Reunited | Dally's Little Sister

two

Sage P.O.V.

With the money from the race, my only thought now was to find my brother. I stopped a mile outside of the track and tried to think where he would be. I knew the Curtis house was a few miles down the road, but I had this feeling he wouldn't be there. Not on a Saturday night.

 I drive in the direction of an old friend, hoping he could help me out. A few minutes later, I was parked on the side of the road and walked up to this big party. I knew this side of town was rougher than most and needed to find my friend quickly to stay out of trouble. 

I hadn't made it ten feet before this guy with too much grease in his hair stood in front of me. "Hey pretty lady. You lookin' for a good time?" I couldn't help but laugh at his comment. This guy thought he was hot shit and I sure hope it was the beers that made him think that way.

 "Not from you." I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm. "Now darlin' don't go walkin' away from me. You must be new here. Let me show you around." He was slurring his words and I was losing my patience.

 I looked around to see if I knew any faces here, but I came up short. I looked down at my arm and said, "You have two seconds to let go of me." He laughed, "Or what?" I didn't let say anything else as I swung my right arm around and made contact with his jaw. I heard the crunch of his teeth and he fell to the ground, knocked out cold.

 Before I could do anything else, I heard my name. "Sage Winston. Man did I ever think I would see you again." I turned and saw Tim Sheppard standing behind me with his younger brother Curly. 

Tim and my brother were as good as friends as someone like them could have. Many fights over the years, but somehow it worked for them. I smiled, "Hey Tim. Sorry about your friend here." He chuckled, "That's what he gets for messing with a Winston. What are you doing here?"

 I pushed my hair behind my ears as I said, "Looking for Dally. Know where I can find him?" He had a smirk on his face. "Down living at Buck's. Does he know you are here?" 

I winked at him, "I thought I would surprise him." I walked back to my car and waved back, "See you around, Tim." He nodded his head and I drove off to find my brother.

-

It took me a while to remember my way around town. In the four years I was gone, nothing seemed to have changed much. The buildings were run down, the streets were cracked, and potholes were scattered like landmines. 

Just as I was losing hope in myself, I saw the familiar bar with old beat-up cars parked around it. I swung the car into a makeshift parking spot and got out. From the outside I could hear Johnny Cash blaring through the windows, and I knew a party was in full swing. 

As I walked inside, the familiar smell of smoke and alcohol gave me the subtle reminder that I was back home. I quickly scanned the crowed bar for Dally but came up empty. A hand touched my shoulder making me jump. 

"Hey little lady. You lost?" I turned to see Buck Merrill standing behind me and a flicker of realization crossed his face. "Well I'll be damned. Sage Winston, what in the hell are you doin' back in this ol' town?"

 I smiled back to him, "Sight seein' for the moment. Could you point me in the direction of my brother?" He chuckled and shook his head, "Up the stairs. First door on the right." I thanked him and halfway ran up the stairs. 

I stopped outside his door and a few thoughts crossed my mind. Would he be happy to see me? Has he changed in the last four years? And is there some broad sleeping in his bed? I shook my head and let out a deep breath as I walked into the room. 

My last thought was answered when I didn't see anyone in here but Dally, who was passed out across the bed. I shook his leg and yelled at him to get up. The second his eyes flew open, nothing but cuss words came out of his mouth. "Who in fuck are you and what the hell you doin' waking me up like this?" 

I crossed my arms as I waited for him to realize who I was. "That ain't no way to treat your sister." He sat up fast and wiped his eyes, almost like he was trying to figure out if this was a dream. "Sage?" I smirked back at him, "In the flesh." 

He stood up and wrapped me in a fierce hug. My first thought was now answered, but I wasn't sure how long this happiness was going to last. He pulled back and looked me over. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? How did you get here all the way from New York?" 

I held up a hand. "One question at a time." I sat down on his bed, tired from all the drivin' I've been doing. "I needed a change of scenery. New York was getting a little too crowded for me. I am better than I have been in a long while. And I drove here."

 I waited for him to ask more questions, but he still seemed to be in a daze. I snapped my fingers getting more and more impatient with him. He shook his head, "I'm still havin' trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that you're here. What did dad say?" 

I looked down and played with the hem of my shirt. "Nothin' really." He stepped closer and asked what I meant by that. "You were always telling me to get tough and all that jazz. Well I did. He's been a drunken bastard ever since you left, and I was done with it."

 Dally shook his head and started pacing. "You ran away? What do you plan on doin' here, huh?" I shrugged my shoulders which only seemed to anger him more. He threw his hands in the air and yelled, "I can't take care of a kid!" 

My heart sank. I knew once he found out why I was here, he wasn't going to be thrilled. But I am not a kid and I refuse to be treated like one. Shaking my head, I stood up and grabbed to door handle. "Where do you think you're going?" I fired back, "Anywhere but here." 

I made my way down the stairs and caught a glance at Buck. He was sippin' on a beer with an amused look on his face which only pissed me off more. I made my way out of the bar and back to the car where I sat there for a second trying to piece together a plan.

 I had the cash from the drag race, but I didn't want to spend it yet. The only safe place I could think to go to was the Curtis house. Boy were they in for a surprise.