"No offense, Dallas, but I'm not into moody assholes," I fired at him with a smug smirk.
"Yeah, you're not my type either, Diana," he shot back. "Crazy, uptight chics are kind of a turnoff." I narrowed my eyes at him and growled angrily.
...
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Curtis House 3rd Person POV
"Can you grab me a beer?" Two-Bit asked as Johnny stood up and made his way to the kitchen.
"Oh, me too, Johnny!" Steve called out right after. The younger boy gave his friends a thumbs-up before he walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge in search for two beers. The spiked eggnog had been finished off awhile ago, so the alcoholics of the group just resorted to drinking beer.
Johnny grabbed two bottles and shut the refrigerator, making his way back into the living room and handing the liquor to Two-Bit and Steve. He sat in his previous spot on against the wall next to Ponyboy, who was flipping through his new journal. Mickey Mouse played on the tv as everyone watched the cartoon, laughing at Two-Bit's ridiculous jokes. Even Darry had put his newspaper down and watched the show.
There was a strange feeling in the air, and the vibe of the Curtis house was definitely off. The boys, along with Evie, knew that Diana had been gone for a curious amount of time, especially if she was just getting cigarettes, but none of them were worried about it. If there was anyone that could be on their own and defend themselves it was definitely Diana. She was tough and fearless and everyone knew it. Still, a small sliver of doubt remained in the back of each of their heads.
Dallas ran his thumb over the D.W. initials that were engraved in the lighter he had gifted Diana. Before leaving, she handed him the lighter for safe keeping. All the man could think about was where she was and if she was okay. Much like Diana, he also regretted not going with her to the shop. There was nothing he could do now except wait or go after her, and he had this bad feeling in his gut, telling him that he should find his girl.
Dally flicked the top of the light open and closed, watching the flame spark and die out each time. As hard as the other boys tried to ignore the repetitive clicks of the lighter, they couldn't deny it was becoming quite annoying. "Jeez, Dal, I'm sure Diana's fine," Two-Bit huffed, throwing his hands up in the air as he peeled his green eyes away from the television.
Dallas rolled his eyes and glared at Two-Bit. "She should be back by now," he grumbled.
"She probably had to find another store," Steve reasoned. He always tried to think positively, but he knew that a trip to the drugstore shouldn't take this long. Steve was just trying to use logic before jumping to the worst possible conclusion.
"Yeah, it's Christmas Eve," Sodapop added, nodding his head in agreement. He figured that most stores would be closed, so that the employees were able to spend the holiday with friends and family. That's why him and Darry had off from work tonight.
"Whatever, man," Dallas huffed. His patience was wearing thin, and he was not in the mood to listen to statements of the obvious from his friends. Dally stood up from the couch and swaggered over to the front door, pushing it open and beginning a walk to the town in search for his girl.
The rest of the gang shared looks with one another after their friend left abruptly. Johnny stood up next and followed after Dallas with Ponyboy and Evie trailing after him. Without hesitation everyone else made their way outside. The group walked side by side down the middle of the street toward the town and the girl, who was badly wounded and unconscious. No one questioned Dallas any further. He knew exactly where Diana would—or should—be and that was the drugstore on 13th. Unfortunately for the girl, she never made it to that corner shop.
The walk into town was relatively quiet, which was strange because the greaser gang always tended to be rambunctious, but this was serious. No one had seen or heard from Diana since she left, and everyone knew that something had to be wrong. As the group of friends were walking down the deserted street, nearing the corner shop the girl always went to for cigarettes, they could see a form lying on the ground in the distance. Other than the shaky and uneven breathing patterns, there was barely any movement. All of their faces dropped out of nervousness, and each of them were afraid to approach, scared that it was their friend that was lying there alone. Dallas moved swiftly toward the figure ahead, the rest of the greasers trailing close behind cautiously.
His heart stopped beating for a split second when he saw that it was her. It was Diana.
He could feel his heart begin to race again as his mind sorted through every single bad thing that could've possibly happened during the time she was gone. Guilt clouded his emotions when he saw her lying on the concrete, unconscious. He knew he should've gone with her. How could he be so stupid to let her go alone?
Dally knelt down at her side and pulled the girl into his lap carefully. He wore a panicked expression as he glanced over her. Her jaw was bruised and bloodied, and he could hear the unusually short breaths she was taking. A slightly relieved sigh escaped his lips because at least she wasn't dead, but he knew something else must've happened because she was completely knocked out.
"Diana?" Dallas said. He hoped for an answer but received nothing. He moved a strand of hair out of her face and pulled it behind her ear gently. The others gathered around, taken aback by the scene.
"Oh my god," Evie gasped. She stared at her friend with a fearful look upon her face. Evie had heard about Diana's reputation in Tulsa, but she had never seen the consequences that came with it.
Two-Bit had wide eyes and wasn't really sure what to say himself. "Is she.. alive?" He asked unsurely.
Dallas nodded slowly. "Yeah," he replied. "Somethin's wrong though." He kept his eyes on the girl, afraid that if he looked away something else would happen much like the last time.
"What the hell happened?" Steve questioned, his voice shook nervously. He found it hard to believe that something like this happened in such a short amount of time. Sensing anxiety, Evie intertwined their hands and leaned her head on his arm in attempt to comfort him. She had never been in a situation like this. Being a greaser and a girl meant that she had seen and even been in a fair share of fights, but none ended with her best friend unconscious and seriously injured.
"How the fuck would I know?" Dally snapped. He huffed, trying to keep his cool but failing, per usual. "I should have been there."
