Where Have You Been All My Life?

AN: Oki doki! Here is the next chapter of my story! Read it. Like it. REVIEW! Um...gives puppy dog face pwease? ENJOY!

Disclaimer: You know the dealio. I don't own it. DUUUH!

TROUBLE AT THE DOUBLE AND MAYHEM IN THE PARK

Ann woke up at 7:00 the next morning in a dirty room with a small bed, a lamp, a night stand, and pretty much nothing else. It was one of Buck's rooms. Ann didn't like having to sleep in the room, but it was all there was for her. And she only had to be in there a few hours a day. Only when she slept, b ecause there was no way she was going to stay all cooked up in that room all day long. Ann pulled on a pair of jeans that Ponyboy had let her borrow and a plaid button-up that belonged to Sodapop. She rolled up the sleeves to almost her elbow and put a belt around her waist. The clothes were a little big, but Ann was happy to actulally have a pair of clean clothes. She tied her converses and went down the stairs and out the door. She walked to the Curtis House where she was going to meet up with Steve and Soda. Today she was going to meet the manager and hopefully get a job at the DX. When she arrived at the Curtis House, she wasn't sure whether to knock or just waltz right in. She remembered the guys coming in yesterday morning, and none of them knocking. They were part of the gang, though. She wasn't. She stood at the door for a good 5 minutes and finally made her choice. She was about to knock on the door when Soda opened the door.

"You can just come in, you don't have to knock... or stand out here for 10 minutes," he said with a grin. Ann blushed.

"I believe it was only 5 minutes, not 10," She said, walking through the door and into the livingroom.

"Hey Ann! In here!" Two-Bit called from the kitchen. Ann walked into the room.

"I'm not deaf, Two-Bit. I could have heard ya fine if you would of talk in a normal voice," Ann said, rolling her eyes. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking at Soda, Steve, Ponyboy, Two-Bit and Johnny stuff their faces with food. Darry probably had left for work and Dally was probably off getting into trouble, or recovering from a hangover.

"Come sit in your rightful seat," Two-Bit said to Ann. He was patting his lap for her to sit there.

"There are two main reasons why I will not sit on your lap, especially while you eat: 1: I'm not a tramp. 2: You're a pig," Ann said, giving Two-Bit a disgusted look.

"Whaddya mean?" Two-Bit asked with his mouth overflowing with eggs, causing his words to come out funny. The others laughed and Ann shook her head with a smile on her face.

"Two-Bit, Two-Bit. Whatever am I gonna do with you?" She asked. Two-Bit swallowed his food.

"Oh, I could name a whole lotta things you could do to me, but as you said, you aren't a tramp. Too, too bad for me," he said with a sigh.

Ann rolled her eyes and sat down in a vacant chair. Ponyboy offered her some eggs and she gladly ate the eggs. After she was done, Ann headed out with Soda and Steve. She said good-bye to Johnny and Pony, then went through the door and down the stairs. As she was walking through the gate, Two bit ran out of the house.

"Hey! What about me?" he yelled to Ann. She smirked.

"Oh, I almost forgot! See ya later, dip-shit!" Ann hollered to him. She laughed at his surprised look. Then he grinned that wacko-grin of his.

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart!" Two-Bit called. Steve howled, causing Ann to blush a bit.

When the three of them got to the DX, the manager, Jim, greeted Ann. He asked her a whole bunch of questions about what she knew about cars and where she learned about cars. Then he put her to the test by asking her to point out the problem on a pick-up truck that had just come in. Ann examined the engine and finally told Jim that the radiator was shot. He told her that saw right and that if she could fix it up, she would have the job. Ann was almost done by lunch break. Soda got Cokes for Ann, Steve, and himself. They three of then sat down in the cooled inside of the gas station.

"You know, Jim didn't make you do everything he's making Ann do, did he Steve?" Soda asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Nah, he basically gave the job right to me."

"It's because I'm a girl and most greaser girls become waitresses, not mechanics. Jim probably didn't think a girl like me could even pop the hood," Ann said. She hated being put down for being a girl, but it was like a challage to prove everyone wrong. It was a challage that Ann would probably always take up.

"Well, I think you have this job in the bag, Ann. You really are something when it comes to cars," Steve said. Ann smiled at him.

When Ann finished with the radiator, Jim came in to examine her work. After a few minutes, he told her she had the job. She got a hat and a work shirt. She offically started tomarrow and was going to work Monday through Thursday. She was estatic. She finished about a half hour or so before the boys got off, so she decided to walk back to the Curtis house to tell the others the good news.

At 10:00 that night, everyone except for Darry went to the Double. They went through a whole in the fence and found seats. Dally sat all the way at the end of the row, followed by Ponyboy and Johnny. Next to Johnny was Two-Bit, then Ann, Soda, and Steve last. It was one of those beach movies... AGAIN. They seemed to always play those movies, from what Pony had said. Ann never really went to the movies at all, so she didn't know. Everyone got pretty bored pretty fast. After awhile, Ann and Sodapop when to go get the gang some popcorn and drinks. While waiting on the line at the concesion stand, they talked a little.

"So, how come none of the gang ever saw you before Friday?" Soda asked.

"Well, I go to school and everything, but I don't really talk to anybody or answer questions. I just blend in with every other greaser. Then I go home, do homework, and stay in my room. I didn't really get out much after my brother Todd moved to New York. Before he left, I never left his side. He taught me everything I know about cars and being tuff... He even taught me how to fight. I always hung with him and his friends. His girlfriends would be my friends, well, until they broke up at least. But everything changed when he left. I was abandoned. But then I met you guys, and now I'm as happy as can be," Ann told him, with a smile planted on her face.

"Well, you oughta know something then, Ann," Soda said with a grin. "Now that you met us, there's no escaping us!" They both laughed and finally got the food and drinks.

When Soda and Ann returned with the gang's popcorn and sodas, there were two Soc girls sitting a row infront of theirs. Ann passed everyone their orders and studied the Socs. One was a brunette with short-ish hair. The other was a red-head whose hair was long and silky-looking. Ann realised that the red-head was one of the popular Socs in school, Cherry Valance. She didn't look like a happy camper either. She looked very angry at something, or someone. Dally sat in the seat next to Cherry and handed her his Coke.

"Here, maybe this will cool you off," he told her.

The next thing that happened surprised Ann completely. Cherry had poured the drink all over Dally's face. Boy, that really got Dally mad. He looked like he was going to hit Cherry. Ann and Johnny both jumped up and tried to get Dally to calm down. They both grabbed one of his arms and told him to stop and leave Cherry alone. That made things worse. He shoved Johnny off of him and started yelling at him.

"Come on Dally, lets just leave. This movie isn't all that good anyways," Ann said in a soft voice.

She finally got him to calm down a bit and leave with her, Soda, and Steve. They were on the sidewalk and Dally kept mumbling about 'that little bitch' for a few minutes. He finally stopped and walked in silence. Ann was really tired. She lleaned her head on Soda's shoulder and he put his arm around her to keep her steady. Ann closed her eyes and let Soda lead the way. She started to doze off, the words being said by the boys was like a buzz in her head. She felt her body being taken away from Soda and lifted into someone else's arms. Ann burried her head in the boy's chest and let herself sleep in this stranger's arms.

Ann woke up with a stirr. She looked around her and saw that she was in a bed with Ponyboy and Johnny sitting on the edge of it. Dally was going through a draw and taking out some stuff. Pony and Johnny looked as if something terrible had happened. This made Ann's stomach churn. She cleared her throat and the three boys looked at her. Ponyboy spoke first.

"Me and Johnny got jumped by a bunch of Socs and they tried to drown me and Johnny killed one," he said very quickly with panic in his voice.

Ann went wide eyed, and even though she was extremely exhausted, she pulled herself into sitting position and examined the boys, asking them if they were okay. They toldd her the whole story about what happened since she had left the Double. Ponyboy was soaked and Johnny looked paler than ever. Even Dallas looked a bit destressed, but he was the only one that knew what to do. He gave Ponyboy a shirt and told them about the plan he had for them. Dally gave them a gun, money, and told them to get on a train and go hide out in an old, abandoned church and to lay low. After Dally told the boys everything they had to do, they left. Ann felt the world spinning and her tired-ness coming back. She couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't think about it though, because when she laid back down on the bed, she was out in a minute.