Just then I turn to Ponyboy and said. "Um, Pony?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we gonna still hang out with Johnny? I mean, now that we're together and all?"

"What do you mean? Of course, we are"

"Well..." I looked from him to Johnny. "Something sure seems to be bugging Johnny," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what I mean. Just look" I pointed and looked at the spot where Johnny stood.

"Oh, I see," Pony said, we walked hand-in-hand over to him.

"Johnny, what's wrong?" Pony knelt by him.

"Oh, nothing," he said, with a sniffle, tears were streaming down his face.

"What's wrong?" Pony said, a bit firmer but at the same time more soothed & mellow-like.

"Nothing!" Johnny said, more firmly.

Just then, I got an idea. I whistled for my horse Kashan to come. He came, instantly.

"Okay, Johnny" I began. "Here's the deal, you tell us what's wrong or the problem or whatever..." I sighed, "And I'll give you a ride with us to this drive-in on Kashan, do we have a deal?" I finished, giving him time to answer.

He thought for a minute, shrugged, then said. "Okay deal" he sighed, then said. "Pony, now that you and Sydney are friends and now considered a couple; are you going to spend more time with her?" he gulped, then said. "Instead, of me"

"Oh, Johnny" he gasped, sympathetically. "Is that what this whole thing is about?" Johnny went silent for a moment, then nodded.

I knelt down on the other side of Johnny, the right side, of course! I leaned over to him and said in a sing-song voice. "Oh, Johnny"

"Yeah" he squeaked.

"Pony and I may be a "couple" now like you say, but that doesn't mean that..." I broke off.

"That what?" he asked.

"Um...that, Pony and you..." I broke off, again.

"For heaven's sake, spit it out!" Johnny demanded.

"Fine" I yelled. "That, you and Pony wouldn't be friends anymore"

"Oh, well...it's not just that" Johnny blurted.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, it not just him," he said.

"Well, what else is it then?" I asked; a mixture of annoyance and surprise in my tone of voice.

"It's, it's..." he stammered.

"It's what?" I asked.

He looked around for a minute, leaned in close, then whispered. "It's you"

"Ah, Johnny..." he cut me off.

"I mean, you're truly the only girl I know who really gets me"

"I am?"

"Yes!" Ponyboy stared coldly at Johnny.

"I mean, as a friend; of course," he said, stammering in fear. "And if you spend all your time with your pretty-boy Pony here, then..." he paused, before continuing. "Then, I'll miss you" he gulped, then said. "I'll miss you; I mean; in a friend-like sense, you know like; hanging out and stuff."

"Ah, Johnny," I said, sadly. Wondering if Ponyboy felt the same pain, humility, and shame that I did. "Ponyboy and I may be a couple now, but that doesn't mean we three can't still be friends."

I could tell that he was shocked, as he squeaked. "Really?"

"Really, really" I reassured.

"Okay, I feel better now" he exclaimed.

"Great!" I exclaimed, happily. "Now, we can all go to the drive-in?"

"Indeed," Pony said. "All who want to go to the drive-in, come on and follow me!" Pony turn, away from his gang; and started to walk. The whole gang followed, with Pony as leader. I ran to catch-up with Pony.

"Hey," he said, enthusiastically.

"Hi" I replied, shyly.

"Do you want to hold hands?" he blurted out nervously.

"Huh?" I gasped.

"What, what's wrong?" He said, in a panic. I didn't answer; instead, I just stared straight ahead.

Thinking about what he said; finally, I blurted "yes, yes, I will you're your hand; in fact, I would like that very much" after I said that, I hastily fell silent again.

"Great," he said, grabbing my hand. I manage to give a small grin and a giggle; eventually, the small grin had sprawled across my face expanded to a big one. It grew & grew until I thought my face would freeze that way, and I would be stuck in that position forever! We crossed a road called Sutton and took a short cut around someplace that Pony explained was a store called Spencer's Special, the discount house, when we came to a field Dally taught me how to chase two junior-high kids that were just sitting there, messing around with some grass, and playing some sort of card game it looked like across the field for a few minutes; by then it was dark, I gripped Pony's hand tight. "What's wrong?" Pony said. Noticing my tension;

"Nothing," I said, sharply.