A/N: This chapter is set two years before the actual storyline in The Outsiders. That means Darry is 18, Dally and Two-Bit are 16; Soda, Steve, Tess and Johnny are 14, and Pony is 12. This is the first chapter of my very first fanfic. Hope you like it! :)
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own The Outsiders, no matter how much I wish it wasn't so.

Even though the smell of bacon and eggs tempted me to get up, I didn't want to. The first day of school, the first day of HIGH SCHOOL, is something I did not want to face. So, I just laid in bed and pretended to sleep.
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" Someone, probably Soda, yelled at me. I just rolled in bed and snored. But I was interrupted by a shower of cold water on my face.
"SODAPOP CURTIS! YOU'RE GETTING WHOOPED TODAY!" I screeched. He ran out the room laughing, so I followed him and tackled him to the floor. We wrestled around for a bit before I left to go shower. This happens a lot in my house, because I have 7 brothers. No, my parents don't have 8 kids (they have 4), but we have 4 boys who are close enough to us to be considered family.

My family is kinda big. The oldest is Darry, who's 18 and a senior at our high school. He's real good at football, and he might get a scholarship for it. He's also really funny and loving to others. The next one is Two-Bit, who's 16. He's the funniest of all of us. The things he does and says are just... They'll have you laughing for hours. Maybe that's why I have just the tiniest crush on him. But, next is Dally, who is also 16. He's real tough and loves to fight and make people mad. But he acts different towards me and Johnny, more protective and kind. He's got a heart on the inside, even if he only shows it to two people. The 14-year-olds are Me, Soda, Steve, and Johnny. Me n' Soda are twins. Soda is hyper, happy-go-lucky, and can cheer anyone up with his smile. He just radiates energy and happiness. Steve is Soda's best bud. He's nice and tells some...weird jokes. He's like a mix of Dally and Soda. I can't explain it. Anyways, Johnny is the one everyone is concerned about. His parents started fighting and even.. hitting him. But he manages to smile and be our pal. Ponyboy is the youngest at 12. He's a thinker like me, and he's real smart. He's got a bright future. But me, I'm just average. Nothing special about me.

After my shower and breakfast, Mom dropped all of us kids off at school. I always hated the first day of school. It meant that summer, my favorite season, was over. But on we went. I was so nervous, I was shaking. I mean, yeah, all of my friends were gonna be there, but so were the Socs. Those are preppy, rich kids that everyone loves. But no one knows how horrible they are to us greasers. Theres been so many fights, so many injuries, and worst of all, deaths. Thank God those people weren't anyone I knew, but still, it's horrible.

Anyways, this high school is HUGE! I somehow managed to make it to my homeroom before 1st period started. As I sat down, I scanned the room for anyone I knew. Besides the Socs, I saw some of my girls and Johnny. Yay! But then, I saw her. Pure evil in a beautiful, innocent body. Her name was Amber Rosse, one of my best friends from 2nd grade. Last year, we weren't as close as before, and she did some horrible things to me and my brother. She got me expelled because I whooped her tail!

She smirked at me, sending shivers down my spine. I didn't want that to happen again. But I swallowed my fear and sat next to Johnny and my friend Evie.
"Welcome to class, ladies and gentlemen. As you know, this is English class, so I expect you know what goes on in an English class. So, to start the day, we get to read one of my favorite books- "Where the Red Fern Grows". It takes place about 50 miles from here, how funny is that? Anyhow, after I pass out your books, get to reading."
So much for a good start to my day. I love reading, but I've read this book a bunch of times. So I passed notes to Evie to keep myself entertained.
Hey Evie.
Hey Girl. You like Ms. Whatsherface so far? She's so pushy already.
She's okay, I guess. You wanna come over later?
Sure. You know my dad don't care. Is Steve gonna be there?
I'm pretty sure, why? Do ya like him? Of course not! I'm with Evan, remember?

"Ms. Donovan, Evie and Tess are passing notes. Can you tell them to stop? Its interrupting my reading." blurted Amber. She turned to smirk at me. How I hated her.
"Tessalyn Curtis? I've heard of you, from your brother, Darrel. Shame, I thought you were a good child like him. Give me the note." Ms. Donovan said as she retrieved the note. She read it aloud to the class, which brought snickers and snideful remarks.
"Hmm. It seems our school is overrun with unclassy young ladies. Sad. Well theres the bell, off you go." she said.

As I was walking home with Evie, I went over my day. It was great, sarcastically speaking. It seemed that Amber was in almost all of my classes. And because of that, I was seriously dreading this schoolyear. I kept pondering over that until Evie told me that we had reached my house. Oh, I forgot to explain that I'm a thinker. How I love to daydream.
"Tess, are you okay? You've been pretty quiet since school started." Evie said. She's always been real nice to me and my family. She's practically the sister I never had.
"Yea, I'm fine. It's just... Ugh... Amber is in almost all of my classes. I'm not exactly thrilled about that." I said.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She's full of drama and lets it out on the wrong people. What else do you expect a greaser-go-soc to do? Just let it alone, she won't bother you after a while." Evie ranted.
"I hope so." I meekly said.

We walked into my house. It was crowded, as usual. In fact, everyone was there, which was very unusual.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SODA AND TESS! WE LOVE Y'ALL!" everyone yelled.
I was so troubled today at school that I had forgotten that it was my own birthday! Curse you, Amber.
My daddy came up to me with a few presents and gave me a big ol' hug. "Happy birthday, Tessie. You're so old now."He told me. Darrel Curtis Sr. was probably my favorite person on Earth. He was always there for me, and we always did things together. On our 9th birthday, he taught me and Soda to play guitar. Soda gave up, but I continued. It had to be the best birthday gift I ever got. Up until this day, I would always play while he sang. He had such a soulful voice. We would play for hours and hours. But it happened less and less because of school. Julia Curtis, my mom was like all moms- protective, worriesome, loving, and just a mom. I loved her to death, but I have to admit I love my Dad just a bit more. I mean, we never had a special bond like me and my Dad have.

Anyways, Soda and I opened our presents. Soda got a tub of hair grease, a new comb, 2 outfits, and a picture of the entire gang. I got 2 outfits, 3 new guitar picks, a picture of the gang, and a special necklace from my Dad. We both got various things from the boys and Evie. Even if school was bad, my family made everything better. Maybe I could go through the schoolyear, with my family by my side. Oh, how I loved my family-Greaser and all.