Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders

I woke up late, too late. I stared at the mirror with bags deep under my bright green eyes. I pushed my fingers under my eye sockets trying to scrub away the grey. I took a rag by the sink and scrubbed off my leftover mascara from the night before. I shouldn't have snuck out, and I was lucky that I didn't get caught. I knew sneaking out was risky especially in a family where you are the 'baby girl' and your two older brothers and twin happen to be in a gang.I reached for the door handle to leave the bathroom and pulled it open. I should have stayed home, and staring at my thick matted long brown hair it clearly was a sign I should have.

Darry nearly ran me over, "Woah." he said once he got a good look at myself, "You look like shit, what happened?"

I shoved him away, "Angela knocked on my window wasted as hell because she had an emergency." Angela Shepherd was my closest friend and also the most problematic, "Turns out the emergency was only a guy she was trying to sleep with and he denied her, so she wanted to tell him off. So she wanted me to come with I ended up at this party. I tried to leave the party for an hour, and by the time I did three beers were split down my shirt and I had fallen three times. All for that stupid guy to leave once she got there of course."

Darry's eyes went wide, "Dad better not find out, or else you can expect to never leave again." He let out a scoff.

"He won't." I stated and I looked up at Darry's eyes, "Won't he?"

Darry held his hands up in the air, "Nope, I won't say a word." He turned from me to close the door but cracked it open a slight bit to peep his head out, "Unless it happens again, then I'll skin you myself."

I stuck out my tongue, I knew Darry wouldn't lay a finger on me. Being the only girl of the family had its perks and its downfalls. For example, having three brothers made it nearly impossible to get away with lying. I knew I could have lied to Darry and claim that I didn't get a great night of sleep, but Darry could tell when I lied. It was like my eldest brothers superpower.

"Hey Emmie, were you up late last night or something?" My Dad placed a plateful of waffles and bacon down at my table setting, "You missed breakfast times this morning." Dad didn't realy mind if we woke up late. And I was glad that he was in the kitchen cooking, if Mom were here she would yell her head off.

I stuffed a bite of maple syrup doused waffle down my throat, "Didn't Mom put that rule in place? Where is she anyways?"

"She's working." My Mom had worked at her hair salon for quite some time now, and if she saw my hair at the moment she probably would run over with a comb and try to tear my hair out of my scalp. I downed half a waffle in less than a minute, "Just don't make your sleeping schedule a habit." Dad told me leaning against the counter and taking a small sip from his coffee mug.

"I dunno Dad, remember when Darry and I slept till noon for an entire month." Sodapop joked as he walked into the kitchen with his shirt half over his torso, he pulled it down and grabbed car keys from the table, "Mind if I borrow the car Dad? Steve needs a ride to the Dingo he just called."

"Don't be too long! And take Pony with you, he wanted to meet up with Johnny at the Dingo." He called to him with the order.

Sodapop sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Ponyboy get your ass out here we're leaving'!"

Pony bounced out of his room with his comb still slicking back his dark brown hair to the back of his head, "I'm comin', I'm comin'." Then they both stalked out the door without saying good morning.

I stared where their backs once were, "My own twin didn't even say hello." I slumped my back in my chair, "I thought we were going to do something together too."

"I bet you could still catch up with them and get a ride to the dingo." My Father suggested, taking another gulp of his black coffee. I shook my head, "Their friends and I don't mix well." The gang and I did mix well, it was only that I didn't want to be seen with them in public. It wasn't that they weren't fun to hang around they all are pretty tuff. But, I didn't want to be around while they were all whistling at girls and being crude in order to be cool.

"Well then, any other plans you have today Em?" I figured I had nothing else to do, "Yeah. I'll head down to Angela's is that alright Dad?"

"Fine by me, as long as you don't tell your Mother." He looked up from his mug and gave me a wink. My Mom didn't necessarily like me hanging around Angela Shepherd, partly because of her brothers rowdy behavior. And the other half because of Angela's not-so-secret secret partying addiction and boy addiction. Mom tried to steer me to other girls, but I never liked them they were no fun.

I took a second waffle off the platter in the center of the table and kissed my dad on the cheek, "I'll be home by five."

"Darry's watching you at six, your mother and I are going out to town." Dad made sure to tell me before I left.

I groaned, "I'm old enough to be alone." I took a step out the door.

"Tell that to your Mother!" He called after me with a short laugh. I would tell my Mother.

Once she got back from the city.

I had listened to Angela rant about the boy at the party last night for the past hour, "It doesn't matter." She mumbled, fluffing up her curled dirty blonde hair, "That new Anderson boy has an eye out for me." She flashed me a grin.

"Angie!" I moaned, "It's the boy's first year don't ruin it for him."

Angela elbowed me harshly in the ribs, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean don't get me wrong. I love you like my sister." I took her hands and bundled them in mine on top of her pillow, "But a lot of boys get attached to you, and then after you sleep with them you know well, you move on."

"That's so not true!" Angie yelped, "Remember Brian? And Meyer? Ford? Do not forget Zach." I stared at her after she had only mentioned a sixth of her body count, "Exactly Angie."

"Alright I get it." She huffed, "But it's not always my fault."

I shook my head, "No of course not." I sighed, "Just let that Anderson boy rest for his first week." Angie nodded, and went back to applying her bright pink lipstick along her bottom lip.

"Angela!" I heard Tim yell my bestfriends name as he slammed her front door shut, "Angela!"

Angela rolled her eyes and plopped her mirror down on her pillow, "What!" She screamed at her brother.

"Don't you yell at me kid!" I heard him yell once again, Shepherd came running through the doorway, "Did you actually sleep with- oh hey Curtis." I waved at Tim meekly, feeling cornered.

"What are you talking about?" Angela asked throwing her hands in the air.

"That Jacob guy did you sleep with him? The bastards been running around town saying he let you fuck him at school!"
I winced, it sure sounded like Angela though, "That bitch…" Angela scoffed.

"So it's true! What the fuck Angela, I'm gonna skin you for this!" Tim took a step near Angela and she coiled into the corner of her bed. I bounced up from the bed to leave I didn't want to be here for this, "It's almost five, I have to go see you at school." I wasn't surprised when the pair of siblings ignored me and continued to scream at each other.

I knew that I shouldn't have been walking home alone, but I didn't want to sit around and wait for Darry while those two were attacking each other. I made a sharp turn towards our small home and twisted the door's handle which was of course unlocked.I walked into the light and warmth. The entire gang was settled inside. Soda was stretched across the couch with a deck of cards in his hands, Dally sat on the floor dealing jacks to Two-Bit, and Steve was wearing a large grin as his poker was laying with his feet on the armchairs sides with his playing cards hidden under his shirt.

"Hey Em." Ponyboy said from the kitchen, a glass of milk and a piece of chocolate cake between him and Johnny.

I grinned as I stepped over Dally to greet Johnny and my twin, "Hey." I mumbled, sitting down at a chair and taking a bite of chocolate cake, "How you've been Johnny?"

"Same old, Mom won't stop screaming her head off so snuck over here for a couple hours." I felt bad for Johnny. He never had it good at home and Mom and Dad noticed too so they let him over whenever he wanted. Hell, Johnny didn't even have to ask the doors were always wide open. The same rule applies to Dallas since he had it rough too, although Mom didn't like Dally's partying she still smiled and greeted Dally when he came over.

"I thought you'd stay at Angela's for a while later." Ponyboy took another bite of cake as he talked he never listened to table manners. I left the table due to Pony's obnoxious chewing,"Tim came back and started screaming his head off." I plopped next to Soda on the couch leaning my head on his knees.

"Those two are always trying to kill each other." Soda cursed. "Can't really blame them." I said, "I mean I know Tim's Tim but I can't blame him for going off on her so much. I mean if Angela isn't careful she's gonna end up with a baby."

"Well have you seen that girl?" Steve asked, "Damn she's hot as hell, but nobody falls for a chick like that and stick 'round."

I winced, "I dunno. You should have seen the girl I pulled last night, damn the things she could do to me." Dallas blew out a whistle, and my skin flushed pink I knew the entire gang talked about the girls they could pull, and all the sex in between which was the only bad thing about being the only girl in the group. "Won't last though." Dallas shrugged, "Too handsy."

I scoffed Dallas was ridiculous, "You have an issue princess?" I hated that name. Princess was something the gang called me just to get riled up, and they all could care less if it bugged me. When Darry was fourteen, I was almost ten and so when he never played ball with me anymore and instead hung out with the gang, I made him take me with me. The boys called me princess ever since because they thought I had always gotten my way. And most times I did. Perks of being the only girl.

"I just think your stupid. I mean you fuck a new girl every party." I mumbled, "And then wonder why the good ones leave." The room around me laughed slightly I guess the gang was still surprised that I had a voice now that I was older.

"Well. If I stopped getting new ones then that means no more options." Dallas clicked his tongue, and went back to dealing cards. I still thought it was ridiculous.

I observed instead of playing. Card games weren't that interesting to me. But Soda explained that instead of dealing chips they were dealing money, and Steve had even thrown in a car which made more sense why it was quiet. Soda explained to me the moves people were making, and how the cards were exchanged. I still didn't understand,

The phone rang right at the climax of the intense card game and Darry made everyone stop talking. I didn't know what he was saying because he was whispering into the speaker, but his face was drained of all color. His lips were drawn to a line and he kept gripping the front of his hair like he was going to tear it out. The minute the word bye left his lips I stood up from the couch. "What was that about."

Darry walked lethargically to the armchair and flopped inside it, "Um, gang you gotta go." His voice was raspy and spaced out.

The gang tried to retaliate, "It's not up for debate." Darry said, and once Darry demanded something the gang knew it was serious and all shuffled out the door. I walked over to Darry once everyone was gone even Johnny.

"What's wrong?"

I wish I never asked that.

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