"Soda, phone!" Darry yelled. Soda put the magazine down on his bed and got up, stretching. He'd gotten home from work about a half an hour ago and was enjoying some leisure time in his room.

"Who is it?" He asked, walking out of his room, tiredly.

Darry was standing in the living room next to the telephone. "It's Amanda. Hurry up, supper's in five minutes." He said, handing Soda the phone and going back into the kitchen where he had been busily preparing dinner.

"Yeah, ok." Soda said and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sodapop. How you doing?" She asked, cheerfully.

"Good. How bout you?"

"Good. Um, listen. I wanted to ask you if maybe I could meet you tomorrow night instead of you coming to pick me up."

"Oh, ok. Are you sure because I'd be happy to come get you." He said.

"I know, but I think I should meet you there."

"Ok." Soda said, trying to understand why she didn't want him to pick her up but he didn't ask. "I'll see you there at eight then, ok?"

"That's perfect. See you then. Bye."

"Bye." Soda put the phone down. "That was weird." He said, walking into the kitchen and flopping down into one of the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table.

"What was?" Pony asked as he set the table, hurriedly. He was hungry and Darry'd said dinner would be ready by the time the table was set and the drinks were out. So he tried going really fast, hoping that super would come just as quickly.

"Well Amanda just called and she doesn't want me to pick her up. She wants to meet me there." Soda said, reaching over and putting all the forks next to the knifes and spoons just as his little brother set them down and Pony glared at him, moving them back to their correct positions on the napkin quickly.

"What's so weird about that?" Darry asked.

"Well, I dunno. She just sounded- well- I dunno."

"Listen, ask her to come over for dinner sometime this week. I'm not taking your word for it this time." Darry said.

"What do you mean?" Soda asked.

"I mean I wanna meat this girl so I can be positive she's only seventeen."

Soda rolled his eyes. "She is seventeen. Would you give me a break Dar. Besides if I bring her over here you and Pony are gonna give it your all to humiliate me in front of her.

"No we won't." Pony laughed. "This time we won't bring out the baby pictures, ok?"

"Yeah well you two usually bring up several pastimes that really do not need to be remembered. I don't ever embarrass you in front of your girlfriends, Dar."

"Man, he don't got any girlfriends anyways." Pony snickered and then ran out of there quickly since Darry looked like he was just about ready to pounce on him.

***NEXT NIGHT***

Soda sighed and looked up at the clock. It was eight thirty and Amanda was nowhere to be seen. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around. The girl waiting for the guy? "C'mon, Amanda." He mumbled, propping his elbow on the table and resting his head.

"Soda, I'm so sorry I'm late."

He looked up quickly and smiled. "That's all-right." He stood up and gave her a hug. "Everything all-right?"

"Yeah, it's fine. How late am I? What time is it?"

"Don't worry about it, really. It's fine." She smiled and they sat down to eat. Soda watched her carefully, not really interested in his burger when it came. He couldn't get over her smile of her eyes. They drew him in and made him crazy about her. Something else that he loved was her voice. It was soft and soothing and he'd never heard anything quit like it.

By the time dinner was over and they had walked around town a bit Amanda said she was feeling sick. "What's wrong?" Soda asked, sincerely concerned.

"I'm all-right. I just feel a bit dizzy and my stomach hurts."

"I'll take you home." He said.

"No that's all-right. I can get there myself." Soda looked at her quizzically. Why didn't she want him to give her a ride home. "Thank you so much for-"

"Amanda, I'm not gonna just leave you here to find some way to get home yourself and especially when you're sick. What's the point of that? C'mon, let me take you home if you don't feel well.

She sighed. "All-right." Soda took her hand again and they walked back towards where he was parked. He wondered the whole time why it was that she didn't want him to drive her. It didn't make any sense. Not from where he was sitting at least. They drove home without saying very much. Amanda was really quiet. When they got close to her house she asked him to stop.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm gonna get out here."

"Well don't you want me to drive you at least to your driveway?" Soda asked.

"No, it's fine." She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting out.

"I'll call you!" Soda yelled after her. She waved. Soda sighed and made a u-turn, then continued home.

"Gosh kid. You're home early." Darry said when Soda walked in at ten p.m. that night.

"Yeah." Soda said. "She wasn't feeling so well."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah, I think so." Soda said. "She's just acting a little weird."

"How so?" Darry asked, putting his newspaper down.

Soda shrugged. "I don't know exactly how to explain it." He turned the TV on and flopped down on the couch.