Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I only own the plot and Sam and my other OC's, not the Outsiders

*Still two years ago*Soda's POV*

Five seconds later we heard car doors open and then close, and footsteps up the stairs right outside the door. Then a pounding on the door.

"Is anyone home?" A rough mean voice said.

"Darry, open the door." Sam said, and Darry nodded and opened the door. A man slightly taller than Darry stood at the doorway with five guys behind him. The man in front of Darry had black greased back hair, kicking out in the back and curling behind his ears.

He had hard, mean electric blue eyes that looked dangerous. He wore a white shirt and a black leather biker's jacket, with slightly worn jeans and black combat boot. Darry stood out of the way as he made his way in, the other guys close behind them. When Darry closed the door, a silence filled the air.

"David!" Valerie said, and ran over and gave him a hug, he surprisingly-to our gang-returned.

"Hey, where's Sam?" David asked, and Valerie let go and looked over at Sam. David followed her gaze and his eyes landed on Sam.

"Sam…c'mere." He said, and held out his arms, and Sam ran over to him and threw his arms around him, burying her face into his massive chest.

"Oh God David, I'm so s-so sorry." She whispered. David wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Shh its okay baby, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should be sorry; I shouldn't of let this happened to you." He said, rubbing her back. She shook her head.

"No it's not your fault Dav."

"And it's not yours either." He said, and she laughed, causing David and his gang to smile. She let go and hugged the others.

"How rude of me. Guys this is David, Leo, Jack, Will, Jake and Brandon." Sam said as she pointed to each of them.

Leo had chocolate brown hair that was slightly greased, with grey eyes and a pointed nose. He wore a white shirt and a jean jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with jeans and tennis shoes. Jack had a mop of dirty blond, slightly gold hair that hung on his forehead and dark blue-green eyes. He wore a black tight shirt with the sleeves cut off, jeans and tennis shoes.

Will had greased black hair and green eyes, wearing a tight white shirt and a black leather jacket and black boots. Jake had brown greased hair and brown eyes, with freckles across his nose and cheeks, and wore a black shirt and a jean jacket, with jeans and black boots. And Brandon had greased blonde hair and hazel eyes, with a white shirt on and jeans, with tennis shoes.

All these guys had big build and were all undeniably handsome, yet all looked hard and mean. It's like they could kill you with one look from their cold eyes, and yet, when they hugged and were around Sam, their scary appearance changed, looking like regular teenage guys. Valerie also seemed to have that effect on them.

"And guys, this is Darry, Sodapop, Steve, Two-bit, Ponyboy, Johnny and-"

"Dallas Winston." Leo said dangerously cold. Dally smirked at them.

"Miss me?" Their gang all glared at him. Jack walked right up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and pushed him against the wall. Dallas tried to look calm, but some of his nervousness slipped out in his eyes.

"Touch Sam once, and I'll personally escort you to ER along with my gang, ya dig?" He threatened, and Dally nodded, and he let go.

"So Sam, which one of these boys saved you?" David asked.

"Soda did." She said, pointing to me. David looked at me and walked over to me and looked me hard in the eyes. I shrunk back a bit and gulped. Then David did something that I wasn't expecting, he smiled at me, and patted me on the back.

"Ya dig okay kid, and me and my gang owe you and your gang, big time." He said, and I smiled at him.

"Thanks." I said, and he nodded at me. David turned to Sam.

"Can I talk to you for a minute Sam?" She nodded, and led him outside, along with the rest of their gang, except for Valerie.

"Aren't you going out with them?" I asked. She then gave me a funny look.

"No, David wants to talk to her alone."

"So then why did the rest of your gang follow him?" Darry asked.

"They're going back to their cars and bikes. But I don't wanna leave yet."

"Oh is that so?" Steve asked with a smirk. She smirked back at him.

"Yea, what's it to you?"

"Nothing doll, just wondering." Just the Sam came back in. Valerie got up.

"So?" Valerie asked.

"Dav is letting me stay 'til I get better." Valerie smiled at her.

"Good." She walked over to her and hugged her, whispering something in her ear, causing Sam to laugh.

"Yeah I hope so." Sam said. Val let her go and waved at us.

"Now I'm leaving."

"Good riddance." Steve said jokingly, and she just glared at him and left. Sam sat down and the rest of the gang got comfortable, sitting in our current positions. After a while, Darry spoke up.

"Sam? What's that on your cheek?"

"What do ya mean?" She asked, and touched her cheek then looked at it. It had blood on it. The blood was coming from the bandage under her left eye.

"Damn, that hasn't stopped bleeding since you got here." Darry said, and walked over to Sam and carefully removed the band aid covering it. As soon it was off, it started gushing more blood. Sam hissed and covered it with her hand.

"Sam, move your hand, I need to see it." Darry said.

"No, its okay, I'll look at it." She said her voice strained. She got up, and walked to the bathroom. After a minute she came back.

"Darry, how well did you look at it?" Sam asked, holding a towel on the cut.

"I couldn't really because of the blood." Darry said. Sam walked over to him and removed the cloth, most of the blood wiped off, only to have more seeping out. Darry took a closer look at and swore.

"Dammit." He said.

"Exactly." Sam said.

"What?" Two-bit asked.

"It needs stitches." Darry said.

"Do you guys have the wire and needle?" Sam asked.

"Yeah but-"

"I know how to do it, I can do it Darry."

"You've done it on your face before?"

"Well no, but I've done it on my thigh, it can't be any different." She said.

"It is, it'll hurt more."

"S'not the worse I've been through." She said and looked down. Darry's face softened.

"I'll do it, Pony, can you get it?" Pony nodded and left.

"No its okay, just give me a mirror Darry, I can do it."

"Sam I'm not letting you do it."

"Then I'll just bleed to death." She said. Pony came back with the wire and needle. Darry shook his head.

"God you're more stubborn than Soda." He said, taking the wire and needle from Pony and giving it to her. She smiled.

"Thanks, now I just need a mirror." She said. Darry left, and brought a mirror.

"Um that's too big for me to hold."

"That's 'cause you're not holding it, I am." Darry said, sitting down on the couch and holding out the mirror in front of him.

"Fine." Sam said, and sat in front of it, and took out a long piece of wire. She then started to put it through the needle, but she was having a lot of trouble.

"Here let me do it." Steve said, walking to her.

"No it's okay I got it." And with a couple more tries, she still couldn't get it. Steve then took it from her and got it on one try. She glared at him and took it. She held if in front of her face, looking at the mirror, but her hand was trembling too much to get it.

"For Christ's sake your hands shaking worse than a leaf." Darry said, laying the mirror next to him and taking the needle from her.

"C'mere." He said. Sam sighed, but listened, and got closer to him. Darry grabbed her chin to hold in place, and dug the needle into the cut. She winced and bit her lip, hard, and balled her fists so hard her knuckles where turning her white. Darry stopped.

"Does it hurt?" Darry asked.

"N-no, just keep g-going." She said. Darry looked at her, but continued anyway. Half way through it, it seemed Sam couldn't hold it in anymore and started whimpering, but tried to stop it.

"Here," Steve said, sitting down next to her and held out his hand, "Hold onto my hand and squeeze it when it hurts."

"O-okay." Sam said, and grabbed his hand and started squeezing it automatically. When Darry tugged at the knot, she whimpered again and squeezed his hand harder. Steve grunted a bit, and Sam closed her eyes.

"There, I'm done." Darry said, taking a pair of scissors and snipping off the extra wire. Sam exhaled loudly and let go of Steve's hand to put her head in her own. Steve patted her back.

"Sam," Two-bit said, "You can look up, we don't care if you cry-"

"I'm not crying." Sam said, her head snapping up to show that she was indeed, not crying.

"Why?"

"Why not?" She said back. Two-bit laughed, causing us to laugh.

"You're one tough doll Sam."

"I told you not to call me that!" She said. Two-bit just shrugged his shoulders. Sam then looked at the time.

"Well, I'm tired, night guys." She said, smiling at us, than left to my old room.

"Night." We called back. Eventually, everyone left, leaving me and Pony watching TV and Darry reading the newspaper. After a while, Darry left to go to bed, and so did Pony. It's been a little too hot for us to sleep together the past couple days, so I sleep on the couch.

It was now 1 a.m. but I just couldn't go to sleep. I kept thinking 'bout Sam and that night in the alley, thinking of what would have happened if I had gotten to her sooner. Around 2, I heard a door open, and thinking it was Darry, I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

I heard soft footsteps make their way toward to me. They sounded to light to be Darry though, so who was it? Probably Pony. My thoughts were interrupted when a hand fell on my shoulder, shaking me.

"Soda? Soda wake up." The voice said. I opened my eyes slowly and looked straight into a pair of really pretty green eyes. Sam.

"Soda you awake?" She whispered.

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Umm…" Sam said, and I looked up to her to see her looking at the ground, twirling a lock of her hair. She was wearing one of Darry's old football shirts. No sweatpants or socks. The shirt came up to the middle of her thigh. Guess it was too hot for her to wear pants.

When she still hadn't said anything, I spoke up.

"Something wrong Sam?" She looked up at me.

"Um, n-no not really. Um well see, I-I can't really sleep…I keep dreaming of the n-night in the ally…and I was wondering...well this is going to sound silly, but c-can I maybe sleep w-with you?" She asked softly. I smiled at her.

"Of course you can Sam, and it's not silly at all." She looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you." She said, and I scooted over the best I can on the couch to make room for her. She lied down next to me, her body pressed against mine-since there wasn't much room-and I lay the blanket on the both of us.

She snuggled closer to me and laid her head on my chest, then looked up at me.

"Why are you staring at me like that Soda?"She asked, and I then noticed I had been staring at her for a while.

"Sorry, just thinking. You cold Sam?" she nodded and I wrapped my arms around her, trying not to blush. But she did, and smiled.

"Thanks." She said and she yawned, making me yawn, and she giggled.

"Sorry." She said and I smiled at her.

"Night Soda."

"Night Sam." And I then heard her soft breathing. She fell asleep. I looked at her face, my eyes lingering on her stitches. Darry needed to put six stitches, and they're no doubt going to leave a small scar.

I looked at her face again. And I couldn't help but smile at how beautiful she was. The bruise on her right eye faded a bit, but was still noticeable. I swear if I ever saw those soc's again, there gonna need to visit a hospital. I yawned again, and with one last look at Sam, I let sleep take over me.

*Two years later* (time of the book)

I still remember that like it was yesterday. But it wasn't. It was two years ago. Sam eventually healed, and it turns out, David didn't let his gang live with him and Valerie, and Sam didn't have a home. So Darry let her live with us, and she's been living with us since. Sam wouldn't stay unless she helped with the bills, and after an argument between her and Darry, he finally caved.

So every week she gives him money, from where, she has yet to tell us and its bugging Darry something awful, but Sam says not to worry about it. Over the two years, my feelings for Sam have grown, and I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her.

I have no idea if she likes me back, and I'm not gonna tell her. Me and Sam are best friends, we do everything together and tell each other everything-well, 'cept for that. And I can't ruin it like that. And she and Steve are best friends too. But it's something more than that. They act like their family. They have that brother-sister relationship. Like me and Pony.

Speaking of Steve, he and Valerie have been dating for a year now. Shocking, right? We couldn't believe it either, but they love each other something awful. It was nice to see Steve in a relationship with Val like that. He seemed a bit happier since they first went out.

And I remember Steve going on and on at the DX on how she was the one. They didn't even fight that often. And when they did, they automatically made up. They could never stay mad at each other. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Why can't I have someone like that?

To keep my mind off of Sam, I went out with girls. I was currently in a relationship with this girl named Sandy. She was real pretty, with her China-blue eyes and long blonde hair, but she wasn't as pretty as Sam, though I would never tell her that.

We'd been going on strong for about five month, and it would it be our six month anniversary in a week. I remember telling the gang about it and Sam said I had to do something real special. She said girls took their six month anniversary seriously.

Whatever. I'll just take her out to a nice dinner and get her a necklace. I was thinking about it, where I was going to take her, while I hung out in my living room with the gang, minus Pony and Dallas.

Pony was at the movies or something and Dally was in jail. We were watching Mickey Mouse. Two-bit was sitting on the couch with Johnny drinking a beer; Darry was in the arm chair reading the newspaper, Steve, Sam and me where on the other couch. Sam had her head in my lap and her legs on Steve's lap.

Steve every now and then tickled her feet, and Sam would laugh and kick at him, causing me to laugh. This time, though, Sam accidently kicked him in the balls, and Steve yelped and fell off the couch with a groan, causing all of us to burst out laughing.

"That's it, c'mere!" Steve yelled, recovering from his injury and tackling Sam to the ground, and they started to wrestle. That's when we heard someone yell.

"Soda! Darry!-" We all froze. God please don't tell me who I think it is. Darry threw down his newspaper and stood up.

"Dammit guys that's Pony!" He shouted, and we all got up and ran out of the house, following the sound of the screaming. We passed the lot and saw them. There was about five of them, one was sitting on his chest, and the others were holding them down.

What the hell do they think they're doing to my baby brother?! I swear to God they better hope I don't get my hands on one of them, for their sake. Especially the one on his chest. I saw something glint in the sun that the soc held against Pony's neck.

We quickly ran over to them and chased them away. Darry stayed by Pony and Johnny was hiding a bit back. Ever since he was jumped, we've been careful with him. Once we got to their car, Dally joined us from out of nowhere.

We started throwing punches at them, and when they started driving away, Sam took a large rock and threw it at them, and we all did the same. Once they were gone, we made our way back to Pony and Darry and Johnny made his way back too.

When we got to them, Darry was standing in front of Pony, talking to him with his fists jammed in his pockets, while Pony was sitting on the curb rubbing his cheek. I crouched down in front of him and started examining him, holding his chin. It was then I noticed the cut on his throat.

"You got cut up a little, huh, Ponyboy?" I asked, letting go of his chin. He looked at me blankly.

"I did?" He asked. I pulled out the handkerchief I keep in my back pocket, wet the end of it with my tongue, and gently pressed it to the side of his head.

"You're bleeding like a stuck pig."

"I am?"

"Look!" I then showed him the handkerchief that was now red from his blood, "Did they pull a blade on you?" He looked deep in thought for a bit.

"Yeah." I looked at him closer, not believing him, and he quickly looked away. He was shaking like a leaf. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, Ponyboy. They ain't gonna hurt you no more."

"I know." He said. It looked like he was crying. To prove my point, he wiped his cheeks, frustrated. "I'm just a little spooked, that's all." He took a deep breath, his voice shaking a bit. I rubbed his hair.

"You're an okay kid, Pony." I smiled at him, and he grinned back at me.

"You're crazy, Soda, out of your mind." Pony said. Darry looked at us funny.

"You're both nuts." He said, and I cocked my eyebrow at him, something I picked up from Two-bit.

"Seems to run in the family." I teased him. He looked at me for a second, than grinned. I like teasing my older brother. No one else does it, 'cept Two-bit from time to time when he's really drunk, 'cause there scared of him. I'm not, so I like to show it. Pony then wiped his eyes.

"Didya catch 'em?" He asked.

"Nup. They got away this time, the dirty…" Two-bit said, cursing them out.

"The kids okay?"

"I'm okay," Pony said, "I didn't know you were out of the cooler yet, Dally."

"Neither did we." Sam said, and smirked when Dally glared at her.

"Good behavior. Got off early." He said, still glaring at Sam. Dally lit a cigarette and handed it to Johnny. We all then sat on the curb next to Pony. Two-bit then cocked an eyebrow at Pony.

"Nice-looking bruise you got there kid." He said. Pony touched his cheek.

"Really?" Two-bit nodded.

"Nice cut, too. Makes you look tough." He said. Steve then flicked his ashes at Pony.

"What were you doin', walking by your lonesome?" He asked, and Sam punched his shoulder.

"I was comin' home from the movies. I didn't think…"

"You don't ever think," Darry cut him off, "not at home or anywhere when it counts. You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, and you've always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for common sense? No sirree, bub. And if you did have to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade." Pony just looked down. Sam was glaring at Darry, but he didn't seem to notice. But he did notice me glaring at him.

"Leave my kid brother alone, you hear? It ain't his fault he likes to go to the movies, and it ain't his fault the Soc's like to jump us, and if he had been carrying a blade it would have been a good excuse to cut him to ribbons." I said. I never liked it when Darry got mad at Pony.

"When I want my kid brother to tell me what to do with my other kid brother, I'll ask, kid brother." And he lay off Pony.

"Next time, get one of us to go with you, Ponyboy," Two-bit said, "Any of us will."

"Yeah, if your sober enough Two-bit." Sam said with a wicked grin, making everyone laugh and Two-bit glare.

"Ah hell no you didn't." He said, and he tackled her, making us laugh harder. He stood up, quickly picking up Sam with him, and swung her over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes. She yelped, and started pounding on his back.

"Let go of me you crazy drunk!" She said, giggling, still hitting his back.

"Oh now you're in for it doll." He said, and raced off to the house, Sam screaming and laughing, making us practically roll on the street from laughter. When they were out of sight, and we finally calmed down, we made our way back to the house after them.