The next morning I was sitting in the living room eating breakfast with Pony, Darry and Soda had already left for work and Two bit wasn't around. I was glad we were alone, I'm not a morning person, I hate when people talk in the morning, if I as much as hear their breathing I feel sick. Pony is really the only one I can stand in the morning, I don't think he hates mornings as much as me, but he likes it quiet too.

We never even said Good morning to each other when we're alone, we just sit quiet eating our breakfast, more correctly I eat breakfast, I don't like cake in the morning.

I sat there thinking about last night, I could understand where Darry came from now. He was just worried about us, I should have kept track of the time or called him if I was late. But his reaction to Shepard driving me I didn't get, sure I knew he wasn't the best person in the world. I have heard stories about him changing girlfriends as often as Soda changes shirts, if they were even his girlfriends, more girls he slept with I suppose. But that doesn't make him a bad person in my eyes, the girls made their own choices to, and apparently they chose to be with him. Off course he drank, swore and robbed both people and stores, but nothing I have heard about him was any worse that what I knew Dally did.

I really couldn't see the difference between Dally and Shepard, they were two of a kind.

"You coming Nora?" Pony poked his head in the room calling me, I hadn't even noticed he'd left.

"Yeah" I said getting of the couch.

When we walked down the sunny streets to school we started talking about this book Pony had read for class. As we walked past a gang of greasers who were hanging around a car in the parking lot of the school they all nodded respectfully towards us, more to Pony than me I think.

Ever since Johnny killed that soc Pony was considered somewhat of a hero around the east side. I recognised one of the guys as being in Shepard's gang, Pony must have too, because he said;

"Shepard will be out in a month"

Had it really been five months already? Apparently it had. I thought about Curly, Tims little brother, he was as tough as his brother and looked like a slightly smaller copy of him. But he wasn't as smart as Tim from what I had noticed, he didn't carry the same respect as Tim. But he was a nice kid, about a year younger that me I think, he and Pony had always gotten along. They had a sister to, Angela, she was a really pretty girl, but not as nice as she looked in my opinion. She had too much attitude, guess she wanted to live up to her brothers reputations. Myself I gave that up long ago, I will never be as tough as my brothers and I don't really want to be either. I don't fight like I had seen Angela do at school. I leave the fighting to the boys. I could understand why Angela did it tough, she didn't have her brothers at school to protect her and fight for her, she had to fend for her self. I had Pony and Two bit and Steve to look after me.

"What were you and Darry fighting about last night?" Pony looked at me with worry written all over his face. He hated fighting among the gang, I guess it made him remember why he was at that park with Johnny in the first place. Poor kid.

I put my arm around him and said;

" It was nothing, my fault really, don't worry about it kid, we're friends again." Pony looked in my eyes trying to see if I was telling the truth.

" Would I lie to you Pony?" I said shaking his shoulder slightly.

"Fair enough" he sad now smiling.

We were standing outside the school entrance now, and I suddenly didn't feel like going in.

"I don't feel like school today, I think I will go talk to Soda for a while instead"

"Ok" Pony said "see you later"

"Yeah, you go with Two bit home, ok kid?" I couldn't help but worry about him, he was so absent-minded, always in his own little world.

"Ok" he said walking up the stairs to school.

"Hi Soda" I said walking up to the car he was working on.

"Hi Nora" he said his face lighting up, he grinned at me, but became serious suddenly, his usually sparkling eyes worried.

"What was it with you and Darry?"

"It wasn't a big deal, he was pissed I got a ride with Shepard home last night" I said smiling at him, wanting to reassure him everything was fine.

"Shepard as in Tim Shepard?" Soda asked wiping his greasy hands on his jeans.

"Yeah" I said not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Ok, I guess he's nice enough, I just never pictured you with Tim Shepard" he said trying hard not to burst out laughing. That's Soda, one minute he's worried the next he's happy. He just can't help but seeing the best in every situation.

"Real funny Soda!" I punched him lightly in the stomach, and he started goofing around like I had really hurt him. I started laughing at him lying there on the ground pretending to be dying. Soda always made me laugh and I felt I needed to laugh.

I stayed with Soda for a couple of hours just hanging out, having fun, but when more costumers started coming in the afternoon, I went over to the Dingo for a coke and some time to think.

At the Dingo I sat at the bar drinking a coke and for the millionth time I went over the events that change my life the last year, my parents death, Johnny's death and Dally killing him self. Suddenly I felt so old, I felt like the events in my life would have been enough to split between five people and they would still have been trough too much. It felt like ages ago since I was a teenager who worried about which boy to go out with or what clothes to wear, I didn't exactly want that back but I didn't want to feel like my life was over before it had started either.

"Hey Curtis" I heard someone behind me and when I turned around Two bit was standing there with that goofy grin from ear to ear.

"Hi Two bit, you drove Pony home right?" I said pointing at the barstool next to me. As he sat down he nodded and started talking about this girl he had been seeing lately.

"…And her hair is really blond like yours and Sodas but I don't think hers is real…" Two bit is good at cheering you up too with his mindless babble, but he is really smart underneath it all. We sat there talking about his new girl and looked around us, I guess Two bit was looking for someone we new to get the latest news about the socs. After the rumble they had continued harassing greasers like nothing had ever happened.

"Look there's Shepard, come on lets go talk to him" Two bit said motioning at Shepard standing with his gang in the parking lot. Two bit was almost down the stool when Shepard noticed us and walked toward us instead.

"Two bit, Curtis" he said nodding at us.

"Shepard" Two bit greeted him shaking his hand and was just about to say something when Shepard turned to me.

"Darrell let you out of the house?" he asked smirking.

"Yeah, surprisingly he did, he was pissed though" I said smiling up at him, he was standing next to me now leaning against the bar. He wasn't as intimidating today as I remembered him being yesterday. He nodded slowly as he was thinking.

"Yeah well I should go" he said looking me in the eyes like he was searching for something and after awhile he nodded and just turned around and left.

At the door he stopped and called back to us;

"Party tonight at my place Matthews! As he opened the door he called "See you there!" And then he turned around and looked at me "You too Curtis!"

Two bit looked like a living question mark when I turned to him. And as we drove home he asked;

"What's the story with you and Shepard?" His eyes were focused on the road, both his hands on the wheel.

"Nothing, I got a ride home with him yesterday, that's all". I was kind of tiered of everybody asking that, couldn't I just talk to a guy I had kind of known my whole life?

"Look Nora, don't get involved with Shepard, he's…" he sighed and continued "you deserve better than him" he was looking at me now, serious, that's a look Two bit reserves for very few occasions. He must really be worried.

"Two bit" I said to get his attention, "There's nothing going on with me and him" I couldn't even say his name in connection with me, that's how unreal the thought of me and him together was to me. "I just talk to the guy, just like you and Steve and Soda".

I could see he believed me because his whole face relaxed, his shoulders sunk and he continued driving with just one hand, like he normally would.

Thanks for reviewing my story, I have looked it over and changed some spelling mistakes, hope you like it!