Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns.

I get off work the next day to find Two-Bit on my couch with a smug grin across his lips. That kind of grin is scary. Whenever Soda flashes it, it means he's done something worthy of making Mom scream, and whenever Two-Bit flashes it, it means nearly the same damn thing.

When he notices me, he kicks his feet up on our coffee table and folds his hands behind his head. "Guess what, Darry?"

I don't have to guess. The look on his face says it all: he found me a date, but I ask anyway just to humor him. "What?"

"Tomorrow night, don't make any plans." He holds up a hand and shakes a finger at me. "I can see those wheels in your head turning. Yes, it's official. No, you may not back out."

It had to be my Friday, huh? Friday is my night to recover from the week, and sometimes I don't even get the time to recover because I have to work a Saturday. "Official, huh?"

"You bet your ass it's official."

I should be glad and not frustrated, but I never asked for this. I even told him not to, but he just had to go and do it, here I am now. I can't say I didn't expect it. Still, it's mighty tempting to wring his neck. Two-Bit is one to those people who doesn't know when to stop; he was that annoying kid who didn't understand the word no, and now look at him. He hasn't changed a bit.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a sigh. I'm overreacting. He's doing this to show he does care about me, and what better way than try and enhance my love life? Well, that'd certainly be his style. I can only imagine the kind of girl he's hooked me up with. "What's her name?" I ask.

I'm not getting out of this, so I might as well learn a thing or two before the big night. A name's a start. Maybe I can ask what she's like and pray Two-Bit found me a nice girl I could settle dating again.

"It's my cousin Maureen," he tells me proudly.

Ah shit. No, never go out with one of your friend's family members. That's a rule, and a damn good one at that. I'd learned that lesson a long time ago. It makes things awkward if it doesn't work out. "I'm goin' on a date with your cousin? Is she even my age?"

"Relax, of course she's your age," he says, not even batting an eye. "Her boyfriend broke up with her recently and she was all bent out of shape over it. I says I know a nice man who'd love to take you on a date, and she accepted."

"Two-Bit, I really don't know about this. I mean, your cousin—"

"Hey, it'll be fine," he says. "Unless you make her cry. Then it's a little personal. I'd have to kick your ass. See, I trust you, Darry. You're a real gentleman. You know how to treat a lady."

I shake my head and plop down into the armchair. And that's exactly why I should not go on a date with his cousin. I know I'd treat her right, but I'm not sure I want to be under Two-Bit's radar over this. "Of all the girls you could've found me, you had to pick your cousin?"

He sits up a bit straighter and cracks his knuckles. I can't tell if this is for show or if he's actually pissed. "You sayin' there's something wrong with my cousin?"

"No, but haven't you ever heard that rule you don't date somebody in your friend's family? I mean, c'mon, Two-Bit..."

"Hmm, let's see here..." He scratches his chin. "Nope, never heard of it."

"So your cousin then... what's she like?"

"Well, she's a Mathews, so you know right off the bat, she's got a lot of personality." He winks. "I think you'll like her though. Don't you worry. It's gonna be a good night for you."

That's hardly comforting. Last thing I need is to date Two-Bit in girl form. "How pissed do you think she'd be if I backed out?"

He clears his throat and gives me a look. "How pissed do you think I'll be?"

"Well, can you blame me, man? I didn't exactly ask you to do this."

"See, that's the beauty of a good friend, Darry." He stands up and pats my shoulder roughly. "You don't have to ask."

He inches towards our kitchen, probably in search of cake, and I rub the back of my neck. What in the hell have I gotten myself into?

xxxx

The next day at work, I stress over the date. It's been too long since I've been on one of these. I went on my fair shame in high school, but I worry I've since lost my charm. For starts, I can't remember what made me attractive in the first place. I played football, sure, so that's probably it, but why me over all the other members?

I was the quiet guy despite getting voted captain my Senior year. Mom said we all got Dad's good looks, but what mother doesn't call her sons handsome... It's still lost on me why I was popular.

"I expect a young man like you's got plans for a Friday night?" Jerry lifts an eyebrow at me. He says this every Friday, and every Friday, I tell him the same thing: that I'm gonna go home, kick my feet up, and make sure my brothers are staying out of trouble, but this time he's about to get a different answer.

"Actually I got a date tonight," I tell him. I can't help but grin.

He whistles and claps a hand to my back. "Just like your daddy, you are."

I ain't sure about that, but I thank him anyway I always thought Mom and I had more in common, but for the first time in a long time it feels good to be compared to my father.

It feels really good.

xxxx

"So Darry, think you're gonna get any action tonight?"

I flip around and shoot Soda one heck of a glare. "What the hell do you need to know that for, little buddy?"

He, Pony, and Steve all start laughing, and I swear on all that's holy I'll smash all three of their heads together if they make one more comment about the date tonight.

"I think we all unanimously agree you need to get laid, Superman," Steve says with an awful smirk.

I give him a light shove, and he returns it just as fast. "See? This anger right here. There's only one cure."

I smack him this time, but that just makes their laughter explode.

I rub my temples and sigh. "I still don't see what's so damn funny about me goin' on a date, and it's Two-Bit's cousin, so no, I'm not gonna ..." I trail off and stop myself. If it feels awkward discussing sex around Steve and Soda, there's no way I want to discuss it around Pony. "You know."

"If it's the cousin I have in mind, you're one lucky man," Steve tells me.

I want to bang my head against the wall and then throttle Two-Bit. He should've set Dallas up with this gal, not me.

xxxx

I arrive ten minutes early to where Two-Bit said she'd meet me outside The Dingo. My hair's slicked back, and I got a nice shirt and slacks on. I even made sure I shaved and put on cologne so I'd smell decent. That all worked just fine in high school, so I don't see why it can't now.

When a petite lady approaches me, I know it's her from the red hair and smile. You can see a small amount of Two-Bit in her from those alone; I guess they must be the signature family traits.

She looks stunning too. She has a cute little dress on—short hemmed, but tasteful enough it isn't alarming. The neckline doesn't dip too low either, just enough to let you know she's got the right stuff. I like that. I was worried about what I was gonna get when get when Two-Bit said she was wild.

"Hey, I'm Darrel," I say casually, careful not to let her on to how nervous I am. I use my real name too, even if Darry is what I go by now. Darry doesn't seem sophisticated enough for a date.

"Keith's told me quite a bit about you." She smiles again, and my heart rate rises.

It's a great smile

She starts walking towards the entrance. I take a deep breath and follow her in.

Here we go... Hopefully I still got it.

xxxx

We order a couple burgers and make small talk. She tells me she's attending the university here. It shocks me at first, but then I remember Two-Bit does have a couple rich relatives. And I must admit it's comforting to know she's got goals for her life, even if I feel a bit self-conscious I have to tell her I'm not in college and only a humble roofer.

She knows exactly what to say though; when she tells me what I'm doing for my brothers is admirable, I can't help but blush. It's nice to hear someone my age say it. Sometimes I get funny looks from people. They wonder why I could possibly want to do this when I'm so young.

The small talk lasts for a while, but we eventually run out of things to talk about. "Sorry," I apologize after an awkward silence. "I know I'm not much of a conversationalist..."

"Oh, you're fine," she assures me. "If we run out of things to say, I'll just tell you a bunch of embarrassing stories about Keith... Trust me, there's a lot of them."

It's weird to hear her call him Keith, but I can imagine not all of his relatives see the point in calling him Two-Bit. His mother started doing it out of necessity since he wouldn't reply to anything else, but when she talked to other people about him, she still used his real first name.

Somehow that breaks the ice again. In fact, she doesn't even have to tell me stories. I relax that she's this easy to talk to and get over my stupid fears. Back in high school, I was the lady's choice, not Soda, and it feels damn good to reclaim my title.

xxxx

We talk a long time, well after we finish our food, well after the time I expected this date to end. It's eleven now, and every so often, she makes moves that tell me she's interested in me, like touching my arm or rubbing her shoe against mine, and I start to get nervous again. I should be relieved, excited even, but even back in high school, it took me a while to warm up to people in that way.

When we leave The Dingo, she hooks her arm in mine. I don't stop her, and when we reach my truck, I open the passenger door for her and help her unto the seat. It's a bit of a reach if you're short like she is. She can't be more than five feet, but everything else about her makes her look anything but young.

I take notice of that. For being petite, she still has plenty of curves. I try not to stare. It's the first date and I don't want to be impolite, so I promptly shut the door and get in the driver's seat.

"Sorry, I don't have much for a set of wheels..." The truck's old. I did my best to clean it out before the date, but there's permanent dirt for from the hunting trips Dad took us on.

"C'mon now, what're you apologizin' for?" she dismisses it immediately. "You got a car to drive. That's what's important, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I grin and put the truck in drive. "So where to next?"

"I'll show you."

xxxx

"This is perfect," she says. "We can see the stars from here."

We get out of the truck and lean against the hood. It's a clear night. She points out several constellations, tells me she's interested in space, and I just listen to her talk. She's got a nice voice for one, and if the girl's talkative, it doesn't hurt to just listen and nod. Maybe I overestimate the powers of this important skill, but it's worked out alright for me so far.

You can only bank on it for so long though. It's been a while since I've said something, and I don't want to give her the illusion I don't care about what she's saying. I try to think of something, but when she leans against me, it breaks up my thoughts. It catches me off-guard, but I can't complain. It's a miracle she isn't shy or we'd have gotten nowhere tonight.

"Whenever you want me to take you home, I can." I figure I should offer. Glory, it has to be past midnight by now...

"Okay," she says and leads me back to the car.

I assume this means she wants me to drive her home now. She walked to The Dingo, but I'd feel like a real asshole if I made her walk from where we are now.

She gives me directions again, and it seems like we meander all through Tulsa. When she finally tells me to stop, we're nowhere near an apartment building, so I know this isn't where she lives.

I open my mouth to say something, but then she's leaning over to kiss me, and I realize she gave me phoney directions on purpose. I kiss her back. What guy in their right mind would refuse this? Still, I feel guilty after a while. This is the first date. She's Two-Bit's cousin. I hardly know her. Red flags are popping up all over the place telling me to stop before we go too far, but she each time I try to pull away, she goes for more.

She's a good kisser. Better than me. I like where this is headed. I like it too much and make a stronger effort to put an end to it. Hell, if I wouldn't love to … you know, but not tonight. Not on the first date, but she keeps pulling me back, and her hands go to places I don't—do—want them to go.

Oh God, help me... The thrill of the moment almost gets the best of me, but I get ahold of myself, if only for a second. "I don't have protection," I tell her and hope that leads to a no. If there's one thing I know, it's you respect that word. That was one thing Dad ingrained in us boys when he gave us the sex talk, and he's right. It even works out better for you in the end; the slight disappointment at the time will pay off later once you've gained her trust.

Jesus, Maureen, please say no... Then I'll be able to walk away from this before I do something hasty and stupid. I can even take pride in the fact I was a gentleman about it, and Lord knows, the last thing either of us needs is a baby on our hands... especially me.

Much to my surprise, she fishes through her purse and hands me a condom with an inviting smirk across her lips. I've never once dated a girl who came prepared like this. Two-Bit really wasn't lying when he said she was wild... Here, I thought she was this innocent university student, but all those passes she was making at me should've told me she wanted this hours ago.

She cuts off my thoughts by kissing me again. Glory, it feels right, and I know for sure the only word on her mind is yes. That's when I realize I'm done for. This is wrong. Sleeping with somebody on the first date? I never thought I would... Never in a million years, but it happens.

With Two-Bit's cousin, no less.