I woke up to wolf whistles and cat calls. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the gang surrounding the couch Johnny and I shared.
I looked over at Johnny and he was stirring awake.
"What do y'all want?" I ask covering my eyes to avoid the light.
"What happened between you and Johnnycake huh?" Steve quips. Two Bit laughed loudly and took a swig of beer.
"What do you mean?" I ask sleepily.
"Well just sayin, your pants are off so that means somethin huh?" Soda suggests.
"Lay off man. We ain't done nothin." Johnny mumbles from beside me. I was a blushing mess. They actually thought Johnny and I...
"Yeah right. Then why's Johnny sleepin with ya?" Two Bit slurs. He's seriously drunk before noon? What did I get myself into.
"I can't sleep without Dally. Johnny's been helpin me past two nights." I respond getting up. "How'd you know I wasn't wearing pants huh?"
"Saw them lying on the floor." Steve says.
"Okay. Well if y'all used your heads you'd know I still had underwear on. And Johnny is fully clothed." I tell them. I throw the cover off myself and pull the shirt down.
Not that it needed it. It was pretty long anyways.
I made my way to the bathroom and relieved myself. When I was done I went back to the living room. Johnny was sat up rubbing his eyes.
He looked at me and blushed.
I've never really had a problem being naked around people. So being in underwear and shirt is easy.
But the way Johnny looked at me made me blush. I quickly made it to the couch and covered up. I didn't really feel like putting the jeans back on.
"You got a lot of bruises on your knees. Your dad do that?" Johnny leans over and whispers in my ear. I blush slightly.
"You noticed?" I ask.
"It's hard not to." Was his reply.
"Why didn't anyone else see then?" I ask. I looked around and nobody seemed fazed by the bruised legs. They even seemed to forget the fact they accused Johnny and I of sleeping together.
"They're idiots anyways. They don't know what to look at unless you tell them clear. Unless they were down right looking for bruises they wouldn't see em." Johnny explains.
I looked at him confused. I didn't understand. If the bruises were so clearly evident then how could they not see them.
I suppose Johnny sensed my confusion.
"It's hard to explain. But it's true." He says. I nod slowly.
"Hey guys did uh Vixen go anywhere?" Came the voice of my brother. I looked over at the door and saw him standing there.
He looked disheveled. His hair was everywhere. His face had a giant bruise on the side. Probably from that Hood.
He wore a leather jacket so I wasn't sure if there were any other bruises.
He looked over and saw me. A small smile grew. He walked over and leaned down to hug me but I put my foot out stopping him.
"What's wrong?" He asks. Clearly confused.
"You left. Didn't even say where you were going. You left me for 2 days Dallas. Then I learn you got into a fight with some Hood rat and was recovering. Do you know how scared I was? I thought you left me Dally. You promised."
A single tear slipped out of my eye and I looked away. Desperate to avoid any eye contact with anyone.
"Vix. I'm sorry man. When I left that day you was asleep. I planned on coming back later that day with a present. But I got stopped by a buddy of mine."
"Right a buddy who beats your face in." I remark.
"Please you should see Tim. Thats just the things I do. Tim and me we like to fight. Sometimes over nothin. Don't be mad at me." He says.
"Right. The first night I couldn't even sleep." I told him.
"Listen Vixen. I'm sorry. That what you wanna hear? I didn't mean to get in a fight with Shepard. Okay. I wanted to swipe you a gift. And I got it. Wanna see?" Dally asks.
I shrug my shoulders.
He reaches into his jacket and throws a book at me. I shriek quietly when it comes in contact with me.
I look at it closely.
"It's a drawing book." I said quietly. I flipped through the pages. All blank white paper.
"Yeah. Told you I was serious about wantin to see some of your drawings sometime." He says. He lit up a cigarette seemingly not caring he was inside.
Everyone looked at me and Dally back and forth. Waiting for one of us to say something.
"Thank you, Dally. I appreciate it."
"So you forgive me?" I look up at him.
"Yeah." I say after a while. He smiles with the cigarette between his teeth.
"Great. Let's uh, get you out of here. Hang out for a while." Dally says.
"Two Bit invited me to a movie place tonight." I told him. Dally looks at Two Bit.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. He invited Pony and Johnny too. He was gonna invite you too but you're here now. Wanna go?" I ask.
"Why not. But the movie starts at dark. We have some time to kill. Let's go." He tells me.
I nod slowly and get up. Dally looks at my bare legs and sighs.
"Put some pants on will ya. Everybody quit starin at my little sister!" He yells the last part and I flinch.
He sounded so authoritative. It scared me.
I quickly found the pants Pony lent me and put them on. Everyone was adverting their gazes. Wow Dally sure scared these boys.
I grabbed the book and said bye to Ponyboy and Johnny and followed Dally out the door.
"What you been up to while I was gone huh?" Dally asks. I shrug slightly.
"Pony and Johnny took me to the park yesterday. Other than that though I haven't been doin nothin. Cept sleepin."
"Hey I thought you couldn't sleep right without me." Dally says.
"The first night you were gone Johnny came in around midnight I guess. Told him he could sleep on the couch with me. I don't know I just found it easy to fall asleep with him." I respond.
Dally nods and clenches his jaw.
"Now don't get it twisted Dally. Nothin happened between Johnny and me." I tell him.
"I believe that Vix. Just don't know how I feel about someone sleepin with my sister is all."
"Please, you haven't cared about me until a couple days ago. Why start now?"
"I always cared about you Vixen." Dally snaps. I flinch backwards.
"Then why didn't you come back for me. Why didn't anyone know who I was before two days ago huh? You just let yourself assume I was dead. You got a lousy way of tellin me you care." I vent.
Dally stayed quiet. He looked pissed. I gulped.
I just hoped he wouldn't start swingin.
