(I just found out our Internet box might need to be replaced, so I will post this chapter and see if it does, if not I will post the next one.

Attention all personal: The Outsiders and characters belong to S. E. Hinton, not me. Here are the list of people going on a ten mile hike...)

Chapter 3

After the movie it suddenly came to us that Cherry and Marcia didn't have a way to get home, Two-bit offered to walk them home, but they wanted to call their parents. Two-bit finally talked them talked them into letting us drive them home in his car. I think they were still scared of us. They were getting over it though, as we walked to Two-bit's house to get his car. It seemed funny that Socs- if these girls were an example- were just like us. I thought maybe it was the money that separated us.

"No," Cherry said slowly when I said this, "It's not money. Part of it is, but not all. You greasers have a different set of values. You're more emotional. We're sophisticated- cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is for real with us. You know, sometimes I'll catch myself talking to a friend and realize I don't mean half of what I'm saying. I don't really think a beer blast on the river bottom is super-cool, but I'll rave about one to a friend just to be saying something." She smiled at me. "I never told anyone that. I think you're the first person I've ever really gotten through to."

She was coming through to me alright, probably because I was a greaser; and younger; she didn't have to keep her guard up with me.

"It seems like we're always searching for something else to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could be our cool we could."

That was the truth. Two-bit and Marcia weren't even listening to us. They were engaged in some wild conversation that made no sense to anyone but themselves. Marcia suddenly gasped. "Cherry look what's coming."

We all looked and saw a blue Mustang coming down the street. Johnny made a small noise in his throat and when I looked at him he was white.

"Well," Cherry said resignedly, "they've spotted us."

The Mustang came to a halt beside us, and the two boys in the front seat got out. They were Socs all right. One had on a white shirt and a madras ski jacket, and the other a light-yellow shirt and a wine-colored sweater. I looked at their clothes and realized I for the first time that evening that all I had on was a pair of jeans and Soda's old navy sweat shirt with the sleeves cut short. I swallowed. Two-bit stood a protective stance in front of us, a growl escaped his throat. Not just any growl, an animalistic growl, it sound like to me. The Socs didn't even seem to see us; cause they were to busy staring at Cherry and Marcia.

Johnny was breathing funny, and I noticed him looking at the Socs hand. I remembered that Johnny got beat up by someone wearing rings, and drove a blue Mustang.

The Soc's voice broke my thoughts. "... just because we got a little drunk last time..." Cherry was mad.

"A little? You call reeling and passing out in the streets 'a little?' Bob, I told you, I'm never going out with you while you're drunk and I mean it. Too many things can happen when you're drunk. It's me or the booze."

The other Soc turned to Marcia, "Baby, you know we don't get drunk very often..." When she only gave him a cold stare he got angry. "And even if you are mad at us, that's no reason to go walking the streets with these bloodsuckers."

Two-bit took a long drag on his cigarette, Johnny slouched and hooked his thumbs in his pockets, and I gave them a confused glance. Two-bit put his elbow on Johnny's shoulder. "Who you callin' bloodsuckers?"

"Listen, greasers, we got four more of us in the back seat..."

"Then pity the backseat." Two-bit said to the sky.

"If you're looking for a fight..."

Two-bit cocked his eyebrow, but it made him look more cool. He snatched up an empty bottle, busted off the end, and gave it to me, then reached in his back pocket and flipped out his switch-blade. "Try it, pal."

"No!" Cherry cried. "Stop it!" She looked at Bob. "We'll go with ride home with you. Just wait a minute."

"Why?" Two-bit demanded, his eye's were red, again. "We ain't scared of them."

Cherry shuddered. "I can't stand fights... I can't stand them..."

I pulled her over to one side. "I couldn't use this," I said, dropping the pop bottle. "I couldn't ever cut anyone..." I had to tell her that, because I'd seen her eyes when Two-bit flicked out his switchblade.

"I know," she said quietly, "but we'd better go with them, Ponyboy... I mean... if I ever see you in the hall at school and I don't say hi, well, it's not personal or anything, but..."

"I know," I said.

"Do me a favor, Ponyboy?" She looked real serious, she glanced at Johnny and Two-bit, as they and the Socs, had some show down.

"Sure." I said.

"Stay away from them, Ponyboy." She went to got to the Mustang, then looked back at me. "I could fall in love with Dallas Winston, I just hope I don't see him again."

She left me with my mouth gaped open. The Mustang left, but Bob looked at me like I was a piece of meet. His eyes were flashing iridescent blue, and seemed to say. "Watch your back, greaser."

"Well, those were two good-lookin' girls if I ever saw any." Two-bit yawned as we sat down on the curb at the vacant lot. He took a piece of paper and tore it up. "What was that?"

"Marcia's number. Probably a phony one, too. I must have been outa my mind to ask for it." He looked at me, his eyes back to gray. "Hey, Two-bit, did you have contacts earlier?" He looked like he just saw a ghost.

"No, y'all going home?" He avoided my question all together. Something was up and I was determined to find out. "Not right now," I said. I wanted to ask Johnny about what the Socs said about 'bloodsuckers?' They never called us that.

"I don't know why I gave your that busted pop bottle," Two-bit said, getting to his feet. "You'd never used it."

"Maybe I would." I said.

Two-bit walked away so Johnny and I layed down to stair at the stars.

"Johnny, can I ask you a question?" He looked at me. "What is it?" I turned to look at him, his eyes danced with concerned. "What do you think the Soc said about us being bloodsuckers?" He stiffen at the question.

"I didn't hear him say it, Pony. I think you were hearing things. He called us greasers." He looked me straight in the eyes, I wanted to tell Johnny that I heard what I heard, but I just felt so dizzy. I closed my eyes to shake off the confusion, but they never opened, instead I had a weird dream.

I was in the country... I loved the country. I wanted to be out of towns and away from excitement. Since this is a dream, I brought Mom and Dad back to life... Mom could bake some more chocolate cakes and Dad would drive the pick-up out early to feed the cattle. Maybe Johnny could come live with us, and the rest of the gang could come out and visit on weekends. I walked in our country home, walked to the kitchen expecting the smell of chocolate cake, instead I smelled the warm scent of... blood? I looked at the kitchen floor, Mom and Dad was laying their with bite marks on they're necks, and I looked up and Johnny had fangs with blood on his mouth. "Come Pony," He held out his hand, "Join us." The rest of the gang, even Soda and Darry, had fangs and came walking toward me chanting my name...

"Ponyboy"- Johnny was shaking me- "Ponyboy, wake up."

I sat up, shivering, I don't know if it was from the dream or the cold air. The stars had moved. "Glory, what time is it?"

"I don't know I went to sleep, too. Listen you'd better get home, I think I'll stay out here." Johnny's parents never really cared if he came home or not.

"Okay," I yawned. Gosh but it was cold. "If you get cold or something come on over to my house."

"Okay." I ran home trembling at the thought of facing Darry. The porch light was on. Maybe they were asleep and I could sneak in, I thought. I peeked in the window. Sodapop was stretched out on the sofa, and Darry was in the armchair under the lamp, reading the newspaper. I gulped, and opened the door softly. Darry looked up from his paper. He was on his feet in a second. I stood there, chewing on my fingernail.

"Where the heck have you been, do you know what time it is?" He was madder than I'd seen him in a long time. I shook my head wordlessly. "Well, it's two in the morning, kiddo. Another hour and I would have had the police out after you. Where have you been, Ponyboy?" It sounded stupid to me when I stammered, "I... I fell asleep in the lot.."

"You what? Did it occur to you that your brothers might be worrying about you and afraid to call the cops because something like that could get you two thrown in a boys' home so fast it would make your head spin." Soda decided to intervene before things got to messy. "Come on, Darry, leave him alone and lets go to bed." Darry spun on Soda now. "Shut up, I'm sick and tired of you sticking up for him!" I felt hot tears of anger and frustration rising. "Leave him alone!" I yelled.

Darry spun back to me, his eyes were red, and animalistic growl escaped his throat, and his canines grew. Darry threw me so hard, I slammed against the door breaking it off its hinges. It was deathly quiet. Darry's eyes were normal color, but his teeth never shrank as he stared at his hands and the broken door that I was laying on. I think what scared him more was the was I was scared of him, my eyes were ide but moist- with tears. "Ponyboy..." He reached for me, but I got up and ran down the street. "Ponyboy, I didn't mean to!" Darry screamed. I was running away. It was plain to me that the guys were some sorta monster. The signs were all there: can't go out in the sun, lust for blood, hypnosis, fangs, and red eyes. They were vampires. How did I not see this before, maybe Darry was right, I don't use my head.

AN: We definitely need a new Internet box, so it might be slow on the updates cause our Internet goes out every few minutes. Please review and live long and prosper.