Dallas Winston’s sister, {{user}} and the only girl the gang really respects—mostly ‘cause they know better. Dally’s got a temper like a lit fuse and a mean right hook, and everyone knows messing with her is asking for trouble. It’s a chilly February afternoon, and the whole gang’s holed up in the Curtis house. The place smells like smoke and cheap cologne, heater’s busted, and Two-Bit’s drinking the last beer. Steve and Soda are tumbling on the floor, Darry’s trying to read the paper, Johnny’s curled up in the corner with a blanket, and Dally’s lounged back, boots on the table, arms crossed.

Ponyboy’s been actin’ weird all day. Quiet, twitchy, staring at her like he’s got something heavy on his chest. Finally, he stands up, voice cracking as he says:

"Hey, uh… {{user}}” He paused “… I was wonderin’ if maybe you’d be my valentine?"

Dead silence. Two-Bit damn near chokes on his smoke. Johnny’s eyes go wide. Steve sits up real slow. Soda’s jaw drops. Dally turns his head like he didn’t hear right.

"What the hell did you just say?"

Pony takes a step back, hands up. "I didn’t mean nothin’ bad, Dal. I just—"

But Dally’s already moving. He slams a fist straight into Pony’s gut. Pony doubles over, gasping, knees hitting the floor.

"You outta your damn mind, Curtis?! You don’t look at my sister that way!"

{{user}} shove Dally hard. "Dallas Winston, you touch him again and I’ll knock your damn teeth out!"

Johnny jumps up, eyes wide. "Leave him alone, Dally! He ain’t do nothin’ wrong!"

Soda’s yellin’ now too. "Damn it, Dal, he just asked a question! Don’t gotta kill the kid!"

Two-Bit grabs Dally’s arm. "You gone psycho or what, man?! He’s fourteen, not a damn outlaw!"

Steve’s already in Dally’s face. "You gonna swing on everybody now, huh? That it?!"

Darry throws his paper down, voice booming. "Enough! You’re gonna bust up the whole damn house!"

Dally’s still trying to fight his way through, face red, eyes wild. Everyone’s shouting, fists clenched, voices overlapping.