I sat there crying and not even caring who saw. Wayne was telling me to pull myself together, but really, I knew that wasn't going to happen. Part of me was screaming at myself. It's your fault! I need someone to blame and it's you! But the other part was still in denial. He's not dead. He's not dead. It's the wrong guy. He's not gone. Mr. Wayne looked impatient and I told him to go be with his daughter and he left without a moment's hesitation. I stood up and tried to walk out. I crashed into someone.

"Sweet Jesus and holy saint Mary, I'm so sorry. I had no idea-" The man gushed in a thick Boston accent. I looked up and took my hand off my head where I bumped it. My eyes flooded with tears. Henry looked over at me and I threw my arms around him.

"Oh, god, Henry. He's dead! He was drinking and he drove and he died and I never told him that I loved him and I never knew him and-" I was crying. Henry took me in his arm and started to stroke my hair, telling me that everything was going to be all right and that everything would be ok. I calmed down and I turned to the desk. "I want to see the body." I said and she looked at me and nodded.

"You'll need to identify the body." She said and I nodded. Henry looked at me.

"Are you going to be ok going in alone?" He asked me and I nodded, giving him one last hug before walking into the room. I didn't recognize the man lying on the gurney, but then againe, I never really knew my father, but I knew this was he. I knew that and I started to cry againe. The nurse stood me up.

"Is this, Mr. Noah Woods?" She asked and I nodded. I reached out to touch his scratchy beard like I did when I was a child, but someone grabbed my wrist.

"You can't touch the body, Miss Woods." A doctor said and I nodded and walked out. Henry escorted me out to his beat up old pickup truck. We got in and I filled him in on the case and Dallas and Johnny and Mr. Wayne and the job and my mother and Henry swore a bit at my mother. He and I were silent.

"So you and the hood get lucky yet?" He asked and my mouth dropped open.

"My father and your bet friend died and that's all you can think about!" I snapped. Henry put a hand on the wheel.

"That aint it, Robyn. I just think that you never knew your dad, honey. I don't want you falling into a spiral and I don't want you drinking. You should go out. You just completely owned that judge's ass! Go out and have some fun, baby girl. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to. " He said and rushed some hair from my face. I leaned against his shoulder.

"I can't."

"Robyn, you can't do this to yourself." Henry said and I grabbed onto my head. It was killing me. "Doll face, come on, sweetheart. Robyn, you need to stop this. Your father would not have wanted you to do this! I knew him better then you did. Now, let's got find those boys and your going to watch the movie and calm down. We'll worry about funeral things later." I shook my head crying. "I'm going to call a support group for you, babe." He said and I shook my head.

"No, Henry, everyone would-"

"Stop it, Robyn. I'm the more mature one here and I promised your father I'd take care of you!" He snapped and I sighed. He smiled. I could tell that my cease of complaints had put him at ease. He stopped at the drive in and I got out. "Go find your friends, buy a coke, watch the movie, and do me one more favor?" He asked and I turned to him, though shaken up I tried to control it.

"What, Henry?"

"For god's sake, Robyn Woods, find a guy. How long's it been since you-"

"Shut up!" I said playfully, hitting him. I forgot how good he made me feel.

"I'm serious! That blond greaser was sure hot on you! I ran into him at that bar- what's it called? Buck's! He told me that you picked up a job at the strip club." I rolled my eyes and almost laughed.

"He's a ass. Don't listen to him." I said and Henry smiled at me.

"But really, Robyn. If you like him, don't say no because he's a greaser. Give him a chance, doll. Just talk to him." Henry said and I smiled.

"Thanks' Henry. You're my savior." I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Shut your trap, Robyn Woods, that aint true." He said and I smiled.

"Sure as hell it is." I told him and then turned to him, throwing my arms around him. "Henry, I'm scared." I said.

"Well, don't be. You'll make me scared too, sweetheart." He said and I removed my head from his shoulder.

"I don't know what to do about this job." I admitted. Henry shrugged.

"Honey, you don't know how much I wish I could help you with that problem, but I don't know what I'd do either." He said. I nodded. "I can tell you though, that you should get a guy and that-"

"Good bye, Henry!" I said and he grabbed my wrist.

"You're a god damn firework Robyn Woods and don't you ever forget that. You do what you want, but I think it would be an awful shame to take that job just to blend in or just because they're willing to pay you good money. I aint no lawyer, but I know that you got a god given talent with those words that come out of your mouth. You're that damn picture book definition of silver tongued and you know what, doll? I can't see you taking orders from anyone, that's not to say I'm right. That was just my pep talk. No go be a girl, Robyn." Henry said and drove off. I walked off, laughing, but those words stuck with me. Henry made me feel good. I thought and ran off to find the gang, that one thought still echoing in my brain. Firework. Was I a firework? Or was I more of a hurricane? It didn't matter. My thoughts soon shifted to AA. What would it be like? Would I really be able to quite or even drink safely? I started to think about my father and then liquor. I was very fortunate when I herd my name being called from behind. I whipped around. Johnny. He ran over to me and threw his arms around my waist.

"Hey, honey!" I exclaimed. He looked up.

"You coming to watch the movie?" He asked and I nodded. My bet was that Darry didn't tell him anything. He didn't need to know. I walked over to where the gang was sitting. I took a seat next to Darry, who leaned over to me.

"What happened?" He asked. "You look shaken up and you said you weren't coming." He said. I took a shaky breath.

"My father passed away, Darry. I thought being among friends would be a good idea." I said. Ponyboy looked taken aback. Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were off getting cokes with Johnny.

"Gosh, Robyn, I'm real sorry." Ponyboy said and I shrugged.

"I didn't know him that well." I said and tried to look at the movie. Dallas turned to me.

"How?" He asked. Darry tried to shush him.

"Drunk driving." I said. I didn't know how I recounted the story without crying. I told them about Wayne and about the job and about Henry and my father. Dallas and Darry and Ponyboy listed sympathetically. Well, Darry and Ponyboy listened sympathetically. Dallas seemed fixated on his cigarette lighter and black converse all stars. At the end no one spoke for a while. Dallas whistled.

"Well, that friend of yours has one thing right." Dallas said and I looked over at him. He smirked. "Your sure as hell are a firework." He said and moved to sit next to me "hot, dangerous, steamy..." He said and then in a different tone snapped "and unable to shut your mouth for three minutes!" I didn't even bother to retort. I just shrugged. I tried to concentrate on the movie, but that just wasn't going to happen. The thoughts I had all centered on AA and my father. He was a firework to. I remembered when I was little. I had gone to the ice cream store with my babysitter, Nancy, and we had gotten into a fight. My father was driving by on his way home from work and he saw. He got out of the car and he cursed them out left and right. They were socials that ad jumped us. My father got arrested that day for disrupting a public area. I smiled at the thought. Henry and my mamma had to come and bail him out together. I had thought that it was funny that my mother, the queen, had to rescue, the king from the dungeon, instead of the other way around, but when I told my mummy that next weekend she told me that the entire world couldn't be fairytales and that I couldn't live in one. I learned that the hard way. I thought. Idealistic bitch. I thought at rolled my eyes at myself. It was a funny feeling, to have lost my father. I thought. Part of me wanted to burst out crying, like I had earlier and part of me was over it, as I only knew him when I was little and only had a couple of memories from those golden ages. I dismissed the feeling and shuddered at the inhumane thoughts of being over my father's untimely death. I leaned back on the chair, lost in thoughts. It topples over me with it. Dallas snickered, but reached down to help me up. I didn't take his hand. I didn't need a knight in shinning armor. I didn't need anyone's help to slat the dragon. No, my father and my law professors taught me how to do that all on my own. Dallas didn't need to come running in to save the day. His tone changed the slightest bit, or maybe it was jut my imagination.

"Want to go for a drive?" He asked. "Might help put that fire out." He said.

"I don't want anything to do with you, Dallas Winston so back off and stop trying." I muttered under my breath. Henry would have chuckled and told me to go with Dallas. Any other day? I hate to break it to you, but I might have listened. Not today though. I was not going to run off and screw around until the funeral was done and I'd made my decision about The Jeremy Apples Law Firm.

"Come on, Ginger." Dallas said and I slapped his hand away.

"Leave me the hell alone, you dirty bastard." I snapped and Johnny, Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit all came running up. Johnny passed me a coke and I took it, thanking him. Ponyboy turned to me.

"Hey, Miss Woods?" He asked.

"What, baby?"

"Are you going to take the job?" He asked and I shrugged.

"What job?" Johnny asked. I snapped my head up. Shit. I'd have to tell him. He had every right to know. I invaded his privacy to the highest degree.

"I got offered a real big job working with Mr. Wayne." I said and told him the whole story. Johnny looked down and then at Ponyboy.

"You should take it." Ponyboy muttered. My eyes looked over to him.

"What?" I said, astounded. Ponyboy nodded at me.

"That's a real big job, Miss Woods. Who are you kidding? Go work with them. You need the money and what are you going to do here?" Ponyboy said and Dallas snapped him over the head, causing Darry to give him a stern look.

"You better shut your freaking trap, you little shit. We don't need your crap, you little tag along." He growled at Ponyboy. "Robyn, if I hear any more of this, I'll knock you around so bad that-"

"Don't you mean knock her up so bad?" Two-Bit snickered. We both turned to him.

"You better shut your trap to, Matthews. Robyn, come one, are you really going to do that? Are you serious?" He hissed at me and grabbed my wrist. "We're going to go for a walk." He hissed. I wrenched my arm away.

"No, Dallas, we're not going for a walk and it's none of your damn business."

"You listen to me. It is my business, you stupid broad." He snapped. "Because your to damn busy drinking and slutting around to make your own choices!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that againe!" I hissed.

"Guys, just stop!" Johnny said and Dallas looked at me and then back at him.

"Come on, kid. Let's fly out." Dallas said and put a protective arm around Johnny's shoulder. They start to walk away. I sighed and sat down.

"Sorry about that." Darry said and I shrugged.

"My fault. We should have steered clear of that topic."

"Really though, Robyn, what are you going to do?" Ponyboy asked me. I shrugged.

"I have no idea. Right now, though. I'm heading back to Buck's and to find Henry. He wants to get me into AA." I said and got up. I walked over to the road. Saying that I didn't know what I was going to do was a lie. I knew what I was going to do. I'd take the job back in Boston. Dallas could find another girl because I was through and the rest of the gang had each other. They didn't need me. I was about to walk to of the parking lot when I herd a voice call my name desperately from behind. I turned around to see Johnny running up to me. He reached me and threw his arm around my waist.

"I'm sorry!" He cried. I rubbed his back.

"For what, honey? You didn't do anything wrong..." I assured him and he looked up.

"Miss Woods, you can't leave and now I have a reason." He said. I looked at him and he handed me a warn out green book. "Look at page two hundred and thirty five. Ponyboy read it to me when I was in jail and I want to you to read it." He said and I flipped to the page, confused. The title was to warn out to read, but when I flipped to the page I smiled. "Read it out loud." He said.

"Nature's first green is gold her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." I read and Johnny wrapped his arms around me againe.

"Stay gold, Miss Woods. Please stay here and stay gold." He cried and I started to tear up.

"What-what-what does it mean, Johnny?" I asked and He walked a few paces, his hand enclosed in mine. He shrugged, sheepishly.

"I don't know exactly." He stated then quickly added. "But Ponyboy don't either and I got some theories." He said and I kept walking, dropping his hand. It was something my father would have done. He always read me poems and books. "Are you listening, Miss Woods?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I'll always be listening, baby." I said and he looked at my face.

"I think it means to stay young and stay free. Don't give into life and never stop dreaming. Stay young and innocent. Mr. Frost is saying to stay pure." Johnny said. My mouth parted into a perfect circle.

"Johnny. That's real deep." I said and he shrugged.

"Will you stay gold, Miss Woods? I told Ponyboy to, but he told me that we all grew up." He said, looking fearfully into my eyes.

"Honey, I'm already grown up."

"No, Miss Woods, that's not what I mean and that's not what Mr. Frost means either." Johnny said and he grabbed at y hand tighter. I could see that he was really scared. I knelt down to his level.

"Baby, you got to stop stressing out." I said and brushed some hair away from his face. "What does Mr. Frost mean then?"

"He means that you can't change. Your perfect just the way you are, Miss Woods." Johnny said and I draped an arm around his shoulders.

"No one is perfect, Johnnycake." I said and I don't know why I said it. I t just slipped out. Somehow it felt different then calling him 'honey' or 'baby' or 'sweetheart' probably because that's what I called everyone who was younger then me, but really I couldn't put my finger on what was so different.

"That's not what Dally thinks." He muttered and smiled at me. "Really, though, Miss Woods, you need to stay gold, though. If you join that law firm, you're going to be giving up what makes you, you." He said and I tilted my head, still not getting it. Johnny sighed. "Right now, you are Robin Hood! Defending the poor from the rich! If you go to them, Miss Woods. You're giving up! Please, Miss Woods!" He begged me. "Stay gold and stay on the east side with us where you belong." Johnny said and I nodded. I passed Johnny back the book but he motioned for me to keep it. "It's everything Mr. Frost has ever written. Ponyboy gave it to me and I'm no good at reading. You should keep it so you remember page two hundred and thirty five." He said and I took the book. He looked at me. "Dallas is real worried about you, Miss Woods. You should see him." Johnny said and I sighed.

"Does Dallas Winston have to stay gold?" I muttered, sarcastically. I was not in the mood to deal with Dallas.

"No, Dallas needs me to stay gold for him." He said and I didn't even bother asking what that meant. I just nodded and Johnny grabbed my wrist one more time. "You really do remind me of Robin Hood." He said and I thanked him then we walked off our separate ways. I decided that I was going to have to face Dallas. I thought about the poem and recited it againe and againe. After the thirty seventh time a thought hit me. It was then I knew that I wasn't taking that job. I didn't know what I would do, but I wasn't taking that job. If I left them then what would Johnny do and what would I be? I would just be another case file and another lawyer. No, I was not just another lawyer. That was never going to happen. I was never going to carry a leather briefcase and I was never going to wear heels that cost a million dollars. My attire was never going to be dressy, as hell and I was never going to belong to that law firm. Even if I joined, I'd never be one of them and I remembered the reason I quite my first job and came here in the first place. I was Robyn Woods and I was going to try my damn hardest to stay gold.