Ponyboy was doing most of the work, not because the girls didn't want to do it, but because their heads were just elsewhere. If he were distracted by the previous events and attitudes of the night, he wasn't showing it. The most reaction they got out of him was the occasional red mark on their page, letting them know that something was definitely wrong.

Adelle turned behind her and peered into the other room. The guys were all sitting around, doing absolutely nothing. Well, she was sure they were doing something, but as far as she was concerned, it was nothing. It was better to think of them as doing nothing, than to think of Steve doing something without her. She knew it was completely irrational. Almost everything he did was done without her. However, as dilemma grew closer and her life went crazier, she needed something that seemed to be a sign one way or another.

Maybe if he turned to look at her or something. Maybe if he did something that showed her that she was even close to be as important to him as he was to her. She didn't think that her face went through his head a million times a day like his did with her, but she wanted to know that she was more than a conquest for him. She wanted to know that she was more than the little Soc that he was playing with. She didn't want him to be kissing her face, then turning around and laughing about it with Two-Bit and Soda when she was gone.

"Adelle, Pony's talking to you." She blinked and turned back towards the table. She looked at Emma and shook her head. "Hello… Adelle…"

"Huh?"

"Pony said that you haven't changed what he told you to change. We are trying to not fail, you know. I would really hate to repeat the eleventh grade."

Adelle sighed and held back the comment that was right on her tongue. Steve was going to be graduating in a few months. He'd been held back twice throughout his school career, but this time he was really getting out. He just wasn't a school type, and Adelle was almost positive that he only went to school because Darry said he wasn't having more than one high school dropout hanging around his house.

"Pony, why doesn't Steve talk to me at school?"

Ponyboy had turned back to his work, but at the question, his head popped right up. He looked her with confusion, and Adelle really couldn't blame him. It wasn't a usual question, and knowing that he and Steve were nowhere near being actual friends, she'd never asked him anything about him. If she just had to ask someone, she usually left those for Soda. Pony blinked and said, "Huh?"

"Well, I know he's Soda's friend, not yours, but I figured you had to have heard something."

"Well, Adelle, I, uh… I don't really listen when Steve talks. Even if I did, he usually has food in his mouth, so I can't really understand what he's saying." He shrugged. "So, I really don't know why he doesn't talk to you at school. Maybe he just doesn't wanna cause trouble."

"Not likely. Steve loves to cause trouble." She turned to Emma. "Why doesn't he talk to me at school? He doesn't hang around with those other girls, but he doesn't talk to me, either."

"Um… I don't really know, Adelle." Emma sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Her hair fell loose of one pin and she carefully put it back up. "It's not like he's in school all that much. It's amazing he hasn't been failed again because he's never there."

"That's because he'd rather work at the station. And the teachers don't want him around anymore. He's not stupid or anything."

"I know! I didn't say that he was stupid. I just said that he doesn't go to class. Jeez, Adelle, you really need to calm down about it. Steve…" She stopped talking instantly when she felt a tug on her hair. Her head jerked back and she looked up into Soda's laughing eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I came to check on ya. Darry was gonna do it, but I told him I'd do it instead. I know how to light a fire under Pony." He looked over and laughed as his brother gave him the finger, though not looking at him. "That's not nice, Pony. It's getting late, and Darry's about ready to send these girls home. It's a school night."

"We're not done yet." Pony looked up at him and groaned. "Tell him we'll be done in a little while. We'd be done a lot sooner if you'd go away and leave us alone."

"Now, Pony, you're just bein' mean." He laughed and turned around. "Hey, Steve! They're back here talkin' about ya!"

At Steve's responding scream, Adelle instantly blushed and dropped her head down on the table. She put her hands over her head, squeezing her arms tightly together so she couldn't hear. All she could decipher was laughter and muffled words as he spoke, pretty obviously, around food. Hands grabbed her waist and yanked her up out of the chair. Adelle screeched and floundered.

"Steve, put me down! I've gotta do my homework!"

"You're talkin' about me, huh?" He heaved her up over his shoulder and popped her once on the rear. "Now, what're you talkin' about?"

"That you're dirty!"

"I took a shower. Next!"

"Your face is covered in chocolate!" She beat on his back and kicked her feet. She called out and begged and pleaded for help until Darry finally came in and put everyone out of the room who wasn't doing homework. Adelle sat back down, her back rigid and straight. As Darry admonished them and told them to get to work, she passed crooked glances towards Emma and Pony. When they were alone again, Adelle asked, "What did you tell them?"

"I didn't say anything!" Emma looked at Pony. "Tell her I didn't say anything!"

"She didn't say anything."

"Well, somebody said something because Soda and Steve were talking about something before Steve picked me up, so he had to know I was saying something that needs to be answered but won't be answered because I'm not asking Steve because…"

"Because you're babbling." Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Forget about Steve and whatever he does or doesn't do at school. He won't be there that much longer. And besides, defending Pony at school is one thing. Would you really go up to Steve and give him a hug at school?"

"Yes!" she said quickly. "Yes, I would because I…" She stopped as Pony looked at her. She shook her head and sighed. "Yes, I would, but it doesn't matter because he's not going to do it, because I think way much more of him than he does of me."

"You don't know that, Adelle."

"Yes, I do."

"How do you know?"

"Because I just… I do, alright? And it doesn't matter. It's not like we're going to be together forever or anything. I'm what I am, he's what he is, and we…" She sighed. "We at this table are a group of kids trying to get through our homework, so how about we do that, huh? I really can't afford to fail another test. It'll get me thrown out of the house faster than anything else I could possibly do, and the whole point of right now is to not get kicked out."

"You're gettin' kicked out?"

"No, Pony, I'm not. So… let's get back to this paper, okay? I would really just like to get my homework done before Darry blows a gasket."