Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders

A/N: Hello my readers! Thank you for reading the last story. This will be the sequel of Pig Latin. I hope you enjoy.

Annie was walking down the sidewalk with Cleo. Her three year old daughter was her life. Including her "father," Johnny. Although Cleo's real father was none other than Dallas Winston, Johnny was the most wonderful father figure Annie could ever ask for. Dallas wasn't fit to help raise her baby girl. They hadn't even been in a relationship when Cleo was conceived.

It was early in the morning, and Cleo was being dropped off at daycare (which the could barely afford as it was). Then she'd head of to work until 5:00 pm. She'd pick up Cleo on her way home, and Johnny would arrive home soon after. The three of them would have dinner, give Cleo a bath, let her play for a bit, then Cleo would go to bed. Johnny and Annie would spend the rest of the night together (what they did depended on how tired they were). The next morning the cycle would start all over again.

The life of a mother. A poor mother at that. They had a little two bedroom apartment not too far away from their good friends/family. On weekends the little family would go over the Curtis house. Cleo would visit with Sodapop, Ponyboy, Darry, and Two-Bit. Steve and Cleo's father were rarely around. Annie didn't mind. Steve wasn't her favorite person, and Dallas defiantly knew better to come around when Cleo was there.

"Mommy…whadda we gonna eat tonight?" Cleo asked, her bright blue eyes on her mother.

"I dunno, baby. We'll decide when Daddy get's home," Annie replied, arriving at the front doors of the pre-school. "Be good, okay? I don't want another call from Ms. Lori that you wouldn't sleep during nap time.

"But I'm not tired when they make us sleep," Cleo whined.

"Well try. And you can't knock down other kid's blocks, just because you don't like it. If I get another call like that, baby, you're gonna go to bed right after bath time," Annie warned. Cleo glared.

"Fine."

"Thank you, baby. If you have trouble getting to sleep, just hug Froggie, and sing Noni Nella in your head. It'll help. I have to go now, though. I'll see you soon." Annie kissed the little girl's forehead, and Cleo hugged her mother in return. The little girl went inside and sat on a colorful carpet with other children her age.

Then Annie set off for her own job. It was only waitressing in a local diner. But depending on the people, she got pretty good tips. Johnny didn't like her working as a waitress. He didn't like men tipping his girlfriend for how good she looked. The only person who should be looking at her was him. She assured him that nothing ever bad happened. She purpously left out the time a guy slapped her ass, but on a daily basis, a greaser, or soc (depending on the age) would try and pick her up. Her usual response to "How about we meet up after your shift?" was "Sorry, I have to pick up my daughter and make dinner for my boyfriend." They stopped afterward, but she still got a decent tip afterward. Most guys would probably think a girl like Annie, a 19 going on 20 year old girl would have some big, tough boyfriend. Maybe one that resembled Darry.

She arrived on time, as she usually did, and put on her apron. Mostly, the day was slow. It picked up a little on the lunch shift, but that was about as busy as it got. Her shift ended right before the dinner wave came. That was another person's job. Another girl's time to get hassled by men. She had a daughter to take care of, and a boyfriend to love.

When she picked up Cleo, she stopped in. Before greeting her daughter, she spoke with the teacher. She was a pretty young woman. Blonde, brown eyes, nice body, luckily Johnny never met her. Although she doubted he was comfortable with any other girl but herself. It was never too soon to worry though. Despite "Ms. Lori's" good looks, Annie liked her. She wasn't mich older than she was. 23 maybe.

"Hi, here to pick up Cleo?" That was good. She didn't seem distressed at the mention of her daughter's name.

"How was she?" Annie asked cautiously.

"Surprisingly, she behaved well today. A few of the kids even attempted to have a conversation with her. She seemed to get along with them just fine. Maybe she'll realize that being nice pays off."

"She's a sweet girl, I assure you," Annie said sternly.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. She never gives anyone trouble unless they 'bother' her. Cleo has a very short fuse. Although, you seem to be very patient. She must've gotten it from her father," the woman laughed.

Ms. Lori didn't know that Johnny wasn't Cleo's biological father. The teacher probably assumed that Johnny was fair skinned, blonde haired, and blue eyed, like Cleo was. She didn't know that Johnny was mister tall, dark, and handsome (or at least he was to Annie.)

"Most likely," Annie laughed. She couldn't imagine Dallas a patient individual.

"Well, I hope her good behavior continues."

After saying goodbye to Cleo's teacher she walked over to her daughter. She was playing with Froggie on the floor, with another little girl. The other little girl had a stuffed animal of her own. A rabbit with very floppy ears.

"Hi, baby. Ready to go home?" Annie asked cheerfully.

"No," the little girl replied without looking up. Her friend simply ignored the fact that Annie was standing there.

"Well Daddy'll be home soon, and I'm sure he misses you. Plus, we can have your favorite dinner tonight. You can play with your friend tomorrow." Cleo sighed.

"Alright…" She grabbed Froggie, said goodbye to her friend, and left with her mother.