A/N: I am INCREDIBLY sorry this took so long. I shouldn't give you lame excuses as to why it took so long but I will anyway. 1. My computer with all my material crashed. 2. I got a puppy and its more responsibility than I had imagined. And 3. Midterms, Midterms, and more Midterms. Forgive me….and this chapter is in Ponyboy's POV! And it takes place like 2 1/2, 3 months after Soda's gone. Read and review please!!

Disclaimer: No I do not own it you silly mongoose's.

Chapter SixFight for Your Right to Party

"But Darry, Two-Bit'll be there too it's not like I'll be there all alone or nuthin'." I was sitting on the couch crammed to the farthest corner possible hugging my legs to my body, a habit I've picked up over the past few months.

"You're not going to that party at Bucks, Ponyboy! I don't care if the President of the United States is there with you. I'm only doing this because I care, don't you forget that."

Normally that would have been the end of the conversation. Bing bang boom, all clean cut, no big deal. But this wasn't a normal situation, my temper had shortened lately and no one was here to calm me down anymore.

I jumped up and kicked the coffee table in front of me. "Only because you care, huh? Well I'm sick of you treating me like I'm five, Darry. If you haven't noticed, I'm sixteen and perfectly capable of taking care of myself now. I'm going to that party weather you like it or not. And don't expect me home anytime soon." I grabbed my dark blue muscle cut sweatshirt off the back of the kitchen chair, and took my car keys off of the table.

The door slammed behind me like a pile of dishes clattering to the floor. I hopped in Soda's old red souped up Ford, stuck the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Furious, I pushed my foot down hard on the gas to make as much noise as possible, and swung out of the driveway down the road, almost hitting another driver my tires screaming in protest.

As I was pulling into the school parking lot my temper was settling down. I passed the normal designated smoking spot on the corner, hit the speed bump and cursed that it would one day ruin my car, and honked at some of my friends who were making their way through the baseball field to the back entrance. But one friend broke out of the pack and jumped on the hood of my car like a maniac.

Two-Bit. No surprise there…

He was standing on it surfing style, and for one quick second I thought of stopping short and watching him fly off my car. I laughed at the thought, it would be funny but I didn't want to hurt him either. He was smiling and laughing his wild laugh, while a group of girls standing around pointed and talked to one another.

I parked in the spot next to the exit; it's the spot that no one ever wanted, because parking there was like a death sentence for your car. And I hopped out of my car shoving my keys deep inside my jeans pocket.

"Two-Bit, one day your gunna fall off the hood of my car, and crack yer skull open." I pulled out a last minute cigarette before going into school.

"Well at least I would have a friend to call 911 for me." He beamed hopping off my car and onto the ground beside me like a loyal sidekick.

"And who said I would be callin' an ambulance for you, it would be yer own damn fault for being so stupid." I smirked and blew smoke in his face.

Two-Bit shrugged in agreement and we walked across the parking lot to the baseball field entrance. We passed the girls who had been staring before and Two-Bit didn't miss a beat.

"Hello beautiful ladies, you goin' to Bucks party tonight?" He leaned against the car next to them.

They giggled from the attention they were getting, they couldn't have been younger than freshman and to get attention from upperclassman was something to be happy about. Though they were most likely being used in some way, shape, or form.

"Yea we are Two-Bit, are you?" Answered the one girl, her strawberry blond hair up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon bobbed up and down when she nodded her head. It was obvious she was the "leader" of the group.

"Good then we'll see ya tonight then." He winked and I took one last drag on my cigarette then stomped it under my foot.

The halls were crowded more than usual since it was a Friday. And people usually wanted to see what everyone else was doing that night. Two-Bit and I ignored everyone else but each other and took the stairs two at a time to our lockers right next to the library.

"So what's goin' on Ponyboy you seem a little out of it. Hi, Cheryl." A girl passed by and said hi to us, but he turned his attention right back to me.

"What makes you think there's somethin' wrong Two-Bit?" I snapped at him, turning around to lean on my locker.

"Well you bitin' my head off every time I say something may have given me a clue. You and Darry have another fight?" He looked at me his grey eyes filled with worry.

"I'm sorry man, it's just he's so uptight I just can't take it with Sodapop gone and all……" I turned back around to open my locker 23- 28- 3, I spun in the combo and I pulled at it. It wouldn't open no matter how hard I pulled. I tried it again, and nothing.

"Ugh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!!!!!" My foot met the locker with a crashing sound and a sharp pain raced up my leg. "Fuck." I slid down the lockers to the floor and sighed. This just wasn't gunna be my day.

"Say fuck one more time." Two-Bit looked down at me with his head cocked to the side.

"Fuh-ck."

"YAY FOR CONFORMITY! Now what are we having a minor flip out over, if you don't mind my askin'?" He squatted down so he was eye level with me, it made me feel like I was five again.

"I can't remember my combo………"

"Hm………that's what too much alcohol can do to a person my dear friend. May I suggest lying off poor Jack for awhile; he's tired of being guzzled."

"Real funny Two-Bit-" I said pushing myself up off the floor. "But for your information I am not an alcoholic I am-"

"You're a what?" Cathy walked up to me and smiled that smile that could melt your heart. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes and slung her arm around my waist.

"Yeah Pone what are ya?" Two-Bit chimed in.

"I'm a social drinker that's what I am." I stated putting my finger in Two-Bit's face. "Now if you'll excuse me beautiful lady" I nodded to Cathy. "Dipstick who for some unknown reason cares about me" I nodded at Two-Bit. "I am going to be late for class."

I kissed Cathy, pounded Two-Bit's shoulder in goodbye and took off down the hall to Chemistry.

XXXXXXXX

It was lunch and my mood had improved throughout the course of the day. Now I sat on the football field bleachers waiting for Cathy to show up. It's our thing, every Friday we meet at the bleachers and then go out to get lunch. It's nothing big but it means a lot to her, so I go along with it.

A few yards away from me I saw what looked like two Greasers beating up some Hippie kid that I didn't recognize. Since I'm a Greaser myself I thought I would go over there and tell them to lay off, ever since I met Cathy's kid brother I've had a new found soft spot for Hippies.

As I got closer to the "fight" which consisted of the two kids kicking the crap out of the Hippie who refused to use violence. I realized that the two "Greasers" were actually some of those Soc's who try and dress like Greasers, but pay just as much money for their clothes now as they did before.

"Hey wanna lay off?" I asked as I stood next to them.

They turned around to look at me, and whispered some stuff to each other then looked back at me.

"What'd you say Greaser?" The tall one with white blond hair hissed at me.

"Okay, I'm not lookin' for a fight. I just don't wanna see some Hippie get beat down cause their different." I was playing peace maker for once, lately I was the opposite.

"Hey now I know where I know you from. You're that kid whose friends died a few years ago………" The dark haired guy said snickering.

Why he laughed I had no idea I just knew that it made my blood boil. There went my good mood.

I punched the dark haired one square in the nose. It cracked and it took a few seconds for the blood to start trickling down his upper lip. At first I thought maybe I could take them, but it was two against one seeing as the Hippie wouldn't fight and sat on the mud soaked field.

I always kept Johnny's 6 inch switchblade in my back pocket in case I ever needed it. And if they tried anything, they wouldn't walk off looking pretty to put it in simpler words. Even though Johnny said he thought violence was pointless, I don't find it so pointless right now I'm fighting for Dallas and Johnny. That has to count for something.

The blond jumped on my back from behind and tackled me to the ground. I struggled under him but wound up throwing him off of me I had my leg rocketing towards his side but just as I was going to finish the kid off I was being held back by a pair of really strong arms.

"That will be enough!!!!!" A shrill woman's voice shrieked, it was Principal Junco approaching the four of us from across the football field. That's when I realized who had a grip on me from behind, it was Dean Ciliberti.

The Hippie was still sitting on the ground with a swollen eye not phased by what was going on, he must have been tripping or something. The Principal was standing in front of me now looking up at me with a ferocious glare.

"Mr. Curtis what is the meaning of this!?! Come with me now all of you!!!!" The dean let go of me and took the two Soc's while I trudged behind Principal Junco like a man walking down death row. Cathy came running towards me; I noticed that she ran like she was dancing gracefully. She stopped and walked close next to me whispering in my ear at such a fast rate it was amazing I understood her.

"Ponyboy, I saw what you did and I'm not upset at all that we didn't get to go out today it doesn't matter baby. That was so brave of you, standing up for that kid. And two against one! Don't worry everything's gunna be fine Darry wont find out." She touched my arm gently in a reassuring way and went on her tip toes to kiss my cheek.

"Miss. Carlson" She whipped around to Cathy and me. "If you please Mr. Curtis and I have business to take care of. Don't you have class to attend?"

"But… but, I saw what happened I'm an eye witness. I'll be able to help you with your so called business. You'll have an unbiased account of what happened." Cathy looked at her with soft, trustworthy honey colored eyes. She really knows how to work teachers to her advantage, I was grateful she'd seen everything because that meant I was getting minimum punishment.

"Fine Miss. Carlson, just stay at least a foot away from Mr. Curtis while were walking." She snapped but continued her fast paced stomping into the school.

I looked at Cathy with my eyebrows raised, smirking and she was giving me the same exact look. I took her delicate hand in mine and rubbed calming circles with my thumb onto her smooth skin. We passed Two-Bit in the hall right outside the Principals Office.

"Ponyboy what'd you do now you stupid Hood?!" He cackled. "And you dragged your poor darhlin' of a girlfriend into it too……golly do you have any decency."

"I'll tell ya later Two-Bit." I half laughed while Cathy smiled brightly.

XXXXXXXX

A Hank Williams record was playing somewhere in the house, and I hummed along to the tune while sitting on a red, blue, and green plaid couch that smelt strongly of stale cigarette smoke and Capitan Morgan's coconut rum. Cathy sat in my arms next to me daintily sipping her margarita, and laying her head on my shoulder sleepily.

"Ponyboy how much have you had to drink? Yer hummin' to Hank Williams and I thought you hated him." Two-Bit plopped himself on the couch while slopping a beer on himself so that I was now a sandwich between him and Cathy.

To be honest I was pretty drunk, I had at least two shots and three cups of whiskey. No beer 'cause the taste it makes me gag every time. But we'd been here for a good three hours or so, so it's not like I was chugging the bottle all night.

"Uhhhh………a lot, I sorta lost track." I slurred my words and I thought it sounded funny so I laughed, I laughed hard, harder than I should have.

"Baby I think we should head home. You sound a little out of it" Cathy said in the most sincere way "plus Darry's probably worrying his head off about you."

I wondered why she wasn't slurring her words because she definitely had just as many drinks as me. But when we got up to leave I noticed that she couldn't walk straight, so I wrapped my arms around her to keep her from falling over. As we walked out of the house cold fresh air hit my face, it was refreshing compared to the heavy air in Buck's house.

"Darry's gunna be awful mad Pone," Two-Bit started as we were walking through the park; it was our short cut home every time we hung out like this.

"Why would he be mad Two-Bit?" I asked right before I sat down on the edge of the fountain and threw up. It definitely stung worse coming up then it did going down.

"Well first off he didn't even want you coming tonight, and now yer piss drunk and throwing up everywhere, yer girlfriend can't stand up straight and– oh shit!"

The Socs from earlier that day were approaching us. Normally I wouldn't have worried, it was two on two subtracting Cathy of course, but I was really drunk, Two-Bit was drunk too, and our voice of reason wasn't able to walk a line let alone form a reasonable sentence.

"Hey there's the Greaser and his snitch of a girlfriend. Sweet cheeks how 'bout you come with us for a little bit and we can show you what it's like to be with real men not a poor hood?" The blonde one said insultingly.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that, ya lousy bastard." I couldn't stand up in fear of throwing up again and leaned my arm on my knee, slouched over.

"For people who hate Greasers so much you guys sure try to be like us." Two-Bit slurred taking my place beside Cathy protectively.

I didn't hear what the Socs said back to Two-Bit, my mind was too busy working in a drunk sort of over drive. The setting of this play seemed familiar, the situation recognizable, just the characters were different………except for me that is. My hand shot to my back pocket, the switchblade was sitting there waiting for the right moment. But I wouldn't use it; I wouldn't be the next condemned soul to be destroyed in this very spot.

Before I knew what was happening the concrete was coming towards my face at a rapid pace and someone shouted "Glory look at the kid." just before I was knocked out cold.

A/N: My butt is mad numb from sitting on my floor while writing, and my puppy is snoring while sleeping on my feet. Hope you liked it, it was supposed to be much more exciting and a lot shorter but in the words of Eminem "everything happens for a reason". Review please and I'll try and update the next chapter faster!!!