Hey ya'll! :D Sorry for the delay (ugh I feel like I'm constantly saying that to you guys!) but I'm pretty busy with life and I had a slight writer's block as well :/ Never fun, but thankfully I got over it! I literally just finished writing this chapter, it all kinda rushed upon me like a wave! So, enjoy! Oh, and to all my loyal readers, please note that Johnny has no longer punched Dally- that's incredible OOC (femaletwo-bit pointed it out to me, God bless her!) and I'm not gonna turn into that kind of writer! So yeah, he just (gently- this is Johnny we're talking about here!) shoved Dally. Oh, and if you haven't noticed already, I'm gonna start to use a little bit worse of language just for the characters to be more in-character, but it's rated T for a reason :) And please review, every single one of them makes my day even if I don't respond to them! Thank you all so very much! Now... on with the story! :D

Not So Different Chapter 11

Dally sat there, stunned for a moment. Johnny, the one who I'd always thought was so quiet and kind, just hit him. This was huge. No, it wasn't an incredibly powerful hit at all… Actually, it was more like a small pat. But I could still tell that Johnny had really meant to hurt Dally, the guy who he supposedly looked up to. Now, I didn't know Johnny too well right then, but I'm pretty sure that he'd never done this before and that maybe he'd just done it for me. Maybe.

"What the hell…" Dally trailed off at the end of his sentence. Johnny looked up at him with his dark eyes and I could just tell that he tried his best not to regret his decision.

"I'm sorry Dal, I really am, but you just can't keep treatin' nice gals like this," Johnny said. It was a simple statement, but it still affected Dally. He almost looked… touched. Dallas Winston- touched. Well, that's just one of the many things that Johnny could accomplish.

"There ain't any reason for you to hurt Mariela. She's real tuff," Johnny added. I smiled a little right at him and the tears stopped threatening to flow. He might have just saved me right there with that little, quiet comment of his. It was amazing just how much a few words could affect things.

Johnny smiled just a little back at me before saying, "Me and Pony can take her home, you just stay here, Dally." He grabbed my hand and led me out the door with Ponyboy following right behind him. The entire gang was still silent, staring at us as we left them.

"Johnny, I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble," I said to Johnny who's face was getting a little pink in the cheeks. Was he blushing because he was with me or because he just hurt Dally and was embarrassed? I couldn't tell.

"Naw, you're alright. Dally was just bein' an ass." Even though Johnny was a greaser, his use of language still shocked me.

"Mariela, I tried to warn you! I tried! You know Dallas ain't anythin' but trouble. That's just the way he is, Mare, and you gotta get used to it if-" But Ponyboy didn't have time to finish his sentence because Dallas Winston ran up behind us. I stopped dead in my tracks, scared to hell that he was gonna hit me or cuss at me again. But he didn't. Nope, he just stopped and looked at the three of us for a minute or two. Then he said, "Look, I'm sorry Mariela. You dig okay." I sat there, eyes wide, not knowing what to say or do. I looked over at Ponyboy who looked back at me with the same expression on his face. I was downright dumbfounded. Then I looked over at Johnny who gave me an encouraging little wink.

I smiled a little before saying, "It's alright Dally."

"And, uh, Mariela?" Dally asked like he was in trouble or something. He scratched the back of his head with his head and looked kinda uncomfortable.

"Yeah Dallas?" Dally cringed when I called him that, but he didn't make a comment back.

"So, where's this broad you wanted to introduce me to?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know her name!"

…

"No way!" Chrissi yelled from across the house. "You think you can just go around and set me up with guys? I'm not a slut, Mariela!"

"I didn't say you were at all! Just, come on! Dally's just like you! You'd be perfect for him! Trust me on this one!" I yelled back. I wanted these two together real bad.

Little did Chrissi know that Dally was actually waiting just outside our back door. Yeah, we'd (Ponyboy, Johnny, Dally, and me) planned for what was going to happen. We couldn't just force Chrissi on a date with a stranger, that I knew. And even if we managed to get her to go by some miracle, she'd come home ten minutes later in a mass of chaos and cussing. Nope, that wasn't gonna happen again…

So we decided that I needed Chrissi's approval before she actually went out with Dally. Which made a whole lot of sense, if you think about it. I mean, would you really wanna get an eye patch just 'cause you didn't use your head? Nope, I didn't think so!

"I ain't goin', Mare, and that's final!" Chrissi yelled again. But I was real determined.

"Yes you are! Look Chrissi, I let a whole lot of things go when it comes to you, and I mean a whole lot. But this time… I just can't let this opportunity slip away from ya! You and Dally would get along great and I just know it would be perfect! Please?" I begged, feeling way too desperate for her to go on a date with some guy I hardly even knew.

"I already said no!" Chrissi yelled, just as someone got a little too impatient and burst through the front door of our house.

"What the hell is takin' so damn lon-" Dally yelled, infuriated. But he stopped as he laid his eyes on Chrissi. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life, I swear. The two of them just kinda stared at each other for a while. You could tell that they both liked each other already, even though this was the first time either of them had actually seen the other.

After what seemed like forever, Chrissi said, "Mariela, why don't you just beat it so we can be alone?" Dally's eyes widened as she said this and he smiled at her.

"So Mariela was right, then? We are alike!" And then I had to leave them alone, because what else was I gonna do?

After I reached the top step, though, I heard the door slam. They were off.

This was definitely gonna be interesting, to say the least.

…

"Where'd Chrissi run off to?" King asked me and Ray as he stumbled into the kitchen. Me and Ray rolled our eyes at him.

"She's out with Dallas Winston," I said casually.

"Who the hell is he?" King asked. He couldn't even stand straight, he was so drunk.

"Well, he's… no one, King," I said, not even trying to explain things to him when he was like that. Ray laughed and added, "He's just Chrissi's future husband, you'd better get to know him real soon…" I punched Ray lightly on the arm and we had a good laugh together. King just looked at us and said a few words I don't need to repeat.

As King walked right back out our door, Jack strolled in. "What's wrong with King?" he asked.

"Well, he's drunk," Ray said like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. Which, in a way, it kinda was.

"No way dumb ass, I had no idea!" Jack said with a fake dramatic gasp. Me and Ray got a real good laugh outta that too. "But really, what's with him? And where's Chrissi? I haven't seen her in a while… longer than usual."

"He's just confused 'cause he don't know who Dallas Winston is. And Chrissi's with Dallas Winston," I said back with a giggle. Jack looked confused.

"… So who is Dallas Winston? Now I don't blame King for bein' confused!" Again, me and Ray laughed for a little. Sometimes, it was like when we were together, everything was a joke.

"He's Chrissi's husband, of course!" Ray and I said in unison, followed by another round of chuckles. Jack's eyes widened and he gripped the table with his hands.

"Chrissi's… married?" he asked, almost in a panic. Ray and me looked at each other and this time just smiled.

"Yep, she's off on her honeymoon as we speak!" I said.

"In… Paris!" Ray added. Now Jack knew we were joking. He rolled his eyes at us and picked me up and spun me around.

"Don't…! Put …me down! Ah!" I said through more giggles.

"So where is Chrissi actually?" he asked.

We finally gave him a real answer. "She's on a date with Dallas Winston, another greaser. He's just like her, and that ain't even exageratin'!" I said.

"Hmmm… just like Chrissi? I'm not so sure that's a real good thing…" Jack commented.

"Whaddya mean, Jack?" I asked. If Chrissi was with someone just like her, shouldn't they get along just fine? Well, maybe if it was anyone but Chrissi. Anyone but rude, cunning, cheating, unfeeling, Chrissi…

"I mean, Chrissi ain't exactly a doll herself, we all know that," Jack said, looking behind him just to see if Chrissi was somehow hiding and just waiting to punish him. "So if she's with a guy just like her, then she could easily be being drawn into some sorta game or trick or plan or somethin'. I just don't think it's a real great idea." Jack said. It actually did sound like he was telling the truth and really knew what he was talking about.

"But…" I was at a loss for words. I mean, this was supposed to be my expert plan. Chrissi and Dally would meet, find out that they're real similar, and then fall in love. Easy as that! But I guess life don't always work that way. Maybe I was being too hasty and just imagining things when I'd tried to plan things out. Maybe I didn't really think this through at all and I didn't know Dallas and behind all that toughness there was really a great guy that deserved a gal much better than Chrissi. Maybe Ponyboy was right, maybe this was all a big mistake.

"Woah, you alright?" Ray asked with a shake on my shoulder. Breaking out of my unpleasant reverie, I nodded.

"But what if I'm wrong? What if Chrissi really ain't like Dally at all? What if he's gonna hurt her?" I questioned, suddenly scared.

"Then Chrissi'll finally get what she's got comin'. She's given us shit, then shit's what she gets back!" Jack responded confidently. Ray and I both laughed. Again.

"You're right, Jack. Whatever happens, happens. I'm sure they'll be fine! What could go wrong?" I asked.

"Exactly! Things'll all be alright, Mare, you just wait and see!" Jack replied happily. It was just like him to pick me up when I was feeling down. I was real grateful to have a friend like him.