Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to S. E Hinton as I only claim ownership of Chelsea and her family.

A/N: Sorry guys, I know this took longer than expected but please enjoy! :)

Chapter 11

"Get a room you two!" someone shouted nearby. Chelsea and Ponyboy turned around to see a cocky Two-Bit shaking his head at the scene of them intertwined together.

He chuckled, "Gee Pony, if you were that upset I interrupted your guys' make-out session ya should've said something!"

Chelsea blushed and pressed her forehead against Pony's chest while he rolled his eyes and smiled. He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"How long has this been going on for?!" Two-Bit asked with a mischievous grin.

"Well we kinda just… umm." Pony trailed off, looking away awkwardly.

Chelsea turned around to face their friend while still keeping her hands in Pony's.

"Well when you interrupted us before, Pony was about to ask me out and I was going to say yes." She smirked coolly.

"You were?" Pony exclaimed, gazing at her with the largest smile on his face.

She gave him an incredulous look; which seemed to convey the message, "duh!"

"Of course she was you rascal, why else would she suck face with you?" Two-Bit said still grinning.

Ponyboy and Chelsea exchanged sheepish smiles.

"Man, I can't wait to tell the boys. I had a bet going with Steve. He owes me some money."

Chelsea frowned, "What was the bet exactly?"

"That loverboy over there would ask you out before Halloween."

"Well I was bound to do it sooner or later." Pony replied flustered.

"Man, I still can't believe Dally beat you to the punch." Two-Bit laughed.

A look of utter disbelief crossed Ponyboy's features; "Dally asked you out?"

Chelsea, who had turned a bright shade of scarlet, grimaced. "Yeah… about that. Um long story."

"Tell me."

Before Chelsea could open her mouth and speak Two-Bit began explaining everything for her.

He told Pony how Dally asked her out after they all went to the rodeo together and that Dally had taken Chelsea to see a movie at the drive-in: legally.

"Thank you Two-Bit," Chelsea said in mock sincerity while cocking her eyebrow at him. She had no idea how he knew all that.

"Is that all that happened?" Ponyboy asked, furrowing his brow worriedly.

"I-" She started, wanting to tell him about the kiss but Two-Bit's amused stare made her too uncomfortable to elaborate.

Ponyboy noticed this and pulled her away from Two-Bit until they were standing across the street from the Dingo. Well out of his earshot.

"We kissed when he dropped me off but both of us agreed it wasn't going to work and we agreed to just stay friends then he left to see you and Johnny in Windrixville." She explained; silently hoping Pony wouldn't be jealous of the date.

He looked at her for a moment then spoke; "So should I be jealous?"

"No" she replied, laughing at his worried expression and kissed him softly.

"Oh for the love of God!" Two-Bit shouted irritably from where they had abandoned him. He covered his eyes in fake disgust at the couple's PDA.

Once they pulled apart, Chelsea yelled back; "Stuff it Two-Bit!"

Ponyboy chuckled, "Yeah stuff it!"

They laughed and smiled as they looked into each other's eyes.

Chelsea continued to smile sweetly and Ponyboy took a part of her hair and began twisting it through his fingers.

"Chelsea," he began with a sheepish smile, "I'm not really good at this sort of dating thing but I'm gonna guess what follows this is that we go on an actual date?"

She giggled; "Generally yes,"

"Okay," he said grinning back, "where do you want to go?"

Pony now held her hands in his and swung their arms side to side.

Chelsea grinned at this and was about to respond when Two-Bit shouted.

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP GOOFING AROUND; WE'VE GOT COMPANY!"

She and Ponyboy turned to face where Two-Bit was standing in the parking lot of the Dingo and spotted a mustang full of Socs parked in front of him.

They exchanged anxious glances before sprinting towards their friend who was currently glaring at the group of Socs.

"Now what…" Chelsea thought.

"No jazz before the rumble, you know the rules ape-face." Two-Bit responded aloofly staring down the first Soc that had come into his midst.

Once Chelsea and Pony arrived, she stifled a gasp in realization that Randy was the Soc he was talking to.

"We know," he answered, rolling his eyes at Two-Bit's accusation.

Ponyboy and Chelsea exchanged confused glances. Both of them questioned why Randy was there and what he wanted from them.

Their question was answered once Randy made eye contact with Ponyboy and said; "I wanna talk to you."

Pony glanced at Chelsea to gauge her reaction but noted she only looked bewildered, not frightened so he relaxed before looking over at Two-Bit for permission to talk to the large Soc.

"Go ahead, I'll keep my eye on him." He responded glaring at Randy as he spoke.

Chelsea watched them walk away and crossed her arms over her chest, unsure of what Randy wanted.

"Nice pants, you guys getting ready for a flood or something?" Two-Bit chuckled at the expense of Randy's gang of Socs.

Another greaser near Two-Bit burst into hysterical laughter and Chelsea even found herself smiling. Those boys really did wear dumb-looking pants.

Her friend continued making wisecracks about the Socs until Ponyboy returned from his chat with Randy.

"He said he needs to talk to you," said Pony looking her over.

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

She smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm just wondering what he's up to."

Then she left him and walked over to where Randy was sitting in his car.

"What do you want Randy?" she asked sharply as she climbed into the car and slammed the passenger door shut.

He looked over at her and immediately Chelsea realized there was something off about him. The Randy she knew was carefree and didn't care about any repercussions. He'd jump greasers without any thought, get drunk, take advantage of his girlfriends, cheat, do drugs and loiter. He didn't have a worry in the world. He had a killer smile and the confidence to match. But the boy in front of her looked half-dead and nothing like the Randy she knew. Exhaustion clouded his features, making him look like the shell of the carefree boy he once was.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About everything I did to you. It wasn't right for me to take advantage of you like that when we were dating. You deserved better than me. I know that now."

Her heart softened at the complete lack of malice he always had when he spoke to her. Randy truly had lost his spark.

"It's okay Randy." She mumbled, refusing to make eye contact, "I'm sorry about Bob. I mean; I'm not sorry about the fact that he almost killed two of my closest friends but he…" she trailed off exasperated.

Randy sighed, "I know. Bob's death was a wake up call for me. When that kid stabbed him I just, I started looking at my life and thinking 'am I gonna end up like him one day?' It was a big reality check, that's why I visited your dad the other day. I was hoping we could get rid of that stupid marriage proposal deal with an early divorce or something."

Her head snapped up when he said that and she peered at him from the corner of her eye, intrigued. "Really? Did it work?"

Randy rubbed his eyes, "No."

She slumped in her seat, defeated.

"That's why I'm getting out of here."

She gaped at Randy's comment in disbelief. Was he serious?

"I'm not competing in the rumble tonight Marlene. Fighting is useless now, there's no point. I just want to get out of here. That's why I'm taking as much as I can get from my parents and getting the hell away from Tulsa."

She blinked continually in astonishment.

"I need to start fresh, make my own future. After the hearing, you won't see my face in this town ever again."

Chelsea couldn't think of anything to say. Randy was leaving; the golden boy of Tulsa was leaving, and giving back her future freedom. She peeked out the car window at Ponyboy who was watching them inconspicuously. They had a possibility of a future together… That made her head spin.

"All I can say is that I really hope you find what you're looking for Randy. And I'm sorry everything turned out this way for you." She replied solemnly; and she meant it. Losing your best friend sucked; it was one of the worst feelings in the world. And despite her hatred of him before, she wished he would get his old fire back instead of looking as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He semi-smiled at her and extended his arm to shake her hand politely.

"It's been nice knowing you Marlene."

She shook his hand and smiled.

"You too Randy, good luck with everything."

She turned to leave the vehicle but Randy put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. " I was supposed to tell you; your dad told my dad that he's coming home early from his business trip so if I were you I'd get going."

The color drained from her features; her dad wasn't supposed to be home for three more days. What the hell happened?!Her mind raced as she thanked Randy and left the car to join Two-Bit and Pony.

When she joined them she could feel Pony and Two-Bit staring her down. A loud honk sounded behind them and Randy's lackies rejoined him at the car.

"What did he want?" Two-Bit asked curiously as he watched the Socs leave.

She sighed and leant against the pillar of the Dingo.

"He said he's leaving town, and that he's sorry. And that my dad is coming home early from his business trip."

"Do you want to head home?" Pony asked, taking her hand in his.

She smiled weakly, "Yeah, I kinda wanna clear up before he gets home. You mind walking me home?"

"Nah we don't mind, do we Pony?" Two-Bit answered.

Pony and Chelsea exchanged amused expressions as they waited for Two-Bit to catch on.

"Oh, y'all wanna be alone. Okay, I can take a hint." He retorted smirking.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Two-Bit you wouldn't get a hint if it hit you over the head with a shovel."

Ponyboy laughed and she smiled brighter feeling a bit better.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up lovebirds. Wait till I tell the rest of the gang about you two." He muttered, jamming his fists into his jacket pockets.

Ponyboy shook his head, "Oh no you don't, I ain't having you and the rest of the gang making fun of me while I take Chelsea home. We're going to be the ones to tell them."

She nodded enthusiastically, "After the rumble?"

"Sure," he shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Fine, but don't forget!" He left and began heading towards the bus stop but froze in his tracks to face them.

"And don't do anything stupid!" he added.

"You either! If you get yourself put in the hospital from fighting tonight, I'll kick your ass!" Chelsea yelled back.

Two-Bit just shook his head and smirked, "See ya later!"

"Be careful!" she called.

Two-Bit was crazy but she was hoping he'd stay out of danger.

Ponyboy smirked, "Now that he's gone, what do you want to do?"

She smiled and leant in close until their lips were almost touching. "I want," she whispered softly. She watched as Pony leant in closer too, closing his eyes in anticipation.

"You to catch me!" she exclaimed suddenly and bolted from Ponyboy in the direction of her house.

She heard Pony curse behind her and giggled as she sped up in order to beat him.

They had taken track together last year but neither of them had spoken to each other then because Chelsea was too shy to say anything and Pony had joined track with one of his friends. Therefore, they were both fast runners.

Just when she thought she had outrun him, he appeared out of nowhere and tackled her into a hug from behind.

"I caught you!" he shouted. "What do I get?"

Chelsea spun around to face him and his hold on her broke.

"A kiss!" she answered with a big smile.

He closed his eyes to prepare for her kiss but looked up when he felt her put something in his hand. She had taken a Hershey's kiss from her purse and given it to him.

He stared at her. "Now you're just being silly."

She shrugged and he sighed putting the kiss into his pocket. Before he stepped away from her, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled and held her hand while they walked together through backfields; which was a shortcut to Chelsea's house.

At one point they encountered a small stream and Pony led her over to it.

"What are we doing?" she asked curiously.

He grinned, "See if you can hop across using only the stones as stepping stones."

She rolled her eyes but did it anyways, making it across the stream without falling once.

"Careful! It's hot lava, if you fall you'll die." she said to Pony as he tried to cross the stream.

He made it across easily but once he hit the shore beside Chelsea she grinned mischievously.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, recognizing the dangerous gleam in her eyes.

She laughed and then turned to the stream and splashed a large handful of water at Pony's head.

"What'd you do that for?" he exclaimed wiping the cool water off of his face.

She began fluffing his hair with her hands. "I like your hair without all the grease in it."

"But I like the grease." He protested taking her wrists in his hands and making her let go of his blonde waves and she stopped.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, crossing one arm over her chest.

She looked away hoping she hadn't made him upset when she felt a splash of water hit her arm.

"Hey!" she exclaimed; turning to see Ponyboy had splashed her back.

Chelsea laughed and splashed him again.

"Oh it's on!" He said in a determined voice.

Chelsea shrieked in fake panic as he sent a tidal wave of water her way.

She splashed him back and they continued chasing each other around the stream until they were both wearing damp clothes and out of breath.

Chelsea-who has fallen into the stream, sat up and reached out for a hand.

Pony helped her up but she tripped over a rock on the shore and landed with her arms around him tightly. She looked up from his chest and blushed.

He shook his head at her adorable grin but pulled her close. "I missed you so much."

"Me too." She assured him, hugging back tighter.

"Does this feel, awkward for you? Us dating now? I mean just this morning, we were talking about different types of eggs and now. Well, look at us." He asked, looking deep into her hazel eyes.

She shrugged, "Not really, I mean; I still haven't wrapped my head around this yet but I will."

"Should we take things a little slower? I don't want to rush you into this." He asked concerned.

She smiled, "No, it's okay. I think we're fine for now."

He smiled at her reassured, and they continued their trek to her house.

When they finally arrived, Chelsea stood in front of the gate and looked into her friend's eyes.

"You better be careful tonight, if anything happens I-" she winced at the idea.

"I'll be fine, and everyone else will too. You better be there tonight, or I'll hunt you down and drag you there myself." He joked, making her more comfortable.

She grinned, "Okay. Tell Soda, Darry, Steve, Two-Bit and Dally that I love them and for them to be careful."

"But Dally isn't fighting tonight, Chelsea." Ponyboy said in a puzzled voice.

"I still think he's planning on being there tonight. But anyways, you stay away from danger. Got it?"

He smirked trying to play tough, "But danger's my middle name."

"Ponyboy MICHAEL Curtis I swear to God…"

"Okay, okay. You be careful too, it's dangerous walking those streets at night. Watch yourself."

She gave him a big hug and she planted a quick kiss on his lips before waving to him as he walked back in the direction of his house.

She finally got into the house and closed the door behind her relieved for the fact her father wasn't home yet. She would have enough time to clean up the mess from the party she'd thrown the night before.

While she cleared up the mess, she thought about Ponyboy. She really did like him, but she still felt a nagging sensation about her feelings for him.

Did she like him? Yes. Did she enjoy spending time with him? Obviously. Did she like kissing him? Yes. But did she possibly have feelings for Soda?

Maybe, she sighed as she swept the broken glass off of her patio.

Her mind was working on overdrive and she couldn't focus on the tasks she was doing. So she tried to distract herself; she blared music and tried not to think.

Once everything was cleared up, Chelsea jumped into the shower to get ready for the rumble. While she shampooed her hair she was still plagued with thoughts of Ponyboy and Sodapop. Ponyboy was sweet, he was her best friend and so far-things between them were going great. But maybe he was right; maybe things were going too fast between them. Or maybe he was wrong and things weren't going fast enough? They had been friends for months after all and who knows how long she'd been having romantic thoughts about him?

She got out of the shower and dried herself off. Her mind whirled thinking about how much time they spent together, and then she smiled. She did have feelings for Pony, what was she doing overthinking everything? This was the boy who'd been there for her since the day of her mother's funeral. The one who proved to her that she wasn't crazy-that there were other people just like her who shared her likes, beliefs and hobbies. That made her happy and less alone.

The girl changed into her grey long-sleeve shirt with metal shoulder pieces overtop of her blue skinny jeans and black lace boots. She smiled and pulled her wavy dark brown hair into a bun and put on make-up; thoughts of her new, 'boyfriend' filling her head. But she didn't really know whether boyfriend was the right word. He was her date, she guessed. So she decided to call him that; her date. Her Ponyboy…

Grinning at her reflection in the mirror she felt happy. She let out an excited giggle and returned to doing her make-up.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from downstairs. Chelsea's smile faltered and she sprinted to the top of her stairs to investigate the source of the racket.

A/N: So what do you guys think? I know it was mostly fluff in this chapter but trust me, I've written the next one and it's gonna get much more intense... Thank you guys so much for sticking with me-it really means a lot. Honestly, every review gives me the motivation to keep going. You're all the best, I hope you know that! Anyways, before I get all mushy; let me know what you think? Who's downstairs? Who do you want Chelsea to end up with? Any criticisms?-if so please be nice-I am a bit sensitive. :) Please keep up with the reviews and know you're all amazing people for making my day. Also, let me know if you have any ideas! :D Have a wonderful day!

-Love, Melody

P.S: I honestly finished half of the next chapter so expect it up by friday the latest. ;)