EPOV

I can't believe I was seriously going through with this, I thought as we walked up the the place. Me and Jill had went to her house to get ready before going out. Of course, she tried to get me to wear something completely insane, but I refused. I was not that kind of girl. Besides, I thought my outfit looked fine. I was wearing a nice blouse, my favorite skirt, and a matching sweater. She did get me to wear small heels though.

I was literally shaking. What if he was in there? What if he wasn't? Would this all be for nothing? What if-

"Come on!" Jill called to me, interrupting my thoughts. I followed her up the stairs and into the place.

There were so many people there that I almost got lost. Jill led the way straight to the bar. I don't know if I'm ready, I thought and stopped in my tracks. She walked right up and then turned around, looking for me. She spotted me and waved me over. I sighed and walked over to her.

"Alright, so-" Jill started but was cut off my the sound of someone whistling right behind us. I turned around and spotted Two-bit. He was looking at Jill and I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face.

"Fancy seeing you guys here! Lookin' good, Jill," he said and winked. Jill rolled her eyes and smiled. She could say it annoyed her all she wanted, but I knew she was loving the attention.

"Hey Two-bit. You here alone?" Jill questioned him.

"Of course not. I brought Ponyboy and Johnny along for the night!" he said with a wide smile on his face. He moved out of the way to reveal Pony and Johnny sitting at the table behind him. My stomach dropped. Johnny looked up at me and then looked away. Ponyboy waved at me and I smiled. Keep on a calm face, I told myself. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"So, can I buy you two some beers?" Two-bit offered. I looked over at Jill and she gave me a slight nod. Apparently the plan was going off without a hitch.

"Why not," Jill said and smiled at him. Two-bit nodded and looked at me.

"You too?" he said uncertainly.

"Sure," I said as confidently as I could. He smirked and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Really? Huh. Well, alright," he said and ordered them.

I looked nervously back at Jill. Were we seriously doing this? She smiled at me reassuringly. Two-bit handed us the beers when the bartender wasn't looking and led us to the table. There were two chairs left. One next to Ponyboy, and one next to Johnny. I quickly took the one next to Ponyboy. There was no way I was "loosened up" enough to sit by Johnny without being insanely nervous.

"Hey," I said as I sat down by Ponyboy. I looked over at Jill. She took the seat by Johnny. Two-bit pulled up another chair for himself, right in between me and Jill.

"Hi," Ponyboy said and smiled. I looked up at Johnny and smiled. He looked straight back at me and gave a small smile. Was he blushing? No . . .it was probably just wishful thinking on my part. I looked down at my beer. I hadn't taken a drink yet and was kinda scared to.

"So what brings you two here?" Two-bit inquired as he took a swig of his drink.

"It's Friday night! We're lookin' to have a good time like everyone else," Jill said with a smile.

She took hold of her drink and took a sip. She acted like it was nothing new. Huh. Well, maybe it was that easy. I looked down at my drink again and picked it up. I took a sip and made a face. Then, of course, I started coughing. I tried to be quiet and after a while I finally stopped. Please, please let no one notice. I looked up and everyone at the table was looking at me.

"Hey, you okay?" Two-bit asked looking at me oddly. What was I supposed to say? I'm such a little goody-goody that I don't drink? That would make me look like such a loser!

"Oh, it's her allergies!" Jill ,thankfully, stepped in. I nodded quickly.

"Yeah. They get pretty bad sometimes. But I'm fine now," I said with a smile. Two-bit nodded and it looked like they all bought it.

I took another sip of the beer hoping I wouldn't cough again. This time I held it down. It didn't taste that bad once you got used to it. But it didn't taste that good either. I took a few sips of the beer again, expecting to feel different. Nothing. Alright, I guess that means I should drink some more then. I drank more and still didn't feel anything. Annoyed, I put the beer down and listened to what they were saying.

Jill and Two-bit talked most of the time and once in a while me or Ponyboy would also chime in. For the most part I just kept drinking the beer, waiting to feel something. Suddenly, I looked down and realized I'd finished the drink.

"I'll get you guys another," Two-bit said and got up to get more beer for me and Jill.

"So, Ponyboy," Jill said and looked over at him. "You like movies right?"

"Yeah. A lot," Ponyboy said blushing. I smiled. I knew he was really into movies. We always talked about books and movies we like in English class. He also told me that he loved going alone because he could really feel what the characters were feeling.

"We should all go sometime," Jill said looking around the table. I knew what she was getting at. She was trying to get Johnny to come to the movies with us.

"Here ya go," Two-bit said and set the beers down in front of me and Jill. "What are ya'll talking about?"

"I said we should all go to the movies sometime," Jill said to Two-bit with a smile.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Two-bit said with his eyes on Jill. I couldn't imagine what he had in mind. He probably only thought of being next to Jill in the drive in, not actually watching the movie. I looked down at my new drink and took two big gulps. I think I was finally starting to feel a bit looser.

"Johnny, you'll come to the movies right?" I spoke up, and surprisingly wasn't a bit nervous. I felt bubbly, and a bit dizzy. He looked up at me and frowned a little.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"Why not?" I asked, disappointed.

"You and Ponyboy should go alone, or just pair up with Jill and Two-bit. I know you were planning on going so you don't have to feel bad and invite me," he said in an angry tone. What was he talking about? Me and Ponyboy?

"What? No, Johnny-" I said but he cut me off.

"I gotta go," he said. He quickly got up and walked out.

I felt like everything was in slow motion. I was kinda dizzy, but I got up anyway. Both Two-bit and Ponyboy looked confused about Johnny's outburst and the fact that I was going after him. I tried to walk out as fast as I could without falling or stumbling, which was surprisingly hard. I walked out and saw Johnny by the sidewalk.

"Johnny!" I called out to him. My mind was pretty fuzzy by then.

He turned around and frowned at me. I stumbled over towards him and almost fell. Just as I was about to hit the ground, he caught my shoulder.

"Woah. Are you okay?" He asked me looking surprised.

"Y-yeah. I just came out here to find out why you got upset," I managed to get out as I got back on my feet.

"Look, I know you and Ponyboy wanted to go to the movies together. I was just saying that you didn't have to invite me cause you felt like you had to or somethin'," he said quietly, not looking at me.

"No. Johnny, me and Ponyboy-" I said but stopped. Suddenly, I felt really nauseous. I bent over the curb and grabbed my stomach. Johnny looked over at me and his eyes widened.

"Elizabeth? What's the matter?" he said sounding slightly panicked.

"I don't feel so good," I said slurring a bit. My stomach twisted and I moved as far away from Johnny as I could. To top off the wonderful night, I threw up.

JPOV

"Fancy seeing you guys here! Lookin' good, Jill," Two-bit said to Jill and Elizabeth. He was standing in front of the table talking to the girls by the bar.

What are they doing here? I thought as they agreed to Two-bit buying them beers. Elizabeth drinks? I never expected that. I looked at her from behind Two-bit. She looked real pretty tonight. She didn't look like those other girls that wore tons of make-up and tight clothes. She wore nice, pretty stuff and only a little bit of make-up. She wasn't a Soc, but she wasn't a Greaser. She was kinda like middle class.

"Of course not. I brought Ponyboy and Johnny along for the night!" I heard Two-bit say as he moved out from the front of the table. I looked up at Elizabeth and she was looking at me. I looked down after a while, embarrassed. She probably thought it was weird that I was staring at her. Ponyboy waved at them and they got their beers.

There were only two chairs left. One next to me, and the other next to Ponyboy. Part of me hoped that Elizabeth would sit in the chair by me, but the other part of me was too nervous. Of course, she chose the chair next to Ponyboy. I had to admit that I was jealous. She smiled at him and said hi. Then, she looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back at her and tried to keep from blushing like an idiot. I looked away quickly.

Two-bit said something to Jill, but I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at Elizabeth from the corner of my eye. She took a sip of her beer and started coughing. Everyone turned to look at her and she looked really embarrassed when she finally stopped. Was this her first time drinking?

"Hey, you okay?" Two-bit asked her.

"Oh, it's her allergies!" Jill exclaimed.

"Yeah. They get pretty bad sometimes. But I'm fine now," Elizabeth chimed in. I didn't really believe that it was allergies, but the other guys seemed to believe it. I watched her as she took more sips from her cup.

I didn't talk much of the time, but I never do anyway. It was pretty much just Jill and Two-bit. I looked at Elizabeth again and noticed that she was drinking a lot of her beer. It wasn't what I expected her to do.

"I'll get you guys another," Two-bit said and got up to get more beer for the girls.

"So, Ponyboy," Jill said and looked over at him. "You like movies right?"

"Yeah. A lot," Ponyboy said blushing. He didn't like to talk about it that much to other people.

I noticed that Elizabeth looked over at him and was smiling. Oh. This was probably about that movie date they planned. I frowned and looked away.

"Here ya go. What are ya'll talking about?" Two-bit said as he put the beers down.

"I said we should all go to the movies sometime," Jill said to Two-bit with a smile.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Two-bit said and looked at Jill. They were planning some kind of double-date right in front of me!

"Johnny, you'll come to the movies right?" Elizabeth said and looked at me. She looked like she was getting a little drunk.

"I don't know," I said quietly. Why would she ask me to come on her date with Ponyboy?

"Why not?" she asked me.

"You and Ponyboy should go alone, or just pair up with Jill and Two-bit. I know you were planning on going so you don't have to feel bad and invite me," I said, getting angry.

"What? No, Johnny-" she said but I cut her off.

"I gotta go," I said. I got up and walked out without looking back.

I didn't need this. I obviously wasn't invited to their movie date, so why would I wanna stick around here either? I got to the sidewalk when I heard her yell my name. I turned around and looked at her. It wasn't fair that I liked her so much, and she liked Ponyboy. Life isn't fair, I thought bitterly.

She stumbled towards me and almost fell on her face. I grabbed her arm just in time. She was really drunk wasn't she?

"Woah. Are you okay?" I asked her as she got back on her feet. She looked like she was sick.

"Y-yeah. I just came out here to find out why you got upset," She said said slurring slightly.

"Look, I know you and Ponyboy wanted to go to the movies together. I was just saying that you didn't have to invite me cause you felt like you had to or somethin'," I said quietly, looking away from her. She didn't need to see that I was upset. I knew she didn't even notice me let alone feel the same way.

"No. Johnny, me and Ponyboy-" she said but stopped. I looked over at her and she was hunched over the curb.

"Elizabeth? What's the matter?" I said, getting scared.

"I don't feel so good," she said and moved away from me. Oh, no. She's gonna be sick. I looked away as she threw up. I didn't think she'd get that sick, but she was drinking pretty fast. It probably really was the first time she drank.

I wanted to help her, but I wasn't sure what to do. I walked over by her and put my arm on her back.

"Hey. You alright?" I asked her quietly. She looked up and me sadly.

"No. This night was supposed to be great. Instead, I made an idiot of myself," she said and frowned.

"I don't think you're an idiot. You got a little drunk, so what? It happens," I said and sat down on the curb. She sat down next to me, still looking upset.

"That's not it," she said and looked into my eyes. I sat there staring back at her, not sure what to say. She sighed and put her head on my shoulder. I completely froze, not expecting her to do that.

"Johnny, I wanna go home," she said slurring. That was a good idea. I felt nervous that she would throw up again. I knew what it was like the first time you got drunk. It didn't sit well with me either. I was throwin' up for hours.

"Here," I said trying to get up. "Uh. H-hold onto me," I said nervously. She took my arm and kept her head on my shoulder. My stomach felt weird as I looked over at her.

I walked her back into the bar and spotted Jill at our table. I gestured over to her and her jaw dropped when she saw Elizabeth. I waited as she walked over.

"Oh gosh. Ellie," she said and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What happened?" She asked me.

"She threw up. Said she wanted to go home, so I um, helped her up," I said blushing. Elizabeth looked up at me and tightened her hold on my arm. My stomach dropped. Jill looked at me and Elizabeth and smiled like she knew some kind of secret. Boy, was I confused.

"Hey, Jill," Elizabeth said with her eyes half-closed.

"Come on, I have to get you to my house. Let's go," Jill said as she took Elizabeth out of my arms. "Thanks, Johnny."

"It was nothing. She'll be fine, right?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeah, she'll be mortified, but she'll be fine," Jill said and smiled again. "Just, tell Two-bit I'll see him soon," she said blushing. She walked out and I watched her and Elizabeth leave.

I walked back to our table, confused. "Uh, Jill said she'll see ya soon, Two-bit," I said and sat down in my chair. I looked up at them and they looked like I felt.

"What happened to Elizabeth? Is she alright?" Ponyboy asked.

"Yeah," I started. "She threw up and I helped her," I said blushing a little.

"Oh. I knew I shouldn't given her those beers. Ah well," Two-bit said and took a sip of his own drink.

"Uh, Johnny? Why'd y-" Ponyboy started. I knew he was gonna ask me about why I got up in the first place. I was still a little jealous and I didn't feel like talking about it. I just wanted to remember how Elizabeth held onto my arm and looked into my eyes.

"Can we leave now?" I said cutting Ponyboy off. He gave me a weird look.

"Um, alright," Pony said and looked up at Two-bit.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll drive ya guys," Two-bit said and finished his beer.

The ride back to the Curtis' was quiet. I knew Ponyboy wanted to know what was going on, but I still didn't wanna talk about it. We pulled up the house and me and Pony got out. We said bye to Two-bit and watched him drive away.

"Johnny, ya wanna just stay here tonight?" Ponyboy asked me gesturing towards his house.

"Uh, nah man, I'm alright. It's not too cold out so I'll just go to the lot," I told him, avoiding his eyes.

"Alright. But Johnny, if you need to come over, even just to talk or whatever, you know you're welcome," he said. I felt bad again, about not tellin' him. I mean, he was my best friend! I should want to tell him. But I had a feeling he liked her more than he was letting on, and I already had a pretty good idea of what Elizabeth thought of him. I'll just tell him tomorrow or somethin', I thought.

"Yeah," I said frowning. "I know."