Disclaimer: I only own Bleu. R&R!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 9: Swimming and Field Running~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Two-Bit and I got to the pool first. We jumped in without a moment's hesitation, followed by the rest of the gang. Thankfully the pool was all taken care of so we didn't have to worry about anything.

          "Let's play a game!" I heard Soda yell.

          "How about a good old fashioned round of cops and robbers?" Steve suggested.

          "I love that game!" I cried, "I'm in!"

          Darry split us up into teams. Steve, Soda, Dally and Ponyboy were cops, and Darry, Johnny, Two-Bit and I were robbers. Dally was in charge of the jail.

          I saw Pony swim over to me. I yelped and franticly tried to dodge him. Boy, that guy is fast! He caught me in a matter of seconds and hauled me over to the jail. "Special delivery for Dally Winston!" Ponyboy said, grinning.

          "Why, thanks Pony! I've always wanted one of these," Dally winked at me and put his arms around my waist. "You ain't going anywhere, cutie."

          "Cops don't flirt with robbers!" I objected, trying to free myself from Dally's grasp.

          "This one does!" Dally laughed, referring to himself.

          Darry swam over to rescue me. He stuck out his thumb and pointer finger, acting like it was a gun. "You've met your match, copper!" Darry said in a fake growl, "Hand over the female!"

          Dally set me down on the steps and out stretched his arms, shielding me. "Over my dead body!" He roared.

          Suddenly I felt strong arms haul me up from behind. Two-Bit grabbed my hand, grinning, and led me to the opposite end of the pool. Dally was still talking to Darry, and hadn't noticed I was gone.

          I overheard the last of their conversation. "You ain't getting your female robber back, son!"

          "I've got news for you, Mr. Cop."

          "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

          "Look behind you."

          Dally spun around to find empty steps. His gaze shifted to Two-Bit and I, and I waved, grinning.

          Two-Bit's arms came around my waist. "I got her now, Dally!" he started laughing.

          I pulled away from Two-Bit and started to run to the empty field beyond Kenny's backyard. "I got a new game!" I screamed, "Come catch me!"

          I heard splashes and then heavy footsteps. I spun my head around and saw seven guys run after me. Pony, being a track star, was up front with Dally and Darry. Two-Bit followed very close behind, followed by Johnny, Soda and Steve.

          I screamed and tried to run faster. Ponyboy caught up to me first. He caught me in a flying tackle and we both dived to the ground. Pony stood up and put his arm around me. "I caught me a stray!" He laughed, "Who wants to fight me for it?"

          The whole gang stepped up and Pony got a little pale. "Eh, you know, uh," he stuttered, stepping back, "It ain't fair if y'all gang up on me."

          I broke from Pony's grasp and tried to run away, but Two-Bit caught me and lifted me up on his shoulders. "Jeez, don't you eat girl? You don't weight nothin'!"

          I giggled. "If that's a compliment, thanks."

          I covered his eyes with my hands. "Hey now, I can't see babycakes. Mind moving your hands?"

          I mouthed, 'help me!' to the gang and removed my hands. "Much obliged," Two-Bit said, grinning.

          "Two-Bit! The cops are here!" Dally suddenly screamed, pointing behind him."

          Two-Bit spun around. "Where?"

          Dally quickly moved in back of him and motioned for me to drop. I fell into his arms, then quickly jumped out. I started to cackle, and then I yelled, "Sucker!"

          I turned around to see Dally fuming. I ran back into Kenny's backyard and into the pool. Dally reached me first and pinned me against the side. The rest of the gang surrounded me as well, glaring down at me.

          I giggled again, this time in defeat. Dally moved closer to me, staring into my eyes. "Hi, Dally," I said weakly.

          Dally looked up at the rest of the greasers. "Reckon we caught her?" he asked, and laughed when the gang nodded eagerly.

          "Ok, fine dammit I give up," I said, trying to get past Dally.

          He blocked me. "Oh, no you don't."

          "We're gonna get you back for all the trouble you caused us!" Steve retorted playfully.

          "What should we do with her?" Darry asked, pounding his fist into his palm menacingly.

          Soda hauled me up out of the pool. Johnny grabbed one arm and Two-Bit grabbed the other while Steve helped Dally out of the pool.

          "Hey, Bleu, didn't you say you were ticklish?" Johnny asked, grinning ear to ear.

          I paled. I was EXTREMLY ticklish! "Uh, no. I'm not ticklish at all," I answered fearfully, dodging Ponyboy's hands.

          "Wanna prove it?" Darry asked, crossing his arms.

          "NO! I mean, eh, can't you take my word on this?" I faltered.

          Dally and Steve pretended to think about it. "Um, no," Steve said, and Dally started to tickle my ribs.

          "DALLY!" I screamed, trying to get away. Two-Bit and Johnny tightened their grip on my arm.

          I was thankful they didn't secure my legs, because my legs might even be stronger than my arms. My next-door neighbor taught me all sorts of self defense moves for my legs.

          With my right leg I kicked Dally's hands away from me, then spun around, sending Two-Bit and Johnny into the pool. Darry, Soda and Steve tried to grab my arms again but they ended up in the pool too. Then Ponyboy grabbed my feet and Dally tackled me to the ground, landing in the push-up position on top of me. Pony secured my feet while Dally hung my wrists over my head. "How are you going to get out of this one, kiddo?" Dally asked, grinning.

          I looked around. With my arms AND legs obtained, I had nothing. I sighed in defeat.

          Dally laughed. "She's defeated, boys!" Two-Bit came to my left and Soda came to my right. Darry, Steve and Johnny sat down on a lawn chair, supervising.

          Dally got off of me and sat above my head, still grabbing a hold of my wrists. I tried to flail, but failed miserably.

I turned to look at Soda pleadingly. "Sodapop," I whined, "Please help me!"

Soda glanced at Dally, then at Ponyboy. "Okay," he said, then grabbed my elbow and pushed Dally away. He seized me up and led me into the field laughing his head off.

"SODA!" I heard Dally and Pony yell simultaneously, "You're gonna get it!"

"I love you Soda!" I grinned and kissed his cheek.

He grinned back and ruffled my hair. "I don't like to see chicks outnumbered. I had to help you, Bleu. You looked so defenseless."

He dodged the punch I swung at his head and grabbed me in a headlock. I wrapped my arms around his waist and wrestled him to the ground.  He sprawled out on the grass and I sat beside him.

Suddenly everything turned black as I felt hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who?" The comedic voice of Two-Bit asked.

"Ok, you got me guys. What do you wanna do now?"

Two-Bit took his hands away from my eyes and I saw that the whole gang was strewn out on the grass. I scrambled over to where Johnny was laying and I rested against his shoulder.

We swam for about another hour before heading back to the Curtis'. Two-Bit was telling Darry, Ponyboy, Soda and Steve one of his latest jokes while Dally and Johnny each slung an arm around my shoulders.

Darry, getting tired of Two-Bit's stupid jokes, swung open the door and grabbed his black muscle shirt off of the coffee table. He put it on, sat down on his chair and started to read the paper. I swear, he always reads the paper! I wouldn't be surprised if he's memorized it by now.