I can really feel my brains bang against my skull as Two-Bit Mathews rattles the shit out of me.

"Herd you tried to pick up my sister again, you punk." When he finally lets go, I fall down right on my ass. "You're not getting any action from her. She's not like the whores you hook up with. She's different." I spit on the gravel and give the red headed grease the best glare I could muster.

"Really? I haven't noticed. Come on, Mathews. Would I screw around with a girl more than once of she was nothing more than a slut to me? Really, think about it." I silently praise myself over the speech. Tim would be proud.

"Watch it, hood." He growls. By now I am getting really agitated.

"Just beat it, Mathews. Did your sister ask you to harass me? Huh?" Mathews holds his glare but doesn't say anything. "That's what I thought. So leave me and your sister the hell alone!" I whirl around and stomp angrily away. Trust me; there is nothing more I want to do than to beat the punk into a bloody pulp. But I have better things to do.

"Hey Tim! We got another gang who's giving us trouble." I hop onto the hood of my brother's car; where he's taking a smoke.

"What gang?" I shrug and get off the hood to stand in front of Tim.

"He didn't say. Just told me his name was The Motorcycle Boy; and to stay in the subs." Tim starts cursing a mile a minute and turns to face the full moon; which cast a faint glow onto the half naked blonde in the back seat. I let my eyes linger a little longer; but divert them before Tim sees me checking out his girl.

"Fucking downtowners. They always give my shit about this." Tim turns back to me and stares me in the eyes. "Tell the others about it; but ti keep there positions downtown."

"Uh, why?"

"What the hell do you mean why?"

"I mean, why would you keep the gang downtown when we got the whole sub?" Tim sighed like I was a four year old asking too many questions.

"Because downtown has the pure shit; while we got all the tainted kind. Business is better downtown, too. So I'm willing to fight the MB for to drug land; as long as the cash is flowing. Now get your punk ass away from me." I scram to the other cars and tell them what Tim told mw. They look at one another with worried expressions, but nod at the command. Tim Shepard was the puppeteer, and we where the puppets.

Now that I'm done playing messenger boy, I jump back into the car I came in, and throw the other hoods out. I stomp on the gas pedal and zoom off into the pitch black night. As the sleek dark road races ahead of me, jittery burst are exploding in me. I need a cigarette, or I'll explode with anxiety. So I reach down on my pocket and light a cancer stick; taking a few quick puffs before focusing on the road again. The light helps some, but the uneasy feeling is still there. The feeling that something's missing. I toss the cigarette out the window in frustration and make a messy u-turn.

About six miles down the road, I spot the bright lights of the food joint. I swerve into the parking lot and ignore the blaring horns and angry cusses from the other drivers. I hop out of the car and stalk up to the doors; pushing both of them open with as much force as I could muster. When I get inside, all heads turn to me. Blonde, black, blonde…..and red.

"Hey, Shepard! I got a nice table for you over here…" A guy with string black hair that I've never seen before smiles and waves me over to the right.

"My dates all ready here." I growl.

"Oh, really?" He laughs nervously. "Well, I guess you can go to her then is she over there? Or maybe she's in the front? No, I guess she would be blonde…" I leave the babbling idiot and stalk back over to the left. She pretends not to see me, but I know she does. When I finally get to her table; where she's sitting with Curtis (who looks like a nervous wet dog that knows he's in trouble, but ignores the glare of the master).

"Hey, baby." I slide in next to Joni and wrap and arm around her shoulder. "I won the rumble." She finally looks me in the eye.

"Good for you, Shepard. Now if you don't mind, I was talking to Ponyboy here about the American Revolution." She flips her luscious hair and turns back to Curtis. "You know, I never knew that Franklin was the one to go to France."

"Uh, yeah. He did." I scoffed as another bead of sweat fell down his forehead. "And, um…"

"Come on, Curtis. You can do better than that." I smile wickedly and tighten my arm around Joni. "Entertain us with your old, wise knowledge." Joni doesn't laugh, but she breaks out into shudders under me.

"Curly, just beat it. You don't have to be an… an ass to get what you want!" I roll my eyes and lean forward.

"Neither do you, Ponyboy. But I swear to God, I'm not…"

"Guys, guys! It's all right." Joni pushes us away and is openly laughing. I look down at her and gaze into those hazy green eyes.

"Is it?"

"Yes." She sighs and leans a head on my shoulder and a hand on my chest. "Yes it is."