Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders except this story

Chapter 1: Stayin' Gold

PONY POV

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leaf's a flower,

But only so an hour,

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief,

Now dawn goes down to day,

Nothing gold can stay...

"Well Johnny, I stayed gold," I whispered.

Five years can go pretty fast and I don't always mean happily. Johnny would have been twenty- one today and Dally would've been twenty- two. I don't live with Darry or Soda anymore since I go to NYU. I have an apartment with Cassie. Cassie is my 1 year old daughter, almost two and it's just her and I. By all means you probably think I have a girlfriend. Well, I did but she left... However, I don't have one. Cassie's mother dropped her off at my door wrapped in a purple and gold-yellow blanket with a note. It exclaimed that she was scared to tell me. She never named Cassie so I had to; I named her Cassidie Sunny- Cade Curtis. I guess I just carried on my dad's fetish of original names. My ex- girlfriend went to live at her cousin's house in Texas. The note also gave me more information about Cass like: She was born July 15th, 1970 at 2:15 AM. She weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces and 18 inches long. So now, I'm a 19 year old with a 1 year old daughter edging two.

Darry and Soda don't know about her or the gang. On the subject of Darry, he's twenty- five now. Once I left the house two years ago, he somehow, met up with an old football buddy of his from high school whose father is a Dean at UCLA and was able to go to college and he met a girl there named Karlie and guess what... she's a Soc! However, she's rich but not from Tulsa, she is from Indiana. Soda and Steve own their own car shop back in good old Tulsa, and are doing well. I haven't talked to anyone much in almost two years but I hear a lot. I really miss the gang, Dallas too and especially Johnny- he was my best friend, really...

I major in Journalism and Literature. I know kind of a weird combination but it's cool. I either want to be a Journalist, or some sort of writer, or even an English teacher. If I had my old English theme I had wrote in 9th grade for Mr. Syme, I would have tried and publish it but I only had gotten my grade back and not the whole assignment. Don't ask why because I really don't know. I'll be getting my associates degree this Thursday and today is Tuesday so I am really excited and as far as I know, the whole gang will be coming.

I walk out of my favorite last class and for today which ended 5 minutes ago at 4:15 and found my car- a Nissan I got for my birthday by a bunch of my friends, I have a lot of Soccy friends here so they all pitched in their money to get a nice new car for Cassie and I. I started up the engine and drove to the Daycare Cassie goes to and 10 minutes later and 7 streets away, I was at the Daycare and I parked.

I walked up to the office, signed in and signed Cass out, I turned around the corner from the other classrooms and into my daughter's classroom: 107. The teacher: Miss, Macounie strode over to me with a sweet smile and shook my hand. She's about my age, maybe a couple months younger.

" Hello, Mr. Curtis, Cassie has been a very good girl as always except she has been not feeling too well today and has been sleeping..." she countered.

"Thank you Miranda and call me Ponyboy or Pony. I mean, we've known each other personally for a while, ok?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

When I looked down into Cass' crib, a frown played on my lips. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms and picked my right hand against her forehead.

"Do you have a thermometer?" I asked. Miranda nodded and gave me a sterile one. I stuck it in my daughter's ear and waited a few minutes.

BEEP...

I looked down at the thermometer which read 101.3, and sighed.

"101.3... thank you again and I'll call you later Miranda, I have to take her to the doctors, so bye," I gave her a hug and whispered, "Don't be a total stranger, I'm not that old! Anyway, I have to talk to you later when I get back home..." she nodded and hugged back. I wrapped Cassie in her blanket and walked out to the sunlight and into our car, buckled Cassie into her car seat. And walked to my door and sat down, buckling myself in.

Our apartment was 15 minutes away so it gave me time to get home, call her Pediatrician and drive there. It was May but for Cassidie I had to wrap her up, and also, it was raining today so she wore a red rain jacket and hat with little red and pink rain boots. Cassidie was a really cute baby and I'm not saying it just because I'm her daddy. She looks just like me. Only thing is she has Brown hair and a really cute tiny nose, just like her mother. Also, her eyes were her own, pure Pacific blue. She wasn't shy like me or Anna: her mother but she was really outgoing and loved to sing and dance but like me, she loved to draw and color. I guess, since she doesn't really have motor skills yet, they are both the same.

You're also probably thinking, how can I afford this? I thought you were a poor greaser! I have a real good paying job of medium wage. However, I still like grease in my hair.

-COUGH-

I look back at my daughter and sympathetically eye her. I pull the keys out of the ignition and get out and shut the door, I open Cassie's door and unbuckle he rout again and carry her in.

"Sign the patient's name here, your name there..." one of the receptionists tells me. I nod and sign: Cassidie Curtis under 'Patient' and Ponyboy Curtis under 'Parent/ Guardian'.

"Now you need to sign these forms..." I nodded and smiled an okay. I sat down with Cass and started filling in forms.

Last name: Curtis, First name: Cassidie, Middle name: Sunny- Cade

Allergies- none

Liver problems- No

Heart problems- No

Deaf- No

The first page was mostly a bunch of "No's"

I really wasn't sure, I mean, she is due for a check- up...

"Cassidie Curtis" a nurse called. I picked Cassie up and handed the papers to the receptionist, walking through the door to a room "12B".

"How old is Cassidie?" the nurse asked when we were inside the room.

"1 year, 2 years in July," I exclaimed.

"What are her symptoms?"

"A fever is really all I know, sleeping all day," I replied.

"Okay, I am going to take her weight and height," I nodded and took off Cassie's jacket, boots."

"Cassidie weighs... 20lbs, and is 2 ft," she observed.

I took my baby back in my arms and smoothly rubbed my hands on her head. 10 minutes later, the doctor came in and proceeded to tell me that Cassie only has a cold and will be fine on medications for 3 days.

"Thank you, "I said and put the coat and her boots back on her.