Diclaimer: Same as always.

Thanks for the reviews.

Sorry about the long wait, my internet was screwed up so I couldn't post then my computer got screwed up and I lost everything.

:Johnny's POV:

I stand up watching the errie shadows play across the grass and ask "Shouldn't someone go get some wood for a fire?" THe silence bothers me, it's not that sweet, golden silence of safety I sometimes experienced at my own home but an uneasy silence between people with nothing in common. "We decided that you and Soda should go," Ponyboy says pulling up a blade of grass to chew on nonchalantly. Soda jumps to his feet grinning with the excitement of a kid in a candy store, and his liquid pools of laughter gaze at me. "Come on," he says happily as he leads me out to the woods.

Every little noise freaks me out and I step even closser Soda as I stare at my shoes. "You must know your shoes inside and out," he comments ruffeling my hair and I release a nervous chuckle as I raise my eyes briefly to his."We should exercise more, and I know the perfect routine," he says nipping my earlobe and I look behind us making sure that no one had followed us before whispering "They know it wont take us that long." He rolls his eyes and says in that tone that clearly means he's older and I'm the child "Don't be silly. They can't expect two city boys not to get lost even if I have been here before." I glare at him before staring at the ground and mumble "You know I hate it when you do that." He steps up beside me and innocently inquires "Do what?" Like he doesn't know, he was doing that on purpose. I glance at him trying not to give into his handsome face and delightful, soul searching, laughing eyes.

He tugs me forward and I gaze in amazement at a stack of neatly cut logs next to a small, wood shed. "Dad taught Darry and me how to do that," he says with pride before opening the shed's door. Saws and axes line the walls like jagged teeth in a monsters mouth, on the floor is a ladder as the monsters tongue leading to a small loft. Soda grins wildly and says "We use to sleep up there if the weather was bad and dad would tell us all sorts of ghost stories." I glance at the mirror curiously wondering what a city boy like myself is doing out here with a boy as good looking as Soda. "Are you going to tell me what I was doing wrong," Soda asks softly as he wraps his arms around my waist looking down upon me lovingly and I mutter only slightly angry now "You were treating me like a kid, again." He smirks saying "You are a kid," before brushing his lips across mine in a kiss so light it would shame a feather.

I drop to the floor in defeat when he tells me that he wont tell his brother about Sandy. "Stop it, you want me to tell him about us then you don't. You wont tell him about that whore even though you should. You're too confusing," I yell finanly fed up with his constant change in decisions. Idily I make designs in the dirt with my fingers as I wait for him to respond, but when I look up all I see is shock and anger. "Johnny, what can I tell him? The girl I thought I loved enough to marry cheated on me, got pregnant, killed the unborn child, took off with anouther man, and oh yeah, I'm sleeping with Johnny." I stand up to face him and mummble "It's the truth." He glares at me, and thruthfully I think this is the only time where I've ever seen him angry. "Johnny, get a grip. I can't tell him the truth." I stare at him in shock and fight back the tear, I hate being a cry baby, as I say "You still love her and I'm just a plaything. Never mind, you wont have to tell your brother about us. You can go find that whore and love her." The fact that I finanly know something that will alter our lives forever only makes the pain even worse. "Johnnycake stop being stupid. I can't leave you to find her because I don't want her.I love you." I back away from him shaking my head afraid of the emotions racing through me and my back collides with a tree causing me to release a hiss. By now the tears are impossible to hold back and whimpers wrack through me. Soda wraps me into his arms and gently carases my back as I weakly whisper "I'll do the right thing, I promise."

I watch him pile the wood into a wheel barrel that had been in the back with little interest in the wood, the sunlight glitters off his sweaty muscles and causes a halo to form around his head. "Darry can't know about us, so don't go talking about us around Dally. He'd skin me alive for starting a relationship with you when I knew that you loved someone else." I nod in agreement as we come to the clearing. I watch Dally and Ponyboy play cards from my perch ontop of the wood. "You cheated," Dallas yells at Ponyboy and I can tell that he's scared eventhough he says "You can't cheat in BS." Soda carries me to the sleeping bag I'm using and the familar scent of Pony waifs up to me. I study the other bags and notice that Darry's bag, which has Soda sprawled across it, is big enough for three or four people to sleep comfortably in. "Darry ain't an elephant, so why's his bag so big?" Soda grins at my question and jokes "So he can sneak his girlfriends into it." I smile and say "How come you're sleeping in it?" He smiles lazily and says "Just in case some girls are out here to and get scared. That way I, the big, strong man, can protect them." Ponyboy laughs as he sits down beside me and says "Gee, you sure are strong Soda. A chipmunk can bench press more than you."

I follow them to the car since we were having to go to the store since I certain blonde that a chipmunk could beat up forgot to pack food for us. That blonde is chattering on and on about some party he and Steve planned on going to. "You and Johnny can come," Soda says breathlessly to his brother. I roll my eyes and Pony asks innocently "You gonna take Sandy." I glance at Soda as he says "Nah, Steve ain't takin Evie." I try to hide my anger and Dally just tosses a glance at Soda then says "Lets get into the car so we can leave." I slip into the passenger seat and watch through the rearview mirror as Soda talks to his brother. I turn to face them and say "Funny, I haven't seen Sandy around in days are you sure she's not rotting somewhere?" I try to sound as innocent as possible and nearly begin laughing. That sounded nothing like me, I've been acting different all day.

Soda lounges against the car after sending Dally and Ponyboy along without us. "What has gotten into you," he demands with a trace of worry lacing his voice. I shake my head and mutter "Nothing, I'm sorry about what I said." Not! He pulls me against him and says "Want to tell me the truth this time?" I cling to him as I softly say "I just don't want to lose you, that's all." I struggle to keep warm using his body heat as he tilts my head up to claim my lips roughly yet passionaltly. "Do you love me? I know I've asked like a billion time, but I need to know the truth."