Thank you guys for the reviews! Well after this there's 2 more chapters, and then it's over. I have a bit of the sequel written, but I might post it.

Disclaimer:Don't own, don't sue.

Chapter 21

Over the course of the next few weeks Darry and Pete actually got pretty close. They weren't best friends, or anything in a manner similar to that, but they did go to the gym or get a drink once or twice a week. I guess they could be considered man friends or something.

It was the first week of July, and Mom was out working. Peter was at a job interview with a construction company, and I was at home with Bethany, like usual. We were watching television, and it was almost time for lunch. I went upstairs for a few minutes to get something, but was greeted instead with a loud scream.

I rushed down the stairs to find Bethany holding on to her stomach, screaming.

"Billie!" She screamed at me, "Billie, get Petey!"

"But he's in the middle on an intervi-"

"NOW!" She shouted at me, and I flinched. I wasn't going to ruin my brother's job opportunities and pull him away from his interview, and instead called my mom. After all, she was a nurse and knew about pregnancies more than I did.

I got my mom on the phone, but since she was busy I could only talk to her for a few minutes. She told me to bring Bethany to the hospital as quickly as possible and that the baby was probably on its way. With no car to get to the hospital, I had to think of a way to get there.

There was no one home, and everyone I knew of that was home didn't have a car. I looked out the window, pacing around the front door again. When I saw a car pull up to the front the Curtis' house, I shouted at Beth that I'd be right back, and ran across the street.

I didn't even bother in knocking, and let myself inside. "Hello? Soda? Ponyboy? Darry? Two-Bit?" I called out all the names I could think of inside the house, waiting for an answer. "Someone?"

"Billie?" the voice asked. Ponyboy walked out half asleep. "It's ten in the morning, an' you're not even supposed to be over here."

"Whose car is parked out front?" I demanded.

"Two-Bit was gonna drive me to the movies…"

"Can he make a pit stop along the way?"

"I dunno, ask him. He's coming in the door right now."

"Two-Bit!" I called to him," Can you drive me someplace?"

He looked at me puzzled. "Why're you over with Ponyboy alone? Didn't Soda not want you two alone?"

"It's a weird story; I just need a ride somewhere! It's an emergency!"

"Where to?"

"Can you drive me to the hospital? My brother's girlfriend's pregnant and I think she's in labor!"

"Uh Billie, I don't think I can…"

"Please," I begged him. "Please, Two-Bit. I need to drive her there, and I have no ride and she needs to get there really soon!"

"Alright, alright, don't have a pony."

"Great! I'll go get Beth!"

I ran out the front door, and into my house, snatching my brother's girlfriend.

"Billie! I can't walk very fast! Billie! Where're you taking me?"

"Car…hospital..." I panted rushing her over to the Curtis house. I brought her over to Two-Bit's car, putting her in the front seat.

"Billie, I don't think this car..."

"Get in the fucking car!" I shouted at her, not giving her anytime to protest.

I crawled into the back seat and told Two-Bit the address of the hospital my mom worked at. It was a slow commute, and we got there about a half hour later. Luckily, Beth's baby didn't come out yet, and we still had time. I went straight up to the desk and told the receptionist.

She just nodded her head and wasn't panicking like I was. I thanked Two-Bit for the ride as he and Ponyboy left and a nurse led Bethany into a hospital room. Since she was in the hospital room prepping, there wasn't much I could do. My mom ended up going into Beth's room and being her nurse, and a few hours later Peter got there.

There wasn't much to do when waiting in a hospital. I sat on the waiting room chairs, and entertained myself in the simplest ways possible. The minutes went slow, and the hours went slower. I lost complete track of time and it wasn't until late in the afternoon when Peter came out of the room. "The doctor said probably within the next hour," he told me. "I just stopped to go to the bathroom."

"Okay." I shrugged.

I went back to lying down on the waiting room chair, only to be awoken by Peter twenty minutes later.

"Billie! Billie, come here!" he pulled at me. "Billie, she's here! It's a girl!" He exclaimed softly," It's a baby girl! Her name's Angela Louise. She's currently in the incubation room, you can go see her if you want. I'm getting Bethany some pudding."

I just nodded watching my brother go towards the cafeteria to get Bethany some food. I quietly made my way over to the room and looked into the glass. There in a small bundle of pink was my brother's new daughter, and my new niece. She was sleeping, so I doubt she even saw me, or heard my very tiny whispers.

I kept walking slowly down the line of babies, looking at all of them. They were cute, and I hoped one day I could have a baby of my own, even if I could never give birth. I kept on walking down the line when I bumped into someone.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly, not bothering to look at the guy. When I looked up, I gave a weak smile seeing his bright blue eyes.

"It's okay," he apologized back. "It's not your fault. Which one's your baby?"

I let out a small laugh. "Niece. She's my niece. Angela Louise Clark. My brother's fiancée had her. What about you, what baby's yours?"

"New sister. Gloria Maureen Gaylon."

"Sounds nice," I replied smiling at him. "I'm Billie."

"My name's James, but my friends call me Jimmy."

"Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me and get some food?"

"Sure," he replied giving me a weak grin. I took in his appearance as we went to the cafeteria to get some food. He had bright piercing blue eyes and dark brown hair. I couldn't tell if he was a Soc or a Greaser, and I didn't really care to be honest. As long as he was a nice guy, I didn't care what social class he was from.

We sat in the cafeteria eating our food when he shifted in his chair and avoided looking at me. "Uhm, Billie. This is really nice an' all, but I'm not lookin' for a girlfriend or nothin' right now."

"Did you go through a bad breakup or something?"

"Billie, I'm not going to give a complete stranger my life story."

"I'm not a stranger, and I just wanted to know." I knew I was pestering the guy, but might as well learn as much about him as much as I can, while I can.

"Billie, let's just say girls aren't my prime focus right now."

"So you like boys," I asked him as a devious grin appeared across my lips. "That'll make everything a load easier."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a secret too," I said to Jimmy softly. "A pretty big one at that. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Jimmy looked at me strangely. "I'm not going to tell someone I hardly know a big secret of mine."

"I'm not a girl," I confessed. I was doing what Soda said I should do and be upright honest. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever see this guy again if I didn't want to, so it couldn't hurt to tell him. Jimmy's face turned a deep shade of red at my confession.

"Then what are you? Some sort of man-chick?"

I sighed. "Mentally I'm a female, physically, well; science hasn't gone that far yet."

Jimmy let out a shy smile, and I melted inside when I saw his crooked toothy smile. He was so imperfect looking, and I wanted to get to know him more. He had this hidden charm in him I was dying to find more about.

"So, you're a boy?" Jimmy asked and I just shyly nodded my head. "With boy parts an' all?" He asked, and I nodded again.

"Everything down there is the same as every other boy," I said then added, "or most. My birth name was William and I'm still biologically considered a man, even though I know I'm not. Will this be a problem?"

Jimmy just looked lost. "Uhm, I don't know…" he trailed off. "This is kinda awkward, Billie. I don't even really know you, and here you are confessing all these secrets."

"It won't be awkward, I promise. If you like boys like I think you do, then none of this will be a problem!"

"I really don't know. It's just so…weird."

"This can really work. Think about it. You get all the benefits of dating a guy, but everything will work like you're dating a girl!" I explained. I tried to ease him into the idea. I had some strange feeling he liked boys; maybe it was because I feel like I was in the same spot as he was. Without someone like me, that is.

"Well…" He trailed off again, not knowing what to say.

"You like boys, don't you?" I asked him in a whisper.

He looked at me, shifting his eyes and darting his head back and forth. When no one else was around him, he nodded his head slowly. "I do like boys. My ex, he didn't really like boys. He thought he did, but he didn't. He broke it off as soon as this girl came to town."

"Oh. My ex, he…he didn't know I was a boy. He thought I was a girl, and then one day he tried to get in my pants and well, that was the end of that," I stated softly. I looked down at the floor trying to avoid eye contact.

"Billie," he said. "I know you probably ain't pulling my leg, but I can't be too sure. How do I know you're not some girl who's not getting any? Or worse, some girl who's trying to convert me away from the devil. Did my mother put you up to this? "

First, I get dumped because I want to be a girl. Then, I get dumped for not having female parts. Now, I'm about to get dumped because I could be a girl? Men can be such idiots.

"I'm not religious," I state. "And I'm not here to convert anyone. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy that wants to be with a guy? Or a guy that would date a person like me?" I feel my eyes welling up and the tears leaking out.

He's falling for my tears and sighs. "Okay," he said, writing down a number. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night."

I smile to myself as he walks away.

I'm getting my way.

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