DISCLAIMER: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I do not own The Outsiders and the character associated with it. I am merely a fan. A fan who writes fiction. Fan fiction. Whee.

Well, on with the story …

Driving to school that Tuesday, Steve felt an overwhelming feeling of dread. Tuesdays, in his opinion, might as well crawl into a corner and die. What's the point of them anyway? Monday is the first day of the school week, Wednesday means the week is half over, Thursday is the day before Friday, and Friday is, well, Friday. Tuesday is just a big ugly blot smeared all over Steve's week. To top it off, it means another long, uneventful day at work watching someone else work on his 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. The thought sickened him. But maybe it's just the immense tiredness talking.

He reached his destination, the Will Rogers High School parking lot, collected his things and went in through the South entrance. On his way down the hall he spotted Two-Bit, leaned against a locker, seeming to be telling Johnny some kind of wild story. He walked over to greet them.

"Hey Two-Bit, hey Johnny. What's happenin'?"

"Heya Steve, listen, I was just tellin' Johnnycake here about how I almost died last night when the damn brakes went out in my car again. Want me to retell it?" Two-Bit said with a hint of laughter.

"Yeah, apparently it was a real trip; an elk ran into the middle of the road so he swerved and nearly hit a Cub Scout," Johnny added.

"Well look at you, Mr. Cade, gettin' all sarcastic on me! And it was half a dozen girl scouts, by the way."

Steve chuckled and smirked. "Two-Bit when are you gonna get enough sense in that head of yours to just let me fix the damn car?"

"Oh, she's fine, she don't need no fixin'. She just gets all in a huff when I've got a girl with me. Gets jealous, you know how Plymouths are," he replied with such passive sarcasm you might almost think he was serious.

"Oh yeah, it's those damn '57 models," Steve replied, "The jealousy rages."

The warning bell rang throughout the school.

"You goin' to English, Two-Bit?"

"Well now I just can't believe you asked me that, Steve. Of course I'm gonna go get me an edjamucation."

Steve laughed.

"Your first class near here, Johnny?" Two-Bit asked.

Johnny nodded. "Just down the hall."

"All right, if any Socs mess with ya just lemme know and I'll mess with them." Two-Bit grinned happily and both he and Steve left up the nearest stairs to the English hall.

As they walked, the pair couldn't help but notice the short-skirted, long-legged girl reaching up into her locker.

"Nice knees she's got there, huh, Stevie?" Two-Bit chuckled at his joke.

Steve laughed with him and whistled, loud enough for the girl to hear. He wanted her to; he had to get his kicks somehow.

She looked toward the two of them and walked with determination in their direction, her blonde hair swaying as she went. They made no effort to avoid her.

"I could slap you for that," she said.

"For what, darlin'? Lovin' you?" Two-Bit drawled like an Old Western cowboy.

"Well aren't you just a gentleman." She rolled her eyes.

The late bell rang.

"These two ol' greasers buggin' you, Kathy?" They hadn't noticed another girl walk up behind her. A brown-haired girl with blue eye shadow and candy-apple red lipstick.

"Oh it's just these two buffoons Two-Bit Mathews and Steve Randle."

"Two-Bit and Steve, huh?" She raised an eyebrow in Steve's direction for a moment, just as she had the day before. "Well you'll be careful not to mess with Kathy here, she'll take you through the ringer."

"I'll keep that in mind, honey." Two-Bit grinned slyly.

Steve mentally kicked himself for not beating Two-Bit to the retort. He couldn't help it; he got distracted. He kicked himself again for letting that girl be the distracter.

"Come on, Evie, we're late." Kathy said, tugging on her friend's arm.

Evie looked at Steve and Two-Bit coolly for a moment longer before going along down the opposite hall. Steve nearly sighed watching her glide to her classroom. He made a mental note to really kick himself later. He took out a comb from his back pocket and ran it through his hair to shake off the feeling. He may have liked her, Steve told himself, but he was not going to ask her for a date. Putting up with a girl like that would grow tiresome and get damn annoying. Though he has always enjoyed a challenge ….

"I dig her," Two-Bit said. "Kathy. She's got spunk."

Steve nodded. "Come on, Syme's gonna try and give us detention if we don't get goin'."

They started back down the hall and Steve asked Two-Bit to retell his story. But when Two-Bit went off in his spiel Steve didn't listen. He had something else on his mind, and not that '55 Chevy.

Another short chapter. Sorry, I'll try to make them longer as the story progresses. But I hope you enjoyed this one anyway.