Four weeks. 28 days. 672 hours. No matter how you described the time that passed following the night Bryce kicked me out, two main facts that stood true. Time passed in a blur and my life completely changed.

       Before I was introduced to Tulsa as Dal's cousin, my appearance and wardrobe took a 180 turn from stereotypical Soc to toned down Greaser. My days of worrying about maintaining my long locks were behind me after choosing to cut it so it was just a little above my shoulders. And my once dark brunette hair was now dirty blond, with dark purple tips because as Dal put, any cousin of his needed to show they had spunk. With my new hairstyle also came a new old wardrobe. Since Bryce was no longer monitoring and controlling how my decisions would impact how I was viewed, gone were the days of wearing the uncomfortable overly feminine dresses that he claimed someone of my stature should wear and back were the days that I could wear whatever the hell I wanted. From wearing ripped jeans and shorts to t-shirts and tanks, it made me nostalgic for the days before my parents became workaholics and my brother turned abusive.

       As I underwent my change in appearance and waited for tensions to simmer down a little, I laid low — though it wasn't entirely my choice. The gang insisted I follow the idea of out of sight, out of mind. None of us believed Bryce, or any Soc, would forget about the decision any time soon but for my safety, they figured it was better to be caught later versus sooner. For the first week, I was stuck in the Curtis residence, as strict but well-intended threats from Darry left me with no choice but to listen. They hadn't even let me go with them to grab my stuff the next day when Bryce tossed it out, but as Soda later told me their decision was probably for the best. Soc's cars had filled the driveway when they got there and while they steered clear of the gang since everyone went, there's no telling what they would have done if they'd seen me.

       Once my new look was complete and my house arrest was over, the next debate fell on what my name would be. While the gang hadn't been to keen on me keeping a nickname as my first name, I convinced them that Soc's only knew me as Alexis or Lexi. Bryce didn't think Alex was a name suitable for a girl, so he made sure no one ever called me it. They were still on the fence when I reminded them an entirely new name could accidentally trip me, or one of them up, and increase the likelihood of us getting caught. And with that, it was time for my new life as Alex Winston to begin and my old one as Alexis Park to come to an end.

       Just as Dal predicted, the moment he found out I was a Winston, Buck signed the spare room over for dirt cheap. But what no one predicted was how fast the news of a new Winston would spread across town. Rumors were thrown around left and right about what I was like, why I came to Tulsa, my 'criminal record' and the list continued. At first, the thought of all the attention scared me, but then the gang explained that it actually helped. Greasers and Soc's alike viewed me with a mix of respect and fear, the danger and rep associated with the name Winston provided me protection.

        With that, I slowly started to adjust to my new life. I gradually got out more, though always with at least one of the gang, and established my presence in the town. Soda and Steve even managed to get me a job at the DX by convincing their boss it'd let them focus more on the cars they were hired to work on. While he'd been skeptical of hiring a Winston, I managed to charm him and soon it felt like I'd always been working there. I fell into a routine where I'd wake up, the boys would pick me in front of Bucks, we'd work, hang around town and at the Curtis's, and then I'd either crash at the Curtis's (though this was rare) or I'd be escorted back to Bucks that quickly felt more like a home that my house had when Bryce was in charge.

       As I adjusted to my new lifestyle, just as the gang did their bit to protect me, I did what I could to help them. I hid money so Darry would find it later, did my best to keep Dal outta trouble with Buck by covering his bar tab on multiple occasions, and helped with chores and meals around the Curtis household to lessen Darry's stress and make sure the boys were taken care of. Specifically, I had one boy, in particular, I kept a close eye on. Johnny and I talked a lot in general, but I was also the first ready to clean his injuries and to offer him a place to crash whenever his parents were being particularly nasty. I often caught the rest of the gang sharing looks whenever Johnny and I were together, but I didn't let it bug me. I cared for him and he cared for me. So they could label it whatever they liked, but all that mattered to me was having him back in my life and making up for the lost time by looking out for him. At the end of the day, the gang always had each other's backs and it felt good to be with them again.

       In the span of a month, my life became a simple but good one. I was happier than I had been in ages, but I still remained slightly guarded. Everyone in the gang knew how fast life can change, hell my life had switched from great to awful overnight before. However, this time I was prepared. As I grew more and more attached to my new life, my caution also increased because no matter what this time I was not going down without a fight.