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“Man, that was a tuff car. Mustangs are tuff.”
Johnny, leaning against one of the trees in the lot, watched as the familiar blue Mustang passed in the gold mist of dawn and his eyes lit up. It wasn’t all shabby and grungy like all the cars he’s ever ridden in in his whole life. And they actually had working brakes (unlike a certain Two-Bit Matthew’s car at the moment.)
Dally, who was, low and behold, also leaning against another tree. He seemed to be mumbling something as his eyes examined the car, making a mental note before turning towards Johnny. “I think Mustangs ’re all show.” He shrugged.
“What?” Johnny’s expression darkened as he looked over at Dally like he was completely insane.
“Ehh.” Dally smirked, “they’re kinda lame. Don’tcha think?” He didn’t really think that. In all honesty, he didn’t have much of an opinion on Mustangs. Yeah, they looked tuff and he loved driving real fast for kicks just in general. He didn’t have a car of his own though, he just borrowed them whenever he needed to get somewhere far or quick.
Once Dally saw the dark lingering expression on Johnny’s face he forced a short chuckle out of himself. “Hey, cool yer jets, Johnnycake. I was just kiddin’.” Who knew Johnny liked cars so much? Well, he did love drag races and he and Pony were both crazy about fast driving. Dally soon shook his head. “I s’pose they are pretty tuff.”
Johnny sighed and smiled slightly, shaking his head. “Why you always gotta be pullin’ somethin’ Dal’?”
“I don’t know. Just for kicks I guess.”
Dally took a cigarette pack out of his pocket, took one, and lit it up. He held out the pack for Johnny until he took one too. Dally took a drag on his weed before speaking up again. “So, you want one of those Mustangs?”
“Man, I’d kill for one of those.” Johnny replied after lighting up his cigarette with a lighter as his voice trailed off, going silent at his word choices.
“Really?” Dally looked up at the smoke and embers emitting from his cigarette and crashing against the darkened sky before diminishing in the crisp air. It was getting late. Dally didn’t have a curfew, obviously. His old man don’t care where he is and when. Sometimes he felt it was a blessing, being able to have so much freedom to do whatever the hell he wants. Most of the time though, he resents him and all his shitty parenting choices.
“Welp.” Dally pushed himself off the tree with the bottom of his foot. “Imma head back. I’ll see ya tomorrow, Johnnycake.”
“Bye, Dally.” Johnny waved.
“Don’t stay out too late.” Dally said in the most casual tone he tried to use. He didn’t want to sound like Darry. “Or if you do, get Pony or someone to stay with you.”
Johnny twirled his cigarette between his fingers. “Right.” He nodded.
Dally waved him off as he turned away and disappeared from Johnny’s vision into the late sky that turned from a bright orange to a dark blue. Dally made sure no one was looking as he slumped into a nearby alleyway. He kept moving through the backstreets of the neighborhood in a certain direction, hoping what he was looking for was near. Until he finally laid his eyes upon it, the blue mustang, reversing out of a parking spot like it was just begging for him to follow it.
Dally threw the bud of the weed on the ground and smushed it with his heel. It was dark enough for Dally to just walk on the streets a couple feet behind the car. Luckily, the car was cruising real slow so unless he was slow himself, (which he wasn’t), he wasn’t gonna lose this thing.
As he made his way through the Greaser territory into the town, Dally was careful, slumping and looking around all shifty. He looked like a real hood like that, walking around in the dark. Anyone looking at him from afar would probably assume he was up to no good.
And they wouldn’t be wrong to think that. He was trying to steal a car. It’s not for himself, though. He don’t need one. So, why was he trying to steal it in the first place? Well, he was getting it for Johnny. But why? Johnny didn’t ask him to. Simple: just for kicks. He didn’t care much for the law and it was always thrilling to break it. He was both tough and tuff. Besides, Johnny’s birthday was also coming up soon, so he could just call it an early gift.
Dally began approaching the Socs’ territory. It was an area that had a strike difference to where he usually stayed around. The streets were cleaner, the houses all had mustangs or another fancy car, and the houses were larger. It was like he was in New York again but also way far from it, both physically and…non-physically.
He had to be extra cautious in this area. Of course, he wasn’t gonna back down against a rumble but rumble-fishing wasn’t what he was hunting at the moment.
Dally stopped in his tracks once he saw the car pull into one of the driveways. He read the address on the house. He slid behind some other car in front of the next door house. He watched as Randy got out and stepped towards the house. He heard the jingling of keys against the cool breeze. So, he was gonna have to get those keys.
Dally waited for the guy to get inside his house before he scouted the area. He stalked around the house, looking for a way in. He’s broken into houses before. Rarely Socs’ though, and even more rarer with people inside. He watched through the window, seeing the silhouette drop the keys near the front door.
He hopped the fence into the backyard. It looked totally wrecked. Bottles everywhere of all varieties, some half-empty, some completely empty, and many just broken into shards. There must have been a beer blast back here earlier. Major-league Soc alright, Dally thought.
He looked up at the house. Dally smirked. The window was open. Classic mistake. He’s scaled houses before so this was gonna be no sweat.
He rubbed his hands and took a couple steps back. He counted himself down from 3…2…1…and he ran up, launching his left foot onto the low windowsill, then his right foot, and scrambling his fingers on all the grips on the exterior until he grabbed onto the edge of the open window. There was a quick second where Dally dangled on the reliant of one hand before he pulled himself up into the room.
The lights of the room were on but no one was inside. Dally looked around. These people were really Socs. So much so they could leave the lights on in a room they’re not using.
Well, if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be detrimental to snag a couple things around here, right? Dally examined the room. There were a bunch of little nicknacks in this room he could probably pawn off or something.
He started stuffing things into his pockets and into his jacket until he heard a couple footsteps. He hid behind a desk in the room and kept his eyes on the doorway. There was always an “unspoken” rule of being a Greaser. That was to never get caught. And Dally was planning on following that rule tonight, despite the other "laws" he’s been breaking.
Just then, the familiar Soc strut’ into the room and walked past Dally. Dally grinned. He could only think, Sucka’, as he snuck right past him into the hallway of the house. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, holding the items so they wouldn’t make a sound.
He kept his ears open, trying to locate if there was anyone else in the house. He could confirm by the muffled noises and voices coming from behind one of the doors.
So, he quickly sped down the stairs—(wow a house with stairs? The last time Dally had seen those was when he was back in New York. But there are a bunch of towering buildings there so that doesn’t really count.) He observed the room until he came to the front door. He could tell by looking out the window in front of him and seeing where he was just a couple minutes ago.
He examined the little front area until he saw the key on the entrance table. Just when he was about to pick them up, he heard a yell from upstairs.
“Mom! Dad! Where is all my stuff!?”
“What?!” A voice yelled back.
“My stuff is gone!!”
Dally shouldn’t linger. The yelling also covers up the noise he makes. He grabbed the key and opened the front door. But once he did, the yelling stopped and was replaced with a piercing beeping.
Dally immediately bolted out the door, slamming it behind him and not caring if they could hear it. Dammit. He forgot Socs had house alarms.
He quickly got himself into the car and when he glanced into the rear view mirror of the car, he saw the Socy boy chasing after him.
“Dallas Winston! You get back here with my stuff and my car!” He shouted.
The house lights must have been so bright that his face was visible, or Randy just assumed Dally was the most likely person to rob him specifically in a sea of same old-same old Socs.
Dally stepped on the gas and drove out the driveway. That kid Randy must have been an athlete or something, Dally thought, because he actually kept on his tail from just running.
But Dally kept a leaded foot and he could bet his last couple dimes and quarters on losing Randy. And look, he was already doing that right now.
He saw as Randy kept on getting farther and farther away by a step every second. Dally propped his arm on the lowered window of the car and turned his head.
He considered flipping the bird but settled for throwing a deuce out the window of the car and shouting out, “later’ ya lil’ shit!” And he was off.
He drove around just for a while until he decided to park the Mustang at the Curtis’ house. It seemed like the safest option since he knew he could trust them to not sell it or take it for themselves if they found it.
He pulled up and parked it in as much as he could so it couldn’t be seen. He got out and hopped the fence to the front of the house. Aces. It couldn’t really be seen unless you were to really look over the fence which was fine by Dally. He only needed to keep it until morning anyway.
Dally hopped back over the fence. He yawned. It was late and Dally didn’t feel like walking back to Buck’s place, so he decided to crash on the Curtis’ sofa. Luckily, the house door was always welcome, and didn’t have an alarm strapped to it, so he just went in and dropped all the things he took on the living room table and he flopped onto the sofa.
𓏵
The next morning, Dally woke up to a sizzling noise and the smell of food. He rubbed one of his eyes as he got up and peered into the kitchen. It was Darry. He considered staying but then he remembered the Mustang he had just stolen last night.
He shuffled his feet towards the front door when he heard his name being called out.
“Morning, Dallas. You’re not staying over to breakfast?” Darry invited.
“Maybe later, man, I got some things I need to do.”
“Alright. Well, just know if you need anything, the door is always unlocked.”
“Yeah, man. I know.” Dally shrugged. He left and immediately got in the car. Johnny must have either been sleeping at the lot or at his house. He assumed it was the former because they were at the lot last night because his folks were fighting again.
He pulled up and looked out the window to see the boy sitting on the ground, newspapers around himself like a blanket.
Dally honked the horn, which startled Johnny. He could tell what type of car it was based on the noise but what surprised him was who was in the car.
“Dally?” He got up and ran over to him. “What are you-? How do you-?”
“Just asked the guy if I could have his car.” Dally grinned, sticking his head out the window.
Johnny tried to frown but he couldn’t contain his smile. “I can’t believe you stole this for me!”
Dally looked at Johnny’s face, watching the complete joy seep from his emotions. Johnny eyed the car, seeing the clean look so close up. “Well, are you gonna get in or not?” Dally questioned.
“Oh!” Johnny hurried into the passenger’s seat. “You’re gonna drive real fast, right?"
“O’course, ain’t no other way to do it.” Dally chuckled before he stepped on the gas and they sped through the neighborhood.