Disclaimer-Don't own anything but Kathleen, Beky, and Blair.

This is post-outsiders, with only Dallas still living.

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"Do you ever just listen?" Angela said impatiently. Her forehead was wrinkled up with worry lines, and Kathleen almost felt bad for her.

"What do you mean by that? I listen. Just not about this," Kathleen insisted quietly. She had a soft voice that you could barely hear. She batted her hair out of her eyes. "I think there's really something there."

"You can't get through to him Kathleen. He's broken about his friend dying. Remember that Cade kid? The one who was abused at home? Yeah. Curtis is a kid who needs some counselling, and nothing you do will help him." Kathleen sighed, and Angela thought for one shining moment she had gotten through to her best friend, but then she pushed the plastic cafeteria chair back with a loud scrape, and brushed crumbs off her skirt.

"You going to sit here then?" Kathleen stated with a challenging look in her navy eyes. "I'm going to head over to the drug store and hunt down somebody." Angela glared at her, but stood up also.

"I don't see the point in fighting a lost cause," Angela argued even as they hurried out of the school doors and into the crisp, cool fall air. "Have you got a crush on this Ponyboy or something? Because I must say, he is a doll." Kathleen stuck a cigarette in between her over glossed lips and struck a match.

"No, and don't let Bryon hear you saying that. He'll lose it," Kathleen joked. As they neared the drugstore, they could spot a small group of boys with leather jackets and combs sticking out of their back jeans pockets. Angela quickly re-glossed and finger combed her hair into a high ponytail.

"Hey Angel," Bryon said, pulling her into a one armed hug. "Guess what me and Mark did earlier? We went over to the elementary school and..."

Kathleen tuned out as Bryon rambled on about the horrible things he did to amuse himself. Leaves were beginning to fall off the trees, orange and yellow. Purple and red. They were crumpled up like pieces of paper burning in a fireplace, and the air smelled sweet like burning leaves. She looked across her, where Ponyboy was sitting with Steve Randle and Dallas Winston.

"Is Beky at school today?" Angela shouted across to Winston with Bryon's arm wrapped around her. He pierced her with his ice blue eyes and locked stares with her a second. Angel blushed. Every girl thinks he's so attractive, and I have no idea why.

"No, she's here right now though." He said. She looked away when he looked at her more intensely still. Beky Jewlers then stepped out of the store, holding a Pepsi and her six month old daughter. Angela rushed forward to take Blair. Angela loved Blair. After she had the baby securely, she began gossiping.

"Okay, remember how Sandy had to go away to Florida to live with her grandma, Evie just told me that Soda got Sandy PREGNANT and that's why she had to leave but she wanted to marry Soda but her parents wouldn't let her," Angela finally stopped for a breath. Beky shrugged and took a sip of Pepsi.

"I know," she said finally. "I just never told you 'cause you can't keep your mouth shut to save your life. By the way, Kath," She turned to face her. "Timmy's been looking for you. He's distressed." She gave her a half smile before scooping Blair out of Angela's arms and sitting down beside Dallas.

"Got a weed?" Beky asked the general area. Kathleen tossed a Kool at her and she lit it off Dallas's smoke. Two-bit walked up and tried to trip Kathleen and failed rather miserably.

"You excited for the rumble tonight?" Two-bit asked Dallas and Beky. They both nodded then glared at each other. Kathleen rolled her eyes. There was a rumble tonight. Every greaser couple in town would be having the same argument...whether or not the guy would let his girl rumble. Explains why Tim's looking for her. Guess she's avoiding him till after.

"Dallas. I've been in rumbles since I was eleven, I can't believe you still put up a fight about this! Nothing has ever happened to me and nothing will. You worry too much. I'm tough." Beky stood up and plopped the baby down in her stroller. Dallas quickly followed.

They walked down the street, bickering lovingly. Everyone knew Beky would be in the rumble, because as pathetic as it sounds, we need her. But Dallas puts up his little fight to show that he cares. That's about the only time he shows it.

"By the way, you aren't fighting." Bryon told Angela half-heartedly. Angela never fought in rumbles. She looked at him and arched her eyebrow.

"Oh no! I guess I'll have to...to...actually do something productive!" Angela thought rumbles were a waste of time.

Kathleen glanced at Ponyboy again. His head was in a book as usual. She wondered what he thought about that kept him so quiet all the time. Kathleen got up as well.

"Angel, we better get going back to school. Lunch break is over in ten minutes." She disgustingly said a non-verbal goodbye to her boyfriend and hopped off the curb. She skipped a little ahead of me, chattering on about how her Bryon was going to save the rumble, and Kath should just watch.

Instead of humouring her, she thought some more about that Curtis kid. What was going on with him? Why didn't he talk? It had been almost six months since Johnny Cade had died rescuing some children from a burning church. He died a hero. All the little kids were saved.

He should talk to someone. Maybe she could set him up with a counsellor or something. Or even just tip off the school that he should see someone. She just didn't want to see the sweet little boy turn out like Tim, Dallas, or any of that collection of idiots.

A reddish brown leaf that reminded me of the colour of Beky's hair slowly drifted toward the ground. It swayed around in a lazy, bee-like pattern, and she was reminded of the swept up feeling, like everything was out of control. She extended my arm and it drifted on to her palm. She thought about Johnny Cade dying, and how it wasn't fair, and she closed my palm then shook off the crumbled bits of leaf, bent down to tie her all-stars, and ran into the high school behind Angela.

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Took so long. Kept slipping into first person and realizing it a page in. Please review, it makes my day. )