XXXXXX

It was going on 10'o clock and Sandy was running around her room trying to get ready for her date with Sodapop while talking on the phone with her best friend, Evie Sanders who had just recently broken up with her boyfriend.

"I'm telling you, I'm done. I'm done dating, I'm done trying to meet someone. Every guy I date turns out to be a complete asshole," Evie complained.

"Oh, yes you will Evie," Sandy encouraged while trying to pick out a dress. "You've just had some bad luck, that's all."

"Speaking of luck, how in the world did you manage to land Sodapop Curtis? He's like, the cutest boy in school."

From downstairs, Sandy heard the doorbell ring.

"Oh, the doorbell is ringing, I've got to go, talk to you later."

"Sandy wait!"

She hung up the phone despite her friend's protest, and ran down the steps to answer the door.

"Hey Sandy," Sodapop said softly, his voice lacking the usual joyful, almost carefree attitude she had known him to have and had loved him for. "Are you ready to go?"

"I still have to get dressed," Sandy responded. "Come on in."

She led Soda up the stairs and into her bedroom. He took a seat on the bed and looked around the room while Sandy plucked a dress from the closet and took it off its hanger.

"This isn't too fancy for dinner is it?" She held up the dress for Soda to see.

"No." He shook his head absently. In that moment, he was thankful she couldn't read his mind.

Before she could stop herself, Sandy asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah,"

"You're acting strange."

Soda just shrugged and stared the floor. Sandy walked over and sat down next to him.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can go out tonight," Soda finally confessed.

"What's wrong?" Sandy asked, confused.

"I had this whole big night planned for us, and then I got caught in the middle of a fight. And not just between anyone. My best friend and my little brother."

"Wow, that's horrible. Why did the get into a fight?"

"It's a long story."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, nobody got really hurt or anything it's just that…I hate being in the middle of things. I've got the feeling they're gonna want me to chose between them, and I can't do that."

"I understand. We don't have to go out tonight if you're not up to it. We can just stay here."

The two sat in silence for a minute beforeSandyremembered something.

"Oh, your class got your tests back didn't you? What did you get?"

Sodapop slowly pulled the test out of his pocket and unfolded it, moving the paper in front of her eyes.

"Soda! You got an A+ on your test! That's great!" Sandy then threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

Soda grinned, starting to feel better already as he returned the hug.

"Well, I wouldn't have gotten it if it wasn't for you," Soda said as he pulled away to look into her eyes.

"Sandy?" An older male voice suddenly called from behind the door.

"It's my dad!" Sandy whispered. Soda quickly jumped behind the other side of the bed as Sandy got up to answer the door.

"Hey, dad," Sandy greeted when she opened the door. "I thought you and mom weren't coming home until later."

"I thought I heard voices," her dad said.

"No, no you didn't dad," Sandy responded.

"Oh no?"

Her dad gently pushed the door open further and looked around, but saw no one.

"Alright, I'm off to bed. I'm gonna be out of town for a few days, I left some cash down on the coffee table for you."

"Thanks."

Her dad gave her a playful stern look.

"I could have sworn I heard voices in here."

Sandy smiled and leaned up to kiss her dad's cheek.

"Goodnight daddy,"

Sandy sighed in relief as she closed the door and looked at her bed, just as Soda stuck one of her teddy bears up in the air.

"Close call," Soda laughed. Shaking her head, Sandy grabbed a pillow and whacked her boyfriend's head as she began to laugh as well.

XXXXXX

Not to far away, Karen opened the door to her house and Ponyboy stepped inside as he was staying over tonight.

He took off his shoes and walking into the living room as Karen walked into the kitchen and got a bag of chips.

Ponyboy shuffled through a pack of cards waiting for Two-Bit to get back from his beer run so they could start up a game of poker.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Pony," Karen said while coming back into the room.

"Me too. I missed you guys."

"We were only gone for a couple of days."

"Yeah, but I didn't have anyone to hang out with."

"Speaking of that, I was thinking that...maybe we could go out," Karen said.

"What are you talking about? We go out all the time."

"Yes, but I meant really go out. The Halloween dance is coming up at Berryhill and I thought we could go together, as a date."

Ponyboy looked at Karen in surprise for a second before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Karen…I'll go, but not as a date."

"Why not?" Karen asked in disappointment.

"Because you're a friend of mine, I don't want to mess that up."

"Oh come on Pony, that is so old. It's just a date."

"Listen Karen. Two-Bit's my best friend, and you're his little sister. That's how it is, and that's how it stays."

"What are you, afraid of Two-Bit?"

"I'm not afraid of anyone." Pony insisted. "That's not the point here."

"Fine."

They were quiet after that as Ponyboy layed down on the couch and picked up a magazine off the coffee table and began reading when he suddenly felt a large amount of weight on his legs. Pony looked up to see Karen sitting on him.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting down,"

"There's a whole other couch over there,"

"I feel like sitting here."

Pony looked at Karen and knew she was up to something. From all the years he had known her, he knew one thing, she was not the type to give up. She was probably thinking up something to make him crack, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Suddenly, he felt a finger run along the bottom of his foot.

Pony yelped and tried to draw back his legs but couldn't. Karen was now grinning ear to ear. It was at that instance that Pony cursed his decision to take off his shoes.

Karen suddenly pulled off Ponyboy's socks and started tickling his feet.

"Ack! No! Stop that!" His voice cracked in the middle, making her laugh.

"But this is so much fun!"

"No! Please! I'll do anything!" Pony's face was turning red, and he couldn't stop squirming. By this point Karen was now sitting on his waist.

"Come with me to the dance?"

"No!"

Karen started tickling Ponyboy's sides.

"Alright! Alright! I'll go!" Pony shouted. "Just stop!"

Karen took her hands away and held Pony's arms to the couch

"Promise?"

"Yeah," Pony gasped.

She let go of him and got to her feet as Ponyboy sat up and rubbed his legs.

"So, when should I-" Karen began but Ponyboy jumped up.

"I'm not going!" He yelled and ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

"Pony! You said you would!"

"I just said it so you would stop!"

"Pony, you jerk!" Karen shouted while pounding on the door. "Come out of there!"

Just then, Mrs. Matthews came down the stairs just as Two-Bit walked through the door.

"What in the world is going on?" Mrs. Matthews asked.

"Ponyboy won't come out of the bathroom," Karen explained.

"Well if you gotta go, you gotta go." Two-Bit responded.

"Keith, I hope that isn't beer you got in that bag." Mrs. Matthews scolded her son.

"Of course not mother, would I give alcohol to minors?" He responded while holding the bag slightly more to his side. She shook her head and started heading back up the stairs.

"Alright I'm going to sleep, please try not to make to much noise."

As soon as he heard the door upstairs close, Two-Bit walked towards the door Karen was banging on.

"Okay, really. What's going on?"

"Ponyboy said-"

"No Karen! Don't tell him!" Pony said while racing out.

"Tell me what?"

"There's a dance coming up and I wanted Pony to go with me. As an actual date."

"And he said no?" Two-Bit asked.

"He doesn't want to take a girl to the dance."

"Why not? Do you prefer men Ponyboy?" Two-Bit said while raising his left eyebrow.

"I'm not gay, Two-Bit!" Pony snapped.

"So, why don't you want to go with Karen?"

"I was just thinking that…you mean, you wouldn't mind?"

"Are you kiddin'? What, did you think I'd beat you up or something?"

Pony shifted awkwardly.

"I...I don't know. I didn't know how you'd react."

Two-Bit shook his head.

"I've known you for a while Pony, you're a good kid. I trust you."

Ponyboy smiled then looked back at Karen.

"Alright, Karen. I'll go with you to the dance.

She beamed after Ponyboy said that and then kissed him on the cheek, causing his ears to turn red.

"I'm going to bed, see you on Sunday, Pony!" Karen called as she headed up the stairs.

After she disappeared, Two-Bit placed his elbow on Ponyboy's shoulder.

"She's always diged you buddy,"

"There's just one little problem," Pony said while sitting down.

"What's that?"

"I can't dance," Pony mumbled.

"You can't dance?"

"I've never danced with a girl before," he admitted.

Two-Bit looked over at the record player and grinned, an idea coming to his head.