"Are you sure this was when we were supposed to meet him?" Johnny asked, looking around for any sign of Two-Bit. I looked at my watch that I got for my last birthday, the time clearly read 12:30. Thats 15 minutes past when Two-Bit told us to meet him here.

"Pretty sure. He said 12:15, right?" Johnny nodded. He started to look nervous, we were out in the open, at a public place that Soc's loved to come and beat up on us greasers at. "Maybe he's playing some sort of trick on us" I said, trying to calm myself down.

"Very funny, Two-Bit. You can come out now!" Johnny looked awfully funny, yelling out to nobody and looking around the bench for signs of out buddy. We were supposed meet him here to catch the 12:15 bus. I don't remember why, but it didn't seem important, he told us we were going to have some fun for sure. I hugged myself, sitting on the bench. It was late October and the air started to get a chill that would cut through bone. I should have listened to Darry and put on a coat, but I was to excited for today. Two-Bit had been building it up for weeks, it's all he could talk about. I couldn't imagine why he was now so late, unless he was playing some sort of trick on us.

"Pony! Hey Pony!" I heard someone yell from a distance. I looked over in that direction, Soda was running towards us. Why was Soda coming? Was he part of the trick? No, he couldn't be. He would never try to scare Johnny or I, he was nicer than that. He could only be here if he was sent to get us, to bring us home. Did something bad had happen? I stood up and walked towards him.

"Soda, what is it?" He tossed me a jacket. Was that what he was sent here for? to bring me a jacket? I mean, I did just get over a terrible cold and Darry was still a little careful with me, but this was going too far.

"Johnny! come on, we're going back to my place!" he yelled out to Johnny, who hadn't realized someone else was here. It wasn't until Johnny had caught up to us and we had started walking home that Soda explained his weird behavior.

"Two-Bit said you would be here"

"Yeah, he was supposed to meet us here almost" I looked at my watch again "Half an hour ago!"

"Yea, well Two-Bit was in jail" I went silent. Why was Two-Bit in jail? The only real crime he ever committed was stealing, and he was usually pretty good at not getting caught. And when he did get caught, it was normally for something small and he'd get off with a yelling from the owner.

XxxxX

We walked into the house, it was a good 20 degrees warmer inside. Everyone was sitting in the room. Two-Bit was sitting next to Steve on the couch, Dally was smoking a cigarette while laying on the floor. Darry was on the chair in the corner, not looking too happy. Johnny, Soda, and I all squeezed onto the love seat and waited for someone to talk.

"Well now that we're all here!" Two-Bit started. Darry cleared his throat, showing that he wasn't too happy Two-Bit got arrested and then would come here, not telling anybody why until the entire gang was here. "I suppose I can tell you why I was in the slammer!"

" 'Bout time" Dally muttered, picking at his nails. Two-Bit let out a heavy breath and turned to Johnny and I.

"You know that bin collecting money for that one disease...you know, the one outside the principles office?"

"The green one that Jenny Parker made?" Johnny asked. He would know that one of the cutest girls in the school made that bin. It was a small tube with a slot in it, trying to get research for this disease funding. I think it was for radiation exposure poisoning or something? I don't know, I never really payed attention to it, I just remember it's obnoxious green color.

"Yeah, yeah, that one. Well this kid in my english class told me that I couldn't swipe it while Principle Binns was at his office. Well...I didn't really think it over too well. Not only did I swipe it while the Principle was there, but I did it while the guy from the center that was collecting the money was over. He saw me and freaked out."

"And you did time in jail? God, I miss New York. I could have just dumped the thing and ran, even if I did get caught the police would just laugh." Dally said, blowing smoke a nearly perfect smoke ring into the air.

"Well, the thing is..." He started to blush a little. I could tell from the look on his face he was going to ask us something, something he didn't want to ask us because it was embarrassing. Embarrassing it was, I had never been more embarrassed in my life. "I'm not going to jail if...if I can get you guys to help me out with something"

"Alright, what is it?" Darry asked, tensing up a little bit.

"I...I need you guys to participate in a...a pageant with me." The room got really quiet, but it was soon filled with laughter, mostly from steve and Dally.

"A what?" Steve asked in between breaths. He was doubled over and had nearly fell off the couch a few times.

"The...shoot, what was it called. The 1964 Young Mr. Tulsa or something? It raises money for that fund I...almost stole from."

"And if we don't help you out with this?" Dally asked, not wanting to be any part of any sort of pageant or other girly sort of thing like that.

"Well, thats the thing. I kind of already told them that you would do it." Steve broke out into another fit of laughter. I didn't mind being in a pageant or whatever, but I needed to figure out what was included in a pageant first. I was not okay with singing, dancing, or talking about 'world peace,' even if it was one of my buddies who asked me to do so.

"What will we have to do?" I asked. He handed me a brochure from his back pocket. It looked awful, some sort of preppy activity that was put together by middle aged women who have nothing better to do with their lives except plan horrible activities like this. Even worse, it looked like they would drag all of their daughters and grand daughters to be there, people my age were going to watch me do some sort of lame stand up comedy act or something. The first thing I see when I open the brochure is:

Young Mr. Tulsa 1964

Intro by Gina Cleveland-9:00

Into to Young Mr. Tulsa Contestants-9:30

Talent competition-10:30

Lunch-11:45

Dance by a Young Mr. Tulsa-12:00

Questions- 12:30

Crowning of Young Mr. Tulsa-1:30

So I was right, I was going to have to do some sort of talent. Great, what talent do I have? I read out the itinerary to the guys, who had mostly excepted the humiliating idea and were ready to just get it over with.

"I have to dance?" Steve and Darry asked, neither of them were very fond of it.

"No, one of you will be chosen to do a dance while they eat or something. Like a tango or something." Two-Bit said, laughing a little bit. "What the hell are we going to do for talent?"


Okay! Please review with possibilities for the gangs talent's. I will listen, that's the point. So if one of you wants Soda to juggle while riding a unicycle, he will most likely try it xD

Yes, there will be questions, and you will be able to ask them, but wait a little bit until we get to that...there will be a few chapters before that happens.

Okay, hope you're enjoying yourself, just want to let you know that I do not own The Outsiders and I am not copying anybody's ideas (that I know of. I am taking the audience participation thing, but as far as I know this is a new idea, and totally legal.)

Happy FanFic-ing!

xxxxxx -those are kisses, or hugs or something because it wont let me make hearts on here.

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