The noise that usually occupied the station was nonexistent as Sodapop rested beneath the red corvette. A wrench rested lightly between his fingers as he stared up at the numerous items above him. His mind, however, wasn't on the car above him. His thoughts had drifted away from that topic long ago and instead he had found a more relaxing and peaceful topic to dwell on. As this topic began to expand and grow in his mind, he heard the door nearby open and heard approaching footsteps.

As a loud knocking noise sounded above him, Soda sighed before pushing himself out from beneath the car. His eyes turned to look at his best friend as he waited on some sort of explanation. "Can I help you?" he questioned as a grin crossed briefly over his face before it disappeared. He was too far gone in his thoughts to place too much importance on Steve's arrival.

"Question is can I help you," Steve replied calmly as he looked at the car. His hand ran over the red paint before he glanced at his friend. "You ain't done nothin' on it. Did a car finally stump you or are you too preoccupied with somethin' else?"

"I'm fine, just takin' my time."

"Why?"

"Got nothin' else to do today," Sodapop pointed out with a small laugh before he slid back beneath the car. "What're you doin' here so early anyways?"

Steve shrugged slightly as he dropped a few things down on a nearby bench. Glancing around at the deserted place, he remained silent for a few more moments before glancing at his friend again. "Figured you'd want company."

"I'm fine…"

"You ain't fine, Soda. What's buggin' you?"

Sodapop shook his head slowly before sighing. Sliding out from beneath the car once more, he looked at his friend momentarily before getting up. "You ever think about them?"

"Who?"

"You know, the Socs."

"No," Steve replied carelessly as he sat back on the bench. "Why?"

"Don't know, just can't stop thinkin' about them."

"The girls?"

"Yeah.."

Steve shook his head slowly as he let the silence emerge between them once more. He wasn't certain what to say to his friend, mostly after the events that had happened at the rodeo the weekend before.

"Hey Steve."

"Yeah?"

"Think I could call them?" Soda questioned after a few minutes before glancing at his friend uncertainly. Sure, he was good at picking up girls of his own kind, but these girls were different. They were Socs and even he knew that they were most likely out of his league.

Steve shook his head slowly in response to his friend's question, finding no need to explain his answer. It was common sense that Greasers just didn't pick up Socs.

"That's what I thought," Soda replied quietly before returning to what he was doing. "It was a stupid thought anyways," he muttered to himself as he slipped back beneath the car. There was only one problem with the statement he had made, though; he knew it was stupid, yes, but that never had stopped him before. Soda was determined to at least attempt the impossible at least once.

"How long do you think it'll be before the car is ready?" Cindy asked her cousin quietly as they walked toward Cherry's house. For some reason, Cherry had refused the ride that Bob had offered them and that left Cindy walking in the freezing winter weather. She wasn't accustomed to this kind of cold and she was slightly annoyed at her cousin for denying her the privilege of riding in a car.

"Don't know."

"They didn't tell you?"

Cherry shook her head slowly as they passed by a few middle-class teens who were talking animatedly about something that had happened earlier that day. Sighing softly, Cindy realized her cousin wouldn't continue on with the conversation any longer and therefore she dropped it.

However, it was impossible to forget the cold wind that continued to beat furiously against her face and it was hard to ignore the fact that her body was freezing more than it had ever froze before. Unable to endure the coldness any longer, Cindy began to quicken her pace, hoping it'd at least keep her warm until she reached her aunt and uncle's house.

This theory, though, was incorrect and before she had even made a block she had to slow her pace down once more. Her entire body was shaking by this time and she could tell her cousin was equally as cold. "Cherry, why couldn't we have just ridden in the car?"

"Because…"

"Because why?" she pressed, her teeth chattering slightly. "I'm cold, Cherry, and I'm going to get sick."

"You are not," Cherry chided quickly before she could stop herself. After the realization of what she had just said sank in, though, she sighed softly. "It's just that I'm trying to avoid Bob until I can figure out a way to break up with him."

"You're doing what!?"

"I'm breaking up with him," Cherry repeated. "I just can't take this relationship anymore. He's always drinking or beating people up. It isn't fun anymore and I don't want to be associated with him when he's like this…"

"Oh…" Cindy replied quietly as she continued to walk. "Who're you going to date now?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…" Cherry replied, a thoughtful look appearing on her face, "Probably no one."

"Could always date a Greaser," Cindy teased, glancing toward her cousin in time to see a smile appear on her face.

"I don't think so."

"Never know," Cindy replied, her thoughts drifting back to the daydreams that had been going through her mind for awhile now. She couldn't help but think about Sodapop and Steve and how well they'd get along with her and her cousin. However, she didn't dare mention these thoughts to Cherry; after all, Greasers were off limits as far as everyone else was concerned.

Ponyboy sat quietly in the living room, his eyes staring unseeingly at the wall across from him. His thoughts were everywhere, making it impossible for him to focus on any one topic. As he heard footsteps approaching from the kitchen, his eyes flashed quickly toward the intruder and once he recognized the person as Johnny, his gaze turned back toward the wall.

The silence remained between them for a few moments until he heard Johnny walk toward him and felt the area beside him move down some as his friend sat down.

"What's eatin' you?"

Ponyboy, however, only shook his head in reply to his friend's statement. For once, things were reversed. Usually it was him asking Johnny what was wrong and Johnny remaining silent. This time, though, Ponyboy simply couldn't make himself talk.

"Pony…"

"I don't know, Johnny."

Johnny nodded slowly as he rested back against the couch, looking off into space for a few moments before glancing at his friend. "It's them Socs from the rodeo?"

"Guess you could say that."

Johnny nodded once more as he attempted to figure out what else to say to his friend. It seemed, at this moment, that Ponyboy wasn't going to give him a hint to what was wrong and that only meant he had to figure it out on his own.

"Was it them girls?"

"Yeah…"

"The brunette?"

"Yeah…" Ponyboy replied quietly as he glanced toward his friend. "Just can't stop thinkin' bout her."

"You talk to Soda about her?"

Ponyboy slowly shook his head. It was impossible to explain to Johnny just how uncomfortable he felt talking to Sodapop about the new girl. It seemed next to impossible. "I can't."

"Thought you two told each other everything."

"We do, usually, it's just that I can't talk to him about her."

"Oh…" Johnny replied quietly as the screen door flew open.

Glancing up, the two friends watched as Sodapop and Steve entered into the living room. They had apparently called it quits early that day and neither of them seemed to be in too talkative a mood. Deciding that he wasn't going to cause any more noise than there needed to be, Ponyboy remained silent, letting his thoughts get away with him again.