A/n: Ok, beta or no beta. Im gonna keep moving. Enjoy.

Amethyst POV

I sat in study hall, wondering what I should be doing. Two-bit is still in the hospital, and Ponyboy was out today because he caught a heat stroke. Two-bit and I usually sat together, laughing and joking about all the socs in class with us, but today I sat alone.

I saw a girl with red hair sitting by herself also. She looked just as bored and tired as I did. I stood up and went sit next to her, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

"I figured you need someone to talk with. I'm Amethyst Heart. It's nice to meet you." I held up the back of my hand to her. She smiled and bumped her fist with mines.

"I'm Cherry Valance." She smiled at me. "So I hear you're the newest student here in Tulsa. What brings you here?"

"My parents wanted a change of scenery..." I said as I thought about my old town, my friends, my old house. I sat down and rested my head on my head, and sighed. I might have been getting homesick.

"I see. What was it like back in your old town?" Cherry asked. I guess she was only curious. After all, I did speak with a weird accent.

"It's not a big town, very small. It's also a close-knit community. Everybody knows who everyone is, where they live, and what they do for a living. The town even has a book of recipes. Just one huge book FULL of the best recipes from all of the people who live there." I said, as I remembered buying a copy for my Aunt Lisa, who lives in Michigan.

"What recipe did your family share?" She asked as she rested her head on her hand.

"We have the best peanut butter recipe! It was so sweet, and it flowed like caramel. I'd eat it on gram crackers, toast, strawberries, and just about anything else it went with." I took my hand and wiped my mouth in fear that I was drooling.

"Can you bring me some? Next time your parents make it, I mean." She asked as she perked up a bit.

"Sure. But that's only if Ponyboy and his brothers and friends don't take it all first." I said as I chuckled. Cherry's face instantly fell at the mention of greasers.

"Speaking of, why do you hang out with them? Your a middle class girl, you can do better." She crossed her arms and legs and raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's not that I can do better, they're my friends. I don't really like the whole 'social classes at war' thing. It's kind of rediculous if you ask me. Fighting because of who has money and who doesn't." I said, crossing my arms also.

"Those greasers are nothing but trouble! You shouldn't hang around them." She said, getting a little upset. At this point, I'm ready to blow.

"HEY! Do you ever think that maybe they didn't want to be lower-class? Maybe greasers hate socs because they are only jealous. Not all greasers are hoods you know! Ponyboy and Johnnycake and Sodapop and Darry... They're all good people with hearts of gold! But you wouldn't know! You wouldnt get it! All you THINK you get is that everyone with the title of a greaser is just like Dallas Winston! THAT'S a greaser! THAT'S a hood!" I stormed out of the room, leaving Cherry and everone in the fading classroom silent and speechless.

I guess something I said got to Cherry, because when the bell rang for school to let out for the day, she came running up to me. I looked at her and crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Can I help you?" I said calmly

"Look, what you said in second hour really hit home. I would have never konwn it, but I agree with you. This war we have going on, we need to stop it, but how?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"People are watching the interaction between you and I, aren't they? That's where we start, some socs and greasers start becoming friends. It might bring down socs, but it'll give greasers a boost, and we can balance out the differences." I said, dropping my arms down to my sides.

"So if you and I act like we're best friends, do you think that it'll encourage people to do the same?" She smiled.

"It's worth a try." I held out the back of my to her. She smiled and bumped her hand with mines.

"Wanna go catch a movie at the Nightly Double? Maybe tomorrow night?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll bring my boyfriend! You bring your guy friend too!" She said. Her friends honked the horn for her to leave.

"I'll see you guys Monday!" She called back to them, and they drove off.

"So who's your boyfriend?" I asked her. She giggled and blushed.

"You'll never guess who." She said. I got a little excited.

"You have to tell me who! Please?" I said, jumping around a little.

"Ok, ok! It's Rick Hawthorne!" I froze at the sound of his name. Rick.

"Oh no... anyone but Rick..." I said as the smile and all the color faded from my face.

"What's wrong? Did I say something out of line?" She said, getting scared.

"No. It's just that... well... When I first moved here, Rick tried to rape me. He tried killing Sodapop, put a blade to my throat AND he knifed Two-Bit, who is still recovering in the hospital! To put it simply, Rick and I are NOT on good terms." I said, crossing my arms again. At this point, Cherry and I were walking towards the DX, not really caring who saw us.

"Rick did all that? There's no way..." She bit her thumb and looked down at her feet. I decided to pull up my shirt and show her the bruise that formed when Rick first pushed me into the lockers.

"The bruise is shaped like a padlock from school. He shoved me into those lockers, hard." I said as I pulled my shirt back down. Cherry looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey now, I didn't mean for you to get all teary-eyed on me. Please don't cry Cherry.." I cooed, but the tears kept coming.

"Why are you crying?" I asked, because I had no idea what was going on.

"We've been dating for a year and a half... and he's cheated on me more than just this once..." She turned her head away from me so I couldn't see her face. For whatever reason, I got somewhat angry at her.

"Then why the hell do you keep taking him back?" I snapped. "Why do you keep forgiving him? You might think you love him and that he loves you, but if he really loved you, he would not have cheated at all! And guess what? That fact that you keep taking him back makes you look like an ass and a whore!" I yelled, but I instantly regretted it. I didn't regret telling her that Rick was a manwhore, but I kinda did regret telling her that her actions make her look like a whore. She looked at me with smoldering eyes and stopped dead in her tracks.

"So that's it huh? You think I'm a whore? A stuck-up broad?" She got in my face and I shrank away from her voice.

"I didn't say that I thought you were a whore, I said that the fact that you keep taking Rick back makes you look like one to, not only me, but a lot of other socs and greaser alike." I said firmly and stood up straighter.

"What's the difference?" She snapped, stomping her foot on the ground

"That fact that you aren't one." I repiled calmly. She breathed through her nose heavily, and tapped her foot while her arms were crossed. She did this continuously until she calmed down.

"Thank you, Amethyst...You're a really good person, you know that?" She said weakly. She dropped her arms and hung her head. Then suddenly, her hands became clenched into fists and she looked back up at me. "Well, what do I do now?"

"I know a guy named Rick who kinda deserves to be knifed right about now..." I said slowly. She chuckled and unclenched her fists.

"You know just how to make light of a shitty situation, don't you?" I smiled and she slung her arm over my shoulder.

"Let's go get some Dingo burgers. I ate a salad for lunch, and the lettuce was spoiled..." I said as we started walking again.

"You know, Amethyst, I think you can really change this town..." Cherry said as we talked about all the crazy things that happen between socs and greasers.

"I'll die trying if I have to..."