A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I'm going on vacation in Italy very soon, so I won't be able to update until early in July, I apologize for that!

Please review and let me know what you think! :) Stay gold. x

XxX

*Mary's POV*

"What the hell, Pony?"

"Shh.. Quiet, you might wake her up."

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

"She just showed up. I couldn't just leave her out."

"Did you guys use condoms?"

"Jeez, Two-Bit, cut it out will ya?"

I was awoken to the sound of voices. It took me a while to remember where I was. I was lying on a couch. The room I was in smelled a bit of cigarette. Strange, I thought. My uncle and my aunt didn't smoke. And what in God's name am I doing on a couch? Then, it hit me.

I sat up abruptly. I was in the Curtis living room. How long had I been asleep? The clock on the wall opposite of me read eleven o'clock.

"Where's the fire, pretty woman?" came a voice on my right. That's when I realized that I wasn't alone.

Ponyboy was sitting on the couch at my feet, and sprawled out all over the living room, were six other greasers. Two of them I hadn't seen at school before, the four others being familiar. I recognized Johnny, sitting next to a mean-looking greaser. A sudden surge of fear paralyzed me to the spot.

"Good mornin', Sleeping Beautay!" said the same guy who had spoken in the first place. He wore a crooked grin and a Mickey Mouse shirt.

I tried to say something, but it seemed as though my mouth was frozen. Should I make a run for it? No, I'd look like a fool.

"How come she ain't talking? Do they teach you how to talk up north?" said the mean-looking one.

"Yes," I blurted out. He was the one that had tried to flirt with me the other day in the locker room.

"You look scared," the mean-looking greaser pointed out. "Are you?"

I groaned inwardly. It was in moments like these that I hated being an open book. I chose not to answer his question.

"You don't have to be scared of us, whatever you've heard," said a handsome one I hadn't seen before.

He smiled at me, and suddenly, I calmed down. There was a soothing vibe about him. I was finally able to look behind the tough clothes and the greased hair. He seemed trust-worthy.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"Probably not, I don't go to school. I'm Sodapop, Pony's brother, and there's Darry, our oldest brother" he said, pointing towards a tall, muscular young man who looked in his early 20's. So Ponyboy wasn't the only one in his family with a unusual name,

Ponyboy carried onto the introductions. The grinning guy with the Mickey Mouse shirt was named Keith, but everyone called him Two-Bit. The guy who seemed to be Sodapop's best buddy was Steve, the mean-looking one was Dally and there was Johnny, of course, whom I pretended I didn't know.

"So, are you guys like, a gang?" I asked, wishing I sounded more confident.

"I guess you could say that, but we ain't rough like Shepard's gang or anything," Two-Bit answered. "We mostly just stick together, hangin' out all day, every day."

He flashed a grin at me and I couldn't help but laugh at the way he explained the relationship the gang shared.

"So, how was the drag race?" Ponyboy asked.

"Oh my lord!" yelled out Two-Bit.

"You should've been there!"

"The last race was just amazing!"

"I was sure Gary would be the winner!"

"Gary, in that old car of his? Gimme a break."

The whole gang launched in a loud conversation about their evening. I couldn't help but smile. They weren't talking about theater, but the way their eyes lit up and how loud they were reminded me of the conversations I used to have with my friends. Loud, disorganized conversations. These kinds of conversations were forbidden in the world of Socs, social courtesy being a priority.

Their conversation diverted to other subjects. I didn't say much, but I slipped in a word or two. Dallas told everyone about his new girl, Sylvia. I was surprised by the fact that when it was time to go home, thirty minutes later, I was sad to leave. I wasn't about to spill out my darkest secrets to every single one of them, but they made me feel really comfortable. Darry offered to ride me home, and surprisingly, I accepted.

We got in the car after I said my goodbyes to everyone and as we drove to the east side, Darry began talking.

"What did you hear about us, honestly. Before you met Ponyboy."

"Well… That you guys were dangerous, and you were thieves and a bad influence, and I shouldn't be hanging out with people like you," I answered honestly.

"We do tend to give away that impression on Socs." he said. "Doesn't mean it's true, you dig?"

I did. The more I was getting to know Ponyboy, the less scary greasers seemed to me.

"Are you afraid of us? The gang, I mean," he asked.

"A little, to be honest," I answered.

"Don't be," he said, laughing slightly. "Most of us wouldn't hurt a fly. We just stick together because we're all we've got. All the guys you met tonight have problems of their own. That's how it works on the east side. But really, you're safe as long as you stick with us. No one in our gang would hurt you."

"Thank you," I said, appreciating his reassuring words. He pulled over in front of my house a few minutes later and as I was about to open the door, Darry stopped me.

"No, thank you."

"What for?" I asked.

"For making me realize that maybe Socs and greasers can be friends after all."

XxX

I walked into the living room to find my brother watching television and my uncle and my aunt talking about a big polo event they were organizing. They stopped talking when they noticed my presence.

"So, how were the movies, Mary Jane?" asked Aunt Gemma.

"They were pretty boring, actually. One of those beach movies, you know," I answered with my most convincing smile.

"Did you make any friends?" she asked.

"I met a few kids who have parents working for Robert Sheldon Sr." I answered. My uncle and my aunt seemed pleased by my answer.

"Glory, would you look at the time," aunt Gemma suddenly said, looking over at the clock. "Off to bed, now, both of you."

Jake turned off the television and I followed him upstairs, kissing Aunt Gemma and Uncle Frank goodnight.

We were in the hallway, and as we were about to split, him going into the room opposite of mine, he pushed me into my room, following me before closing the door behind him.

"What the hell, Jake? What was that for?" I asked, suddenly angry.

"I was at the Nightly Double tonight. It was a cowboy movie and I didn't even see you there. You were on the east side again, weren't you?"

I looked down at my shoes, suddenly ashamed. But I shouldn't be ashamed.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm your brother. I know losing Mom and Dad was hard, but that's no reason to go around playing with danger and behaving recklessly."

That hit me like a brick. He was wrong. Everything about what he just said was downright wrong. I blinked back tears and forced myself to look at him directly in the eyes.

"Maybe greasers aren't as bad as you think, haven't you thought of that for a minute? Does it ever occur to you that maybe Socs are wrong? That maybe, just maybe, there might be someone willing to do good on the east side of town. We just got here Jake! Surely, you don't know both sides of the story. Don't let yourself be brainwashed the way I was."

For once, Jake was silent. No smart comebacks, no disapproving glances. He seemed to be hesitating.

"Look," I said. "I don't know why, but being with greasers makes me feel good. Something just feels right. Just, trust me okay?"

He looked at me, still hesitating. Finally, he said the only word that could've provided me with comfort.

"Okay."