"hi, Alex!" she said.

'alex? Is it her relative?' I kept thinking to myself.

"I left my hat there..can you bring it to school tomorrow? Ok. Thanks! See ya!" she finished and hung up.

"alex..." I said, waiting for her to answer my question.

"andra." She said," Alexandra. You know, my friend. The one that I spent the night at..that's the only house I've been to, except for yours." She said.

"soda! Sooooda! Its your turn!" Darry said, repelling me from a small conversation.

"Trish! Trrrrish!" a distant voice was saying.

It came closer and closer and soon was here. It was Azia with news.

She came in and fell on me, when she stopped to avoid stepping on me.

"ugh! Azia! How much do you weigh?" I asked, pushing her off me.

"None of your business!" she said, blowing raspberries at me.

"hey Trish! They got Madden!" she said, still lying on the floor.

"where did they find him?" she asked, coming over and sitting next me.

"at his house. That's just pathetic." She said, trying to get up but Two- bit pushed her down.

"is he gonna die in the death row thingy?" he asked.

"I think you should lay off on the beer, your getting a bit too heavy. Anyway, he paid it off with..his..house..so he aint in jail." Azia said.

"So it means I'm not safe? Soda aint safe either?" Trish asked, heavily panicking.

"Trishan! Calm down!" Azia said, shaking the hell out of her. "they took his house and didn't have anywhere to live but back in New York."

"ok..okay Azia. Quit shaking me!" she said.

"oh...sorry, I got too caught up in the moment." Azia said going up to the kitchen.

I watched her and Two-bit talking in their own language and sharing a beer.

"looks like love is in the air," I said.

"which couple? There's two," Trish said, smiling.

"The one that got made first," I said, jumping on her and giving her a smooch.

"aww...isn't that cute?" Steve asked, I hadn't noticed that he and Dally were in the room.

"cute...makes me wanna hurl," Dally said prentending to throw up.

"yeah, when your inner child grows up, you'll be meaning what you've been doing. And what you've been doing is more than this." I replied.

"whatever, you chose this time to turn soft? When your chick is in danger?" he said, turning serious all of a sudden.

Then the doorbell rang.

"hey Trish! Its some guy that wants to interview you." Darry yelled from the door.

"coming!" she said getting up.

I had this crazy idea, I took Darry's old hat and Ponyboy;s old overcat he used for a costume. I took a pad and pencil out of his backpack.

I hopped out the window and came through the door.

"can I interview some of the relatives and friends before the victim?" I asked Darry disguising my voice the best I could.

I could tell he knew it was me because he let me in instantly.

"who are you?" I asked Azia in the kitchen, standing above Two-bit," the maid?"

"no way! I'm her cousin." She replied.

"where's the one she rescued? Sodapop-is it?" I asked, trying my best to keep a straight face.

"I don't know," have you seen him, Steve?" she asked.

I tilted my chin and let Steve it was me.

"no...i haven't seen pretty boy anywhere" Steve said, erupting in laughter.

"what? Who are- SODA!" Azia said, flipping my hat away.

I ran to Ponyboy's room and locked the door. He was on his bed, reading.

"we're going to the Nightly Double. Ask Trish, she doesn't know." He said, not taking his mind off his book.

She was asleep on Ponyboy's desk, head lying on a book.

I tried to slide it from under her head, but I ended up waking her up; but she just went back to sleep.

Pony had given her this book for Christmas, he somehow found out she digs poems and stuff.

Get to know me first

You call me weird You call me insane You call me quiet But you're the one to blame

If you just took the time to know me Even a minute or two You might just know the real me And I the real you

I may be quiet I might be deadly I might be nice I might be friendly

You may never know Because to didn't take time to see I want to know the real you

But you don't want anything to do with me

"what do you think?" Trish asked, she was awake after all.

"deep," I said.