Disclaimer: Get it through your heads! I DON'T OWN STAND BY ME! Lol

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"Ok. This is getting boring", Emma said after about an hours driving.

"Agreed. So what now?" Katy replied.

Meghan and Emma liked Katy. Turned out, she'd done pretty much the same as they did: skip town. Only she'd been kicked off the bus back in Harlow for cussing.

"Some creep seemed to think it was funny to try and look down my top, so I told him to fuck off. Unfortunately, the driver was that creep", she explained.

Yes, Katy definitely had a bitchy side when provoked. But even though she was clearly not one to screw with, she still came across as one of the happiest and sweetest girls around.

"Hey, turn down this lane", she said to Meghan.

"Why?" Meghan asked as she slipped into the narrow road.

Katy shrugged "Just coz".

"Ooh, look. A tree house", Emma whispered loudly "Wonder who's in there?"

"Only one way to find out," Katy replied, grinning devilishly. She leaned out of the car and yelled loudly "Hey! Who's up there?"

Four heads poked out of a window. "We are!" one yelled back.

"Hey, you're the four boys from Eyeball's house!" Meghan called.

"And you're the two chicks who were hanging with the Cobras!" another boy replied.

"Two plus one!" Katy called "Can we come up?"

"Sure", came the reply.

Once the girls had made their way up, they tried to find a seat in the (now crowded) tree house.

"So you never told us your names", a boy with thick, square-framed glasses said.

"I'm Meghan"

"Katy"

"Emmaaaaa!" Emma drew out her name, the stupidity apparently returning. The boys looked at her strangely.

"She's drunk", Meghan said, "Ignore her".

"Hey, don't ignore me! Anyways, I'm fine. Sincerely", Emma stopped grinning like an idiot, "I'll stop being so ridiculous. So, do you guys have names or what?

"I'm Vern", said the tallest one. He looked like he may have once been chubby but months of working out had turned him into solid muscle.

"Gordie", a tall, thin boy said quietly. He looked friendly but serious and studious at the same time.

"Corporal Teddy Duchamp at your service ladies", spoke up the boy with the glasses. He had a wild look about him, as though he was crazier then all three girls put together.

That left one more. "Name's Chris", said the boy Emma had saved from Ace, or "the broken one" as Emma remembered him in her head. He smiled at them and didn't look quite so broken anymore. Emma smiled back.

The girls stayed there until almost dawn, playing cards and smoking cigarettes with the boys. Katy was laughing because she's managed to beat the boys from almost ten dollars playing pontoon. Eventually, Teddy threw down his cards.

"This blows", he scowled.

"Yeah, I'm done too", Gordie added. Chris and Vern followed suit.

"Can't believe a girl beat me at cards", Teddy muttered.

"Hey, a mountain goat could clean you boys out", Emma jumped in, giggling.

"Say, who's car did you drive up in? It's pretty boss", Vern asked, looking at it through the window.

"Shit!" Emma yelled, leaping to her feet.

"What? Who's is it?" Teddy asked.

"Ace Merrill's" she replied hurriedly, "We stole in just before we came to see you".

"What!" all four boys cried out.

"You stole Ace's car? Jesus, you'd better start running. You are fucked", Chris said.

"You clearly haven't seen the way Emma can wrap that boy around her little finger. It's sickening really", Meghan said, rolling her eyes.

"And you clearly don't know how much Ace cares about that car. He'd slit your throat for keying up the side!" Teddy jumped in.

The group was silent for a moment. Then Katy spoke up.

"…Maybe now would be a good time to take it back?" she said. Meghan and Emma nodded. So the three climbed out of the tree and into the car.

"Bye-bye boys!" Emma yelled, blowing them kisses as the car drove off.

"Stop at this gas station. We'll fill her up and clean her until she shines. That might help", Katy suggested.

"Do you think he'll be mad, Meghan?" Emma asked worriedly.

"More to the point, I cannot afford to pay for your funeral", she replied.

Later, Emma honked the horn outside Eyeball's house; half-hoping Ace would be there, half-not.

Ace came out the front door fast, looking murderous.

"Where the hell did you take my car?" he yelled at Emma, pressing her against the side of the car, his hands on either side of her.

"Nowhere…" Emma said, feeling afraid of Ace for the first time, "Honest Ace. Meghan freaked out coz Vince was hitting on her. We were always gonna bring it back. I swear", she babbled, thanking God she'd sent Meghan and Katy away while she handled this.

Ace continued to stare at her, looking deathly angry.

"Ace… I really am sorry. But I'm going to have trouble messing around with you in the backseat of this car… if you don't stop scaring me", Emma mumbled quietly, attempting a smile.

Ace stared for a few more seconds, before his face softened slightly.

"One question", he said.

"Anything", Emma replied.

"Did you fill the gas tank?"

Emma smiled, "Yeah. I did".

Ace smiled back, "Lucky", he said, pulling her into a long kiss.

Howzat? Review me kiddlets! xxo