Chapter One
Kat POV
I caught my brother sneaking in past curfew and drunk. Again.
"Kat, don't say nothing!"
I crossed my arms over my chest.
"What were you doing? And why do you have a fat lip?"
He smiled that dangerous smile. The one I'd come to know so well.
"Had some fun. No big deal."
I knew what he'd done. It's not like they didn't go bragging at school about the sport they liked to play.
"You know, that's really sick, Adam."
He just laughed and stumbled to his room. I sighed and went outside on our huge front porch, just thinking about how I didn't fit in with my crowd. My name's Kat, short for Katherine. I'm a Soc... Trust me, I say that with disgust.
The games my twin brother and his friends played were sick. I wasn't blind, most of the time the poor kids they jumped didn't do anything. And it was unfair. You don't pick on one or two poor kids when there's five of you, and not only that, you're bigger than the poor kid. Eventually, they'll get sick of it. That's the reason Bob died the year before. I knew Bob. I believe he really would've killed that poor kid with the funny name. He didn't care anymore, although I do blame it on his parents.
When I tried to tell my dad what Adam was doing, he laughed and said it would "teach the greasers a lesson". What lesson? That if it's five against one, play dead?
Don't get me wrong, there are hoods that are just as bad, but Soc's wouldn't dare mess with them. You didn't hear about them messing with Dallas Winston when he was alive. The reason? Dallas would kill them. So, they pick on the one's who would never mess with them. If my brother continues, he's gonna end up in a body bag just like Bob. Piss the wrong person off.
A couple days after that, it was Monday. I hated school. Like I said, I'm a Soc, but I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't like "my kind". The boys were arrogant jerks, and the girls were spoiled princesses who had no depth. Not that I knew anything about greasers, but a beer blast didn't sound like my kind of fun.
In English that day, I saw Mark, a Soc, kick the one greaser in our class in the shin. When the kid yelped, the teacher turned around looking pissed.
"Me. Curtis, I suggest you keep it down unless you want to go to the principal's office."
"Mark kicked him, Mrs. Stein!"
My eyes popped open wider. Mrs. Stein looked at me skeptically.
"Is this true, Mr. Curtis?"
He shook his head.
"No, ma'am."
I couldn't stand it.
"Yes, he did."
After looking at Mark's glare, the teacher figured out I was right.
"Do it again, and you will go to the principal's office. That understood, Mr. Clark?"
"Yes, ma'am."
After that class, I was reading out in front of the school when I saw the kid. I shut my book and ran after him.
"Hey!"
He turned around and looked at me wide eyed, then scowled.
"You know, you probably made things worse by doing what you did."
I took a couple steps back and hung my head.
"I'm sorry... I just... I couldn't not say anything. They've been giving you a hard time... You're a smart kid, you deserve to be in that class..."
His face softened. Seeing this as my opportunity, I took a couple steps forward and stuck my hand out.
"My name's Kat. Kat Fuller."
He shook my hand.
"Ponyboy Curtis."
I smiled, and he did a crooked smile.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ponyboy."
"You, too."
He looked down at my book.
"I've heard that's a good one."
"Yeah, I'm almost done with it. Just got it yesterday."
It was silent for a second until I thought of something else to say.
"If I finish it by tomorrow, I'll let you borrow it."
He shifted uncomfortably.
"You don't have to."
"I've seen you reading. And it is a good one. Trust me, you'll wanna read it."
"Ponyboy, you coming?!"
We both jumped at the yells we heard across the parking lot.
"Just a sec, Two-bit!"
He looked back at me.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
I nodded.
"That you will."
He smiled and walked away. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned.
"Cherry?"
"You're Adam's sister, right?"
Slowly, I replied.
"Right...?"
She nodded towards Ponyboy.
"What were you doing talking to... To that kid?"
"Someone was giving him a hard time in class, I was making sure he was okay."
"Oh... Well, be careful."
Did she think the school was stupid? I knew what had happened the year before.
"He's not dangerous."
She thought about it and nodded.
"You're right, but being around him could be."
She gave me a sympathetic smile and walked away.
Pony POV
"Who's the chick?"
"Kat. She's in a couple of my classes."
He wiggled his eyebrows.
"You have high standards, huh kid? But what happened to everything I taught you? She ain't a blonde!"
I laughed and shoved him.
"Neither is Kathy."
He put a finger to his lips.
"Shhhh... That's our secret."
I laughed again. The next day, when I got to English class, Kat was gesturing for me to sit at the desk next to her. Going against everything in me, I decided to do it. I slid into the desk and she shot me a smile.
"Here."
She handed me The Great Gatsby.
"I finished it last night. I think you'll like it, it was really good. I couldn't put it down."
"Thanks, can't wait to get into it."
The teacher announced that we'd be doing a project on poetry.
"You'll each have a partner. You have the rest of the class to figure it out. When you have, come get a packet explaining the assignment."
The class starting moving seats around and chatting. These always made me nervous because no one ever wanted to be my partner.
"What do you say, wanna work together?"
"With me?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, with you. Who could figure?"
She smirked.
"Don't you have someone else you'd rather work with?"
"Trying to push me away, Ponyboy? And I thought you were nice."
I laughed.
"Alright, alright. You win."
What had I gotten myself into?
