Previously: "Not really…?" I said, trailing off. He raised a hand. "There are two obvious sections to Tulsa. The West side, where you live, is the Soc side. Soc's have money. People like my brothers and I live on the East side… we don't have money. That's the big difference at least," he added, smiling. "It's rough here. While Soc's have tuff cars, we have tuff hair…" … For the rest of the day, one sentence rang in my mind: "…I wouldn't let yourself wander around at night alone."

*Sarah POV*

I walked quietly through the white door into Aunt Theresa's house. She looked up and scowled. Ignoring her the best I could, I wiped my feet and went to the fridge. "Do you mind if I eat?" I asked, keeping the sarcasm at a minimum. She glared at me. "Don't get snappy… I'm not making dinner so you can do whatever you want."

There was nothing good in the fridge to eat – it was all bland food that looked expensive. "Aunt Theresa?" I said timidly. She grunted. "Could I have some money to go to the store? I need school things."

Theresa looked angry again. I noticed an opened bottle of wine on the counter. "That's all you kids ever want! Cash. I'll tell you what, I've worked hard to make my way to this side of town! You find your own money."

Taken aback, I stepped away. "Fine… I will."

I swiveled around and began to walk out of the house. But her thin hand grabbed my shirt and pulled me back in. "Are you being rebellious?" she questioned furiously. I felt an icy shard of fear stab my heart.

The smell of alcohol rolled off her breath as she got in my face. She looked so much like her sister it hurt… it felt almost like my mother, except a much, much crueler one.

"You're as trashy as a Greaser… scum!" Theresa spat. Her fingers tightened around my shoulders painfully. I winced.

"Greasers aren't 'scum'," I retorted. I yanked myself away. "I'm going away. You probably don't care anyway."

She cussed me out as I walked through the screen door. I gingerly lifted my sleeves up and looked at the red marks on my shoulders. Ouch…

I tried to think of a place to go. I was getting kind of hungry. With a sigh, I headed towards the only place I knew; the park.

It was quiet there. I noticed a group of people far back, but couldn't tell whether they were Greasers or Socs. I walked over to the fountain and looked into the water. Though contorted, a pretty face shined back. She had her father's nose and her mother's eyes. Golden hair swung in the wind.

I cupped my hands in the water, bringing them up to my shoulders. Where her nails had been, some blood had broken the skin. I started to wash it away carefully. Boy, did that sting.

"Sarah?"

I jumped, pulling my sleeve back down. "Wha – Oh, hi, Soda."

He was staring pointedly at my shoulder. "What happened to your arm?" he asked. I swallowed. "Nothing… I just scraped it."

"Both shoulders?" I looked at the other one, and specs of blood were coming through my white shirt.

"Er…" I tried to think of an excuse, but before I could, Soda lifted my sleeve up.

"Golly!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. I tried to shrug away, but he examined it more closely. "Those sure look a lot like finger marks," he said quietly. I sighed. All these guys are pretty good at picking out some of the simplest details.

"Yeah," I admitted, and washed away some of the blood with water. "It's nothing."

Soda was quiet for a minute. "Why don't you come to our house for a little while?" he offered. This time I felt almost obliged to go… I didn't want to go home. "That would be great," I replied. He grinned. "Let me grab the guys and we'll go home.

Soda led me to the group of people near the swing set. They were all smoking, and I immediately placed them as Greasers.

"Hey guys… this is Sarah, the new girl." One of the boys looked cocky, but he grinned. "Well hi there," he said, and held out a hand. Blushing, I took it. All these folks were so nice.

"I'm Two-Bit," he said with a grin. His shirt was dirty, and his hair was slicked back with grease. The other guy looked different, but still apparently a Greaser. He had his hair cut neatly, and his face was clean-cut. His dark eyes immediately found my shoulder. I tried to hide it. But to my surprise, he didn't say anything about it.

"I'm Darry Curtis. Ponyboy told me about you." I nodded. "Yeah, Pony's nice." Darry gave a smile, and I knew automatically he didn't give them out very often.

"Can she come hang at our place for a little while?" Soda asked idly, patting my back. Gosh, these guys were a little rough – reminded me slightly of my Dad. That made my throat close.

Darry cocked his head to the side. "Can't see why not."

Two-Bit scooted closer to me, an eyebrow raised. "Maybe you'd like to hit a movie sometime." I flushed fiercely. "Er… maybe."

"Aw, Two-Bit, leave her alone," Soda laughed, and Two-Bit shrugged. "It was worth a try. Don't think I could ever pick up a Soc anyway."

"Soc?" I asked quietly. From the way Pony talked about them, I had a feeling that Greasers had a big grudge against them; but Darry interrupted my thoughts. "Why don't we get home?"

Two-Bit went his own way, and I watched him chase after a group of loud girls walking down the street. Soda and Darry walked with me, Soda talking excitedly. "I know it's not like those fine houses on your side, but this is our house."

I looked at the house with a smile. It wasn't as run-down as some of the homes I'd seen on the East, but almost welcoming. It reminded me of home. Darry unlocked the door, and Soda ran in ahead of me. "Hey, Pony! Sarah's over," he called. I walked in nervously, trying not to trip over the pile of shoes by the door.

Pony came out of a room, his eyes confused. Then they warmed. "When did you decide to come?" He asked with a laugh. Probably remembering yesterday when I'd turned down a visit.

I chuckled. "I guess when your brother asked me to." I grinned. "Thanks for that, anyway," I told Soda. He winked at me. "No problem, kid."

Darry walked to the fridge and pulled out three Coke's and a bottle of water. Taking the water for himself, he tossed the cans at his brothers and slid one to me. "Thanks," I said, and popped off the top. I hadn't had a good drink since I'd talked with the lawyer.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Pony asked, and I groaned. "It's nothin' Pony," I muttered. He frowned. "Well, at least let me give you a shirt that's not so wet…," he said, trailing off. I knew he wasn't oblivious to the caked blood either.

Pony disappeared in his room and I sipped from the Coke, grateful for the sweet fizz.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Darry asked. He was leaning against the counter. I bit my lip. "I really don't want to impose…" I started, and Soda burst out laughing. "She's got those country manners!" he cracked, and then flashed me a smile. "We'll take that as a yes."

Pony returned with a button shirt. "I know it's not the greatest, but it's the smallest I got."

I fought a pout. I'm a little short for my age, a tiny five feet. All these people nearly towered over me; even Ponyboy.

"Um, okay… where's the bathroom?" I asked shyly. I wasn't used to guys… not at all.

"Oh – right down the hallway. At the end," Pony said, pointing to it anyway. I gave a polite nod and turned to change.

*Pony POV*

I watched her disappear behind the door and then turned to look at Soda. He was trying to hide a smile, and I knew that smile well. "What?" I asked, and he tightened his lips and kept a straight face. "She's mighty pretty, don't you think?" He asked. I frowned. "Aw, cut it out. You brought her here."

He shrugged, his lips turning up. "Yeah, s'pose you're right…"

Darry tussled his hair. "Don't get too cocky there, Soda."

I tuned the two of them out, staring at the window. Sarah had walked in with some blood on her shoulder, and today she had a bruised eye. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I put two and two together.

Darry looked at his watch. "Shoot… I have to go to the shop for some parts – might be a junk car I can fix up. Soda, watch those two, okay?" He asked. Soda nodded solemnly. "No problem Mr. Fixitup."

Darry shook his head. "There's some chicken in the fridge – don't eat all the chocolate cake."

The door to the bathroom opened and Sarah stepped out. She pulled off the button shirt, though it fell down much too low over her jeans. Her cheeks were pink. "Well, it kind of fits."

"Don't worry, Shortie, you'll eventually get bigger," Soda teased. She glared at him, but a smile crept up her face. "Gee, thanks."

Soda looked at Sarah and I, and I recognized the look on his face. "You know what? I think Two-Bit could use some help at his house. I'll be back later… don't get into too much trouble, Pony."

I sighed, and Soda disappeared through the door. I hadn't noticed that Darry was already gone.

"Shoot… what's the hurry?" Sarah asked jokingly. I grinned. "They love to harass me… why don't we sit down?"

I grabbed my coke and we walked over to out torn couch. I wondered what Sarah thought of our home. It was perfect for Greasers… but she lived with the Socs. This certainly wasn't any tuff house.

"So what's the country like?" I asked, taking a swig of Coke. Her eyes glazed over with memories as she thought. She spoke in the same, soft tone.

"It's all sunny skies and fields of grass," she murmured. I imagined it too, and I could almost picture it, her country accent a breath of country air. "When my parents were alive… we used to live in a house a lot like this," she said suddenly, focusing on the livingroom. I felt my eyebrows raise. "Really?"

"Yeah, 'cept we used to have a farm in the back. I even had a horse… golly, she was a great horse. I wish I could have kept her. But Aunt Theresa… well, she wouldn't want a horse."

I noticed the resentment in her voice when she talked about her aunt.

"So… what's bein' a Greaser like?" she asked curiously. I thought about it, trying to gather the right words. "I don't know, I guess. It's not the way Darry wants us to live, but it happens. Like I said, it's all about money here."

Sarah pulled her long blond hair back. "I've grown this out much too long," she said after a moment. Her blue eyes were looking thoughtfully at it.

It was quiet for another minute. "You know, I'm not a Soc," she said suddenly. Her voice sounded a little hurt. "Everyone thinks I must be 'cause I live on the West side of town… but it's not true."

I watched her face sift through different emotions. "I want to prove to the world that it doesn't matter how much money you have – personality is the key."

So her thoughts were along the same line as mine.

She went silent again, but this time she didn't speak up. I looked at her and felt my heart stutter. She'd fallen asleep. I stifled laughter and stood up. She was half-falling over on the couch, her eyes closed. Her breath came out evenly.

"Well shoot," I whispered, and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over her.

I sat there and watched her for a little while. She was very different than any Soc I'd ever met, even Cherry Valance. But she had the mindset of a Greaser like me. If that's what you wanted to say I was.

I pulled out a weed and lit it. Puffs of smoke swirled in the air, and I sat there for a long time. The sky darkened outside.

I grabbed Sarah's Coke and quietly shook her. "Hey… Sarah…"

She inhaled sharply and woke up. Then she looked around and moaned. "Oh no… how long have I been asleep?"

"About two hours. I thought I should wake you up – your Aunt will be worried."

She sat up and shoved the blanket off. "Sure," she muttered bitterly. "Real worried."

*Sarah POV*

"I'll walk you home," Ponyboy said, putting the blanket over the back of the couch. I shook my head. "I'll be fine on my own," I assured him. His eyes tightened. "Not out here. At least let me get you past the park."

"Alright, thanks."

Once we'd gotten to the park, Pony gave me a nice grin. "It was nice of you to stop by. You're always welcome, Sarah."

I smiled back. "Thanks so much, Pony. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." It was a weekend, so I'd probably be around town.

Pony pulled out a cigarette. "I'll see you around," he said, and turned to leave.

When I got to the house, the kitchen light was on. I exhaled slowly. That meant Aunt Theresa was awake. My heart was thumping hard in my chest when I crept back inside.

She looked drunk. Her eyes could barely focus on me as I took off my sneakers.

"Where've you been?" She slurred. I swallowed. "Down by the park – wouldn't matter to you anyway," I added bitterly. She sneered. "I wouldn't if I hadn't gotten word you were hanging out with those Greasers."

"Oh so you're concerned about what would happen if I was with Greasers?" I asked sarcastically, setting the Coke down.

She glared at me. "You'll ruin my reputation!" she hissed. I felt like screaming. I ran up those narrow little stairs and opened the door, slamming and locking it behind me. Theresa was too drunk to get me anyway.

I paced my room, and suddenly got an idea. My heart pounded as I grabbed a pair of scissors from the window sill. I found a grimy mirror behind some boxes, and set it against the bed and wall. I had the best idea.

"I want to prove to the world that it doesn't matter how much money you have – personality is the key."

I brought the blades to my hair.