AN: Hey, everybody! Thank yawl so much for reading my first ever story on here up till this high point, and it's time for the Greasers to catch Rosemary and save Jazz! What'll happen though? Will Jazz fall off the horse? Will he ride ever again? Let's find out now! Enjoy! :D

Chapter 44

Chasing Rosemary was pointless. For a gentle and sweet one, she's a mighty fast horse when she gets startled or frightened to death. Jazz was still holding on tight to the leather rope, squeezing it to death that his knuckles were starting to turn red as his hands started trembling along with his whole body. The poor twelve-year-old boy had his china-blue eyes clenched shut, and his teeth were also clenched behind his lips. Steaming hot tears were pouring down his face as he cried and hollered loudly, pleading Rosemary to stop running, while he also yelled out his tearful and frightened begs for the gang to rescue him by getting Rosemary to stop her wild galloping all around the Curtis's family ranch.

Each of the Greasers were now all running, still bolting on their feet as fast as they all could. Cassidy's shock had worn off a bit, and so, she took the advanage and started bashing after her horse with the rest of the gang all going as fast as they all could run, Ponyboy being the fastest, even with Jocelyn being held close to his chest, because Ponyboy's been in track ever sense he skipped a grade and went straight to highschool. The Greasers all had tried to cut the horse off, but it was obvious that they couldn't do such a thing, because Rosemary was just way too fast.

"GET ME OFF OF THIS THING!" Jazz pleaded, a whole lot more tears forming inside his china-blue eyes and pouring out of them like a rapid waterfall. Jazz was doing it all in his might to keep his balance perfectly straight so he wouldn't fall off the horse and hurt himself, but he was just so frightened that he didn't know what could possibly happen to him. He kept questioning to himself if he was holding on tight enough, and not to mention if he was possibly going to get hurt from falling off Rosemary one way or the other.

"DON'T WORRY, JAZZ! WE'RE COMING!" Darry hollered out with his hands cuffed over his mouth so Jazz could hear his voice echo throughout the air, and through his frightened cries and rapid pounds of the beatings of his heart in his chest.

"This could be really, really good for a workout!" Dally exclaimed at Kitten, breathing in and out heavily as he kept on going with his running by her side. "But really, really bad with Jazz possibly getting injured!"

"Come on, Winston! Don't bring up that thought! Just keep running!" Kitty ordered as she picked up her paste a bit to be up by Johnny's side, and everybody attempted following her example with speeding up their running the best they all could, becoming very tired and all. The gang attempted rushing all the way to Rosemary and not to mention surrounding her, but Rosemary was just so dang fast that it was impossible to catch her with just plain running. Sharp pains were now digging deep into each of the Greasers sides, and sweat was now starting to trickle down each of their foreheads. No matter how fast they ran, none of them could make it all the way to Rosemary, and with every single second passing with that horse still galloping wildly, Jazz felt like his fear and tears were going to kill him before he even hit the ground, if he fell, that is. If he didn't, before Rosemary finally stops her wildly fast run.

Each of the Greasers faces were now all red, and they were all now taking in and letting out such faster and deeper breaths with their chests and throats now starting to hurt from all of their running that took place for five minutes straight. That's when Beverly got the idea for announcing to the Greasers to quickly get their horses out from the stable and go riding after Rosemary and Jazz instead of continuing to painfully rush on foot for another few hours or so.

"Man, I've never ran so fast in my whole life!" Two-bit exclaimed as he quickly strapped and fixed a saddle around his horse, Lightning, as fast as he could to quickly get it all ready.

"This coming from the guy who flunked gym!" Dally bellowed, rushing over to his horse and flipping right onto Darkness's back, not caring to place the saddle on him at a time like that.

"Hey, who cares which way I ran the laps?! I still ran 'em!" Two-bit objected "and I didn't flunk! I got a straight D in that class! I mean, sure, I properly could've got an A if I..showed up half the time..and followed the directions when I actually did show up...and maybe even if I was a bit more coordinated!"

"Two-bit! We don't have time to listen to your highschool tales with flunking, pulling pranks on the teachers, and whatnot! Hurry up and get on your horse! Jazz needs us, for Pete's sake!" Darry ordered, and all Two-bit did was quickly nod his head without saying another word, and he finished fixing the saddle around Lightning. Just as everyone else yelled, "YEHAW!" or something like that to get their horses to start kicking it right out of the stable and after Rosemary to save Jazz's life, Two-bit's attention got captured by a rope of the ground, and without anything else needed to be seen, or something possibly being heard, Two-bit snatched the rope up and tied it into a lasso. Sense he was in a hurry from wanting to help the others quickly retrieve Jazz and get Rosemary back to her gentle and easy self, the lasso turned out very sloppy, but it'd work, and Two-bit hopped right onto his horse and kicked it out of the stable, after all of the other Greasers.

"Giddy up, girl! Come on, Gumdrop! Faster! Faster!" Soda ordered with his voice full of panic, while he clenched tightly but carefully onto his horses mane, trying his best to get Gumdrop to hurry it up more and more so they could save Jazz faster.

"JAZZ! WE'RE COMING, LITTLE BUDDY!" Darry hollered out to the poor, frightened twelve-year-old boy that was seriously on the edge of breaking down with his tears and terror.

"AGAIN, MIGHT I ADD!" Steve added onto Darry's nervous toned yell, as he ordered Fiona, his horse, to pick up the paste as well.

"DON'T LET GO OF THE LEATHER ROPE, JAZZ!" Two-bit instructed

"WHY ON EARTH WOULD I LET GO OF THE LEATHER ROPE?!" Jazz asked, most of his steaming hot tears and shocking fear taking over his words when he attempted with his full best to holler out with just plain questioning.

"JUST HANG ON TIGHT, JAZZ! DON'T FEAR! THE REST OF THE GREASERS TO THE RESCUE!" Ponyboy yelled out with one of his hands leading his horse, Casper, by guiding him with the leather rope that was connected to his sattle, and his other arm was busy holding Jocelyn extremely close and careful up to his chest to keep her safe and unharmed from the fall.

"Surround her!" Beverly then instructed the Greasers as she lead the herd of horses with Cassidy sitting behind her, her arms connected tightly around her waist to keep her riding on the same horse without flying off since Jazz was on runaway Rosemary. "Surround Rosemary with our horses! She'll stop running then!"

The Greasers all nodded their heads with full agreement and understanding, right before each of them shared their expressions with single gentle jerks from their heads, meaning that they were informing each other which way they were all going to go around and surround Rosemary, so she'll stop her runaway freak out.

Beverly took off in one direction with Darry following after her, and Soda, Steve, and Ponyboy went after them, while Two-bit, Dally, Johnny, and Kitten zoomed off on their own horses to the other direction in a line, just like Beverly's example with her, Darry, Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Steve.

Jazz tried his best to see through the blur of his tears that wouldn't stop spurting out of his eyes at all. It was almost like he could actually set a world record for crying so much, but you couldn't actually blame him, could ya? It's his first time horseback riding and its now up to the rest of the gang to save him from his runaway ride on Rosemary's back! All Jazz could see now was his best and only friends now riding faster towards his direction on horseback, and before Jazz could even see it coming (because of all of his rapid tears and overfilling fear in his entire body) the Greasers were now all completely circling Rosemary, each of their horses still going around and around in a circle.

"It's not working! She's still out of it!" Soda pointed out, as matter of fact like, his voice still remaining completely filled with panicking fear and worry.

"Don't worry! I got an idea!" Two-bit announced to everyone in the gang, as he began swinging that rope that he transformed into a sloppy looking lasso throughout the air above him. He was surprisingly actually good at it!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?! Two-bit Erwin Matthews having an idea?! I think the world is ending!" Steve exclaimed, at least trying to get a laugh out of at least one person in the gang, but not even Steve could make himself laugh at anything at a time like that. They were all scared for Jazz's life, because if you fell off from a rapidly fast horse like Rosemary, you actually could break bones and get paralyzed, just exactly like what Jazz explained that he was afraid of about riding a horse to the gang the night before.

Two-bit desperately wanted to sass some stringing words back to one of the car experts in the gang to object that theory about the world ending just because he said that he had an idea, but Two-bit was too caught up in continuing to twirl the lasso around in the air with one of his hands, while his other continued to clench the leather rope that was connected to the saddle that Lightning was wearing. The Greasers each seriously couldn't believe what Two-bit was about do to, but it was worth a try, considering that they were all desperate to help Jazz out and get him off of that wild ride before he got seriously damaged somehow...even though that it was now starting to feel like to the Greasers that they were all in the old Western times other then their actual present time.

"YEHAW!" Two-bit cheered out, even though his voice wasn't sounding that cheerful, just actually more nervous and stressing, along with some suspense added into it, and the gang watched, their eyes now all big and mouths hanging opened a bit while their horses continued running and running around in that wide circle around Rosemary, who was still wildly kicking and bucking around like she was a wild horse that needed to be broken all over again.

Two-bit flung the lasso through the air and watched it swing around his aim at Rosemary, and what certainly made everyone exclaim with both surprised and shocked tones was when the lasso exactly flew around Rosemary's neck, and tightened around her, making it impossible for her to run and buck around anymore, which the gang was all completely relieved of, but Rosemary was still leaping up on two hooves a bit, trying her best to truly calm down, but she just couldn't with that loud birds noise still creepingly chirping in her twitching ears.

All of their Greasers stopped their horses, each of them still in their same circle position, and their eyes were still remaining big with their mouths hanging open from so much shock on thinking about how Two-bit actually DID it.

"Dang, Matthews! Your plan actually worked!" Soda gasped, who just like all of the others, were startled, shocked, and surprised all in one.

"I'm just as surprised as you all!" Two-bit confessed with some of his laughter added into his voice, while he slipped down from Lightning and landed perfectly on both of his feet on the ground, both of his hands now clenching the rope that was around Rosemary's neck strongly and protectively. The entire gang could now hear nothing at all but the sound of Jazz's cries and whimpers, but before anybody could see it coming, and when Jazz thought it was all over and he took both of his hands away from the leather rope to wipe away the tears from all over his wet eyes and tear streaked face, Rosemary hopped up one final time on two hooves, releasing a loud, echoing horse sound that echoed completely throughout the air...and Jazz fell straight off, landing right on his right arm. The last thing the Greasers remembered was the loud sound of Jazz's whimpering, painful, echoing "OW!", right before they all quickly gasped and climbed down from their horses.

"Jazz!" Cassidy cried, being the first one to actually make it up to her boyfriend, who was still on the ground crying to death and even now starting to shake from feeling so scared about what all just happened. "Are you okay?!"

"That hurt!" Jazz exclaimed the best he could through his steaming hot tears and tearful whimpering sniffles. "My arm! It hurts!"

"Let me see, kiddo," Darry said as he carefully and gently pulled Jazz back up on his feet, then with extra care and gentleness, the eldest Curtis slipped the twelve-year-old boys sleeve up to see if there was any serious damages or injuries. Since there was no blood and Jazz could still move it, his right arm luckily wasn't broken, but there was a very bad sprain.

Jazz now sat back inside the Curtis's family ranch house in one of the dining room tables chairs as he squeezed Cassidy's hand in a loving way, promising her that it wasn't her fault while he flinched a bit at the stinging and wincing pain of the cold wetness of the medicine and water that was used to clean his terrible red slash on his arm. He was just lucky it wasn't serious.

"...That really did hurt though," Jazz sighed to Cassidy, feeling the need to release his opinion on the whole incident to his girlfriend instead of keeping it locked up in his mind, but it was obvious that the whole gang already knew how the pain struck when he literally hollered out in so much pain and tears...his heartbreaking "Ow!"

"I know..." Cassidy admitted, still having the terrible memory from its pictures to its direct sounds completely vivid in her head, while she nervously played and fiddled around with her fingertips. "...I know how it feels to get hurt when horseback riding...but cowboys don't cry, Jazz...cowgirls don't either...when we fall off the horse, we just got to climb back up in that saddle and try again and again until you get it right..."

The twelve-year-old boy innocently battered his china-blue eyes at his girlfriend while the rest of the gang exchanged looks, knowing for a fact on the inside that Cassidy's wasn't making a false statement, and Johnny was actually very proud of his little sister for saying that, because that's what he used to tell her all the time every time she fell off her horse when she was starting to learn and both reach your goal at, at the age of five.

"...You want me to get back on that horse, Carla?" Jazz asked, sort of bewildered from being caught off guard from that being the little talk he was having about what just happened to him with his girlfriend.

Cassidy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, sorrow now shining off from both of her eyes as she hesitantly nodded her head, then shyly replied with a few slow nods of her head, and a couple stutters of a "..Uh huh..."

Just as Jazz was about to speak up and admit to Cassidy that he didn't think that was actually such a great idea, Johnny spoke up with saying the exact words, "Carla's not wrong. Cowboys and cowgirls don't cry, Jazz. We just simply learn a lesson every time we fall. Seriously, we've all stumbled off our horses plently of times, especially Two-bit,"

"Hey! Excuse me if I only spent my eyes on animals with Mickey Mouse!" Two-bit objected with a single roll of his eyes. The Greasers were all glad that, that just helped Jazz grow a small, cute smile across his face, and allow some chuckles to escape from his lips. "And besides, I didn't fall that much!"

"Oh, please!" Dallas groaned "I counted how many times you fell, and I lost track after twenty somethin'!"

"Anyway, Jazz," Cassidy spoke back up, drawing everyone's undivided, full attention back to the twelve-year-old boy, know was now starting to attempt moving his sprained arm around a bit more, even though it stung a bit and would be sore for awhile. "You dig what we're getting at? When you fall, get right back on, 'cause you're not going to get it just like that...nobody does...I mean, we didn't...neither of us did, not even Beverly or myself,"

Jazz touched his chin and took a moment to rethink Cassidy's words, keeping himself quiet for about fifteen or so seconds, but after that, he smiled his full, handsome, movie-star smile as he gave his girlfriend a five second kiss on her lips, right before he announced that he'd learn how to ride a horse for her. Everyone in the gang cheered and clapped for him, and they watched Jazz practice riding throughout the rest of that day. He fell off the horse God knows how many times, but he kept getting back on without any hesitation or tears, but giving his girlfriend kisses to keep his confidence high, and before Jazz knew it...he was actually getting the hang of guiding the horse around all by himself, while he listened to the rest of the Greasers joyfully cheer out loud for him, and clap their hands over and over again. Considering that it was now getting late, because time flies when you're having fun, the Greasers all called it a night, and they all went to bed, thinking that the next day Jazz would be learning a whole lot more with riding...but what'll happen the next day? Will it be easy? Difficult? Some what of both? Only God (A/N: And me!) knows...but all Jazz could think about before passing out for the night was one thing...cowboys and cowgirls don't cry...

AN: I understand that this chapter was a little strange and weird, but the next chapter will REALLY stir up drama! Remember when I said that Kitten likes more then one person? Well, the next chapter will TOTALLY give away all of the drama and questions about the Ponyboy, Johnny, and Kitten love triangle! Suspense! I know, I'm evil! Cliffhangers! Read yawl in the next chapter! :D