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"What would you say if I told you I think I might like Two-Bit Mathews?"

I slammed my locker shut much harder than I meant to and stared bug-eyed at Marcia. "Two-Bit?" I squeaked. "You…you haven't talked about him in forever. What made you think of him now?"

Marcia tottered her head. "It's been comin' and goin' for months now. We really connected that night, I think."

Connected my ass! I could tell her about connections. I could tell her all about his old house, his bastard father. And I could tell Marcia how I had kissed him, how it felt to wear his jacket and how every time I talked to Two-Bit, all I could think of was how impossible he seemed, just the existence of him, when he was sitting right there.

I was in it that bad.

"You really think so?" I asked, my voice starting to go weak.

"I do," Marcia insisted. "I know he gave you a hard time last semester, but y'all seem to tolerate each other now. Even you gotta agree he ain't so bad as we thought he was. See it from my perspective, would you?"

I already knew what it was like from her perspective.

"I could try..." I shrugged like I was giving in.

And then she spent the period passing notes to me about him. Marcia had liked Two-Bit since the night of the drive-in, but there was a renewed vigor in her interest that was stumping me. I knew Marcia had given Two-Bit her number that night, but he had told me he threw it away when I asked him about it, said he figured it was a fake. I hadn't told Marcia that part because I knew she wouldn't do something like that, and hearing that he thought that would have probably crushed her.

Look – we're all allowed to like whoever we're going to like. I was coming to terms with that. But I wanted Marcia to stay the hell away from Two-Bit Mathews. Sure, I was probably being a bit irrational in my jealousy – wasn't like Two-Bit had even mentioned her more than once or twice – but it was still enough to make me nervous because I really could see them getting along. They made more sense than he and I did.

"I'm glad you like him," I told Marcia as we left class. "He'd be good for you."

"You think?" Marcia asked.

All I could think then was just how sweet and genuine Marcia was. And how I was just...not.

"I do," I insisted. "I really do. You both got that scatter-brained sense of humor."

We laughed, but my heart wasn't really in it. But I wanted my friends to be happy, and if Two-Bit made her happy...well, then maybe that was okay. Maybe.

Or maybe it wasn't.

xXx

April meant junior prom.

"Tell me about this one."

And prom meant dress shopping. It was serious business. Cherry was on maybe her tenth dress, and Missy and I had already decided and were back in our street clothes. I had fallen back on tried-and-true pink, Missy had gone with light blue, and Cherry…well, Cherry had tried on the entire rainbow.

"I think yellow washes you out," I said, adjusting the draping. "And it's clashing with your hair. Either go with that red one or the green. Or the pink, even."

"I can't go with the pink because you're wearing pink," Cherry said pointedly, "and I can't go with the green because Vickie's wearing green."

"Is it really such a big deal if some of us wear the same color?" Missy wondered. I didn't think so, either, but Cherry seemed to, and Vickie probably did, too. The two of them were alike in a lot of ways.

"Vickie will think so," Cherry sighed. There it was. She swayed back and forth, watching herself in the mirror, and then wrinkled her nose. "I guess I will go with the red."

She disappeared behind the curtain to change, and Missy and I sat on the couch and waited. But I was feeling restless; on the subject of Vickie, there was something I wanted to tell them – maybe even needed to tell them – and I knew I could trust Missy and Cherry. Problem was, I couldn't get myself to just come out and say it, to just tell them what had happened. And maybe it wasn't my place, but after finding that note from Vickie, I felt like there was a clock counting down for her to come out and expose my secret to the entire town.

And who knew what the rest of our friends would think?

Cherry came out of the dressing room with her red formal. She and Missy were gabbing away about shoes and makeup and hair, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

xXx

"Bridget!"

Another day, another meeting in the school parking lot. "Hey, Two-Bit," I called back, walking towards him and smiling. Who knew that there would come a day that seeing Two-Bit Mathews would make my day instead of ruin it? "What's up?"

"Let's go driving."

I raised my eyebrows. "What, right now?"

"Yes, right now."

"Why?"

"I need to hear about this idea of yours."

My idea? Oh, god. No, not now, not anymore. I wasn't going to do that. I couldn't even handle telling two of my closest friends about Vickie's hypocrisy, so how could I possibly handle telling the entire school?

I couldn't let myself become as conniving and cruel as Vickie.

"I can't," I said. My body was shaking.

"Why not?" Two-Bit asked, confused.

"I have homework."

"Is it due tomorrow?"

"Well, no – "

"Then you ain't got homework. C'mon, now."

"Just let me call my dad. Let me call him."

"I'll drive ya to a phone."

We drove to the DX, and Two-Bit dropped me off and idled out front. I ran inside, where I could hear Soda banter with his coworker as they worked in the garage. I rang the bell on the counter, heard a loud thump, a string of curses, and footsteps as Soda walked out to the counter.

"Bridget," he grinned. "How can I help ya? Need somethin' for the car?"

I shook my head. "Not today. I was actually wondering if I could use your phone."

Sodapop raised an eyebrow in an impeccable impersonation of Two-Bit, but he nodded. "No problem." Soda looked over my shoulder, brow furrowing. "Follow me."

He led me to the office, and I called my dad. I told him all about how I was going out with a friend and would be back late. He was worried about homework, too, but I just gave him Two-Bit's reasoning, like a fucking parrot, and Dad gave because he always did. When I got back to the front of the store, I saw Soda and Two-Bit chatting it up, and I panicked some. I stood right outside the door and watched the two of them talk for a moment, sort of feeling like I wanted to just run home and not face this conversation.

"Man, what're you doin', leavin' your station like this?" Two-Bit teased. "Tsk, tsk, Sodapop Patrick."

"Funny. Say – what're you doin' here? You're just sittin' out here."

"That I am. You've got good eyes there, Soda."

"Again – funny. Seriously, man, what's up? Bee Stevens just bolted in there askin' to use the phone, and you're the only car out here." I took that as my cue and started walking towards Two-Bit's truck. He caught my eye, and Sodapop must have noticed because he turned and stared at me with that same confused look he gave me inside. "Where's your car, Bridget?"

"She's ridin' with me," Two-Bit answered for me, and pushed my door open. Sodapop looked really confused then. I got in the truck and slammed the door.

"What's goin on?" Soda asked. "Two-Bit, what's going on, huh? Somethin' I should know about?"

"Aw, it ain't like that, Soda," Two-Bit insisted. "It ain't nothin'."

"You're right – this ain't nothin'. There's clearly somethin' going on here – "

Those two were going to go around in circles if I didn't step in, so I leaned across Two-Bit and gave Soda an apologetic look. He almost looked hurt, and I couldn't figure why. "We'll tell you later, Sodapop," I promised. "It'll all make sense later."

Soda gave me a short nod, but then he and Two-Bit locked eyes. "Steve was right," he whispered, and I swear I saw the ghost of a smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow at Two-Bit, but he just shook his head and pulled out of the parking lot.

"What was he talking about?" I asked as we drove away.

"Like you can't guess," Two-Bit said, fidgeting. "Just…the other night, after you left the bar, Steve found me. Told me about the little conversation the two of you had." Oh, no. I felt flush as I remembered striding into the DX and demanding Steve tell me where Two-Bit was holed up. "Look, Soda and Steve are two of my best buddies. We all know each other like the back of our hands. Steve figured that night that somethin' was up between us, and he musta told Soda because those two tell each other goddamn everything. So, I guess I'm sayin' Vickie ain't the only one who knows. Hell, Darry had it figured months ago."

"Darry?" I repeated. "Who the hell is Darry?"

"Uh…Darrel Curtis? Sodapop and Pony's older brother? C'mon, his name was in the paper all those months ago. He's sort of my best friend, actually." Oh. I knew exactly who he meant. We met when I visited Ponyboy.

But how the fuck had Darrel Curtis known about us for months?

"Well. Alright," I said awkwardly. "Look, Two-Bit, about my idea…I can't go through with it."

Two-Bit pulled into the school parking lot. I hadn't even realized we had been going in that direction. Everyone was gone now, the lot practically empty. Two-Bit put the truck in park and studied me carefully. "What was it?"

I looked down at my hands. "Why even bother telling you? I'm not going to do it."

His mouth twitched. "You were gonna tell everybody, weren't you."

It wasn't even a question. He knew me by now. "Maybe," I whispered.

"My, my. That's downright evil, Bee."

"Maybe," I shrugged, playing casual, but I really felt horrible about it – for even considering it. "I thought…well, if she was going to tell everybody about us, then I would tell everybody about her and Dallas. I wasn't about to let her get away with being a hypocrite. But I can't do it – it's too awful. I couldn't even tell Cherry and Missy, and they're my best friends. And I was never going to tell anyone about the baby," I assured him. "I would never do that. But, Two-Bit…she's blackmailing us, you know."

"I know," he said easily. "It's what she does. In junior high, a girl accidentally spilled glue on her shoes, and the next day, Vickie put paint all over the girl's chair. Poor thing's ass was covered." Two-Bit chuckled darkly. "And last year? Well, she was seein' your current beau, but word got out that he might be interested in your friend Cherry. Well, she not only dumped his ass, but word on the street is she's the one responsible for stuffin' his locker with a bunch of headless Barbie dolls."

I knew Vickie could be mean. I knew she could say cruel things and liked getting her way. But I never thought her the type to stuff someone's locker full of decapitated Barbies.

But what I said was, "She used to date Jerry? Nobody told me. Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"Because people know better than to bring it up," Two-Bit explained. "Though, it's kinda shitty nobody told you. I'd at least think Jerry would've."

A horrible thought occurred to me then. Vickie was the Queen Bee: she was pretty, and a good student, and a cheerleader, and a member of the dance committee, and countless other extracurriculars. She came from a wealthy family and was confident and knew exactly how to get what she wanted – and it was clear to me then that what she often wanted most was revenge. And she would do whatever it took to get it.

She would even use her friends. She would use me.

Now I wasn't sure if Vickie had ever been my friend – if any of them were. It had all been too easy. At the very least, it seemed incredibly suspect that Vickie would set me up with the boy she felt jilted by.

The whole thing made me feel sick to my stomach.

"You alright there, sug'?" I nodded, but Two-Bit didn't look convinced. "C'mon – let's get out. Walk around. It'll do you good because frankly, Bee, you look like you're 'boutta hurl."

He got my door for me – a gentleman, always a gentleman – and without thinking, in broad daylight, I laced my fingers through his. Two-Bit grinned down at me, but I couldn't return it. We didn't talk much for a while. We were pretty talked out. The weather was getting warmer again, and that was a welcome change. It had been a brutal winter, in more ways than one, and his hand was a welcome weight in mine as we walked towards the front of the school.

"She used me," I whispered.

Two-Bit tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Yeah. She did," he said, and I felt like an idiot. "That's what she does, Honey Bee. That's her game. She was workin' at ya from day one, kid." He grabbed my other hand and scuffed his boot against the concrete. "I wanna thank you, Bee," Two-Bit said quietly, showing rare vulnerability.

"For what?" I asked, equally soft.

"For coming here."

That was another moment where Two-Bit seemed to squirm from merely expressing an emotion, a serious and sincere thought, but his saying that meant the world to me. I could have cried. I really could have because I was suddenly, for the first time, glad I was there. I was glad my father couldn't make it anywhere but Oklahoma because otherwise, I never would have met Two-Bit, and I never would have known what it's like to be loved by someone other than my father.

I turned away, blushing. "You're welcome. I, uh – knowing you, has made it better. So – thank you for that."

"Really?" Two-Bit asked, teasing. "I thought I made your life a living hell, or some shit."

"Sometimes," I laughed. "But, these days, more often than not…" I trailed off and shrugged. "I'm glad I met you, is what I'm trying to say." Without even noticing, I had started to gently swing our arms back and forth, and Two-Bit stared at our hands like it was the strangest thing anyone had ever done – but he didn't exactly ask me to stop. "Do you remember when Jimmy told me you hated me?" I asked, out of the blue.

Two-Bit froze. "Yeah," he drawled, "I do."

"Did you ever wonder why Jimmy wasn't in class for a while after that?"

Two-Bit awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, all nervous. "About that. Uh. I've got some secrets of my own, ya know," he stammered.

My eyebrows shot up. All I had wanted to say was that Jimmy had been wrong about us, that Two-Bit didn't hate me and I didn't hate him, but it looked as if I was about to get more than I bargained for. But what was new? "Like what?"

Two-Bit gestured for me to sit down, so I sat down on the steps at the front of the high school, watching as he paced, paced...paced, like a caged tiger...and finally sat beside me. "I didn't wanna tell you. I can take care of things."

"I know you can," I agreed slowly. "So?"

"So," Two-Bit drawled, "I took care of him."

My stomach twisted into knots. "Two-Bit, what did you do?"

Two-Bit gave me a long, hard stare. "Bridget," he sighed, "I beat him up, okay? Steve and I found him later that night, and we whaled on him. He couldn't see outta his left eye for a week. That's what I did."

So that was what happened. That was why Jimmy wasn't at school for three days. Two-Bit had beat him up, and bad too. "Why?" I whispered. "Why did you do that?"

Two-Bit shrugged, sticking his bottom lip out. "He deserved it. I ain't never heard a guy talk that lousy to a broad. I mean...a gal shouldn't hafta put up with that, especially in front of a bunch of people."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Shit, I dunno...it just wasn't somethin' you needed to know about."

Of course it was something I needed to know about, but he had his reasons for not telling me. Maybe not even very good ones, but it had to be more than that – I was sure of it. But Two-Bit had stuck up for me. He took up for me when I thought he hated me, and I wish I could have known sooner. I don't condone violence or anything, but…well, just that one time, I let it slide.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, staring at Two-Bit like he was suddenly a new person. I was seeing him in a new light.

He cared about me. And he had for a long time.

Two-Bit cocked his head and gave me a lazy, lopsided grin. "Ah…think I did. Jimmy really is an asshole, you know. And, well…well, I had to because he was being an asshole to you. And you…well, I – "

I kissed his cheek. It wasn't like the other kisses on New Year's Eve, or in front of the bar, but it was something. A way to tell him I got it, that it was stupid but I appreciated it. That I cared about him, too, but was trying to play it off as nothing special.

That kiss was nothing special for all of two seconds.

"Don't do that," Two-Bit whispered, then he shot up off the steps, running a finger along the scar across his knuckles. "Don't ever do that again, Stevens," he finally warned.

I was taken aback by the statement, and I gaped at him open-mouthed. What the hell?

"Why can't I?" I asked. He was always kissing me! Why was that time any different? Why was a stupid, nothing-special kiss on the cheek any different from the two he had initiated? And there he was, standing there looking like some injured animal with this pained expression on his face, and it reminded me of the face he made at the party when he saw me kissing Jerry.

"You don't understand."

"Then make me understand!"

"You just can't!" He hollered, and I took a step back. "I can't…Bridget, I can't let this happen again."

"Again?"

His eyes bore into mine. "I almost got my ass kicked for tryin' to walk a coupl'a girls like you home. Bob Sheldon almost killed one of my buddies over a girl. Everything…all of it, was over a couple of girls. Get it?"

Oh, I got it, alright. He was scared that it would happen all over again. Well, I was sick of being scared. "Fine," I finally barked out. "I won't kiss you ever again. Ever! I mean it. But don't you kiss me, either." I bit hard on my lip afterwards, only letting up when I started to taste blood. Why couldn't I, though?

Then another horrible thought occurred to me.

"You lead me on," I quietly fumed, feeling the anger boiling up inside of me.

"I didn't lead you on," Two-Bit countered, looking at me like I was acting ridiculous. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because you're a tool," I spat.

"I ain't a tool!"

"Yes you are!"

"I ain't!" He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to calm down. "You wanna know why?"

"Why?" I hiccupped. That hiccup became a sob, and that single sob became multiple sobs, until I was full-out crying. It was making Two-Bit squirm, and I was glad. Let him be uncomfortable.

"I ain't a tool," he began softly, "because…okay, well, maybe I am. But what I'll tell you is that knowing you makes me want to be less of one. You scare me, you know that? And not just because I'm scared people will blow up again. I don't want you kissin' me because if you do, I ain't ever gonna be able to let you go. And I can't let that happen to you. I can't let any of it happen to you."

"What would happen?"

"You know what would happen. You know. You know you'd become an outcast if you and me became an item. You would lose so much. You've got a good thing goin', peach. Kissin' me means you gave in, that you feel the same way. And I can't let that happen."

"But you wanted me to know how you feel," I whispered, something starting to dawn on me. "You…you wouldn't have done all of this. If you hadn't wanted me to know."

"You're right," he conceded. "I wouldn't've. But now…I don't know, Bee. I don't want to hurt you."

"Well. Then you're singin' a very different song than you were in the fall."

He could only smile at me. "So're you."

"I am." I smiled softly. "Hey – Two-Bit?"

"What?"

I didn't know what I was doing. My tongue was heavy, and I didn't trust my brain to turn my thoughts into words, but I decided it couldn't hurt to try. "We're alone now, ya know. Nobody would know, so…could you...could I…?"

"Yeah," he drawled, figuring what I was getting at. "Ya could."

A smug smile sat on his face, and the combination of that yes and that smile and all the other things I had discovered about Two-Bit Mathews is what made me wrap my arms around his neck and crash my lips hard into his. I wasn't even shy about it. I pulled Two-Bit to me and kissed him like it was the last thing I was ever going to do. A desperate, teeth-gnashing, take-your-breath-away kiss, like it was the last chance I would ever get. Like he wasn't only the third boy in my entire life that I had kissed.

When I broke away so we could come up for air and rested my forehead against his, I could feel myself grinning like an idiot. Because I couldn't help it.

"Kiss your boyfriend like that?" Two-Bit asked, breathing heavy.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Good."

I rested my head against his shoulder. "Jerry," I breathed. "Poor guy. Couldn't hold a candle to you."

Two-Bit laughed and smoothed my hair back. "Aw, give the guy a break. It ain't his fault he's the way he is."

"I know," I breathed. "And I…I couldn't have known."

"Couldn't've known what?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "I couldn't've known that any of this would happen." I shrugged. "Even if I wanted it to."

"You did?"

"I think so," I said, detaching myself from him a bit. "Now that I think about it. Yeah."

"Then what were we waitin' for?"

"I don't know. Like I said – we didn't know. We didn't know anything that happened this year would happen. Maybe all of it had to happen first for us to get here." I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with that theory. Two-Bit rolled his eyes like he didn't know what to do with me, but was happy with it being that way.

"Ya know, I'd ask you to prom, but you already got a date," he joked, completely changing the subject.

I laughed. "Yeah, right. I know prom's not exactly your thing." I sobered. "I wanna make something real clear, Two-Bit."

"'Course."

"Jerry's a good guy," I said softly. "I want you to know that. Even after all of this. It's not like I was aiming to break his heart – it's just that it ended up that we aren't right, not really. I'm sure I could pretend with him for a long time, maybe even be happy, but that wouldn't be right. Because it wouldn't be honest. And I'm sick and tired of lying, Two-Bit."

"I know you are," he whispered. "So – don't."

"I don't want to," I sighed. "Speaking of which – this thing, with Vickie."

"What about it?"

"When she slipped me that note, about her knowing…I know I could absolutely ruin her, Two-Bit. I could. If the school were to find out. I don't even know how she figured it out, about us, but she did, and I wanted to knock her down a peg, you know? But that was…that was when I was angrier about it than I am now…"

"Why aren't you angry now?"

"Because I don't care," I whispered. "I don't. If she tells, so what? I mean, I'll have to take care of the thing with Jerry…but I don't know. I don't know anymore, Two-Bit. I don't care anymore. I don't care if people know about you and me. Maybe I even want it."

He absorbed all of that. "We'll figure somethin' out. We always do."

"Who's we?" I asked. "The only thing you and I have ever figured out is that Dallas lied to you about where your buddies were, and that Vickie Harper is a grade-A asshole."

Two-Bit threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, that's true enough. But I could take the heat for this, Bee. I'd do that. I could carry this out for you."

My eyes went wide as saucers. "Two-Bit," I said lowly, "you wouldn't."

"I would," he contradicted. "Bee, she's aimin' to make our lives miserable. And she ain't a good person. You don't deserve what she's gonna do to you."

"And that means she does?"

He leaned forward. "Bee." I looked at him straight-on. I could tell he meant business. "I know a thing or two about payback. Believe me. I know who deserves it and who doesn't."

"Two-Bit."

"And Vickie Harper's had it comin' for a long time."

I shook my head. "All of this is so wrong. What I've done – lying to Jerry, to everybody, to you – it's wrong. I'm a terrible person – "

"No, you're not," he insisted. "You're not. We never knew any of this was gonna happen. The heart wants what it wants, Honey Bee."

Man, if looks could kill, Two-Bit Mathews would have been a dead man. "Stop it. I'm serious! Everything we're doing and saying – "

"Bee!" Again, I reared back a bit, and Two-Bit's face showed instant remorse, but he kept on. "I don't want Vickie Harper, of all the damn people on the planet, to make your life any harder. So if she tries to bring you down with her, I'm gonna stop it. Understand?" I nodded. "And another thing – if you're so worried about Thompson? Break up with him. You said yourself, you don't really know if you wanna be with him anymore, right?" Another nod. "Then do us both a favor, okay? If he's not who you wanna be with, then don't be with him. It's that simple. If he don't make you happy…" He trailed off. "Learn from me, okay?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll tell you another time." Two-Bit stood up, and he held his hand out to mine. "Honey. You're a big girl. And you ain't stupid – in fact, you're the exact opposite. For your own sake, you need to do what's right for you. And I think you can find a way to do that without hurtin' anybody else. Now, c'mon – let's get you home."

Thanks for reading!