Lose Your Mind-A Dallas Winston Fanfiction

I Will Follow You Into The Dark

The most powerful weapon in the world is a soul on fire.- Ferdinand Foch

Days went by and I was making more money then I knew what to do with. I wasn't spending it, of course. That woulda' been suspicious. I just hid it in a hollowed book in my bedroom.  I had to be careful about the way I played my game.

I had grown fonder of Ponyboy and less fond of Steve. Ponyboy had a quiet wisdom about him that he shared without ever being condescending. Steve on the other hand, thought he knew everything about everything. He didn't bother Dallas like he did me, but he claimed to at least understand why I felt that way. He was the only one who knew I felt. I reckon Ponboy did, but he kept quiet. That was another thing I liked about him, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Sodapop didn't have a clue. He could be awfully naive when he wanted to be.

"He sees what he wants to." was Dallas's response when I told him just that.

Dallas and I were at some rundown ice cream parlor, eating fries and sitting in almost silence. I had to drag him there. He complained the whole way, but I think the only reason he did so was because he didn't want to look weak. I could tell that he didn't mind spending time with me. Even though the gang was his family, I could tell that sometimes he needed some time away from them. 

"That's no way to live.' I replied, "You should see life for what it is."

"And how's life?" He looked out the window, no interest in his voice as his eyes tracked the slow moving clouds in the sky.

I shrugged, "I don't have a clue."

He turned back to me and grinned, "You've got to get out of your damn head, kid."

"Maybe you just need to use yours more."  I snapped back.

I could get away with my attitude. Anybody else but Johnny or me and he would have knocked them flat. He whipped out a cigarette and lit it when the waitress turned her back on us. He took a long drag and then blew the smoke in my direction.

I coughed and waved it away, "Are you ever gonna forgive Mark?"

He glared, his eyes shooting invisible daggers at me, "You don't know a damn thing about your brother, Ice. I reckon you're mighty school smart, but you just don't know a thing."

"Tell me then." I wasn't backing down, but neither was he. He never does.

His face went blank, flat, emotionless. I knew he wasn't going to tell me then. He'd closed himself off. The wall was up. He raised his eyebrows when the door of the diner opened and the kid I remembered to be Bob walked in.

"Hey grease, this is our turf.' Bob talked so condescending to him I could hardly stand it.

Bob was staring at me hard and I knew he was trying to place me. He was so drunk the first night we met I doubt he remembered it.

"This ain't your turf. Run back to your daddy now." Dallas took another drag of his cigarette, looking completely unbothered.

I wasn't looking to fight, but I knew it was going to come to that. There's a certain energy in a room when a fights about to break out, like the air gets thick. Neither Bob or Dallas are the ones to walk away. Dallas jumped up so fast it nearly scared me senseless. I hopped back in instinct and my head went flying against the booth. Luckily for me, there was a cushion or I would have cracked my head wide open. Bob was the first one throw a punch, but he wasn't going to be the last. Dallas stumbled backwards, but just came back steady and angry. An angry Dallas really is a sight to see. Something inside him snaps when he gets like that. His eye's go all crazy and he can put the fear of God in you. 

There was a car parked outside with a few more guy's in it that must of saw Bob getting the tar beat out of him because they hopped out and ran inside. One grabbed me almost immediately and grabbed my arms tight, too tight. 

"Get off me!" I shouted, doing my best to rip my arms free but to no avail.

 I'm pretty strong, but I'm small. He was over half a foot taller than me. Dallas spotted me and hopped off Bob and whipped something out of his jacket pocket I didn't have time to see it until it was already fired. The hands that were holding me dropped and so did the boy's body. 

For the first second, I had the awful thought that Dallas had killed him, but when I turned I saw the wound. A crimson stain was spilling down the boys pants, starting at just below the knee. A gunshot wound to the leg will hurt like hell, but most of the time it won't kill you.

After Dallas fired the gun, all the other soc's backed up and I swear one started crying. Even though nothing usually throws me, I was just as stunned as they were. I hadn't had a clue that Dally had been carrying a heater. 

 Dallas grabbed me by the arm and shoved me out the front door and then told me to take off running. I did just that and he followed, slowly. It wasn't until we were two blocks away that he paused for a break. Blood was running out of his nose and he was bent over, holding his side. I could tell by the way he was standing and breathing that one of his ribs was broken.

"Jesus Christ." Dallas swore under his breath, "He got me good this time."

"Come here, I'll help you walk." He started arguing with me about that, but common sense must have gotten the better of him as he hooked his arm over my shoulder.

The walk back to the Curtis's was long and awful. Dallas was wheezing and each step he took he put more weight on me. I barely thought we were going to make it. So, when I finally laid him down on the couch of the Curtis's living room I breathed a sigh of relief.  Nobody was home, but Darry always leaves the front porch door open in case anybody ever needs a place to crash. It had seemed pointless to me up until that point. I got a wet cloth and wiped the blood off Dallas's face, not flinching when he growled at me.

"You should probably wrap those." I pointed to his ribs.

"Don't need it." He said through gritted teeth and I just rolled my eyes.

"Don't be a moron." I stood up and rummaged around the bathroom until I found a bandage that seemed long enough to do the trip.

"Come on, shirt off." I coaxed him, raising his plain black tshirt over his head. I pretended not to notice the way his muscles were clenched across his abdomen and chest, but I could tell by the way he was smirking at me that he knew I was.

His smirk vanished as I wrapped the bandages around him, "Jesus Christ, woman."

"Don't be a baby." I hushed him, though I did my best to hurry along.

"Cause I'm sure you'd be so tough if you were in my shoes right now." Even in massive amounts of pain, Dally's sarcasm didn't rest.

I ignored him and finished the job, tucking the bandage into itself so that it didn't come loose.

"Get some rest. You've earned it." I grinned at him.

His head rested back on the faded red pillow, his hair falling messily across his eyes. I brought my knees up to my chest, staring at him for a moment longer.

I broke the silence after only a few seconds, "Hey Dally?"

He grumbled back, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me. I hope those guys don't come after you."

I knew that the gang had loyalty and that meant looking after each other, but it meant something to me that Dallas had stuck up for me like that. Not everyone would have.

He peeked his eyes open and looked at me for a moment, the dark amber of his eyes getting caught in the sunlight for just a moment, and then shrugged, "Let them come, I don't care. I just wanted to help you."