Author's Note: This is a pretty short chapter guys! Its really just a filler, but the next one will be longer, I promise!

There's a summer drawing to an end tonight

And there's so much I long to do to you

-Kenny Chesney

All in all, the shopping trip wasn't that bad, especially compared to the year before. Pony had grumbled a little bit about uncomfortable slacks and Johnny refused to let Ms. Nora buy him a new jeans jacket, but other than that things went down without any incident.

And now, there was only one day till school would be back in session. The mood in the Adare backyard was slightly bleak.

"Come on, you guys." Darry said, lightening the grill. "It's not that bad."

"Says the guy who's done with school." Steve muttered.

The whole gang (minus Dally, who was still in the cooler) was all gathered having an end of summer/Labor Day cookout. It was kind of a tradition for them.

"I like school." Two-Bit said, dropping in a lawn chair beside Steve and AJ, who were both squeezed into the same one.

"Well, you're a freak." Steve told him. He took a drink of his Coke. Two-Bit turned and called over his shoulder to his mother, who was in the house with Ms. Nora.

"Ma! Steve called me a freak!"

Sherilyn Matthews came out the back door, a bowl of potato salad in her hands. "Play nice, children." She said sarcastically. "Two-Bit, have you seen Tally?"

Tally was his little sister. "I think she's with Amy." He answered.

"She is." Nora came outside too. She laid a plate of perfectly round hamburger patties on the table near the grill, for Darry to begin to cook when he was ready. "They're looking at some experiment in Amy's room."

"Great." AJ said. "Maybe Amy's finally figured out how to build a bomb."

"Not funny." Nora said, looking at her. "And AJ, get your own chair. I swear to God, you two make me sick."

Steve and AJ grinned at one another. "Sorry Mom." AJ moved into an empty chair. "When's Alice and Brandon supposed to be here?"

"Right now." Two-Bit nodded towards the driveway, where Brandon had just pulled in.

Alice got Kimmy from her car seat and was carrying her around back.

"Oh, there's my baby!" Nora said, scooping her grandchild from Alice's arms. "It feels like forever since I saw you!"

"Mom, you saw her yesterday." AJ said, rolling her eyes. She got up and helped Brandon smooth out a blanket for Kimmy to lie on after Nora finished smothering her with hugs and kisses.

"Johnny's here." Steve said, pointing.

"Hey, Johnnycakes!" Brandon said as their friend came into the backyard. "How you doing, kid?"

Johnny shrugged. "Fine, I guess." He said. He looked around. "Where's Pony and Sodapop?"

"They went to pick up Sandy." Steve answered.

The fact that Soda was bringing Sandy to their get together made AJ nervous. Sandy was Evie's best friend, and she remembered that Kathy (who was mad at Two-Bit again, otherwise she would've been there) said not to trust her.

AJ hadn't run into Evie alone yet, but it was only a matter of time, and she'd heard more rumors that Evie was threatening to kick her ass. Alice said not to worry about it, and to go for her hair if she tried anything.

"Here they come now." Darry said, as his truck pulled in next door.

Once everyone was there, Darry began to cook the burgers and hotdogs up.

"I want my hotdog burnt." Tally announced. She was ten-years-old and a mini-version of her big brother.

"Me too." Two-Bit added and winked at her. She grinned and crawled in his lap. "Ah, Little-Bit, you're getting too big for this." He said, but he was smiling and he didn't make her move.

"Two burnt hotdogs, got it." Darry said, shuddering slightly at the thought.

Sodapop was sitting on the blanket with Sandy, playing with Kimmy, who was just learning to roll over on her own. "She's so cute!" He said. "Like a little roly-poly puppy or something!"

"Yes, compare my child to a dog." Brandon joked, eating some chips. "Has anyone else noticed how it's impossible to stop with just one chip?"

"They're coated with heroin; I've been saying it for years." Steve said, popping one in his mouth.

AJ leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She loved these cookouts, but hated them also. It meant summer was over and it was time to go back to school.

They all ate burgers and hotdogs and roasted some marshmallows, and when it got closer to being dark out, Ponyboy brought out some fireworks he had light over from the fourth. Amy and Tally played with sparklers, writing their names in quick fairy lights and Johnny and Pony laughed as they set off Lady Fingers in the middle of the street.

The radio was playing low beside them and AJ squeezed back into the seat with Steve. She knew Sandy was watching them, but she didn't care. Let her run back to Evie with her stories.

AJ was happy and she wasn't going to let anyone ruin it for her.