The next day during lunch, Ponyboy insisted on telling Mrs. Rote about what had happened.

"But what if he does it again since we told her?" I asked. "Or something worse?"

He took my hand and lightly kissed my knuckles. "I won't let him touch you. If he wants you, he'll have to go through me and the gang first."

"Okay", I said hesitantly.

We asked the receptionist in the office where Mrs. Rote would be during lunch and went there. Ashlynn was still out with a cold.

"Um…Mrs. Rote?" I said to get her attention as we stood in the doorway to the auditorium.

"Oh, hello, Lily", she smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you about something…well, someone."

Pony and I walked in and went over to the stage where she was sitting, flipping through papers. Her eyebrows were scrunched in confusion.

"Someone?" she asked.

I grabbed Pony's hand and squeezed it tightly. My stomach was rolling at the thought of what I was about to tell her.

"Do you want me to tell her?" Pony asked sweetly.

"Tell me what?" Mrs. Rote asked, genuinely confused.

"I-I…", I started, not knowing how to start. "It's Roger Davis."

"What about him?" She looked concerned now and hopped off the stage. She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, you can tell me anything. Don't be afraid."

"Since we started rehearsals, he's been hitting on me…", I told her, trailing off. She nodded at me to continued and Pony rubbed his thumb along my knuckles. I sighed and told her about what had happened as quickly as possible, hoping to rip it off like a band-aid.

"He did what?" Mrs. Rote asked in disbelief, mostly to herself. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. What do you want me to do? Should I tell the principal?"

"Yes", Pony answered for me. "He needs to get what he deserves. He bruised her, for Christ's sake."

He looked down at me and I gave him a look that said "You weren't supposed to tell her that!".

"Lily, sweetie, did he bruise you?" Mrs. Rote asked softly, taking the hand that my boyfriend wasn't holding.

"Yeah", I whispered.

"May I see?"

I nodded hesitantly and pulled the neckline of my shirt down so she could see the beginnings of the marks he left when he groped my breast. I had started to feel the bruises the night before and when I looked at them in the shower, I started to cry.

Mrs. Rote covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God. How many more are there?"

"They're all over my chest and behind", I told her shyly, but truthfully.

"Lily, I need to report this. This is assault. He's going to get suspended over this at the least."

"What about the play?" I asked. "You need a Peter."

"We have an understudy, and even if we didn't, I'd figure it out. You have enough to worry about", she looked at me and opened her arms. "Come here."

I cautiously walked into her arms and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see this earlier", she told me.

Suddenly there were tears in my eyes again, which soon started to drip down my cheeks. I tried to hide the fact that I was crying by holding my breath, but when it started to come out in hiccups it wasn't concealable anymore.

"Oh, sweetie", Mrs. Rote cooed and softly rubbed my back. I felt Pony take my hand and hold it tightly.

After a minute or so, I was exchanged into my boyfriend's arms, where I admittedly was more comfortable crying. He whispered calming words into my ear as he held me.

"It's okay, baby. You're gonna be okay. I won't let him near you. You're safe", he cooed. "You know that I wouldn't let him anywhere near you, right?"

"Yeah", I hiccupped.

"I love you", he whispered.

"I love you too", I said back

XxXxXxXxXx

A meeting between the principal, Roger, his parents, Mrs. Rote, my parents, and I was held the next day in the office after school. Ponyboy was there too. I was scared to be near Roger without him and his coach had let him out of practice that day when he heard that it was an emergency.

The principal, Mr. Edwards, sat in his large chair with his folded hands on his desk. "Now, Mrs. Rote, will you please explain the problem to me?"

"Sir, Roger Davis inappropriately touched and bruised Lily Smith two days ago after rehearsal for the play."

"That can't be!" Roger's father exclaimed. "He would never do something like that!"

"Tell that to the bruises on my daughter's chest!" Mom growled.

"Miss Smith, did Mr. Davis touch you inappropriately?" Mr. Edwards asked.

"Yes, sir", I nodded.

"Please explain."

"Well, I was waiting in the auditorium after rehearsal for my boyfriend to get out of football practice since he was going to walk me home. Roger had been saying inappropriate things and touching me inappropriately the entire rehearsal, no matter how many times I told him to stop. I was just standing there and he…hit my behind. I told him to leave me alone, but he said inappropriate things and grabbed me and started to touch me. I told him to stop again and again, but he just kept doing it and I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. Then he started kissing me. I kept trying to get away, but he wouldn't let me go. When Ponyboy came, Roger finally let me go."

"What did he say to you exactly before he grabbed you?"

My stomach dropped and I looked around at my parents and Ponyboy, desperately looking for a way out. But everyone was staring at me expectantly.

"Do you not remember what he said, Miss Smith?"

"I remember", I said and I did. I couldn't forget. "You said to say exactly what he said as in word-for-word?"

"If you can remember what he said word-for-word then yes."

"He hit my behind and said, and I quote, that he was 'just trying to show me how much he liked my ass', then he said that my 'tits are pretty nice too' and asked if I 'would mind showing them to him'."

"You little pervert", my dad growled and glared at Roger.

"He would never say something like that! He's very respectful!" Mrs. Davis insisted. That was when I broke.

"Your son is a pervert!" I yelled. "He's been hitting on me since rehearsals started and yesterday he assaulted me! He groped me! He would've raped me! I have bruises!"

"He's been doing this since before yesterday?" Mr. Edwards asked.

"Yes, sir. He always hits on me, even though he knows I have a serious boyfriend", I answered, annoyed that he was ignoring the fact that this…scum pushed himself on me.

"Could you have been wearing something that would have led him on?"

"Excuse me?"

"Were you wearing something that made you look like you wanted that kind of attention?"

"No, I wasn't, Mr. Edwards. And frankly, I'm offended that you would even suggest that."

"What were you wearing?"

"I was wearing a knee-length skirt and a blouse with a sweater over it."

"Was the skirt tight?"

"No."

"And the blouse or sweater?"

"No", I told him, gritting my teeth a bit.

"May I see the bruises?"

"Sir, the bruises are on my private areas."

"Are there any that aren't completely on your private areas?"

I clenched my jaw in annoyance and stood up, unbuttoning my sweater and pulling the neckline of my shirt down to reveal where a large bruise started right above the seam of my bra. The bruise covered my entire breast and there was one on the other, along with on my butt. I turned to Mr. and Mrs. Davis with the beginning of the bruise on full display. "Do you believe me that your angel of a son assaulted me now?"

They looked at me with distaste.

"How do we know that's not from her boyfriend?" Mr. Davis asked.

"Excuse me, Mr. Davis, but I'll have you know that I love my boyfriend and he loves me. In the three years that we have been together, he has never once put his hands on me in a violent manner or touched me inappropriately", I hissed, narrowing my eyes at them.

Pony grabbed my hand and squeezed it as I sat down.

"Mr. Curtis, what did you see?" Mr. Edwards asked him.

"I got to the auditorium and saw Roger's tongue down her throat and he was groping her everywhere", he said icily, glaring with more hatred than I had ever seen at Roger and his parents.

"And how would you describe you and Miss Smith's relationship?"

"We love each other and trust each other completely. She's my best friend." We looked at each other as he spoke and I gripped his hand even harder.

"And you, Miss Smith?"

"I couldn't have said it any better myself."

"Roger, there's way too much evidence proving your guilt", Mr. Edwards told him. "You're suspended from school until further notice."

Roger and his parents' jaws dropped and I had to keep a smile off of my face. I was just so relieved.

The Davises walked out of the school in a huff and my family and I were let out of the office. I immediately tackled Pony in a hug and started crying tears of joy.

"You're done with him", he assured me. "He'll never touch you again. He'll never come near you again. I can promise you that for as long as I live. I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I love you too", I told him and hugged him tighter.

"Can we join in?" Mom asked.

We nodded and my parents joined in on the hug.

"You're safe, Gracie", Dad told me as he kissed the top of my head. "That bastard isn't gettin' anywhere near you. I won't let him."

XxXxXxXxXx

The gang was completely outraged when they found out about Roger assaulting me.

"Where does that little asshole live? We're gonna find him and kill him", Soda said.

"He's not coming near me again", I assured them. "They're making sure of that."

"Good", Two-Bit growled. "That little-" And with that, he proceeded to call Roger every name and insult he could think of.

"Yes, he is", I agreed.

"I feel like it's my fault", Ashlynn told me. Soda wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"Ash, it's not your fault at all", I said. "You were home sick and I hadn't told anyone, so it's not like you knew."

"I know", she sighed. "But I still feel awful about it."

"It's okay", I smiled sadly at her and took her hand. "Even though you didn't do anything wrong, I forgive you."

We were all hanging out at the Curtis' house, except for Steve and Evie. She was a week away from her due date and Steve didn't want her straining herself, so she hadn't been out of her house for the past few days and hadn't been to work in a week. It had recently been announced by President Johnson that that day was Columbus Day, meaning the rest of us didn't have work either. Especially since it was only about 10 in the morning.

Evie's stomach was huge against her tiny frame and she had even stopped wearing heels at the 7-month mark since her feet were swollen and no longer visible to her.

We all sat around and talked until about 11:30, when there was a phone call. Rachel got up to answer it and after a moment, started to freak out. All of us looked towards her, confused.

She out her hand over the part of the phone that you talk into and shrieked, "Evie's water broke! She's in labor!"

The mood was instantly lightened and we all smiled and cheered.

"The baby's coming!" I exclaimed and started hitting my boyfriend's arm out of excitement.

"I know", he laughed.

"They just got to the hospital", Rachel told us, "so we better get a move on!"

We ran out of the house, separating into Darry's truck and Two-Bit's car. I was practically bouncing in my seat the entire way to the hospital.

"So I'm takin' it that you're excited?" Ruth laughed.

"What gave me away?" I smiled.

"Maybe you bein' jumpy as a Mexican jumping bean."

"Maybe", I agreed.

When we got to the hospital we all streamed in and Darry ran up to the front desk.

"Our friend's havin' a baby", he told the receptionist. "D'you know where Steve and Evie Randle are?"

She looked at some papers. "Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Randle are in the maternity ward on floor three in room three hundred and forty- one."

"Thank you, ma'am", he quickly said before we all rushed to the elevators and got inside. Sodapop was relentlessly tapping his foot on the floor.

"Babe, it's okay", Ashlynn told him and took his hand. "You're not the one giving birth, Evie is."

"I know that", he laughed nervously. "I'm just nervous, that's all. Nervous, but excited."

"I thank that makes all of us, little buddy", Darry said, clapping his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

The elevator got to the third floor and the hallway was quickly flooded with the Curtis gang. The numbers on the doors blurred past me as we ran past them, growing closer and closer to Room 341.

When we were finally there, Soda knocked rapidly at the door.

"Who is it?" Steve asked from inside.

"The gang", Pony answered.

There was silence for a moment, presumably Steve asking Evie if she was alright with us coming in. "C'mon in!"

I opened the door and quietly walked into the room. Evie was lying on the hospital bed in a hospital gown. Her hair had begun to stick to her face with sweat.

"Hey, Evie", I said as I went over to her and lightly took her hand. "How're you feelin'?"

"I've been better", she laughed.

"How long've you been in labor?" Ashlynn asked her.

"I dunno. 'bout twenty minutes give or take." Then she started breathing harder as she pushed through a contraction.

"How dilated are you?" Ruth questioned after it had passed.

"The doctor said two centimeters."

"At least the baby seems to be comin' quick", Rachel said.

"Yeah", Evie sighed, "he just loves to keep movin'. I'm surprised he didn't try to pop out months ago."

"It's a she!" Steve called over.

"Don't argue with the woman that's havin' your baby, Steven", I warned him. "That's just a bad idea."

XxXxXxXxXx

We all left the room soon after that and went into the waiting room, where we stayed for hours. Ashlynn and I called the dance studio to let them know that we weren't coming in.

I read through all the magazines on the tables next to the chairs. Pony read a few, but mostly just got lost in his own little world. I decided not to disrupt him, just holding one of his hands and running my thumb along his knuckles.

Soda paced around the waiting room, his need to move coming out more than than ever. Ashlynn switched between talking to Soda (when he sat down for a few minutes), Rachel, and I while Darry talked mostly to Two-Bit and Ruth. Rachel mostly talked to Ashlynn, Two-Bit, and I. We were sitting there until around dinnertime, when Steve burst down the hall and into the waiting room, tackling Soda in a hug. There were tears streaming down his face.

"I GOTTA SON!" Steve yelled. "I GOTTA SON!"

All of us hugged him and congratulated him.

"You wanna go see him?" he asked.

"Yes!" I exclaimed and jumped up and down. Steve led us to the room and carefully opened the door.

"Hey, babe", he said to Evie, "they're here."

"C'mon in", I heard her say quietly. She must have been completely exhausted.

We streamed into the room as quietly as possible. Evie was laying on the hospital bed with a little bundle of blue blankets in her arms. Her hair was everywhere, she was sweaty, and her face was flushed, but she still looked as pretty as ever.

"Hey", I whispered with a smile. "Is that him?"

"Yeah", she smiled.

Steve went over to her and picked up the baby before walking over to Soda. "The godfather gets to hold him first."

"I'm the godfather?" Soda asked.

"You sure are, Soda", the new father laughed and carefully handed off the baby to his best friend. I had never seen Soda that still, and it was especially strange considering how antsy he had been in the waiting room.

"Hey, buddy", Soda whispered. "I'm your godfather. How're you doin'?"

The baby didn't move much since he was asleep, but he wiggled around a little in Soda's arms.

"What's his name?" Darry asked.

Evie and Steve looked at each other before turning to us with huge smiles.

"Andrew Scott Randle", Evie told us.

Soda handed off the baby to Ashlynn, who knew exactly how to hold him. I assumed it was a maternal instinct since the boys seemed to be clueless about how to do it properly.

Andrew was passed to everyone else before he was passed to Pony and I and I felt like I was about to burst with excitement by the time he made his way over to us. Somehow, he had stayed asleep the entire time.

When Andrew was handed off to my boyfriend, he looked terrified.

"He's so small", Pony muttered. "You sure I won't break him?"

I laughed and fixed his arms. "You're okay, honey, as long as you don't hold him like a football."

He held Andrew for a few minutes before handing him off to me. I felt the familiar weight in my arms and couldn't help but remember when the twins were born. Without me even noticing, I had started to cry.

"You okay, darlin'?" Pony asked.

"I'm just fine, love", I told him.

Suddenly Andrew squirmed in my arms and yawned. He was waking up. His eyes fluttered open, showing Evie's dark blue eyes.

"Hi, sweetie", I laughed, tears continuing to flow down my face. "I'm your Aunt Lily. Welcome to the world."

He looked up at me curiously, making me laugh again.

"You're the cutest little thing, Andrew", I cooed.

"He sure is", Ponyboy said quietly from behind me.

Andrew yawned again and I guessed that he was tired. I started swaying and bouncing a bit.

His eyelids drooped until they were closed again and he was back asleep.

"How'd you do that?" Two-Bit asked incredulously.

"It's what my mom did to get the twins to sleep when they were younger", I answered quietly, still bouncing and rocking.

"You want him back, Evie?" I asked.

She nodded tiredly and I walked Andrew over, lightly kissing his forehead before handing him to his mother. She was already a mom, that was obvious. She looked down at him with that look of infinite and unfathomable love that all mothers had. Steve was just looking at the both of them in love and awe.

"He's gonna be a heartbreaker, that's for sure", Soda laughed.

"He sure is", Darry agreed. "Reminds me of you two when y'all were born."

"Do you even remember when I was born?" Soda asked.

"You bet I do."

"So where'd you get the name from?" Rachel asked.

"Well, Lily helped me pick out Scott at work one day", Evie answered. "We were talking about boys' names since I was sure that's what we were having and she suggested 'Scott' and it was the only one I liked. It grew on me since then."

"And Andrew?" Ruth questioned.

"Andrew was Johnny's middle name", Steve said. "We thought it'd be a nice way to remember him."

We all started to tear up, Pony and I especially.

Many pictures were taken that night before everyone but the Randles went home. It looked like there would be a new photo album on the way.

XxXxXxXxXx

The boy that would now be playing Peter was a guy in our grade named Michael Wilson. I met him the first day of rehearsal after the "Roger Incident". He was also a Soc, but he was very nice and kind of shy. It took a lot of encouragement for him to just kiss me on the cheek like it said in the script, which I was fine with. It was a huge relief for me that he wasn't so out-there. I needed calm and that was what I got.

Andrew got baptized a week after he was born and a week after that it was the day of the play. It was a Saturday night, so I had to skip work at the bookstore for it.

Roger had come back to school after a two-week suspension and had been ordered not to go anywhere near me or he would be suspended again or expelled. After the Incident, Pony or Ashlynn, if not both, were always with me and she made sure to come to school every day.

On the day of the play, my family and I drove to my school at 5 and I went backstage while they found their seats. I found my costume and changed in the bathroom.

It was a simple World War II era costume: a maroon cable-knit sweater with a collared blouse underneath, a dark grey skirt, dark grey knee-high socks, and black buckled shoes. My hair was pinned so it looked like it only went down to my shoulders and there was a clip holding my long bangs back. The only jewelry I had on was a thin watch. Soon I would be putting on several more skirts and blouses and a coat, but I wanted to stay comfortable for a little bit longer. Later in the show, I would have to change into a different skirt and blouse, put on a shawl, and a pair of heels.

I peeked out from behind the curtain for a moment, only to see a full house. The nerves started to kick in and I grabbed my script. Since I wasn't going to be seen during the opening monologue, I would be reading directly from the script into a microphone. It wasn't the best microphone, but we took what we could get.

The boy that was playing Mr. Frank, David Burke, would be looking down at a book which was supposed to be the diary, so he would be reading directly from the script as well since we had written the lines in the book. He would have to speak very loudly, though, since he didn't have a microphone.

I started repeating my lines the lines that I said after the monologue to myself. "It's the Westertoren!…A cat?…I slept, Father. Wasn't that funny? I knew it was the last night in my own bed, and yet I slept soundly…I feel fine. I'm going to help Father…"

"How're you doin', Anne?" Mrs. Rote asked me. Since I was Anne on stage and had to react to her name as if it were my own, sometimes she and the other members of the cast called me by that name.

"Nervous", I admitted. "Scared that I'll forget my lines."

"Lily, you've been saying all of your lines perfectly since you first read the script. There's nothing that's gonna happen. You know everything by heart."

"That's only because I had people helping me", I told her. Evie read the script with me at work when there wasn't anybody there and Ashlynn and Pony read it with me when we had time.

"There're people here that'll help you too. They're called your cast-mates. You'll be fine." She put a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Rote."

She smiled warmly at me before going off to talk to another member of the cast.

Without noticing, I had started to pick at my nails. I quickly stopped myself since I had been trying to grow out my nails recently and wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt.

Soon, the play started. I could hear the people playing Mr. Frank and Miep saying their lines as the microphone was placed in front of me. Mrs. Rote gave me a thumbs-up as I started reading my monologue along with David and then by myself. At the end, I softened my voice to give it the illusion of fading out. I had recently put my several layers of clothing on and was already sweating and couldn't wait for them to come off.

The people playing the Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan started talking one the stage and I slung the schoolbag full of things onto my shoulder. David started talking as the people playing Margot, Mrs. Frank, Miep, and Mrs. Kraler entered the stage and I prepared.

"Anne?" I heard called out. I took a deep breath and ran onto the stage, a bounce in my step. I was introduced and curtsied before running around the set, checking out different things. Everyone playing an adult talked until I said my first line.

"It's the Westertoren!" I exclaimed.

The minuscule singing scene during the Hanukkah scene passed as the play continued and we eventually got to the most awkward scene in the play: Anne and Peter's kiss scene. That would have been the second-most-embarrassing scene, but the part where Anne talks about "changes" happening to her had to be cut out due to it being "inappropriate".

"Aren't they awful?" I ranted. "Aren't they impossible? Treating us as if we were still in the nursery."

"Don't let it bother you", Michael said. "I doesn't bother me."

"I suppose you can't really blame them…they think back to what they were like at our age. They don't realize how much more advanced we are…When you think what wonderful discussions we've had!…Oh, I forgot. I was going to bring you some more pictures."

"Oh, these are fine, thanks."

"Don't you want some more? Miep just brought me some new ones."

"Maybe later."

"I remember when I got that…I won it. I bet Jopie that I could eat five ice-cream cones. We'd all been playing ping-pong…We used to have heavenly times…we'd finish up with ice cream at the Delphi, or the Oasis, where Jews were allowed…there'd always be a lot of boys…we'd laugh and joke…I'd like to go back to it for a few days or a week. But after that I know I'd be bored to death. I think more seriously about life now. I want to be a journalist…or something. I love to write. What do you want to do?"

"I thought I might go off some place…work on a farm or something…some job that doesn't take much brains."

"You shouldn't talk that way. You've got the most awful inferiority complex."

"I know I'm not smart."

"That isn't true", I said. "You're much better than I am in dozens of things…arithmetic and algebra and…well, you're a million times better than I am in algebra. You like Margot, don't you? Right from the start you liked her, liked her much better than me."

"Oh, I don't know."

"It's alright. Everyone feels that way. Margot's so good. She's sweet and bright and beautiful and I'm not."

"I wouldn't say that."

"Oh, no, I'm not. I know that. I know quite well that I'm not a beauty. I never have been and I never shall be."

"I don't agree at all. I think you're pretty."

"That's not true!"

"And another thing. You've changed…from at first, I mean."

"I have?" I asked.

"I used to think you were awful noisy."

"And what do you think now, Peter? How have I changed?"

"Well…um…you're…quieter."

"I'm glad you just don't hate me."

"I never said that."

"I bet when you get out of here you'll never think of me again."

"That's crazy."

"When you get back with all of your friends, you're going to say…'now what did I ever see in that Mrs. Quack Quack'."

"I haven't got any friends."

"Oh, Peter, of course you have. Everyone has friends."

"Not me. I don't want any. I get along alright without them."

"Does that mean that you can get along alright without me? I think of myself as your friend."

"No. If they were all like you, it'd be different."

Now for the fun part, I thought. I always had to keep myself from laughing at the sheer awkwardness of these next few lines.

"Peter, did you ever kiss a girl?" I asked.

"Yes. Once", Michael said.

"That picture's crooked."

Michael turned to look at the imaginary picture when I blurted out, "Was she pretty?" The audience laughed, making it even harder for me not to. Michael's lips were starting to pull up in a smile.

"Huh?"

"The girl you kissed."

"I don't know. I was blindfolded. It was at a party. One of those kissing games."

"Oh, I don't suppose that really counts, does it?"

"It didn't with me."

"I've been kissed twice. Once a man I'd never seen before kissed me on the cheek when he picked me up off the ice and I was crying. And the other was Mr. Koophuis, a friend of Father's who kissed my hand. You wouldn't say those counted, would you?"

"I wouldn't say so."

"I know almost for certain that Margot would never kiss anyone unless she was engaged to them, And I'm sure too that Mother never touched a man before Pim. But I don't know…things are so different now…What do you think? Do you think a girl shouldn't kiss anyone except if she's engaged or something? It's so hard to try to think what to do, when here we are with the whole world falling around our ears and you think…well…you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow and…What do you think?"

"I suppose it'd depend on the girl. Some girls, anything they do's wrong. But others…well...it wouldn't necessarily be wrong with them. I've always thought that two people-" Michael was cut off by the sound effect of church bells sounding, meaning my cue.

"Nine o'clock. I have to go", I said.

"That's right."

"Good night."

Michael got up. "You won't let them stop you from coming?"

"No", I told him, getting up too. "Sometimes I might bring my diary. There are so many things in it that I want to talk over with you. There's a lot about you."

"What kinds of things?"

"I wouldn't want you to see some of it. I thought you were a nothing, just the way you thought about me."

"Did you change your mind, the way I changed mine?"

"Well…", I smiled a bit, "you'll see."

I continued looking up at Michael for a moment and nodded a little, encouraging him that it would be okay to kiss my cheek. I turned away and he grabbed my arm, pulling me back into his arms and kissing my cheek. I had to walk out dazed, with a giddy smile on my face. I just thought about the times when Pony and I's kisses had left me breathless and dazed and it did the trick.

XxXxXxXxXx

"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart", I solemnly spoke my last line into the microphone backstage, feeling my heart tighten and my stomach drop just as knew the audience did as I said my favorite quote. There was a reason it was my favorite; I knew it was true.

"She puts me to shame", David said, somehow being quiet enough that we all felt like we were right next to him with his voice in our ear, but still speaking loudly enough that the entire auditorium could hear him.

Everything was silent as the light faded out on him and the curtain fell.

The audience immediately erupted in applause and a small smile made its way onto my face, despite the knot in my stomach.

The curtain opened and we all took our curtain call together before we took out individual bows. Mrs. Rote was downstage with the microphone I had been using to introduce us.

"Michael Wilson as Peter Van Daan!" she announced. I hugged him and nudged him so he would walk up to her. She hugged him as well and he bowed to the audience.

"And last, but certainly not least, Lily Smith as Anne Frank!"

I smiled as Michael put an arm around my shoulder and gave me an affectionate squeeze before walking downstage myself. The entire audience was on its feet and with all the bright lights in my face, I couldn't see my family no matter how hard I tried. Nevertheless, I smiled at all of them and waved. Mrs. Rote pulled me into a tight hug.

"You did amazing", she whispered in my ear. "Anne Frank would be proud."

"Thank you", I said back. "For everything."

She let me go and I turned back to the crowd, bowing and backing up to upstage with the rest of the cast.

We all left the stage moments later and I changed into my regular clothes in the bathroom and went into the auditorium. There, I was greeted by several people who all congratulated me and sung my praises. I thanked each and every one of them genuinely, but after a while of this, I just wanted to see my family, Pony, and Ashlynn.

After almost 10 minutes of being talked to, I finally found them at the end of the audience-comprised crowd. My parents were talking to a couple other adults and Pony and Ashlynn were talking to Anna and Henry.

I stood up on tip-toe behind my boyfriend and whispered, "Hey, honey."

"Hey, darlin'", he laughed as he turned around to face me.

"You're incredible", he told me, picking me up and hugging me. "You were amazing up there."

"Thank you", I smiled into his neck.

The second he put me down, my parents were squeezing the living daylights out of me and complementing me to no end. I was flattered, but since I had never been the best at receiving complements, I just blushed and awkwardly thanked them.

Ashlynn hugged and congratulated me too, a knowing smirk on her face just like when I found out I had gotten the role.

Anna and Henry congratulated me in that way that most little siblings do, which is, not really at all.

Pony gave me a small bouquet of flowers and told me it was from all of them, but my dad was shaking his head and mouthing "No it's not" behind him. I held back a laugh and thanked them all anyway.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Smith", Mrs. Rote said as she came up to us. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"It's nice to see you again too", Mom smiled and shook her hand.

"Thank you so much for helping us during all that", Dad told her, shaking her hand as well.

"I look out for all my students. Lily needed help, so I helped her", she said, resting her hand on my shoulder.

Ponyboy wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my temple. I smiled up at him before laying my head on his shoulder.

"You've got an incredible girl here. Y'all should be proud", Mrs. Rote told them.

"We are", they both said, looking at me as they did. I blushed and hid my face in Pony's chest. He laughed and slightly squeezed my waist.

"Have a good night", she said, smiling at us before walking away.

"Lil, I think you're turnin' into a tomato", Ashlynn laughed once I had pulled my head out of Pony's chest.

I narrowed my eyes at her and stuck out my tongue, causing everyone to laugh.

Hey, guys! This is going to be my last update before I go back to school, so it might take a while for me to update. Just a warning. Baby Randle has arrived! I'm excited to start including a baby in the story and see how the gang does with him. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavelclaw13