…one month later…

"Ready to go back to school?" Johnny asked me as him, Two-Bit and I walked to up to the school building.

I had been out for nearly a month cause of where I got that surgery on my side. The doctor wouldn't let me go to school cause she didn't want the stitches to get messed up or something, I don't know. But either way, I had some work to catch up with. I really didn't feel like doing it, but I would since I didn't wanna get held back like I did when I was ten or eleven in the fifth grade, all because of some stupid reading assignment… so in answer to Johnny's question, no. Not particularly.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Not really, but I guess I have to be."

"It's still weird not having Soda or Steve around here," Two-Bit said as we walked in.

Soda had dropped out a week before I got hurt, Steve did the same a week after him. I don't know why Steve did, probably cause he wouldn't have Soda with him anymore at the school, I don't know. I know why Soda dropped out, though; he kept saying he was dumb. Pony and I kept trying to tell him otherwise, but he would just blow us off about it or change the subject. Though, when it happened, Steve told me he knew the reason Soda dropped out; it was so he could help out Darry so he could get a job and take some pressure off his big brother.

I don't really agree with their dropping out. Couldn't they have at least finished off the school year? There was only about a month and a half left of the year.

We got inside the school and the bell rang. Two-Bit went off to whatever class he had while Johnny and me headed toward our first class. "Did Pony tell you 'bout school next year?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No, what?"

"His teacher told him that he's too smart for the eighth grade next year and that he might be put into freshman classes here at the high school."

My eyes widened a bit. "He might be able to skip the eighth grade?!" Johnny nodded. "That's so great for him!... I wish we could'a done that."

He chuckled. "But we both were held back in fifth grade."

I shook my head. "No, I got left back. You stayed cause when you found out about that, you stopped doing all your homework so you could get held back too. So that doesn't technically count."

"Well, you think I wanted to go to the sixth grade on my own? And it does count, cause it's on that 'permanent record' thing that all the teachers talk about."

"So then was it really worth staying back just so we'd stay in the same classes?"

He nodded, "Yes it was." I scoffed but ended up laughing as we walked into the classroom, earning us a confused look from the teacher, and weird looks from everyone else in the room.

…after school…

Johnny and I met up with Ponyboy when school was over. The three of us were always pretty close. Other than the fact that we were the youngest, we just got along easier. Sure, I met Sodapop first, but we had more of a brother/sister relationship than anything else… ya know what? I'm not really sure why I was closer with Ponyboy and Johnny. It just happened, I guess.

Maybe with Ponyboy cause Steve always made comments about him being a "tag-along", so before I would always defend him before he got old enough to defend himself. I probably did that cause I didn't get along too well with Steve either, but we won't get into that right now.

And Johnny, well everyone loved Johnny. I think it was physically impossible not to. But the real reason I think the two of us got along pretty well was for two reasons. One: Before we were friends in the same class when we were all kids, everyone would talk about him and laugh at him cause he was so quiet and shy, and I was the only person who wouldn't. And two: we came from homes so similar, the two of us just understood each other in a way better than the rest, in that sense.

I opened my mouth to say something till someone behind us yelled, "Boo!" I jumped and screamed, Johnny and Ponyboy let out- what I call- a "guy-scream", which is how guys scream, but it comes out as basically a yell.

The three of us turned and saw a laughing Two-Bit, who looked like he was about to fall down to the ground cause he was laughing so hard. The three of us all shared annoyed looks then glared at the taller of us all. He finally composed himself but still chuckled, "Hey guys."

"Jerk!" I yelled.

"You nearly scared us to death!" Ponyboy shouted.

"Was there a point in doing that?" Johnny asked, his voice raising, but not loud enough to be considered a yell.

Two-Bit gave an innocent look. "Y'all 're acting like I never done this before."

He did have a point. I sighed, "That's true. But that still doesn't make it any better."

"I'll probably be doin' it till we're all old and gray and in some old folk's home."

"We're stuck with you for the rest of our lives?" Ponyboy questioned, earning laughter from me and Johnny and a glare from Two-Bit.

The two of them pretty much argued about that the whole way back to the house. All the way there, Johnny and I followed a foot behind the youngest and second oldest of the gang, trying to hold in our laughter and making comments between ourselves, that made it harder to hold in our laugh's. Thankfully, the two were two engaged in their conversation that they didn't notice out comments.

By the time we got to the house, the two were still going at it, probably cause Two-Bit didn't wanna let it go or something. Not to sound rude, but he had a tendency to do that sort of thing. Yes, he was my friend, but he did have quirks.

But don't we all have quirks?

Johnny and I had enough of them by now and it wasn't as funny anymore. By now, it was downright annoying. "Enough!" I yelled. The two looked away from each other and at me with shocked expressions, and I saw Johnny smirk a little. "You two have been going on about it for twenty minutes, is there really a point?" I asked with an annoyed expression.

"Yeah," Two-Bit nodded, "Point is, you've been spending too much time with Dal these last few weeks."

"Who's been spending too much time with me?" we heard from the door and saw Dallas walk in.

"Speak of the devil…" Two-Bit whispered to me, Johnny and Pony while we all held in our laughter.

Dallas glared at Two-Bit. "Watch yourself, Mathews."

The two exchanged a few more threats, which then led to it taking about ten minutes to rip them apart before they killed each other before Darry, Soda and Steve got back from work. If they killed each other while Darry was around, he'd at least know what to do, better than us three at least.

By the time we got the two separated from each other, they both had something to show for their fight. Two-Bit had a small trickle of blood from the corner of his left eye that had already started to swell. Dallas had a cut on the edge of his lip that had made a small blood mark in the area, and his eyes were still filled with fire. We all knew better than, at this point, to not even try to calm him down. The only thing that could calm him down, was just himself and leaving him alone to let him cool down.

Pony and I went to get the two each a wet rag to clean off their cuts, and Johnny stayed with them cause we all knew, no one would fight if it was just him around. And to our suspicions, we were right, since when we got back, the two boys sat in their same spots as when Pony and I left the room a few minutes earlier. Johnny smirked at me and Pony, earning a slight chuckle from both of us.

Ponyboy went to Dallas while I went to Two-Bit. He took the rag and wiped it over the corner of his eye, "Thanks, Rain."

I nodded and sat across from him. "Don't mention it… but why'd ya feel the need to get into a fight with Dal?"

He shrugged. "I was bored."

I scoffed and chuckled. "You're an idiot sometimes, ya know that?"

He chuckled. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

"I figured it out ten years ago when I first met you."

"Yeah, but you love me." His voice was teasing.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Just clean your eye."

Aw, early Rain and Two-Bit :3 (if you have already read, "To Love A Greaser", then you get what I mean)

That's really all I have to say, I cant think of-

WAIT I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING!

I saw The Breakfast Club in theaters for the 30 year anniversary :3 oh my gosh, I was saying like every line with the movie and my mom was like "Just sit and enjoy the movie, even though you've seen it like a hundred times" and I was like "This is how I enjoy it"… no, there were these other teenage girls behind me, they were so annoying GOSH! They thought they knew everything about the movie, like no, you don't, so shut up and let the freaks like me who are obsessed with these people enjoy it

Wow that was weird

Ok, im done! Peace from all the hippies of the world!