On a road trip to California, Ponyboy, Johnny and Sodapop couldn't be more excited but their trip takes an unexpected turn when they pick up a hitch hiker and things go terribly wrong.

"C'mon, Pony! Let's go!" Soda's voice shouted from the car.

"Wait a minute, willya?" I called back. This was one of the most exciting moments of my life. After much begging, me and Soda finally persuaded Darry into letting us take a road trip to California. California! I could barely believe it when Darry said we could go. Just think, me, Ponyboy Curtis from lonely Tulsa going to California! We got Johnny to come along too. Not that I didn't enjoy spending time alone with my brother, it's just two is a couple but three is company! The more the merrier! And plus, I don't know how Johnny would survive if I was gone for a whole month. It seemed like a dream come true. I barely believed we were even going until this moment. This was the moment when it all started coming to life.

Darry gave me a tight hug, squeezing the living daylights out of me and setting me back down. "You stay out of trouble, ok?" he warned, pointing a finger at me.

"Don't worry, Darry, I will" I assured him and offered him a smile. He took the smile and offered one back to me. I could see he was tearing up so I give him a light punch in the arm. "We'll be ok" I said.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do around here without you and Soda for a whole month" he sighed, looking away from me, I don't think he wanted me to see his tears.

"Don't worry, man, you got us!" Two-Bit cheered from the couch. Darry rolled his eyes.

"Heaven help me" he muttered, giving me one last hug. Soda and Johnny, who were waiting in the car, sounded the horn and I didn't want them getting impatient.

Jumping into the car that Dally so generously lent us, I let out a holler. "California here I come!"

"Get in here, you goof" Soda laughed and started the engine with a roar. Dally had gotten a car from Buck Merril, his acquaintance - never would I say friend. I'm not even too sure they're acquaintances- and lent it to us. I can bet you Buck didn't have a clue.

"One scratch on that car and I'll skin you!" Dally had threatened us. We would've taken the truck but Darry needed it for work.

The sound of the roaring car made my heart skip, made my stomach flop, I was ready for an adventure. Part of me was still bewildered at the fact that three home stuck boys from Tulsa were heading for California. We'd stroll along the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and we'd go through all the theatres and studios. We could lye in the pools and look up at the palm trees. Oh God, the palm trees. I had never seen a palm tree before. Now you're probably wondering how we ever got the dough for such a trip. Well, my friend, I will tell you.

At first, me and Johnny had this wild idea that we should go to California. Like most of our other ideas, we were shot down and told: Darry'd never let me go and we'd never find the money. Ha, we showed them.

It was only but 6 days later when Johnny found someone's wallet while we were at the drive in. Now, I know it wasn't the right thing to do and Johnny felt real terrible too but we kept the wallet. Before you judge us, I'd like to inform you that there was no ID in the wallet and no one claimed it when we called out for the owner.

Ok, maybe we just looked around for anyone who looked like they had lost something but you have no idea how much we wanted to go to California.

Soda cranked up the radio real loud and we went roaring down the road. We were all happy-go-lucky. Even Johnny. I was glad to see a smile on his face. He sat in the backseat while me and Soda took the front seats. I turned around, slinging my arm over my car seat and flashed him a big toothy grin. "California, baby!" I shouted and felt the excitement rush over me.

Hours past and somehow the excitement died down. Johnny fell asleep in the backseat, his heavy breathing is all that filled the air. I tried getting Soda to talk but he'd just mutter in response.

"This is gonna be real fun, huh Soda?"

"Yep"

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah"

"We gotta stay out of trouble or Darry will kill us"

"I know"

Finally I got tired of his one-liner remarks so I turned the radio on again, in hopes of finding a companion in the music.

The night dragged on as the power of sleep washed over me. I rested my head against the cold window, the rain outside whipped at the car and pounded down on the roof. Johnny Ace's Pledging My Love played softly in the background as our car trudged along on the dusty roads of Arizona, the tall mountains staring down at us.

"Would you change the station, Pony? This music's putting me to sleep" Soda complained. Now you talk to me I thought, bitterly. Ignoring him, I just stared absentmindedly out the window, trying to see something through the pouring rain. I slowly drifted off to sleep, listening to Johnny Ace's soothing voice.

I was jolted awake by the alarming sound of the car horn, the swivelling of our vehicle, the screeching of the tires and Soda yelling "Glory to God!".

"What? What?" I murmured, still waking up. Soda slapped the off button on the stereo.

"What's wrong with you, are you trying to kill us?" Johnny exclaimed from the back seat. I was still in the dark about what had happened.

"Can someone please tell me what happened?" I asked, getting upset.

"I fell asleep at the wheel and almost ran into that truck. Alright?" Soda snapped. I fell silent, Soda had never snapped at me before. Heat rushed to my face and I felt just so humiliated. You know that feeling when your nose gets all misty and your eyes start to sting? That's how I felt and let me tell you, my friend, it doesn't make you feel so hot. We sat in utter silence as the car ran reluctantly around the Rocky Mountains and through the beating rain. Staring out the window once again, I spotted a large blob-like figure standing in the distance at the side of the road. I wanted to ask what it was but the words just sat in my throat, not escaping through my mouth. Suddenly, I realized that the blob was a human - a hitcher.

"Hey, pull over!" I said out loud, forgetting the three of us were in some sort of unofficial silent contest.

"Why?" Soda grumbled. It was time for him to give up the attitude. "C'mon, lets pick up this guy. We could have a big conversation or something! Come on, Sodapop!" I pleaded, a smile on my face. He eventually gave into my impish pleas and smiled back, pulling the car over.

"Are you guys sure about this? I've heard about hitch hikers who are murderers" a timid Johnny said from the back.

"Relax, Johnny. This guys isn't a killer" I brushed him off as I put my feet up on the dash board. Dally's words about getting a scratch on the car echoed in my head but I ignored them. He wouldn't care if I got a little dirt on the dash.

"Easy for you to say, you aren't the guy who's sitting back here with him" he muttered.

"Y'know, Johnny's got a point" Soda hesitated but before he could say anymore, the guy was knocking at the window, a loud thump, thump, thump. I peered out the window, the poor guy, he was soaked. Remorse came over me, as I jumped in the back with Johnny and opened the car door.

"Our mother told us never to do this" I said, smiling, not sure if I was making a joke or not. It was true though. I remembered her words, clear and crisp that one time Darry went on a road trip, himself. "Stay safe, honey and no matter what, don't pick up any hitch hikers. Its not safe".

The man said nothing but sat there, shivering. Man, he looked so cold, even I got a little drafty. I could see Soda's twinkling brown eyes looking back in the car mirror, wanting to see what this guy looked like. The man sat hunched over, seeming to be swallowed by his drenched, blue jacket. Not the friendly type, I could tell but the whole reason to pick him up was to start a conversation and keep Soda awake.

I pasted a grin on my face and extended a hand towards him. "My name's Ponyboy Curtis" I said with a friendly tone. The man's eyes were cast my way as he took his hood off to reveal his face. Even at night, the moon light shone in and reflected off his face. He had wispy strawberry blonde hair that was plastered to his forehead from the pounding rain and his eyes were a very light brown. His face seemed long and his cheek bones were high.

He took my hand and gave it a tight shake. He opened his mouth and said "Rick Judgar".