign in twenty minutes, not a minute less or a minute more.. And most of all, nobody heads north. Okay?" Darry's wrinkles were prominent as a look of stress ran over his face.

"Okay.." All of the boys murmured. Everyone started to walk away, but Darry motioned to came back to him.

"Before you all go, does everyone have some sort of weapon in case we run into some socs?" All of the boys flashed their knives, the moon reflecting off the shiny switchblades.

"Okay, be safe and avoid trouble if you can!" Darrell shouted, as he ran away from the meeting place.

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"Dal! Dallas!" Soda yelled as he looked in between the spaces of each house.

"Maybe, he doesn't want to be found Soda." Ponyboy said, searching the other side of the street.

"Man, we gotta find him or Dar will tan our hides.." Soda rolled his eyes and continued searching down the street.

"If you think about it, he was the closest to Rosie, apart from Two."

"What?" Soda said, surprised.

"Dallas Winston ain't close to nobody or nothing. Johnny is about the only person he is close to."

Ponyboy shook his head.

"No Soda, think about it... Dallas loves her." Ponyboy looked at Soda, his eyes widened in realization.

"If that's the case, wherever Rosie is, Dallas Winston will be too."

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"Dal! Come on out, it's Steve!"

Steve and Johnny passed street lamp by street lamp, Steve yelling for Dallas and Johnny holding his switchblade.

"Cool it Johnny, Soc ain't around here this late at night." Steve tried to reassure Johnny, but Johnny knew better.

"I'll just keep my blade out, just in case."

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"Dallas Winston if I was your father..." Darrell shouted through the streets.

"My boys... they are getting their heads messed with. I gotta straighten them up before we really get in some trouble.." Darry murmured and kept going.

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The boys met back at the stop sign precisely twenty minutes later, with no sign of Dallas or Rosie.

"Maybe, we could call Buck and make sure he ain't there?" Soda suggested.

"Well it's to late to go anywhere, especially with the Soc out on the run like they are. I think that is what we are gonna have to do boys." Darry wrapped his arm around Soda.

"Everyone go home, we'll figure something out tomorrow. Let's just hope Dallas has found Rosie by now."

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Dallas

I had to find her. My mind was set. Rosie meant more to me than some Soc or Greaser thing.

Running down the streets, I seen myself getting closer and closer to Soc territory. My heart began to race even faster, not only from running, but from feeling afraid of what may of happened to Rosie if she crossed those lines.

With each passing street light, I had to be closer to her. I needed to be close to her.

Just as I ran past a bushy area, I heard a faint groan. I stopped, unsure what the noise was. I stepped a few steps behind me and peered into the black space between two bushes.

The groan repeated.

I stepped off the sidewalk and pushed back the spiny branches of the bushes around me and seen it.

My girl, blood trailing down her forehead and nose, just laying on the ground.

"No..." It felt like someone knocked the breath out of me.

I dropped to my knees and crawled to Rosie. I lifted her head off the ground while I picked her up bridal-style and laid her in my lap.

Rosie's lips were swollen and busted, her chin-line was riddled with purple bruises...

"Come on baby, please be alive." I whispered as I bent my ear close to her mouth.

I felt and heard a slight breath tickle my face. She was alive, but unconscious.

But then realization hit me... had the baby been hurt? I didn't see any blood pooling around her, just blood from her face.

"Oh baby.. you never deserved this." My grip tightened around her protectively.

I had sat there for God knows how long until I stood up, Rosie laying in my arms.

'Buck's. He'll have what I need.' I thought.

Holding Rosie as she was barely clinging onto any sign of life, I ran as fast as I could back to Buck's, hoping and praying that her and the baby would be okay.

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As I walked into Buck's, I ran through the usual crowd and almost got up the stairs until I heard a voice yell out.

"Dallas, who is that?" Buck thundered through the bar.

"It's Rosie, come quick." 

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