3.

Kaitlyn wheeled around and saw Dallas standing behind her, his fists clenched tightly at his side, one with blood on it from where he'd punched the black haired boy in the face. Dallas was bleeding too; one of the boys had struck him as they were climbing off Kaitlyn. "I suggest you all leave." He told them, boldly raising his fists back up.

The brown haired boy laughed. "You can't take us all greaser!" He spluttered wavering on his feet.

"That may be true, but he's not alone." Said an unfamiliar voice from behind Dallas. Three other people stepped out. The biggest, and the one who the voice must have come from, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, muscles bulging under his t-shirt. She recognized Sodapop standing next to him. He smiled at her and she waved a little. Standing a little bit behind the biggest boy was a smaller boy with brown hair that was so light it was almost red. The resemblance between the three was obvious; it was easy to tell that they were brothers.

The other boys, though seeming slightly nervous, stood their ground. "Now it's and even fight!" One of them cried.

"Not likely" answered another voice, a boy with rust colored hair and huge grin spread across his face. With him was another boy. He had thick dark hair and was tall and lean. From behind them emerged yet another boy. He was very small and had long black hair that fell over his forehead. His eyes were large and anxious. She noticed a scar going from his temple down to his cheekbone.

The other boys looked to each other for a few seconds then tore off toward their car, stumbling over each other, and bolted down the road. The boys that were with Dallas looked vaguely disappointed, as if they wanted the fight. Kaitlyn pulled off a jacket that she had bought while shopping and sighed, wishing she hadn't put it on. "You must really love ruining my jackets." She said as she walked up to Dallas and pressed it to his nose. She could hear him snort through the jacket.

"Guys, you'll have to introduce yourselves." He said, taking the jacket from Kaitlyn's hands.

The first to walk up to her was the biggest. He was obviously older than the rest. He reached out his hand and she shook it. "My name is Darrel, Darrel Curtis. Nice to meet you." He said abruptly before turning away. Sodapop then walked up to her and winked. "Sure is nice to see you again." He said flashing that marvelous smile of his before joining Darrel.

The next person to walk up to her was the other boy that was with them. "Hi, I'm Ponyboy." He said smiling faintly at her.
"Ponyboy? That's and interesting name." She replied.
"Um. You've got a little….Blood. On your face." He told her timidly.
"Oh, thanks." She said, wiping it off. He smiled and walked over to Sodapop who cuffed him playfully around the neck. She looked at herself and realized that blood wasn't just on her face, but was also splattered all over her yellow dress. "I'm going to have a hard time explaining this to mom." She muttered to herself.

The other two boys walked up to her and introduced themselves as Two Bit and Steve and, though neither seemed to have much to say, Two Bit had a giant smile spread across his face. Last the hesitant looking one walked bashfully toward her. "I'm uh, I'm Jonny Cade." He said softly, linking his fingers in front of him. Kaitlyn smiled down at him. "Nice to meet you kid, I'm Kaitlyn." She told him. He seemed almost afraid of her. She smiled kindheartedly and he returned and apprehensive one himself before striding to stand next to Ponyboy.

Dallas walked over to her and tried to hand her the jacket, but she turned to him and pushed it away. "You can keep it." She said dejectedly, not wanting the bloody thing. He looked her over, taking in the blood caked onto her clothes, as well as her arms and neck. "We need to get you cleaned up. Can't let you go home looking like that." He told her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the others. "Hey Darry," He called. "Think we could go back to your place and get her cleaned up?" He asked, smiling his cheerless smile. Darrel sighed but shook his head in agreement.

"All right then." Dallas declared and set off in the opposite direction, his arm still wrapped around Kaitlyn's shoulders. The rest of his friends followed behind chitchatting cheerily. The band got a few strange looks, mainly directed towards Kaitlyn. But Dallas marched on beside her, holding her against his side with his arm, her bloody jacket draped over his opposite shoulder. Kaitlyn was looking at the ground as she walked, turning the last few minutes over in her head. "What's with you?" Dallas asked, looking at her sideways.

"Well, it's just…How did you manage to find me?"

"Well after you stormed away in anger, I set off myself and ended up where you were, saw what was going down, then went to go get the gang." He explained.

"Oh." She said sullenly, still looking down.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said quietly.

"What?" He probed.

"It's just that, well. I was sort of hoping you were looking for me. I guess to apologize or something." She told him, feeling slightly childish.

"Oh, well I guess you could say that too." He said unconvincingly. Kaitlyn just kept on gazing downward. "I'm sorry." He told her.

"Ok." She replied, though still not entirely convinced. It was getting hotter and hotter as they walked, and she really wished she had some more water. The blood on her skin felt sticky and was starting to dry. They came around a corner and approached a small house. It was a little bit rundown, but seemed nice enough. Darrel lead the way through a gate and up to the door. They all filed in and took up most of the living room.

"Right," Darrel clapped his hands together "Ponyboy, since you're the smallest, give her something of yours to wear, alright?" Darrel instructed.

"Yeah, alright." Ponyboy replied distantly. He turned to Kaitlyn and motioned for her to follow him. "This way." He turned off down the hallway. Kaitlyn followed behind him and was led into a small room with one big bed. Ponyboy was digging through his closet. Kaitlyn looked around the room leisurely. She noticed a book on the dresser and could read the author; Robert Frost. She turned back to Ponyboy who was staring at her spitefully. She looked at him uneasily. He finally spoke.

"I know it's not as nice as you're used to." He accused.

"No, I think it's homey." She said. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Why are you here?" he questioned.

"I don't even know, today has been so crazy." She replied deftly.

"No. I mean why are you with us? We're Greasers you know." He told her.

"Oh, yeah I know. But why does that mean I can't hang out with you guys?" She inquired. This question seemed to stump him and he shoved some clothes at her.

"They may be a little too big, but they should work." He said as she took the pile from his hands.

"Thanks." She said a genuinely kind smile on her face. He shrugged and led her back towards the living room. "There's the bathroom." He said pointing to another door. She let herself in and closed the door. She stood there in front of the mirror gawking at her reflection for a while. Her hair was tousled and her face and neck were covered in blood, as were her arms.

She undressed herself awkwardly and turned on the tap over the sink. She scrubbed her arms vigorously and then her face and neck. Soon enough all the blood was gone, but her skin was bright red from all of the scrubbing. She slipped into the jeans that Ponyboy had given her. They were rather baggy on her, and she was relieved to see that he had included a belt, which she tightened as much as possible. Then she slipped a medium purple colored shirt that hung off of her.

She sighed and gathered her things before opening the door shyly. She saw the gang all sitting around the living room. A couple of them drinking beers and some smoking cigarettes. Dallas looked up and smiled. "Looking good Kaitlyn." He called, prompting everyone else to turn their attention to her. She sighed. "I've looked better."

"Here" Sodapop said, tossing a plastic bag to her. "You can put your dress in there." He told her.

"Thanks." She told him, dropping her bloodstained dress into the bag and tying it. She stood there awkwardly, not really sure what to do. "Come sit down." Sodapop patted the seat next to him on the couch. She warily walked over and sat down, placing the bag on the floor next to her. Sodapop was sitting with his hands behind his head and his feet stretched out in front of him, which almost tripped Darrel as he came into the room carrying a plate. He handed it to Kaitlyn who took it gingerly. "You looked like you could use something to eat." He told her. She smiled and nodded in thanks. She looked down at the plate and saw a large chunk of chocolate cake. Her mouth began to water and she dug in with the fork Darrel had put on the plate.

At first it was hard to get a conversation going. Kaitlyn could tell that aside from Dallas, everyone was finding it hard to talk to her. She knew that they must have all though that she was a Soc, and they must have assumed that she would behave like a normal Soc. But they soon found out that Kaitlyn was no Soc. She talked to them like normal people, laughed at their jokes and threw in her own. She didn't turn her nose up in disgust at them if they came near her. But she was definitely not the kind of girl they were used to. The girls with way to much eye makeup, really short dresses, and foul mouths. It was a pleasant surprise to them all.

Kaitlyn was easy to talk to, and very funny. They all enjoyed listening to her funny stories. After a while, even Johnny came around, which was a big surprise to the boys. Johnny had been afraid of strangers for a while, ever since he was jumped and beaten nearly to death by some Socs, the same ones that gave him his scar. Kaitlyn had picked up on his tentativeness and took it easy on him, trying not to bother him. She was surprised to learn that he was older than Ponyboy. He was so small that she could have sworn he was the youngest.

After talking for what felt like forever, Kaitlyn glanced at a clock hanging on the wall and realized it was after nine thirty. "Oh no! I'm sorry guys, but I've got to go home." They all groaned in objection. She still had her plate, but wasn't sure what to do with it. "I'll take it for you." Two Bit told her as he was already on his way to the kitchen for another drink. She smiled and handed him the plate. "Well, guess I'll be seeing you guys later." She said which surprised them still.

"I'll make sure you get back in one piece." Dallas volunteered. Kaitlyn shrugged in compliance and told everyone goodbye cheerily and heading out the door, Dallas close behind her. They walked in silence for a few moments in the dark. Dallas finally broke the silence. "So, how'd you like the guys?" He asked.

"They were nice." She replied. She had sincerely enjoyed their company.

"So, who'd you like the best?" He pressed. "Bet it was Soda, you're probably taken with him, bet you thing he's cute huh?"

Kaitlyn sighed in annoyance, not sure why he was asking this question. "Why do you care? Like I'd tell you who I though was cute anyways."

"So you think one of us is cute?"

"All right wise guy." She started but couldn't come up with a good opposition so she just dropped it. They walked in quiet for a little while longer.

"But seriously-"He started.

"Oh my god, Dallas, why do you want to know so badly?" She barked.

"No reason." He said quietly. Kaitlyn ran a hand through her wild hair. If he was trying to confuse her, he was doing a superior job at it. A cold late summer wind sliced through her, causing her to shiver. "Man, I wish I had a jacket or something to give you, you've got to be freezing." Dallas observed.

"Yeah, you and me both." Kaitlyn Breathed, her teeth now chattering. All of the sudden, Dallas was wrapping his arms around Kaitlyn. She was surprised to find that he was very warm. "Better?" He asked. "Mhm." She murmured. They walked like that all the way to Kaitlyn's neighborhood, where Dallas released her and she led the way to her house.

She saw that her mother was home, but her father must've been out. Which was good, if he would have seen Kaitlyn with a boy he would have probably blown a fuse. She walked up to her door with Dallas right behind her. They stopped just outside and Kaitlyn turned to Dallas, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Looks like you made it in one piece, my job is done." He declared.

"Yes and thank you." She told him. "Be careful getting yourself back, Ok."
"Don't worry I will be." He said.

They stood still for a few lengthy moments, just looking at each other. "Well, bye." Dallas said, and he started to turn away but stopped. He moved closer to Kaitlyn and kissed her delicately on the cheek, then turned and left, leaving Kaitlyn to stare after him, wide eyed. After he was out of sight, she reached up and touched her cheek lightly. Before sighing and turning to go into her house.

She was greeted by the one voice she most did not want to hear at the moment. "You're late getting back." Her mother voiced from the living room.

"Yeah, sorry I was with my friends." Kaitlyn replied, trying to get to her room before her mother could ask too many questions, but was instantly defeated.

"Now wait." He mother came from the living room and out to the hallway. She had to do a double take on Kaitlyn to be sure that she was really looking at her daughter. "Explain." She stated plainly.

"I fell and got a bad nosebleed, had to throw away that pretty yellow dress", which she had trashed in a dumpster after leaving the Curtis' house. "One of my friends had some of her younger brother's clothes in her car and let me borrow them." Kaitlyn hated to lie to her mother like this, but she didn't want to be grounded for life, and her story was half true at least. He mother nodded understandingly. "Oh alright, but hurry on to bed." She instructed. Kaitlyn nodded in agreement.

She walked to her bedroom and closed the door. She didn't even bother getting undressed. She just fell over onto her bed and closed her eyes tightly. She tried to replay the whole day, so much had happened. But the ending had her most preoccupied. Why had he kissed her? He didn't like her did he? Was that why he was so keen on knowing which of the gang she liked? She pondered these questions for over half an hour before she fell asleep, still wearing Ponyboy's clothes.