Sorry i put you guys through so much panic with my last update...10 reviews what was i thinking? Now, one review will be sufficient. Enjoy!

Some things never change. Most people do.

My Dear Sister,

I am writing to tell you amazing news…On the first of November, I will be married to Jenna. You remember her don't you? Said she was nice? Anyway, I hope you and Mom can come but if not, I will see you in the near future.

P.S. Dad is sorry he missed your calls.

With all my love,

Austin

What the hell?! He's kidding right? I mean it's so funny…ha-ha. Not. Jenna was this stuck up bitch ( I had lied when I said she was nice) that he started dating before I moved.

Austin,

Don't bother sending and invitation because we will throw it out. I hope you enjoy your new, sister less, married life. Don't expect another word from me ever again.

Carmen

I threw that draft into the trash.

Mom came home late last night. Drunk. I've never seen her drink before. She just swayed to her room and dropped onto her bed.

Dad called me last night as well. I picked up the phone, heard his voice, and hug up. He can go to hell too.

What hasn't changed? My friends. My only constant is a certain boy who I see everyday. My best friend. My crush.

"What do you guys want to do today?" I asked on one uneventful morning in early September.

Sodapop was sprawled out on the ground next to me playing with his hair as it fell onto his forehead. "Um…the movies?" Even Ponyboy and I groaned. I was sick of the quiet boredom.

"What about the animal shelter?" Johnny questioned. My eyes went wide. Steve and Dally laughed out loud.

"You wanna play with the kitties Johnny Cake?" Two-Bit laughed too.

"You have an animal shelter…?" I asked in awe. "And you didn't tell me?!"

"Yeah, on Grove Road… it's kinda big. If you like animals you'll like the joint," Darry called from the kitchen.

My eyes lit up.

"Can we go?" I pleaded.

Ten minutes later we walked through the door of the Tulsa City Animal Shelter. The sounds of dog yips and cat meows made a smile break across my face. A lady behind the front counter smiled tightly, like she had been doing so all day.

"Good evening. If there's anything I can help you with please feel free to ask."

"Thank you…Trudy," I quickly read her name tag and followed the guys to the kennels in the back. Sodapop and Steve went into the cat section and Dallas was starring in fascination at a pit bull. The pit was a two-year-old female, all gray with a white chest.

"These are the fighting dogs right?" Dally asked. That annoyed me beyond belief. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans have a bad rep because they look mean and have more bite strength, making them prey to owners who make them fight. I love dogs so I'm a little over-protective of them.

When I explained all this to Dallas, he lost interest in her and moved to the next kennel. A Yorkshire terrier. It was a small scraggily thing, so thin you could count its ribs and all the bones it its spine. Poor baby.

"Hey guys! Puppies!" Johnny called from a few kennels away. Sodapop and Steve came running. Two-Bit was holding a Dalmatian pup that was pure white, so young it didn't have spots yet. Ponyboy held a German Shepard with floppy black ears. Sodapop squealed like a kid on Christmas morning and picked up a chocolate lab. Steve cringed at them until he found a Rottie with a black, spiked collar.

"Tuff enough, huh kid?" Steve picked it up a twirled it around. Even Dallas was in the lovey-dovey sprit. He found a pit bull puppy that was a golden brown color.

"Who knew Dallas would go soft for a dog?" Two-Bit laughed. Oddly enough Dally had no come-back. The puppy was licking his chin and nuzzling against Dally's shoulder. Johnny had found a mutt with big brown eyes, resembling his.

"Soda? Can we get one?" Pony asked. He was holding a sweet looking border collie.

While the guys laughed and mulled over the babies, I snuck off back to the grown dogs. I don't know why I liked dogs better than puppies…I just did. They had there own personalities and way of being. They didn't need to learn from a human how to live.

I crouched in front of a few before finding the perfect dog. At first he didn't come to me at the cage. He sniffed me uncertainly, then licked my hand. It was what looked like a German Shepard/Doberman mix. And he was adorable!

I tracked down Trudy and asked if I could let him out to play. "Oh, Dustin? 'Course!"

So I put a leash around Dustin and brought took him to a grassy area and let him sniff around. He ended up lying down across my legs to take a nap.

"You're getting attached to him!" Sodapop sang as he sat down next to me. Dustin lifted his head and practically glared at Soda. And when he put his hand on my arm Dustin growled deep in his throat.

"Down, Dustin. Be a good boy," I commanded while stroking his back reassuringly.

After that day, my priorities went: school, the gang, and visiting Dustin. Not specifically in that order.

Austin finally called me. All he said was he was sorry and hoped I could come to his wedding. He's seventeen! He shouldn't be giving his life away to some girl who will break his heart!

"Look, Carmen, I know that you're upset-"

"No you don't. You don't know anything about me anymore!" I had cried and hung up. I haven't talked to him since.

Turns out my father has a new girlfriend. Turns out he was dating her before Mom divorced his sorry ass. And, (surprise, surprise) Mom has started to drink heavily. At first it was drinks with friends. Then, a glass of wine with dinner. Now, I don't even see my mother. She's either working or sleeping off a hangover.

My family is just great. At least my friends are still there for me right? Right. I need to quit whining about my sad little life and focus on the good things in life. Like Ponyboy.

He goes to the shelter with me and plays with Dustin. But we found out one day why Dustin only likes me. No one else goes near him without getting snapped at.

"Carmen, look." I followed Pony's gaze to marks on his back legs and belly. They were long red strips of skin that looked like…

"Belt marks!" I whispered. I gently traced the lines on his stomach with my index finger. He whimpered but let me look. "My poor baby…"

"He was abused?" Pony asked in shock.

"Many animals are Pony. Not just dogs either. Cats, horses, birds…" I trailed off. Dustin nuzzled against my leg and licked my shoe.

"But…isn't that illegal?"

I didn't know so I just shook my head. My sucky life was nothing compared to what Dustin probably went through.

September passed. And October. On November first. My older brother married and left for Paris for his honeymoon. November passed and soon, Tulsa was getting ready for the winter holidays.

Dear Diary,

Sodapop and I filled out an application to volunteer at the animal shelter! Trudy said since we spent so much time there we might as well do something productive! Yay! Ponyboy has been acting weird lately. Not exactly avoiding me but…not being near me in school. Whenever I go to talk to him he casually moves away. My paranoia is really getting on my nerves lately. He keeps hanging out with some Soc named Cherry. Two-Bit and I call her Maraschino behind her back. Dallas went back to his tough 'I-don't-care-about-anything' ways after a while. He blew the gang off on several occasions and punched Steve so hard it broke a rib.

Soon enough, school was out on winter break. Johnny and I walked to the Curtis house after school, already planning our break. He teased me lightly about going to the shelter. It was now my getaway from drama and my mother.

"Why don't you just buy the dog?" Johnny asked.

"Don't have the money," I shrugged like it was no big deal. But, in fact, it was killing me that I could never take Dustin home with me.

My relationship with Johnny had changed a bit. We were almost attached at the hip. Where ever one went, the other soon followed. I told him everything. Yes even that. My crush. He had burst out laughing at first, thinking I was joking.

No one else knows. Hopefully.

"So…what's new with you?" Sodapop asked me the Saturday after school was out. I grinned and replied with a simple 'nothing.'

Our relationship had changed too. I had pretty much lost my biological brother. And got a new one: Sodapop. We joked around so much and just had a great time together. I didn't trust him with certain secrets yet. He would never keep his trap shut.

"Come on! Tell me who you like!" Soda nagged.

I sighed unhappily and shook my head no.

"Please?" he pleaded.

Moment of truth? Maybe I could trust him…I told Johnny right?

"Fine. But you have to swear not to tell anyone!" I made him swear.

"Even Pony?" he asked.

"No! You can't tell him!" I put a little too much emphasis on that and it tipped him off. Soda's eyes went round.

"Ohmigosh! You love him don't you? You're going to be my sister-in-law!" Sodapop did a victory dance.

"Shh! don't tell the whole damn world," I scolded. He paused and thought for a moment before looking away sadly.

"What?" I questioned suspiciously.

"It's just…you may not want to get your hopes up too high."

"Well, why not?" I put my hand son my hips and smirked. But Sodapop was serious now, which doesn't normally happen.

"He's planning to ask out Cherry Valance."

After Soda left I stayed with Dustin for awhile. "You promise? You'll never leave me? Not ever?" I know I sounded like a little kid talking to a dog, but I needed someone to be with me. He seemed to understand because he licked me and yawned. Some things never change. Most people do. Dogs do not count as people…do they? Ugh! What was I supposed to do now…

I hope Dallas didn't get too much out of character...Please review!