Author's Notes

Oh snap! Another chapter!

Alright, thank you all for your input! Good to know I'm keeping everyone in character.

Bromance over romance it is! :)

(I was leaning more towards that choice myself.)

The Outsiders belongs to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 6 :: Snowy Roads

When the bell finally rang, Pony jumped out of his seat and made a beeline for the door. He wanted to get out of there and do something with the gang. He didn't really care what they did, he just wanted to do something. He felt like a celebration was in order, even if there was nothing to celebrate. Maybe it was just cause they all seemed content with life lately, and that had never happened before.

On his way to his locker, he hear faint whimpering, despite the loud bustle of crowds. He zoned into the small sounds and looked for the source. His eyes landed on the ever so popular, head cheerleader, Cherry Valance. She had her face hidden by her locker door, and she seemed like she was trying to hide her obvious sobs. He slowed his pace as he neared her, wondering how such a beautiful gal was allowed to shed a tear.

Then he remembered Bob, and how he was murdered just last night. Bob was her boyfriend, and though he was a complete jackass, he was good to her (when he wasn't drunk, at least).

He noticed himself coming to a stop, and soon he was standing behind her, contemplating if he should say anything or not.

'I'm a greaser, she won't wanna be seen talkin' to the likes of me.' He thought to himself. 'But she looks so sad.'

He thought it three times over, and before he could make up his mind, Cherry turned around. A look of surprise on her tear stained face.

"What do you want?" She asked defensively.

"What? Oh, uh..." Pony's mind suddenly went blank. He couldn't think of anything to say. "I just... well, y-you see... I mean.." He stuttered out, his cheeks turning several shades of pink.

"Well if you don't have anything to say, then go away and leave me alone. I'm not in the mood, grease!"

"Hey, I never did nothin' to you! What's with the attitude!" He shot back without thinking. He immediately regretted it. 'Damn it Pony, use your head! This is what Darry's always talkin' about!'

It made him feel like a fool when he saw her strong defiance melt into hurt again. He hated himself in that moment.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that... It's just, I saw you were cryin' and I wanted to make sure you were okay is all."

There was a moment where she just stared at him, her sad eyes unsure. Pony waited patiently, trying to show as much reassurance in his gaze as he could gather.

"It's alright. I guess I snapped first anyway... I'm sorry too, it wasn't right of me." She finally answered. Her voice was soft and sweet this time.

"Don't worry about it." Pony shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets coolly. "Been called worse things. Treated worse too."

He could see a sorry look in her eyes and he quickly changed the subject. He didn't like being pitied. "So, I heard about what happened to Bob. I'm real sorry. S'that why you were cryin?"

Cherry's face fell once more at the mentioning of her dead boyfriend. She bit her lip to hold back the tears and nodded lightly.

"Aw, please don't start cryin again. I hate it when girls cry." Pony pleaded.

Cherry chuckled a bit and shook her head. "I'm not real used to the idea of crying either. It's just... well, Bob was special to me. I can't believe he's really gone, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I've had my fair share of losses myself. But hey, don't worry about it too much. There's plenty of fish in the sea. 'Sides, Bob would want you to be happy, no matter what." Pony honestly didn't know what he was talking about. He only ever knew the drunk, abusive side of Bob. He had no idea what he was like with other socs. And even though he hated the guy for hurting Johnny so bad, he wanted to say something nice to make Cherry smile.

And it worked. A smile made its way across her beautiful face.

"Thanks..." She started, but trailed off when she realized she didn't even know this boy's name.

"Name's Ponyboy. Ponyboy Curtis. But you can just call me Pony."

"Oh... Well, thank you Pony." She finished. He was surprised she didn't mention anything about his name or make fun of him for it. That made her even more attractive in that moment.

"It's no big deal. Just keep that pretty head held high and plow your way through this mess of a thing we called life, and you'll do just fine." And with that, Pony gave her a friendly smirk and made his way down the halls.

A sense of undeniable pride washed through him as he walked, not bothering to look back. He not only got to talk to the prettiest girl in the school, but he also made said pretty girl smile.

Cherry watched the mysterious young boy walk away, the smile still present on her face. There was a sense of coolness and sincerity about him that she admired. She didn't know him, and sure, he was a greaser. But he was different, and she didn't just mean his name. He was the kind of different she liked.

The kind of different that was hard to find.

← ○ • § • • § • ○ →

Ponyboy walked home in the best mood he'd been in since his parents died. And it felt amazing. It didn't matter that he was freezing half to death or that his feet had gone numb 10 minutes ago. He was positive he made a great first impression in front of Cherry, and it was Friday, so he was allowed to put aside his homework and do something he wanted to do.

Things were going great. He loved life right now, and nothing could bring him down right now. He was on top of the world, and everything was great! He hadn't felt like this in so long, he never wanted to let go of the feeling. He half wondered if it was just the early stage of hypothermia, but he honestly didn't care right now.

He suddenly heard wheels tearing down the snow-covered street up ahead, and wondered who would be nuts enough to be driving like that when there was fresh, sloshy snow covering the road. He had to take another glance when he saw Darry's truck flying towards him, and he quickly got to the opposite side of the road.

He slid to a halt when he got to Pony, nearly swerving off the road. Pony stared up, shocked at Darry's wreckless bewhavior when he got to the truck. He saw Dally in the front with him and Two-Bit and Johnny in the back. They all looked a bit flustered, and he was confused.

"Darry..." He started, but he was interrupted by him. "No time to explain, just get in the truck. Hurry!"

Without another thought Pony jumped in the back, next to Johnny, who looked like he was about to puke.

Before he even got the door shut all the way, Darry shot down the road. He never drove like this, especially in the snow. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. And the amazing feelings he'd had moments before had vanished, and a tightness formed in his throat.

"Guys..." He started, breaking the tense silence. He was almost afraid to continue his sentence. "What's going on?"

"It's... it's Soda..."

Pony's throat tightened further, making it difficult for him to breathe. He could feel his heart start pounding harder as he waited for Darry to continue.

"He's in the hospital..."

End Notes

I thought you guys deserved another chapter considering I made you wait so long for the last one. :)

Hope you enjoyed! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this. I certainly like it better than the last one.