A/n: I do not own The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton or I Am a Rock written by Paul Simon and performed by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Enjoy. :)

Don't talk of love,

But I've heard the words before;

It's sleeping in my memory.

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.

If I never loved I never would have cried.

She turned into the small parking lot and turned off the car, praying he was working today. Walking into the small shop, there was only a young boy and a middle aged man at the counter. The boy seemed busy, but the man was only reading some kind of magazine.

Evie walked up the desk, cleared her throat, and smiled. "Would you happen to know if Steve's come in today?"

The man put down his magazine and looked her over. She did the same to him; nothing impressive about him. He looked middle-aged, with a receding hairline and a slight beer gut.

"He ain't in here. Might be in the back room." The man shifted on his stool and spoke to the younger boy. "Anderson, Randle in?"

"Yes'ir," he said. "want me to go look for him?"

He nodded and the boy went to the backroom to find Steve.

Evie shifted awkwardly, not sure what to do, and looked around the dingy shop.

The man glanced at her again. "You Randle's girl or something?"

"You could say that … When does he get off?"

The man shrugged and glanced at the clock. "Six, I guess. It's five 'til, anyway."

Just then, the door to the backroom opened and Steve came out, looking annoyed. "What'd you go botherin' me for, Ernie? I was almost done with that car."

Evie smiled, noticing his grease-covered hands; something she remembered best about him. "Steve."

He turned toward her and cursed quietly. "What're you doing here, Evie?"

"It's been two weeks, Stevie. You didn't call and I got worried. I just wanted to make sure you were fine."

"Well, I'm here and I ain't dead. You satisfied?"

"Stevie, come on, take a ride with me, please. I want to talk to you. We need to sort some things out."

"I'm busy. You didn't exactly come when I was on R&R."

"You ain't anymore, Randle. You're off in a minute, anyway. Get on outta here."

"I ain't done with that Buick," he said, ready to argue.

"Finish it later. Get out of here, Randle."

Steve grunted, but didn't argue any further. Instead, he grabbed his coat and began to walk out the door. Before following him, Evie turned to the older man, Ernie, and smiled gratefully.

Stepping out of the shop, she shivered, glad she was about to get into her car.

"I'm driving," Steve said.

"What?"

"I said I'm driving."

Evie sighed and handed him the keys. He opened her door and she waited as he slid in on his own side and started the car. The radio came on, and there was an awkward silence between the two as Steve sped down the street. How he'd ever managed to avoid an accident so far was beyond her.

Resting her head back on the seat, Evie began to think about what they'd talk about. They needed to get a lot out of the way.

XxXxX

She felt the car stop, and Steve nudged her gently. She opened her eyes and took in the surroundings. They were closer to the west side of town; in fact, she was almost sure Tommy lived only a few minutes away.

She stepped out of the car as Steve opened her door. "Where're we going?"

He shrugged and lit a cigarette. "I thought we'd go for a walk." He handed her the cigarette and then lit his own.

Evie nodded and took a drag. A February night wasn't the best time for a walk, but the sky was clear and she could see the full moon peek out behind a cloud. She sighed as an uneasy silence followed the two. "What do you want to talk about, Steve? I guess you've got some questions, right?"

"Guessed right. Who's this Tommy guy? What's going on with you two?"

She sighed and took in another drag. Tommy had just been there, always at the right time. He'd dried her tears when Steve was in Vietnam, been understanding when she didn't want to talk … She'd never meant for anything else to happen. But it had and she couldn't take it back. When Steve came home she tried to go back to him, but Tommy was still there. He'd inevitably become part of her life and she just couldn't change that. No matter how much she loved Steve -- and she was almost certain she still did -- she couldn't change the fact that Tommy was still there, and he certainly wasn't making things easier for her.

"He's a friend. I met him in a class at the junior college. While you were away he was really good to me, and I guess we just became good friends."

"Good friends? What do you mean by that?"

"Friends the same way you are with Two-Bit Mathews, Steve. Nothing's ever gone on between us."

Steve gave her a skeptical look and Evie sighed. "We dated a few times. He was always good to me while your were gone and I guess we just started going out sometimes. We never did anything serious -- he's not that kind of guy. He just took me out to dinner sometimes."

"You mean when I wasn't there?"

"When you were meeting your friends or doing drugs, yeah. He understood how I felt and he just made me feel real good about myself."

Steve sighed and Evie looked up at him. There was no anger, no sadness … nothing. He looked completely unemotional. She tried to put her hand in his, but he only brushed her away.

"So, you cheated on me?"

"Stevie, I didn't mean to. I've never stopped loving you … things just happened. We couldn't help it. I never slept with him."

"And you think that makes it any better, Evie? You still cheated on me. You think that don't never hurt me?" His hands flew to his temples and he began to rub them furiously. Evie watched as his lips silently formed words.

"Stevie, are you okay?"

"No, I ain't okay, Evie. Just leave it at that."

"Steve, what's going on? I have my share of questions, too. What happened a few weeks ago? What was that, Steve?"

"You want to know what that was? I'm goin' crazy, Evie. Crazier than a shit house rat. I'm hearing things, Evie -- things I ain't supposed to hear. I'm talking to my old man." Steve sat down on the bench and buried his face in his palms. "What the hell is happening to me?"

Evie's mouth fell open a little bit; she was unable to think of anything to say. She sat down and put her arms around him, holding him tightly. "I really don't know, Steve."

"How do I make them go away? Soda's there, too. That's who I was talking to. Not you … You've got to believe me, I'd never say that to you. I just don't know what to do. Sometimes I feel like I'm back in Vietnam and I won't make it home. I see all these guys I knew and I have no idea what to do. I don't know if it's real or I'm just seeing things."

Evie stood up and took Steve's hand. "Come on. Let's get you home."

He nodded numbly and followed her to the car, letting Evie drive this time.

XxXxX

She sat down on the unmade bed and looked over at Steve. His eyes looked tired and he'd let his hair fall in dull curls across his face.

"You leaving?"

"Do you want me to?"

Steve shook his head and pulled back the covers for her. "No, stay."

Evie slid under, still dressed, and allowed Steve to wrap his arms around her. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh. Before she could stop herself, everything that had been held in came spilling out. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she felt Steve pull her closer.

"Just tell me this, Evie. Who do you love more? Me or Tommy?"

Evie sighed and rested her head against his chest. She didn't know how to answer. "You, Stevie." She hoped she wasn't lying.

She closed her eyes again and let sleep slowly come over her. It'd been a long night.