Hello one and all. Thank you for your reviews! I finall found the respond button, so I've been using that. go me. haha. This chapter is kind of um...dry, so bare with me. Today was a long day. heheh. Read and review!
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"And so then I point at Steve and go, 'Yeah, well, what you're missing in the pants you make up for with your huge nose!' And then we started to fist fighting, and the next thing I know is everybody's all on the floor wrestling and making idiots of ourselves. I almost broke Steve's nose for him."

I laughed at Two-Bit. He had been telling me stories… we must have walked around the park twenty times. I had completely forgotten about getting home again, it was the last thing on my mind.

"So Gwen-dolyyyn." He emphasized the "dolyn" part of my name. That made me laugh too … "Why'd you come all the way down here from New York? Like Mr. Dallas Winston, he was from New York."

"Yeah… he told me. Career change for my dad." I said quietly, I didn't mind being away from New York at all. Dally was a reminder of what I left behind, and I didn't miss it much.

"Ya talk to Dallas much?"

Do I talk to Dallas much? God, I wish I could talk to him less. But I couldn't say that to Two-Bit. I hated the way Dally talked to me like he thought he was the king of the world. The thing I hated the most about Dally was his cold glance. But I looked at Two-Bit, blinking my green eyes. I couldn't tell him anything bad about Dally, could I?

"Nah. Well, I mean. We've talked a few times." I didn't want to say anything more about the subject, but unfortunately, that didn't seem to be working out.

"Awh, c'mon Gwen. I thought we were friends." Dally's voice said from behind me, making me jump (a little closer to Two-Bit, at that).

"Geesh, Dally, almost made me pull a blade, coming up behind us like that." Two-Bit turned around and grinned.

"Yeah, well, ya know." Dallas shrugged, then looked back up at us. We didn't happen to be holding hands at the moment. "What you two kids doing?"

I blinked, realizing how late it was, when Two-Bit said, "Nothin'. Care to join us on our lovely walk around the block?" Two-Bit grinned, bowing a little, talking in a grand voice, as if he was royalty.

"Ya know I would, Two-Bit. But apparently you've stirred up some trouble, eh Matthews? I'm gonna go back into town, see what's going down."

I blinked, was there more to the bruise then just fighting over me? Probably, let's not be egocentric here.

"Yeah, don't worry, it'll blow over. I don't imagine anything big will happen over it." Two-Bit shrugged

"Yeah, but you know the Socs. Any excuse to fight." But then Dally grinned, "But ya know, I wouldn't mind some action going down around here."

I blinked at Dallas, "You like to fight?"

"Who doesn't."? Two-Bit grinned at me, playfully punching me in the shoulder. I blinked at him and smiled.

Dally grinned, walking over to me, and taking my chin in his hands, tilting it up a little. I glared, and then he said, "Anyways kiddos. I'm off."

"Try not to get in too much trouble without me, eh Dally?" Two-Bit cried as Dallas walked off, winking at him.

"Try not to have too much fun with her." Dally cried back to Two-Bit, and I glared at the back of Dallas' blonde head.

Two-Bit laughed though, "Eh, you know, we should –actually- get you home. I know my mom probably don't care if I'm home too late, but your folks probably do. Let's go."

"Hm, somehow I think we had this idea before?" I smiled at him.

"Ya know, I think we did too."


"Oh, and she absolutely adores Two-Bit."

"Two-Bit, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I thought she seemed to gravitate towards him."

Darry and Flower were sitting on the chair still. Flower had several strands of blonde hair pushed behind her ear, leaning her head on Darry's strong shoulder.

"Hmmh. Darry, what time is it?"

"Good question. Pony was supposed to be home—"

"Darry, he's not 10…"

"Yeah, but he's my kid-brother!"

Flower pouted at him, "You're so… wound up about him. Relax…feel the movements of the Earth all around you…!"

"I can't."

"Learn too."

"You're awfully annoying, when ya want to be."

"I know."

She jumped off the chair and, walked behind him, leaning her head on his shoulder from behind, her hand running over his tight back muscles from working all day.

"Darrel, you work too much."

"You complain too much."

"But you loveee me."

"Hey, Darry…!" A new voice entered the house. "I'm home."

Darry suddenly stood up from his chair, knocking Flower back onto her butt. "About time, Ponyboy!"

"Close, this is Soda." Sodapop walked into the house, and blinked over at Flower on the floor, "Hey Kimmy."

"Hello Sodapop." Flower said from the ground, now sitting cross-legged and comfortable.

"Hey, Kim, can you confirm with me that I saw Two-Bit and…?"

"Gwendolyn." Both Darry and Flower said at the same time.

"Yeah, Gwen! I saw them together tonight at the…"

"Drive in." Darry and Flower seemed to be on the brainwave length.

"Oh-kay." Soda blinked at the two. "The Socs seemed to a little angry about something. Particularly at Two-Bit."

"But Gwen's not a Soc…" Flower said softly.

"I don't think it's anything to do with that. I don't think it's Two-Bit either." Darry nodded. "The Socs are being… Socs."