I am sorry I didn't update yesterday but two cousins came over and unexpectedly spent the night with me, so I didn't have time to write this chapter. Just a little side note haven't slept in 27 hours just to let you know if there are spelling or grammar errors.

I don't own the Outsiders.

The days and practices went by as they normal did. Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit and I all went to school, I stayed after for practice and Rick drove me home. It was all lead up to the rumble. The Socs have been staying on their side of town. But all that didn't matter now, since it was Friday and I was on a bus with several other guys on my way to Mill Creek High School. It took about an hour to get there. We were all ready to play so all we had to do is wait for the game to start at six. We had an hour and a half to spare. The cheerleaders rode on a different bus than us. Rick and I walked over to where Mady, Cara and Alexis were standing. I hadn't really had a chance to talk to Alexis since Monday when she caught up with me and Johnny before school.

"Hello Ladies."

"Hello Rick." Mady and Cara were smiling at him.

"Hey Pony."

"Hey Alexis."

"You want to go walk around?"

"Sure. I'll be back in a bit Rick."

"Alright Rookie." Alexis and I walk to the visiting teams side bleachers and had a seat.

"So how have you been Alexis?"

"I'm alright." She was biting her lip as she spoke.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I know something is wrong. Please tell me."

"Well I heard about the rumble and I don't know. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. Listen how about I take you to the Dingo for lunch tomorrow." She smiled slightly. Rick, Cara, and Mady came over to where we were sitting.

"Hey Alexis Mrs. Marshall wants us to warm-up." Cara stared at us while she spoke.

"Yea so did Winters. So we better get over there Pony." We stood up to walk to different parts of the field, when Alexis turned to me.

"I'll meet you at the Dingo at noon."

"Okay." Rick and me walked over to the rest of the team and did our normal warm ups and passed the football to our partners. Then the national anthem played and the game started soon afterward. It was my job to catch the ball when Mill Creek kicked it down the field to us. I noticed that the ball was going to land short from where I was standing so I started to run. I made it just in time to catch it and then the game was on. I took off running and my team tackling several people that were trying to reach me. I made it to the fifty-yard line before being tackled by four guys. By the end of the game, I scored three touchdowns and kicked four field goals. I managed to throw a thirty-yard tough down to one of my teammates. Mill Creek by the end of the game had one touchdown and missed the field goal. Final score was 28 to 6. After the game was done, we got back on the bus. I sat with Rick like I did on my way to the game.

"So what did you and Alexis talk about?" Rick spoke for the first time since we left Mill Creek fifteen minutes ago.

"Nothing much, just that she's worried about me and the rumble. But we're going to go out to lunch tomorrow."

"Yeah so where are ya'll going to?"

"The Dingo. I wonder what time it is?"

"Usually it's around eleven or so by the time we get to the school."

"Oh okay."

"Why I thought you had a date tomorrow not tonight?" He was laughing now.

"I don't. I just don't want my brothers to be waiting on me. They should be asleep but if I'm not home they'll be awake."

"Oh I see." We sat in quite for the majority of the way to the school. We arrived and everyone looked tired as we gathered our stuff and piled off the bus.

"Do you need a ride?" I looked around and spotted Dally and some others near him but I couldn't make out how they were.

"No thanks, Dally's here."

"Okay I'll see you at practice Monday. Good luck at the rumble."

"Alright see you then and thanks."

I started to walked over toward Dally and the four other figures standing by a tree across the parking lot.

"Hey Pony." Soft-spoken Johnny greeted me.

"Hey."

"Man this kid is going up in the world. He's even riding with Socs." Two-Bit was trying not to burst out laughing at his joke but the rest of gang wasn't so lucky. They all busted out laughing except me and Two-Bit

"Harty har har. I think that I'm going to die laughing."

"Well we better start the funeral then."

"You know what Steve you guys are real funny." We started toward the house.

"So Pony who won the game?" Soda spoke for the first time since I walked over to them as he move out of the way of Steve.

"We did." By now we had arrived at the house. Soda and Steve were still trying to wrestle each other to the ground. I followed the gang inside, Darry was once again reading the paper in the armchair. How he could stand to read the paper day after day was a mystery to me. He looked up when we walked in and Steve managed to get Soda on the ground. I went and put my bag in the my room and then I went back into the living room.

"So Pony, Soda said that ya'll won. How did you do?" Of course Darry would want to know how I did no matter if it was a game or practice.

"Okay, I made three touchdowns, four field goals, and I threw the ball thirty yards and Adam ended up catching it in the end zone."

"You managed to do all that and you just say you did okay."

"Yea Soda it's no big deal."

"I think it is."

"Thanks Johnny."

"So has Winters picked out who's the captain of the team yet?" Darry always kept up with who was the captain of the football team. Since he was the captain of the team when he was a senior.

"No coach said that he would made a decision and then call them." Two-Bit turned Mickey Mouse on and we all sat and started to watch it. Dally, Steve, and Soda on the couch, Darry in the arm chair, and Johnny, Two-Bit and me on the floor. The phone started to ring. Soda jumped up before any of us could claim it.

"Hello Curtis residence….Yea hold on one second…Hey Pony phone it's Rick." I got up and took the phone.

"Hello."

"Hey Rookie."

"So what's up Rick?"

"Well me and the coach were talking and well we figured now would be a good time to tell you something." He stopped.

"Yes?" then I heard both Ricks and Coach Winters voices

"Well we just wanted to say good game captain."

"Um thanks. Wait what?" I pretty much yelled the last part. The whole gang was staring at me.

"We talked it over and you would be the best person for the job. So you will have a little more to do but I think that you can handle it."

"Really?"

"Yea if not Rookie I'll help you. So will you be our captain and lead us to more victories?"

"Yea."

"Good see you Monday!" They both yelled.

"Okay. Bye."

"Hey Rookie?"

"Yea Rick."

"I told Alexis that you have something to tell her so you might want to call her. She said she would wait to go to bed until after you called."

"Okay I will right now. Bye."

"Bye Rookie. Bye Ponyboy." I hung up the phone and started to dial Alexis. I then took the into the kitchen so I could talk to her a little more privately.

"Hello." Thank goodness she answered the phone.

"Hey this is Pony."

"Oh hi. So what's up? Rick said that you would call me and tell me something." The TV was turned up loud so I knew they wouldn't hear me.

"Well I just wanted to let you know that you are now dating the captain of the football team." She squealed.

"Really?"

"Yea. So what do you think?"

"That's awesome. I thought they only picked seniors for that but you deserve it."

"I know it's late so I'll let you go."

"Okay, have you told your brothers?

"Not yet I am getting ready to."

"I'm really happy for you Pony. I'll see you tomorrow at the Dingo at noon."

"Okay bye." I hung up the phone with Alexis and walked back into the living room where the whole gang stared at me when I walked in.

"So what was that all about?" Steve asked me as he, Soda, Two-Bit and Dally started playing poker.

"Well Rick and Coach just wanted me to know that I'm the new football captain." I said quietly. I didn't think that the gang had heard me but Darry jumped up and came and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Run that by me again." I looked into his eyes.

"They said they just wanted me to know that I was the new football captain." A huge smile crossed his face. So Soda, Two-Bit, and Johnny were all around me.

"I thought that they always picked seniors."

"Yea so did I Steve." The rest of the gang congratulated me and an a half-hour later Soda and I went to bed.

I would like to thank PaintTheNight for their honesty and I will try to do better but I'm not making any promises. I would also like to thank Mickie 1984 for there review. Next a special thanks to minato4ever for all the review that you have done. Thanks for writing the reviews. I was debating on whether or not to continue or not so I posted a poll, you can tell me in a review or on the poll either way I want to know if you guys want to read more. I will try to write another chapter tonight and post it. But don't hold your breath because I have some other stuff to do.