Chapter One

"Things are rough all over..."
-Cherry Valance, The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton

The sky had fallen to the skyline, bringing a dark blanket to কোট the Earth. The stars didn't প্রদর্শনী from the lights of the city blocking their view out. Even if we lived on the outskirts, it was still blocked. I sighed.
"You still up? Go to bed," my older brother, Bruce, ব্যক্ত from the doorway.
"On it..." I sighed and walked away from the window, to my bed. Climbing under the thin blankets, I looked up at the blank ceiling. "Night Bruce."
"Night kiddo," he yawned and walked down the hall. The hall light flicked off. He was going to bed. The only noise that remained in the house was the racket from my brother, Andrew's, TV. I just rolled over, folding the বালিশ of my ears. I stared out the window. It had a view of down the street, our crappy little neighbor hood. Staring out the window, watching the cars and sirens until I fell asleep.

I had dreamed, but I couldn't remember. It had bugged me all the way through my morning routine- shower, getting dressed, etc etc. Sitting at the table, I ate some ফলমূল Loops, not paying attention because I was পাঠ করা Wicked Lovely দ্বারা Melissa Marr. The book was suddenly snatched from my hands. Looking up I saw it was Andrew. His brown eyes leaping with laughter. "Watch it, you're about to miss your mouth." he laughed.
I looked at the spoon, titling midair. I ate the spoonful. "Now give it back."
"Take a break. Geez," he said, leaning back in his chair.
I sighed and rest my head in my hand, propped up দ্বারা my elbow, eating.
Bruce walked in. His sandy blonde hair darkened from stepping out of the shower. He was around six-foot, tan, and lean; he was twenty-five. Andrew was eighteen, five-foot elven perhaps. We all had brown eyes and blonde hair. Just different hues and textures. Bruce had near black eyes, but আপনি could tell they were brown when he was in sunlight. His hair was wavy. Andrew's eyes were medium brown with little specks of green everywhere and his hair straight but waved at the ends. Mine I guess were the lightest. Like a caramel, but I had a rim of green on the outside. My hair was curly. So yeah, we had the same basics, but our details different.
Breaking my train of thought, Juliet came running in and hopping in a chair. Juliet was Bruce and Tammy's daughter. She was three. She had Bruce's hair and Juliet's crystal blue eyes. Juliet looked like she was born for the movies. Perhaps her and Soda would be in a movie together one day.
As if on cue, feeling the silence was Dally and Two-Bit busting through the door. "We came to kidnap আপনি guys," Dally ব্যক্ত with a smirk.
I smiled and stood, taking my bowl to the sink. Two-Bit and Dally were only two অথবা three years older than me, me being sixteen. Andrew, fifteen, used to tease Soda and I to go out. Soda was my best friend, no way.
"Andrew, Leila, back before eight, আপনি hear?" Bruce warned.
Bruce was looking after us for the পরবর্তি few years... our parents had died with the Curtis' in the car accident.
"Yeah, yeah yeah." Andrew called as we headed out the door with them.

~ ~ ~

Walking down our neighborhood, Two-Bit and Andrew walked behind, goofing off- yelling at people in cars. I walked পরবর্তি to Dally. Being পরবর্তি to him was best of both worlds. It was নিরাপদ and both of us didn't talk- but it wasn't awkward. It was just... normal. Normal didn't come easily to this neighborhood but this was normal to us.
The wind blew, sending shivers and chills up my arms. Two-Bit cracked a Wizard of Oz joke, but I wasn't paying attention.
"Where's your jacket?" Dally asked, breaking the silence we had been walking with.
I shrugged, "The car I think."
"That's a real good place for it," he cracked sarcastically. He shrugged off his jacket.
Looking at him with a raised eyebrow, I said, "I'm not taking your jacket."
"It doesn't have fleas, now put it on."
"What about your tough guy look? The জ্যাকেট completes it." I teased.
"Whoever doesn't know I'm tough, I'll break their nose," he answered, stepping behind me.
Sighing, I gave up and held my arms out as he put the জ্যাকেট on me. He stepped back beside me, now smoking a cigarette. "Now was that so bad?" he asked, taking a huff.
The জ্যাকেট was huge and went to half of my thigh. It smelled of cigarettes and cologne. "I guess not... but it it bites me... deals off."
He smiled and put an arm around my neck and dragged me closer দ্বারা the head. Expecting him to rub his knuckles to my head, he just released me.
Suddenly Two-Bit and Andrew were walking beside me. Confused, I looked up. A Soc car had pulled up. Cracking jokes and yelling GREASER!