The house was empty. No people, furniture or personal belongings. My family was on the road to the other side of Tulsa. I didn't know what the difference was between our old house and this new one.

"How much longer?" I groaned. It just felt like we were driving and driving and just getting farther away from home.

"We'll be there soon." He said. Suspicion grew over me. I just sat back and waited until we got to the new house.

We drove up to the new house. A two-story house. Dad unpacked our stuff. As he did, we brought it inside. Travis and I raced upstairs to choose rooms. But all the rooms were exactly the same. The one closet to Mom and Dad's room was for Maxy, I got the one on the far end of the hallway, and Travis got the one between Max and me. All the rooms already had beds in them, so I quickly unpacked so I could see Dallas (he had called awhile ago to say he was gonna live with his dad again and strangely a few days later my dad announced we were moving).

After lunch, I was anxious for someone to drive me to the other side of town. Dad was busy with unpacking, Mom started right away on work, and Johnny (my brother) was working too. So I couldn't visit them, I had to wait until school started up again. Luckily, there was only a few weeks till the school year started.

There was a knock at the door. My heart started to beat faster because I was excited to see Dallas. I knew it would be him at the door. Mom came to answer the door. She opened it and standing outside was… a lady I have never seen before.

"Hi my name is Diana Valance and this is my husband Drew and my daughter Sherry, we live right next door. We're here to welcome you to the neighborhood." I had seen Sherry around school before. She was kinda popular so I didn't talk to her much.

"Oh, thank you! Jonathon, come here and bring the boys. Well, my name is Ann Taylor and this is my husband Jonathan and these are my children Typhani, Travis, and Maxwell." Mom introduced.

"Well, we're happy to have you in the neighborhood and we brought you an apple pie as a welcoming gift." Diana offered.

"Why thank you so much." Mom thanked.

"Typhani, you want to come out and hang out with us?" Sherry asked.

"Sure." I had nothing better to do and might as well keep my parents happy. I walked out past Diana and Drew and followed Sherry to her house.

"I thought you said you lived next door?" I asked wondering why we were crossing the street.

"We do. I'm going to get my other friend, Casey." She said. I waited at the gate while Sherry went to get her friend, Casey.

"Good afternoon Mr. Linnhall. Is Casey in today?" Sherry greeted, very professional-like.

"Yes, she is. I'll go get her." Mr. Linnhall went back inside to get Casey. I still waited silently at the gate. Finally, Casey came out. She looked happy to see Sherry but not so happy to see me. I didn't know why she would not be happy to see someone she's never seen before but she was like me, happy with the friends she had at the moment. They reached the gate to where I was standing.

"Casey this is Typhani, she just moved her. She's lives across the street." Sherry introduced.

"Hi." Really? That was all she was going to say to me. She was in my math class.

"Hi, nice to meet you too." I greeted sarcastically. I knew already that this relationship would not last.

"Come on Casey. It's not like she's going to replace Jennifer." Sherry was on my side.

"It's okay. I'm not here to replace anyone. I'll just go home, I'm obviously not wanted."

"No don't go. Casey will learn to like you." Sherry pleaded. It seemed she needed new friends as well.

"Fine." Casey and I said at the same time unexpectedly. We all walked back to Sherry's house.

"Why'd you move here Typhani?" Casey asked as we sat down for snacks.

"I don't actually know." I asked.

"Where did you live before?" Casey was interrogating me or something. It was like she wanted to know everything about me.

"Well, I'm glad you're here, no matter where she came from before." Sherry said. I felt that Sherry actually put an effort into trying to be my friend rather than Casey not trying at all and not caring whatsoever.

"You go to our school right?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"We can eat lunch together." Sherry offered. Casey's jaw tightened.

"Um, maybe. My friends just might be worried if I'm not there."

"Oh, why don't they join us?" Casey said, surprisingly.

I hesitated before saying who they were. "Uh, maybe not. It's probably best if I just didn't eat lunch with you guys." The only thing I feared was that Casey and Sherry knew the boys and thought that I was a weirdo for hanging out with a bunch of boys.

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky and find you." Sherry commented and I raised an eyebrow at her strange comment. I just nodded not give her the wrong idea.

It was around five o' clock when I left Sherry's house. Mom and Dad were still working, Max was napping, and Travis was doing stuff in his room. I was acknowledged when I walked in the door but that was typical. I went back to my room for some peace and quiet.

I didn't mind whether Casey liked me or not, I already have friends. I did appreciate the effort Sherry put into trying to be my friend; that much was good. All this talk about my friends reminded me of Dallas. I wondered what he had been doing while we were separated. I was also surprised why my dad moved out family so close to Dallas coming back. I knew he would take advantage to Dallas' absence. I grew suspicious. Why would Dad say we were moving literally right after Dallas said he was coming back? It made no sense. I went to talk to Travis to see if he knew Dad's sneaky plans.

"Travis?" I asked, opening the door slowly.

"What?" He said in grief.

"I was just wondering if you knew why we moved here." I asked.

"No."

"Ah, come on, I know you know." I begged.

"Oh, and you don't?" He snapped back.

"Why would he tell me?" I pointed out.

"He thought moving you here and putting you in a new neighborhood would force you to make more, or I should say new friends." He explained.

My eyes started to well up in tears. No matter what I did or my dad did, it had something to do with my friends. It seemed impossible for my dad to ever make me happy.

"Typh, I'm sorry to tell you that." Travis apologized for nothing.

"Why did you stop being friends with Dallas?" I asked. He didn't even hesitate to speak, "I thought that Dad would be proud of me and not give me the grief that he gives you." He paused, then spoke again, "Don't listen to him if you don't want to. I mean there's no point in giving up on who you love most."

"I wasn't planning to." I got up and left him be. I went downstairs to tell my dad what was on my mind. I walked right up to him and spoke my mind, "I know what you're plan is and I'm not falling for it!" I stomped away. He followed me back to my room, trying to stop me.

"Typhani stop!" he finally got hold of my shoulder, "Knock it off, young lady. I've had enough of your attitude. I don't care if you don't want new friends but you're going to listen to me!"

"Jonathon, stop it right now! Both of you! I cannot stand you yelling at her. Typhani go to your room." Mom interrupted. Mom and Dad continued fighting while I walked upstairs. I walked into my room and there standing before me was Dallas Winston. I ran to him and hugged him so tightly, though he hated hugs, I think he would have an exception for me since he hugged me back. My head rested on his shoulder and I began to cry.

"Ah, c'mon Taylor, don't cry." Dallas whispered in my ear. I was so happy to hear his voice again. I backed away from him, "I'm just so happy to see you again. It's been so long. Have you seen Sodapop yet?"

"Calm down Mrs. Curtis. Come with me and you can see him too." Dallas offered and started walking toward the window, which was his new way of getting inside. I thought about it for a second. I followed Dallas right out the window and we ran until we were out of breath.

"You're pretty brave, Taylor." Dallas commented when we stopped running.

"How did you know where I live? And how do you know where we're going?" I asked, looking around not seeing anything familiar.

"I know Cherry Valance across the street." Dallas said.

"Sherry. It's Sherry Valance." I corrected.

"I guess she didn't tell you. Everyone at school calls her Cherry 'cause her hair. You need to get around more. Her friends started it and I was the first of other kids to call her that. I think she likes me." He explained.

"Sure she does." I laughed. "So why did you come back?"

"Turns out my mom don't want me with her. She only took me so she could have some time alone with me before she had to give me back to my dad."

It felt like we were walking forever, though it was fun talking to Dallas. We finally arrived in the neighborhood in which all my friends lived. The neighborhood wasn't as nice as where I lived, but Dallas said it was all that they could all afford. We walked up the steps and Dallas just opened and invited himself in, I followed.

"Hello? Sodapop you there?" Dallas called out. Soda came running to the living room where we were standing. We all stared each other for a second; I spoke first, "Hi." He came over to give me a great big hug. I hugged him back and savored the moment. Dallas pulled us apart, "This is getting creepy."

Darry and Ponyboy came out and all five of us hugged.

"Living here is weird." Pony commented.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because there's no open field for us to go hunting. It's just houses everywhere." He explained.

I suddenly felt guilty for sneaking out of the house. I sighed and stepped away from the group hug. I was out the door before they all could realize I was gone. I was at a full sprint and people were staring. Not like I was weird for running but that they were disgusted to see me, I didn't know why. I was completely lost but then I heard footsteps behind me. I didn't dare to see who was following me; I kept on with my stroll. My heart beat faster as the steps grew louder, then my breathing was so loud anyone could hear it.

"Stop!" The person behind me yelled. I stumbled forward and stopped walking but the shaking continued. The human came beside me and I slowly turned my head to see the face of… my brother, Johnny.

"Johnny? What are you doing?" I asked, relieved to know it was only my brother.

"Wondering what you're doing out here by yourself. What are you doing?" He asked kneeling down to my height.

"Travis told me that Dad moved us here so I could be in a new neighborhood and make new friends and then I told Dad I wasn't falling for his plans. He yelled at me and then Mom sent me to my room. Dallas was in my room and then we snuck out to go see Soda and then I couldn't take the guilt and just came home." I explained.

"Come on; let's get you home before Mom starts to worry." We walked across the street to Johnny's car. It was weird sitting in police car. There were so many different buttons and switches.

Johnny didn't let me climb back through the window; he made me confront my parents. Luckily, he came in with me. My parents were on the couch, Mom crying and Dad comforting her. I looked at Johnny with the question: do I have to do this? on my face. He pushed me into the living room where my parents sat.

"Mom, Dad. I'm okay." I mumbled. Mom ran over to me and squeezed me so tight I could hardly breathe.

"What in the world were you thinking when running away?" Dad yelled at me.

"Dad, I think she has a reasonable explanation for this." Johnny butted in.

"Johnny, stay out of this!" Dad shushed him.

"I'm just tired of you yelling at me about my friends all the time and I had to go see them." I shouted. My mom finally let go of me and held my face in her hands. Johnny pealed Mom's fingers from my face.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone, and I just wanted to see my friends." I pleaded.

"That's no excuse for leaving without telling anyone." Dad argued back. "Go, just go, I don't want to deal with you anymore." He shooed me away. I felt I couldn't do anything but cry and that's what I did. Johnny came with me upstairs for rare comfort I never got from him (he was ten years older than me so he never was around me much because I was so much younger). I ignored him and lied down on my bed. I stared at a picture on my nightstand of all eight of us. The picture was old, taken about five years ago. Those days were so much easier when nothing was to be worried about.

"Typhani, don't cry. It's going to be okay. Don't worry about Dad right now. Just worry about what you want." Johnny mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"What do you want most right now?" Johnny rephrased.

"Well, my friends, I want to be with them right now and forever." I answered.

"Then focus on that, don't worry what Dad wants you to do. He can't make all your decisions for you, so you have to do it for yourself." Johnny explained.

"Yeah, I only wish it was that easy." I complained looking at the photo again, sighing. I rest my head on my pillow once again and fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of Johnny's hand rubbing my back.