I stayed at Jays for a couple of hours, Tim left some time after that Dally guy and I was left alone at my table. I just sat there thinking and watching as the place got more and more crowded as the evening went by. Evie didn't show up and neither did any of her friends that I recognized.

After a while it got too loud and smoky and I began to get bored so I went out to get some air. I walked over the parking lot and I wasn't watching where I put my feet and suddenly I felt something come at me tackling me to the ground. I hit the ground hard but managed to keep my head up, my legs and arms taking most of the fall. The one who had tackled me rolled of me and stood up quickly and then I felt strong arms pull me up by my shirt and throw me to the side.

I managed to recognize Tim as he got into the fight once more. There were five soc's who were smashing Curly into a pulp until Tim got a hold of two of them and started to pound their brains out. He was a really great fighter, I didn't even think I could have taken him even if we had been boxing according to the rules, he looked like he could both box and fight like a greaser.

I tore my eyes away from him and looked over at Curly who had fought himself free of the other three and were fighting them as if his life was depending on it, he slugged and kicked like a madman, but his vision was too blurry with the blood flowing down his eyes from a gash in his forehead and his aim was of. I felt my temper rise as they got a hold of him again and held him down one of them kicking him in the ribs. Tim turned and looked at his brother his eyes full of rage but he couldn't get away from the other two which he was fighting even more passionately now that his brother was I danger.

The blood was boiling in my body and before I had even thought about it I lunged at the soc who was kicking Curly and put a right hook straight to his jaw so hard that he staggered backwards. Before he had realized what had happened I was in fighting stance ready for him to advance on me. He smirked evilly as he watched surprised to see I was a girl probably, but lunged at me anyway. He was to slow and showed of his intensions to much though, his attacks were easy to avoid.

It was the first time I had ever been fighting outside of the ring; I never thought I would be in a situation where I would need to use all that training but here I was fighting some soc and it felt good. I felt good as I watched the blood trickle down his chin knowing that I had made him bleed just like he had made Curly bleed. I felt my anger rise again as I thought of Curly being hurt, I didn't know why that affected me that much but it did.

Behind me I heard Curly fighting the other two and I heard one of the guys Tim was fighting cry out in pain and curse loudly, Tim laughed cruelly and then he was helping Curly with the remaining soc's . The one I was fighting was bleeding from his nose and probably from a split lip but he was still trying to get to me but I kept dancing around him avoiding contact. I was tiring him and soon they all ran of after Curly got a perfect blow to one's eye. I relaxed and I heard Tim and Curly exhale and curse softly behind me, when I turned around Tim was holding his hands on either side of Curly's head shaking it lightly.

"You ok?" he asked looking Curly in the eyes intensely and Curly tried to nod but his eyes were hazy and he staggered, his knees almost buckling underneath him. I looked down at my bare arms watching the scratches the impact of the fall had given me. They weren't that bad, I brushed away some gravel and dirt.

"Hey Nancy" Tim said and when I looked up I saw him and Curly walk over to a car, he motioned for me to follow them. Curly got up on the hood and Tim leaned against the driver's door right next to him, apparently not really sure that Curly wasn't going to collapse and fall of the car.

"You're quite a fighter…" he said looking at me calculatingly "…you a boxer?" I nodded silently and looked over at Curly who was spitting out blood; his face was mangled, all bloody and bruised. He didn't look up at me but kept spitting and swearing under his breath as he wiped his mouth with his shirt arm.

"How long?" Tim asked handing Curly a lighted cigarette. I met his eyes; he looked curious and cold, sort of detached from reality. Like he wasn't even real, or maybe he was too real. He was kind of scary and I wondered if Mike had ever looked like that after a fight, I had a hard time believing it. Mike could be cruel and all but never that empty and aloof. Mike had had so much feeling, Tim seemed to have none.

"Three years" I answered thinking of the amount of time I had spent in the ring during those years; it was most of my spare time. Tim nodded thoughtfully and I saw in the corner of my eye as Curly smiled weakly.

"We could use someone like you in my gang" Tim said and offered me a cigarette. I didn't smoke, I never had but I still took it and a smoked it carefully not wanting to cough from it. My gang he had said, Tim was the leader of the gang Mike had been in, that must be it. Tim was that dark-haired greaser I had seen on the other side of the street that day a year ago when Mike had pulled me away with him. That was why Tim knew Mike so well and why both Curly and Angela had been at the funeral, out of respect for him as a gang member. Maybe that was even why mom had known him.

And now he wanted me to be in that gang, just like my brother had been. I knew Mike would have hated me to be in a gang, in any gang but he would really hate it if I was in his gang. But he wasn't here anymore and I had to live on, I had to make it through without him. Mike had always protected me; he had always looked out for me and mom both physically and economically. I knew we needed money and perhaps this was my chance to help mom out with that. If I was in a gang perhaps I could get my hands on some money, I knew Mike got a great deal of money from the gang, how they earned them I didn't know and at that time I didn't really care.

Sorry it took me so long to update but I hope you will like it anyway! Read and review! Tack