Disclaimer: All of the characters are the property of Susie Hinton, I only claim the story as mine

Chapter One

"The Nightly Double"

Ponyboy you coming or what?" I yelled down the hall.

"Is Johnny still going?" He yelled back and right then the front screen slammed shut causing me to look up and see Two-Bit who was shaking his head.

"Damn," I said to myself, he had gone over to get Johnny. "Nope looks like it's just you, me, and Two-Bit."

He came walking out of his room then, "I think I'll pass then if it's okay with you."

I held up my hands then. "Hey no skin off my back," I said and added. "But what else is there to do around here on a Friday."

"I'll find something I am sure," he said with a grin.

I walked toward the door then and stopped looking back at him. "Well if you change your mind we'll be on the corner at the normal time."

That was how it ended up being me and Two-Bit that night at the nightly double, Pony never showed up. "So I guess it's just you and me and Mickey," I said to Two-Bit after lighting up a smoke.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he said and I could tell something was irritating him.

"What was up with Johnny?"

"Don't ask," was the answer he gave and I knew what it was.

"That bad uh," he just hung his head then and jammed his hands in his pockets.

Johnny must have been getting a beating when Two-Bit went over there. He gets one every time we turn around. Darry even went so far as to ask the social worker that visited them every other week about it, and she investigated. But then said that since she can't see any physical signs of a belt or anything, there wasn't anything the state or anybody else could do. Then as if she knew who she was talking to, she added, not even us could get involved when it happened. That made the whole gang made, but Two-Bit he took it the hardest, busted a hole in the Curtis' wall.

"I'm sure he'll be alright," I said but then thought, 'who the hell do I think I am kidding.' Then another thought came to mind, 'he better be alright.'

We went under the fence and started for the concession stand and the seats, I saw two girls already setting there. 'This is just great,' I thought to myself. 'I'm not in the mood for some brood blocking my view.'

But I wasn't in the mood for hunting down any kind of action either, I was still sore from a run-in I had early with Sheppard. We took the seats behind them anyway, after all I didn't see them offering up the ones beside them, they were socs. Two-Bit seemed to be getting back to his old self though as we sat down cause I heard him start snickering.

"What is so funny?" I asked and saw him point.

"That one," it was the red head. "She fell off her horse at the last rodeo."

"Damn," I said and before anything more could come out of my mouth she turned around and flipped her hair back.

"If you are going to talk about me the least you can do is let me defend myself."

"Shit," I said with a grin. "Ain't nothing to defend, we all fall off a horse every now and then."

"Not when you are going for the money and everyone thinks you are so perfect though."

I slapped my thigh then. "Damn you got me there red," I said and she grinned.

"The name is Sherri, but everyone calls me Cherry because of my hair."

"I know," I replied without thinking. "We go to the same school together, Will Rogers High," I smiled then. "Well at least I am on the roster that is, for when I do show up."

"Yeah I know," she said and then grinned. "Everyone knows who Dallas Winston is."

"So I am famous," I said with a smile before getting up and looking at Two-Bit. "I'm going to the concession stand, you want anything?"

"No thanks," he said with a grin and I saw him pull his hand out from his jacket. "I got everything I need right here," he had a can of beer in his hand.

"But hey you can get this cute thing something I guess," he flipped me a fifty cent piece. "I'm buying."

"Can I go with you?" It was Cherry who asked and then I saw she was beside me.

"Yeah sure," I said and added. "It's a free world right."

We got in the line at the stand and she asked. "The guy you are with, the one with the sideburns. . ."

"You mean Two-Bit?" I asked cutting her off at the same time, and she nodded. "He's cool," I said with a smile, "don't worry he's cool."

"How did you do at the last rodeo?" I heard her ask. "I didn't get to stick around for the last round, I saw where you rode the one bull a full eight though."

That took me back a minute, I never really realized others watched me except for the crowd. "I did okay," I said and couldn't help the grin. "I got the only eight and won the whole thing."

"Wish I would have been there," I heard her say in almost a mumble, and then she turned to me. "Mom wanted me to go straight to the stables and get to practicing, as if I had not rode enough that day."

"Sorry to hear that," I found myself saying and heard her ask.

"Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, they live near you right?"

"Guess you could say that." I said in answer. "I don't really have one particular place to live," I added and soon began telling her about how my old man kicked me out of the house and I bunk where I can find a bed.

"I've heard of that place," she said when I mentioned Buck's place. "It's right over on the other side of the tracks."

"Yeah," I said and wondered aloud. "But why would you know."

She laughed and smiled at me. "Never judge a book by it's cover."

That caused me to try and cock an eyebrow causing her to bust out with another laugh. "You ain't like your friend, Keith." She said, using Two-Bit's real name and before I could ask. "He second most famous at school behind you."

"Speaking of which," I said then. "We better get back to them or he's liable to think we ran off and took his fifty cents some place else."

When we got back to the seats he was setting beside the other girl. "She asked," he said before I could say anything. "I had to keep her company while you two were gone."

Cherry surprised me then by saying. "You can set next to me if you want." I saw her look at me, "that is if it won't tarnish your reputation."

"I was worried about yours," I said and gave her a grin.

"I can handle it, trust me." I heard her say and found myself replying.

"Somehow I think you could," and then took the seat beside her.

It was during the intermission that we found out how they got to the drive-in, and Two-Bit automatically offered to take them home in his car. They accepted after very little argument and we watched the next movie. The only thing that happened was my arm around her shoulder, and that was only after she pulled up around them.

After the movie was over Two-Bit and I was going to flip a coin to see which way would be best to get out, before we could though Cherry said. "We want to go the way you two came in."

I saw Two-Bit shrug his shoulders and I hunched mine as Cherry's arm linked in my arm. We set off for the fence, and where the hole was

A/N Please review and tell me how you like it so far