Author's Note: woah. i'm actually updating at the given time i had promised. suprised you, didn't it. well, here's the next chapter. unfortunatley i didn't get a chance to write the 7th one. i'll try working on it now. and a few things before you read: yea, i do realise that her fashion is like way out of time period but oh well. and yea, other things might be a little ooc. sorry about that. and im gonna start to call Valerie Amber again. sorry if that confuses anyone.

huge thank yous to: Rugrats 101 and QTpie4, my only two reviewers for the chapter. it means so much to me that you are still reading this after it's taken me so long to update.

there is going to be an important note at the end of the chapter. make sure to read it.

She woke up the next morning to the crazy ringing and vibrating of her cell phone. She lazily turned on her side and looked at the caller id on the screen.

James
435-678-2691

Amber sighed and threw her phone across the room. She didn't want to deal with any of her Pennsylvania friends at the moment. Looking at the digital clock on the dresser next to her she saw it read 11am. It was late, and she mentally slapped herself for wasting almost half the day with sleep, but she couldn't seem to find the strength to get up out of bed.

Note to self
I miss you terribly
This is what
We call a tragedy
Come back to me, come back to me
to me'

Her cell phone was going off again.

"Oh good lord" she said to herself. She quickly got up and ran over to her phone to shut it off. When she reached it, the ringing had stopped. Looking at the screen she saw that she had 20 missed calls and 6 voice messages. She shook her head and laughed. She shut off her cell and walked over to the hotel phone and called her voice mail to check her messages.

First message: received from Jenna at 8 am
Hey Val it's Jenna. Either your still asleep or your not answering your phone. Whatever the case, me, James and Josh are really worried about you. We want you to know that you can tell us anything and we wont tell the police or anyone else. Please please just call us and let us know your ok. You said you'd call back yesterday but you never did. So, as soon as you get this, call me.

Beep

Second message: received from James at 8:30am
Valerie. Get your butt out of bed and answer your cell this second. Do you think that I'm being funny? Cuz I'm not...well maybe just a little. But that's besides the point. Where are you! What happened at your house? Are you ok? PICK UP YOUR CELL PHONE! I'm not going to stop calling until I hear your voice and know your ok. Same for Josh and Jenna, but said she already spoke to you but you said you couldn't talk. And I don't really believe Jenna cuz she's delusional and even if she did speak to you I still want to talk to you myself. And now I'm rambling on. PLEASE. Call one of us as soon as you get to your phone.

Beep.

Third message: received from Josh: 9am.
VALERIE ANNE PARKER, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU. You leave with no explanation; your house is swamped with police officers. What in god's name is going on? Look, if there's something your not telling us..Like, maybe you're a mass murderer from Yugoslavia or you're a klepto from New York then fine that's ok. Just tell us, we wont care. Ugh. That didn't make sense. What I mean to say is that you can trust us with anything and we don't care. If you're in some kind of trouble then maybe we can help. Please, call one of us when you can.

Beep.

Fourth message: received from James: 9:30

ANSWER YOUR PHONE WOMEN!

Beep

Fifth message: received from Jenna: 10am
VALARIE!

Beep

sixth message: received from Josh: 10:30am
this is seriously getting old. Pick up your phone already! Just so you know we're not going to stop calling until you answer one of us.

'Where the hell did I find these people, they're insane' She wondered to herself. No they aren't they're just worried about you. She answered herself.

She walked back over to her bed and sat down making a mental list of what she should do. First she had to go face the Curtis's, Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit and Dally, no matter how much she didn't want to. Then, she had to call back one of her psycho friends before they all fell dead from panic attacks. She walked into her closet and picked out clothes, then went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she was done she got dressed. She decided to wear dark blue jeans, a studded belt, black converse, a black skull choker and a black and gray stripped tank top with a red pirate ship on it. He put her hair up in a ponytail and left her bangs out, brushing them to the right side of her face. Deciding not to bring her cell phone with her, she grabbed some money off the table and left.

It didn't take long to reach the Curtis household, considering that she took a bus. When she arrived at the house Darry's truck wasn't in the driveway. He was probably at work. She opened the metal gate and walked up the pathway too the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Part of her hoped that they weren't hoem and had decided to go out somewhere, while the other part hoped that they were there. After a minute or two she heard the lock on the door unclick. Since when had they started locking their door? The doorknob turned and the door opened. The boy at the door's jaw dropped as he stared at the person in front of him.

"AMBER!" he screamed, attacking her with a big bear hug.

"Hi Soda" she smiled.

"Oh my god. I can't believe it" He said. Amber laughed. Soda grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the living room.

"hey guys! Look who I found on our front porch!" he said excitedly. Two-bit looked up from his position on the floor, Dally and Steve turned around in their seats at the dinning room table, Ponyboy ran into the room from down the hall and Johnny tilted his head sideways and opened his eyes from his spot on the couch. What happened next came at such speed that Amber had no clue what was going on. Two-bit flew up from the ground and crashed into her, picking her up and spinning her around and around. Steve ran over and joined Two-bit, picking her up and swinging her from side to side. Ponyboy ran over and half tackled, half knocked her over. Dally slowly got up and gave her a hug.

"Thanks" he whispered in her ear. The only person who hadn't come to her yet was Johnny. He still sat on the couch motionless and with a shocked look on his face. Everyone wet silent. Johnny sat up on the couch and shook his head, not believing what he was seeing.

"Your back!" he said, a huge smile forming on his face. Amber just nodded. Johnny got up a ran over to her, planting a kiss on her lips and embracing her in a tight hug.

"I always knew you'd come back" he said.

She put her head on his shoulder and buried her face in his neck. They stood there for a while, not wanting to let each other go. The guys had left the room to give them some privacy when Johnny had first run over to her. They eventually let go of each other and Johnny gave her another kiss, only this time it was a bit longer.

"Alright guys, you can come out from behind the wall now." Johnny said. Amber laughed and looked over his shoulder to see Sodapop stick his head out from behind the wall.

"No it's ok, keep going, pretend we aren't here!" he said. Amber glared at him and he laughed. Johnny grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch. The rest of the gang returned and went back to where they had been sitting when she first walked in. Amber leaned on Johnny and he put his hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"So, what made you decide to come back?" Two-bit asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just missed my family" she said looking at everyone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dally looking at her. He knew she was lying and she knew it too, but she couldn't tell the gang the reason just yet. It would worry them to much and she didn't want to bring down the happy mood that had filled the house upon her return.

"Chocolate cake?" Soda asked holding out a plate with a slice of cake on it. She laughed.

"Two years and your still eating chocolate cake constantly."

"Of course" he answered.

"Your all going to get massive cavities one day" she said laughing and taking the plate from Soda.

"Wow, wait until Darry sees you. He's going to flip" Pony said.

"I think this is cause for a celebration" Two-bit said.

"It's not that big of a deal" I said.

"It's not that big of a deal" Two-bit said, mocking me.

"What are you talking about, of course it is!" Johnny said from besides me.

"Buck's having a party tonight. I say we go" Steve said.

"I'm all for it!" Two-bit shouted.

"Of course you are Two-Bit. You're always for parties" Steve said playfully whacking him across the head.

"You know Steve if you keep doing that he's going to lose a lot of brain cells" Amber said laughing.

"yea Steve, listen to the lady" Two-bit said.

"What brain cells" Steve mumbled jokingly.

"Yea, you just keep pretending I didn't hear that" Two-bit said getting up and jumping on Steve, beginning a game of Uncle.

"Oh jeeze" Ponyboy said.

"Alright guys knock it off. I think going to the party is a good idea." Amber said.

"Then party it is!" Soda shouted.

It was then that she knew she'd made the right choice by coming back to them. She needed them more then she realized and being around them made her finally feel like she was home.

"Party it is" She said to herself.

Important: sorry if that seemed a bit unrealistic. anyway. i don't know when i will update next. im going to start the 7th chapter now but some unfortunate things have happened in my life that might prevent me from updating. my grandpa has been deathly ill and inthe hospital since march. now, i am extremley close to him and have seen him every single day of my life since i was one. so the fact thati havent been able to see him everyday and the fact that he's dying is effecting me terribly. i just got notice that he took a turn for the worst and the doctors said he probably will be dead by the end of the week, if he even makes it through today. so im extremley upset right now, and every phone call is making me shake and want to throw up for the fear that it will be the call tellign me he's gone. i'll try my hardest to update this story, and my horror story (since i haven't updated that one since april, but i can't garuntee anything.

anyway, read and review. it means the world to me.
later loves.