Chapter Twenty-Four:


"What time are you workin' until tonight?" Emma asked as we pushed open the doors leading out into the school parking lot.

"Seven," I sighed, shaking my hair out of my eyes.

"Didn't you work last night, too?" Emma frowned, giving me a concerned glance.

"And the night before that," I nodded. "I'm exhausted."

"What do the boys think you've been doin' all week?" Emma inquired.

"Stayin' late to work on divin', no doubt," I shrugged. "Darry asked once, and that's what I told him. He hasn't asked since, so I reckon he just assumed that's where I was."

Emma let out a disgruntled noise. "This is going to all blow up in your face one of these days, girl. Darry's gonna skin ya alive when he finds out the truth."

"Probably," I agreed grimly. "But at least we'll have some money saved up."

"I still don't..." Emma trailed off, rolling her eyes. "Incoming," she warned softly, and I looked up to see Steve headed in our direction. "Want me to meet you at the diner?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Thanks."

As she hurried off in the other direction, I walked towards Steve, smiling as I reached him. "Hi," he said with a grin, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. "How was your day?"

"Okay," I shrugged, letting him steer me towards his car, where Two-Bit and Ponyboy were waiting. "I struggled on my math test, but I reckon I passed. Anythin' eventful happen with ya'll?"

Steve hesitated a moment, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, Pony gave us a bit of a scare at lunch today," he admitted. "We were at the grocery store, and some Socs were hassling him outside. Two-Bit and I were ready to back him, but he busted his Pepsi bottle and scared 'em off."

"Glory," I groaned in frustration.

"On the bright side," Steve said with a weak smile. "He picked up the glass."

I blinked, startled. "He what?"

"He picked up the glass," Steve grinned down at me. "Didn't want somebody gettin' a flat tire or somethin', I reckon."

That was the end of the conversation, since we reached the car, and both Two-Bit and Ponyboy looked up at us as we approached. "Hey there, Lizzie," Two-Bit grinned, taking a swig of a can wrapped in a brown paper bag.

"Isn't it a little early for beer, Two-Bit?" I asked dryly, dropping my jacket and books into the front seat of the car.

"It's never too early for beer, kid," Two-Bit retorted, taking another gulp.

"Right," I rolled my eyes, then smiled over at Ponyboy. "Hey there, li'l brother. How ya doin'?"

Ponyboy shrugged, staring down at his feet absently. He'd been doing that a lot lately, and to be honest his silence was starting to bug me.

"I'm fine, Lizzie, thanks for asking," I drawled sarcastically. "How are you?"

"Sorry," Pony said with a faint trace of a rueful smile. "Long day and all."

"I hear ya," I said with a yawn.

"Ya need a ride home?" Steve asked, moving around the car to open the driver's door. "Or are ya stayin' for practice?"

"I'm stayin'," I replied, not looking at him as I said it. It didn't feel right, lying to him and all, but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

"Okay, then," Steve said with a lopsided grin. "I reckon we'll see ya back at the house for dinner tonight, then?"

"Yep," I confirmed, scooping up my books. "I'll see ya'll then."

"Have fun," Two-Bit smirked.

"I'll try," I murmured, offering Steve one last wave before heading back into the school. I made my way through the halls, then came back outside through the front entrance, and started down the sidewalk towards the diner.

It was only about a five minute walk, but as tired as I was, it seemed to take forever. As soon as I walked through the door, I knew it was going to be a long night- nearly every table and booth was full already.

"There you are," Emma said teasingly, coming out from behind the counter with a tray full of sundaes in hand. "I was beginnin' to think ya got lost."

"Sorry," I said, stepping back so she could slip past me. "Got caught up for a bit."

"With lover boy involved, I figured," she flashed me a smile as she hurried towards one of the back tables, and I rolled my eyes before heading back into the back room to change into my uniform.

When I emerged a few minutes later, my hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and my school clothes exchanged for the light blue waitress dress. I paused to grab my order-pad off of the counter, accepting the pen that Ray handed to me with a faint smile, and then started towards my section of tables.

About twenty minutes into my shift, I already had a headache, and it was just my luck that all of my tables were full. The last empty booth had just been taken, so I grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen, gulped it down, then headed back out to the booth.

"What can I can get for ya?" I asked without looking up from my order-pad.

"How about a plate of answers and a side of explanation?" a familiar voice replied gruffly.

Blinking, I jerked my head up in shock to find Steve sitting in the booth, staring back at me with an unreadable expression on his face. "What are ya doin' here?" I demanded at last.

"You left your jacket in the car," he answered quietly, lifting up my coat from the seat beside him. "I went to drop it off at the pool, but Coach Durham says you ain't divin' this year. Care to explain that?"

For a moment I felt the urge to act like a petulant child and inform him that no, I didn't care to explain, but I knew that was just my exhaustion kicking in. Swallowing, I glanced over at the counter, and was lucky enough to catch Ray's eye. He looked at Steve, saw the dark look on his face, and nodded for me to go ahead.

"Can we talk about this outside?" I murmured, not looking Steve in the eye.

"Whatever ya want," he shrugged, pushing to his feet and starting for the door without another word. I stood there for a moment, biting my lip, and then picked up my jacket from the table with a frustrated sigh. I paused to hand it to Emma as she came out of the kitchen, and she blinked, startled, but her eyes widened in understanding as she caught sight of Steve heading out the door into the parking lot.

Taking a deep breath, I followed him outside, letting the diner door swing shut behind me. Steve had settled down on the edge of the curb, staring out at nothing, and after a moment's hesitation I lowered myself down beside him, likewise gazing off into the distance.

"I've been pullin' double shifts to bring in some extra money at home," I began without preamble. Knowing what the next question out of his mouth would be, I continued, "I've been doin' it all semester."

Steve cursed under his breath, then glanced over at me, dark eyes glittering angrily. "Darry's already workin' two jobs," Steve argued. "And Soda's full-time at the DX station. Ain't that enough?"

"It's enough to scrape by, sure," I shrugged helplessly. "But what about the future, Steve? What about when Ponyboy heads to college? As it is, he'd have to get a full scholarship to go to any of the decent schools, and I want him at one of 'em. I want him out of this mess, I want a better life for him. He's smart, Steve, really smart, and he could go places in this world. Places that me and Darry and Soda can only dream about."

"And you think that's a reason for lettin' your own grades suffer?" Steve demanded.

"They aren't sufferin'," I shot back. "I ain't ever got anythin' lower than a C, and that hasn't changed. My grades are fine, Steve. I'm gonna graduate and all, no problem. And then I'll get a full-time job and keep puttin' money in the bank for Pony."

"You could go to college, too, ya know," Steve said quietly. "You're smart enough."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "But let's face it, divin' was my only real chance of gettin' in anywhere decent, and Ponyboy's future is more important than mine."

"That's not true," Steve protested.

"Yes, it is," I said firmly. "Steve, I could spend the rest of my life workin' and raisin' a family and I'd make do, but that ain't Ponyboy. He needs somethin' more than that, and I intend to give it to him."

Steve studied me in silence for a long moment, then shook his head in disbelief. "You're really somethin', kid, anybody ever tell ya that?"

"I'm not a kid," I reminded him quietly.

"No," Steve agreed again, as he had that day in his car when he kissed me for the first time, but this time when he looked at me there was something different in his eyes, something akin to respect and admiration. "Ya sure ain't. Sometimes I reckon you're more grown-up than any of us, even Darry."

"That's ridiculous," I snorted.

"Is it?" Steve asked, reaching out to gently brush a loose strand of hair from my eyes. "Ya keep your family strong and together, ya kept me and the boys from wanderin' too far off the road, and ya always put us back in our places again if we did."

Despite myself, I felt my cheeks flush, and I looked away in embarrassment.

"You're an incredible woman, Elizabeth," he murmured.

Swallowing, I lifted my gaze to meet his and kissed him, long and hard, and when I pulled away he raised an eyebrow in my direction. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For seein' me," I answered with a small smile. "Even when no one else does."

"I always see you," Steve replied lightly, flashing me a smile of his own as he pushed to his feet. "And I'll see you later tonight. What time are ya gettin' off?"

"Seven," I answered with a sigh. "If ya'll are comin' over for dinner, it won't be ready until eight, most likely."

"Darry workin' late, too?" Steve inquired.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I think 'till eight."

"Then maybe Sodapop will whip somethin' up instead," Steve suggested.

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Don't count on it."

"You never know," Steve said with a sly grin as he headed towards his car. "He might just surprise ya."

"Hmm," I murmured, watching as he unlocked the door. "Steve?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Make sure he doesn't burn the house down, then, okay?"

Steve grinned. "Sure thing."

With a final wave of my hand, I slipped back inside the diner, and got back to work with a smile on my face.

Somehow, though, the hours ticked by quicker than usual that night.