Chapter 3

Alex woke up on a strange couch and in the middle of a house that she didn’t seem to know. Until everything of last night came back to her and she finally realized that she was back in Tulsa. Oklahoma. She looked around the room and saw two bit and Steve crashed on the floor. She smelled the food that was cooking in the kitchen and guessed that it was probably Darry. Another day she thought as she tried to get up without waking anyone up. But being Alex that didn’t happen because she tripped over Two Bit. But finally she made it to the kitchen.

“Can I use your phone Darry” Alex asked knowing that if she didn’t call her brothers soon she would be one dead Winston. “Yea sure” he replied pointing to the side of the kitchen were the phone was.

Alex dialed the all to familiar phone number for her brother. “Hello” Damian answered after the fourth ring. “Hey Damian” Alex replied. In the background she could hear yelling and the TV and knew that the tigers were at the Winston house. “Hold on” Damian said as he moved to a different part of the house so he could hear Alex better. A few seconds later he started talking again “Bout time you called I was bout to come down to Tulsa myself with only hearing from Dallas last night”. “What the hell was Dallas doing calling you last night” Alex asked. In all of the two years that Alex was in New York not once had Dally called. So for him to call Damian and Seth while she was in Tulsa meant that Dally was pretty pissed off at her.

“Oh” Damian replied “He just called wondering what you were doing down there”. Alex saw Dally’s face when he saw her last night and should have known he would call them. When she left Tulsa two years ago, she was suppose to be out of his hair forever and now here she was out of the blue showing up. It’s a wonder Dally wasn’t here right know trying to see what was going on. “And what did you tell him” Alex asked as she twirled the phone cord. “Told him we were in the middle of a gang war and you needed to get out of here” Damian replied as if nothing was wrong with that. But there was something wrong, a whole lot as a matter of fact was wrong with that. Alex wasn’t planning on telling anyone about the gang war until she absolutely had to tell them. “What the hell were you thinking” she screamed before she realized that the whole gang was by now awake and in the kitchen listening to her conversation. After talking to Seth and finding out that they lost track of some of the Chains she decided to hang up.

“So what was that about” Soda asked as the gang and Alex walked down the street. Soda and Steve had the day off so they along with Ponyboy and Two bit decided to show Alex around town. They were now walking to the Dingo to get something to eat. “What was what” Alex asked as she jumped off the ledge she was walking on. “The phone call, what else” Steve asked. Alex knew what they were talking about but was either ignoring them or in deep thought. After Damian told her what he said to Dally Seth got on and let it slip that they lost track of some of the members of the Chains. Damian got back on and assured her that it was nothing and that they probably were in jail or something. But the Tigers would know about then being in jail and wouldn’t be so up tight about it if the chains were just in jail. Something was wrong in New York and nobody was telling her. Plus since when did a Winston ever need to be assured of anything she thought. Maybe, just maybe she wasn’t as much of a Winston as she thought and maybe Damian and Seth had come to that decision too.

“Family business” Alex replied walking beside Soda. “That sure didn’t sound like family business to me” Two bit said as they walked into the Dingo. The Dingo was just as Alex remembered it, loud, crazy, and packed. And for the moment her interrogation was stopped. They found a table and set down. “My if it isn’t the Alex Winston” She heard a voice say and out of the nowhere Shepard came to sit down. “Man how did you guess it? It took us at least a few tries” Two bit asked surprised. Tim Shepard was more like a brother to her then Dally was. He was the one who looked after her in fights and rumbles. He was the one who bailed her out of jail with Alex’s own money, but he still took the time to come get her. He was what a cold greaser brother was suppose to be like and for that she respected him .

“It’s the eyes….the eyes that never could change” he said pointing his cigarette at them “too cold and hard for there own good….only a Winston can hold eyes like that”. “Ain’t that they truth” Steve replied pulling out a cigarette of his own. “So why you here” Shepard asked taking another puff of his cigarette. “Change of scenery” Alex replied as the food came. “That ain’t what I heard” he said looking at her staring into her eyes. If there was one person Alex could not lie to it was Tim Shepard. There was this sort of honesty about him. Yea he was a tuff greaser who robed stores, slashed tiers, and jumped kids but he never lied about it. He was prison born and he would admit it. He told it strait and frank. If he didn’t like you he would tell you. If he slashed your ties he would tell you. If you beat him in a fight (likely not) he’d respect you. He was a hood just like Dally but he was a hood with pride and honesty. And those things above others were the one reason Alex could never lie to him…until now. “I heard you got into a little trouble in New York” Shepard said “A little trouble with the Chains” he finished. There was a bit of a silence as everyone eyes at the table were on Alex until she spoke. “I guess you heard wrong Shepard” Alex said looking strait into those harden eyes just like every other hoods. “Did I now, Winston” he questioned as he look at her.

She hated it, hated lying to him. But it was for his own good at least that’s what she told herself. It was for his own good not to know. They talked for a little longer. She found out Curly was in the reformery and that Angela was living with her grandmother. That could only mean one thing because girls in Tulsa only left to live with a relative when consequences to your actions finally caught up with you. They talked a little more before the gang decided they would leave and go to the nightly double. When Alex was about to leave Tim grabbed her arm and asked if he could speak to her alone. “I’ll catch up with you later” she told Soda.

“I was wrong they can change” Tim said. Alex looked at him really weird until he went on. “Your eyes they can change. They can get harder, colder, and meaner” Tim continued. Alex knew when Tim was talking like this to not interrupt him and just to listen. “I don’t know what happened in New York but don’t do this. Don’t become like your brother. I’ve seen it happen. To push everyone away so you can survive by yourself. Don’t do this” he repeated. “whatever happens someone will always be willing to help you. Don’t turn into a Winston, Alex. Don’t get cold and mean and heartless to survive. Do you hear me” He was practically shacking her now. “Because when you do, when you do become heartless to survive you die in the process. I’ve seen all three of you brother die and I ain’t going to let that happen to you. So don’t do this Alex don’t become a Winston.” Alex stood there shocked and stared at him. Everything she thought and believed and was taught that now kept her alive, Tim was telling her not to do. The one thing she wanted the most…to be a Winston. Tim was telling her not to do Don’t do this that’s what Tim kept saying and trying to get her to remember.

Soda was waiting outsider for her but she hardly even noticed. She walked the opposite way, away from Soda and started to sprint. She needed to think and she needed to do it alone. She finally came to a park. She went to sit on the swings and for once in her life she felt pain. She couldn’t describe it but it was like everything she every held back came rushing into her and she felt pain. Tim’s words keep playing over and over in her head “don’t do this”. She wasn’t crying because no matter how much pain she was in, she could never do that. Instead she just set there and let all of her pain comeback and she thought about those three words “don’t do this“.

Later that night she walked in to the Curtis’s house to find it oddly quiet. No one was up except Darry who was setting in the arm chair. He was about to say something when he saw the look on Alex’s face. He would probably chew her out in the morning about how late she came in but for now he just made sure she was alright and handed her a blanket. And for that she was grateful. As she set there on her bed she wondered who she really was. For the first time being a Winston wasn’t her first priority. All that mattered to her were Tim’s words don’t do this. For the first time in her life she actually imagined what it would be like to actually not be Alex Winston.

But in the end imagining something gets you nowhere. Only action keeps you alive. She was a fighter through and though, but even more she was a Winston. Through her whole life it was the only thing she knew and was good at. So at the end she new Tim was right that she couldn’t put her emotions away and be a Winston. But she also knew that in reality to survive she had to be a Winston. And that’s why when she finally closed her eyes she knew that she was still the cold tuff…….. Alex Winston.

AN I know chapter is a little boring but I really wanted to put Tim in and make him kind of the tuff hood yes but also so that he had a gentile more caring side because I think he does have one ok. And also if any one wants to help me out and be a beta reader I think that’s right because my grammar and spelling suck bad and spell check doesn’t always help ok well REVIEW of gentile Tim Dies only joking REVIEW