Disclaimer I don't own The Outsiders.

I woke up the next morning and I was only a little sore. But I got up the first time Darry yelled for us to get up. I had taken a shower last night so I didn't need to take on this morning. I only had a blue bruise on my cheek and a few buries on my stomach and legs. I put on a blue shirt and a pair of jeans and I heard the bathroom door open and Soda came into the room.

"Hey Pony. How are you?"

"Hey good."

I left and went and put grease on my hair and brush my teeth. Then I walked into the kitchen where Darry was cooking and Soda was getting the cake out of the freezer.

"Hey Pone, breakfast is done." Darry told me as he put mine and Sodas eggs on a plate. I sat down and ate the eggs, chocolate cake and chocolate milk. Then Steve, Two-Bit, and Johnny came in.

"Howdy ya'll." Two-Bit yelled as he slammed the door behind them.

"Hey Two-Bit."

"How ya' doin' kid?" They all grabbed a piece of cake and took a seat.

"I'm fine."

"Hey Pony I went to your science class yesterday and do you care to tell me why you weren't in there?" Leave it to good old Steve to bring it up.

"What were you doing in my class anyway?"

"My teacher wanted to me to get some papers or something. But that doesn't explain why you weren't there."

"Pony you better not be skipping class or else."

"Well Darry, just to let you all know I haven't been to science all week." The all look surprise but I wasn't' finished when Darry cut me off.

"You what? That coach is going to kick you off the team."

"Let me finish Darry, we aren't doing anything in science but watchin' movies so the coach asked him I could go in his office so we could talk about different plays and stuff. So I haven't been skipping."

There was a knock at the door and we all looked around and Darry went and answered the door. Then a minute later, someone came up behind me and put their hands on my shoulders. I turned around to see Rick grinning.

"Hey Rick." I was surprised to see him here. Why would he be here?

"Hey Rookie. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Well the coach called me and said that he wanted to see us. I got my car outside."

"Oh okay. Just let me grab my stuff."

"Okay we got plenty of time so you might want to finish eating." I said down and was going to ask him if he wanted anything but Soda beat e to it.

"Hey you want some cake?"

"Um.. Sure."

"Hey don't be a stranger, have a seat." Darry told him and he took the seat between me and Two-Bit where Dally normally sat but since he wasn't here. Darry placed a plate with a big piece of chocolate cake on it in front of him.

"Thanks" he took a bite.

"Man this is the best cake I think I ever had."

"Thanks." Soda. Rick looked at him in disbelief.

"You made this."

"Yea."

"Man you're one good cook." He took huge bites and finished when I did. I got up and put the dishes in sink and started to run some water.

"Hey Pony you did the dishes the other day by yourself so go get your stuff so ya'll can go see the coach."

"You sure Soda. I can help."

"Get out of here Pony."

"Okay bye ya'll."

"Bye Ponyboy." They all yelled. I was leaving the house half an hour before I was suppose to and we never left went we were suppose to so I was a good forty-five minutes early. I got my stuff and me and Rick headed for his car.

"You know you did have to say you would drive me home from practice and you could have called and could have walked to the school."

"I could have but I don't know there something about that makes me want to be your friend." Was he drunk or something or was he always like this?

"Why do you treat me so nice?"

"I told you that there is some reason that I want to but I don't know you seem like an alright kid. What have you ever done to make me not like you?"

"I mean most people don't need reason. I mean understand that you're not a Soc but you aren't a grease either. Not to take in the fact that you're a senior and I'm only a freshman but also one who has been moved up a year."

"I don't mind that you're a greaser it doesn't madder to me and for just truing fifteen your pretty cool." By now, we arrived at the school and only a few people were here. We went straight to the coach's office. The door was closed so Rick tapped on it lightly.

"Come on in." we heard him say from inside and we opened the door.

"Hey you said you wanted to see us."

"Yea I wanted to talk about positions." He said without ever looking up as us.

"What about them?" Rick asked not in a mean way. Then coach Winters looked up and saw the bruise on my fact.

"What happen to you Pony?"

"Nothin'. You were talking about positions."

"He got jumped last night." Rick answered his question.

"Pony maybe you should have your brother pick you up after practice."

"Rick said that he could take me home"

"Really Rick?"

"Yea, I can't let him get hurt." He said grinning at me.

"I'll be fine so can be get back to what we were talking about?"

"Oh yeah sorry Pony. But we have all period to get to it. Rick I asked your teacher and he said that you wouldn't miss anything important, so you could stay here. That's only if you want to."

"Pony's staying right."

"Yea of course." He responded to him before I could. The first bell rung and some people talking in the hall.

"Why don't you two have a seat?" We both sat in the two fold-up chairs, they were really hard but we didn't complain.

"I'll be back in a minute." He said and then he left.

"So what do you think he wants to really talk about?" Rick asked me. How should I know? The tardy bell rang.

"haha. Like I would know, your guess is better than mine."

"I don't know I never had a coach say 'let's talk about positions' and I have played school ball since I was a freshman."

"So you were a freshman on the team like me?"

He grinned "I wish I was but no I was on the JV team. You know you're the only freshman ever to be on the Varsity team at this school."

"I didn't know that."

Just then, the door flew open. The coach stood there with a chair in his hands. He sat the chair in front of Rick and left without a word. Within a second, he had another chair exactly like the other. Both of the chairs were brown with a thick red back and seat.

"Well boys fold those other chairs over in the corner and have a more conferrable chair. That way we can talk."

We sat down and the coach stared to talk again.

"Okay boys I think that I might have figured out what position to put Pony at for the game."

"What?" I asked quickly.

"I guess you really want to know." Rick asked surprised at my eagerness.

"My brother wants to know." Which was the truth since he asked after every practice.

"Okay well I think that I know for sure that you should do the field goal kicks if we ever get a chance to do one."

"Defiantly." Rick answered.

"Then I was thinking that even though Shelton has been playing quarter back, that we should let Pony give it a try."

"I couldn't agree more. Every guy on the team has tried and we get nowhere."

"Wait I kinda know what a quarter back does but what all do I do and I don't know if I can do it if no one on the team could."

"It's not that bad it's just none one on the team is good at it. I personal suck at it." Rick looked at me and grinned before going on. "I think, no wait I know you can do it."

"Okay I will try."

"I knew you would." Rick told before I turned to coach Winters.

"So what can't I do. I don't want to do anything wrong."

"Well technically all you have to do it catch the ball from center…"

"Which is me."

"Okay Rick I was getting to that. That's another good thing that you guy get along okay because if not it could have been bad."

"Really?" What could be bad if two players didn't get along?

"Yeah it can be bad just trust me."

"Okay you were saying that I catch the ball from Rick then what?"

"Well you run the play."

"But if you can't then you do what you think is best." Wow Rick knew a lot about it I guess it is from starting ever play.

"Well who appointed you coach, Rick."

"Sorry."

"So what can I do?" Coach looked at me and grinned.

"Anything if you can't run the play like Rick said do what you think is best. You can pass the football, that's the retrievers job, or you could hand it off to the running backs, or you could run with the ball. Is there anything that you would like to add Rick?" he asked grinning at us and then Rick started.

"Okay just to let you know Randy and Dalton usually are running backs. Mike and Jared are our two main retrievers. I think that is all I wanted to add for now."

"So Pony will you do it?" Coached asked me and he and Rick looked at me.

"I-I…." Then the both gave me puppy-dog eyes, Rick is eighteen and Coach is I don't know old, and they were giving me puppy-dog eyes. Well I guess I could give it a try. But I wondered how long they would sit there with puppy-dog eyes.

"Okay, okay just stop I will try. But I'm not promising anything."

"Yes!"Then they high-fived and the bell rang we had to go.

"Well I will see you two tomorrow. Don't forget to wear your jerseys tomorrow."

"Okay bye." We both left his office.

"See ya later Rookie."

"Bye Rick." He nodded and we went to our lockers.

The rest of the day went by like normal. Except during lunch I went to the library to start do some of the homework I knew I would have on the weekend. I started my paper on Romeo and Juliet since we had just finished it in English and I had a paper due on Monday. I usually did my homework for the weekend on Friday night but since I had a game, I knew I couldn't. I met Johnny and Two-Bit outside after school since Steve had to go straight to work.

"Hey Ponyboy."

"Hey" then we started our walk and Two-Bit told us about all the stuff he told his teachers today. I wasn't really listening just laughing when he said something funny. By the time we go to the house me and Johnny were laughing so hard since Two-Bit decided to walk backwards all the way to the house and then he tripped over a can and fell flat on his back in front of the house. I went inside and started my homework, while Two-Bit watched Mickey Mouse and Johnny came into the kitchen with me and did his homework. At five, I put three chickens in the oven, since we eat like horses and most likely some if not all of the gang would be here and made some vegetables but no peas since of what happened last time. Darry and Soda would be home by six. I finished my homework and helped Johnny right his paper for his English class. We finished and went to watch t.v. with Two-Bit. Then I finished dinner and Darry and Soda came home. Steve and Dally followed them. So I was right the whole gang was going to stay.

"Hey ya'll" Two-Bit greeted them from the sofa.

"Dinner's ready." Then we all went in the kitchen and started to eat.

"So Pony did the coach tell you position you would be playing yet?"

"Yea he did."

"So dummy are you goin' tell us or not?" Steve asked.

"He said that if we ever got the chance to make any field goals that I would do them."

"Well that not a big deal" of course those words came out of Steve's mouth and Dally hit him upside of the head.

"Yes it is Pony don't let him tell you different we all are proud of you." Johnny told me trying to reassure me.

"I wasn't finished yet." Well I was done eating but that wasn't what I meant and the gang knew it.

"Go on and tell us Pone." Soda's voice told me.

"He said he wanted me to play quarter back." Shock and excitement came across all their faces. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground being tickled to death by the gang.

"Okay you guys please stop, I just ate." I manage to tell them between gasps.

"Wow my brother quarter back." Darry told me as he ruffled my hair.

"Yup, I think I'm going to go to bed. See ya'll tomorrow."

"Night." I walked to the bedroom and fell to sleep as soon as Soda came in and put his arm around me.

"Good Night Soda." Yawned out.

"Night Pony."

Okay next chapter is finally the game but don't expect it to be all technical with all the positions right. Since I don't know all about it but I looked up some things and I will try. I am open to any and all suggestions. I am trying to update each day but don't be disappointed if I don't. I have made this my top story. Please review. Thanks minato4ever for reviewing.