The road seemed to be endless, the night drug on forever, the highway stretched into Nirvana. My little blue pick-up drove steadily along at sixty-five miles an hour pulling a slightly rusted once-was white, one horse trailer behind it. It would only be another hour or so before I would be pulling into Tulsa, Oklahoma but the night was getting to me, I had been driving for fifteen hours straight from my last stop in Arkansas. I wished Tulsa would show up soon and hopefully had a barn or somewhere where I could keep the gelding stowed away in the trailer pulling behind me. He was on the smaller side, only 14.1 hands high, stocky, but loyal. He was coal black, the only white on him was a fat diamond shaped snip on his mussel, he had a thick curly mane that hung down to his chest and a tail equally thick and curly that barely touched the ground. Ah, the beauty of the mustang.

It wasn't long before I passed a sign that read 'Welcome to Tulsa, Oklahoma' whichI was glad for, I was getting twitchy from driving for so long and I was sure Tucker was too, I would hate to have to stand in a small one horse trailer for fifteen hours straight. I drove until I reached a small barn as the sun was coming up; I saw several ranch hands piling hay bales into a small trailer attached to a grey four-wheeler. The gravel crumpled under the truck as I cameto a stop and got out, the people there all looked up as I walked up.

"Hi," I said walking up to an older man; he smiled under his cowboy hat. "Hi, uh I was wondering if you guys do boarding… I came from Arkansas with my horse and I don't have anywhere to keep him."

The old man chuckled. "Of course we do boarding, Little Lady," he said holding out a wrinkled, old hand. "I'm Dan White."

"Kimber Wood," I greeted taking his old hand in my small, seventeen year old one.

"So your horse, he's not a stallion is he?" he asked. "We have several mares here and I can't let them be bred if their owners aren't wanting it."

I laughed lightly. "Tucker's gelded." I said. "He won't be knocking up any girls tonight."

Dan laughed an old laugh that sounded slightly like coughing. "Good, well, let the old boy out."

I nodded. "Thanks so much, Mr. White." I said as I went and undid the latch and opened the door, I looked up and saw a big, black horsebutt. "Hey, get out." I said as the gelding looked over then backed out. Dan hobbled over looking over Tucker.

"He doesn't have any bad habits does he?" He asked.

"Nope," I said patting his neck. "He's good, I don't even have a halter and lead on and he's staying right here."

"Good point," He said. "Well go ahead and take him to the pasture we can go work everything out in the office."

I smiled. "Thanks." I grabbed a hold of Tucker's mane and vaulted onto his back.

After taking him out to the pasture and working out a boarding fee with Dan, he let me leave my trailer there.

"Hey, Dan." I said as the older man looked up. "Is there a gas station anywhere close?"

"There's a DX station in town," He said. "Just go up this street here and you'll find it easy."

"Thanks." I said and got in the truck starting the engine. It only took a few minutes before I saw the DX station. I drove up to the gas pump and got out.

"Here," Someone said from behind me. "Let me help you."

I loked over and saw a guy about my age with a blue DX shirt and hat. "Uh, it's okay I got it."

He smiled. "It's my job, Miss…" He said fishing for a name.

"Kimber," I smiled and held out my hand. "Kimber Wood."

"That's an original name."

"Yeah, my parents were hippies." I said leaning against the truck as he got the gas pump and put it in the truck clicking it so the gas started to fill up.

"Eh, my name's Sodapop Curtis," He said leaning against the truck next to me.

"Sodapop?" I said raising an eyebrow. Admittedly, he was cute, even movie star handsome but from what I see all these girls giving him the googily eyes as they walk by he's quite the catch here in Tulsa, but I personally didn't find myself attracted to him, maybe because he was too pretty or maybe he'd just be too easy to lose. I wasn't sure. "That's an original name."

"Yeah," He said. "My parents were original people. I even have a brother named Ponyboy."

"Ponyboy?" I asked."You're parents like horses a lot or something?" I asked jokingly.

"Must have." He laughed. I noticed immediately that he was talking about them in the past tense; I wondered vaguely if he didn't talk to them anymore or something ormaybe they died, which would be terrible. "You don't look like a Soc or a Greaser; you must not be from around here."

"What and what?" I asked confused.

Sodapop laughed. "Socs are the rich kids, the ones that have mustangs and corvettes, they get any and everything they want-"

"By the way you talk about them I have a feeling you're not one of them." I said as the tank filled, Sodapop took out the hose and put it back.

"Not even a little," He said. "Let's go inside so we can get the receipt."

I nodded. "So what's a greaser?" I asked as Sodapop opened the door letting me in first.

"A Greaser are the poor kids; a lot of us wear leather jackets and grease our hair back. We're also the trouble makers, the drop-outs; most of us have it hard at home." He said as he walked behind the counter as the receipt printed out, he looked at it. "That'll be fifteen dollars." He said, I nodded hand pulled out my wallet handing him the cash.

"Ah," I said.

"So where are you from?" He asked.

"I'm from all over," I said. "But my birthplace is Colorado; I've lived in almost every state."

"Why ya move so much?" He asked as I walked down the aisles browsing for food as he walked with me, which after being alone for a while I didn't mind the company.

"My dad changed hisjob so much that we never really had a chance to stay in one place." I said."But when I turned sixteen I got myself a truck and trailer and decided to see what was out there; some place I could call a home. I just came from Arkansas with my horse, Tucker."

"You brought a horse with you?" He asked a little surprised. "That couldn't have been easy- or cheap."

"Eh, it wasn't so bad," I said picking up a bag of chips. "Just had to watch my back at the gas stations for creepers."

Soda grinned. "Well I hope I'm not a creeper."

I laughed out loud at that. "No," I said. "You're too sweet looking to be a creeper."

"Thanks." He said with a smile. "So how long are you here in Tulsa?"

"Depends." I said vaguely.

"On?"

"How much I like ithere." I replied walking passed him and looked at the drinks.

"Oh." He said. "Well do you have a place to stay?"

I shrugged. "Well this man named Dan White is letting me keep my horse at his barn for a while; I kind of just figured I'd sleep in the trailer."

Sodapop looked shocked. "Sleep in a horse trailer?"

"Yeah," I said going to grab a Pepsi. "I've been doing it since I left my parents' house last year."

"You're only seventeen?" He asked. I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Yep." I said as we walked up to the counter as he rang up the chips and the Pepsi. "Quit looking so shocked." I said smirking slightly.

"Well if you need a place to stay you can crash on our couch," He offered. "I'm sure my brother, Darry, won't mind."

I smiled. "Thanks but my mommy always told me to not go to stranger's houses no matter how much chocolate they said they'd give you." I smirked as I paid him when another guy came out wearing the same DX shirt asSodapop.

"Hey Soda," He said looking down. "There's a car pulling in go help- well hello." He said smiling at me, I thought he had a missing front tooth but turns out they're just not straight.

"Hi," I said smirking.

"Well aren't you a pretty thing," he said leaning over the counter. "You doing anything tonight,Baby?"

I smiled sweetly at him leaning over the counter."Unfortunately I am," I said then paused for half a second. "Baby." I smirkedthen stood straight.

"Steve," Sodapop said punching his arm. "Leave her alone."

This other guy just laughed. "Go help them, Soda." He said offhandedly pointing to the door. Soda sighed and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' as he walked out the doorhelping a girl in a corvette. "I'm Steve Randle."

"Oh," I said. "So not all people from Oklahoma are named after a beverage or a horse, huh?" I said teasingly.

"Nope!" He grinned.

"I'm Kimber, by theway." I said opening my chips and popped one in my mouth.

"Well hello, Miss Kimber." He said reaching across the counter pushing my dark brown locks out ofmy grey eyes. I raised an eyebrow but let him do it. In a few minutes Soda cameback with the girl following him.

"You're pretty cute for a greaser," She said with a plastic smile. I rolled my eyes. "You're Sodapop Curtis, ain't ya?"

"Mhmm," he said widening his eyes momentarily at Steve, obviously annoyed.

"So anyways, as I was saying. My family and I are going to California and we will go to the beach! I even bought a new swimsuit!"

"That'll be ten dollars." Soda said ignoring everything she was saying.

She put her purse on the table and fished for her wallet, after about a minute she pulled it out and gave him a twenty, as he took it she purposefully made their hands touch and didn't let go immediately letting their hands linger together. She pulled away and smiled as he looked down avoiding eye contact with the girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was pretty but it was obvious he wasn't interested. He handed her the change without another word, I was slightly surprised considering how talkative he was with me.

"So, Soda," She said twirling her curled hair around her finger. "I was thinking, I mean I know we're from totally opposite sides of the tracks but maybe we could catch a movie sometime."

"I can't stand movies," Soda said shifting his weight. "I don't have the attention span to watch them."

"Maybe dinner sometime?" She asked hopefully. I groaned loudly throwing my head back slightly causing Soda, Steve and the rich girl to look over at me.

"Look, Sweetie," I said leaning against the counter uninterested. "I'm sure you're a very nice girl and you're pretty and yadda yadda, but I hate to break it to you but you see, my pal, Soda, here…" I gave a sympathetic look. "He's just not that into you."

She gawked. Her mouth dropped as she turned to Soda confused. "How? What?"

"Look," I said walking over to her other side so that I was standing in between Soda and her."The signs are all there, he didn't even try to make conversation with you. I honestly barely heard his voice, I mainly just heard yours and when you asked him to go to the movie he shifted his weight which wouldn't be a big deal but I could tell he was uncomfortable and losing his patience and the fact that youkept rubbing it in his face that he was a greaser which isn't a bad thing but it's how high and mighty you said it with the 'you're pretty cute for a greaser' and the 'I know were from totally opposite sides of the tracks'thing."

The blonde girl looked completely stunned while Steve and Soda were trying to hide smirks. "Who are you anyways?"

"Elvis Presley." I answered as Steve started cracking up. The blonde girl looked furious now.

"I meant your real name."

"Johnny Cash." I answered with the first thing that came to mind.

The girl looked beyond angry now. "I'd have a better shot with Soda then you would, Hood."

"Oh," I said in monotone. "Look who can rhyme."

Steve laughed again as Soda was grinning. "I like this chick, Soda!" Steve said in between laughing.

Soda laughed a little and nodded his agreement as he watched us again. The blondie huffed stamping her foot as she left the DX. "Nice!" Soda said once the door shut holding his hand up for a high five, I laughed and high fived him. "I didn't know Coloradoans were so fiery."

I shrugged. "Eh, it must be the altitude difference or something."

"Thanks though," Hesaid. "That's Rachel and she's kind of out there." He said twirling his index finger around next to his head. The universal sign for crazy. I laughed.

"No prob."

"So you're sure you want to sleep in the trailer?" He asked. "It's the least I can do for helping me."

I watched him for a moment. "Alright," I said, even I had to admit a couch sounded better than a trailer. "But no funny business, Curtis."

He held his hands up innocently. "No funny business."

I smiled. "Great."

"I get off work at five thirty if you want you can meet me here and I can show you the way to my house."

"Alright," I said as a few guys came in browsing through the aisles. "I'll see you then."

He nodded and smiled. I grabbed my Pepsi and chips returningto my truck and got inside starting the engine. Oklahoma was hot and humid but maybe it wouldn't be… so bad to stick around a while. They might even have rodeos or something I could enter with Tucker. I drove back to the barn and parked next to my trailer. I got out and pulled my hair into a bun on the top of my head not caring what people thought of me, I walked out to the pasture where I left Tucker and found him grazing with two chestnut mares and a bay yearling colt following one of the mares. I whistled and Tucker's head shot up before nickering and trotting over.

"Hey bud," I said climbing the gate and onto his back. I hugged him around the neck as he plodded along in the pasture until we came to a shady tree and Tucker laid down. Iclimbed off his back and sat down next to his chest as he nibbled on the grass. I felt my eyes droop as I brought my arms around my midsection and my knees to my chest.