Author's Note: Hey all. Next chapter! Got lots of love last chapter, which was fabulous. Thank you all again, and make sure to keep it up because things are about to get real serious. I am about to get into canon plot, and I'm going to try to handle it as tactfully and with as much integrity as I can. I just need to get through it, and then there's a whole other side of the story that's kinda... Well, you'll see. Be patient.

Oh, and uh, you might all be pleased to learn that a certain someone is making her reappearance in this chapter. ;)

Happy reading. :)

XXXXX

Things started getting sticky a long time ago, but everything went to hell for awhile in late October and into early November. Because it was then that Marcia met Two-Bit and Cherry met Ponyboy; that Bob died and a note landed on my desk; that Cherry spied.

But, it was then that Dallas Winston died, and I think that was the point where Two-Bit Mathews and I made amends.

XXXXX

It was after a date with Jerry that things started falling apart. By this point in time, people had started to realize that we were together, and it was nice. I liked going with him all over town. On that particular night, we had been invited to go to the drive-in with Bob, Cherry, Marcia, and Randy, but that's not really up our alley. We were more stuck on just being together, the two of us, back then.

Anyway, he dropped me off at home and I was heading up to my room when the phone rang. My dad really isn't social enough to be receiving phone calls, so I knew it was for me. What surprised me was that it was so late, and people usually have the decency to not call you when most people are already in bed.

"We're having an emotional emergency at Cherry's house. Maybe you should get over here," Vickie barked. I held the receiver away from my ear.

"Jeeze, Vick," I sighed, looking at the clock on the wall. "What- it's late. What sort of 'emotional emergency' could possibly be happening? It's too late for 'emotional emergencies.'"

Vickie huffed. "Listen, I don't have time to explain. Just something to do with Bob. And Randy, too."

"What did Randy do?" I asked. I twirled the cord around my finger.

"There was just an incident with some greasers and Bob and Randy being drunk or something. Really though, could ya please just get over here? The three of us kinda need more backup."

Needless to say, I was able to slip back out the door without my father even having noticed my coming and going. Perks of Saturday night. I walked the three blocks to Cherry's house, hugging myself against the October night air. I wasn't looking forward to having to cheer in this weather in Wednesday, no sir. When I finally got there and knocked on the door, it was Penny who answered. I was able to see past her, and noticed Missy and Vickie talking in the front room.

"Thank god you're here," Penny sighed with a slight grin. "It's been a hectic night, from what I've heard."

"What happened?" I asked, and I followed Penny into the front room. Vickie and Missy noticed me as I came into the room, and Vickie sighed.

"Apparently, Bob and Randy were drinking, and Cherry wasn't exactly too happy with them. And then-get this-Dallas Winston and a couple of his hood friends sit behind them at the Nightly Double and he has the nerve to come on to her. Well, then he leaves, and those greasers walk them home and Bob and Randy find them, and there's this big old scene. Cherry called me as soon as Bob dropped the two of them off here."

I raised my eyebrows. Sounded a bit hectic. And Dallas Winston came on to Cherry? Talk about nerve.

"I wasn't aware that Dallas Winston had any friends at all," I mused. Vickie looked at Missy then back to me.

"Oh yeah. Sure does. Including your good friend, Two-Bit Mathews."

Vickie raised an eyebrow at me, and I realized that my face had flushed some. I knew that already; but who else would hang around Dallas Winston? Wasn't Ponyboy one of his friends? Didn't he say something like that? Maybe. I couldn't remember.

"So... I guess they're real distraught, or something?" I asked, grasping at straws in order to try to figure out what exactly Cherry and Marcia needed in terms of... Emotional support. Vickie started walking out of the room, and the rest of us followed.

"Yeah, I s'pose. They're up in her room."

Vickie led us into Cherry's room, where she and Marcia were sitting on the bed. Cherry looked really upset, but Marcia looked... Well, she looked like she usually does. She was just flipping through a magazine and keeping quiet. Which wasn't exactly normal, but hey. I was expecting tears.

"Hey, Bridget," Marcia said without looking up. "Are you staying over too?"

I looked at Vickie, then at Cherry. "Am I?" I asked. Cherry shrugged.

"You can. It would be nice if you would. Everyone else is."

I bit my lip, considering it. I would have to call my dad, and he would likely flip. He hadn't seen me since I left for my date with Jerry, and he would probably want to check in. Oh well. There were more pressing matters for me to attend to.

At the time.

"Yeah, I'll stay," I said. Vickie gave a short nod, like she was approving my decision. Then she turned to Cherry.

"I need to talk to you about something," she demanded. Cherry fidgeted.

"What?" She asked. Vickie rolled her eyes.

"Alone," she stressed. "C'mon."

Cherry gave Marcia one last look, then stood up and followed Vickie into some private part of the house, leaving the rest of us to wonder what they could possibly be talking about.

"Anyone know what that's about?" Missy asked. No one answered her, which I guess meant no one knew.

The four of us were left in Cherry's room, but no one really said anything. I just grabbed a Vogue and started flipping through it, wishing I was cute enough to be in a Vogue. Or any magazine. I mean, I may have made the Pom-Pom squad, but I'm not exactly Audrey Hepburn, or even a young version of Anne Bancroft, or anything. My hair's too curly, my eyes resemble those of a cow's, and those god-awful freckles stand out on my skin like you wouldn't believe. And my face sort of still has that baby fat on it. Who knows what Jerry sees in me. But, a girl can dream, so I just flipped through that magazine like I didn't care about any of that shit.

"You know who's cute?" Marcia suddenly hummed. I looked up from my magazine and at her.

"Who?" I asked. Marcia smiled real big, like what she was about to say was very, very naughty.

"Two-Bit Mathews," she whispered. And the smile on her face grew, if that was even possible.

I looked at Missy, who seemed awful surprised to hear that too, but not for the same reason as me. Marcia and Two-Bit. No. That's... Not right. How can that be right? Those sort of things aren't supposed to happen, socs and greasers getting together. Are they? Is that allowed? I told myself I couldn't picture Marcia with Two-Bit, but the truth is that I really could. They were both outgoing and had the same stupid sense of humor.

But they had just met. Tonight! At the drive-in. I wasn't even there to warn her of his antics, how he loves to poke and prod your buttons until you just give in. How he laughs at everything and can't take a damn thing seriously.

But then again, neither can Marcia.

"Two-Bit Mathews?" I repeated. She nodded her head. "But... You already have a boyfriend. Randy, remember him?"

"Of course," Marcia said. "But... After tonight, after everything that happened... Well, it's hard to see any of them in the same light."

The same light? How had the light shone on them before? I assumed she meant Randy and Bob, the proverbial all-American boys that stood in front of the mirror every morning and told themselves they looked good in their khakis and then went about the business of their day, be it school or dates or what have you. What could have dimmed that; what could've been so drastic, that it changed Marcia's view of her boyfriend and his best friend completely?

"Oh," I simply said. "But what about Two-Bit, then? What makes him so special?"

Marcia sighed, like she was expecting me to say something like that.

"I know he bothers you," Marcia said. "But he's not all bad. I thought he was real nice to talk to. Funny, too."

I suddenly felt ashamed, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Why would Two-Bit treat Marcia so well, and not me? Why couldn't we get along like they did? He hardly knew her; what had she done to get him to be... Tolerant of her, for lack of a better word. And what had I done for him to dislike me? To laugh at me? Then again, why had seeing me kiss Jerry make him look so upset? Too many questions. I didn't used to have to question so much in my life. It used to be real easy-going for me, not so long ago, but not now. Tulsa and Two-Bit Mathews and just about everything else had turned my world upside-down.

"I think I should go call my dad," I muttered. Marcia nodded, and I went downstairs to use the phone.

I called my dad to let him know I would be staying the night at Cherry's, and that she was having an "emotional emergency," so I had to be there for her. I guess he understood, because he didn't yell at me to come home like I expected he would.

Later that night, as we were all slowly drifting off, I realized that Cherry and I were the only ones awake anymore, and I tried to talk to her.

"I'm sorry about Bob, Cherry," I whispered. She just sighed.

"Thanks," she whispered back. "I never knew when we got together that he would ever be like this. I hope to God that Jerry never does something like this to you, Bridget. No one deserves to be treated like this."

I was a bit startled by how up-front she was being about the whole situation, but it was endearing. Cherry didn't get enough credit; she felt so much, and she understood just about everybody. She deserved to be understood as well.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She looked me in the eye.

"I mean that you should be with someone who will listen to you. And someone who respects your opinion. I think Bob does, deep down, but maybe there are just some things he cares about more. Maybe."

"Hey," I tried. "He cares about you plenty. I know he does," I assured her. Cherry shrugged.

"I hope so. Because it's hard to care about him when he does things like this."

I didn't push the conversation any further than that, and I let the temptation of sleep pull me under.

I slept well that night. And it was the last good sleep I would have in awhile.

The call came during the wee hours of the morning. If a call late at night is indecent, then a call early in the morning is plain old terrifying. They seem so much more urgent, like the caller can't even wait until the sun comes up to deliver their news. And it usually isn't good. This time was no exception. The phone in Cherry's room rang just as the sun was coming up, and she sleepily stood and picked up the receiver, placing it tentatively to her ear.

"Hello?" She greeted sleepily.

She was silent for a long time, listening to whoever was on the other end. But then her face twisted into this unimaginable expression of pain and sadness... And she looked lost. Before I could even start asking the others what they thought might be happening, tears starting rolling down her cheeks, and the high-pitched crying came next. She said a few more words-slurred from crying and sleep-and hung up the phone. Then she just stood; just stood there without saying a word, still crying.

"What happened?" Penny asked, slowly standing up. Cherry didn't even look at her when she answered.

"Bob is dead," she whispered. "He was killed last night."

XXXXX

A boy named Johnny Cade killed Bob. I didn't know who he was, but when I saw the paper on Monday and I saw his picture, I recognized him. He went to the same school as I did, but I hadn't ever paid a lot of attention to him. I don't know why, really, but he was just sort of non-descript. Except for that scar.

The worst part of the whole thing was that not only was the boy Johnny Cade missing, but so was Ponyboy. Who cares about Bob; the boy I sat next to in art, the one who talked to me and I talked to and the boy who could put to rest, if only for a little while, every stereotype of a greaser that I had, was gone too. There was this empty void where he should have been when I came to art on Monday morning, and the reached didn't exactly know what to do about it. All I could do was wonder why he was gone.

Unfortunately, the person I would ask wasn't around. Fortunately, someone else was. Someone I had hurt. And maybe I felt bad. Hell, I know I did. Still do. But it's funny, looking back on it now, to think Evie was someone I tried to avoid. Actually, Evie should've been the person I trusted, someone that could help me.

But it was far too late for that. All I could do was try to ignore everyone else's mourning and get to her. I knew she wouldn't be upset, there would be no point for her. Evie wasn't bothered easily by others' problems, and she made that pretty clear by the way she was the only one not discussing Bob's demise in English class that Monday. I made my way over to my seat, which was directly to her right.

"Hey, um, Evie?" I tried. "Could I ask you something?"

She turned to me and gave me one hell of a stink-eye.

"Why?" She asked, snapping on her gum. I swallowed. But I gathered my courage and glared right back at her. She didn't scare me.

"Because I need information, and you're the only place I can get it," I seethed. "So would you just drop the tough act for two damn minutes and answer me?"

She was surprised, but that look of surprise quickly turned into one of almost respect. She smirked at me, and blew a bubble with her gum.

"Whaddya need to know?" She grinned. I let out a relieved sigh.

"I need to know if you know anything about what happened on Saturday night. You know, when Bob was killed."

She rolled her eyes like she was sick of hearing his name, but I didn't miss the shakiness in her voice when she answered.

"My boyfriend told me some," she began. "That a couple of his gang were out in the park, Sheldon pulled up, and jumped 'em. Then that Johnny Cade boy stabbed him, and now they've disappeared. But that's all I know."

I was a bit disappointed that that was all she could tell me, but I couldn't hold it against her. No one really knew all the details, at least no one here. Or maybe someone did, I don't know. I don't know all of Bob's friends. I couldn't possibly begin to gather information and then form even a semblance of what might've happened on Saturday night. But for now, Evie was my best clue.

"Thanks, Evie," I said. "I just, well, I'm just as in the dark as you are on this."

She put her head in her hands and stared at me. "That don't make any sense. You're friends with his girlfriend. I imagine you should have more details."

"But I don't," I shrugged. "I don't think anybody does."

She nodded, and left it at that, which I was grateful for. I couldn't take much more of it. Cherry was extremely upset, and I heard enough about Bob that week from her.

But something told me that maybe Evie and I... Maybe after all this was over, we could get on better with each other.

XXXXX

Two-Bit didn't even show up to school on Monday. Or the day after that. He returned on Wednesday, not looking sad, but looking as though he was anxious and angry. Those eyes of his were stormy. And it didn't surprise me when a note from him dropped onto my desk.

You're friends with the dead guy's girl, aren't you?-Two-Bit

I am. Why?-Bridget

Because I need info. My gang needs info. Now, what do you know?-Two-Bit

I sighed, racking my brain for information. I had heard so many theories, so many idea from everyone. And then what Evie told me... Which she would've gotten from Steve Randle... Two-Bit would already know all that.

All I know is that Bob and his friends jumped yours, and one of them stabbed him and they ran off. That's all I know.-Bridget

Okay then. I can believe that. Look, I'm sorry. Everything's gonna get kinda crazy, I think. And maybe we'll be at the center of it. Or near it.-Two-Bit

Near it, not in it. The center of the drama would be around the fugitives when they return, and Cherry. That's who it belongs to, not Two-Bit and I. But we'll be close, peering from the outside in.

I'm sorry about your friends. You don't have to say sorry to me. I didn't lose a friend.-Bridget

I didn't get the note back for a long time after I wrote that. It came back to me when class was almost over, and it read:

Huh. So maybe you're not hurting. I think maybe you're the only one that's not.-Two-Bit

The bell rang before I could respond.

XXXXX

AN: Pardon typos. The canon plot will be continued in the next chapter, and there's gonna be a lot of Bridget and Two-Bit starting to form a real relationship from then on. Yay! I'm so excited for that.

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