The next morning, I was up early, dressing and eating quickly, so that I could get over to the Wilson's. Pony was in one of his

slow-motion type of moods. He ate a leisurely breakfast, reading a book the whole time. After that he went to flop down on the

couch to watch television.

I'd stuffed the washing machine full of a load of jeans, and came to stand at the end of the couch.

"Will you switch the clothes over to the dryer?" I asked Pony.

"Yeah. I will."

"Can you walk me over to the Wilson's now?" I asked.

Pony gave a look up at the large clock on the wall above the television. "I'm workin' at the bowling alley this afternoon. Maybe I can

walk ya over before I go to work, huh?"

"I don't wanna wait until this afternoon," I protested. "Come on, Pony. Please?"

"I was gonna hang out with Two Bit this mornin', though-" Pony protested. "And I might not be back in time to walk ya back home-"

"It doesn't matter," I said, swiftly. "You can walk me over, and I'll just stay there until you come back."

"Well, okay," Pony said, not sounding thrilled.

When Pony and I were reaching the Wilson's house, we could already hear the loud sounds of kids yelling and fighting from inside.

"And you wanna go in there?" Pony asked. "Are you sure?"

"So far it's the only job offer I have," I said. "Maybe when you come back, we can walk around a while, and I could ask

some of the other neighbors if they need a babysitter."

"Maybe," Pony said, non-committal.

Outsiders

The morning I worked for three hours at the Wilson's. It had passed the two hour agreed-upon time mark, and there was no

sign of Pony, so I just kept on working. I did more dishes, mopped the sticky kitchen floor, and rocked the baby to sleep. When

Pony finally did come, tapping on the door to announce his arrival, I went to where Mrs. Wilson was cleaning out a hall closet,

with two of the kids practically hanging on her.

"I'm leavin' now," I told her. "My brother's here to walk me home-"

"Is the baby asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah. I put her in her crib. And I did the dishes, and the mopping in the kitchen."

"Alright. That'll do for today. Can you come again tomorrow?" she asked me.

"Yeah. I can. Is the mornin' okay?"

"I think tomorrow I'll have you come in the afternoon. Some friends of mine have asked me to come and

play cards, so I'll have you babysit," she said.

"Okay," I said. I wasn't sure that watching all the little Wilson kids would be any easier than all this cleaning, but

at least it would be different. And, I might get to actually sit down for a change once in a while.

That was until Mrs. Wilson added something about me doing some chores while I was babysitting. I didn't voice

my doubt or dislike of that idea. I took the two dollars she offered me. I thought about saying that I'd been there three hours, not

two, but then I thought that maybe I would say something to her the next day.

Pony and I walked home, and I was so tired that I didn't even suggest asking other neighbors about being

a babysitter for them.

Pony Boy left shortly after that, with a ham sandwich and an apple in his hands, to go to work at the bowling alley with Two Bit. Two Bit

had been waiting at our house for Pony, and had eaten most of the ham that was left in the refrigerator. He was swiftly stacking dishes

in the sink when we walked into the kitchen.

"Ready, Two Bit?" Pony asked him.

"Yeah. Ready." Two Bit turned to grin at me. "See, Junie? No mess." He gestured to the table, which had been wiped off.

I gave him a glance meant to shame him. The table may be clean, but there was still plenty of mess. More dishes, though it looked

at though Pony had done the breakfast dishes.

"I ran the vacuum already," Pony told me. "See ya later," he said, and then he and Two Bit were gone.

I sighed, and went to put on an Elvis Presley album on the hi-fi. I turned up the sound, and ate some lunch, and then I went to

lay on the couch. I must have been more tired than I thought, because I fell asleep, and was woken up by Rhonda, shaking my shoulder.

"Hey," she said, with a smile. "Come on. Wake up, already."

I sat up, brushing my hair out of my face. "Hey. What are you doin' here?"

"Came to see my bestie, what else? Let's go down to the drugstore. There's some real cute guys there at around

two every afternoon. They come in for a late lunch."

"I can't," I answered, nearly automatically.

"You always say that," Rhonda said. "Come on, June."

"I haven't done my chores yet," I protested weakly.

"We'll get back in time for ya to do them. Those guys only hang around an hour or so." She tugged at my arm. "Seriously, you are

like an old lady or somethin'. Let's have some fun. It's summer," she reminded me.

Ah. Now we came to the full disclosure. Even though Rhonda knew somewhat, I still hated bringing it to her attention. She had

nearly total freedom to do what she wanted to do. Her dad is a salesman, and he travels a lot. Her mother spends her days watching

soaps on television, and drinking vodka. Rhonda just doesn't get the fact that I can't do what I want, when I want.

"I can't," I said, again. "Not without tellin' Soda or Darry where I'm goin'."

That was an actual untruth. And Rhonda knew it, too. I didn't tell Soda or Darry anything. I had to ASK.

"Well, then, ask," Rhonda said.

"I can't ask Darry-he's workin' on a roof somewhere across town today-"

"Then ask Soda," she promptly interrupted. "Soda's better, anyhow. He's not mean like Darry."

"Darry's not mean," I defended. "He's just-intense."

"Whatever," Rhonda said, with an eye roll. "Let's go down to Buck's, and you can ask Soda."

I debated.

"Come on," Rhonda coaxed. "A couple of these guys are really nice. And cute!"

"I don't know if I wanna hang around with some guys I don't even know-" I began. I have to say that Rhonda is way ahead of me

in certain areas. Like guys, for one. I'm not nearly as interested as she is. I mean, I'm interested, but not obsessed.

"It's summer, June," Rhonda repeated, plopping down on the sofa next to me. "You're supposed to have some fun!"

I debated that. It was summer. And, I was working, trying to earn my own money. And, I did do my share of the chores

around the house.

"Okay," I said, and Rhonda grinned.

"Perfect," she said. "Let's go down to Buck's and you can tell Soda-I mean ask him down there."

"I better just call down there," I said.

"Naw. It's better to go and just ask him while you're standin' there, and he's got his mind on work," Rhonda said. "It will be

easier to get what you want that way."

I didn't necessarily believe that, but I thought that Soda would probably say okay, to go on to the drugstore for a Coke. I had no

intention, of course, of telling him that Rhonda wanted to scope out some guys.

"Go change your clothes," Rhonda said. "Put on something cute."

I went to change out of my sweaty clothes, and put on a pair of pink shorts and light pink shirt that I'd gotten at the beginning

of the summer. It was a mild outfit, compared to what Rhonda was wearing, but I didn't think I looked too bad.

"Not sexy, but passable," Rhonda said, surveying me critically.

I took just a little bit of money, enough to buy a Coke, and locked the door as we left. We walked to Buck's the

quickest way, and then when we got up closer, I could see Soda outside, filling a customer's car with gas.

"Hi, Soda," Rhonda called out.

When Soda saw us, he grinned, and finished with the gassing up, taking the money from the lady in the

car, and then he said, "Hey. What're you two doin' down here?"

"We were thinkin' we'd go to the drugstore, and get a Coke or somethin'," I said.

"Yeah?" Soda said, pausing and looking at me more intently.

"Yeah," I verified.

Soda nodded his head towards the car at the side of Buck's building. "Let's talk over here," he said.

"I'll wait right here," Rhonda said, with a flirty smile at Soda, not seemingly bothered by him wanting to talk privately to me.

Once I'd followed Soda over to where the car was, he leaned against it, and looked at me.

"So, what's up?" he asked.

"Just goin' to get a Coke, like I said," I told him. "Maybe hang out awhile."

"Yeah?" Soda said, again, as though considering.

"Yeah. Is it okay?" I asked.

"I guess so. I get off in about an hour and a half. Come back here by that time, and you can ride home with me."

"Okay," I said, in agreement.

"You might as well get your film while you're down there," Soda said. He dug into the pocket of his jeans, and pulled out

some folded bills. He peeled off a couple of dollars and handed them to me. For a moment, I felt guilty. I hadn't even been thinking about

the film that Soda had offered to get for me.

"Maybe I oughta use my own money for the film," I said. "You shouldn't have to buy it for me-"

"You're savin' all your money for your camera flash, ain't ya?" Soda said. "What are ya makin' an hour at the Wilson's? A dollar?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"It's okay," Soda said. "Just get your film while you're down there."

"Thanks, Soda," I said.

"Yeah. Be careful walkin', and don't go anywhere but the drugstore, okay?"

"Okay," I said.

"Where's Ponyboy? At work?" he asked.

"Uh huh," I said, with a nod.

"Alright. See ya back here in an hour," Soda said.

"You said an hour and a half," I reminded him.

"Hour and a half, then," Soda said.

Outsiders

When Rhonda and I got to the drugstore, there was a car of Socs out front, two guys and two girls. I recognized one of the

girls. I thought she was only a year or so older than I was. And the boys, they were at least juniors in high school.

Just inside the door of the drugstore, Rhonda gave a scouting glance around.

"The guys aren't here yet," she said. "Let's go sit down and wait."

We found an empty booth, and ordered a Coke. While we were waiting, Rhonda surveyed me critically.

"Tie your shirt up," she advised. "Show a little bit of skin."

"Uh uh," I refused.

"Yeah, June, come on. Just a little," Rhonda insisted.

I sighed. She was so darn persistent. And, anyway, what harm would it do, just sitting here in the booth like this? I could let it

down when I stood up again.

So, I tied my shirt off to the left side, leaving my stomach peeking out.

I was just finishing that, when Rhonda said, in excitement, "There they are!"

I turned to look, and saw three guys coming in the door. They looked about Soda's age, maybe, and one of them

even looked vaguely familiar.

"That's them?" I asked.

"Yeah. Cute, huh?"

"They look like they're 17 or 18," I said.

"Maybe. Around that age. How about that one with the dark hair?"

"He looks familiar-" I began.

"He's Two-Bit's cousin."

That explained a lot. I thought that he might even have been at our house with Two-Bit a time or two, quite awhile back.

Rhonda was waving at the boys, and I cringed. "Don't wave like that," I whispered.

"Have to let 'em know we're here, and we're interested," Rhonda said.

"I don't-" I began.

"Dake's mine," Rhonda warned, in a low tone. "You can have one of the others."

The boys had seen Rhonda waving, and came sauntering over to our booth.

"Hey there, Rhonda," one of them said, with a grin at her.

"Hi, fellas," Rhonda said.

"What are you two girls up to?" the second one asked.

"Oh, we're just sittin', havin' a Coke, and hopin' somebody might come in that we could talk to," Rhonda said.

"Well, here we are," the first one said. He motioned to Rhonda to move to the inside of the booth, and he sat down next

to her. Two-Bit's cousin pulled up a chair to the booth, while the third boy sat down beside me.

"Who's this?" the fellow who was sitting beside me asked, giving me a slow grin.

"This is June," Rhonda said. "June, this is Dake, Donnie and Pete."

"Hi, June," Donnie said, grinning at me again.

"Hi," I said, feeling shy.

The boys ordered hamburgers and fries and drinks, and bought Rhonda and I each another Coke. They were all

talking together, about a rumble that was going to happen. I listened to that carefully, because I always like to know

those things. I don't like it when Soda goes. Darry doesn't go anymore, but he used to, and sometimes Soda still does.

I was hoping that Soda wasn't going to have anything to do with the one that these three fellows were talking about.

"How come it seems as though I know ya?" Two-Bit's cousin asked me. The one named Pete.

I started to tell him that he'd seen me before, at our house, when he came there with Two-Bit, but before I could

utter even one word, Rhonda spoke over me. "Aw, June just has one of those faces, that look familiar, isn't that right, June?"

She pinned me with a glance, and her eyes were warning me off. I didn't know why she didn't want me to say that I was a Curtis

family member. But, I kept still. I didn't figure it was that big of a deal, really. I'd find out later what was in her mind.

As the time passed, the boy sitting beside me, Donnie, had put his arm along the back of the booth. He used his other

hand to touch my tied off shirt with his fingers.

"I like," he said, with a grin. His fingers were just barely grazing my belly skin.

I moved away, though there wasn't but an inch between me and the wall as it was.

"How old're ya?" he asked me.

Again, Rhonda spoke up. "She's fifteen. Same as me."

I didn't call Rhonda out as a liar, but I had a sort of sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Fifteen, huh?" Donnie said, and his arm drifted to rest on my shoulders.

I felt as though I was gonna hyperventilate, or somethin'. I mean, this Donnie was cute, just like Rhonda had said,

but he was probably eighteen, and I didn't know how to act or what to do with a boy. Any boy, let alone one this old.

I felt a kick to my shins under the table. Rhonda was giving me the evil eye.

"How 'bout we go for a ride or somethin'?" Dake was asking Rhonda.

"You don't gotta get back to work?" Rhonda asked, reaching up to run her fingers across Dake's arm.

"We got a while. We can make it worthwhile, huh?" Dake said, and Rhonda laughed.

"How about you?" Donnie asked me, letting his fingers run thru the end of my ponytail.

"Um, no, I can't," I said.

"Sure, you can," Rhonda corrected, giving me another one of those looks. "Just a quick ride with the fellas."

I started to shake my head, and Rhonda said, "We'll be right back, fellas. Wait for us."

Both Donnie and Dake moved so that Rhonda and I could slide out of the booth. Rhonda marched me around

to the other side of the drugstore, where we were hidden from the boy's sight, by the greeting card display.

"What's wrong with you?" Rhonda hissed.

"What's wrong with you?" I countered. "You didn't tell me that you already knew those boys! And, I can't go for

a ride with them!"

"Why not, June?" Rhonda demanded. "You never do anything! You're not a baby, for cripes sake!"

"I'm not fifteen, either!" I protested.

"So what? You think they're gonna be caught out with thirteen year olds?" she countered. "Come on," she wheedled. "We'll

go for a quick ride, and you may get your first kiss, and then you'll be back to meet up with Soda!"

I looked at the big clock up above the soda fountain. "It's been over an hour already! I'm supposed to already be

back at Buck's by now. There's no way I have time to go for a ride, even if I wanted to!"

"Like ten minutes, Junie," she pleaded. "Come on!"

"What if Soda was to come lookin' for me?" I said. "What, then?!" Just the thought of Soda, driving down here to find me, and

then not being able to find me because I was out riding in a car with boys that were the same age as he was, and then when and if he

did find me...well, it was enough to make my blood run cold. Thru and thru.

"I can't," I said. I didn't want Rhonda to be mad at me. I really didn't. But, my worry of Soda's reaction was more prominent

in my mind right at that moment.

"Soda would kill me," I said, wishing she would understand.

"You're such an infant, Junie," Rhonda said, with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm going," I said, feeling fed up. I turned and started towards the front door, and as I passed by the front checkout, I

saw the rolls of film, and realized that I hadn't even bought any.

I walked really fast towards Buck's, and, even so, I knew it was way past the time that Soda had said to be

back to meet him. I was so hot and I wished for another Coke, with lots of ice.

And then I saw Soda's truck coming down the street. It was behind two other cars, and I don't think that he saw me

until he was nearly up to me because the cars blocked me from view.

When he did see me, though, he pulled over to the curb swiftly, without using his turn signal. I opened the passenger door and got in.

"I was gettin' worried," he said, nearly immediately.

"I'm sorry," I said, turning to look at him. He hadn't pulled away from the curb yet. He kept his foot on the brake

and eyed me.

"Where's Rhonda?" he asked.

"Still at the drugstore," I said.

"What's wrong?" he asked me, then. Sometimes Soda is way too perceptive.

"Nothin'. I just don't want ya to be mad at me because I took too long gettin' back to Buck's," I said.

"I'm not mad," he said.

"Okay. Good," I said, and reached up to swipe my hand over my sweaty forehead.

Soda was still looking at me in a weird way. As if he was puzzling over something.

"How come your shirt's tied off like that?" he demanded then.

Outsiders