AN: Hey all...thanks for the reviews but now I am officially confused.

I tried making the last chapter less Mary Sue cliché so the people who didn't like Mary Sue's might like it better (I think they might have but not sure) but the people who liked the Mary Sue cliché didn't like this chapter as much as the others...so I'm going to have to go one way or another.

Tonyboy: Randy was not going to rape April, just making moves on her... my friend had me put it in there for her own sake since she always thought there was a "mysterious and different" side of Randy, he was drinking when they were at the Drive In and same with the Sodapop fighting thing, my friend co wrote the chapter (so half credit goes to Hilary) anyway...I'll try to keep this one more in character even though this chapter more about April than the whole romance thing, so I hope you like this chapter better and like I said I'll try to keep them more in character. Thanks for the reviews and please keep 'em coming!

Lotsa love, degrassichick92

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Chapter 4

- - - - -

"So where'd you move here from?" Marcia asked as they neared one of their favorite clothing stores in the strip mall and walked inside.

"Florida,"

"That's nice, I went there with my family on vacation last year,"

"Beautiful isn't it?" April asked.

Marcia shrugged, "I wouldn't know, I was sick and spent my time in the hotel room watching Elvis movies, remember that Cherry?"

"How could I forget?" Cherry asked with a laugh, "You made me stay with you,"

Marcia laughed back, "And then we made that list of the most gorgeous bachelors in our age range that lived in Oklahoma,"

"Oh yeah, who was number one on our list?"

"Um," Marcia said and then turned back to Cherry, "Sodapop Curtis I think,"

"He's is gorgeous," Cherry responded.

"He is fine, but not my boyfriend,"

"Who is your boyfriend?" April spoke up.

"Well it was Randy," Marcia said, "Then he cheated on me a few months ago, Keith Matthews asked me out and we've been a couple since,"

"She doesn't know names that well Marsh," Cherry said and then turned to April, "She means Two Bit,"

"You're with Two Bit?"

Marcia nodded and then looked worried, "Why? Is he cheating on me? Oh god, is he cheating on me with you?"

April's eyes widened, "No, no, no. I'm not with Two Bit and I don't think he's cheating on you, I just thought it was some weird rule that's all,"

"What?" Marcia asked, "That greasers can go out with Socs?"

April nodded.

"Well," Cherry replied, "It kind of is true but those two really liked each other. Just like I had a small crush on Dallas Winston,"

April looked confused, guessing who Dallas was, "Dallas Winston meaning...?"

"Dally," Cherry replied, "But I never called him that, of course he was a jerk to me but I liked him,"

"So?" Marcia asked turning to April, "Do you like anyone yet?"

"Kind of, but I have a boyfriend back in Key West,"

"Who do you like here?" Marcia asked.

"Sodapop I think," Cherry said.

"Why would you think that?" April asked.

"Just seemed like it, he seemed kind of angry when he said it was Randy coming on to you so..."

Marcia grinned, "Is it Soda?"

April shrugged, "Kind of,"

"He's a doll," Marcia said with satisfaction.

"So is my boyfriend Ron,"

"You have a picture?" Cherry asked as she looked through blouses.

April dug into her purse until she found one and handed it to them, it was of the two of them at a bowling alley party over the summer, they had their arms around each other and were laughing.

"He's cute," Cherry said with a smile.

"Very! How come she gets all the cute guys?" Marcia asked turning to April who shrugged in reply.

"Two Bit's not ugly, and he's pretty goofy," April said and Cherry nodded in agreement.

Marcia rolled her eyes and handed the picture back to April who tucked it back in her purse and they went back to shopping.

- - - - -

"Thanks for letting me go shopping with you guys," April said gratefully as they pulled up to the curb next to April's house.

"No problem," Cherry said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was fun," Marcia grinned.

April smiled at them with a wave and headed into her house.

- - - - -

"Who are you to tell me I can't raise a child?!" April's mother's voice boomed through the house.
April crept into the kitchen, her mom was leaned against the counter with a bottle of liquor in her hand and the telephone cradled in the crook of her neck.

"You're the one who walked out on a ten year old!"

April knew they were arguing about her, her older brother Dan had left home when he was fifteen, the year their dad left them.

"What if she doesn't want to go back to Florida? She very well might want to stay here with her mother!"

Umm...no, I like Tulsa, but I hate you.

April listened to her mothers half of the conversation.

"She's not home right now and even if she was she would say she wanted to live with me...I don't trust her with you...hell no am I going to ask her if I'm a good mother...don't you get onto me about my alcohol problems you're the drug addict...well same to you! No you go to hell!" and with that her mother slammed the phone down.

April crept away just as her mother walked out of the kitchen but it was too late, she saw her.

Please don't hit me.

"Damn your father," was all her mom said before going upstairs and closing her bedroom door.

April leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.

Her parents fought all the time, her mother always made it seem like she was the good parent but she wasn't, she adored her dad so much more but he lived in New York City now with money and a family and she lived in Oklahoma, chances that she would ever see her dad again were double negative.

Just then the phone rang and startled her, she ran to the kitchen and picked it up, "Hello?"

"April? It's Ponyboy,"

"Hey Pony, what is it?"

"You forgot my antidepressant,"

"And you are reminding me?"

"Yeah, whatever...just reminding you,"

"Be there in a minute," April said and sat down the phone on its receiver and then ran upstairs and grabbed the small white bottle that had PONYBOY written on it in marker.

She slid it into the pocket of her pants and then walked downstairs, "Gotta go!" she called out to her mother and then walked out the door.

- - - - -

"Here," she said sliding the pill into his hand.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically and popped it into his mouth and chugged down the water.

"Well you didn't have to call you know,"

"You forgot, I remembered, that usually isn't the case but still. Besides, I'm bored to wits end right now," Ponyboy said.

"Why don't you get a job?"

"Hah," Ponyboy scoffed, "That's actually not a bad idea. I could work at the DX or something,"

"Yeah, along with Soda and Steve,"

"Yeah that'd be a treat," Ponyboy scoffed.

"I thought you liked Soda?"

"I was talking about Steve," Pony said sarcastically.

April rolled her eyes at him knowing he was just joshing her.

"Anyways, I better head out, I'll see you tomorrow," April said with a smile.

"Alright, later," Ponyboy said with a flap of his hand.

"Bye," she said and walked down the hallway and out the door of the Curtis house.

As she neared the door, it swung open and she was face to face with Sodapop.

"Oh...hey Soda," she said with a smile.

Soda smirked at her, "Hey April, do you want to stay for dinner?"

"I would if I could but I can't, I have to head home," she replied.

"Oh...do you need a ride then?"

"No, I'm okay," April said giving him a small smile.

Sodapop nodded, "Okay, well then I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah...sure, I'll see you," she said and with a wave exited through the door.

Soda leaned against the door with a sigh, April had been acting sort of off to him, just the same way Sandy had before she left for Florida. Not that he was dating April or anything but if he was...

Soda shook the idea out of his head, he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Besides, all rich girls can't be like that...right?