Take Me Back to Where We Started

Before I got to go out tonight I knew that the daily family dinner had to come first. I sat down at the table next to my brother and ate my food in silence, hoping that my mother wouldn't ask me the same question that she asked me every night.

"So, Nicole. Paul finally brought home a nice girl…"

I slammed my fork down and threw my head back.

"Now, before you start fussing, when are you going to bring home a nice young man?"

"I don't know, Mom." My dad decided to chime in.

"Your brother's got himself a girl, he's got a football scholarship, he gets good grades. Sweetheart, why don't you try learning some things from him."

I slouched down and started banging my head against the back of the chair.

Yeah, Nicole. Why don't you learn a few things from me?" My brother smiled and winked at me.

"Fuck off, Paul."

My father sprang up out of his chair. "We do not use that kind of language. Your attitude is getting real old, real quick. You better get your act together."

I stood up and threw my napkin onto my plate.

"Yeah, yeah." They want me to bring a guy home? I'll bring a guy home.

I walked out the front door and made my way over to the DX Station. I loved my brother but the way that my parents were always comparing me to him made me want to kill him. I didn't see "Two Bit" at the station yet, so I decided to sit down on the curb. The longer I waited, the more I wished I wore a watch. After what felt like about fifteen minutes, I saw a guy in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, leather jacket and jeans walk up to the station.

"Shoot, I didn't think you would actually show up."

I got up off of the curb and started walking next to him.

"How drunk were you earlier?"

"Well…" He said. "I was sober enough to know that I never asked you what your name was."

I stuck out my right hand. "Nicole."

He shook it, then introduced himself as Two Bit, again.

"Yeah I know. Ya told me that earlier."

He laughed and twirled the front of his hair with his index finger. "I also remember you sayin' that you like to drink?"

I snorted because the word "like" was an understatement when it came to drinking.

"Just a little." We started walking through a part of the North side of town that I've only seen maybe once, but I was in a car. Not walking.

"You know, you don't seem like the Greasers that my brother tells me about. Shit, he'd kill me if he knew where I was right now."

"Yeah, well I can't believe you actually showed up at the DX."

I laughed. "Yeah, well I'm sure wherever we're going is better than what I had planned to do tonight anyway." We talked the rest of the way about stupid shit, like school and our families.

"This is it right here on the right." I could hear the Country music playing from outside of the house.

"Country?" I asked Two Bit.

"Yeah, well. Buck's a friend of a friend. I ain't into Country stuff but he throws some damn good parties."

Buck? That sounded familiar. "Hey what's this guys last name?" I asked, pausing for a second.

"Merrill. Why, you know him?"

Buck Merrill, I thought to myself. "Oh! I've heard my brother talk about him before."

Two Bit laughed, opening the front door to the house. "Only good things, I'm sure."

We went into the house and I could already tell that I was the odd one out. I became extremely happy with my choice of wearing jeans instead of a skirt. I'm surprised my mom didn't yell at me for wearing jeans, actually.

"Come over here, I'll introduce you to Buck and Dallas if he's here."

We walked over to what looked like a bar and I guessed that the guy in the plaid shirt behind the bar was Buck Merrill.

"Buck, this is my friend Nicole, Nicole this is Buck." I stuck my hand out to shake his. "Nice to meet you."

Buck poured three shots, then set one in front of both me and Two Bit.

"Is Dal here?" Two Bit asked Buck.

Buck threw back his shot.

"He was earlier. He might still be. If you don't see him down here, check upstairs."

Two Bit and I both took a shot. Twenty minutes passed and I already had four shots in me. I could feel my face getting hot, so I knew that the alcohol was starting to kick in.

"Round five?" Two Bit asked. Buck poured us another shot.

"Don't ask me if I want more to drink. I can't say no."

Two Bit laughed. "Ya know, I didn't think you were gonna be able to hang but hell, so far you've gone shot for shot with me."

We took shot number five. "Well, they have some fuckin' crazy parties on the other side of town." I said sarcastically.

"Other side of town?" I didn't realize Buck was listening to our conversation.

"We got ourselves a South side Soc here!" Two Bit hung his arm over my shoulders.

"You don't seem like no Soc. What the fuck are you doing over here with Two Bit?"

"I asked her to come here with me and she did." Two Bit answered for me.

Buck started laughing. "Hell, we can drink to that!" Buck poured us another shot and after that the liquor began going down like water.

As the night went on, I learned that making people laugh came extremely easily to Two Bit. After introducing me to some people who's name's I don't remember, he began telling stories about all of the times he stole things from different stores and he had everyone cracking up. In the middle of one of his stories, I began to feel the alcohol coming back up. Without saying anything I walked away from Two Bit and over to Buck.

"Where's the uh…the bathroom?" I sounded as drunk as I felt.

"Upstairs to your left." I walked through all of the people and stumbled up the stairs. I stopped at the top. "Fuck. Did he say left or right…" I decided to go with right. I opened the door and stuck my head in.

"Is this a bathroom?" I heard something moving around in the room.

"What the fuck? No, this ain't the bathroom. Get out and shut the door."

"Okay," I replied. "I can do that, if you just tell me where the bathroom is."

I heard movement again. "Get the fuck out."

I rested my head on the wall. "Listen, I'm about ten seconds away from throwing up all over this floor. For fucks sake, could you please tell me where the damn bathroom is?"

A light came on and I saw a guy sitting up in a bed. "It's across the hallway. You come back in here and I'll knock you the fuck out, you got it?"

I saluted him, then walked out of the room. "Shut the fucking door, Jesus Christ."

I walked back and shut the door. While I was sitting on the bathroom floor preparing to throw up, I realized who the guy in the bed was. I gave it a couple more minutes and when nothing came up, I made my way back over to the room I was told to stay out of.

I opened the door and started talking as quickly as I could. "I know you told me that if I came back in here you would knock me the fuck out, but I…"

The light came back on again. "I'll give you five seconds…"

"No!" I interrupted him. "You're Dallas Winston, right?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Depends on who's askin."

"I am! Well, I'm not really asking because I know that you're Dallas Winston."

He took out a cigarette. "Look, Dollface. You're real pretty and I would hate having to clobber you but you're killin me here."

I tried not to laugh. "I was gonna give you a compliment but I guess you Greasers don't like when people compliment you."

He sat up a little more. "What do you mean, 'you Greasers'"? I leaned up against the door frame and started twirling my hair.

"You're lucky I'm even talking to you right now. Soc's don't talk to Greasers."

He sprang up out of bed and even though I should've been scared, I started laughing. "I'm just kidding! That was a joke. Well, I am a Soc I guess, if you're into labels."

He was right in my face now. "You must be pretty fucking drunk to still be in this room right now."

"Actually," my sentence was interrupted by my own hiccup. "I am extremely fucking drunk right now, and has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?"

He scrunched up his face and looked at me like I was fucking crazy. "No, what the fuck?" I hiccuped again.

"Aw man, here come the spins. I'll just chill here for awhile." I sat down up against the wall.

"No, you won't just chill here for a while." He grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me up.

"Come on, man. I won't talk, I'll go right to sleep, I promise." I was on my feet again now.

"Listen, sweetheart. Normally, I would have you in that bed by now and we wouldn't be talking or sleeping."

I sat back down while he was talking.

"No, come on. Get up. Go bother who you came here with."

I laid down now and tried not to close my eyes because I learned from experience that the room does not stop spinning just because you can't see it.

"I came here with Two Bit. I think he said that he knows you."

Dallas started laughing. "I'm doing this for Two Bit, not you."

He walked over and turned off the lights. A few seconds later, I heard the bed squeak so I figured he had gotten in it.

"Don't you wanna know how I know you?"

I heard him sigh. "You said no talking." I found a pair of pants or a jacket and propped it under my head as a pillow.

"Just this one thing, I promise. Then you won't even hear me breathe for the rest of the night."

I heard him moving, then a light flashed and for a second I could see his face. He lit a cigarette.

"Well, are you gonna tell me how you know me or can I try to go to sleep?"

"My dad talks about you all the fucking time."

"Huh?" was all he said.

"He's a cop. He works down at the station. Whenever you get hauled in, you're all he talks about at dinner. I've seen your file with your picture on the table at home a few times, too. That's how I knew what you looked like. He isn't a big fan of yours. That's an understatement, actually. He really fucking hates you."

He started laughing. "Good old Tom is your dad, huh? He hates me more than the rest of the pigs down there at that station."

"Yes sir." I replied. "Do me a favor and get arrested more often. When he's complaining about you, he can't bitch at me about bringing a nice boy home."

He laughed again and the light from his cigarette went out. "Talking's over. Go to sleep."

"Wait!" I sat up way too quickly. The room began spinning again and I had to rest my head on the wall to avoid throwing up.

"Do you know how pissed my Dad would be if...you should totally come to dinner one time and pretend to be my boyfriend."

"No."

I laid back down. "Come on, my dad would…"

"One more fucking word and you're sleeping in the hallway."

I gave up on it and I eventually passed out.