"I heard about this concert in a year or two in New York. Maybe we all could go?" Evie said.

We all sat in the living room talking, again. It was raining out so there wasn't anything to do. "What's the concert called?" Sodapop asked.

"Woodstock, I think. I'm not fully sure if it's even gonna happen, I only head rumors through town."

Darry came rushing into the room, Marilyn followed close behind him with a confused expression. "No! No one here is going to the concert, whatever the hell it's called," he ordered.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Suzie asked.

"A few guys where I work were talking about it. It's this concert for the hippies... and I highly doubt there're be any music actually going on."

"What do you mean?" Candy asked.

"Um..." Darry looked at Ponyboy and Suzie, "You two, cover your ears." They did as they were told and Darry looked back at the rest of us, "It's gonna be full of sex, drugs, alcohol, and- sorry for my words, but it's true- a whole bunch of other countless shit that everyone who goes will regret in twenty years."

We all shared looks. "Maybe, we shouldn't go," I said.

Two-Bit was still away in Vietnam and hadn't even been sent home to visit. Not even for a week! I mean, I get that there's a war and everything but they can't just send him back here for a little while? He does have a life here in Tulsa. A family, friends, girlfriend...

Though I still hadn't told him about James hitting on me. Or any of the gang for that matter. I tried to avoid him or block him out of my life at all costs. He kept asking to take me out on a date and I kept telling him no. But he just kept asking me and asking me and asking me and wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't even hurt him cause he was related to my boss and if I got fired, I'd be stuck at the Dingo. And the worst part? He was in my class.

...Monday, after school at work...

I went through the papers on the desk until the door opened and the bell rang. I looked up and saw Griffin, who walked up to the desk. "How can I help you?" I asked. My heart felt like it pounded outta my chest and my hands shook a bit. He nodded,"Yeah... could someone check out my tires? They're working weird and my car is driving odd." I nodded and went to get James to check out the car, maybe I could get rid of him for a bit.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Griffin asked while he waited for the car.

I shrugged nonchalantly, not looking up at him. "Doubt it... unless you know any Greasers, which I highly doubt, considering you pound on them."

"Watch how you talk, Greaser." His voice was stern.

I really wasn't in the mood to deal with him. I was ready to jump over the desk and knee him, but for the sake of my job and my safety, I held myself back and went back to the papers on my desk.

James came back to tell Griffin the car was done and that the problem was that he had nails in the tires and they were slowly losing air. Griffin paid for the repair then left, James was about to come by me until someone called him from the garage. He looked annoyed but went to the garage, and I silently thanked whoever called him. Like I said, I wasn't in the mood to deal with Griffin, same with James.

"Is there a Rain here?" someone asked and the bell on the door rang.

I looked up and saw Sodapop and Candy walking to the desk. I smiled and stood up,"Hey, what're you two doin' here?"

"You shift ends at 5:30 right?" Candy asked and I nodded.

Sodapop pointed to the clock on the wall, that read 5:44. "We were wonderin' why you weren't at the house yet. We were sent to see if there were any signs of rain... and you too," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Ha-ha, very funny."

"Who's he?" a voice came from behind me. I turned and it was James.

Sodapop and Candy faves confused looks. I glared at James who had an expression of jealousy, probably from me laughing with Sodapop. "None of your business," I growled at James.

"No, who is this guy?" he motioned to Soda.

"Her big brother," he stepped up then whispered to me,"Play along."

James gave a weird look. "You two are brother and sister?"

"She looks like Dad, I look like Mom."

James look unconvinced but finally took the answer and went back to the garage. I took off my uniform shirt, put my shirt back on, grabbed my jacket and left with them. "Thanks," I sighed.

"Who's that creep?" Candy asked.

"My boss' nephew."

"What's his deal?" Soda asked with a dirty look and looked back at the garage.

"He keeps hitting on me even though I say I have a boyfriend."

"And he doesn't listen to you?" Candy look annoyed.

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"How long has he been bothering you?"

I sighed, knowing I'd never hear the end of this. "January..."

Both their eyes widened. "January?!" Soda yelled.

By now we were in front of the house. Darry came out of the house to get the mail,"What about January?" Sodapop explained everything to his big brother and me and Candy went inside the house. Ponyboy sat doing homework at the table, Steve wasn't there. Marilyn, Suzie and Evie weren't in the house at the moment. Maybe that wasn't such a horrible thing at the moment. "Have you told Two-Bit yet in your letters?" Candy whispered. I shook my head. "Rain," Darry called from the porch,"Out here."

I sighed and hesitantly went outside to the porch where the two brothers stood. "Why haven't you told anyone?" Darry asked sternly. He was in what I call, "legal guardian mode".

I sighed, shrugged and leaned against the doorpost. "I don't know... I thought I'd be able to handle him."

"You know we all would've made sure he stopped," Sodapop said.

"I know, I know..."

"Did you tell Two-Bit?" Darry asked. I looked down at my feet and shook my head. "Next time you write to him, please tell him." Darry sounded more disappointed than angry. I nodded. Sodapop sighed,"He hasn't done nothing too bad to ya, right?" I shook my head and he nodded,"If he bother's you... you know who to call." He cracked his knuckles and smirked a bit. I couldn't help but laugh. Darry rolled his eyes but laughed too.

...school next day...

"...I don't know, I might go. Steve doesn't really wanna go so I'm not sure," Evie shrugged at Candy and Suzie.

I sat down next to Candy and set my lunch down on the table. "Go where?"

"The Valentine's Day dance."

I groaned at the thought. I was never into those things, and I wasn't just cause my boyfriend wouldn't be there to go with me. In eighth grade was when my first dance was. I was only me and Johnny who went considering everybody else was in high school, except for Ponyboy who was in sixth grade. The two of us decided to go together since neither of us really knew anyone in the school. We were just going as friends, nothing else. It wasn't terrible, I'll admit, I just couldn't figure out what the whole to-do was about it and I still didn't.

"Are you gonna go, Rain?"

I shrugged. "Don't count on it."

"But you have to! It'll be fun!" Candy smiled.

"How 'bout this... the four of us go together. No guys, no boyfriends. Just as four. Will ya do that?" Evie suggested.

I finally gave in. "Alright, fine. I'll go."

"Good thing Ponyboy didn't wanna go," Suzie laughed.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. The three kept talking about the dance every chance they got, like everybody else in the school. Now don't get me wrong, the three of them are some of my closest friends... but I just wasn't used to their girlieness yet.

I grew up with guys. The closest thing I had to being girlie was giving them girl advice as we got older.

When I got to work, James wasn't there. Rusty said that he'd taken the day off, and I couldn't be happier that he did. Rusty seemed pretty happy about it too. After all the talk at the school about the dance, and since he went to our school, I wanted to avoid him even more. Especially since Darry and Sodapop wanted me to tell Two-Bit in my next letter.

I got inside and didn't see anyone when I went back to the house. I was kinda confused but when I went to get the mail, Darry drove up to the house in his pickup truck with Sodapop, Ponyboy and Steve all getting out. "Hey Rain, anything in the mail?" Darry asked as we all walked back inside. I looked through the envelopes then stopped when one had a return address of Vietnam and the name said Lieutenant Keith Mathews. I gave Darry the rest of the mail then ran to my room to read the letter.

"Rain,
Things still going alright back home? I sure hope so. How ya holding up? Hopefully winter ain't getting to you too bad. Ok, so remember how Curly was in my unit? Not anymore! Kid got transferred to some other base. Less for me to deal with! Anyways, I know I say this in every letter, but with Valentine's Day coming up, I really wish I was back home to be with you. Even if it were just a few minutes. All I know is, I just wanna see you- even though you probably wouldn't recognize me with my uniform and awful haircut. I think I know how Ponyboy felt when he cut his hair w few months back, except I didn't have to bleach mine! Anyways, hope everything's goin' alright back there. I love you and I miss you.
- Two-Bit"

I quickly got out a pen and paper:

"Two-Bit,
Well that's good that you don't gotta deal with Curly anymore! But I'll admit, I feel bad for those guys stuck with him now. And I wish you'd be here too for Valentine's Day. Me, Suzie, Candy and Evie were all talking about the stupid dance. The three of 'em convinced me to go. So the four of us are goin', no guys. And I'd probably recognize you, I've seen you with different haircuts over the years before you finally settled on one look. Anyways, there's something I have to tell you. Rusty has a nephew who started working as a mechanics at the garage since a week after me. He's been bothering me ever since his first day, and by bothering me, I mean hitting on me. Unfortunately, he's a good like Curly, in that sense anyway. Before you worry that I'm breaking up with you- I'M NOT. I just thought you should know, also- I've threatened to beat him up if he doesn't stop. Plus, Darry, Sodapop and Steve have their eyes on him. I miss and I love you too.
-Rain"

I put the letter in the envelope, ran out the house and to the post office. Thankfully, the guys all had gotten used to me running out to mail the letter as soon as I got one.