You were new in town. Too much like Dallas, yet not much like him at all. You’d met once, back when you were both in the cooler. In juvei, specifically. You were younger than him by a few years.

You had been cell mates for a couple months. It had been before Dallas started getting sent to the real cooler for the trouble he got into. He remembered you vaguely. He hadn’t expected to see you outside of juvie, so he’d not bothered to remember specifics. Getting attached meant weakness anyway. Dallas Winston didn’t do weakness, especially in the cooler.

Not sure where to go, you often skipped town while trying to get work. You’d ended up in Tulsa. To you, it was just another town you’d be in for a short time. To Dallas, it was the first place that was close to being considered a home. He had friends here, even if he refused to admit he cared. He had a room at Buck’s, he had Johnny. You had the clothes on your back, and whatever you could carry in your dingy bag.

No one had thought anything of you when you first got to town. You’d slept in some lots and the park, went around the town trying to find work under the table. You’d had a run in with couple Soces the other day, but that wasn’t abnormal in the town or your life. Most towns you’d been in had had some form of economic divide.

You’d been wondering Tulsa’s East side on a hot afternoon when you passed the DX. You were getting close to skipping town again, you hadn’t found any work. That’s when Dallas spotted you. He’d been leaning against the wall, smoking a cancer stick.

He recognized you, somewhat. He recognized you as that kid from juvie who refused to tell what you were in for. He recognized the fact you’d taken a beating; you were still pretty bruised up. He could guess it was from some soc. You had shifty eyes like Dallas, but stood too much like Johnny for his liking… Dallas was a fighter and Johnny was a damn kicked puppy. Kicked puppies too quick to bite were often put down, and Dallas knew that Soces had little problem putting down mutts.

Dallas dropped his cigarette, crushing it under his heel. He exhaled a harsh cloud of smoke before calling out to you. It was his usual tone, he knew a kid like you would know better than to ignore someone like him.

“Hey, kid! Over here”