Sixteen Candles
Chapter Seven

Author's Note: So, in case you're wondering, I did, indeed, change the title of this story. I wasn't digging the other title, and at the moment, I like this one a little more. This probably won't be temporary, and if I happen to change the title again, I'll definitely let you all know. Most likely, I won't, but honestly, who knows.

I'm fully aware that I told you guys that I would update around 5:00, but something came up, so I hope you don't mind me updating now. As for the week between chapters, I hope you don't mind that too. Instead of updating every other day, I'm thinking about making my updates weekly. It'll buy me a few more days to complete chapters.

Well, here's chapter seven. Although the other members of the gang have failed to make an appearance in this story yet, you finally get a little Ponyboy action. I hope you guys are excited! :) When you finish reading, a review / follow / favorite would be highly appreciated - it tells me you're enjoy my story!


Our dance draws to a close, and with the way Soda and Sandy are hanging onto each other, it's clear to me they don't want to separate from each other.

And if I'm being honest with myself, I'm wouldn't mind more time with Steve.

"Hey!" Soda exclaims, slowing to a stop. With his arm still around Sandy, he turns around to face Steve and me. "I think I know where we can go." Sodapop starts to grin. Steve cocks an eyebrow, and to say I'm not even a little curious would be a lie.

"Where?" Sandy asks eagerly, looking up happily at her boyfriend.

"Steve, we should take our ladies to our old tree house."

"Glory, Soda, we ain't been there since 5th grade. It'll be amazin' if we can still find the old thing," Soda raises an eyebrow, waiting for Steve's answer. "Let's go." Steve grins. Sodapop smiles in approval, and together, we head for the truck.

"You're gonna love our tree house, Sandy," Soda shares. "You too, Eileen. My dad built it when we were in like second grade, and we always you to go play with our plastic soldiers there. You 'member that, Steve? We use to keep 'em in that wooden box Darry made for us in his woodshop class."

"Yeah, we wasted so much money on 'em things."

Our truck ride draws to a close fifteen minutes later. I stare at the dark woods, fearful for what lurks inside. Soda and Steve start to climb out; Sandy follows close behind Soda, and once they're both out, they start heading for the edge of the trees. "You comin'?" Steve asks, staring at me through the open door. I nod my head weakly.

"We're not going to get hurt or anything in there, are we?"

"Nothing is gonna hurt you, but I dunno 'bout your feet. You ain't exactly wearin' woods walkin' 'ppropriate shoes." I sigh, climbing out of his truck anyway. He gingerly takes my hand, guiding me towards the trees. With Sandy and Soda by our side, we head off to find their old tree house.

Sandy and Soda claim a side of the tree house, leaving Steve and me with the other side. I look up; through a hole in the ceiling, you can clearly see the stars twinkling in the navy blue, velvet sky. "Wow." I comment in awe. Steve slings his arm around my shoulders, looking up to see what has captured my attention.

"How come you've never brought me here before, Soda?" Sandy asks, leaning against him. Soda sighs peacefully, directing his attention towards the stars.

"I forgot 'bout it 'til tonight." He shares softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Steve brings me closer, sealing the space between us. Slowly, I allow my head to drop onto his shoulder; when he shows no sign of pushing me away, I relax.

At this moment, my life is nothing but perfect.

XxXxXxX

"So," Steve hesitates. "I ain't too sure 'bout you, but I had a good time." He swallows hard, and it appears to me that he's about to be consumed alive with nerves. It serves as a shock to me. I don't imagine Steve being one to succumb to nerves so easily, and I never thought I would be the reason he's so nervous.

It's almost like a personal victory for me.

"Can I call you?" He looks towards me, waiting for an answer. I nod my head slowly, biting hard on my lip to keep from squealing due to the mass amount of joy I'm experiencing. "There should be a, um, pen in the there. There should be a napkin too, but I ain't too sure." I reach forward, pulling on the handle. The drawer falls open, and like Steve said, there's a pen right on top.

"Here, let me see your hand," Steve presents his hand to me, and as best as I can, I scribble down my phone number. "There you go, Steve Randle." He pulls his hand back, looking over my writing. A slight smile forms on his face as I direct my attention towards the house. "I should probably go though. Sandy's going to be wondering where I am." Soda is slowly walking back to the truck with a dreamy, love struck look in his eyes.

XxXxXxX

"I wanna see you again," Steve announces, staring down at me. I bite my tongue, meeting his eyes. "Outside of school."

"Yeah, me too."

"So, I guess I'll see ya Monday," instantly, my world stops. Steve leans down. My heart picks up speed; the pressure applied to my tongue increases. For a minute, I think he's going to actually kiss me. For a minute, I can't believe it.

Instead, his kisses my cheek.

Either way, I'm on cloud nine.

Inside the house, I shut the door behind me, and almost instantly, Sandy has her arms wrapped around me tightly. "Wasn't tonight amazing, Eileen?" She cries. I nod my head, wrapping my arms around her waist. Both of us start jumping around, giggling and squealing over tonight.

In the front room, her older sister and younger brother are staring at us weirdly.

I don't blame them. We probably resemble preteens in junior high.

Sandy pulls away from me abruptly. She grabs on tightly to my hand before dragging me to her room; I nearly kill myself heading up the stairs.

Once we're secure inside her room, Sandy slams the door shut. Despite the fact that she's wearing a skirt, she launches herself stomach-down onto her bed. "Are you two an item now?" Sandy asks happily, referring to Steve and me. I roll my eyes, shaking my head slowly. "Aw! Why not?"

"Sandy!" I laugh. "This was the first date we've been on, and honestly, it wasn't even a date. But guess what." I fail to hold back a smile. "He asked for my number, and he wants to take me out again." Her blue eyes widen.

"Eileen! I can't believe this! You two are perfect for each other. You need to see each other again soon! You guys need to start dating immediately! You're so cute together." Sandy rolls onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

"That's what Evie said too."

"What?"

"I didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Well, I don't know where to begin." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Sandy rolls onto her side, waiting for me to proceed.

"Was the whole thing awkward?"

"No, not really," I shrug. "Steve wandered off, and once he was gone, Evie came over to me. I thought she was going to be mad at me, but she wasn't. She was actually accepting of it, and I can't believe how friendly she was considering I was there with her ex. She even told me that Steve and I were cute together." Sandy starts to smile.

"Well, that's not too bad."

"Then, Steve came back," Sandy frowns, leading me to believe she knows what's to come next. "I don't know what happened, but they were bitter towards each other. Steve was giving her dirty looks, and Evie was giving him some too. I don't like how bitter they are with each other. A month ago, they were so in love with each other, and now, it's like they can't stand the sight of each other."

"I'm sure you've noticed Evie isn't afraid to give you a taste of your own medicine," Sandy comments. I nod my head slowly. "I can tell you for sure that she doesn't hate Steve, but he's bitter over the break up. It's Steve. It don't take much to make him sour, but he was treatin' her like dirt, so she was doin' it back to him. He'll get over it, Eileen, and I bet everythin' will go back to normal in a couple weeks."

"I sure hope so. I don't like it."

XxXxXxX

After we change into our pajamas, we make ourselves comfortable on her bed and get ready to share our night at the dance. "Soda talked me into sneaking into an open classroom," she explains. "We ended up making-out. I never thought that would happen to me, and I felt rebellious." I snort loudly.

"Yes, Sandy, you better watch yourself, so you don't do something more serious like get changed in a public restroom." She scowls, throwing a pillow at me. I raise my hands, protecting my face, while laughing harder.

"You know what I mean, Eileen!"

"I'm just giving you a hard time!"

"I'd like to know what you and Steve did all night!"

"We stood in a corner, and after you and Soda were teasing us about it, we went and danced for a little bit. After the Evie situation, we went to get something to drink. I watched him nearly get into a fight with a soc. It was a typical high school dance." This time, Sandy snorts.

"That sounds real fun."

"It's not like we've been dating for like ever."

"But still," she comments. "It's a dance, and you had a date. Any other greaser couple would be in a corner, shoving their tongues down each other's throats!" I roll my eyes, disgusted by the mental image.

"In case you forgot, I'm not a greaser." I share, trying to hold back a grin. I throw the pillow back at her, hitting Sandy right in the face. I start laughing; Sandy doesn't look amused. Before long, she starts to grin.

"You suck."

XxXxXxX

"We're playing truth or dare," Sandy declares, falling onto our bed of blankets. "Do you wanna go first, or do you want me to?"

"Sandy, there are only two of us. It's not going to be very fun." She shrugs her shoulders, staring down at me.

"So? That ain't never stopped Evie and me," she shares. "Do you wanna go first or do you want me to?"

"I'll go first. Sandy, truth or dare?" Sandy falls onto her back, thinking hard about what she choice she wants to make.

"Truth."

"Dang it. I was expecting you to say dare," I close my eyes, thinking hard for something to ask her. Within seconds, something comes to mind. I open my eyes, looking right into hers. "Would you ever cheat on Soda?" Sandy's face drops; quickly, she starts shaking her head.

"No!" She cries. "But now it's my turn to ask you. Eileen, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What's the biggest lie you've ever told your parents?"

"Once, I got into a fight with a girl, and of course, my brother told on me. Well, I lied and told my parents that he was only saying that to save his butt because he failed some test he had. They believed it, and my brother was grounded for a week," Sandy starts to giggle. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?" Sandy sighs; I start to smirk – this is going to be good.

"Well, if you don't know, I'm originally from Florida. Shortly before seventh grade, my parents decided to move to Tulsa. On the first day of school, it was my time of the month, so long story short, a little item fell onto the floor, and everyone saw. They were laughing at me, and I was so embarrassed." She buries her face in her hands, shaking her head slowly. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Sandy takes a moment, thinking hard about a dare. Before long, a wicked little grin appears on her face. "I dare you to call Soda's house, ask for Ponyboy and pretend to be in love with him."

"Where's the phone?"

XxXxXxX

Sandy sits close to me, trying desperately to hear the phone. It rings a few times, and I'm starting to think no one will answer. After all, it's almost midnight.

On the fifth ring, someone finally answers.

"Hello, this is the Curtis residence." Sandy starts giggling uncontrollably, resulting in my pushing her away, so she doesn't blow my cover.

"Hello, is Ponyboy there?" I ask, twirling the phone cord around my finger.

"Yes, he is," the deep voice asks. "May I ask who's calling?" My eyes widen, and I look at Sandy, desperate for her help.

"Um, tell him it's his secret admirer," I slap a hand to my forehead, shaking my head slightly. "I can't believe you talked me into doing this, Sandy. What if we get caught?" She waves me off, rolling her eyes.

"We ain't gonna get caught, Eileen. Stop worryin' so much, and have a little fun."

"H-Hello?" Someone asks. My eyes widen again once I realize it's probably Pony. "Who is t-this?" I take a deep breath, trying to relax.

"That's not important," I whisper. Next to me, Sandy starts to laugh really hard while I swear at myself; it, unintentionally, sounds like I'm trying to seduce this kid. "Just know that I think you're grand. I think you're awfully cute, and I wish you would talk to me."

"I-I don't know w-who this is," I bite my lip, successfully finding the humor in this. Although it's pretty cruel, it's also pretty funny how nervous he sounds. If I wasn't starting to enjoy myself, I would feel absolutely terrible. "Who is t-this?"

"Ponyboy, it's not important." I sigh. In the background, I can hear Soda announcing that Pony's cheeks are a bright red. Before I know it, I'm no longer talking to Ponyboy; instead, I'm about to step into a conversation with someone else – someone I wasn't expecting.

"Who is this?" It's someone I don't recognize. "You're makin' my kid brother awful uncomfortable. I think you should probably lay off him." Starting to panic, I pull the phone away from my ear. I end the call before tossing the phone onto the floor.

"Whoa, what happened?" Sandy asks, reaching for the phone.

"Someone else answered," I explain. "He didn't sound too thrilled that we were making his brother uncomfortable. Why didn't you tell me he had another brother?" Sandy merely shrugs.

"I didn't think they'd intervene."

XxXxXxX

"Do you feel better?" I ask, watching Steve take a seat next to me in algebra. He looks confused. "When you asked me for my number, you looked really nervous." He rolls his eyes, giving me the impression that he's going to deny it.

And that's exactly what he does.

"I ain't too sure what you're talkin' 'bout, Doll Face," he shares, using the nickname he knows I hate. "I was calm, cool and collected. Nervous ain't nothing to me." I groan loudly, letting him know I don't buy his story.

"Apparently neither is proper English."

"'Pparently neither is proper English." Steve mocks, rolling his eyes. Annoyed with the fact that he mocked me, I push him away from me.

"Knock it off, Steve."

"I'd like to see you make me, Eileen," He winks with a smirk trailing behind it. I shake my head, burying my face in my hands. "What's wrong, Doll Face?"

"That's disgusting."

XxXxXxX

Steve managed to distract me the whole period, leaving me without a clue as to how to do my homework. Steve wasn't much help either, and our teacher, Mr Mucha, was fully aware of the antic that had occurred, so he refused when I asked for his help after school.

I look around my kitchen desperately, longing for Imogene to magically appear from the hallway. Heck, I'll even take Doug. I just want someone that's done this stuff before. Sadly, realizing my hopes won't come true, I bow my head, taking another look at my homework. Occasionally, I mutter a few swears towards Steve – a rarity for me.

I'm very thankful when the phone starts ringing.

I leap up from my seat, darting for the phone. I nearly trip over my feet, and although I'm alone, I decide to make myself look a little more presentable before answering. I run my fingers through my hair, and on the fourth ring, I answer.

"Hello, this is the Beasley residence."

"Hey, it's Steve. You busy?"

"No," I answer, leaning against the wall. "I'm trying to do my algebra, but I have no idea what I'm doing because you decided it'd be fun to distract me." Steve starts to chuckle.

"You busy this weekend?" I'm trying to remain annoyed with him, but I can't help it; I find myself starting to smile.

"N-No, not that I know of," I stammer, wiping my palm on my skirt. "Why?"

"I was wonderin' if you wanna go out this weekend. We could go to the Nightly Double or we could go to a restaurant." I bite my lip, trying to contain my growing excitement.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"I guess I'll let you go, so you can go continue with your homework. I'll see you tomorrow in algebra, Eileen." I sigh, internally debating with myself over what I should do. Before I can think twice, I'm voicing my inner thoughts.

"Steve, wait, don't go," I say. "Do y-you understand how to do the homework?"

"I dunno, I ain't actually looked at the homework yet."

"Can you look?"

"I guess," He groans. Steve sets the phone down, creating a loud noise, before heading off. Finally, after a few moments, he comes back. "Nope. I ain't got a clue on how to do it."

"Well, can you come over anyway?"

"I'm on my way."


I'll admit, I'm a little nervous with some of the things that happened. I'll spare you the time and not go into details.

Please. I would LOVE to hear from every single one of you. I would really appreciate if you guys left a review, telling me what you thought of this chapter. Your feedback gives me motivation to write. :)