A/N: Thanks for reading and the reviews. Sorry for such short chapters on this story but I hope you're enjoying them anyway.

Saturday September 17th, 1966

I cannot cannot cannot CANNOT believe this! I don't know if I should be angry or thrilled. Mom handed me the morning paper when I got up and guess who is on the cover? Ponyboy! And Johnny and Dally too. They saved a bunch of kids from burning in a church. Johnny's still in the hospital. Dally too I think. I didn't really read the article. But that's not my problem. There was another paper with a picture of all the Curtis boys in it and even though Ponyboy was covered in grimy black stuff and the picture was in black and white I'm almost POSITIVE that his hair has been bleached BLOND. Two-Bit is going to hear from me for this, let me tell you.

Maybe I should be thrilled that they're calling a couple of kids from around here heroes, but really I don't know what to think about that. How can you be a killer and then a hero? Not that I like calling them killers but really that's what they are. But now they're heroes? Does doing one good thing cancel out the bad thing? Maybe they wont send them to prison. I don't even know if they were going to send them in the first place. They are still teenagers. Maybe they'll let them off because they're kids. Maybe they wont have to do anything, not if Johnny doesn't get better. I wonder how bad he really is. I hope he gets better. I never knew anybody to die before. I don't think I'd want to. Especially not somebody so young.

Mom has the afternoon off and wants me to go out with her. Maybe she wants to distract me from what's going on, but really I think she's trying to distract herself. I think she really loves a couple of my brother's friends. It kills her when stuff goes wrong with them but she's not going to interfere unless she has to. She doesn't have to.

LATER

Mom took me to the store so that we could do some shopping. Neither of us bought anything. I know we don't have much money so I never ask. If she offers to buy something then I know it's okay to get it, but I feel guilty taking money that isn't mine. The second I'm old enough to work I'll be getting myself a real cool job, one where I work around a lot of boys. I'll probably be a waitress at one of those places my brother hangs out. Things look pretty crazy down there and there are always a bunch of boys getting into real fights and scrapes but they're always complementing the girls, whistling to them and calling them names like "toots" and "sweetheart" and "babe". Some of the girls don't seem to like it. I can't see why. Maybe they think they're too old for those boys.

We did buy some lunch though and ate it at a bench in the park. Sometimes I forget how much fun just spending time with my mom can be. She really does love us, I know that. And she's funny too. I wonder if my brother got any of his sense of humor from our dad or if it all comes from our mother. I don't think much about my dad. It's easier not to. I don't know much about him and really I don't care to. Sometimes I do wish that he would come back just once so that I can tell him how much I hate him. But that wouldn't do any good. Mom has told me a few times that even though I might not believe this, things are actually nicer without my dad around. Things would have been a lot worse with him here. I can believe it, I just don't understand what was so bad about him. From what I remember he wasn't bad, he just wasn't good either. I don't think he wanted much to do with us while he was living with us. Doesn't matter though, I don't care, not anymore. We do okay on our own.

We didn't talk much about any of the stuff going on with the fire yesterday and Johnny being in the hospital and such. I don't know that she could have. I tried to ask her about it but she just told me not to worry and changed the subject. I wonder what she really thinks about it. Is she sad, scared or worried? Instead she ended up doing this thing that we used to do for fun when I was little, where we watch people from across the park and try and make up what they're saying. She had me laughing something crazy for awhile but now I don't remember most of it. It was like the second I got home I remembered everything else again. She had to go to work and I'm alone now. I hate being alone when I feel like this, like I'm empty. Empty because I don't know how to feel. I guess I shouldn't care so much since they aren't my friends but for some reason I do. I would be easier if I could talk to somebody about ANYTHING but there is no one else around and the TV can't distract me from my thoughts.

AFTER SUPPER

My brother came home for a while and the second he walked in the door I went up to him, holding the newspaper in my hands.

"What is this?" I demanded, shoving it in his face.

"Well it's black and white but I don't think it's a zebra."

I shoved the paper in his face. "Look!"

"Oh hey would you look at that… What's it to you?"

"Look at HIS hair!"

He didn't even take the paper before he burst out laughing, patting me on the head as he did.

"Well weren't you and Ponyboy just made for each other. Both of you gone and tried to bleach your hair out. I guess he got a little bit further than you but you know what they say, simple minds think alike!"

I was less than pleased with this. "I guess you didn't tell Ponyboy that he's going die from it, did you?"

"Not yet."

"That's okay," I said, moving towards the front door. "I'll just go tell him myself that he's going to die, or at least that his hair is going to fall out."

He yanked on my pigtail a little too roughly and pulled me back. "You say anything to him and I swear I'll scalp you so bad you'll wish you had been killed by peroxide." I didn't understand his sudden mood shift and it kind of scared me that he could turn so mean suddenly, especially since I was just kidding, but I didn't say anything else about it.

Pretty soon he was back to his usual self and he went off to get himself ready for the rumble. I don't see the point of showering when you're just going to go out and fight someone and get a lot dirtier than you started off but he seems to think it's necessary. While he was getting ready I called to him.

"Are you sure I can't come?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"I'm all alone here."

"Want me to call you a babysitter?"

"No. I'm old enough to baby-sit somebody else now."

"Then why don't you go do some babysitting and make some money? Goodness knows you spend enough time sitting around here all day. It's about time you starting contributing to this family."

"And what do you do?"

He popped his head out the bathroom door. "See that candy bar you're eating?"

"Yeah."

"I got that."

I rolled my eyes. "Somebody ought to give you a metal."

He laughed. "It ain't me they're going to give a metal to."

"You're friends though?" I figured that's what he meant. I had to ask, "Are they okay."

He was quiet for a minute. Then finally he said, "Sure." I couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

I got quiet then. Suddenly he came running out of the bathroom, put his arms around my waist and pulled me off of the couch.

"You worried about Johnny now too?" he asked happily.

"I'm just wondering."

"First Pony, then Soda, now Johnny! You really do get around, don't you kid? Next thing you know it will be Steve, and then god forbid, Darry!"

"I never said - what do you mean Ponyboy?"

He tossed me down on the couch and grinned, repeating what I had said. "'What do you mean Ponyboy?' You know what I mean."

I didn't know what he meant and I wanted him to know that I do NOT like Ponyboy but he wouldn't listen. Everytime I tried to tell him that he would just go "No!" or "Sure, sure," and I couldn't make him believe differently.

I begged him to let me go to the rumble but he wouldn't give in. Finally, when he was just about out the door he turned to me, "Look, when the rumble's over I'll come home and let you know how it went, alright?"

I nodded. "Alright." It isn't' as good as going to the rumble but I think he looked kind of sorry when he left me, so I'll give him that much.

I DON'T KNOW THE TIME

Two-Bit didn't come home right after the rumble. I waited and waited for him and finally he got here, just before Mom did. I asked him how it went but he didn't say anything. I guess the Greasers lost. I didn't know this meant that much to him. He looks too sad about it. Now I feel kind of sorry.