1 I listened to our track coach go on and on about next weeks big track meet. I sighed heavily, waiting for it to be over. I like running. Not sitting and listen to someone talk about running.

".... and we have a new track member joining us today." The coach said. My attention turned to a scrawny, blonde haired boy, who looked about my age.

"Everyone this is Matthew Santiago. Matthew just moved here from Connecticut. Matthew, I hope you gt used to waking up early. And get used to your team mates too." Then the coach talked to Matthew for a bit, and explained the rules to him, and all that junk. He did that for me when I joined.

My ears perked up when I heard some greasers next to me talking, and asking my opinion.

"Ponyboy, what do you think of the new kid?" I just shrugged, and let them keep talking. I didn't have a right to judge, because I don't even know him.

"He's from Connecticut. Home to the rich and snooty. No duh he's one of those damn Socs." A kid named Joey said next to me. He probably is a Soc. I looked at his shoes, and they where clean and white. I decided that he is a Soc.

"Ponyboy Curtis!" My coach called for me. He doesn't really like. Because I'm a greaser, and he's a Soc. The only reason he keeps me on this team, is because I'm the fastest runner, so we usually win every track meet.

"Curtis, I want you to help Matthew here, teach him the rules, get him used to the warm ups and all that. Understand? I want him to participate in the track meet next week." I nodded, and the coach left me alone with Matthew.

Have you ever been in a situation where the silence is so loud, it's embarrassing? Yeah well, that's how it kinda is right now. I stared at Matthew for so long, I think he squirmed a bit. Gee, he sure is a pansy for a Soc.

"Uh, what's your name again?," he asked. He seemed a little scared to be around me.

"Ponyboy." I said, with out any feeling in my voice. He nodded, and looked around, like he was waiting for something.

"Ponyboy, can you teach me the warm ups?" His voice sounded different from the rest of us. More clean.

"Yeah sure."

I taught him all the warm ups, and then I bought out a timer, and clipped it to my shorts waist band. I set the timer, and we both took off for a mile.

He's not bad. He was able to keep up with me for most of the time, but he would fall back every once and awhile. But then he would catch up again. I finished our mile in six minutes and 38 seconds. Matthew finished his in 6 minutes and 46 seconds.

The coach seemed impressed. So did the other Socs. But the rest of us greasers were pissed that he was catching up to my time.

"Pony, we where thinking of jumping that new kid after school today. Teach him a lesson. So he'll know who to mess with and who not to mess with. You in?" Joey asked.

I actually had to think about it. I don't really like the kid. But I don't want to jump him and sink to the Socs level. Especially after what happened with Johnny and all.

"No thanks Joey, my brother wants me home early today."

"Oh alright."

Joey and the others walked out of the dressing room. I'm glad they had talked quiet though, because Matthew was still here. I finished taking a shower, got dressed, grabbed my school stuff, and was heading out of the locker room, when someone called me.

"Ponyboy." I spun around and saw Matthew.

"What do you want?" I asked trying to act tough.

"I, uh, just wanted to say thank you for helping with the track team today." Wow. Talk about Miss Manners.

"Your Welcome."

I said it so cold, it even scared me. I walked away, and headed for my locker.

Matthew's POV

I really don't like it here. I've tried to be nice to everyone, and I even said thank you to a guy who had so much grease in his hair you wouldn't believe it. But everyone keeps blowing me off. One guy even gave me the finger. I'm not sure what I did. I mean I'm new here. I couldn't of done anything wrong already, right?

"Good morning class." I looked up and saw a balding man sitting at a desk. I guess I'd been so lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the teacher coming in.

He took out a paper and started doing attendance.

"Joey Alec, Ponyboy Curtis...."

I looked up from my paper, and saw Ponyboy sitting a few desks away from me. He had seemed nice at first. But he treated me like dirt too. I guess I'll just have to try harder if I want friends here.

I saw some guys sitting in the back who where starting to smoke. What? We never did this in Connecticut. They looked like hoods. They were wearing leather jackets, and plenty of hair grease. One caught my eye and stuck his middle finger up at me.

I grimaced and turned away. Gee, thanks mom and dad you basically just stuck your son in an asylum for hoods.

I worked through my classes, and soon found out that I'm in all the same classes with Ponyboy, except for gym. We basically didn't need to take gym because we're on the track team, but I decided to take it.

I'm not really great in math though. I was wishing I was when the teacher asked for Ponyboy and me to stay with her after class. Of course she announced it in front of the whole class, so some hood looking guys snickered at me, and some guys who I had seen in my neighborhood snickered at Ponyboy.

Ponyboy just glared at me, and I glared right back. I was going to have to start standing up for myself sooner or later.

I struggled through most of the math problems, trying to figure what xy = 16 x 29 - 30 equals. I ended up getting it wrong, when the teacher answered the question for us. It must of been an easy one, because she said it like it was supposed to be obvious.

The bell rang. But I wasn't going to my locker, and getting my stuff, and getting ready to walk home. No I had to stay after with a stuck up hood and a slut of a teacher. I tried figuring out why she wanted to teach, because she really did look like Malibu Barbie. Plus she was were a red dress that went up to her thighs, and like five inched heels.

"Mr. Curtis, I assume you have already met Mr. Santiago," he nodded.

"Good then. Previous records of shown you doing poorly in math dear." She said this while looking at me. I nodded.

"While Mr. Curtis is my best student, and he will be tutoring you for the next few weeks, or until you feel comfortable with math." She smiled at me, but my whole face went pale. Great. More alone time with him now. I bet he was thinking the same thing because he looked about as angry as I was about it. But we knew better than to argue with our teacher.

"Tomorrow, Mr. Curtis, you and Matthew will be staying after school, and I will giving you the supplies you need to give him and extra boost in math." She gave us both a sly smile and dismissed us.

I went to my locker, and did my combination, but the freaking thing wouldn't open. So I kept trying, until some kid next to me offered to help. I couldn't believe he was offering. He was one of those hoods. He looked to old to be in high school though.

He opened my locker with a paper clip he had un raveled.

"There you go kid." He said.

"Thanks." I shoved my books into my locker, and took out the books I did need, and my sweater.

"Hey, are you new here?" He asked. I nodded.

"Well I'm Keith but everyone calls me Two-Bit. What about you?"

"Matthew." I was scared to be talking to him. He was a hood, and I've heard about getting jumped before, and I wasn't itching to have it happen to me in a school hallway.

"Nice to meet ya kid. See ya later." I said goodbye to him, and he left the school building, even though they hadn't dismissed anyone yet.

Of course I was walking home. Bad idea. I figured it was bad, when I saw a few boys from my track team following me. I was getting nervous, so I walked faster. I turned down an alley, thinking it was a short cut, but realized it wasn't when I saw a barbed wire fence. I turned to go back, the boys closed off the exit to the alley.

I swallowed hard, hoping someone would drive by and see me cornered.

One of them got close to me, and hit me right in the nose. I fell backwards, and my head scraped against the wire. One of them sat on top of, which knocked every last piece of breath out of me. I tried to suck in air but only started gasping and coughing for help.

I was able to get enough air in me to start screaming until someone shoved a rag in my mouth and kicked me in the head. I saw stars spinning around me and I tried to fight off the blackness that was surrounding me.

"Hey, what are you doin'?!" A voice called out. I tried to sit up, but someone grabbed my arms, and shoved my chest back down. So I just listened to the guys arguing. One voice sounded familiar. Ponyboy.

"Listen, I gotta tutor the kid tomorrow, and this is how I'm gettin' my extra credit."

"Oh. Sorry man. We didn't know this would be affecting your grade." A few of them snickered at Joey's comment.

"Shut your mouth Joey. I've got Dallas Winston waiting for me over, and I can call him in for back up any minute."

There was silence, and then they all started getting off of me. I heard feet pounding down the alley. Than I saw Ponyboy's face hovering over me. He took the rag out of my mouth, and helped me stand up.

"You alright?" He was being pretty nice to guy he didn't like. I nodded, and wiped some blood off of my lip. I picked up my bag, and started gathering all my books that lay scattered on the ground.

"Here." I lifted my head to see Ponyboy handing me a handkerchief.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and took it. I wiped some blood off of my throat where the blade had dug in, and tried to stop the blood from pouring out of nose.

"Are you sure that you're okay with walking home alone?" Ponyboy sure did seem worried.

"Yeah I'll be fine." Ponyboy started walking away.

"Uh, wait! Ponyboy!" I called. He turned around.

"What?"

"Thanks for, uh, everything." It wasn't my most sincere thank you, but I think I owed him that.

"Your Welcome."

So the people who reviewed my first story of this, thank you. I took your advice, and decided to rewrite it. So thank you, and please tell me if you think I did a better job on this, and if I should continue. Thank you!