Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the song. They belong, respectively, to S.E. Hinton and Billy Joel. Thanks for letting me borrow both.

I bet she never had a backstreet guy,
I bet her mama never told her why.

Two-Bit gave Ponyboy a rough slap on the back, relaying the events at the drugstore for the guys that hung around the Shepard gang.

"Man, Pony was cool as a cucumber, boys. Smashed that bottle like it was nothin', and held 'em off all on his own," he said proudly, his arm slung around Pony's neck as he stood there between Two-Bit and Steve quietly.

Evie's younger brother Rick stood with his friends, his arms crossed and a disbelieving look on his face. "How many was there?"

Pony opened his mouth but was cut off by Two-Bit before he could say anything.

"I dunno. Six or seven, maybe?" Two-Bit asked Steve.

"Three," Pony answered.

Two-Bit shrugged. "They were big guys. Who cares how many there were?" He gave Pony another slap on the back. "What matters is this kid took care of those boys. They ain't gonna cross him again."

"Better hope they don't," replied one of Rick's friends, Jeff. "Shoulda just gutted those boys when you had the chance, kid." He and his buddies turned to leave.

"And miss the way they tucked their tails between their legs when they ran for their car?" Two-Bit cackled over the crowd. "Not a chance!"

The warning bell sounded, and the halls slowly began to filter out. Pony exchanged the books in his arms for a few in his locker as Steve and Two-Bit goofed off behind him, making eyes at the girls passing by and handing out free glares to any socs looking their way.

Pony shut his locker and turned to find Two-Bit ignoring Steve and staring down the hall. He followed his gaze to a familiar rich girl breaking away from her group of friends and heading for him. The girls she left stared after her in disbelief as she made her way across the hallway, with her short, bobbed hair bouncing with each step.

"'Scuse me, fellas," Two-Bit said, pushing himself off the lockers. "Looks like I've got a date."

Steve's gaze narrowed when he headed in the direction of a soc girl. "What the hell's that all about?"

Pony watched them, anxious at the sight of Two-Bit and Marcia in the center of the hallway. They were drawing looks from all the greasers and socs still making their way to class. He wondered if there was going to be an all out rumble at just the sight of the two of them in the middle of Will Rogers and realized he wouldn't be all that surprised to see it come to that. He was relieved when the kids walking passed them only slowed to watch the spectacle, but no one ever came to a stop.

"It's nothing," Pony told Steve as they headed for their afternoon classes. "Just some girl that picked up Two-Bit at the movies."

"A socy girl?" Steve asked incredulously.

Pony shrugged. "Who knows? It's Two-Bit."

Steve walked along beside him, glancing over his shoulder every few steps. "But she ain't even blonde."

She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can.

"How's it going with the big shots?" Two-Bit asked, nodding to the disgusted crowd still staring after Marcia.

She shrugged with a smile. "Stuffy as ever," she replied, glancing over her shoulder. "Mind walking me to class?"

"Sure thing, kid," he said. They made it about halfway down the hall when he stopped suddenly. "Here," he said, grabbing her books and stacking them on top of his. "Let's do this right." He grinned and offered her his arm.

She laughed, hooking her arm through his. "You're some kind of gentleman, Two-Bit."

"What?" he asked skeptically. "Good ol' Randy never does this for you?"

"He never did," she said, staring straight ahead. He would never admit it to anyone, but he couldn't help but admire the way she held her chin so high, making eye contact with every soc and greaser daring to look her way. "Don't have to worry about that anymore, anyway," she added, glancing at Two-Bit.

"Don't tell me you and Super Soc broke it off!" he exclaimed dramatically.

She nodded, her dark hair bouncing with the movement.

"Why wasn't it on the announcements this mornin'?" he asked. "Painted on the front lawn? Written across the sky?"

"It wasn't such a big deal," she said. "Mutual, I guess."

She was silent as they made their way up the stairs and the final bell sounded loudly in the stairwell.

"Guess I'm not good at walkin' girls to class, am I?" Two-Bit asked as they reached the landing and continued down the hall. "I made you late."

She was silent until they reached the closed door of her classroom.

"Why didn't you ever call me?" she asked suddenly, dropping her arm from his.

"Huh?"

"After the movies," she said, folding her arms. She didn't look angry or sad, maybe just a little disappointed. "I gave you my number and I never heard from you."

"Oh, that," he said, glancing past her, down the empty halls. "It was just a crazy week. You know." He would hate to admit that he hadn't trusted her enough to believe that was really her number. He didn't want to admit to being the guy that threw her number away, even if she was a soc and it shouldn't matter to him what she thought. He hated to be that guy.

She leaned against the wall. "I know. It would have been nice to talk to you, though."

He leaned beside her, running his thumb across the dog-eared pages of her English book and avoiding eye contact. "Cherry came by to see us a couple times. You coulda come by, too."

Marcia shrugged, giving a quiet, embarrassed laugh. Two-Bit thought it was the cutest sound he had ever heard, despite how bad she was making him feel. "By then I thought you hadn't called because you didn't want to."

"That wasn't why I didn't call," he said seriously. She looked up at the change in his tone and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. It matched her laugh, and it made him want to kick himself for being such an idiot in the first place.

He took her hand and looked at the dainty, expensive watch that wrapped around her dainty, expensive wrist. "Do you wanna ditch class with me?"

Her eyes widened as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Skip English class?"

Two-Bit laughed at the surprise in her voice. "Hate to break it to you, but you're already late."

"Well, it's one thing to be late, but it's another to skip completely," she said, glancing nervously down the hall. Even though she seemed to be rejecting the idea, she was hesitating. He could tell she wanted to.

"C'mon, kiddo," he said with a grin. "You've already thrown your reputation out the window today just by bein' seen on my arm." She was still thinking about it when he nudged her arm and egged her on quietly. "Marcia, you're a rebel. You're on a roll, already!"

She grinned and he knew he was about to break her. Backing slowly down the hall, he held up her books. "You should know that whether or not you come with me, your books are skippin' class today. They think you ought to, too. Besides, you'd look pretty silly walking in there without …" He looked at the book in his hand. "… A Tale of Two Cities."

He opened the book to the first page. "After all, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.'" He closed the book and stopped at the top of the stairs. "Foolishness? Hell, ol' Chuck Dickens might be on to something here."

"Two-Bit, get back here," she said, trying to suppress a smile as she walked towards him.

He ignored her request. "You know, I knew a Chuck once. Good guy. Pretty smart. I think you outta listen to this one. He must know his stuff if he wrote a book this long."

He spun on his heel and jogged down the steps, laughing when she called his name. He laughed harder when he heard her tiny feet running behind him. His feet hit the bottom step loudly, sending a dull thud echoing through the stairwell and out into the halls.

She was on his heels within seconds, grabbing at his jacket to get him to stop. "Two-Bit, you're gonna get us both in trouble!" she exclaimed, but he could hear the giggles behind her words.

"Hey!" boomed a voice behind them. They both skidded to a stop in the middle of the hallway, turning to see Principal Greene standing there. His eyes narrowed when he saw it was Two-Bit. "Mathews, don't you have a class to be in?"

For the first time in his life, Two-Bit froze in his tracks. Marcia was going to hate him for sure, getting her into trouble like this.

"Mathews, did you hear me?" Greene took a giant step toward them, then stopped as if he had only just then noticed his accomplice. "Miss Warner?"

Marcia gave a sudden squeak and grabbed Two-Bit's arm, tugging him towards the side door that stood beside them. When Greene realized what they were doing, he sprinted after him, moving as fast as his extra weight and new, squeaky shoes would carry him.

By the time he made it to the door, they were well across the grassy courtyard that surrounded all sides of the building. His threats rang clear across the parking lot but were drowned out by their laughter.

When they were certain Greene wasn't going to risk a heart attack to follow them, they slowed down and Two-Bit led the way to his car. "Where in the world did you get the guts to do that?" he asked, opening her door for her.

"Guess you were right about this rebellious streak," she said, her face flushed from either the run or the way he was looking at her. Two-Bit wasn't sure. "And, you know, foolishness and all."

"Well, you're a good man, sister," he told her.

She laughed. "You can't fool me, Two-Bit. I've seen that movie." Two-Bit grinned at getting caught stealing Bogart lines as he walked to the other side of the car.

He slid into the driver's seat, tossing their books behind him. He turned the key in the ignition, but the engine only sputtered, refusing to turn over.

He gave an apologetic smile to Marcia. "Sorry, she's stubborn sometimes."

He thumped a hand on the steering wheel, turning the key again. "Not again, ol' girl," he muttered, listening to the engine cough and die once again. "Stupid ca-"

He was cut off when Marcia leaned across the seat, kissing him gently, her hands on either side of his face, just as soft as her lips were. The engine suddenly leapt to life, grinding in opposition from Two-Bit turning the key for too long.

"I guess that's all it needed," he said, holding her gaze until she broke it, the blush still creeping across her cheeks. It must not have been the run, after all. He pulled out of the parking spot, flooring the gas pedal until he heard another of those squeaks escape Marcia's lips, followed by that quiet laughter. He grinned to himself. What the hell was he doing?

Now she's looking for a downtown man,
That's what I am.

The low crooning of Elvis on the radio was drown out by their heavy breathing as they came up for air. The fog that coated all of the windows made it look like a dreary afternoon outside instead of the warm, sunny day it really was.

Two-Bit looked from Marcia's soft face to the jumble of clothing that littered the floor of his backseat. The small gold cross laying across her neck winked up at him ironically.

"You're just getting yourself into more an' more trouble today, you know that, kid?" he told her quietly, running his fingers over the cross.

"I'm trying not to think about all the trouble I've gotten myself into today," she said with a smile. "You know, I've heard a lot of stuff about you, Two-Bit. Even before I met you," she added.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? From your girlfriends?" He gave both eyebrows a wiggle, making her laugh.

"Not quite," she giggled.

"Is it all true?"

"I don't know you well enough yet."

"I dunno," he drawled, gesturing between them. "I think you know me pretty well now. Let me ask you a question. Is this where you expected to spend your afternoon when you woke up this morning?"

The blushing returned to her cheeks when she finally seemed to remember she was lying there, nearly as naked as the day she was born. She fumbled for her blouse while Two-Bit chuckled. He handed it to her, giving her as much room to get dressed again as the backseat allowed. He diverted his eyes, but not before he caught one last eyeful and grinned to himself.

Marcia was quiet as she buttoned up her blouse and straightened her skirt. The slow smile she gave him as he helped her climb back into the front seat made something turn inside of him. It wasn't a shameful or regretful smile. It was modest and refreshing. Not like those wicked grins he got from Kathy or any of the other blondes he found himself with.

"No," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "This is probably the last place I expected to be today. And certainly not with you," she added quietly, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"You mean a greaser?" he asked playfully.

"No, I mean somebody with Elvis sideburns," she corrected, tracing a finger down the side of his face.

"My mama always tells me to shave 'em," he told her, starting the car with more success than the first time. "Says they look ridiculous."

"They fit you well, Two-Bit," she assured.

"Why, thank you, ma'am," he replied, giving her a wink and a tip of his imaginary hat.

"Well, I told you that. Now, let me ask you a question," Marcia said.

Two-Bit hesitated for a moment. From his experience, this always tended to be a tricky question. "I'll try my best to answer it, but I can't make any guarantees," he said.

"Were you really friends with somebody named Chuck?"

He was surprised by the direction the query took. He gave her a grin before he replied. "No, I guess I was lying about that part. That's how much I wanted you to skip class with me. Hope you don't mind a little white lie."

She smiled back at him. "That's a pretty good reason for a lie."

"I thought so, too," Two-Bit replied.

You know, I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys.

"It's the first house on the right," Marcia directed, pointing to the oversized home in front of them.

Two-Bit let out a low whistle. "Your folks must be loaded," he appraised.

She shrugged. "Not really. My grandparents were, though."

He put the car in park next to the curb, eyeing the car in the driveway with a great deal of caution. "You get a lot of cop cars visiting you, kid?"

She smiled. "You could say that." She was quiet for a moment before she added, "My daddy's a police officer."

Before she could even finish the sentence, the front door swung open as if on cue, producing her father in full uniform as proof.

"No shit?" Two-Bit asked, recognizing the man. "Your daddy's ol' Officer Warner? Well, I'll be damned."

"Remember how I told you I had heard about you long before I met you?" She gestured to her father, who was currently stalking across the lawn, his hand resting firmly on his holster.

"Get out of the car, Marcia honey," Warner demanded when he pulled the car door open.

"I'd get out of the car to shake your hand, Officer Warner, sir," Two-Bit explained with a grin, "but we already know each other pretty well."

"What are you doing giving my daughter a ride, Mathews?" Warner demanded.

Two-Bit snickered, wishing her dad knew exactly how that question sounded after the time he and Marcia spent together. "Sorry, sir, but she asked me to." Marcia blushed but a wide grin crossed her face as she looked over at Two-Bit. "Now, I didn't know you went around tellin' stories about me to your lovely family, sir. Hope you've only been telling them good things about me. Telling 'em about all our good times, weren't you?"

He ignored the question. "Get out of the car, Marcia," he repeated to his daughter.

"Daddy, will you listen for a minute?" she asked, gathering her books in her lap. "Two-Bit was kind enough to drive me home when Cherry's car broke down. He dropped her off, then brought me here," she lied with astounding ease as she climbed out of the car.

Warner studied his daughter for moment. "If that's the case, Mathews, thank you for helping her out. Now, get out of the car, dear."

"Daddy, don't be so rude," Marcia scolded softly. "Two-Bit was a complete gentleman for taking the time to bring us home. I'll be in the house in a minute."

"Now, Marcia," he warned, but she placed her hand gently on his arm, and he stopped talking. Two-Bit marveled at the idea of having somebody so tightly wrapped around his finger. He couldn't imagine it.

"Daddy," she cooed, "I'll be right in. I want to thank Two-Bit for being so nice today."

Warner was silent for a moment, looking between the two teens before he sighed heavily. "All right, all right," he said, giving in to his daughter for probably the millionth time that week, Two-Bit decided. Officer Warner pointed a finger at him suddenly. "I'll be watching you."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Two-Bit replied, giving him a salute.

He shook his head before he turned his attention to Marcia. "One minute. I'm timing you."

Marcia sat back down in the car as her dad made his way back to the house to watch them like a hawk from the window beside the front door.

"Man, that's some power you've got there," Two-Bit said, giving her father an animated wave followed by a big grin.

"Pays to be Daddy's Little Girl sometimes, I guess," she agreed.

"You're gonna have to let Cherry in on that lie you told so she doesn't blow it for you."

Marcia dismissed him with a shake of her head. "Cherry and I aren't really friends any more."

"No?"

She shook her head. "Not after Bob died and Randy and I broke it off. Turns out we weren't such great friends after all. Not without our boyfriends around."

"That's a shame," he said.

"Not really," she replied with a smile. "We never got along too good anyway."

"I could tell at the movies you two weren't exactly cut from the same cloth."

"Marcia, hurry it up," Warner barked from the front stoop.

"I guess I better go, 'fore my daddy decides to pull his gun on you," she said slowly, reaching for the door handle.

"Can I get your number again?" he blurted. "I mean, if you don't mind a greaser with Elvis sideburns callin' you sometime."

"Is that why you never called me?" she asked, taking a pen from her purse and grabbing his hand. "You lost my number?"

Two-Bit grinned as she wrote the numbers on the back of his right hand. When she finished, he pulled her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of her hand. "Somethin' like that."

She giggled as she stuffed the pen back in her purse and gathered her books in her arms again. "Will you call me this time, or are you gonna make me skip class if I wanna see you again?"

"I'll call you," he assured her, hoping he could keep that promise. "That was a good lie you told earlier. Your daddy coulda tossed me in jail for kidnappin' you or something."

"Don't worry about my daddy," she said, turning to walk up the sidewalk to the door. She held up her pinky finger. "Got him wrapped around my little finger."

"I bet you do," he murmured to himself as she walked inside her house. Pulling away from the curb, he looked at the number on his hand, kicking himself for asking her for the number in the first place. Watching her walk up that driveway to that mansion she called home, caused whatever had started inside him to unwind. Whatever she had made him feel earlier began to slowly fade as she walked through that huge oak door into that cold, marble-coated home and he headed back to the old dilapidated neighborhood he lived in.

Who was he kidding? He wasn't going to call her this time either.

He liked her; that much was certain. But the fact of the matter was he was a greaser and she was a soc and that's all there was to it. He wished he had thought it through before he asked for her number again, but Marcia was a smart girl. She would figure it out on her own.

Two-Bit thumped the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. He supposed he really was that guy, after all.

Uptown girl,
She's been living in her uptown world.

A/N: This story is in honor of Good Fic Day. Please remember that just because this is fan fiction doesn't mean every writer shouldn't try their absolute best to honor the great work S.E. Hinton did in The Outsiders. Hopefully this day will encourage all the writers here to improve in their own writing and do Ms. Hinton's characters justice. I hope I did just that today.