The Outsiders: Tally

Kiss Me, Winston

 After talking with Two-Bit and finding out about his relationship with Darrel, Dallas finds the confidence to confess to someone he has taken interest to.

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Dallas walked down the sidewalk consciously, looking out for any people who were brave enough to jump him. Usually, he's always in the mood for a quick fight, but he had too much on his mind at the moment. He had just left the cooler, his crime being disorderly conduct. And while he was in there, his thoughts took a dramatic turn. He started thinking about Tim Shepard, a good friend of his. He thought about his long, curly black hair that was surprisingly soft to the touch, his mischievous dark eyes, the long distracting scar on the left side of the face. And then, he thought about his thick lips; his large hands; his buff figure. It was weird and unlike him to think about people like this. It confused the hell out of him.

As he got closer to his destination, he took out his fifth cigarette that day, trying to calm his mind. Why the hell would I be thinking of Tim like that? Dallas thought, shaking his head. With the Curtis household in view, he ran up to it, hoping to find his friends inside.

He entered the house, the screen door almost hitting his back. "Who's that?" a deep voice alerted the blond, causing him to look around. "It's me, Dare," he responded, seeing the said greaser in the kitchen, "It's Dally." Darrel poked his head out from the entryway of the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. "Dally? Where the hell have you been?" he laughed. "Ah, you know. The cooler and all that shit," the blond smiled, "Where's the rest of y'all?" "They're in the lot tossin' the football around, I think," Darrel said. "Cool, cool. I'll see you later, Curtis," Dallas said, leaving the house.

Once he was on the porch, someone bumped into him. He looked over at them with a scowl, but immediately tucked it away when he realized who it was. "Dally?" Two-Bit squinted jokingly, scratching his head. "Hey, Mathews," Dallas said, dapping him up. "Where've you been? What have you been up to?" Two-Bit exclaimed. "Was stuck in the cooler," Dallas said, "Where are you going?" "Huh? Oh. I need to use the bathroom. The rest of the gang's in the lot if you want 'em," Two-Bit explained himself, entering the house. Dallas nodded and walked down the steps, making his way over to the lot.

He found the rest of the gang in the lot, tossing a football around as Darrel said they would. "Hey, Dally!" Sodapop exclaimed, waving frantically. "'Sup, Soda?" Dallas responded. "Wanna toss with us?" Steve asked. "Nah, nah. I'll watch," Dallas sat down on the grass, caressing his head in his hand. "So, what's been up, Dal? I haven't seen you in a while," Johnny said, catching the football last minute. "Was in the cooler. Got out early though," Dallas smiled at him. "You missed some weird stuff, Dal," Ponyboy chipped in. "What do you mean? Does it have to do with those fucking Socs?" Dallas asked. "N-No. It's about Two-Bit and Darry," Ponyboy whispered. "What about them?" Dallas said. "They've been actin' strange. They hang out way more often now. It's like they're inseparable," Steve said. "You can say that again," Johnny said, "But we shouldn't be too skeptical." "Yeah, yeah. D-Don't say anything to them," Sodapop said, tossing the football to Ponyboy.

"Wait. Are y'all implying that they are..." "Uh, yeah. But it's cool. If they like each other, they like each other," Steve explained. The rest of the gang nodded while Dallas remained indifferent. "We should just leave it alone for now," Ponyboy suggested. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard approaching them. They looked over to see Two-Bit, who had a small pout on his face. "Lunch is ready if y'all want any," he said, slowly walking back. The gang watched him intently, their eyes wide out of concern.

The gang made their way into the house, chatting loudly as they walked towards the kitchen table. Dallas sat himself down at the table, biting the inside of his cheek intently. He looked over at the living room and his eyes widened a bit. He was able to make out Tim's figure on the couch, reading the newspaper that he borrowed from Darrel. He looked up and flashed a smile at Dallas, showing off his elongated scar on the left side of his face. His dark blue eyes stared into Dallas', causing the latter to look down out of embarrassment. He looked back up and he was gone. He gritted his teeth. This is getting out of hand.