I'm back! Haha I'm gunna get right to it, here it goes…

P.S. I do not own the Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does!

A couple months have passed since my run in with Pony. It's December now, and even though there's no snow, the atmosphere is thick with the Christmas spirit. I can't place my finger on it, but I have the feeling it's the Thomas' family overwhelming holiday spirit. The house has been decorated since the day after Thanksgiving. If I'm not mistaken, I can even hear carols echoing through the house, oh no, that's just Kenneth singing.

As I lay in my room, I think about the date that I have with Valleri tonight. Our relationship has blossomed. We haven't "done it", but for me it has grown, especially when one considers the heavy make out sessions. I still get nervous every time, but I love it because Valleri adores my shyness. I don't know why, but she laughs every time. Tonight I'm planning on being real romantic, ice skating at the indoor rink, hot chocolate afterwards, and a nice walk through the park. Cheesy, but she loves that kind of stuff, and I have to admit I do too.

Valleri may be able to distract me from previous events, but I still can't get rid of the night terrors. It's happening less and less now that I've found stuff to do with my spare time. It was the unexpected run in with Pony that caught me off guard. I want so bad to have our friendship back, but I just can't do it. It bothers me that I can't figure out why. Am I messed up in the head? Am I just so terrified by the murder of my friends that I lost control of reality? Surely not, right? I'm so confused and lost. The Thomas' have helped me out. They are big on Christianity and I have found that communicating with God helps a lot. Even though I pray night after night for guidance, I'm still stuck.

The loud honk of a horn outside brings me from my thoughts. I realize that I have been sitting in my room for over an hour, and there for I have made myself late. I race down the stairs and grab my jacket. After checking with Shirley, I head out to door and run down the street. Valleri lives a few streets over from me in a large white house. Right now her house is also decorated with blinding white lights and Poinsettias on the porch. When I reach her steps I fix my hair and straighten myself out before knocking. I hear footsteps on the other side of the door. The door opens and I'm greeted with the sweetest smile ever.

"Do I know you?" Valleri asks with a perplexed expression.

"Well, I sure hope ya do. See I've been planning this special event for this special someone for a long time. I was hoping that you would be that special someone," I replied, making sure that I had just the right amount of shyness. I must have too, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me in, planting a kiss that was full of passion.

"Whoa, take it easy there Val, the night has barely started!"

"Well then let's get a move on it! I can't wait to see what you have planned for me."

As she ran off to get her jacket, I waited patiently in her living room. The large couches and soft pillows were inviting and warm. They have a fireplace too, but it isn't lit. Her parents had gone out for some last minute Christmas shopping and a night to themselves. Valleri came bounding down the stairs. Her brown, curly hair bounced against her shoulders, while each step was light as a feather. She walked up to me, grabbed my hand, and without another word, we were off.

I had her close her eyes as we got closer to the rink. It probably wouldn't be that surprising, but it was worth a shot. When I took her hands away from her eyes she giggled with excitement and then she responded. Not in the way I was expecting though.

"Oh, Johnny, um this is nice, but…"

"But you don't like it? It's stupid right? We can go somewhere else if you…"

"Oh no, it's not stupid, it's just…" she turned to face me. Then she whispered, "I can't ice skate."

I stared at her for a few moments, looking into those green eyes. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

"That's what's wrong? Val, I can't skate to save my life. I was figuring you would know and then you could help me, but now that we both can't it only makes the date even better!" I said with a smile.

She looked up at me laughing, "Alright, but make sure there's a doctor nearby, cause we're gunna need it."

How right she was. We fell and slipped and ran into walls, but in the end we both got the hang of it. When we were finished skating, I realized I was going to regret it in the morning. My ankles were already starting to hurt. I'm sure Val's were too, but she didn't show it.

"So where to next?" she asked.

"Hot chocolate?"

"You bet!"

As we made our way to the café, I was silently thanking Mother Nature for turning the temperature down. Hot chocolate in warm weather doesn't really convey a romantic vibe. While we drank we talked mostly about the adorable stuff Valleri would do when she was younger. In between I would pray she wouldn't ask me, because mine wasn't as charming as hers was. But she and I have this unofficial vow that bringing up my past was, not prohibited, but it would be the worse conversation to have when you're trying to have fun. Sure I told her about the shenanigans the guys and I would get into. She simply loved those stories, but even then I was careful what to say. I didn't want to say something that might trigger an unhappy memory.

"Johnny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" I was hesitant, ready to let her down easy if I didn't like the question.

"What happened to your face, I mean the scar, what happened?" she nervously rubbed the side of her cup.

"Oh…I…" I never told her about the Socs jumping greasers. It wasn't that pleasant of a conversation. For some reason, I wasn't timid about this question. I could tell that she was regretting asking me.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. Let's talk about something else."

I was almost ready to oblige, but I felt she needed to know.

"No, it's okay, um let's go for a walk in the park," I suggested. We finished our hot cocoa and headed outside. It was cooler with a slight breeze, nothing too chilling, but it was enough to make us button our coats up. I waited until we were in the tree covered section of the park trail. She patiently waited as I figured out how to tell her. She held my arm for reassurance, and then I started.

"Remember me telling you about the lot, the greaser hang out spot?" she nodded, "Well, we used to play football there all the time and one day we had lost the ball, and of course no one retrieved it cause we were too lazy at the time. Well a couple days later I was searching for it. I figured I could work on my throws and kicks," I paused to look at her. She was staring straight ahead attentively listening, so I continued. I told her how the Socs had come up from behind me, catching me off guard. How I called out for help, but was silenced by their blows. I mentioned how one of them had on rings, and it was those rings that had left the scar behind. I finished the story with how the gang all knew something was wrong and how they found me. I even went on to tell her it was part of why I became so jumpy.

She was quiet for some time after my story. My heart started to pound, had I scared her? I wasn't sure. Her grip on me was tight, so I figured she was astounded by the story. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked and it was just a tad bit louder than a whisper.

"You must really miss them, your friends I mean."

I stopped walking, surprised by her comment, "Uh, yeah, I do. They were a great group of guys," before I knew it, I was overcome by emotions. I just kept talking and explaining in detail, what they meant to me. I explained countless nights of terror in my house and how the Curtis' door was always open whenever I needed it, the cold nights sleeping in the lot, the random beatings the Socs gave us. Everything leading up to my arrival in California; I was amazed by the end that she hadn't run off, frightened by the stories.

"I'm glad you finally were able to open up to me. You finally make sense to me," she said with a nervous laugh.

"I didn't realize that I confused you before."

"There's just one thing that is still bothering me though. If you have shared so much with Ponyboy and Sodapop, why did you let something someone else said get in the way of your friendship? I mean you did eventually learn the truth didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did, but at the time I was so confused by everything that was going on I couldn't straighten it out. Trust me, I want nothing more than to fix what was broken, but it's hard."

"Promise me one thing Johnny," she took both of my hands in hers.

"What's that?"

"Find Ponyboy, and make up. Find him and be his best friend again."

I stared into her eyes. They were watery, whether it was from the chill in the air or her emotions, I couldn't be sure. I leaned in and kissed her, and when our lips departed I said, "I will, promise."

As I walked her up to her door, my heart sank. I realized that I didn't want this night to end. I could tell she shared the same thought.

"Wanna come in? We can watch a movie or something. It's only about what, seven?"

I smiled and replied, "That sounds like a great idea."

We sat down and watched Gone With The Wind. I'm not sure if this was such a great idea, because the first time I saw this it was with Pony. But her in my arms felt just right, and I didn't think of Pony at all. Not when her first husband died. Not when she had her baby. Not when my lips found Valleri's. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I wrapped mine around her waist. I pulled her in as she twisted her fingers into my hair. Next thing I knew I was placing her on her bed, and slowly undoing her blouse. I waited for her to stop me, but she didn't. She ran her hands up under my shirt and pulled it over my head. Her fingers found the button on my pants, and as she worked to undo them, her fingers sent chills up and down my spine with every touch. As I reached for her skirt, she pushed me over so that she was straddling me and lightly kissed my lips. I was confused by her light kissing. No more than two seconds ago she was pressing her lips against mine with a longing passion. She knew what she was about to do would send me over the edge. After her light kiss on the lips, she gently kissed my collarbone and my chest. But it was the quick kisses down the middle of my stomach that sent me soaring.

First, it tickled, but then my stomach clenched and I was overcome with the yearning to have her closer to me. I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me. She let out a gasp of surprise, but I muffled it with a kiss. I rolled over so she was beneath me. I gently tugged her skirt down while she tore off my pants. We were tangled for a second, but we kept our eyes locked on each other. I started to feel my face get red. I realized that all of our sudden fervor led to me being on top of her, both of us wearing nothing but our undergarments. I could feel every curve of her body against mine, her slender hips against mine and our hearts beating against each other's chest. Our breathing was rapid, but surprisingly in sync. We shivered at the same time during our lull, but the heat rose from her body so fast, it shocked my cold skin.

Neither of us spoke a word to each other as we gazed into each other's eyes. I slid my hands down her sides, giving her chills. She moved under me and within that swift movement I was sent into a hurricane of sensations. I kissed her shoulder as I filled every inch of her body with desire and love. She gasped with each movement and held me tighter if she didn't feel my body against hers. Her skin felt like smooth silk and with each touch it created an exhilarating high. I felt her body tense under me as she arched her back. Every hold she had on me relaxed, our bodies trembled together and I collapsed onto the bed next to her.

We lay side by side, not saying anything until we caught our breath. She rolled to her side placing her head on my chest and wrapped her arm around my waist. I stroked her hair and back while she traced an old scar on my side with her finger tips. I held on to this moment for as long as I could, reliving each moment over and over. Valleri fell asleep within minutes. I noticed the time, and not wanting to be caught in bed by her parents, I gently slid out from her grasp. I bent down to retrieve my clothes. I jumped and yelped when she grabbed my wrist. She pulled me towards her and kissed me.

"I love you, Johnny Cade," she whispered.

"I love you too, Valleri Jones," I whispered back.

She put on her nightgown and walked me to the door. We kissed one last time before I walked out into the darkness. I smiled all the way home. To have someone to love me with that much passion was something new to me. I wasn't confused by the emotions I felt. I was more amazed that I could feel all of them at one time, and it was all because of one night with one very special girl.

Valleri Jones would be part of my life forever, and nothing in the world would be able to alter my love for her.

So? What did you think? Thanks for reading!