I've never felt more sick to my stomach then when I stepped off the bus and saw my parents waiting for me. My father took the heavy guitar from me, and had to help the poor driver get the amplifier off the bus. My mom hugged me, and told me how proud of me she was about my decision. I didn't believe her, though. Any idiot could tell that she didn't mean it.

I went right away to the address on the sheet of paper that had promised me a record deal, and a while later I was left with the promise that they'd call me back. It was really a dream come true. I was really desperate to get home, but my parents insisted on taking me out to get ice cream. I wasn't even seventeen yet, they said, so they could treat me like a was a little kid. Besides, it was July 1st, and the Tulsa weather was always a force to be reckoned with. I was happy for something cold.

I was in the door for a second, when something hit me at full force. Actually, it was several things all hitting me at once, and emitting high pitched squeals. I laughed along as I took in the sight of Ashley, Emilie, Hannah and Daphne. Ashley had gotten her hair cut, now it was only past her shoulders, Emilie had gotten hers dyed black from it's original sandy blonde. Daphne appeared to have grown about two inches... and Hannah looked the same.

"Nay, look at you! Look at your hair, it's so long! And you grew!"

I knew I hadn't grown, I'd measured myself. Half an inch, at the most.

After things calmed down a bit, I found it in myself to ask.

"So, Ash... what's happened... you know..."

She knew. And she knew I knew she knew.

"Some stuff... happened... a few days ago..."

"June 25th," Emilie said softly.

"Yeah, a few days... I don't think we should be the ones to tell you... but you can't find out for yourself, that'd be too... Lord, I don't know..."

"Nobody'... dead, are they?"

"No, no, no, everyone's... fine... well, they're all alive, anyhow."

Then it hit me.

"There's another girl, isn't there?"

Ashley's nod was so small I wasn't sure she had.

"I knew it. Is it... serious?"

"Sorta... but the circumstances... I don't know... this just isn't my place to tell you, you know?"

"Okay. Well... I want to know, right?"

"Right."

"And I'll be damned if I don't, right?"

"Right."

"So, I'm going to find out."

"No," Ashley stood up and blocked me off, "You can't-"

"I have to."

"I know... I'll come. And wait outside."

"Alright..."

I shouldn't have gone, I knew later that night, maybe I could have spared myself. But a part of me needed to go, andI did. I was outside the Curtis house not long later. I'd gotten really good at walking distances this past year.

I could almost feel my life changing when I saw who answered the door.And I was fully prepared to ask if the Curtises had moved, because they didn't have a sister.

This girl was sickeningly pretty. She had light blue eyes... the kind that look like they might be fake, because they're too blue. And her hair was blonde... like mine... except hers was straight, and flipped out perfectly at the ends. She was wearing a perfect fitting blue dress, that brought out her eyes more if anything.

"Hi," She said, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Who are you here to see?"

"Oh, I'm a friend of the family's... I was away for a bit, and I just got back, so I thought I'd drop over and see everyone... uh... who are you?"

She laughed, and her smile was alarmingly white. Damn. Was this girl perfect?

"Oh, of course. Come in, it's so sunny today, I swear the lakes are all going to dry up!"

She was so pleasant. I had a feeling I was going to like her. Once we were inside, she had to rush away to tend to a fussing baby.

"Oh," I said softly, "She's sweet. How old is she?"

"Almost a month. I'm so lucky to have a quiet baby, some of them, you can't stop their fussing!"

"Is she yours?"

"Yep." She smiled prettily, and I had to grin back.

"Congratulations!" There was no way this girl had just had a baby. She was nearly asthin as me, and I wasonly smaller becauseI was shorter than her.

"Thank you! Oh, people are so sweet now. When I was first pregnant, I had to move... it's so hard, you know, being a pregnant teenager, not married, people really look down on you, you know?"

"That's terrible, I'm really sorry."

"It's hard, yeah, but I think part of the curtesy is from being married now. They consider it 'proper'."

"Some people are just really attached to the old ways. I'm so glad to see you're happily married, though..." To who? She hadn't answered when I asked who she was.

"Oh, I'm so daft today, I forgot to ask your name!"

"Oh, Naomi Sterling."

"Right, I think I've heard your name before," her eyes steeled abit, and I was uneasy, "From Ponyboy, or Sodapop. Probably Ponyboy, though."

"No," I said warily, "It was probably both. What's your name?"

"Sandy."

"Oh," I said, a lightbulb going on in my head, "Ponyboy called me in England, and he mentioned someone named Sandy was coming." Or it was the entire point of the call.

"Really? That's strange."

"Well, it wasn't a topic of conversation. I just remember things well."

"Alright," she seemed distant from me now. Had I offended her in any way? I couldn't tell.

"So, is anyone home?"

"What? Oh, no, not now..."

She didn't even get to finish her sentence, when Ponyboy came into the room, and did a double take when he saw me on the couch, talking to the girl I was unaware was his sister-in-law.

"Naomi?"

"Yeah, I got sick of LAPA, and a Tusla record agency wanted me to do a record, and so here I am!" I forced him into a hug. He seemed scared.

"So, Sandy, you've already met Naomi, our old friend, and Naomi, you've met Sandy-" He gulped, "Soda's wife, and Sandy, you've been giving me that look for long enough."

"What look?"

"Don't give me that."

I was surprised enough to raise an eyebrow at Ponyboy. I'd never heard him talk like that- least of all, to his sister in law.

Oh, I wasn't okay with that or anything, I was just numb and in denial.

But it was setting in, and I felt tears brimming the eyes that were surely yellow beyond all meaning now. Great.

I should have left then, but things never work out the way I want them. Luck would only have it that Sodapop should walk into the room. It seemed that my day was ruined. Or my life, however you want to look at it. What happened to the song I was singing not so many days ago?

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day...
I got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way...

No. Oh God no.

Soda's eyes widened, and mine narrowed.

His mouth dropped a little, and I clenched my jaw.

"Naomi..."

"Congratulations, Mr. Curtis, you forgot to send me a wedding invitation, I'm afraid," I smiled cynically, and then turned to Sandy with a real look of kindness on my face, "Thanks for your hospitality, dear, but I doubt we'll get along well in the future. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Pony, thanks for the phone call. I'm serious, thank you for calling me. God knows what would've happned if I didn't come home for another three years. I need to go now, my friends outside waiting."

"Naomi, you didn't answer my letter!"

Hm. I wasn't expecting him to gain his speech back and say that infront of his wife. But two can play the game.

"I never got your fucking letter! You could've answered mine, but it's obviously too late now!"

Wow, I thought, as I walked numbly home beside Ashley, who was trying in vain to console me, I really have gotten a bit bolder. And who knew that something with as sweet a reputation as love could give you such a dirty volcabulary?