The next three days were uneventful. Dallas and Hannah stayed in their rooms as much as possible, not risking running into Tony a second time. The two hadn't even been to the Curtis house.
Friday was when everything went to shit.
"I'm gonna run to the DX. If you leave this laundromat, I'll kill you, got it?"
"Uh-huh. Got it."
"Just scream or something if he shows up, okay?"
"Christ Dal, I got it. I'm just washing my clothes, chill out."
The greaser scoffed and left the building as Hannah dropped the black garbage bag on the cold tile floor. The building was a bit warmer than the light November breeze, and the fluorescent lights made her cringe if she stared at them.
She couldn't decide if she liked the building being empty. Sure she didn't have to wait for other people to do their laundry, and she didn't have to deal with judgemental side-eyeing. But being alone meant being vulnerable.
Now that Tony was roaming the streets, being vulnerable was a death sentence.
She emptied her clothes onto the floor and began feeding them into the washing machine. Once finished, she fished a dime out of her pocket and placed it in the slot. She had ten minutes to kill before her clothes would be finished. Hannah propped her elbows on the machine across from her clothes and began to think.
Dallas had kept his hand on the collar of her jacket the entire time they walked, almost like he expected her to run away the first chance she got. They talked quietly as they walked, Dallas told her to keep Tony a secret.
"I know what the guys are like. If we tell 'em about Tony, they'll wanna do something about him. They'll either wanna fight him, or tell me to go to the cops." He scoffed. "We're not goin' to the fuckin' pigs for help, they'll probably lock us up instead."
She promised not to tell anyone about Tony. Dallas hadn't asked her about what Tony said, he didn't say anything about Tony, or Dominic at all.
Her mind was still reeling with confusion when she noticed a head of blonde hair across the street. She recognized the head quickly, this time not mistaking Sylvia for her brother.
Sylvia ducked into an alley and was followed by a boy. Hannah knew this boy wasn't her brother. Dallas was blonde and was wearing a leather jacket. The stranger had brown hair and wore a green ski jacket.
Hannah's eyes glanced at the clock above the machines.
Seven minutes left. Dal will never know.
The wind bit at her arms, her jacket was currently in the wash. Hannah ran her hands up and down her arms while cursing in her mind.
Stupid fucking Sylvia. If this is what I think it is, you're so fucking dead.
Ponyboy's voice echoed in her mind, him saying that Sylvia cheated on Dallas more than Steve did at cards.
I know Dal's a dick, he's my brother. And yet, he's still too good for you.
As she neared the alley, it became increasingly obvious what Sylvia and the stranger were doing. At the same time, Hannah wished she had chucked that shoe a little harder. Finally, Hannah was able to peek inside. The boy's back was up against the wall, Sylvia's lips against his while he pulled at her tight shirt. Sylvia's delicate hands roamed over the boy's chest before pulling at his belt. Hannah cleared her throat.
"Oh! Hey, Sylvia. Are you still coming over to visit Dallas tonight?"
Sylvia pulled back while the boy hastily pulled his pants back up. "Dallas? Like Dallas Winston? Y-you told me you two broke up," he stammered. Sylvia was quiet as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I haven't seen him much lately, so we might as well be."
The boy popped the collar of his jacket before exiting the alley and running down the street towards the West side of town. He would be in the Rumble tonight and didn't want any special attention for making a move on Dallas Winston's girl.
Sylvia toyed with her fingers as she stared at her shoes. In the light, Hannah could now see that her roots were brown.
Oh my God. Sylvia's a bottle blonde.
" He never told me he had a sister," Sylvia laughed nervously. Hannah wasn't in the mood.
"Guess you're not as important as you thought you were. Looks like all that bleach you put on your head is finally leaking into your skull."
Sylvia's smile vanished. "You don't have to tell him, why don't we keep this our little secret? I doubt you have many girlfriends in town." Her hand curled around a lock of Hannah's hair as she spoke. She pulled on it lightly when silence echoed off the walls.
For such a rotten bitch, you're really pretty.
Underneath long dark lashes, Sylvia's brown eyes shone viciously. Her hair covered her shoulders and fell forwards around her chest. Worst of all, her lips were coated in a vibrant red. Sylvia was a beautiful greaser girl, and she knew it. The only thing that ruined the look, was a purple bruise over the bridge of her nose.
"Did I break your nose when I threw that shoe at you?"
Sylvia lowered her hand and brought it to her face gingerly. She winced slowly before smiling down at the younger girl. "Oh no, just a little bruise. You've got a good arm."
Hannah lowered her gaze. Sylvia stood in front of her dressed in a leather skirt, dark-coloured heels, and an even darker top. Hannah raised her head again and rubbed her tongue over her teeth.
"Good, that's good."
Sylvia smiled, and Hannah clenched her fist.
"I'm gonna break it now, though."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Dallas kept his hand clamped on his sister's shoulder as they walked down the street. Hannah's knuckles were stained red and slightly scarred, but she had gotten off easy. Sylvia's nose twisted at an odd angle, blood stained her teeth and shirt, but most importantly, she wouldn't be seeing Dallas for quite a while. Her cheek now wore a matching bruise.
"What else was I supposed to do? Let her cheat on you?"
He pushed her towards the fence that marked out the Curtis house's yard. Hannah managed to brace herself and stop before she could faceplant into the chainlink. Her eyes locked with Johnny's as he and Ponyboy opened the front door. Before anything could be said, Dallas grabbed the back of Hannah's shirt and yanked her around to face him.
Oh fuck. This is how I die, isn't it?
"You're supposed to do what I tell you! It could've been anyone in that fucking alley, what if it was Tony?"
"Okay, I get it, just let me go! Dal-" Hannah was interrupted by her brother's fist curling tighter around the collar of her shirt and hair. She hadn't realized how close he had gotten, either. Back on the porch, Pony and Johnny shifted on their feet nervously. Even from the distance, they could see the vein in their friend's neck, and the red in his cheeks. Furthermore, they saw Hannah's feet shuffle around on the gravel, desperately trying to get away.
"Fucking hell, how'd you even survive in the city? You just walk into random alleys whenever you feel like it?"
Hannah's fist wrapped around her brother's arm trying to push him away. Her nails pushed into his skin, a thin line of red being left behind. Dallas didn't budge. "I survived," she snarled, "no thanks to you."
The resemblance between Charlie and his son was uncanny. Especially when they were furious.
"Hey man, what's going on?"
Sodapop's voice cut through the tension like a boat through the water. Dallas's sharp gaze moved from his sister to the boy, and his grasp loosened. Soda looked down at the girl cautiously and reached for her arm. By this time, Dallas was already storming into the house.
"I'm fine," Hannah announced while jerking back. Soda's eyes widened for a brief moment, glowing in the dying sunlight. He hung his head and followed the path back towards the steps. Ponyboy and Johnny still stood there. Pony was the first to speak.
"You're sure you're alright? I asked Soda to check on you because-"
"Dallas wouldn't hit me," Hannah interrupted. Beside Ponyboy, Johnny scratched the back of his neck.
"At least, not on purpose," he said gently. It was Ponyboy's turn to look sheepish.
"I got in a fight with Darry a couple months ago. I missed curfew, he and Soda got real worried about me. When I got home, Darry was so mad at me, he hit me. It didn't hurt none, just kinda scared me. But, uh, Soda told me that it was just because he worries about me a lot. Sounds like Dally was worried about you."
Hannah scoffed lightly and stared at the back of her bloody knuckles. "Dal's young and stupid. The only thing he worries about is getting laid." She moved into the house and sat on the couch. Dallas sat across the room in Darry's armchair.
"Save your brooding for the Rumble, Dal. We'll need ya lookin' scary," Johnny joked while taking a seat next to Hannah. He rested his own hands in his lap, but Hannah felt his eyes wander over to her clenched fists.
"I'm serious, Johnny," she whispered, "Dallas didn't hurt me."
"Then what happened to your hands?"
"I punched Sylvia in the face, stupid bitch was cheating on Dal again."
Johnny's once timid face broke into a smile.
The Lot was nearly full. On one side, mustangs lined the street, t-birds and reckless greasers lined the other. The sun had died now, the only light belonged to a few stray streetlamps, and the yellowed moon peering through the clouds. The air was electric, everyone feeding off the energy of the people around them.
Hate is a powerful thing.
Hannah stuck with Ponyboy while they walked to the Lot, Dallas had yet to say a single word to her. Behind her, Steve, Two-Bit and Soda passed around a flask and a few cigarettes. They had had a few beers at the house, everyone had. Well, except for Ponyboy, Darry had yanked the bottle from his hand before he could raise it to his lips. Hannah had taken a few sips but stopped after Dallas cleared his throat loudly, and glared at her.
Once the Curtis gang neared the Lot, Darry walked off towards Tim Shephard and his gang. Dallas followed him for a minute before rounding back. He grabbed both Pony and Johnny before shoving them in his sister's direction.
"Listen to me, this isn't New York, got it? There are rules here. You can't go pulling your blade the second you get scared, alright? Rumbles are always skin on skin, so unless these bastards wanna forfeit, fists only. And, uh, you're sticking with Pony and Johnny."
With that, he turned back to the Shephards while Hannah turned to face the two boys. "This isn't New York, got it," she mocked. "Yeah dipshit, that's kinda the whole point of me being here!"
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to!"
Ponyboy laughed, a brief blush painting his cheeks.
A hush fell over the crowd as both sides lined up to face one another. A settle breeze shook the trees and their bare limbs. Hannah pulled at the sleeves of her grey shirt. Her clothes still sat in the laundromat, forgotten. A little way down the line, Dallas cracked his knuckles. Across from him, was Bob Sheldon. Ponyboy stood to Hannah's right, with Johnny beside him. A boy from another Greaser gang, the Brumly Boys, stood on her left and wrapped his fist in tape.
Apprehension was high as Greasers and Socs alike stared each other down. Waiting for the first punch to be thrown, and the Rumble to commence. Lo and behold, Bob decided to speak. He cleared his throat loudly, Hannah swore Ponyboy held his breath.
"So, Dallas, heard you brought your sister along." The socs snickered while the greasers cracked their knuckles, or shifted on their feet.
"From what I've heard, she's real pretty. I bet she'd look even better sucking my di-"
Dallas sprung forwards, his fist colliding with Bob's jaw.
The Rumble was on.
Pony and Johnny disappeared into the fray, and Hannah followed. Tried to, at least. A soc jumped out at her, nearly trapping her in his grip. She managed to side-step in the knick of time and sprinted away while he collapsed onto the dying grass.
In the middle of the fight, her eyes landed on the two boys she had been told to stick with. Ponyboy was holding one soc's arms behind his back while Johnny repeatedly punched him in the face. Off to the side, Dallas tossed another soc to the ground as if he weighed little more than a pop bottle. As Hannah glanced around the scene, a pair of arms wrapped around her, trapping her arms at her sides.
"If you ever get jumped, don't scream. That just means more guys are gonna come jump you."
Hannah was seven then, Dallas had just gotten out of prison. It was an old lesson, but still important.
Hannah slammed her head back as quickly as she could, hoping it would connect with her attacker's jaw. She was right, and his arms fell limp as he stumbled backwards. Taking advantage of his confusion, Hannah turned and kicked his knee, watching as he hid the ground.
Hannah one, socs zero.
Combining their forces, Johnny and Ponyboy had managed to take down two socs on their own. Things were looking good for the Greasers, only one or two had slunk away to the sidelines whereas at least a dozen socs had returned to their cars. The three young teenagers decided then that they wouldn't attack any socs, but rather help greasers who were already fighting socs. Hannah took off in one direction, Pony and Johnny ran in the other.
Hannah searched the outskirts, her eyes peeled for any socs. The wind howled through the night sky, effectively holding her hair back from her face. This was a rookie mistake.
A fist clamped around her hair and yanked her backwards, right into Bob's open arms.
His grip tightened around her like a snake as she struggled.
"You're brother's really been pissing me off lately," Bob started.
"Yeah, he tends to do that sometimes," came Hannah's reply. She continued to fight as his grip grew tighter. Underneath the pale moon, the sleeve of Bob's jacket slid up, revealing his wrist.
Teeth don't count as 'weapons', right?
"But you showed up at the perfect time, Hannah. There's this guy who came by the other day. Said I could get rid of you and your brother and all I had to do is tell him where you live! What was the guy's name again...shit. It wasn't Tim, no...right! Does Tony sound familiar?"
Hannah sunk her teeth into Bob's skin before pushing herself away from him. She spat the metallic-tasting blood onto the dying grass as Bob cradled his wrist close to his chest. To add insult to injury, she jumped forwards and kicked the soc in between the legs.
He folded forwards and landed on his stomach. Unfortunately, this gave him the perfect opportunity to reach for Hannah's ankle.
His fingers wrapped around her. Hannah panicked and twisted away to run once more. This only caused her ankle to twist, and white-hot pain to shoot up her leg as she too, hit the ground. Hannah shuffled backward awkwardly while Bob rose to his feet. Her back collided with the rough bark of a tree. She was pinned.
Bob's eyes glowed with malicious intent as he raised his fist. Brass knuckles adorned his right hand, the same ones that had given Johnny his scars.
"Last chance, honey. You can give up now, and I won't have to hurt you," he warned.
Hannah winced as she struggled to her feet. She couldn't rest her left foot on the ground. Regardless, she held onto the dying branches behind her and held her bad foot a few inches off the ground. "Don't flatter yourself."
Bob snarled and charged at her. Hannah had seen brass knuckles before, she had even seen them in action. But she had never been on the receiving end of their brutal attacks. Bob's first punch landed on the side of her face, cutting her cheekbone. The second aimed for her lips and found its mark. Her eyes began to water as blood streamed from both her wounds. As Bob prepared to hit her again, a figure shoved him to the ground.
"The Rumble's over, you dumb fuck. Get out of 'ere before I kill you."
Bob stood for a second time and took off towards the few remaining mustangs. Taking a few deep breaths, Hannah's grip on the branches faltered, and she slid to the ground.
"Hey Winston, you doing alright?"
"Yeah, just fuckin' peachy."
Tim Shephard knelt down beside her. He was silent until Hannah pulled her blood-soaked hair back from her face. "Fucking Sheldon. He knew he wouldn't beat us, so he had to cheat. Pathetic." He cleared his throat. "Can you walk?"
Hannah shook her head while staring at the holes in her jeans.
"Alright then. C'mon."
Tim pulled her to her feet before pulling one of her arms around his neck and placing his own around her waist. Hannah tensed and began to pull back.
"Relax Hannah, don't make it weird."
"How am I making it weird? I don't fucking know you!"
"I'm friends with your brother. See, there he is. Winston!"
Dallas jogged over as Tim and Hannah made their way towards the Curtis gang. He had a black eye, a bleeding nose that pointed a little too far left, but other than that, he looked fine.
"I told you to stay with Pony and Johnny," he started.
"Can we do this when I can walk away from you?"
Tim snorted. "Come on man, take your sister. Sheldon was being a little bitch and slipped his rings on at some point. Looks like Hannah here got most of it."
Dallas copied Tim's movements as Hannah placed her arm around the back of his neck. "Where the fuck is your jacket," he suddenly asked.
Hannah sucked in a deep breath as she rested too much weight on her bad foot. "The laundromat, remember? You got so pissy about me hitting Sylvia that you dragged me to the house and never let me go back for my clothes."
He grumbled something she couldn't understand before pulling off his jacket and pulling her arms through the sleeves. "Well, now I get to drag you to the house, again."
The gang collapsed in the house. Steve, Soda and Two-Bit made themselves comfortable on the floor, Dallas dropped his sister on the couch while Darry passed a first-aid kit around. Ponyboy took a seat in his eldest brother's chair and Johnny sat on the couch. Hannah hissed while Dallas held a rag to her cheek.
"Just let me do it," she groaned. Dallas huffed and placed a band-aid over the scar. "This wouldn't have happened if you just listened to me."
Hannah mocked him quietly before he left for the bathroom. She knew what he was doing, there was probably a cut on his back, and he didn't need the gang to stare at the scars Charlie had given him. Hannah pulled at her sleeve while stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"
"Almost eleven," Johnny said quietly. Hannah yawned once more while stretching her arms above her head. Johnny surveyed the scars on her lip and cheek, they were nearly identical. The girl caught on quickly.
"It's just a couple scars, I was bound to get 'em eventually."
Johnny was about to speak when Dallas came back and sat in between the two. "You're grounded."
Hannah's eyes snapped to her brother. "On whose authority?"
"Mine, dipshit."
"I don't have to listen to you."
"Oh yeah? How about I just break your other ankle?"
Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd like to see you try."
Dallas turned his hostile glare to Darry. "Why didn't you tell me this was so hard?"
Darry sighed as he made his way towards the bedrooms at the end of the hall. "I've been saying that for the past nine months, but you dumb fucks never listen!"
Soon enough the gang became too exhausted to do anything other than sleep.