Monday night
( part two )

"I think it's safe to say that I probably won't be invited to another party again," I laughed softly as I took a sip of my cookies-n-creme milkshake.

Dallas smiled and chuckled. "Probably not," he agreed. He spun the plastic straw around in the chocolate milkshake he ordered.

"Jeez, did you see the look on everyone's face? That was pure gold," I exclaimed, while Dallas nodded along. "Just like the jewelry I stole."

Dallas smirked as he said, "I wasn't sure if you could pull off that 'master' plan of yours."

I stifled a laugh, and held up my index finger close to his face. "Lesson number one, Dallas Winston.. never doubt me."

I earned a small smile from him as his dark eyes met my own. My face heated up, and I felt like I could melt under his gaze. Whenever Dally laughed or smiled I could always tell that he was genuinely happy. It was the small gestures he did that made me rethink my feelings for him. There were so many different emotions that I felt all at the same time. I wanted to stand up from this booth right now and walk out of this Dairy Cream, leaving Tulsa forever and running away to another place far, far away from here because there was no way in hell that I was going to allow myself to catch feelings for Dallas Winston. Apart of me wanted the exact opposite though. Deep down, I think I knew that I never want to leave Tulsa because I could stay here in this bright red booth, and continue sharing laughs and just talking to Dallas for as long as we wanted. I know good things don't last forever, but it's still a nice thing to wish for.

"Ya know," Dallas spoke up, breaking me out of my thoughts. "You never told me your full name."

"Yeah, I guess I haven't," I sighed and shrugged.

Dallas waited for me to continue, but I remained silent. I can't just tell him my last name. It's the last piece of information that has to do with my identity and why I ran away to Tulsa in the first place. If word gets out that I'm behind the robbery back in New York, Dallas would definitely figure it out, along with the rest of the suspicious people in this town.

I wanted to tell him though. I felt like I could trust Dallas. Even if I don't tell him about what happened back in New York, I could just tell him this one small thing about myself.

"Westbrook," I said.

Dallas looked up at me with a confused expression. "Huh?"

"Westbrook," I repeated. "My last name is Westbrook."

"Diana Westbrook," Dallas stated. He sounded as if he was trying it out to see if my name fit together. Then, he sent me a smug smirk. "I like it."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged."Yeah, I get that a lot," I remarked.

Dallas laughed and continued, "Tell me something else about yourself, Diana Westbrook."

"Ya know, you don't have to use my full name, right?" I said with a small smile. Of course, I didn't mind though.

"You use my full name," Dallas replied.

I rolled my eyes as I shrugged and responded, "Alright, Dally, what do you want to know?"

Dallas took a long moment to think about my question. I almost regretted what I had said the minute I saw him considering his options. Giving Dally insight on my life would be an open invitation for disaster. As much as I felt like I could trust him, there was still that shred of doubt and nervousness that I couldn't get out of my mind. I've always been told that the only person you can trust is yourself. I still remember when Todd lectured me about being more secretive when it came to all of our robberies and stealing.

"Trust no one."

"No one?"

"Not a single person," Todd repeated in a lecturing tone.

I sighed and rolled my head around, becoming confused and frustrated. "Not even you?" I asked.

"Not even yourself," Todd stated firmly.

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head. "Okay, that doesn't even make sense."

"It will eventually," Todd said. "You're too young to understand though."

I rolled my eyes and pushed him off the arm of the couch, causing him to crash on the ground. "I'm only three years younger than you."

Todd groaned as he stood up and brushed himself off. He plopped down on the couch beside me and crossed his arms behind his head. "Then, why do you act like you're five?"

"Because you treat me like I'm five," I exclaimed, laughing softly.

"Tomato, tomato," Todd said with a shrug.

"Oh, screw you," I huffed.

I guess I still never figured out what he meant when he said not to trust myself. He was probably just joking with me after all these years. At the time, I pretended as if I wasn't listening to his lectures because, truthfully, I didn't really care much for what he had to say. Ever since I was a kid, I've always hated being told what to do and when to do it. I was never too fond of 'rules,' which is probably why I often found myself on the other side of the law. Looking back though, Todd's words did have an impact on me. The only people who knew about all the crimes I've committed are Todd, Erica, and John because they stood by my side and did the same exact thing. I've never told anyone about what I've done before, so why would I risk it all just by telling Dallas Winston?

Surely, Dally was the same exact way as I am. He was secretive and closed off, only sharing what he wanted to. He was definitely the last person you wanted mess with because he wasn't afraid to start a fight. It was obvious that he did the exact opposite of what he was told. Based off of what he told me at the tracks, he was definitely known for being the town's infamous troublemaker.

"I know you're from New York," Dallas spoke aloud, mostly to himself. "And you said how that wasn't your first robbery," he trailed off in thought. Instead of making a smart remark, I remained quiet and listened as he continued to list off different conclusions he's drawn about me. So far, he's been right about everything he's said. "What I don't get is how you ended up here," he said.

I sighed and subconsciously frowned. My shoulders slumped downward exhaustedly as I averted my gaze from his to stare out the window beside the booth we were sitting in. The glass was covered in sporadic water droplets that were beginning to form from the midnight mist from outside. Even though it was pitch black outside and really late in the evening, I wasn't tired at all. Maybe it was the company, which I really did enjoy, or maybe it was the adrenaline rush from earlier. "I got into some serious trouble," I admitted quietly.

"What'd you do?" Dallas asked.

I tapped my right boot on the floor nervously as I replied with hesitance, "Robbery gone wrong. Very wrong."

Dallas nodded. He seemed to understand what I was saying. "What happened?" He asked.

"It's kind of a long story," I replied carefully, not wanting to say too much about the subject. I really hope I'm not making a mistake about sharing something about myself.

"I could sit here all night, doll," Dallas said in a serious tone. When I met his eyes again, we shared a small smile. My face must've turned a bright shade of red because I could feel my cheeks heat up. I hated blushing; it felt too girly.

"Actually, we're about to close, so I'm gonna have to ask you kids to leave," an old waitress said from the end of our table. I didn't even notice her appearance; I don't think either of us did.

"Right, okay," I stammered out. The waitress chuckled before shaking her head and walking off somewhere else, allowing me to slide out of the booth and stand up. As I began to make my way towards the exit, leaving Dally a few steps behind, I noticed that he and I were the only people left in the small Dairy Queen restaurant. Jeez, we must've been sitting in here for an hour or two.

As I stepped out of the glass doors and into the cold, brisk night, I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to keep warm. "Diana," Dallas called out from behind me. I paused and allowed him to catch up. "You left your jacket," he said as he placed the leather clothing onto my shoulders.

I sent him a kind smile and slid my arms into the jacket. The two of us walked over to Dally's car that was parked sloppily in an empty spot. The radio played soft, staticky music as he drove back to Buck's. I watched out the front window as the dark road blurred into its surroundings like a watercolor painting. My eyed wondered off the road and onto Dallas, a small smile spreading across my lips. "Ya know, I actually had a good time tonight," I said honestly.

"Good," Dally chuckled. He took a quick look at me and smile before returning his focus back onto the road. "Me too," he added.

"And, look," I sighed. "About what I said earlier.. you can't tell anyone or else I'd be locked up in some prison."

Dallas nodded. "You can trust me, Diana Westbrook."