A/N: Hey there! Here's another update! I'm really glad that you all liked the last chapter; it's my second favorite one that I've written thus far. I'm super excited to get this chapter up and out there. Let me know what you think!

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own The Outsiders.

"Yeah, the Beach Boys are on the wall," Jacquelyn told the customer as she handed another customer their change. When she looked up she shook her head, "No, the other wall," the brunette called as she pointed to the far wall. "Have a great day," the girl said to the customer as she handed the bag to them.

After the customer left, Jacquelyn ran her fingers though her dark hair and sighed. Could they be any busier? It was nearing the end of July, and kids were enjoying that last bit of their summer vacation. That meant spending all their money on things that would make them look cool, or tuff, for the next school year. The brunette wasn't really sure how records would make them seem cool, or tuff, at school. However, if they were to host any sort of house party, the appropriate music would make or break them. The brunette knelt down to grab a fallen quarter off the floor.

"Excuse me, miss?" an all too familiar voice called to her. The brunette stood up quickly, almost hitting her head on the counter, and brushed her hair from her eyes. "Jacquelyn."

"Darry," she mused. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, actually," he told her.

Jacquelyn felt her cheeks grow warm. "Well, you found me. What can I do for you?"

Darry leaned against the counter across from her and sighed, once again looking much older than his twenty years. "Ponyboy's birthday is in a week." The brunette's eyes brightened. She loved birthdays. "I don't know what to do for him. This is the first without Dallas, Johnny, mom, and dad. I don't think that he wants something big, I know that he doesn't want anything big, but I don't want to do anything to small, he might think we over looked it."

The brunette looked at him carefully. He hadn't opened up to her like that since she'd been back. She looked over her shoulder at the clock, seeing that it was about 12:15, and realized that it was also his lunch break.

"Gina," the girl called. The blond looked over her shoulder and nodded. "I'm going on my break. I'll be back." As she ducked under the counter, she heard Gina saying something about there being too many people for her to take a break. The brunette rolled her eyes and walked out of the door Darry following her.

"What are you doing?"

"It's you lunch break, yeah?" she questioned and he nodded. "Well, eat lunch and we can talk birthday things. I am completely capable of doing two things at once." The brunette climbed into the cab of his truck and propped her feet up on the dashboard. "So, his birthday is the 20th, 22nd?"

"22nd," Darry confirmed as he pulled the wrap off his sandwich. He was honestly surprised that she'd even remembered that.

"Nothing too big, nothing to small," she mused. "What if you do a barbeque at your place, invite the gang over. Um, I can bake a cake, no problem." She was quiet for a moment. "I mean as long as you do something for him, he should be happy, and I mean you guys are his family. I'm sure he just wants to be around y'all."

He had never met anyone like her. Never, and he highly doubted that he would. She had to be the most thoughtful person that he had ever come into contact with. She knew that he was on his lunch break, and without being asked, took her break to help him. She was so willing to help, even before he completed asking her for help. He'd never admitted it to her, but he was always in awe of how giving she was, never asking for anything in return.

"I'll bring the cake over at like noon," she told him.

Darry arched his eyebrow and looked over at her. "Bring it over?"

"Yeah," she replied, her voice confused.

"You're coming to the party," he told her. Her eyes lit up. "You thought I was going to ask you for help and not invite you?" She leaned over the seat and hugged him. Her actions were unexpected, and it took him a moment to recover from his surprise before he hugged her back. He wasn't really sure what the hug was for. The only think he knew was that her citrus scent was filling his nose. Well he knew that, and he knew one more thing. He knew that every time she'd touched him, or he'd touched her, since their night they'd spent in the park, his skin felt like it as on fire. "You're always invited over," he said quietly. "Don't think twice about it."

"Thank you," she replied, as she leaned away from him. She looked into the record store, and ran her fingers through her dark hair. "I think that I have to go," she told him. "Gina looks swamped."

"Yeah, of course," Darry said as he cleared his throat. "I'll see you Friday." The brunette nodded. "Alright."

Jacquelyn jumped out of the cab, and started back to the record store. She stopped and turned back to his truck. He rolled down the window and she leaned on the window. "Hey. Chocolate cake?"

"Nothing else is acceptable," he told her.

The brunette laughed and pushed herself off the car. She tapped the side of the vehicle as a goodbye, and started towards the store. The blond glared at her as Jacquelyn walked into the store and ducked under the counter to start ringing up the customers. With her help, the line died down within a fifteen minutes.

As Jacquelyn closed the drawer, the blond walked over and placed her elbows on the counter. "Who was that hunk of man that walked in here?" she questioned.

"That was Darry Curtis," the brunette answered as she ran her fingers through her dark hair. A small smile played on her lips.

"Is he-" Gina stopped mid-sentence. "Your ex?" Jacquelyn nodded. "Oh, he is hot." Jacquelyn rolled her eyes. "What did he want?"

"He invited me to his little brother's birthday party," she replied.

"You seein' him?"

"I've been having coffee with him Friday's after work for a month," she told her friend. "We went to the park a week ago and he pushed me on the swing."

"You make out with him?" Gina asked.

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes, "No."

Gina looked at her friend for a long while examining her hazel eyes to see if she was telling the truth. "Well, when you do-"

"I won't let you know," Jacquelyn finished before she dodged a pencil that Gina launched at her. "You could have poked my eye out." Jacquelyn shouted at the retreating blond. Gina laughed, ducking into the safety of the back room.

"Jacquelyn!"

The brunette looked up just in time to hold the cake just above Sodapop's head as he charged at her. She stumbled backwards as he collided with her. Darry appeared in the kitchen doorway and took the cake from her hand so that she didn't drop it. After a few seconds, Soda released her, and Two-Bit grabbed her.

"Let go," the brunette laughed.

"NEVER!" Two-Bit answered.

However, he did let her go. She tugged on her red sweater pulling it down a bit. She then ran her fingers through her dark hair, and moved out of the doorway. In the living room, Soda had settled on the sofa next to Ponyboy, who looked less than happy in the birthday hat that she was sure Soda placed on his head. She greeted him with a 'Happy Birthday' in a singsong voice. He tried his best to look excited about it, or at least happy, but she could tell that he was uncomfortable or sad, maybe a little of both. Steve was lounging on the floor and Two-Bit sitting next to him, both engrossed in the Mickey Mouse episode on the television. She made her way to the kitchen, where he found Darry, washing a piece of chicken in the sink.

She walked over to him and stood to his right side. "Hey," she greeted.

He looked over at her from the corner of his eye, and the corners of his lips turned up at the sight of her glowing hazel eyes. "Hey, there."

"Need help?" she questioned.

He placed the chicken he'd been washing on a paper towel and then looked over at her. The red sweater she wore clung to her torso, her curves were perfectly outlined by the article of clothing. Her legs were clad in a black pair of capris, the fabric hugging her toned legs. Her hazel eyes sparked perfectly outlined with black mascara and eyeliner.

"You wanna help?" he questioned. "You wanna help wash raw meat?"

Without thinking, she ducked under his arm and placed her hands under the running water. Her smaller frame tucked in between his arms as she washed her hands. Her back pressed to his chest, and he hoped that she couldn't feel his heart racing. The citrus scent that accompanied her filled the space between them.

"Yeah," she replied as she washed the soap off her hands.

Darry cleared his throat and moved from behind her to her side. He then cut the package of meat open and handed it to her. From there she rinsed it thoroughly, and then placed it on the paper towel covered plate. They moved in tandem, understanding the nonverbal signs that each of them gave. With her help, all the meat was washed and ready to be placed on the grill. He thanked her and told her that if she needed anything she knew where to find him.

The girl washed her hands again and slipped from the kitchen to the living room. She collapsed on to the sofa next to Ponyboy, who seemed to be the only person left in the living room.

"They left you alone on you birthday?" she questioned as she placed a pillow on her lap.

Ponyboy unconsciously mirrored her action of placing the pillow on his lap. "Yeah, I guess so," he told her. "They went to get something," he said after a pause.

"All three of them?" she replied.

"I guess so," he echoed.

Jacquelyn started to pick at a string on the pillow. She let her eyes focus on the television before looking away. She didn't care too much for Mickey Mouse. Her eyes fell on the book on the table. "You reading Gone with the Wind?" she asked as she reached toward it.

"Yeah, well, no not really," he said as he reached toward it and slid it out of her reach. "I was reading it to Johnny." It seemed that Ponyboy realized what he'd said, and went silent.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I know you've heard it a million times, but here is a million and one," she told him. Ponyboy nodded in acceptance.

Ponyboy looked at her for a moment. "I did remember you," he told her. "Before Soda dug out that picture."

"Yeah?" she asked curiously. The brunette angled her body towards him as she watched him.

"Yeah," he started picking at the pillow again. Before Jacquelyn could ask her question, he seemed to read it on her lips. "I don't know what I said I didn't. You were always so nice to me and Soda. Mom loved you, and Dad loved you even more. When you and Darry went to school, University of Tulsa, he said that Darry was in good hands with you." Ponyboy paused and looked at her his grey eyes wide, as if he'd just realized that he'd been saying all of those things to her. "Soda was right. Being around you makes people want to talk."

"Is that a good thing?" Jacquelyn questioned her hazel eyes meeting his grey ones.

"I think so," he said honestly.

"Okay," the brunette said.

The two then lapsed into silence.

While the boys sat around the table eating chocolate cake and telling jokes, Jacquelyn quietly ducked out of the kitchen and made her way outside to the backyard. The two younger Curtis brothers and their friends remained at the table chowing down on the cake that was left on the table. Darry had sat down with them for about an hour while they all ate and laughed. Ponyboy seemed to be enjoying it, and opening up a little more. The cake was placed on the table, and the candles lit. The birthday song was sang, and then the cake was served. The boys chowed down on the cake, saying that the cake that Jacquelyn made was amazing. Her cheeks flushed as she graciously accepted their praise. After that hour, hour and a half, Darry excused himself from the table to go and clean the grill. Jacquelyn hung out until the conversation with her died off and she could slip out unnoticed.

"So," the brunette started as she sat down in a lawn chair. "How did my idea work out?"

Darry looked over at her. The sunset reflecting in her hazel eyes. "It was great, thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, as her hand came up to pull through her dark hair. "I think he likes me," Jacquelyn stated slowly. "I'm not really sure."

"I think that he likes you," he admitted as he took a seat next to her. "It's been hard on him," Darry told her. She turned her hazel eyes to him. "I think he was just accepting that mom and dad were gone when he lost Johnny and Dal." Darry signed and placed his hand palm up on the arm of the chair. "I'm trying to do right by him, Jacquelyn. I just feel like everything I do is wrong."

She turned toward him, and crossed her ankles. She placed her smaller hand perpendicular to his in the open palm of his hand. Her smaller fingers wrapped around his hand. "I guess that's how parents feel. I think that you're doing a good job, Dare. The people from the state must too, because you still have them."

"They have been circling like vultures, since he ran off. They come over way too often, checking the environment," Darry spat.

"You're doing fine, if you still have them," she assured as she ran her thumb across the back of his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They sat like that for a moment longer. Darry pulled his hand from hers gently and stood from the lawn chair. He offered his hand to her to pull to a standing position. She accepted. The man tugged her up, and she stumbled forward into his chest. The scent of warm tar filled her nose. The brunette took a step back and swept her hair from her eyes.

"Let me know when you get home?" he questioned, his fingers lacing between hers.

"Yeah, I'll call you when I walk in the door."

Her hazel eyes lifted to his azure ones. He held her gaze for a long moment. A feeling of nostalgia engulfed them. They'd been like this so many times before. One of his strong hands on the curve of her hip, the other hanging at their sides laced with one of hers. Her much smaller hand pressed against his chest. Where she could feel his heartbeat. She ears seemed to zero in on the thudding in his chest. For a moment, they stood just taking in each other's warmth. She turned her hazel eyes down to her hand as it curled against his chest. When she looked up, he tilted his head down to her hers, their noses touching. His warm breath caressing her full pink lips. She stared back into his azure eyes and moved up the last half inch so their lips could meet. Softly. Lovingly. She could felt his heart beat speed up under her hand as his lips moved against her. Perfectly. In tandem. That kiss; soft, but hard; heated but cool. His grasp on her waist tightened as he pulled her body closer to his. The kiss seemed to last forever.

It was Jacquelyn that broke the kiss. She turned her light eyes downward for a moment, to regain her composure and catch her breath, and then flicked her eyes back up to his. He took a half a step back from her, his hand dropping from her hip and sliding into his pocket. His eyes focused somewhere just behind her as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"So, home," she said, her voice not sounding quite right to her own ears. She rocked back on her heels before turning over her shoulder and looking at him. "Dare, I-" she didn't quite know what she wanted to say. That kiss was better than anything that she could have imagined it to be. Her stomach was knotted and filled with butterflies, she was giddy. Yet Darry didn't seem to be in the same state of mind. "If you want to forget that it happened," she started quietly, her lips still tingling.

He looked over his shoulder at her before walking in her direction. "I don't want to forget that it happened." He sighed. "There's just a lot of factors going into life right now."

"Poor timing," she told him. "I understand." She took another step back and then turned over away from him. "I'll call you when I get home."

A/N: Well, I hope that the kiss was all that you y'all wanted it to be! When I was writing it, I just kept feeling like I hadn't done it enough justice. Y'all wanted it sooo much, so I hope it was enough for you! Let me know, when you review!