I only wish I owned the canon stuff.

"Soda… pull over," I told him, placing a hand on his arm. He was driving like a madman, still fuming over his argument.

"We ain't at the park yet, Sandy."

"Soda," I urged, scooting closer to him. "Pull over." He shook his head, staring straight ahead. I placed my hand on his leg and squeezed. "C'mon, baby, slow down and pull over."

He shifted his leg, shifting the weight from the gas to the brake and slowing down.

I nodded, urging him to continue slowing down. "Pull over," I whispered.

He swallowed hard and turned the wheel, pulling over and placing the truck in park. "We're not at the park." He didn't even look at me as he said it.

"That's okay. We're close enough." I made him face me and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to drop out?" He jerked his face out of my grasp and stared out the window instead. "Talk to me…"

"I ain't smart," he mumbled and jerked open his door, climbing out and slamming it shut. I just sat there.

"He slammed the door and you just sat there?" Jamie asked, chomping on her gum, her face twisted in confusion and disgust.

"No."

"Well then what'd you do?"

"It was one of those actions that hit you after the fact. However, at the moment…"

I slid over to his seat and opened the door following him out. He was leaning against the front of the truck, fumbling with a cigarette. I walked over to him and stood next to him, leaning against the truck as well. "It doesn't light itself you know… You have to strike a match or somethin'," I told him, a slight bite to my voice.

He looked at it and scowled before throwing it angrily. "Thanks," he muttered.

I crossed my arms over my chest, and huffed. He couldn't stand people being mad at him—that was half the reason for his cheerful and flirty disposition. The other half was just him being him. "You're welcome," I snapped and started to walk away.

"Where're you goin'?" he called after me. Soda was too easy.

"The park." I smirked, although he couldn't see. All he saw was my shrug and the sway of my hips as I continued to walk away.

I heard him kick the curb and trot after me. "Sandy, wait…" I stopped when I reached the entrance to the park and turned to face him.

"We're at the park now Soda. You gonna talk to me?"

He scowled and walked past me, stopping at a nearby tree. "It ain't like that."

I walked over to him and placed my hands on his arms, frowning. "What's it like then, huh?" He didn't say anything; he just turned away from me. "Soda?" Still no answer. I stuck my hands underneath his shirt and scratched his back—he loved that. "Talk to me, baby…"

"Your hands are cold…" he told me.

I moved my hands to his stomach and felt him shiver. "You're the one who wanted to get out of the truck."

His warm hands grabbed mine, and held them tight. "I'll make 'em warm then…" he replied.

"Soda?"

"Hmmm?" He absently rubbed his thumbs against my fingers.

"Talk to me."

He turned, letting go of my hands and facing me. "I'm failin', Sandy. There ain't no point in me stayin'…" He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"That's not the only reason you want to dropout. I know you. If it were just grades you would've told me by now."

"What's the point of me stayin'?

"What's the point of you leavin'?" I countered and crossed my arms, sitting on the ground. It was cold.

Soda sat down next to me. "We're sinkin', Sandy." He paused, looking up at the stars. "I still don't get what Pony sees in stars."

"What do you mean you're sinkin'?"

"We're sinkin'… financially… family wise… we're just sinkin'…" He paused, placing his head in the crook of his elbow. "This isn't how it's supposed to be." He was silent for a few moments. "I'm not goin' to college anyway. Ponyboy will—me an' Darry'll make sure of it. But Darry don't make near enough. We're runnin' out of money. Darry only makes about two thirds of what Dad used to make and we already cut into Mom's stash of emergency money from her job…" He punched the ground. "I might as well make myself useful. School isn't useful."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged. "I want to be useful, Sandy. I'm not useful in school. I'm useful at the DX."

"No matter what you do, Soda, you'll be useful." I stuck my hand under his shirt again and started scratch his back, looking up at the stars and thinking about them. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke again. "They're mysterious. They can twinkle all they want, be studied all they want, but no one knows what they really are."

Soda lifted his head, looked at me obviously confused, and chuckled. "What're you talkin' about?"

"The stars. I don't know if that's what Pony sees in 'em, but that's what I see in 'em."

Soda put his arm around me. "Glory but you're freezin'!" I leaned against him, the hand previously scratching his back now tucked into the waist of his jeans.

Jamie smirked. "Hands… in his pants? Dang Sandy… in a public place too."

"Sandy?" he whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"You wouldn't think of me any different if I dropped out would you?" he asked.

I pulled away from him so that I could look at him properly. "No, I'd like you just the same."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ears and kissed me. I could feel him shaking slightly as he pressed his forehead against mine. "Sandy?" he breathed.

I placed my cold hands on his cheeks, steadying him as I kissed him. "Yeah?"

"I… uh…"

I kissed him again and chuckled slightly. "Out with it, boy."

"I love you."

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