Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter everyone and thanks for people adding me as their favorite author/story. It means a lot. Anyways, here we go with…

CHAPTER 58:

Dallas and I sat on the hood of Two-Bit's car as we watched the infamous Tim Shepard trot down the jailhouse steps a free man. The police were always calling Tim in whenever things went south and this mess with the hippies was no exception. There were no charges to pin on him, though, and he had a clean alibi that the Shepard gang had undoubtedly cooked up and drilled into everybody's minds. Tim's face formed into a cat-like smirk as he threw an arm around each of our shoulders and basked in the glory of pullin' one over on Tulsa's finest.

"I reckon I should swing by the stable to make sure everything is going A-okay with my stash."

Dal and I offered no objection and were soon rambling down the dirt pathway to the stable. Buck was pitching some hay for the horses in the pasture and the three of us ambled nimbly over the fence to greet him. Tim patted a black horse absently while chewing on a piece of long grass while Dally allowed another horse to nuzzle in his chest. I stood off to the side awkwardly wondering how in the hell a Winston or Shepard boy was more comfortable around horses than I was.

"You ain't never ridden one before?" Buck asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Ain't never had the need seein' as a car will get you there faster," I remarked coldly.

Buck muttered something under his breath before walking with Tim to the barn we'd hidden the drugs in and taking off in his pickup truck. Dal ushered me to over to him and I walked slowly past the huge animals until I ended up at his side. He grabbed my hand and guided it along the horse's body in a soft, swinging motion. When the horse sidestepped, I backed off quickly and crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's nothing to worry about," Dal said as he pulled me close to him.

The horse had a few hundred pounds on me so I thought that it was something to worry about. It pissed me off that the horse was intimidating me, but it was hard for me to be angry with it; they're beautiful creatures and I could see why Ponyboy was always doodling them on his math homework.

"If you promise not to run me over or bite my hand off, I'll pet you," I stated.

Dallas laughed a little as he once again picked up my hand and had me scratch the horse's side, or flank as I was told. Surprisingly, after a while I got used to the twitching of the skin and the occasional side stepping or shake of the head. However, when Dallas eased himself onto the horse's back and held out a hand for me, I shook my head no in refusal.

"No way in hell am I gettin' on that thing," I said with a nervous laugh.

"I ain't gonna let anything happen to you, babe. Now climb on."

Stamping the ground in frustration, I followed them over to the fence and climbed to the second rung before reaching for Dally's hand and gently landing into place behind him. After warning him not to go too fast, Dal made a sound in his throat and started off the horse at a walk. The confident body language he was shooting off made me grin in spite of myself and I clasped my hands tightly around his lean frame as our pace got steadily faster. There was no saddle, just a simple leash that Dallas instructed me was called a bridle and was used to steer and turn. The wind started to rustle through my hair as we picked up speed and I tightened my knees in order to stop from bouncing around. Dally was having the time of his life, odd as it was for a hood from New York to enjoy horseback riding.

"You two horse whisperers about ready to get the fuck out of here?" Came Tim's voice yelling from the barn.

After a few more laps, Dal swung off the horse and grabbed me easily in his arms as I came down.

"Thanks for teachin' me," I said quietly.

My lips met his halfway and I couldn't help but feel his strong arms pull me closer as our kiss intensified. As I bit his bottom lip gently, Dal let out a small moan and began to move his hands up my shirt. The only reason we pulled away was because of Tim and a few of the stablehands whistling at us from across the pasture.

"He really needs to stop interruptin' us," I remarked.

"You got me all wound up, girl," Dal told me huskily, ignoring the boys across the yard.

"Let's go cowboy," I said as I slipped in a hand into his back pocket and took off towards Two-Bit's car.

Tim had a few remarks about how we were practically 'going at it' in front of the horses, sheep, and everyone, but he bowed out of the conversation quietly once Dallas mentioned spreading a certain nickname around Tulsa. We decided to head over to Buck's for a few beers and Tim kicked people off his usual table and ordered a round of drinks while I rung Two-Bit to tell him to meet us. An Old Milwaukee and a shot of Johnnie Walker was waiting for me by the time I got back and Tim was shuffling some money into the hands of a barmaid. Dallas eyed the young girl blankly until she blushed a deep shade of red and said the drinks were on the house. One person and one person only doesn't pay for drinks at Buck's bar and that's Dallas Winston. And since I happen to be his girlfriend I'm lucky enough to share the privilege.

"Bought you a drink," Dal said with a grin, knowing I'd just seen his little stunt.

Shaking my head, I took a seat and the three of us held us clanked our shots in a cheers before swallowing them quickly. A slight burning sensation erupted in my throat and stomach and I took a small sip of beer to numb it. Two-Bit acted all offended at the number of shots that we'd downed by the time he got there, but the stupid grin he had on his face and the way his head was tilted slightly to the side gave up the fact that he'd been drinking prior to his arrival. Steve and Sodapop were with him, each looking downright exhausted as they ordered a beer and plopped down next to us.

"Rough day at the office boys?" I asked.

"Everyone's talking about that dead kid, Ren. Askin' us all sorts of questions because us working at the DX automatically means we know everything that's going on in this damn town," Steve grumbled.

Tim stated that they were lucky they didn't know anything and Steve laughed and said they were spreading the word that it was the River Kings doing the dealings. That was a smart idea, getting a false word around and it was noticeable that Shepard appreciated it since the next round of drinks was on him. Pretty soon I was drunk as a dog, drunker than I'd been in a hell of a long time. I sat in my chair idly since the prospect of me standing up without help would likely mean me falling on my face. Keeping up my appearance was everything and I wasn't willing to take a spill like that with this many people in Buck's. It was still early, just after nine and the place was swarming. Dallas was outside talking business with Buck about the rodeo in Bristow next month while Soda and Steve were chatting with some girls over by the jukebox. Lighting a cigarette, I placed my arm on the table and lowered my head as the room spun from side to side.

"You ain't lookin' so good," Two-Bit stated.

He placed a hand cooled from his beer on the back of my neck while I took in a deep breath and relaxed some. I felt real dizzy and stubbed my smoke out since it seemed to only be making that situation worse. I'd been going light on the sleep lately and figured that might be part of the reason the liquor had gone straight to my head.

"I needa go lay down somewhere Bit," I responded finally.

My words were coming out slurred and mixed up a bit and I smiled goofily at my friend when he raised an eyebrow in my direction. I noticed him nod over at Steve who took one look at me and walked outside, no doubt to find Dal. Sodapop handed me a soda he'd sneaked from behind the bar and I sat up to take a sip. The liquid settled my stomach some, but I was in no condition to slum any more. Vaguely, I remember Dally walking in through the door with a slightly worried look on his face. He wrapped an arm around my waist and walked slowly with me up the stairs. My feet got all tangled about midway up and it took all of Dal's strength to keep me from smashing head first into stained wood. Scared of me taking a spill, Dallas picked me up and carried me into the bathroom where he sat me on the long counter. I leaned heavily against the wall and pulled my knees against my chest.

"Baby, do you think you're gonna be sick?"

I whispered a 'no' and started to shiver from the chills. A wet cloth was placed lightly against my forehead and Dally swore softly as my chin drooped into my chest. Somehow, we ended up in the bedroom reserved for Dal and I tried in vain to kick off my boots. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I started to fly into unconsciousness with my boots untied and my hair all in my face. I looked like a stupid girl who'd had too much to drink. I wasn't looking good and I probably reeked of liquor. Still, as Dallas laid down beside me he pulled my hair out of my face and slipped my shoes off of my feet. The last thing I remembered before I was out cold was Dallas putting my head on his chest and rubbing my back gently.

"You sure made a mess of yourself tonight," He said with a small smirk, "But I love you, doll. I'll see you tomorrow."

All I could do was nod as my blackout overtook me for good.

END OF CHAPTER.

I bet all of you have been wondering how in the hell Orion's kept her drinking pretty much in check throughout this whole story. Here's how a typical night of partying can be screwed over by one too many shots. We've all been there, now it was Orion's turn. Review please!