street fights

sleeping in my ex's bed

Tessa's POV

I quickly tried to stop crying and I pushed the dresser back to where it goes. I opened the door and Dallas was right in front of me.

He quickly grabbed my arms and swapped places with me in one swift motion. He closed the door and I stood there dumbfounded.

"Dallas! I still need my stuff!" I yelled.

He opened the door and threw the bag at me just before slamming the door in my face again.

"Dallas, I need to talk to you!"

There was a minute before he opened the door.

He sighed. "Look, I know what you must be thinking..."

"Oh, so I can't stay the night here?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"Well, I was gonna ask if I could stay here for the night, but by the sound of your voice it seems like you just want me to go." I said, awkwardly.

I knew damn well what he was thinking.

But he couldn't know that I know.

"Oh, yeah you can stay here. Forget I said anything. I'll take the couch."

He walked past me and I sighed. "Dallas, we can share the bed. I feel bad for making you sleep on the couch." I muttered.

"No, it's alright, doll. I'll be fine."

"I'll sleep downstairs then."

"Tess, it's fine. I swear."

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

He grinned. "Fine. We'll share the bed."

I felt better knowing he wouldn't do anything with me there. At least I think so. But I'll wake up if he gets up, hopefully. That'll stop him.

I slept on the inside of the bed and drifted to sleep after Dallas turned the lights off.

It was weird.

I'm sleeping in my ex's bed.

But I did it!

And for the first time ever, I woke up before Dallas.

I quickly got dressed and prayed he wouldn't do anything this early in the morning. But I guess I didn't really know what he did.

But I needed to see Ponyboy.

I walked in his house and everyone, but Johnny and Dallas were there.

"Hey, Tessa." They all said collectively.

"Hi, guys." I muttered. I sat next to Ponyboy at the kitchen table. "Wanna go for a walk?"

"Umm... sure." He said more as a question.

We walked out the door and I put a cigarette in my mouth.

"You seem stressed." He mumbled.

"I am! God, I am!" I said quickly. I looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "I can't take this anymore, Ponyboy. We're going to the train station and seeing the quickest way I can get back to New York. I don't got a lot a time. I'll only be seventeen for a couple weeks. I gotta get back up there..."

"Wait, what? You're leaving so soon? Did something happen?"

I started to feel tears in my eyes. "If I tell you this, you gotta promise me you'll never repeat it."

"I promise. What's goin' on?"

I sighed. "Dallas has been doing drugs ever since I can remember. When I met him, it's all he did. But right before we started dating, I got him to quit. It took a while, but he quit! Then remember how weird he was acting the first day we got here?" I said quickly.

"Yeah..."

"Well, he was doing drugs again. I ran back to his bike and I found it in the back. I don't know if he ever really quit or just got better at hiding it, but they were there and he was doing it again. I've been so scared ever since, 'cause that's not the only time I found them. When I found Sylvia's earring I found more. And last night I found a bunch of them!"

I blinked my tears back and took a breath.

"Wait, Dallas is doing drugs? Like, now?"

"Yeah! I found 'em all last night! That's why I stayed at his place last night. I was scared to leave him. I dunno how long they've been there. But I'm scared, Ponyboy! I'm scared! I don't wanna lose him, but I can't keep doing this. I just need to go." I mumbled.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?

"I-I couldn't! I mean, it's not my place... I didn't want him to be mad at me." I muttered.

"Oh. I get it. I would have given you a better insight if I knew. I hope you can make it back to New York."

"Me too..."

We made it to the train station and I waited in the line at the end of the row.

"Hi, how can I help ya?"

"What's the fastest way I can get to New York."

"Let's see..." She said looking down at her papers.

"We have a train leaving to Pennsylvania in thirty minutes which has a train leaving to New York tomorrow at 3. Or we have a straightaway leaving on Tuesday at 11:00 PM."

"I'll take the train to Pennsylvania." I said, quickly.

"Wait, Tess. You're not gonna tell Dallas? And you don't have your stuff."

"I'll get new stuff. I wanna go home." I said digging for change in my pockets.

"Tessa, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care!" I yelled. The girl waited for me to get money and hand it to her, but I didn't have enough on me. "I'll be back." I said angrily as I stepped outta line.

"No money?"

"Bingo." I said walking away quicker than I did before.

"Tess, I really think you should tell Dallas. It would kill him if he woke up one day and you weren't there. Especially if he didn't know you were leaving."

I didn't respond. I didn't care. He's put me through enough that I just simply didn't care if he worried. For years all I've worried about is him. 

Worrying if he was gonna even wake up alive.

"He'll find out eventually. I won't be the one to tell him. I'm leaving Tuesday night without a word and that's final."