Wow, it feels . . . like it's been so long . . . Man, we're already on double digits . . . Well I hope you guys like this chapter! BEcause I sure do! Sorry for any spelling mistakes.

THIRD POV

(FOCUSED ON CLARA)

Clara Whittmore was an only child.

For most of her life she had been alone. And when she wasn't, she would occasionally play dolls with one of her many maids. Her parents were too busy to pay much attention to her, but she couldn't complain because if it weren't for them, she wouldn't be rich. And that was all that mattered to her.

You could say that nothing really bothered Clara, but then that would be a lie. Because what annoyed Clara more than not getting what she wanted, was Ali Sheldon.

The feeling was mutual for both girls. But what Ali had, was self control. Ali knew when to stop. She knew when jokes became too insulting or that if someone wanted to be left alone. Clara however, didn't. So, of course, that was her own downfall.

Clara had seen the scene that had played out at the restaurant. Clara thought that Ali had deserved that slap from her brother, even though she hadn't really heard the whole conversation. It seemed logical to slap her. Hell, she'd slap herself if she made the horrible mistake of even looking at the greasers. What Ali had done, had been too much. She was insulting the rich by hanging out with the poor, who Clara thought were lowlifes. There were seen by lowlifes by a lot of other people too, so that wasn't really a problem.

Adults, especially saw them as that, but then again, in those times if adults didn't see that someone was like them, they would cut them down.

Ah, it was such a sad thing.

But when Ali had broken down crying, it seemed funny to her. Not that crying was a good thing, because Clara herself had cried when she hadn't gotten the puppy that she had really wanted and she had felt empty for a short while, but seeing that the happy, cheerful Ali was crying, now that was unusual.

Of course, to Clara, it wasn't an opportunity she could just pass up. It was just too good, actually. She had followed both Cherry and Ali, but she hadn't actually stepped inside the restaurant. No way, it wasn't her cup of tea.

Clara had actually thought that waiting for hours outside on a humid day had been all for nothing. That was before she saw the fight, but after, she shut herself up and called herself the luckiest girl in the world. (But she already knew that long before she had even began to remember to think, but that was another story) Clara had to make fun of Ali of course, because she was sure that there would never be a another chance to. She had been waiting for a long time.

And you know what really dropped the bombshell? The one thing that was absolutely hilarious?

The fact that Ali wasn't crying along.

Oh no. Not in Cherry's arms either.

She was crying in the arms of a dark, skinny wimp-like greaser. Oh, this was just getting better and better. Clara thought mentally giggling like a maniac. But she couldn't exactly waltz up there and make fun of her. At least, not re were more greasers around. She would have to wait until she was alone . . . that would probably be soon.

She saw Cherry and Ali excuse themselves and head outside. Perfect.

X - X - X - X - X

It didn't take long enough for them to get into their car and just sit there. They were probably talking how this night had gotten from fairly okay to horrible. Clara smiled to herself.

Cherry was all talk and no act. Or, however that saying went.

Anyways, this was her time to shine now. And nothing was going to stop her.

She walked right up to them, not even bothering to knock. She let herself in, and jumped right in the back of Cherry's car.

"Hello ladies," she smiled. "Fancy meeting you here. Were you guys also trying to find some dirt on the greasers or was that just me?" She asked sweetly.

Cherry whirled around and snorted. "What are you doing here Clara? Why are you even in my car? Oh, did your friends abandoned you and you were forced to try and make friends with some greasers? Sorry for being so inconsiderate."

Clara narrowed her eyes, before rolling them. "Oh please. Why would they want to leave someone like me? I have everything."

"Yeah, you have everything except some compassion for other people who aren't like you." Ali replied coldly. She took her time in turning. Her eyes were red and her voice was stuffy. She didn't seem to be so happy to see that Clara was here. "What do ya want Clara? Can't ya see that we don't want ya here? Now scram, before one I get some greasers to make ya."

Clara laughed wholeheartedly. "Oh Ali. It seems like hanging out with the greasers has finally started to rub off you. You can't even pronounce your words correctly."

She scowled. "Yeah, so what if that's true? At least . . ." Her voice faltered.

"Well at least for me, I'm not going to be shunned by my parents." Clara smartly finished for her.

"It almost seems," She paused. "Like you're starting to become a greaser."

Cherry gasped.

Ali recoiled and wiped her eyes.

"So what? Is that supposed to make me feel bad? They're people too." Ali whispered.

"Yeah, people who get into trouble too much. Not to mention that they're like wild animals, they live lives of crime too." Clara smiled. "They're bums and losers. I bet all the greaser population has never even gone to college."

Ali remembered Pony and his brother. Darry. She'd heard that he hadn't been able to go to college. He seemed young too . . .

She snapped back to reality. "Well at least they're better than more than half of us."

"Us?" Clara had the nerve to laugh. She laughed. "Us? Please, you're acting like a greaser more everyday. And you're actually enjoying yourself when you spend time with them." She clapped her hands. "Doesn't that make you a greaser?"

Cherry hissed. "Then aren't you technically a snob? "

She laughed.

"No," Ali protested weakly. "I-. No." She shook her head. "What really makes you a greaser? What really makes you a Soc? I mean, it isn't just wealth status right? We're people."

Clara rolled her eyes. "What are you doing? You can't go all professional on me." She hopped off their car. "It isn't like you would understand anyways, because you're family-"

THIRD POV

(FOCUSED ON ALI)

"Don't you dare say anything about my family." Ali screeched out. "You don't know anything."

Ali could feel her heart beating faster, he face heating up. Clam down, calm down. You know what she's trying to do. She's trying to get you riled up.

Clara smiled dangerously. "Oh, please I know more about you than you could imagine." She got closer and closer and Ali felt her heart beat faster and faster. "I know about your dad too."

That's what it took for Ali to explode. No, no, no. She can't know about him. How does she know about him?

Cherry of course tried to hold her back, but she was no match for an angry Ali. When Ali got angry, she got angry. It was a rare thing really, so she really couldn't control herself.

Ali couldn't really stop herself. She could only see red. No! She can't know! How does she know!

She jumped out of the car and landed on Clara, who was so surprised she didn't even let out a whimper. Not until she landed on the floor with a loud thud. That seemed to have snapped her out of it.

"My skirt!" She screamed. "This is a new skirt and the ground is absolutely disgusting!"

Cherry opened her door and took off her heels, throwing them in the car. She ran inside the store.

"What did you say about my father?" Ali hissed.

"I said I know about your father."Clara knocked her off onto her back. "Please, isn't it obvious?"

"What's obvious?" Ali strained out as Clara held her by the wrists.

Her back was digging into the rocks and she felt vulnerable. Her hair felt dirty and she smelled the gasoline on the ground.

You could say the fight was like any other fight. It was a girl fight. Nails and claws. Pulling hair, and ripping clothes. Occasionally there would be a few punches thrown, they were mostly thrown by Ali. She hadn't been hanging out with the boys for nothing. She'd seen them fight. She seen the boys throw playful, but hard punches. So, that's what she did. Well, not punching, but slaps that sent painful waves down Clara's back.

That was until Clara got an advantage when Ali's hair was tugged, and punched her in the stomach. It send her flying. Her hands were shaking. She felt jumpy. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her body. But she could also feel the air being knocked out of her.

She stumbled right into Cherry's car and gripped the side. Anger was starting to fade, replaced by desperation. She couldn't lose this fight. For if she did, she would feel even more like a loser than she already felt.

FIRST POV

(FOCUSED ON JOHNNY)

By the time all us were getting ready to leave, Cherry burst in through the doors. She looked out of breath and she wasn't wearing shoes. Which was even stranger because the parking lot was full of dirt and it was dirty and Cherry was a Soc. Socs didn't do unclean stuff.

Well anyways, Pony had explained to me that he had been hoping that I would get with Ali, because she was a good person. She was a good person, but just not for me. She was too good for me. I thought Pony saw that.

And not to mention. She was a Soc. No way a Soc, or any girl would want to be with me. I had a horrible life at home. And Dally didn't exactly like Socs. Or Soc girls hanging around me. He didn't like girls distracting me from school. Not that I went to school much anyways.

"Johnny, Ponyboy, guys, go outside quickly. It's Ali. I need help."

The nervousness and sheer tone of Cherry's voice made me scared. The way she had been looking, her hair a little bit disheveled, her feet dirty and without shoes, and the way she had called for our attention. Now, that had shaken me up.

Especially when she mentioned Ali and that she need our help. Cherry bolted over to where we lay immobile and grabbed onto Pony's arm. But she looked at me.

"We have to get outside quickly, before it's too late." She said and pulled Pony along.

I caught sight of Soda throw us a glare, but it wasn't a glare. It was more like a playful one. But Pony didn't see it, and I pretended not to either.

As soon as we all stepped outside, I wondered how Cherry had managed to magically walk all the way to inside of the store. I didn't even see her car. It was too dark.

My legs were feeling like jello and my heart was beating hard against my chest. Ali made me feel like I wasn't the only one who was having troubles. She would understand me the most, well more than Pony could. He couldn't relate to being hurt by his family.

Cherry, but Cherry, where were her shoes?

Cherry's car was parked almost all the way in the back. I would have guessed that it was there, so that it wouldn't be seen. So that greasers or other people didn't get any ideas while the girls were gone. It was a nice car. Red and sleek. New too.

What surprised me more than seeing Ali break down in my arms and hug me, was that she was fighting with another girl. They weren't exactly fighting like the boys would, or how others would when they would get jumped or start a fight. They were slapping each other and throwing punches, and pulling at each other's hair.

Ali threw in some good ones, but it wasn't enough for the other girl.

I didn't like fighting. I don't like it at all. It hurt to see that the girl and Ali were throwing fairly hurtful punches at each other.

Pony and Cherry helped separate them. I didn't. I didn't want to risk getting hit by the girl, because if she hit me, she wouldn't care at all, and I didn't need to feel that. I already felt enough at home.

Cherry had basically thrown Clara off of Ali. Pony and Cherry had to hold Ali back. I didn't want to tell her anything because if she wanted to fight, she could. I wasn't stopping her.

I also didn't want to get on her bad side . . . .

Both girls had really gone at it. I didn't know how one could manage to not break her nails fighting. The girl's name was Clara. I had heard Ali hiss it out.

Now that she mentioned it, I had heard about her in school Clara didn't break her nails, she didn't scream, or yell when Ali had gotten her good. But at school, now that was another story. When she broke or even chipped her nail, she would go out and scream.

Did Clara come here with some other girls?

What was she even doing here?

Had she happened to somehow walk here all alone?

Did one of the Socs drop her off?

My thoughts were interrupted when Clara spoke.

"You better not even get close to Jason," Clara had whimpered, and touched her stomach, "I bet he'll be real disappointed in you when he finds out that you defended these greaser scum." She spat at my feet, merely missing my torn shoes and scampered away into the night.

Wow, how dramatic.

Cherry was talking to Ponyboy in what seemed like a very good conversation. I didn't want to bother them, so I decided to let them bond too.

I walked up to the worn out Ali. "Who's Jason?" I asked warily. I hoped she wasn't dating anyone, I hadn't seen her with any guys. Unless you count Two-Bit, otherwise by all means, he was basically her shadow.

She looked up. "Oh, he was just a good friend of mine. They were dating before but they broke up for some reason. I think that Clara really hates me because I was friends with him." She breathed out.

"Maybe she was jealous that she wasn't as caring and understanding as you." I replied.

And she laughed. "Yeah."

"But maybe she just doesn't want someone ugly making Jason uncomfortable. He kinda just drifted apart from me a while ago."

I was about to tell her that she didn't look ugly and that she was as pretty as Cherry when a voice called out. Loud and clear.

It was another girl. And the rest of the gang.

Ali moved away from me to Cherry and pulled her away from Pony. I heard their conversation.

THIRD POV

(FOCUSED ON ALI)

"Hey Marcia! Over here!" Two-Bit called out. He had a bruise forming on his cheek, but he seemed happy.

Dally and some other greasers were laughing and probably mimicking Bob's weak punches. They had come back smoking and slapping themselves on the back. Another Soc down, about half the town to go.

Ali spun around. "Did Marcia know about this? Oh no, it would've been so rude if she knew we didn't invite her!" She started to breath harder. The punch to the stomach must've gotten her harder than she had expected.

Cherry smiled. "Of course she knew, but she couldn't come earlier. Two-Bit told asked me to invite her."

"When did you talk to Two-Bit? I thought you didn't like him?" Ali sighed. "Oh, you know what don't answer those questions. Well now she'll see me differently. Do you think she saw the fight?" Ali whispered. "She definitely saw the fight, I mean everyone saw it."

She touched her face. She could already feel a bruise forming from Clara's harsh slap. She could still feel her nails, as she scraped away at her skin.

Wow, she for once was proud that she had actually gotten in a fight, and won. Well not technically winning, because Clara had backed off hissing out insults, but she had backed off.

Ali sighed. "Man, I want to go home now. I feel disgusting, and I have no doubt about it that I look like I have gone through a mud bath." She tied her hair and laughed coldly. "Can you believe her? She called me ugly, I think I can see that right now."

Johnny and Ali were alone just hanging around, sitting on the steps, Johnny took his chance to speak.

"No, Ali, you're perfect," Johnny cut in immediately, surprising her. "Don't ever say that again, because though you may not see it, you're perfect for me."

He blushed. "Sorry, I mean is that when you clean yourself up a bit, you look even prettier,"

I bet I look like crap. My hair feels dirt and it's tangled.

Ali smiled sincerely. "Thank you Johnny," she whispered.

Now, if only she saw that herself.

"You're perfect for me too."

Johnny sadly smiled. "Oh Ali, you have no idea."

They hugged and that was it. If Two-Bit had been there, he probably would have been dramatically crying and saying that she hadn't confessed her love for Dally. His wails probably would've been heard for miles. Dally would've punched his lights out for even mentioning that he, a greaser would allow himself to be confessed to, by a Soc.

X - X - X - X - X

The next night, when Bob had gotten better and gotten the strength to remember, he told on Ali. He told on her like a little kid, a little kid who didn't know any better. You could say that Bob got his revenge. But of course Bob was just being the normal annoying brother that thought, just because he was older, he could boss around a younger sibling. All brothers think they have a right to, it didn't matter if they were younger or older.

He was being the annoying, overprotective, know-it-all brother. So of course he didn't know what he had done to Ali. He didn't know that he had basically gotten her a death wish.

But he was eventually bound to find out soon, because these past few days, his father wasn't being too quiet when he slept.

Ali, you could say was not going to be going to school for probably a week. Maybe her father could write the school a letter that she would be staying over with family because her dear grandmother was sick, and she was really close with her grandmother.

This was all but the truth. Ali hated her grandmother but the school didn't ask questions about rich family's needs. So for her father, that was perfect.

TIME SKIP

"Where's Ali?" Johnny had asked for the third time today, but this time it was towards Cherry,

"She's taking the week off. I heard that her grandmother is sick." Cherry said.

She looked at Pony. "I just don't know why she would go and visit her grandmother though. Even for a week. That's a long time. She hates her grandmother."

Pony nodded. "Maybe she didn't have a choice. I mean if my grandmother was sick, even if I didn't knew her that well, I would go."

Cherry sighed. "Yeah I guess."

She turned to Johnny. "Where were you yesterday? I didn't see you at school."

Johnny blushed. "My dad got mad at me for staying out too late."

Ponyboy nodded to him, but Cherry didn't get it.

"So? I would wish that I got to stay home when my parents got mad at me." She paused.

"Wait! Did you go and visit Ali? Aw, that's sweet. My dad doesn't like it when I went to my boyfriend's house."

Pony tensed up.

"He used to ground me and force me to stay home. I couldn't call either."

Both boys looked at each other.

"Yeah Cherry. Sure."

I was writing this, like not on Google, and when I tried to publish it, it crashed and I was just staring at my screen like WHAT THE F-

Well, anyways I had it saved (I thought I didn't and I panicked) I legit almost cried.

I also didn't know how to end this, so sorry for the crappy ending.