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A/N: This chapter has been updated! Enjoy and please point out any mistakes, I do proof these myself and they can easily be missed.

December 27, 1965

"You do know what you're doing right Janey?" Keith asked, looking at me from the passenger seat of his car. I glanced at him and started the car.

"Sure," I said with confidence, "step on the gas and go."

"Alrighty," he said, shaking his head a little, "just don't crash my baby."

He looked nervous and I giggled before putting the car in reverse. His car was such a piece, it'd probably work better if I hit a tree; not that I would or… at least mean to. I quickly pulled out of the driveway, making the tires screech.

"See? Easy," I grinned, looking at him. He looked like he'd shit his pants or something. "What?"

"You've gone and got me a heart attack," he said, "there ain't nothin' wrong with ya know… driving like a normal person."

My brother had a tendency to over exaggerate; he was almost always easy going, but when it came to me, it was a different story. I was his kid sister so I guess I didn't blame him any, but I swear he had it in his head that I was ten instead of fifteen. I did appreciate it, I mean not everyone had someone who actually cared.

"You should talk," I teased, "besides you drive with Steve."

Steve was the craziest driver I knew. He probably never in his life went the speed limit; I had to give credit where it was due though, he was a damn good driver. Not that anyone who knew Steve would tell him so, due to the risk of inflating his ego anymore then it already was.

"Steve's been drivin' since he was twelve," he argued, "and he ain't ever killed no one."

"Put a little faith in your kid sister, huh?" I smirked as I stepped on the gas and headed towards The DX.

XXX

"Slow down!" my brother said, raising his voice a little. "Brake! Brake!"

I slammed on the brakes and stopped at the red light. Looking at my brother, he was slouching in his seat, one hand on the dashboard and the other holding onto the door. His fist was clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

"Are you crazy?" he asked. I gave him a slight shrug as I watched the traffic zip by in front of us. I glanced at him; I didn't see what the problem was. I stopped for the light, I was behind the line, and I hadn't crashed into a tree.

"You'll never get your license," he huffed, loosening his grip on the door.

"You got yours, Mr. Yellow-Means-Speed-Up," I snorted as I raised an eyebrow at him before sticking my tongue out at him, he stuck his out in return before pointing at the light.

"Green means go, genius," he said as he rolled down the window and flipped off the honking car behind us. It was typical Keith—if anyone was going to honk at his sister, it was going to be him.

"A good rule to live by kiddo," he said as I pulled into The DX and attempted to park. "Jus' do the opposite of everything I do."

I nodded in an overly enthusiastic understanding before giving him a smile. "Not just in driving but in life in general."

"Smartass," he grinned before asking for the keys, holding out his hand as we made our way inside the gas station. I gave him a look before handing him his keys, he wasn't gonna let me drive home.

"You promised you'd practice with me," I argued as I opened the door to the gas station, making the little bell above the door ring. Actually, he had pinky promised—the promise of all promises. Ever since we were kids the pinky promise was like your word and even as kids we knew that our word was all we really had.

"I ain't willin' to put my life on the line—"

"Keith! Who's gonna take me then?" I interrupted, picking up my pace to keep up with him.

"Someone with a death wish," he said half seriously. "Get Dal to take you."

Grinning, he put two Cokes on the counter, waiting for Steve or Soda to appear from out of the garage. I grumbled under my breath I wasn't even sure Dallas had his license; I think he just drove because he didn't give a fuck.

"Heya, Stevie!" my brother barked as Steve made his way out of the garage; his hands and clothes covered in black grease. I liked Steve enough, he was a year older than me and I only saw him at school on the occasional lunch period and that was mostly because Evie tended to drag him around almost everywhere.

"You're actually plannin' on payin' for those?" Steve asked, skeptically, glancing at the Cokes on the counter as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Of course," he grinned at Steve before turning towards me. "You got twenty cents, Janey?"

I rolled my eyes before digging out two dimes from my pocket. I really didn't know how he went without a job. He always claimed to be the man of the house but had no intention of actually stepping up and being the man I knew he could be. Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother more then anyone but he could be a real hypocrite sometimes.

"Whaddya say about takin' Janey out drivin'?" my brother asked Steve as I put the dimes on the counter. If anyone knew Steve, they knew that if he were in a car with anyone he'd be the one driving, end of discussion. He had always been that way, the one that strives for attention; I was pretty sure that is sometimes drove my brother crazy but maybe that was because Keith was the same way.

"If she drives anything like you Two-Bit, there ain't a hope in hell." Steve opened the cash register with a smirk before I gave him the bird, his smirk turned into a grin as he returned the favour. Steve had a way of being a huge asshole, it was nothing to take seriously it was just the way he was. The good thing about it was he could take it just as well as he could give it; Evie was convinced we hated each other because whenever we did talk the conversation was riddled with sarcasm and snide remarks. I always thought it was our own way of getting along, there probably would be hate if we took each other seriously, that was why Ponyboy thought Steve hated him.

"Hey!" Keith objected. "I'm a good driver."

"You drive just about as good as your car runs," Steve quipped giving my brother a smug smirk. Keith faked a hurt face before slowly nodding in agreement that his car was in fact a piece of shit.

"That reminds me," he said, opening a Coke and handing it to me. "When I start 'ol Betsy she makes this loud, annoying sound- kinda sounds like you when you lose a race."

"You'll have to describe that a little better Two-Bit since I don't lose," he retorted before telling him he'd stop by sometime next week to take a look at it.

I always wished that I had friends like my brother had; friends that'd do anything for each other. I didn't have friends that I could actually joke around with, without them taking it the wrong way. Girls were catty gossip queens, and it seemed like they loved the drama. I had lost a friend once by telling the truth, she took it wrong and poof, it was as if we hadn't been friends at all.

Sure, I had grown up with the Curtis' since I was in diapers and they were my friends and we talked but it wasn't as if we went out of our way to hang out with each other. They were my friends but they were my friends because I was 'Two-Bit's kid sister.'

Ever since we were really young, every Sunday dinner my mom would invite the Curtis' over. My mom and Mrs. Curtis had been best friends since grade school and it was like tradition, even before Dad left, I remembered the Curtis' always being there. The boys would go off together and I'd be stuck in the house listening to the parents yammer. It's why Ponyboy and my brother were as close as they were and I'd always been jealous of him for stealing my brother away when he already had two.

And then they passed away, I remember thinking that it was the most tragic thing that I hoped I'd ever have to go through. Ma took it pretty hard, and Sunday dinner's turned into a monthly thing. We still had them 'cuz mom cared about those boys something awful. I was betting if she could afford it she'd've helped them out a lot more then sending a casserole home with them once a month.

"Anyway," my brother grinned before taking a sip of his Coke. "I happen to think I'm a pristine driver."

I think he knew he was full of it but he got Steve smiling and to him that's all that mattered. People always thought my brother was a clown and that he was never serious. I've always wanted to tell those people to live in my shoes for a day and see how serious he could be. In all actuality my brother just liked making people smile, he told me once that people on this side of town needed a laugh every so often and if he had to be the person to put smiles on peoples faces he was happy to do it.

"Pristine?" Steve snickered. "Don't tell me you've actually opened a book this year."

Giggling, I listened to them bicker back and forth about how repeating junior year was ace because that way you learned more rather then taking it just once.

This year we were both juniors, a lot of people hassled him for it. I always wondered why the teachers didn't just pass him to simply get rid of him. We only had one class together, math. I'd be surprised if they made it that way on purpose, putting the two of us together in something as boring as a math class was a complete and utter gong show. Together we were probably the two most annoying people in the world. When we weren't talking we were laughing, we were loud, obnoxious, and I was pretty sure the teacher was questioning her chosen profession.

Even though math class was a riot, my brother being in high school longer then needed made it harder to get out from living in his shadow. So long as we were at the same school, in the same grade no less, I would forever be known as Baby Mathews.

Fucking peachy.

XXX

After a few more minutes in The DX I made my way back outside and waited for Keith. The guy could probably talk forever if people would let him. I sat on the hood of the car, cigarette in hand and waited awhile longer before he decided to finally get the show on the road.

"Jane, don't be an idiot," my brother said as he grabbed my cigarette. I glared up at him and sighed, I really didn't see what the big deal was; everyone smoked, everyone.

Even if he was being hypocritical, I really couldn't say much, what was I gonna say? It was literally impossible to reason with my brother… if you were me at least. When it came to us, he was always right and I was always, always wrong.

He looked at me, raising an eyebrow as he tossed it on the ground. I rolled my eyes and hopped off of the car. I didn't know why he even bothered, it wasn't gonna stop me and he wasn't stupid either, he knew that.

I bit my tongue to stop myself from being a total bitch. One of the most important things to me was what my brother thought of me; he was my brother of course I cared if I disappointed him. He was all I really had, when dad left, mom started working a whole lot more, and I was lucky if I saw her more then twice a week.

And dad, well dad had been gone almost nine years, he left and I don't think he looked back either. I couldn't help but hope that he'd come back someday, though I'd never admit that to anyone. And I don't dare talk to Keith about it, last time I did that he didn't talk to me for over a week. Our dad was a touchy subject for the both of us, so we just ignored it as much as we could.

Keith had pretty much raised me after that and taught me all the 'important' things' like stick together and don't get caught.

I just always had to remind myself to remember that Keith was my brother and he had done a lot for me over the years, the least I could do was be a good kid. But being good really didn't get anyone noticed, did it?

He sighed and tossed me the keys before making his way to the passenger side. I gave him a grin and stared at him.

"Just try not to kill us, alright?"