Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders or Her Eyes.

She's a Gemini-Capricorn. Thinks all men are addicted to porn. I don't agree with her half the time but damn, I'm glad she's mine. Her eyes, that's where hope lies. That's where blue skies meet the sunrise. Her eyes, that's where I go. When I go home.

Steve had a fag in hand. It was about his fifth one since they got into the diner. Evie had insisted after they got married that he quit. The agreement lasted two weeks before Steve started sneaking around the house with a Hersey bar in one hand, and a pack of Reds in the other.

"How's Eve?" Sodapop asked, sipping on his Pepsi. It'd been a while since him and Steve actually got to sit down and talk.

Steve shrugged and chewed on some nuts. "Damn man, don't ever get married. If I have to drag your skinny ass out of the church myself, I will."

Soda laughed. He had heard just how good married life was plenty of times. "Don't think I'll have to worry 'bout that for a while."

Steve shook his head and bit down on another nut. He thought for a moment and then a sly grin appeared on his face. "Man though, it brings new things to the under sheet life."

Soda had heard all of this too. Every. Damn. Word. "You don't say?"

Steve chuckled and imagined it in his head. "She's a pistol. Can get her all riled up and then sneak into the bed real late and slip your hand under her panties and then-"

"Got it," Soda put an end to it. He already couldn't look at Evie the same way. Steve got a defeated look on his face. "I just...I don't-"

"I got it," Steve said understanding. He knew just how much his best friend was hurting these days. "Still ain't found no one to go to the rodeo with?"

Soda shrugged. He had plenty of offers from girls Steve had gotten to ask him but he just didn't want any of them. "No."

Steve wasn't backing down from the situation. His buddy had been single way too long. Though he knew Soda still got some action and he was by no means alone. Unhealthy action, but he got it. It was time to upgrade from the skanks at Bucks and move on to ladies.

He had gotten Evie on the case too. He invited Soda over every Saturday night for dinner and had one of Evie's friends sitting right in front of him. He had a pretty girl on an open platter and every time, Sodapop left early and never took a number.

"Are you guys ready to order now?" The blonde waitress came over to their table.

Steve eyed her. She was the new one that gave them ice after those Socs jumped Two-Bit. A light bulb went off in his head. "How old are ya?"

She blew a bubble from her gum and grabbed her writing pad from her apron. "Eighteen."

Steve smiled another sly grin and gave a wink to Soda. "You were the chick who handed out ice when them Socs came here last."

She gazed up at them and took in their faces. "You're Danni's friends aren't you?"

Steve threw his arm back and stretched out on the booth. He pointed to Soda. Her eyes followed. "He's her brother."

She gave him a small smile. "What do you want to eat?"

"His name's Sodapop," Steve went on. "Ain't that a funny name? His pops was all about names like that. Kid brother's Ponyboy. Ain't that somethin'?"

Soda kicked his sheen from across the table causing Steve to hiss. Jennie gave them both a funny look. "You ready to order of what? I've got other tables I need to get to."

"Sorry," Soda apologized. He looked at her nametag. "Jennie."

She nodded and looked back at her note pad. "So, Sodapop, what will you be having?"

"Hey," Steve still hadn't given up. "Jennie, what are you doing this Saturday night?"

She huffed and jammed her pen down on the paper. "Nothing with you, hon." She stared at his hand. "Don't think your wife would like that very much."

Soda chuckled as Steve's playful grin faded into a scowl. He swallowed back his insulting comments and said: "We're goin' to a rodeo next town over. Bunch of us. Everyone's got a date but my buddy here."

Sodapop bit his tongue and kicked Steve harder this time. His face grew strawberry red as Jennie giggled at the two. "Sorry," he said again. "He's an idiot. Don't listen to him."

She raised her eyebrows. "So you do have a date then?"

"N-no," Soda said. "But don't feel like you-"

She shrugged. "I'll go. If ya want me to that is."

Steve stuck his tongue out and laughed like a hyena. He just scored big. He should get some kind of award for stuff like this.

Soda, still embarrassed, stammered on his words. It wasn't that he didn't want Jennie. Hell he did. It was just...what was it exactly again? "Um...I mean if you're free."

Steve chocked up and laughed his head off. Jennie ignored him and smiled. "Yeah. See you Saturday night...Sodapop."

My feet slid on the dry dirt under the swing. I let them drag as I listened to the chains squeaked. Angela and I used to come to the swings a lot. It was here she told me about sex. She told me about her first time and what it was like. We were thirteen and I still hadn't kissed a boy yet so she filled me in on everything.

She met the guy at school. He was three years older than us but just a grade ahead. She'd talk about him all the time and how great he was and how she thought she was in love with him. It was at a party when they did it. She explained it like it was the perfect thing. It was every girl's dream.

She told me about how it felt, the pressure she felt. It didn't last long but she said she thought it'd taken hours. She explained the feeling of having a guy inside of her and how safe and loved she felt. She felt love at that moment. What love was really like. She couldn't shrug that feeling either. Having someone love her was so important. Having someone have sex with her was the only way she felt it.

It wasn't Angela's first time. We both knew it wasn't but somehow, it always fascinated me how wonderful losing your virginity must feel. It must be magical. So I sat there and pretended with her and heard every word and wished for once, that I was her. I wished I could feel what she was feeling at that very moment.

Randy was really slow. It was his too. We promised each other we'd be careful and do it together. We'd make it special.

"What are you doing here?"

I searched around the park at all the mothers and their children wondering the same thing. A sixteen year old girl alone at a park wasn't a common sight.

I looked up to a smiling face. He'd been smiling more lately. Angela would have loved to see him like this. "Hi."

He took a seat beside me and laughed at the rugrats in the sandbox. He swung his swing sideways where it hit mine. "Kids. Always wanted a couple. I think I want about six."

"Six?"

"I'm catholic," he said. "We have lots of kids right?"

His hair had gotten darker. There was more light in his eyes too. I think Tim going off did him more good than anyone thought. Living in your brother's shadow isn't good for anyone. "So what are you doing here, Curl?"

He shrugged and leaned back. He started to pump his legs. "Can't a guy go to the park and swing? I should be asking you the same thing. Look like someone died."

"Just wanted to swing," I said. "How's Connie?"

His eyes lit up. He looked like a school boy who just got laid for the first time. He couldn't wipe the smile from his face. "She's great. You need to meet her sometime. Think you'll like her."

We swing together and listen to the laughter of the kids. Curly goes on about Jake and how good Connie is with him. He says Tim's back and goes on to say how happy he is that they are all together again.

Curly looks just like Angela. To a T actually. They could have been twins if Curly didn't have his shadow and wasn't a foot taller than her. Sometimes it's hard to look at him for too long.

Angela told me about Curly's first time. She had walked in on it and then heard Tim and Curly later talking about it. Tim about beat the shit out of Curly for letting Angela see it and wanted to have the talk with her. Curly could have cared less at that point. He'd gotten what he wanted.

She was some little blonde with a flat chest and glasses. She was real skinny too. Nearly half of the high school kids had already fucked her and she wasn't but twelve. Rumor was her step dad took her virginity when she was eight. Her past might have explained why she said she was pregnant with Curly's child two weeks later.

Tim handled that situation.

Angela said they looked like monkeys at the zoo when they fight. There was a lot of moaning and the girl was on her back and her nails were going into Curly's back. He was arched over and sweating and bobbing up and down. Angela and I, only being eight at the time, thought sex was like wrestling...and we didn't want to wrestle with anyone until we got married, if that.

"You want me to drive you home?" he asked as the sun went down and the kids left. "It's late."

I shook my head and pumped my burning legs again. "I think I'm going to stay for a little while. It was good seeing you."

He half nodded and headed off into the darkness.

The sun was just setting. Sarah's change in her purse was jingling by her side and her hair flopped back and forth. A cold front was coming in and we couldn't get warm enough. My hands stayed glued to the insides of my pockets and all I wanted to do was get somewhere warm.

"What about shoes?" Sarah asked, stepping into the department store. "Do you need shoes?"

I shivered and sucked in the warmth of the air. "I'm just here to help you, 'member?"

She walked over to the woman's section and started pulling things. "You're not getting anything?" She held up a brown skirt on her hips. "Don't you wanna look nice for Dal?"

I sneered, rubbing my hands together. "Trust me; once you get to the point Dally and I are at, you don't need to dress fancy. Hell he'd like it more if I didn't wear anything at all."

She giggled and grabbed another skirt. I waited as she flipped through each rack, trying to decide on colors. I walked over to the jewelry and searched through earrings. Kathy pierced my ears a few months ago despite Darry's request. They were in a fight that day. I'm pretty sure she won that one.

"Those are cute." Sarah pointed to a pair of pink balls. "I think Dally'll like them."

I picked them up. "Dally won't even noticed...I don't think he's noticed I got them pierced."

She shrugged and pulled a blouse from the rack. "I think he notices more than you think."

I flipped the earrings over and over, deciding if I wanted to spend half of my paycheck for two little pieces of plastic and metal when the bell flipped on the door.

"Anything I can help you with, ladies?"

"No. We're just looking," she answered. "Hey, Danni."

I looked up from the mirror I was looking into, my eyes meeting hers. "Marilyn."

With her, right at her side, was Jane. She looked cold and red. She searched around the store but never left Marilyn's side. She was too scared to. Jane was beautiful. Next to Marilyn though, she looked like no one. We all did next to Marilyn.

"How are you?" Marilyn asked. "I haven't seen you at school lately. Are you still enrolled or did you drop?"

"I'm still there," I answered. "I just haven't been in a few days."

She bit her bottom lip and beamed. "That's right. You got stuck in the woods. I heard about that. Good thing you're back though, right?"

"I guess."

She looked to Jane, signaling for her to go pretend to search for clothes. Her head bounced back and she frowned. "People are talking you know?"

"People tend to do that."

Her heels clicked on the sleek floor as she took a few steps forward, her perfectly glossed lips curled. "Have you been talking, Danni? You know, with everything going on in all, everyone expects that you have."

I stared at her prefect fatigue, her perky breasts and curves that went on forever. She starved herself for months for that. All summer that's all we did. Let's see who can lose the most. Who can shove a toothbrush down their throat for three months? She won that game. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play that card," she hissed. "I'm just trying to talk to you. The least you can do is play along and act like you care."

I looked behind my shoulder at Sarah who had followed Jane's lead and gone elsewhere. Her eyes were on us though I'm sure. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything, Danni." She popped her lips together, the gloss making them stick. "I've got everything I need in my life."

I turned my head back to her. "Good for you then."

"How's Dallas?"

"Fine."

"Randy is too."

"Good."

She broke her hard stare and gawked as Jane held up a lite blue dress. She sighed and rotated her head back to me. "How have you and Dally been? It's sad what happened to his brother."

"Real shame," I put it lightly. "We're fine. What about Randy? He still walk two feet behind you?"

She shifted her purse on her shoulder and smirked. "Does Dallas know how funny you are?" Her eyes met mine again. "Does he know...well, you? Does he know all about you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What does that mean?"

"You know what it means."

I swallowed and crossed my arms. Marilyn had a way with intimidating people. She'd done it to everyone for years. I always thought she'd become a lawyer or something. Marilyn was one of the few girls I knew who was just naturally strong. She could handle anything. She could hold everything together.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and grinned. "Of course not, hon. We made a promise, remember? A best friend promise."

"You mean, you're lying to your soul mate? Awe, too bad. True love doesn't lie but then again..." Marilyn's lips spread revealing her perfectly whitened teeth and wicked smile. "Your lies started spreading around the same time your legs did, didn't they Danni?"

"Randy didn't seem to mind."

She stopped in her tracks. Her nose started to flare and she stuck it up high like it didn't bother her. She turned her attention to Jane and huffed. "That dress is ugly. It makes you look pregnant."

"Good to see you haven't changed very much," I muttered under my breath, seeping away. "I gotta go."

Her head snapped back. "What does that mean?"

"Marilyn just drop it, okay?" I took a deep breath. "Let's just go back to ignoring each other like we used to, alright? I'm good. You don't have to worry."

She got defensive and drew me back to her. "I would be happy too! I'm not the one who started stirring stuff up again!"

"You're blaming me for this?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "Do cows moo?"

I threw my hand down, slapping the tip of my thigh. "You can never win with you, can you? I had nothing to do with this. I had nothing to do with Sam dying or-"

"Don't you dear talk about him!" Her voice rose. "You have no right."

My jaw dropped. I started towards her. "I have no right?" I stepped closer. "I have no right? I have every right, Marilyn!"

"You never liked him!" The others in the store started to stare. "You did everything he told you not to do! You never listened. It was the best day in the world when Randy left you...for all of us! We were finally happy again!"

I took another strong step. Her words were like knifes in my throat. "You can't keep lying to yourself." I pointed a finger, getting close to her face. "He brain washed you. All of us. Don't tell me he was some goddamn god because I know better. He hurt us."

"He's dead, damnit, Danni!" Her eyes were getting big and she was starting to sweat. Her face was flushed and tears were on their way. "You are still knocking him down! He did everything for you."

I stood dumbfounded as the laughter came. "He did everything for me? He did everything for us too, right? Sam always took care of us. Let's go with whatever Sam says. He'll take care of it."

"Danni..." Sarah walked toward us, a scared and concerned look on her face. "Maybe we should-"

"He really took care of us, Mar," I kept going. "He's the reason we're in this mess and now the bastard's fucking dead! He can't help you now!"

She reached out her arms and shoved me towards the wall. Her teeth grind together and angry tears began to fall. "Don't talk about him like that! You have no right! You wanted him dead!"

"He ruined your life, Marilyn," I said. "Don't tell me he didn't because I know you weren't like Michael and Randy. You were on my side, remember?"

Her hands went to her side and clinched into fists like a small child. "Shut-up."

"I got out of that," I said again. "It's never going to go away no matter if the guy's dead. You're not that stupid. Wake up Marilyn."

She ceased her tears and controlled her breathing. She was strong. She was remembering that. "You never listened to any of us. You're happy Sam's dead...and that's what everyone thinks."

"Let them think what they want," I said grabbing Sarah's hand. I squeezed on tight to stop the shaking. "It's just the four of us now. You can ignore me all you want Marilyn, but whether you like it or not, we're on the same side here."

She shook her head. "Don't ever say that."

I hung onto Sarah and headed for the door. I took hold of the doorknob and took one last look back. "It's not just going to go away Marilyn. It never will...no matter who dies and who lives."

"Keep walking Danni," she said after me. "You can't run from it forever."

She doesn't know the word 'Impossible'. Don't care where I've been. And doesn't care where we're goin' to. She takes me as I am and that ain't easy. She's beautiful, so beautiful. And sometimes I think she's truly crazy...and I love it.