Disclaimer: I totally forgot to do this in chapter one. Oopsie. Well, I own nothing. If I did, I would be keeping them safe, and none of them would have ever had to have gotten hurt. 3

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So, here I was, stuck in between Sodapop and Two-Bit as they play poker with Steve and Dally. I could hardly move, not even enough to take my cigarette from my mouth to ash it, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I watched steve try-and fail-to pull a card from his sock in a sneaky manner. Darry gets up tiredly from his armchair and walks towards the back of the house to go to bed, he has to work in the morning, but before he does he pauses to tell Ponyboy not to stay up too late. Turning his ice blue gaze to me, he crosses his arms over his muscular chest, and I suddenly feel uneasy. It's Sunday evening, which means Pony has school in the morning, and I know exactly where Darry is going to go with that look of his. Before he even opens his mouth to speak I know exactly what he is going to say.

"Victoria, I think you should re-enroll in school, you're not going to get anywhere without a good education." I rolls my eyes for the second time that night as the rest of the gang groans. Sometimes Darry and I can fight for hours about me going back to school.

"I would love to, if I wasn't so damned dumb." Everyone hushes as Darry strides over and grasps my arm, pulling me to my feel roughly, and I stumble forward a few steps. Ponyboy is right, Darry is rough with people without meaning to be; but it's only because of how strong he is. I doubt he even knows any better, to tell you the truth. He looks down at me with such a stern expression that I had to do a double-take; I thought he was his father. He couldn't be, though, his father had Soda's brown eyes, while Darry's were so piercing, so cold.

"You're not dumb, you're just slow on the work!" I try to pull my arm from his grasp but sigh in resignation, and shrug my shoulders instead.

"Darry, I'm sixteen years old now. I should be in the eleventh grade, but I'm stuck at grade nine." I look up at him, flipping my auburn hair over my shoulder defiantly, "I'm too stupid for school. And I'm doing just fine working at Patty's Cafe, aren't I?" His eyes soften, but I can see a flash of hurt and disappointment in them before he releases my arm and walks into his room. Everything goes back to the way it was, with everyone loud and drinking and jovial as can be, like they do not have a care in the world. But, it seemed to me, that Darry doesn't have the luxury to kid around. After his parent's death, when he was eighteen, he had to suddenly become to father of two young boys, when there was nobody there for him to run to when he was hurt, or afraid. Tears come to my eyes when I realise how scary it must have been, how alone he must feel; my thoughts are interrupted by Dally tackling me to the ground, my cigarette going flying. I notice absently that Sodapop picks it up and hands it back to Steve while the boys watch me squirm as I try to get away from Dally.

Dally was the only one of us that was a true hood, but at the same time he really wasn't. He had grown up hard, in New York for some time, and had seen things none of the rest of us had. His father never gave about him, either; Dally could be either in jail or dead on the side of a road and his father wouldn't feel a thing. Dally was cold, hard, and mean, but he sure had something underneath that exterior. This showed through when he screwed around with Johnny and me, the only things that he really cared about. Well, at least, that's what I think. There may be something else in his life, but I doubt he'd ever admit it. Ponyboy and Johnny both grab one of Dally's arms and I wriggle out from underneath him, only to hop onto his back, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Two-Bit laughs loudly, leaning over so that he's eye-level with Dally, who is running out of oxygen, and he nearly spills his beer.

"Say uncle!" Dally struggles with the arm Pony is grabbing, but manages to flip Two-Bit the bird, which causes him to laugh even harder. After a few more moments, Dally leans down and taps the ground; Pony, Johnny and I all get off of him simultaniously, to watch him attempt to catch his breath as he cusses us out. Slowly he stands, to the enjoyment of the guys, and jumps forward, arms outstretched for me; I dart out of reach and race out the door and over the fence at the front of the house, continuing down the street. I can hear a bunch of people running after me, and the adrenaline boosts through me, causing me to run faster than ever before. The wind rushes by me and a smile plasters itself onto my face as I hit the vacant lot, where I look to my left to see Ponyboy running, easily matching my speed, and making it look easy; I let out a hapy laugh and try to run faster, but Ponyboy jumps at me and tackles me to the ground. I end up out of breath on my back with my wrists pinned beside my head by Ponyboy, who is straddling me. I throw him a playful glare, seeing how he is not nearly out of breath; the rest of the boys catch up with us soon after. Two-Bit falls onto the ground heavily and pulls a beer from his jacket, opening it and laughing as it sprays all over him. Steve flops onto the ground, a small dust cloud coming up from where he had fallen, and Soda sits easily beside him; Dally and Johnny sit to my left, leaning against a huge old log.

We all stay in the vacant lot for some time before Soda brings Pony home, and Two-Bit offers to drive Steve and Dally to Buck Merril's place, his rodeo partner. Johnny and I stay in the lot together, our backs to the log and out shoulders touching. I let out a sigh and shift my body down a bit, leaning my head on his shoulder; the night was so beautiful, so many stars twinkling high in the sky-

"Victoria?" I snap my attention away from the stars to instead stare in the deep abyss that was Johnny's eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Johnny had been described as a puppy lost in the crowd that had been kicked too many times, but I really think there's something else there. It's almost as if he's lost all the time, and wanting some way to escape; even his eyes are dark. Did this boy ever really see the light? I reach up without thinking and gingerly touch my fingertips to the scar on his cheek that he had aquired the night when he was beaten senseless by the Socs; one of them was wearing a ring, and had cut him up pretty badly. When we found him in the lot, crying, only half-conscious, I couldn't help but cry as well. Johnny was everything that was good to the gang, he was everything to me. Who could hurt somebody so good? After that, Johnny's been afraid of his own shadow...I hate the Socs, and I don't hate many things. Soc. Social. The rich, upper-class kids that think they are so much better than us. How can they be better, when they beat kids like Johnny half to death? What's so good about that? I shake my head to rid myself of my thoughts and notice that a small blush is dusting Johnny's cheeks, and my grin widens into a dimpled smile.

"What's up, Johnnycake?" Johnny looks down and shrugs his shoulders, but one of his arms comes up around my shoulders and he pulls me to his chest. I would have been surprised, if I hadn't been used to it. Sometimes Johnny and I slept out here, in the cool night air, with only ourselves to keep each other warm. My eyelids close slowly and I drift off into a deep sleep with thoughts of when Johnny was livlier. Maybe I'll get him like that again. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll get Johnny back. For the sake of us all.

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Review, please. How are the characters?