Hi guys. Sorry for such a long time for you guys to wait. I had Spring Break last week & was a whole bunch of places. Thanks for your patience. As always, please review. This one is gonna be kind of long.

"Wake up Tali. Wake up, it's okay. You're safe." It was Soda talking. I woke up in a cold sweat and I hugged him super tightly. I started crying into his shoulders. He was sitting on my bed.

"We couldn't wake you up. You were screaming for Soda, so we called him over." Paxton whispered. He looked really sad. This was the first time he couldn't wake me up from a nightmare. He looked really hurt. I felt really bad.

"Here. Take this & drink this." Parker ordered, handing me two aspirins & a glass of water. I guzzled it down & I thanked & apologized to Paxton & Parker. They nodded it off & went back to their own bedrooms. Soda got up to leave.

"Soda? Can you stay with me?" I asked, hoping he'd say yes. He nodded & I scooched over as he got in bed. He put his arm around me.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" he asked in a gentle voice. I was gonna say no, but he added,

"And don't even tell me that you don't remember because you do. I can see it in your eyes." I didn't look at him. I picked at my blanket. I didn't say anything for about five minutes. I cuddled up closer with Soda.

"Um, it was about the rumble. Ok. Before I tell you, you have to promise not to tell my dad or brothers." I said before going into anymore details. He nodded.

"Okay. It was about you Soda. I know it sounds stupid, but you got hurt, & by the time...we got you to the...to the hospital...you... you had died." I sobbed into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Tali, nothing's gonna happen to me, or any of us." he reassured. I nodded & fell asleep.

I woke up & Soda was still in bed with me. He was already awake.

"You could've gone down stairs & gotten breakfast." I told him, feeling kind of guilty.

"It's okay. I wanted to wait up for you." he replied. I went into the bathroom. I left my hair down & walked out. We walked down the stairs together & into the kitchen. There were already two plates of eggs sitting on the counter.

"Do you have any grape jelly?" Soda asked. Parker looked in the refrigerator & took it out.

"Are you putting that on your eggs?" I asked, disgusted. I was slathering strawberry jelly on mine. Soda looked at me. He had a disgusted look on his face.

"How is strawberry any better?" he asked.

"Aw, the couples having their first argument & it's about food!" Parker & Paxton hollered in unison. Soda looked at them.

"It's really creepy how they do that." I told Soda. The twins laughed. We all sat down & ate our eggs. My dad came into the kitchen & nodded at Soda.

"What are your plans this fine Saturday?" he asked, leaning over the counter.

"We're gonna be at the Curtis' all day." Parker told him. Dad nodded.

"There's a rumble tonight." I piped. I had to tell him at some point. He looked at me, then the twins, then at Soda.

"Well, kick some ass. Don't get too beat up." He sighed, ruffling my hair.

"I'm gonna go into work today. I'll be home around 11. Have a good day." he smiled. He kissed me on the forehead & left. I finished the dishes & me & Soda walked back up to my room. I started packing a bag.

"What'dya need all of that for?" he asked.

"Back in Jersey after rumbles, I was the medic." I explained, packing thing of thread & a needle, gauze & band-aids.

"What's the hair grease for?" he asked. I looked at him.

"I grease my hair back for rumbles." I told him. I finished packing & we walked down the stairs. He kissed me. Parker, Paxton, Soda, & I headed over. We got to the house & walked right in.

"Howdy." Two-Bit shouted while he was wrestling with Steve.

"Holler Uncle!" Steve shouted.

"Never!" was the reply. Finally they quit after Steve won. We arm wrestled, regular wrestled, played poker, & ate chocolate cake the day away. Darry went into the kitchen & started to make dinner.

"So, what are you gonna do while we rumble?" Paxton asked Pony.

"I'm gonna catch up on my homework I guess." he whined.

"After the rumble, do you want to patch everybody up?" I asked, trying to get him in a better mood. He nodded eagerly.

"Time for dinner!" Darry shouted from the dining room. We all ran to the dining room & destroyed all of the food. We were all super hungry. Within 30 minutes, it was all gone. It was about 6 o'clock & we all started to get ready. I put on a black t-shirt & a pair of jeans. A pair of black converse & we all put a lot more hair grease then we needed to. I slicked my hair back & noticed that all of the guys were looking at me. Even Darry.

"What?" I asked, wondering if I had something on my face.

"You look beautiful!" Soda exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me & lifting me up. We kissed & I could hear Steve & Two-Bit laughing in the background. He put me down.

"Let's go!" I shouted & we all went flying out of the door. Darry flipped over the fence, landing on his feet. Soda flipped on his hands & walked across the hard, then did a no-hands cartwheel across the yard. Steve jumped up onto the truck & flipped backwards of of it. I jumped onto Paxton's back & flipped into Parker's arms.

"I am a Greaser!" Soda chanted.

"I am a JD & a hood! I blacken the name of our fair city! I beat up people!" he shouted.

"I rob gas stations! I am a menace to society! Man do I have fun!" I screamed.

"Greaser Greaser Greaser. Victim of environment, under privileged, rotten, no count hood." Steve sang. We continued the song until we got to the lot & calmed down. It was about 6:50 when we got there. We made introductions with the Shepard Gang & Brumly Boys. Right at 7:00, the socs showed up. It was 24 of them, to 20 of us. Soda said before that Darry liked to take on two at a time, so the odds were as even as we could get. Parker leaned over.

"If you get in trouble, just holler for one of us." he whispered. I nodded. Randy was there. Darry & Paxton stepped up & so did Randy & a soc I didn't recognize.

"We'll take anyone." Paxton hissed.

"You know the rules. No weapons. Only skin." Randy said, cracking his knuckles. The four boys circled each other for the longest time, & then Paxton jumped on the unnameable soc. With that, the rumble was on. A soc took a swing at me, but I ducked & kicked him in the knee. His knee gave out & he fell face first into the mud. I turned around & a soc decked me, so I fell onto the soc I just dropped. He held onto my arms while the other one started slugging me. I could feel my lip & nose start bleeding. I rolled off of the soc I felled & rolled onto the one who was beating me. I cracked my knuckles over his head & my knuckles split open. It made him stop moving though. Just as I stood up, another one caught me in the corner of my head. It knocked me back onto the ground. It was Randy.

"I thought we were gonna have to finish what we started." he snarled. I was dazed from the punch. I had to keep blinking to keep from passing out. He hit me hard.

"Get off of me ape face!" I growled. I was trying to wiggle out from under him & somebody kicked me in the head. I yelped in spite of myself.

"Soda! Pax! Park!" I heard myself shout. My voice sounded strangled. The world was spinning. Randy somehow got off of me & Soda knelt down next to me. My breathing was ragged. I could hear the socs yelling as they retreated back to their mustangs. Every greaser was hollering & I sat up slowly.

"We did it. We beat em." Darry said in a tired voice. We all walked back slowly to the house. Everybody sat on the floor, except for Two-Bit who lay stretched out on the couch. Pony passed out chocolate cake to everyone. I got my medic kit. My hands were shaking & I felt dizzy. I went to Two-Bit first. I stitched his eyebrow up & put a bag of ice on his eye.

"Take your shirt off." I ordered. He tried to laugh.

"Soda. Your girls telling me to strip down." I looked at him, trying to be serious.

"No. I want to make sure you don't have any cracked ribs." I told him. He did as told & groaned while doing so. He had a huge bruise along his chest.

"Two-Bit!" I cried, looking at him, a grim smile on his face.

"Soc bigger than Darry...smashed me into the ground." he explained.

"Ice?" I shouted to Pony & he came back with a big bag of it.

"Here. Keep this on it & don't move." I instructed him. I moved to Johnny & Dally. They were barely hurt at all. I put a band-aid on Johnny's chin & wrapped some gauze around Dally's arm. Parker had a big bruise on his cheek & a cut lip. Paxton was spread out on the floor, groaning. Seven stitches in his cheek from a class ring, a black eye, four stitches in the back of the head where a soc used a broken pop bottle, & probably a broken rib. I was really shaky & my head was swimming. Steve was fine, barely a scratch, same as Darry. When I got to Soda, my head was pounding & I was seeing spots. I felt really hot. Soda's leg was cut open & as I stitched it up my hands were shaking real bad.

"Okay. Time to patch you up." Paxton said. I stood up & felt my legs swaying underneath me.

"Somebody catch her!" Somebody shouted, as I relaxed into darkness.