"Linh!" shouted a girl who looked like a feminine younger Dex. "Is he one of the one's starting Foxfire tomorrow?"

Not this again. I hate attention, unless it's 'cause of my fuzz record. Or some other thing I did to Shepard.

"Yep," Linh said. "This is Dallas Winston."

"Um, Linh?" I hissed. "I still don't like little kids."

She was making me sound like I liked little kids. I hate 'em. Every single one of 'em, except for Jenny. That kid's something special. She don't sound little.

She sounds older than Darry, sometimes.

"Well, deal with it," Linh hissed back. "This is Bex, one of Dex's siblings."  

"Dal," I said shortly.

I couldn't wait until I could have Linh to myself again.

"Well, I'm Bex. Rex and Lex are over there, fighting over that stuffed dinosaur," she said cheerfully. "What was it like in Tulsa?"

I really hate this kid. Way too cheerful.

"Different," I said, trying to convey my annoyance.

I could feel Linh bristling, but I couldn't stand this kid. I just couldn't.

"Hang on," she told Bex, pulling me out of earshot. "What is wrong with you?" she hissed. "Bex is the same age as Jenny, and you're just fine with her."

Yeah, but Jenny's different. Jenny's special. She's a kid sister to me, even if she's really Two's. Not to me. I see her as my kid sister. Not one of the gang's kid sisters.

"I dunno. She's different. She got a life of happiness, just 'cause she was born," I said angrily, kicking the ground.

She's just a Soc. A bloody Soc. I've seen enough of them to last five lifetimes.

Or one lifetime, if they really do have undetermined lifespans.

"Wrong. She's a triplet, and the prejudices against multiple births are awful," Linh said. "Try harder, or I might let Tam have his ways with you."

Bex is a triplet? Jeez, if I'd known, I wouldn't have acted like that. She ain't such a prissy princess after all.

And then there's Tam. I gotta avoid his death glare. And his death wish on me. He might kill me, if not getting a smoke doesn't.

"Okay," I muttered. "I'll try."

"Good," she said, pulling me back to Bex.

"So, what's your favorite thing to do?" Bex asked.

I could have some fun with this question. I might try to be nicer, but I could still scare her.

"Rodeos are pretty cool. Same with jumping those dirty Socs, that jump the weak greasers. Why can't they just pick on someone their own size?" I asked, full of passion. "They ain't men if they gotta pick on greasers weaker than 'em."

Randy, Bob. Their crews. All of 'em picked on the smallest greasers.

Jenny's bullies.

They pick on the smaller ones, the younger ones. But they ain't really weak. They gotta toughen up, or die. Seriously. Them dirty Socs.

"Dallas, that's over. The Socs aren't here, rodeos aren't here. Live here, not there," Linh whispered. "Please."

She wanted me to get out of the past. But the past is what shapes you into what you are.

Maybe I should stop living in the past. But I gotta remember it. If I don't remember it, and turn into a player, I'm not better than a Soc.

"'Kay," I muttered. "It ain't fair."

Nothing's ever fair. I've always gotten the worst cards in life, but I kept going.

"Life ain't fair, Dal," Tess said. "You just gotta keep going, no matter how hard it feels. It'll get easier-"

She's smart. Book, street, and common sense smart. She takes after Darry, in that sense.

Pony's in the clouds, Soda can't stand books.

"In a couple thousand years," I scoffed.

Easier. Yeah, right.

"When you'll be an Ancient, and ready to party," Bex said.

"Oh, jeez. I forgot about that," I muttered. "Unlimited lifespans. I wanna make my mark early on, big, and permanent. Then, I can just die fighting for us greasers."

I really wanted that, but then I met Linh. Now I want forever with her. But maybe forever's not long enough. I'll take whatever I can get.

"It ain't like that here," Tess said dryly.

"But still," I muttered. "It would be nice."

Nice to know I made a difference, in a place where even hoods can make a difference. I wanna rise to the top. Higher than the Socs.

"Dal, can I talk to ya? Alone?" Tess asked.

She hadn't been sleeping well. The dark circles under her eyes, and the missing spark told me that.

"Sure, kid," I said. We walked a bit away from Linh and Bex, when I asked. "What's up? You ain't sleeping."

"I'm sleeping fine," Tess said, but she didn't have any fire in her voice, the way she would if what I'd said wasn't true.

"Ha!" I laughed sharply. "Yeah, right. Tell that to the dark circles under your eyes, and the missing spark," I scoffed.

I wanted my spunky, kid sister Tess back. Not this tired, broken one. I hate how tired she is. It ain't Johnny's fault. He's doing just fine. This place is just hard.

"Well, maybe I've been having a little trouble," Tess said, twirling her hair around her fingers.

She always did that when she was stressed, nervous, or upset. It was like her stress reliever. I don't get how that helped, though.

Being the baddest hood in all of Tulsa is my stress reliever. No, was. Now I've got Linh. She calms me the way nothing else can. I can feel peaceful. Almost.

I've just got this nagging feeling that this isn't gonna last. It's too perfect. Something's definitely gonna happen. My gut's never been wrong. It ain't gonna start now.

"Kid, you gotta stop stressing. You've got your brothers' blessings. But you're dying inside," I said. "Go make out with your boy."

I shoved her in Johnny's direction as her cheeks turned bright red.

"Dal!" she shouted. "I'll get ya someday, and it ain't gonna be pretty. You're gonna regret this. Mark my words."

"Johnnycakes, she needs a kiss. At least," Two said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Keith Mathews!" Tess and Johnny screamed.

"Ya know what? We should just kill him," I drawled. "I can easily hide the body. Wouldn't be the murder rap I've gotten caught up in."

I've gotten caught up in a bunch, back in New York. Gangs are different there. You fight over items, rather social standings.

"Dallas Winston! You wouldn't." Linh glared at me, before I felt a huge amount of water dumping onto me.

"Damn it," I muttered.