Ten

Maureen would never be sure of the exact moment she fell in love with him, she wasn't sure why it had to be then, at that day, driving down the empty road with nothing but fields on either side of them. Maybe she found it romantic at the time. But once the car screeched to a stop, her chest rising and falling heavily as she ran her fingers through her messy hair, she realized that whenever it had happened, it didn't matter.

What's done is done, and at that point, bodies pressed together in the most feverish of dances, there was no going back. Maureen would never be the same again.

Whether she knew of the trouble this relationship could get her into, Maureen seemed to care not. He hadn't dropped her after she refused to have sex with him, and that simple gesture had Maureen's little heart convinced he wanted her for her, not for the pleasure he could get out of this relationship. And maybe she was right. But with Tim Shepard, you could never really count on anything to be definite.

This teen was devloping a taste for a fast paced life, craving excitement, and she was convinced that Tim would be there with her during her little adventures.

A few fights here and there with other girls, but Maureen was proving she was a tough girl, covering up any bruises with make up while her best friend covered the story. Her family was none the wiser, and the greasers that saw her with Tim kept their mouths shut.

She and Tim got in arguments of their own, over drinking and girls, guns and knives, but both seemed determined to keep a hold on each other, and didn't hold a grudge for too long.

Maureen's best friend, the only one on Maureen's side that knew what was going on with Tim, encouraged her to drop Tim off and run like hell. Maureen tried to convince her that there was something more to Tim than she saw, but she never even caught a glimpse of what she might be talking about. And she was even more convinced Maureen should drop him when she saw Tim with another girl.

Maureen was upset, no doubt. She confronted Tim about it, and was thrown a few denials, so Maureen went out and bit back. This was the first incident but it wasn't the last. Tim and Maureen kept biting, and Maureen earned a reputation of her own.

Her reputation would eventually lead to trouble as Tim and Maureen backed off and stopped their attacks on each other. They were a realitively functional couple when they weren't arguing. But problems weren't far away.

Curly and Angela Shepard were never ones to keep their mouths shut, so when they let it slip to one of the guys from Brumly while they were out at the Dingo that Maureen had been getting around town, and was perfectly willing to keep going, it was the beginning of an end.

Maureen was his, in Tim's mind, and if someone messed with something that belonged to him, he wasn't going to let it drop. When he heard from, ironically enough, Curly that boys from Brumly had been harrassing Maureen, and at one point had actually tried to hurt her, he wasn't happy.

Angry that Maureen hadn't told him, and that some one would mess with something that was his, Tim found a gun while Maureen was being fussed over by Jackie-lynn, the ever faithful best friend.

Jackie-lynn had heard a bit more of what was going on than Maureen had, and she mentioned that Tim was planning on shaking up the boys who had been bothering her. Maureen seemed to realize the problems that could cause before Jackie-lynn did, and was adament on getting to The Dingo. Jackie-lynn argued that she shouldn't go, that there was nothing she could do, but in the end let Maureen go. It would be the one thing she would always regeret.

Maureen knew that on a Sunday night, The Dingo wouldn't be loaded down with any younger kids. It'd only be the tough crowd out tonight, the ones who couldn't care less about school the next morning, or whether they were going to die or not.

Crossing the street in a flurry of skirts and worry, Maureen had no idea she'd be the infamous Dingo Girl. The one who would set The Dingo's reputation in stone as quickly and loudly as a gunshot. She only wanted to stop Tim before he did something stupid.

Calling out his name as she jogged up was Maureen's third mistake that night. Tim was already heated up, yelling and cussing and throwing threats where ever he could. A punch was thrown in the moment gained from Tim glancing over, and Tim threw one back. Maureen was on Tim's arm when a switch was flipped out. Some people were already taking off, and others were moving in. When Tim pulled out his gun, chaos ensued. People ran, mostly the girls of the greasers who were hoping to see someone get shot. Maureen was shoved, Tim was shoved, and a gun went off.

There were few people who saw exactly what happened. In all of the chaos, no one was even sure who had pulled the gun. But Tim knew. And Maureen knew. And Tim knew that he had to get out of there. He was gone by the time Steve Randle pushed through the crowd. He had thought it was Tim that had been shot, and was stunned to find a girl laying on the ground, bleeding. She was still alive, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as Steve knelt down and scooped her up, blood getting all over his arms.

People were still shoving past him, getting in the way as they tried to get away from the scene of a crime, or trying to catch a glimpse at the bloody girl in his arms. He had no idea that Tim was making his way back home, a bit shaken up, though he hid it well, as he hid the gun under his shirt again. He already knew he'd have to lie to cover his own ass, since disappearing would only lead the cops to start searching for him. And they'd probably find him eventually, throw his ass in jail and probably right on death row.

He didn't enjoy killing people. He hadn't wanted to shoot anyone that night, least of all Maureen.

But what's done is done. There was no going back.

And if you were wondering what Maureen's second mistake was, it was going to The Dingo. Her first mistake was staying with Tim.