Sorry about not updating sooner! Review please!

Johnny's P.O.V

"Red head eh?" Two-Bit was trying to visualize Jolene like everyone else but Dallas, Pony and I.

"I don't know Johnnycake I'm partial to blondes but she sounds tuff when we going to meet her?"

"I'm going to go get her now," I was closing the gate latch and I heard Dallas mention "sassy little girl" as I walked out. It was eight o'clock I judged by the sun, anytime now my old man should be getting home. I walked past the back of her house, the route being vague seeing as though the only time I had walked her home it was pitch black outside. But, there it was sitting glumly on the street corner "Rae Records." And there she was leaning against the brick wall holding her jacket. Then I realized who was leaning on the wall next to her. They were really hitting it up, and I nervously trudged towards them.

"Hey Jo, hi Tim," I couldn't believe she was talking to Tim Shephard. Of all the guys in this town she had to pick one of our worst rivals.

"You know him," Tim questioned her as if I was a child. But compared to him I probably looked like one anyway.

"Yeah, actually he's going to walk with me for a little bit. But thanks Tim, we'll have to catch up." She batted her eyelashes and swiveled me around by the arm and walked away. I looked back at Tim, he had a slightly dazed but very wanting smirk. It took me by surprise that she could do that I realized, after finally figuring out what she had done.

"You shouldn't torture him like that he'll be pretty disappointed when you don't call him," I noted to her. But her answer was cold, and she was starting to sound like Dally again.

"He'll get over it, and besides I didn't want to start a fight. He had a blade and I know about you not getting along with him to well."

"Then why were you talking to him?" She looked shocked, and I guess she was trying to figure out the answer when she finally sighed.

"I don't know just so I wouldn't get jumped by some Soc's you know? He doesn't seem that bad anyway."

"Alright, the gang really wants to meet you," I informed her and then doubting myself, because I hope I hadn't implied that I wanted to talk the whole way there. But she just smiled and kept walking until we reached the screen door of the Curtis house.

"Well here's the infamous Jolene herself!" Sodapop exclaimed and led her to the couch. Damnit Soda. He was good with ladies, better than me and it didn't help that he had sat her down on the two person couch right beside him.

"Hi, judging by your nametag you must be Sodapop, I'm Jo." She smiled and for once Soda did the blushing. Usually a girl blushed at Soda, but today was just full of surprises.

"Ha-ha, yeah I'm soda and this is Steve," as he pointed out Steve "and Two-Bit" Two-Bit grabbed Jo's hand and kissed the back of it, he must have been drinking, "And Darry, uh actually where is Darry?" Everyone looked around.

"I'm right here!"Darry called in from the kitchen and came out to meet the girl. She looked calm enough as she sat down next to Soda.

"Uh so where are you from?" Darry started the conversation lightly, but surely the tough questions were to come. Everyone leaned into her as she answered.

"My dad owns a farm in Browen, I was born and raised there, but when I turned thirteen I went to live with my uncle in New York. I was there until about a month ago when he sent me home and I couldn't stand my father after that, so I ran away." She looked around at our expressions. We were all in a bit of suspense until Steve pushed her for more information.

"It couldn't have been all that easy. Your dad just let you go away? And why'd you come here then?" She smiled and rambled on.

"No, my dad didn't want me to leave which is the "running away part" after my mom died though, he drinks a lot more. So before he went to the bar that night we got into a huge argument. I got mad and left then, and haven't looked back since. As for why here, it's sort of stupid actually. My family is spread all over the country and I have some in Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and here. When I bought a train ticket the abbreviation for Oklahoma on the station sign was OK so I chose that one."

Now, it was Pony's turn to question, "So how old are you anyway?"

"I turn sixteen in a month, June twenty-first." The rest of the evening went on in this sort of fashion everyone asking her the usual questions until her and Steve started rambling about cars. It had started innocently, but eventually the guys wanted to know what she was like I could tell because the tone of all our questions changed.

"So why were you in New York?" Soda asked.

"My uncle owns a garage up there. When I was eleven I figured out I liked working on cars, and he gave me a job doing just that." She seemed please the subject had turned and everyone caught a new wave. Everyone started to move more. Soda scooted closer on their couch, while I got up to get a root beer.

"You want a root beer, Hun?" Dallas looked at me expectantly when she accepted the offer.

"Yeah, actually when I was working there, this kid came in with a brand new Stingray," Soda and Steve's eyes lit up "he had trashed the thing though, the engine was completely wrecked and he didn't want it anymore. My uncle refused to buy it, so I offered the kid fifty bucks for it and I had it towed back to my home town."

"So that's it you just bought a corvette with no intentions of running it?" Soda seemed appalled at the idea.

"No, she's not stupid Soda," I told him as I handed her an orange cream soda. I remember her mentioning it was her favorite.

"Ha-ha thanks for the support Johnny. And no, Sodapop it's in my garage now. I bought a whole bunch of parts to fix it up and I'm just now getting around to it."

Steve all the sudden stood up and we gave him our attention.

"Sorry to interrupt you Jo, but I have to work tomorrow and it's eleven o'clock. So, I think we should invite Jolene here to be in our gang." I don't think anyone wanted to refuse so we all nodded.

"Uh, thanks guys but before I accept what does being in a gang constitute?" She looked confused, and so did we. No one had really ever asked that.

"Well, I guess just hanging out, looking out for each other. I'm not really sure if you would hold up in a rumble, no offense but I wouldn't want you to get hurt." We all looked at Darry; he never worried about anyone that openly before.

"Well then sure, what the hell. You guys don't have any like, rules do you?"

Two-Bit responded casually as if he were giving her advice. "Just stay away from the Shephard gang and you'll be fine girl. You need an escort home now?

I watched as they left for her house even though it was only around the corner. If she wasn't trying to look so tough she might have been jumping up and down, I smiled at the thought.