Cherrybombxox: Thank you! I was so happy when you used the word adorable because that's exactly what I was going for. That made me smile.

Just another anglophile: Thanks for your support. It means a lot to me to have a few people enjoy it.

Thanks for the reviews guys. 'Yall' are awesome.

Hey, this is probably going to be the last chapter where she's really young. She should be fourteen in the next chapter, then we can be done with the whole "how it began" thing.

Oh well, on with chapter four. Hope you guys like it.

Joey's POV

It had been a week since the tickling incident and I was ecstatic. Me and the 'boys', as I now called them, were getting along really well.

Sodapop really started talking to me after he pulled me onto Two-Bit's lap. We had been joking around and chasing each other all the time. Sometimes I even think he likes me. He certainly likes being with me.

I had spent a lot of time the last few days at their house watching Mickey Mouse and eating cake.

Today we were playing poker. It was the first time I'd ever played and Darry said it wouldn't hurt if I learned as long as I didn't play with real money. So we used Jelly beans.

"Okay, so the blue beans are five, the red beans are ten, the yellow beans are twenty…and the green ones are one?" It was really hard to follow.

"No, no, no...The red ones are one, the yellow ones are five, the blue ones are ten, and the green ones are twenty." Steve was holding up one of each bean to show me but I still had trouble remembering.

"Okay, I know two cards that are the same are a pair…Whats it mean when I have three cards the same too?" I kept looking from my cards to the large pile of jelly beans in the middle of the table.

"Ugh" everyone in the group grunted and folded.

I laughed and showed them my hand that consisted of a two, a four, an eight, a three, and a ten. I stretched across the table and collected my winnings as everyone started laughing.

"You catch on pretty quick kid," Two-Bit said ruffling my hair and laughing with everyone else.

"You cheated!" Ponyboy pouted as he pretended to be sad about losing a good portion of his jelly beans.

"Nu-uh" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yes you did!" Soda said getting up and coming across the table. "And for that-"

He took one of my jelly beans and shoved it into his mouth.

"Hey!" I shouted as he bolted out the door.

I followed and everyone else soon joined us. It was chaos everywhere. Johnny and Ponyboy were rolling in the grass trying to pin the other down. Two-Bit had Steve in a headlock and Soda and I were running around in circles as he tried to get away from me.

I leaped onto his back and he hooked onto my legs and continued running in circles.

Everyone was laughing and having a good time until a car pulled up in front of the house. A boy around Darrys age stepped out of the drivers side and a girl around twelve climbed out of the other.

The boy was muscular, but not as strong looking as Darry. The girl, however, was a bit taller than me. Slim with blonde, wavy hair that went half way down her back. I instantly recognized her as a girl in my school. She was a soc. A popular one too. I couldn't imagine what they were doing there.

A moment after she closed the car door, Soda dropped me, rather roughly, onto the ground and I fell onto the grass. I sat up and was horrified when I saw Soda put his arm around the girl and kiss her…on the lips!

I felt horrible. I wanted to run home and cry my eyes out but I couldn't. Not while everyone was watching.

Everyone was crowded around me and looking at the couple. Two-Bit glanced down at me and gave me an odd look before he helped me up and laid his hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

Soda led the girl over to us. Everyone began talking again as if nothing happened. She obviously knew the guys but not me. Of course I knew her name but I was sure she didn't know mine. Soda didn't even introduce us! I was hurt and I couldn't even show it.

The only things I knew about her was that her name was Anna and that I now hated her.

I noticed Two-Bit's hand was still on my shoulder as he joked with Steve about the girl's older brother's sweater. It definitely struck me as odd. It was rather comforting though. It made me feel like I wasn't as alone as I felt right now and he probably did it on purpose.

I looked up at him and he gave me a look of sympathy as he gave my shoulder another squeeze. Oh yeah. He definitely knew something.

I started to walk away.

"Hey, where you going?" Steve yelled over the group as I began my journey home.

"I promised mom I wouldn't be gone long." I lied as turned around to hid my tears.

The walk home seemed longer than it usually did. I hugged myself and let my tears fall freely as I trudged on.

That was the first time Sodapop Curtis broke my heart…and it wouldn't be the last.

The next time you see Joey, she's going to be fourteen…Oh yeah..I already told you that.

Well, bye then.