Author's Note: Hey hey, it's me once again. Gonna make this short cause I tend to blab and I know you guys have noticed probably. Anywho sorry for the lack of updates. I've got update this week. Just finished moving and some family stuff came up but lets get on with this chappie shall we. I get short of ideas so bear with me but I hope you guys enjoy. Love you all, your so nice and the reviews are always encouraging.

Thanks Goes out to:

Reviewer: Sorry sorry sorry. I feel way bad about leaving this chapter for so long. Longer than usual I think. But I through in some random action and some Leon fun so hopefully this chapter may make up for the long pause. Glad your still reading though. I hope. :D I'll try not to wait so long next time. Thanks for reviewing.

Not-that-kinda-gurl: lol. Always kind words from you. I hope this chapter is just as pleasing. It should be with such a long break in updates. Lol. Thanks for reviewing.

JamesDeanismygod: Gald you liked the chappie. Wasn't sure what to write about so I wrote about Dallas. Gave me the idea for my new story too which needs to be updated. But more action in this chappie. Hope its statisfying. Enjoy and thanks for the review.

Ale Curtis-Carter: Well not a very soon update but hopefully it's a good one. :D Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy.

Darkdestiny2000: Lol thanks lost for the review. Sorry for the long pause :( . I'm glad you liked that chappie it was different form the rest but I'm a bit happier with this once. Just because there's going to be some action:D Hooray! Lol.

Fairlane: I'm glad you liked the chapter. It's funny until I started writing on here I never knew I used a lot of metaphors and stuff but people start pointing them out and I go oh ya really and now I notice it a lot more. Glad people like it though because it's so hard for me to write without out them sometimes. Keep reviewing and hope you enjoy this chappie.

Snowgurl54: Lmao, thanks for the reminder. I was midway through writing chapter 7 when I noticed I had another review and I'm like awe I gotta get this up soon. I felt bad leaving this for so long but I'll update eventually lol. This one has a bit more Leon in it just for everyone that seemed to really like that chapter 5. Not so much Johnny but Pony plays a role and well…You'll see. Hope you like. Enjoy!

FlipWise: Lol thanks for taking the time to send me all those reviews. I'm glad your enjoying the story. Hope this chapter is just as good.

Hollister: Lol, omg I hope your still waiting. I waited sooooooooooooooo long to update. Well, like I said to someone else people seemed to like chap 5 a lot more than the others so I tried to fit in some much needed Leon time. But there isn't so much Johnny. There will be probably in the next chappie and some more Dallas but a lot of Leon in this one. Pony's in it too so it should be interesting. Enjoy and thanks for the review.

Chapter 7:

Leon shuffled along the silent street. It was around two in the afternoon and the sun was beating down hard. Raggedy brown leather jacket slung across his back, he made his way towards Tim's. It was going to take another ten minutes to get there and he was becoming a bit doubtful that he'd make it before the sun took its toll on him. Sweat ran down bronzed skin, building up in the creases of his furrowed brow. He was thinking about meeting up with Shepard, but there was something else on his mind. In the back, somewhere beneath that entire smug, smart ass attitude, there was some serious thinking going on. Johnny. The kid seemed to be on his mind more and more lately. That accident in Bixie resurfaced now and then. How Shepard had persuaded him to leave his own flesh and blood, and Johnny with those eyes looking at him, trying to find the good when he knew himself there wasn't any. He wasn't worth Johnny getting worked up over. Leon Cade, was a coldhearted hood, wild and reckless who didn't abide to anyone's standards. He couldn't start becoming someone's idol, especially not Johnny's.

Leon's torn sneaker kicked tiredly at the remains of a pop bottle. Glass shards shot out on the sidewalk becoming lost in the uncut grass. He was just passing the park. It was quiet at the moment because everyone except him seemed to be in school. It didn't matter, he'd tried school before and with no hope of becoming anything more than a car mechanic he'd dropped out. It was a waste of a short life. Leon slid a cigarette out from behind his ear, dropping it in his mouth; he lit it up and took a long savoring drag. The tar and nicotine melted his damaged lungs and soothed his restless mind. His worries pushed themselves to the back of his mind once again and were replaced with the warm enveloping scent of tobacco. For a moment the Tulsa wind came and picked up the smoke, creating a whirl wind of white pollutant clouds around his awkward build. A dreamy smile came over his lips, something you don't see quite often on a greaser.

He picked up his pace and raised his gaze towards the direction of the Shepard house.

School cut out a bit early for Ponyboy on Monday. His heart thrashed against the milky white bones of his rib cage. A grey t-shirt with the school mascot drawn across the back stuck uncomfortably to his torso and beneath his armpits. Sweat encased his entire body. Next to the young greaser, a group of awkward teens, some tall and lanky and some not so much stood, sucking in panting breaths of oxygen. Unfortunately for them the air sat, humid and stale above them, not giving the boys much to enjoy. Track practice had been cut that day for the soul reason that the boys had been pushing themselves for the past three weeks. Running almost every second day and on weekends, they had struggled to do their best. That day classes for the last half of the day had been cut to give the runners some added practice for the meet coming up in the next week.

Brushing a hand through sweat coated locks; Ponyboy drank the last bit of his water. He shook the bottle disappointedly, watching as a few stray droplets splashed against the sides but did nothing more to clench his thirst. Other members of the track team slowly separated from the group going back into the school or making their way towards the parking lot and heading home. Pony had told Two-bit earlier that day that he'd probably be hitching a ride with him and Johnny on their way home but he was too tired to wait around another hour or so. School for him was already finished.

Heaving a lumpy backpack across his sore shoulders, Pony dragged himself through the football field and back onto the road. He'd never noticed before just how quiet the streets could be when school was going on. With most of the hoods healing a hangover or locked deep within a history class, suffocating on the scent of musty textbooks, the streets seemed also safe to walk. Passing by the drive in, Pony looked on with longing eyes, fighting the temptations to sneak in and catch a short Steve Mc Queen movie. Sit in the back row and just watch for an hour and a half and then head home. The feeling passed eventually as he continued on down the sidewalk. If he got home early enough maybe he could fall asleep for a quick nap. Monday's were always hard and a good twenty minute energy booster might do him some good.

A few feet behind Pony a car engine ran, smooth and almost completely soundless. Tires crunched gravel as the red coat of paint shimmered against the sun's harsh rays. With his hands dug deep within the spaces of his pockets, the greaser continued to walk, oblivious to the trailing car. Moments passed and Pony soon began to feel a few sets of watchful eyes on the back of his head. A shiver ran down through his back and he shuddered knowing something was waiting to spring up on him. Stealing a short glance over his right shoulder, he caught site of the Mustang, bright against the dark asphalt. Five shadows piled close together in the car watched as he quickened his pace just a bit. After a moment's pause the engine died out and the tires were silent on the road. Four car doors creaked open and shut with a resounding thud as metal clicked with metal.

"Hey, grease" one of the voices called out coolly. Pony swallowed the rising lump in his throat and inched his way ahead of them, not bothering to look back and catch the gang of Socs following him.

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" A new voice said. Mutterings followed and their expensive shoes kicked stray rocks in his direction.

"Hey, we're talking to you!" The first kid shouted out once more and before Pony had time to think of anything at all, something came at him and hit the back of his head. A split second cry rang out from his parched lips, before his knees smacked painfully against the pavement and his cheeks made contact with the cement.

Leon stood miserably at the end of Tim's driveway. Ebony rocks led a gravel path towards his front door and parked in the middle of that path was an all too familiar vehicle. He went over the scratches, all the indents and cracks on the windshield, his eyes glazing over with hatred by each passing second. Buck Merrill's car, a worthless piece of junk even to most greasers, was parked at an angle in the Shepard driveway. Now, Leon knew Buck was too lazy to haul himself over to Tim's on a Monday after a weekend full of drinking and he knew too well that there was only one other greaser in Tulsa that would drive around in that rusty tin can.

Dallas Winston, platinum blond hair and elfish face, with those cold looks and that New York reputation, it was enough to make Leon Cade sick. The guy pranced around the town like he owned it and everyone living there just because he'd grown up on the streets and had a shitty childhood. Thrown in jail when he was ten years old, he wasn't a real JD. Leon was half certain he made up half the stuff he told everyone and just flaunted this fake reputation to any halfwit that would bother to listen. It had worked on Johnny. The kid adored Dally; he could see it in his eyes. It was the same look he got from him. Now Dallas had to do more to make him mad, he had to show up at Shepards when he wanted to. Johnny was another matter too. Dallas was stealing away his kid brother from him, molding him into his own kid brother or something along those lines. It didn't matter if he rarely saw Johnny or ever cared to listen to him, the point was that Johnny was his brother and not Dallas Winston's. A couple more pushes of the button and Leon was sure he'd have it out with Dallas.

Sighing, Leon turned away from the house. He moved on down the sidewalk. Maybe a cold drink at the Dingo would do him some good. He passed the drive in and was about to go around the next corner when a cry sounded through the thick muggy air. Up in the distance a Mustang sat silently, sticking out awkwardly from the rusted cars and shingle less houses. A group of about four or five guys, each fairly lanky but with a good enough build stood round in a circle. Leon's heart jumped in his throat as a squeal came out muffled under the impact of rough toed sneaker. The only thing that was going through his mind right then was, what if it was Johnny.

Jogging towards them, Leon felt himself changing from that uncaring hood into something more. His eyes were hardening with each step he took forward. When he was no more than five feet from the group he realized it wasn't his kid brother huddled in a ball on the cracked cement. Blood running down his left nostril, the young greaser looked up at him, eyes wide and fearful. The kid was close to Johnny's age and was awful familiar. Dark disheveled hair, clumped in dirt and grease plastered his forehead. It was the Curtis kid. Wasn't that one of Johnny's pals? He knew the older one took Johnny in when the ol man was being rough. He kept him safe, when Leon couldn't.

" Leon?" the greaser mouthed his name silently.

Leon's stomach churned and without thinking he jumped at the nearest Soc. Bringing his right arm around the guys neck, the two came crashing to the ground in a heap of sweat and tears. The other Soc's were just beginning to come out of their daze when the Curtis boy was back on his feet. He stumbled back a bit before stabilizing himself and throwing a fist in the direction of one of the small soc's. Leon looked around from atop of the kid beneath him and realized that there weren't too many small ones.

"Dirty greaser!" Someone spat behind him. Leon grabbed a fistful of clean cut Soc hair and brought the front of the boys head up and then down with a hard smacking sound against the gravel. A sickening cracking sound echoed of the empty buildings behind them and the boy cried out in pain. Leon repeated the move once more before someone hit him upside his head. Rolling off the soc, he lay stunned for a moment, watching through a sea of red haze as two of the four remaining socs came at him from opposite ends. The Curtis boy was somewhere, hollerin for someone but no one was coming.

"Quit your shoutin Curtis!" He yelled, using the heels of his wrists to prop himself up off the ground.

A soc took him back down with a kick to his ribs. The pavement swallowed his body and one of the Socs went to pin him down against its rough surface. The soc that had kicked him, a dark blonde hared kid, with a good build and dangerous eyes stood over watching. He looked through Leon and brought his shoe into his side once more. The oldest Cade brother let out a short howl. Winded and paining, Leon grabbed hold of the next sneaker foot that tried to kick him. With a quick tug he managed to pull the boy to the ground. The one standing near him turned loose, blonde curls shading his face as he tackled Leon to the asphalt. They rolled about on the sidewalk, panting and clawing at one another. Further down the sidewalk Leon could make out sounds of the other greasers struggle.

"Get the hell off a me you madras wearin fuck" Leon cursed, a right fist contacting roughly with the boys nose.

Something took hold of Leon from behind the back of his neck, squeezing hard and as they dragged him off the Soc and tossed him a foot or so from the boy. The blonde wheezed and sucked in some much needed air. Leon panted on the cement as he looked up and caught a short glimpse of a something coming down fast towards his head. Pulling away, it shattered on the left side near his ear, cutting the back and sprinkling the ground in its remains. The greaser fell on his side, reaching out for his head and holding tight to his consciousness when someone kicked him in the back.

"Pony!"

Leon's eyes widened and he searched the cloudless sky above him, trying desperately to locate the voice. Rolling off of the ground, he heard feet slapping against the ground and the sounds of more struggling. Turning round, he caught a fist in his cheek. Getting to his feet, he went towards the Soc when all of a sudden the boy had left to fight someone else. Instead, with uneasy feet and a lead filled head, Leon stumbled forward into a hard chest. Strong arms pulled him from their body and stood him straighter.

"Sorry Cade, but I don't go that way." Two-bit chuckled through the red haze, his eyes shiny with recklessness. Leon groaned and yanked himself out of Two-bit's hold. Things were sliding into the earth, buildings and cars. The sky was melting around him as the sun boiled over and faded into the azure. Reaching out for something to hold, Leon listened dazedly to the voices around him.

" Leon?" The older Cade brother looked to his left and saw Johnny, standing next to a bruised Ponyboy. Leon smiled through the pain and stumbled back once more.

"Hey kid."

He raised a hand towards his head and brushed it through his dirty hair. Bringing it back down he looked at it confused to find his hand covered in blood. Vertigo quickly overtook him. His legs gave out beneath his weight and the haze grew thicker as he felt himself tilting forward. Someone came and let his body slide into their arms.

"Relax, we got ya buddy."

Leon let a gentle moan pass from his lips as he finally let the pain consume him into unconsciousness.

Author's Note: Omg sorry to leave it there. Almost one in the mornin an i gotta get some sleep for work tomorrow. Gotta get up early. Bleh. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Too lazy to look for mistakes so please be kind. Hope it made sense too cus im sleepy but wutever. Nice action tho i needed to right some. Later alligators.