Hey everybody! I was having problems so I couldn't upload the chapter soon. I wrote a sentence or two involving some Johnny/Dallas. I personally am a fan of this ship. So enjoy and I only own my OC.

A week had passed since the play had been performed. The family had been proud of Nancy for such wonderful acting. In school, however, everyone still ignored the young girl. She didn't mind and decided to try out for more plays. Angela was upset about not getting the main female role, but she soon forgot about it. But her brothers were about to stir up some more trouble. Not with Nancy- but two people she cared about.

Ponyboy had been walking around town one night. After school, he'd taken a walk with Johnny around town. It was just something to enjoy the day with. Johnny needed to be away from his house that night. Just until things were quiet once again. The two walked on, until they hit the end of the Greaser territory. It wasn't by the lake that separated the two territories. A bridge was built to lead from one place to another. Why they built it was beyond the Socs and Greasers. Because it only caused trouble.

"I bet everything's okay by now," Johnny

said calmly.

He stepped inside and realized he was wrong. His mother was throwing things at his father again. Fists and words flew so fast it made Johnny run. Ponyboy noticed his best friend run out of the house. He knew it meant another night with the Curtis family. But Johnny declined his friend's offer, stating that Dallas wanted the boy to spend the night. Pony declared (shutting down the dark eyed boy's argument) that he'd walk him to Dally's place. As they walked, Johnny had something to tell his best friend.

"Ponyboy," he said," I need you to keep a secret."

The younger boy looked up at his friend and nodded. If anyone could keep a secret, Ponyboy was the first person to go for. He still had secrets from when he was three years old. Ones that had never slipped from his mind and mouth. Johnny looked ahead, down at the ground, then to the young boy. Now his secret would be known to one person.

"It's Dally," he said," I think I...if he were to- I just think Dallas is a really great guy."

Ponyboy knew Johnny had a tiny crush on Dallas. To him, it was plain to see. Everyone else (however) couldn't see it that easily. At least the boy confessed his secret crush now. They made their way to where Dallas lived. They waved to each other before Johnny headed inside. Ponyboy decided to take a walk by himself. He needed the time by himself. He walked over to the bridge and looked into the water.

He knew things were changing in his life. Darry was going off to college soon. Sodapop had a job and left school. He even had a girlfriend now. Nancy had a role in the school musical. She would be attending high school in two years . And Ponyboy was just starting middle school now. He knew after him, there wouldn't be another sibling. He would be the last Curtis child. He just felt it inside of him that he-

Something could be heard in the distance. Ponyboy turned his head and ran. A mustang was driving straight across the bridge! And Socs were in the car. They were close to Ponyboy. And when they got close enough, one got out of the car. The Greaser felt a hand grab his shoulder. He punched the Soc in the face, but was thrown into a wall by another one. In the street light, Ponyboy saw who it was.

He would have expected the Soc to be Bob Sheldon- the leader of the Soc gang. In the light, he realized it wasn't him. Instead stood a boy with a brown Semi-Beatle hair cut. He looked a little young to be driving, but it wasn't something to be worried about now. The Soc was Randy- Bob's right hand man. Here to beat up Greasers for no other reason but for fun.

"Great to see you here Ponyboy," Randy said, drinking from a bottle.

The young man tried to fight back. Unfortunately, he was smacked in the face. The Socs laughing when he tried fighting. Now it was time for another Greaser beating. Randy hit him once again. When Ponyboy tried to stand up, he was kicked down again. After kicking him down a few times, the big moment was to happen. Two taller Socs held the small Greaser down. Randy flipped out his switchblade and knelt next to Ponyboy.

"Looks like it's the end of the line Curtis," he hissed, holding the switchblade close to the Greaser's neck.

Before he could make a mark, sirens were heard. Everyone looked up as cops came in their cars. Socs holding down Ponyboy let go of him, running off. The Greaser (not wanting to be involved with the law) got up and headed in another direction. He could see the fuzz hauling Randy off in their car. He needed to head home to his family. He ran home and saw his family in the living room. His mother was crying as his father held her. Darry, Nancy and Sodapop were nowhere to be seen. Ponyboy quietly walked onto the porch and watched.

"He's probably hurt somewhere," his mother said," what if he's dead, Darrel?"

"Susan," he said," Ponyboy is a smart young man. He's going to be okay."

The young boy walked in and was immediately hugged by his sobbing mother. His father held his son tightly as well. Ponyboy opened his eyes to his siblings walking towards him. First Sodapop, then Nancy and lastly Darry. They held onto each other until his mother gasped. A bruise was at the side of his face.

"Ponyboy," his mother asked," what happened?"
He didn't know what to say. At first, he didn't want to make his family more upset than they were. Hearing about this might make them angry with (not only Randy) but his as well. In a moment, he realized that his mother taught him not to lie. So he told the story of how he'd been jumped by the Socs. Although it made them mad, the family decided to wait until tomorrow to sort this situation out.

The next day, the cops came to the Curtis door. They wanted to talk to Ponyboy about what happened. He told them everything he could before asking about Randy. Apparently, he was arrested for drinking underaged, driving underaged, and beating up the young boy. He would be locked up for a while. Everyone at school was shocked to hear about this. Soon (however) everyone forgot about the quarrel. Yet it wasn't the end.

Some time had gone by and finally- Nancy had officially turned thirteen years old. She could do things her older brothers had done. Things like going out more and hanging out with friends. Summer was already here- a perfect time for hanging out. The week after her birthday, she decided to spend the day walking around town. Her brother and Johnny wanted to see a movie, so she agreed to go with him. It wasn't like the drive-in, but they all enjoyed it. They saw the movie Hemmingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Nancy liked Hemmingway's books and Ponyboy's favorite actor (Paul Newman) was in the movie.

Once the film was over, the three headed just outside of town. Not in Soc territory, but

past it in a field behind their homes. It was a place their father proposed to their mother at. The place she told him about being pregnant with Darry. Only the Curtis family knew of this place. But Johnny- he was an exception. Their parents joked, calling it "Lonely Oak Hill" because one Oak Tree stood firmly on the hill. It was a quiet place to get away from drama. Ponyboy- when he was by himself- read there.

"That wasn't a bad movie," Johnny said," pretty decent."

Nancy and Ponyboy agreed to their close friend. She didn't see many movies but liked the ones she did see. Her favorite movie would always be Breakfast at Tiffany's. But movies weren't on their minds at the moment. Ponyboy wanted to ask his sister a question having to deal with a touchy subject for girls. He leaned against the branch he sat on to look down at the girl.

"I know you like one of the boys," he said.

His sister tensed up when he spoke. He was talking about four friends that were in their group. He knew it was true when she looked away. He saw her cheeks glow pink at the question. Although his sister kept denying the fact, Ponyboy wondered which boy it could be. Dallas, Steve, Two-Bit or was he here right now?

"Do you like Johnny?" he asked.

Nancy only looked away. She had to hide her feelings for Steve. He had a girlfriend for God's sake! They were only friends and nothing more. But Ponyboy kept on teasing his sister about Johnny. Finally, she had had enough.

"Cut the shit Pony," she said in a grumpy voice," I don't like Johnny as anything more than a friend."
Ponyboy shut his mouth for quite a bit. His sister never snapped at him like that. It came as a shock to hear her in that tone. He leaned against the tree and only looked down. Johnny played with his thumbs and didn't look up.

"Why not?" Johnny asked after a period of silence," I am pretty cute."
Ponyboy and Nancy looked at each other and smiled. The three pushed aside the bitter moment and laughed. Johnny loved the little hill and the tree that stood on it. The three stayed there, shoving their worries away. Ponyboy forgot about school, Nancy forgot her crush, and Johnny forgot life at home. All those times his parents screamed at him and beat him had gone away. When the sun went down, the three decided to head back.

"It's a nice little place," Johnny said as they walked home," calms me down, ya know?"

The siblings agreed with their friend. It was always a quiet place that held memories. And now, it was shared to a close friend. They passed Soc territory (without getting caught) and were almost to their homes. When the three had a feeling inside their minds. A feeling of something bad to occur. They quickened their pace, only to turn the corner and be met with a gang of SOcss. They held pipes and switchblades in their hands. They turned to see two boys alongside someone else. He looked like a semi-Beatle with his haircut- meaning he was Randy.