Disclaimer: No, I do not own the Outsiders; they belong to the brilliant S.E. Hinton. I do, however, own Mia.

Chapter Seven

The drive over to the Curtis place felt like it took forever. The cool air blowing through the sunroof had sobered me a bit; my party euphoria was fading fast. I was irritated at being called away from the festivities and beginning to feel motion sick. I intended to give Darry what-for when I saw him.

At last my driver pulled up in front of my brothers' house. I climbed somewhat unsteadily from the car and swayed on the spot, clutching the frame of the car for support. Nausea rose in my stomach, and all at once I leaned over and threw up all over the sidewalk.

"Oh, brilliant," I muttered, pulling a handkerchief out of my tiny clutch purse and wiping my mouth with it. I sat back down inside the car and closed my eyes for a moment, feeling exhausted and dizzy. All I wanted was my toothbrush and my bed. Soon after I had fallen into a light doze, I felt strong arms lifting me up, and the next thing I knew I was being tossed roughly onto a couch.

"Ow," I moaned, lifting one hand to my head. Opening my eyes I found myself in the Curtis living room, with Darry standing in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest and looking more furious than I'd ever seen anyone look at me in my life.

I sat up, glaring at Darry. "What the hell is your problem, exactly?"

"First of all," Darry snapped, "Watch your mouth. And second of all, my problem happens to be that my fifteen-year-old kid sister was out in the middle of the night drunk at a party she had no business even being at!"

I felt fury rise in my veins. "I am not a kid anymore, Darrel. I am an adult, and it was just a party, for goodness' sake! I more than held my own-"

"That is not the point and you know it! And you're a long way from being an adult, kiddo."

"The funny thing is," I said sarcastically, "everyone else seems to disagree with you there. I'm in charge of my own life, and I'm mature enough to handle that, Darrel, whatever you might say about it."

Darry snorted. "Yeah, you're real mature, all right. That must be why you're standing here half-drunk in a prom dress in the middle of the night-"

"This isn't a prom dress," I retorted, more stung by his words than I cared to admit. "It's a ball dress, far more formal, don't you know anything?"

Darry's eyes flashed, and I wondered if maybe I'd gone too far with that last remark. But by then, I was too angry and defensive to care.

"Do you have any idea," Darry said, his voice icy, "What Mom and Dad would say about your behavior if they could see you now?"

I felt hot tears form in the backs of my eyes. "Actually, I don't. And why is that? Oh, that's right- they didn't bother keeping me long enough so I could find out!" Darry looked shocked at my words and didn't speak for a minute.

"You're wrong there," he said finally. "Very wrong. We can talk about that later. But right now we need to decide how we're gonna handle this."

"Excuse me?" I said, my own voice cold now. "Handle this? I went to a party. I had a few drinks. I don't see where you come in here. For the thousandth time, I am an adult now!" I stamped my foot, as much in frustration as to emphasize my point.

"Well, you're certainly not acting like it!" Darry retorted. "In fact, you're acting more like a shallow spoiled brat who doesn't-" His words were cut off by the creak of the front door. We both whirled around to see Sodapop and Ponyboy, obviously returning from a night out, standing there gaping. Whether they were more startled by my outfit or the heated fight they must have overheard, I didn't know. Or particularly care at that moment.

I turned back to Darry, anger and hurt mixing to form a tight knot in my chest. "Oh, don't worry," I said to him, my voice cracking. "You won't be putting up with me or my so-called shallowness anymore." Brushing past Soda and Pony, who were still standing there dumbfounded, I tore out the front gate to my limo.

"My hotel, please," I said to the driver, struggling to regain my composure; de Barbaracs do not show emotion in public.

On the drive back, I leaned my head against the window, consumed in misery. How could it have all gone so wrong? Everything I had come here for had come crashing down on me in the past half-hour.

There could only be one explanation. I didn't belong here, in their world. I was too different after all. This had been a stupid idea from the beginning. I didn't need them. I didn't need anybody.

At the hotel I took the elevator back up to my suite, taking a good long look at myself in the elevator car's mirrored walls. My hair was messy and my tiara askew, mascara smeared around my eyelids, my complexion pale and waxy. The night's events had taken their toll on me.

Back in my suite, I knocked on Kelsey's door. She opened it and, shocked, took in my horrific appearance. I could tell she was about to say or ask something, but I spoke first.

"Pack our bags," I told her. "We're leaving in the morning."

I dashed down the hall to my own room, stripping off my gloves and jewelry and placing them on my dressing table. Still in my gown, I flung myself down on the bed. The tears I had been holding in for an hour poured forth then, and I buried my head in my arms and wept.

A/N: Yes, this is short, but I have been absolutely swamped these past few days, so I thought I'd go ahead and post this now. Special thanks to all my fabulous reviewers, especially Araz, whose thoughtful comments keep me thinking and working to improve this story. I seriously love everyone's comments; you lot rock, and keep me motivated. Please keep it up!