This story is in dedication to: JessieMundaiFan. Because of her inspirational story: Wild Ride.

Please enjoy the story!

DISCLAIMERS: I don't own The Outsiders, or That Was Then, This Is Now. S. E. Hinton does. And I also do not own: Wild Ride. That is' Jessie's own idea.

CHAPTER 3

"T-Tim?"

Johnny and Ponyboy stared, curiously at Tim Shepard. Ponyboy knew who Tim was, but he had only met him a few times and he was always with Darry those few times. Tim wasn't part of their gang, but they were friends, he assumed. He also knew Tim was Curly's older brother.

"Hello." Tim casually nodded to Soda and Darry, who entered the room.

Tim was as tall as Darry and muscular as him too. Ponyboy sure would feel sorry for the fool who messed with this hood.

Curly, Ponyboy noticed, hadn't moved from his spot, infact he was still frozen when Tim walked past Curly.

"Well, Darrel jr. and Sodapop Curtis." Tim managed to give off a crooked smile in which Ponyboy admired. He gazed on, knowing this was probaby a rare-event.

"Haven't seen you since the fight with Paul at the high school football game." Tim shook Darry's hand. Ponyboy knew that fight all too well. It was Darry's last game of his senior year, the school had made it to State and Darry pulled a muscle while tossing the ball, hence, loosing the game. Paul, Darry's best friend since grade-school, had blown it threw the roof, insulting Darry and the whole team for even putting Darry as their quater-back.

What it boiled down to was Paul was jealious all along if Darry and a fight abrupted, ending Paul and Darry's friendship just a few weeks before graduation. It was so bad Tim had his gang of thugs join in.

"Same with you. Infact, I see more of your brother than I do you." Darry spat that last part and Tim nodded, turning to Curly, walking his steel-toe boots towards Curly. Curly still hadn't turned around.

"Really? Is that a fact?" Tim questioned lightly.

Soda rushed over to Ponyboy and Johnny, pulling them closer to Darry and himself. Sodapop could smell a fight before it happened and knowing The Shepards, they were bloodlust for fights.

Tim stopped when he was at Curly's heels. Not to say Curly was scared of his big brother, quite the oppisite, actually.

"Well, then. . . Curly. . ." Tim's sing-song voice gave Ponyboy chills."Why didn't you tell me you were out of juvy?"

Curly never replied, but he did turn around to face his brother. The two had the same chesnut-brown eyes and nose. Tim hovered over him a good three feet and Curly shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"He's been out for two days now," Darry replied.

Tim nodded, smiling. "That's interesting. . . very nice to know."

With that Curly glared at his older brother, turning to Ponyboy, he gave a wink and a smile, then pushed the door open, not caring that it slammed loudly. Ponyboy had no idea what had just happened, neither did Darry nor Soda. Johnny was kept in the dark as Soda whispered to Ponyboy and Johnny to go to Ponyboy's room and wait.

Soda never did demand much from Ponyboy, but Pony could hear the seriousness in his voice as he nodded, taking Johnny to his room.

Darry bit his lower lip looking at Tim.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear he was trouble, Darry. It won't happen again." Tim casually spoke.

Darry crossed his arms. "I believe you when you say 'you're sorry', what I don't believe is that 'it won't happen again' part."

Tim's smirk didn't fade. "Calling me a liar?"

"No, not you. That Curly of yours is wild. I don't want him influencing Ponyboy-"

"Ponyboy is a good kid who'd heal a fly" Tim shook his head. "Trust me, there's way worse than Curly out there."

"And whoever those people are, are getting the same warning: Curly stays away from Ponyboy." Darry cleared his voice and Soda felt giddy on the inside. Hopefully Curly listenes to Tim and stays away from his innocent, little, baby-brother.

Ponyboy rolled his eyes, sticking his head out of his door, trying to eavesdrop. Sometimes Darry and Soda were too over-protective. Tim and Darry exchanged looks, not of danger but it wasn't pleasent.

Tim closed his eyes. "I see. If I don't want to have my me-time taken away then I guess Curly ain't showin up around here."

Soda smiled. "That sounds like an idea."

Ponyboy's mouth opened, appalled. Darry and Soda were keeping Curly away from him? Why? Sure Curly was a no-good hood in society's eyes and he's been to juvy-

Ponyboy held his head in defeat, all he could count was how many times the curly-hood had been bad. Ponyboy never did hang around Curly growing up, only once did he even remember being with Curly. He only knew Curly cause he went to the same school as him and even then they weren't in any classes together, none that he knew of.

"Well, as peachy-timing as this is, I need to take Curls home. Se ya' around." With that Tim Shepard, unlike most hoods, left without slamming the door.

Soda smiled. "Ponyboy, it's not nice to listen in on other people's conversations~"

Ponyboy held back a tiny yelp as he shut his door.

It was an awkward ride with Tim. There was a deathly silence the devil would shiver to.

Curly kept his eyes focused out the window, not daring to look at Tim.

Tim took a swing of his beer.

"So, wanna' tell me when you came back?" Tim glanced at his bright rusty-orange haired brother. Curly cocked an eyebrow.

"Since when did you care?"

"Ha. Like I wouldn't care that my idiot brother is back in town. I need to know these things so I'm not interupted."

"With what?!" Curly growled.

It was Tim's turn to snarl. "No business you need to stick your nose into."

Curly rolled his eyes, earning himself a harsh slug in the arm from Tim. If Curly were younger, he would have cried; Tim's punches didn't tickle. Curly grew used to them and he snickered.

"You been hanging around too many strippers? Cause you've gotten soft."

Wrong thing to say. NEVER call Tim Shepard 'soft'.

Tim swirled the blue car, not caring that he was in the middle of the street.

"Get the fuck out." Tim's voice laced with anger. You didn't have to tell Curly twice what to do, infact he was glad to leave the car. Slamming the door, he stomped off, ignoring the dust Tim kicked back with the tires.

Curly muttered a curse word, wondering if he should head back to The Curtis' or not.

Curly was half tempted to, knowing that Cade kid was over there with Ponyboy. But he stopped in his tracks, smirking. If he was correct, than tomorrow was September. And September meant: Homecoming Dance. Curly hated school functions almost as he hated school, but being at the school dance meant more time with Ponyboy. And if he was lucky than maybe Mark would be there, Mark always brought booze. Booze and Ponyboy.

A drunk Ponyboy.

His, if-you-tell-anyone-I'll-kill-you lustfully secret dream come true.

Because a drunk Ponyboy meant he could get the horse tamed, and taming a horse meant it belonged to him!

Curly smirked devilishly, as he headed off to find the Clown: Mark Jennings.

After the whole Curly and Tim incidant, Ponyboy knew it wasn't a good time to talk about what happened only a few hours after a threatened Shepard-throwdown occured in his own living room.

Ponyboy was so worried about Curly, he couldn't get his mind off of the Curly-haired greaser. He must have been thinking too hard because Darry told Ponyboy to stop picking at his food and Soda asked what the matter was.

"How come The Shepard's are different from us?" Ponyboy asked, meekly.

Soda cocked his eyebrow. "What do you mean, different, honey?"

"Well, Tim, Curly and Angela could all care less about one another. Why is that?" Ponyboy was adamant on getting an answer.

Darry folded his napkin. "Easy. They just were never around one another growing up. After their real father walked out of them, Tim practically moved out of his house when he was thirteen, Ponyboy. I know this, cause Dad would catch him sneaking into Bars and asking complete strangers for a place to sleep after work."

Ponyboy felt sorry for Tim.

"Well, Curly was just wild from when he was born, Tim told me. Curly was a brat from Birth and never cared where Tim was, more or so less than Angela who's too busy flaunting herself to care about her own body. Ponyboy if I so much as find out that you even look at her, I'm grounding you unti lyou're thirty!"

Not exactly the answer Ponyboy was looking for. Soda's soft hand was placed on Ponyboy's shoulder.

"Ponyboy, Tim, Curly and Angela grew up with pains and sadness. They hide that by acting tough and being a Greaser, acting tough means getting in trouble-"

"I know that." Ponyboy claired. "I just. . . don't understand why they hate each other."

Darry shook his head. "Who knows. That's their problem, not ours. We need to focus on us and right now you're not eating. Eat."

Ponyboy sighed, doing what he was told and resumed eating.

Then he wondered: Did The Shepard's ever eat as a family?

That night as he was snuggled under Soda's protective arms, Ponyboy felt restless. He couldn't stop thinking about Tim, Curly and even Angela. He wondered if Curly or Angela had nightmares when they were little and ran to Tim for comfort. Did Tim smile and tell them it would be okay, or did he just simply walk away?

Ponyboy felt tears come to his own eyes, he wouldn't know what he'd do if Soda or Darry hated him (well, he knew Darry couldn't stand him, but Soda. If Soda hated him, he'd probably die).

He sniffed and although he didn't mean to, he woke Sodapop.

"What's wrong, Baby? Did you have a bad dream?" Soda was wide awake, creasing Ponyboy's bangs out of his face.

"No. . . Soda?"

"yeah, Baby?"

"I. . . I love you, B-big brother"

Soda only smiled sweetly, kissing Ponyboy's cheek. "I love you too, Baby brother. Now it's late. Try and go back to sleep. No more tears."

And Ponyboy did just that.

While our favorite Curtis Brothers nestled soundly in bed, across town a more rough and patchy side of society blasts music and danced dirty under street lights. Angela Shepard, the youngest Shepard, was no different with her tight jeans, see-through blouse and penny-shoes she laughed loudly, allowing her dark tossled hair flow in the wind, smoking her cigarette.

It was a typical night for Angela, flirting with boys and ignoring cops.

That is, until she spotted her brother. She excused herself from her obnoxious group of "friends" and made her way to Curly.

"So, you're back?" She asked, she wasn't surprised but Curly wasn't the one to get off early from Juvy.

"So far, you and Mark are the only ones to give me a proper greeting, still sleeping around?" Curly had lost respect for Angela when puberty hit the girl. She flaunted her breasts more than a playboy bunny. Angela's eyes narrowed.

"You pissed off Tim," She claimed. "Him and James got in a brawl"

Curly rolled his eyes, he could care less about his brother and step-father.

"Does it look like I care?"

"Well you should! James got a phone call from someone saying you were causing trouble and he was confused cause we thought you were still in Juvy! Mom cried!" Angela hissed, smoking her cancer-stick, handing one to Curly.

"Angel, I need you," Curly was done talking about his situation. "You still go to school, or did you quit?"

"I go," Angela rolled her eyes. "Why?" Only Curly and Tim call her Angel (well Bryon did once too, but that was a thing of the past) when they wanted or needed something, but nothing like a little bargin' spiced things up for Angela.

"You know, Ponyboy?"

Angela's eyes lit up like a tiger. Of course she knew Ponyboy Curtis.

"Yeah, why?"

"I need a favor. I need you to find out where and when the homecoming dance is and if Ponyboy is going." Curly was never the one to ask anyone for anything, but this was desperate times and if he wanted the littlest Greaser to himself, he'd have to approach him at the right time. Ponyboy was a dreamy fourteen-year-old who loved books and movies, that's all Curly knew about him and he assumed that just because Pony was a romantic, he wanted to treated as such.

Angela's smile turned coil. "Alright, but-"

Curly knew there'd be a catch.

"I want payment." She held out her hand and Curly rolled his eyes, slamming a wad of cash in her hand.

"His first period if Math, I'll ask him if he's got a date" She smiled, wickedly.

Curly had no idea what he'd be getting himself into and as he was about to walk away Angela called out to him .

"So, Curly, why are you so interested in Curtis?" Angela crossed her arms.

Curly looked back. "None of your business."

That was all she needed to know now.

Yay!

I hope you like it so far, Jessie.

Review for more! :)

-Kylelover101