Happy reading :)

My ass didn't look cute in any of my dresses. Vickie would have my head.

I didn't have a proper party dress, that was the problem. Everything was either for school, too casual, or too…well, the party dresses I did have suddenly didn't seem very grown-up. Nothing felt right.

"I pretty much just went to faculty and birthday parties," I explained to Missy. "Or stuff with my grandparents. I get the feeling Vickie probably wouldn't like any of the party dresses I have." Something told me she would take a look at the big bows and miles and miles of tulle and start talking to me like a kindergartener.

Missy drummed her fingers against the Formica countertop and thought hard. "Prolly best to trust your gut," she eventually said. "Freshman year, I wore blue shoes and she told me to go change them because they weren't navy. And she thought your dress on Tuesday was too pink, so…"

She trailed off in a shrug, and I frowned. I had read in a fashion magazine once that you were supposed to use pink sparingly in your outfits, but what was the fun in that? "She did?" I asked, wrinkling my nose and frantically trying to think of a time since I had met her that Vickie had slipped up and committed a crime against fashion, but I came up blank.

"Sure did," Missy said with a tight smile. "Vickie's great and all, but she's got so many rules."

I hadn't known friendship came with rules, but I supposed it made sense that popularity did – and Vickie was an expert in being popular.

The druggist, Mr. Connors, set our milkshakes in front of us. Missy gave him a smile in thanks. "Here's what we'll do. You and me will go shopping on Friday, and we'll both pick out new dresses to wear to this thing. How's that?"

I felt myself relax. "Sounds good."

As she sipped her drink, she squinted at me. "You're really trying to look good for this thing," she said. "Aren't you?" I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Maybe I am," I shrugged. "Aren't you?"

"Well, sure," she said slowly. "But it's just for the reason of going to a party. I'm guessin' you have another reason."

Maybe I did. Maybe I was hoping Jerry would be there and maybe I was hoping we would fall into conversation and maybe – just maybe – I was hoping what Vickie had told me was true, that he really did think I was pretty. If that was the case, I didn't want to show up looking like Elsie Dinsmore. I didn't want to look like I usually did. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be that girl anymore.

"I guess so," I shrugged. "I just want to look special, you know?"

Missy nodded. "I get it. Cherry did the same thing with Bob. But when I helped her then, she didn't take my advice."

I narrowed my eyebrows. "What was your advice?" I asked.

"If he likes you, he likes you. If he don't, he don't. A dress ain't gonna change his mind."

Why hadn't I thought of that? It was so simple. But that was a problem, too – there was no between. Either he liked me, or he didn't.

"Not to mention, if the dress did happen to change his mind, then he's too fickle to waste any time on. Best move on."

I nodded, knowing she was right. "You're so wise," I joked. "How do you know all this if you've never had a boyfriend?"

Missy sipped and shrugged. "What can I say? It's a gift."

xXx

I was naïve to think Vickie would want to keep her party small, but I should have known better; a mere get-together wasn't going to serve her end game.

This is just the hindsight talking, though.

"You going to that girl's party on Saturday?" I heard Jimmy ask. I could practically see Two-Bit giving him that nonchalant shrug I've seen him give me so many times.

"Maybe. I dunno yet. I haven't heard of anythin' better to do. Who all's gonna be there?"

"Bunch of socs, but I bet if we spread the word around, we could get some of our boys to show up."

I know now that was Vickie's plan all along.

"Yeah, I could prolly get Dallas and Steve to come. And if they come, Soda prolly will too. You think you could get Rocky to come?"

"I think. Curly will prolly tag along too."

"See if you can get – "

"Mr. Mathews!"

Everyone's head snapped up to look at Mr. James. He was glaring at Two-Bit, but I think I saw him smiling some. Now that Two-Bit had pointed it out to me, it was so obvious that Mr. James got a kick out of Two-Bit's idiocy. I could not for the life of me imagine my father putting up with a student in the same way.

"Yessir?" Two-Bit asked.

"Please take the time to arrange your social calendar at some other time, would you? That goes for you as well, Mr. Hopper. The rest of us are busy, as I'm sure you can see."

I turned around to look at Two-Bit, who winked at me.

"No problem, Mr. James," he grinned.

Mr. James took a moment to look at him a little longer, then he turned back to the board and went back to droning. It was almost unbearable, as most of his lectures are, so it took all I had not to let my mind wander. It still did, though, to anything and everything, as it usually did. That day, I spent the time making a few connections:

Dallas, Steve, and Soda. I knew Dallas was a buddy of Two-Bit's, and I was about ninety-nine percent sure Soda was Ponyboy's brother, and Ponyboy was friends with Two-Bit, and he had two brothers, and it sounded like Sodapop was also friends with Two-Bit. Soda worked at the DX with a Steve, and he was Evie Martin's boyfriend, and Evie was friends with Sylvia, Kathy, and Sandy. If Evie and the rest of her friends dated guys who were all in the same group, then it would stand to reason that they were dating Two-Bit's friends, which would explain why Sylvia and Kathy were so worked up about the fight between him and Matt Watson.

So, then, Two-Bit was probably dating either Sylvia, Kathy, or Sandy.

When the bell rang, I got up and out of my seat faster than Joe DiMaggio and headed for the door.

"'Ey! Bee!" Two-Bit sidled up next to me and walked with me out into the hallway. I wasn't quite sure what to expect – I figured he wanted to chew me out for landing him in detention, and I prepared myself for some verbal sparring when he asked, "You going to that party this weekend?"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. What was with him making nice? I could understand why he wouldn't want to – well, this time, at least. "Well…yeah," I answered, glad he wasn't yelling at me for getting him in trouble, but still confused. There had to be a catch. "Why wouldn't I? Vickie and I are friends. She invited me."

He happily shrugged. "No reason she wouldn't. Just wonderin'. Preppin' out for it?"

"…I guess. Vick told me that I had better be there, and I better look good, so I guess so."

"Ah, well, you shouldn't have a problem with that. Right? Wear one of those little red numbers you've got, and you're golden, kid."

I narrowed my brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

This conversation was taking a strange direction. Boys shouldn't be telling a girl what to wear. I can wear whatever I damn well please, thank you very much.

His eyes widened, so I guess he realized his mistake. "Nothing," he said hastily. "Just, ya know, Vickie has standards. Um – shit," he swore, laughing some. "I just mean that I know her a bit and I know what she's like, and I sure as hell have noticed that you've got standards of your own, so..." He rubbed the back of his neck, all awkward and defensive. "Can't I just be curious?"

"You can be, I guess," I said, still eyeing him curiously. "Just comes across a bit strange, is all."

"I see," he said. "Right. Well, I s'pose you probably wanna get off to class then, huh?"

I nodded. He nodded. It was awkward. And I was starting to notice people looking at us funny. A greaser and a soc speaking to each other in the hallway? Not a chance.

"I'll let you go on your way then," he said. I turned to leave.

"Wait!"

I whipped my head around and raised an eyebrow. Two-Bit grinned.

"You look real good in red, Bee Stevens."

xXx

When the fall play was announced, I found myself standing in the crowd around the signup sheet posted in the performing arts hall. I had learned that the school put on a play every fall and a musical in the spring, and even though I was in drama class that semester and would be in choir in the spring, all I did was hover. I couldn't bring myself to walk up to the signup sheet and put my name on it; couldn't force myself to just put on my big girl shoes and audition.

"You're not makin' a very good door, now are ya?"

It took me a second to register that I was the one Sylvia was talking to, but I should have guessed – it was pretty stupid of me to just stand there in that crowd, after all. Like an idiot.

"Hi," I said, and immediately cringed. She hadn't exactly been saying hello. Sylvia laughed once, short and mean.

"Well, hey, Bee Stevens," she rasped. "Are you thinkin' of auditioning?"

"Huh? Oh – no," I said. "Just wanted to see what they're putting on."

Sylvia obviously didn't believe me. She nodded slowly, and I focused in on how you could see her dark roots. I had been right when I first saw her about the dye job. I don't know anyone who's naturally that shade of platinum blonde, anyways.

"Are you auditioning?" I asked, finding my voice again. She had scared me the other day more than I thought she had, her and Kathy Lawson. Those greasy girls could get pretty mean.

"I am." She straightened out her too-tight white blouse.

"Do you take drama, too?" I wanted to hit myself. I sounded like a scared little child, and I didn't understand why I was trying so desperately to keep up this conversation.

"Uh-huh. We must be in different periods…" She sounded so bored. "My dad was an actor – that's what my ma told me – so I guess it runs in the family." Her eyes briefly widened, and I guess she realized she had told me a little more than she wanted to. "But. Yeah. Anyways…"

"I need to go," I squeaked.

"I'd say you do."

I briskly walked away from the bulletin board, away from Sylvia Capoletti. As far as I was concerned, she was the female Dallas Winston. I figured then that he must be the one of Two-Bit's buddies she was dating; they would make a perfect couple if Dallas didn't end up in jail with a life sentence.

xXx

I was surprised when, after shopping with Missy for hours on Friday, I picked out a red dress. I was even more surprised when I slipped it on to wear to the party. I felt real smart as I drove to Vickie's, driving my dad's T-Bird and wearing a dress that made every part of me look good – and stupefied with myself. Why had I taken Two-Bit's advice? So he liked me in red. So what? Why should I care? Two-Bit liked anything that had two legs and breathed. Of course he would say something like that to me.

Of course he would.

I parked on the street by Vickie's house, which was even bigger and fancier than mine or any of our other friends'. There was a line of cars on both sides of the street, so I had to walk a bit. I stood on her front porch and rang the bell, nervously waiting to be let in; it was cold out, and I didn't want to be left standing around outside.

The door finally opened, revealing Vickie on the other side. She was wearing a royal blue dress that brought out her eyes and made her hair look even more beautifully blonde than it already was. Just past her, I could see an absolutely packed house and could hear loud music and laughter as it filtered out the door.

"Bridget!" She cried. "Oh, lookit you! I knew you would look good. I just knew it."

She was so happy. I had never seen her that happy before. She motioned for me to follow her inside, where the party was already in full swing. The guys were handsome in button-down shirts and ski jackets and freshly ironed pants, and all the girls wore dresses that made them look simply lovely. It was that kind of party – at a glance, at least.

I went over to talk with Missy, Cherry, Marcia, and Penny for a while. They all oohed at my dress, and I accepted their compliments with a smile like I had taught myself to.

"Red really is a good color on you," Marcia said, Penny nodding along. "It looks good with your eyes. Kinda Christmassy, ya know?" Cherry snorted and the record changed over to Bobby Darin.

"Pretty sure Jimmy and his crew are down in the basement," Missy eventually said, giving me a knowing look. "Just like we overheard them talkin' about in class."

"I can't believe Vickie hasn't tried to toss them out," Penny said, nervously looking over at what I assumed was the basement door.

"Two-Bit Mathews and Jimmy Hopper were talking about getting their buddies to come," I said, thinking hard. Something flickered behind Marcia's eyes when I said that, but then she rolled them. I raised an eyebrow at Cherry. "How'd they even know about it?"

She shrugged. "It's Vickie. She likes attention, even from people she don't like."

"Hey, girls!"

Speak of the Devil.

We all turned around and smiled when Vickie made an appearance in our little group. She definitely wanted this night to be all about her. "So – how's the party?" She asked, then sighed. "I'm so glad my fuckin' parents are outta town." We all giggled nervously at Vickie's vulgarity, but she didn't seem to mind. Or notice. She was so caught up in the fact that everyone around her was chatting and laughing and dancing. And it was all because of her. "Anyway," she drawled. "Bridget. I need you for something."

All the rest of the girls made suggestive noises as Vickie flounced away, and I went after her.

"Follow me," Vickie said to me over her shoulder. "Jerry's here. He's been looking for you." She said it like one would say they were out of milk. I, however, felt as though the weight of the world had been placed on my shoulders. So Jerry was here. And he wanted to see me! That had to mean he liked me. It had to. "Don't make an ass of yourself, okay?" Vickie told me. "I know how you get around him, so don't screw this up. I didn't even think he was gonna come tonight."

"Why not?" I asked.

Vickie ran a hand through her already-perfect hair. "Don't worry about it. It's not a problem anymore," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. Not a problem anymore? What exactly had the problem been?

"See?" She said, pointing to a corner of her living room. "There he is. Go."

With a final push, I slowly walked over to where Jerry was talking to someone else I didn't recognize.

"Hey!" I said, hoping to get his attention and be heard over all the noise. This was even more loud and crowded than the party by the river. Jerry turned around, and I was so happy to see him smile when he saw me.

"Hey, Bridget," he grinned. He looked at his friend. "I'll see ya later, Brian."

He set his hand on my elbow and led me out of the room and out onto the back porch. Hardly anyone was out there, just a couple of guys sitting on the steps and smoking cigarettes.

"I've been looking for you for a while," Jerry said. We went over to the porch railing, looking out over the perfectly manicured lawn. "Glad you decided to show up."

I smiled shyly. "Yeah, well, I'm here now." I swallowed. "Vickie told me that you weren't gonna come tonight?"

Jerry sighed and turned to look out at the yard. A breeze had stirred up, blowing his brown hair from his face and revealing a set of perfect hazel eyes. I could drown in those eyes. When I saw them in the light, there was a solid ring of green around the outside of the iris, and golden flecks within it. I could've stared at them forever.

"It's not a big deal," he sighed. "Just...it don't matter. You don't even know the people. Let's not get into it."

Jerry gave me a tired smile, and I nodded. I understood. There are just some things that you don't want to talk about. I respected that.

"I understand," I told him. "It's okay."

"Good," he said. "Vickie damn near dragged it out of me, and I don't exactly want to go over it again. Anyways, I figure you ain't like that. You and Vickie are real different, but I bet you knew that."

I nodded. "I do." And I did.

"It's just...well, Vickie knows what she wants. She's always been like that. And she knows how to get it. And she can be nice and all, but she's kind of intense. It can be hard to be around. But you're a nice girl, I can tell even though we just met. And not in the fake way, either. It's nice, actually. Sometimes it feels like everybody's always on – know what I mean?"

My heart literally felt as though it was going to burst forth from my chest. He thought I was nice for real. "I know what you mean. It's been a lot to get used to. My last school didn't have…all of this going on." I laughed a little. "But you seem like the real kind of nice, too. Not like a lot of the guys I've met here," I tacked on at the end, mumbling to my chest.

Jerry sighed. "I don't know. Maybe in front of you I am, but not in front of my friends. Not the team. I make fun of those greasers and get into fights with them like Bob and Randy and Dave do, like they're tacklin' dummies. I can be a real ass."

I hadn't known that. I hadn't thought of Jerry as a fighter. He had seemed too nice, too much the golden boy to do anything like get into fights with greasers. But I found myself appreciating the honesty, and I placed my hand over his. Something as small as that, that simple gesture, made me want to throw up. It was seemingly insignificant, but just touching him and standing out there with him, quiet and honest, was something I had never had with any boy before. It was overwhelming.

Jerry looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and gave me that gorgeous smile. He grabbed my other hand. "Stay out here with me for a while?"

I laughed again. "Aren't I already?"

"Guess you are."

And just like that, the feeling that I was gonna hurl was gone. It was just me and Jerry, Jerry and me, and it was perfect. I had never admired and wanted someone as much as I admired and wanted him right then.

It was absolute bliss when he pressed his lips to mine. I briefly thought to myself that maybe we were going a bit fast; we hadn't known each other very long, and he hadn't even asked me out yet or anything, but I was on cloud nine. I could have stayed out on that porch and kissed him forever, or at least until Vickie kicked us out.

When we broke the kiss, we were both smiling.

"Okay?" He asked.

"More than okay," I whispered, not wanting to look him in the eye because I was grinning like the fool and over the moon. It was too embarrassing, but I was just so happy. And no one got their lips caught in my braces this time, so it was a win.

I was about to lean in to kiss him again, but those two boys who had been smoking on the steps were about to go back inside, and I heard one of them scoff and say, "Aw, ain't that a sight. Two of our socially elite waxin' poetic for each other. Touching sight, ain't it?"

I knew that voice. I turned and faced him, and when he saw me, that grin fell right off his face.

And to think I wore red.

AN: Thanks for reading!