CHAPTER 7

"You're surprised?" He removed his hood.

I looked at him angrily, "A little. Let me through, will ya?"

Dally came closer, "Pony, don't do something stupid, alright?"

Pony grabbed something that was propped up against the pump. It was a bat!

"You stay away from her, Dallas. If I catch you two together again…" He said with his teeth gritted.

Sodapop cut him off, "Ponyboy, c'mon. Leave her be."

I crossed my arms, "And what exactly are you gonna do if you catch me with Dally again, huh? You don't own me. I'm not your girlfriend, alright?!" I raised my voice as I screamed in his face.

Ponyboy grabbed my shoulders, "What do you think I'm gonna do? I'm gonna kick his ass. I'll kill him if it means I can have you by my side. That's how much I want you, Dani."

My heart stopped. That was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. But also at the same time…Super goddamn creepy! Want me? Want me?!

"Ponyboy, what you did earlier…killed me inside. And maybe I would be happy to be with you if you weren't being so possessive right now! Why does it matter what guys I like? I'm a single goddamn pringle and that's what the hell is up." I pushed him away.

He grabbed my arm as I squeezed by, "Hold it!" I struggled to get away, but his grip…It was so tight on my arm!

Dally lunged at Ponyboy as Johnny came up and yanked at my other arm. I knew Dally didn't want to, but he had to make him let me go… Dally then threw a punch at Pony.

Soda pulled him off of Pony as Pony relieved my arm of his grip.

"So this—this is that girl you were talking about last week? Danielle is that girl?!" Soda stared at him in disbelief.

Dally was silent for a minute before he turned to look at me with his freshly tamed eyes. He smirked attractively.

He didn't need to say anything. I knew what he was gonna say if he did.

I guess Soda couldn't tolerate the silent dead air between us as he playfully punched Dally's arm, "Man, I'm sorry for that whole thing. I really don't know what got into me."

Pony snapped as blood began to gush from his nose, "I do. You should've got 'em while you had the chance. No wonder, though. Who doesn't wanna just clobber him?! Him and his stupid face!"

I gently touched Ponyboy's shoulder, "Stop it, Pony. You're acting like a child. Just calm down, okay?"

"No! And you shouldn't have bailed him out like you did! Your parents' money was worth way more that this piece of garbage!" He pointed at Dally angrily.

Johnny grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Ponyboy, "Let's go home, Dani. We need to let him cool off a bit."

I pried his hand away, "No, Johnny. I'm not going home!" I glanced back at Dally before running into his arms.

I saw how vexed Ponyboy looked and I shut my eyes. Dally started to run his fingers through my hair as he held me.

"Can we go back to Buck's?" I asked him with noticeably desperate eyes.

Soda pulled Ponyboy from the pump and into the small DX building.

Johnny approached us timidly, "So you want to stay with Dally at Buck's tonight?" He kicked at the small pebbles on the ground.

I was too scared to answer for myself, fearing that he would be disapproving of the idea. Johnny loved me and I know that, that's why he says no to some things like that. He doesn't want me to get hurt or anything like that.

Dally replied, still brushing his fingers along my dark locks, "Can she?" I could just imagine his eyes as he asked Johnny, promising and desperate.

I could audibly hear Johnny sigh, "I guess so… But, Dally, don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything that I'll personally make you regret."

I could sense Dally nodding as his jacket rubbed up against me as if he did. I felt his eyes on me again. I could also hear soft shuffling in the opposite direction—Johnny.

I lifted my head and looked up at him. I looked into his reckless, cold eyes and paused for a second before telling him, "Thanks, Dal."

"For what?" He grinned slightly.

I swallowed, "For being there for me for so long. For being nice to me over other girls. For treating me like a person and not some marionette puppet." I couldn't stop gazing into his eyes. They were so beautiful… Maybe even better to look at than Ponyboy's. Pure gleamy wonder for the ladies to melt over.

He beamed brightly, "Of course." He pecked at my cheek before putting his arm around me.

We began walking to Buck's in the darkness.

"So," we looked at each other as he said, "what made you change your mind about me?"

I sighed with a slight snicker, "What makes you so curious, Winston?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, I just wanna know why the person I love likes me back."

I rolled my eyes, "Wait," I stopped walking, forcing him to stop too, "Likes?"

"Yeah? Likes."

I placed my hands on his chest to his pleasure, "W-r-o-n-g-o, pal. I basically told you I loved you earlier…" I said shyly.

"Really?" He said sarcastically, "that's funny because—I just wanted to see your reaction." He laughed.

I looked at him in annoyance, "Ugh, not funny!" I popped his chest. I giggled a bit, though.

"You know how much I love to mess with you." He chuckled, "And it's because I love you."

I hugged him as we walked, "I know, Dal." I shut my eyes in comfort, "I love you, too."

He let out a small sigh, "I know, Dani."

I don't know why, but I loved it when he said my name. I felt like he was my shield and that nothing—not even the most dangerous thing, could touch me. His presence gave me a feeling of serenity. I knew how much I wanted to be in his arms and I knew how much trouble he could get into when he turned 18. But I guess that's just what I liked about him; He's a bad boy with a kind heart.

When we got to Buck's, he immediately brought me upstairs and away from Buck's drinking buddies.

James stood directly in front of the bedroom door, eyeing me in disgust.

"Danielle Cade." He said with his arms crossed. I'm guessing he hadn't forgotten about our interaction last week… I felt really uncomfortable with his stare.

Dal shoved him away, "Get out of here you little creep."

James stomped one of his feet like a child having a tantrum, "Wait till I tell Buck about you bringing girls into the house!"

I knew James hated Dallas. Then again, a lot of people hated Dallas. Maybe not the gang, but a lot of people. What a hoodlum…

"Yeah, you do that. I'll make sure to tell him about lil' miss, a'right?" He snickered as he slammed the door.

I looked at Dally with confusion, "Doesn't Buck bring broads in? And you—doesn't he already know?"

He shrugged as he explained, "The kid's delusional. He thinks the whole world revolves around him and to be perfectly honest, I think he's too busy fondling at his own dick to notice that it ain't."

I giggled a bit as I sat down on the bed. I just perched there quietly before asking, "Is there any extra clothes I could wear tonight? I didn't bring anything comfortable to sleep in." I looked up at him, leaned up against the door.

He simpered at me, "Yeah," he ambled over to the drawers and scoured through the clothes, "here ya go." He tossed me a long oversized t-shirt.

"Thanks, man. Is there a bathroom or something that I can…" My eyes wandered to him.

He pointed to a small door, "There's the closet. The bathroom is out there with the little creep, if that doesn't repel the idea."

I chuckled, "Nah, it's fine. The closet's good." I marched to the closet and shut the door behind me.

I began to pull off my t-shirt when I noticed something lying on the ground. It was an envelope with Dally's name written on it. I knew his ex, Sylvia, and this looked like her handwriting. I didn't want to snoop or anything, but not knowing what it contained would kill me before curiosity could. I stuffed the envelope in my jacket before continuing to change.

When I finished, I opened the closet door to find Dally, bare-chested, sitting on the bed. His build was pretty good for 17. He wore a smile on his face as I gently sat my jacket on top of the dresser. I then flopped down on the bed next to Dally. He draped his arm over me as I drifted off into the dark recesses of sleep.

-TWO WEEKS LATER-

Johnny and I were at the drive in with Two Bit for fun. I tried to watch the movie, but it was too loud from the audible teen make out sesh going on in the seats behind us. There was one part of the movie that made me question Two Bit to whether it was funny or not. Of course, he said yes, but that's only because he laughed at most everything.

"Hey, Dani, wanna go get us some popcorn?" Two Bit asked as he scavenged through his pockets for a quarter.

I stared at him in slight annoyance, "What? Too drunk to get it yourself?" I smirked.

He chortled, "Nah, too lazy," he glanced over at Johnny, "Hey, Johnnycake, you want some pop or somethin'?"

Johnny shrugged and turned his attention back to the movie. I rolled my eyes with a smile, "I'll take that as a yes." I could see Johnny grin a bit.

"Alright, here's a quarter. Get Johnny a Coke and me some candy and popcorn." He handed me the quarter. I nodded.

As I walked up the isle to the concession, I noticed the two teenagers sitting behind us stopped making out and focused their attention at me. The boy mumbled something along the lines of "God, look at that tramp. Setting out for someone like a-gazillion years older than her…" He snorted.

I snarled at them crossly. I had been getting light shit talk from people for the past week or so about how I was involved with Dally and all. Some people kept calling me a slut for "ditching" Pony for Dally, and clearly that's not what happened. Besides, I wasn't his girlfriend. Then again, I wasn't Dally's girlfriend either… It's just kind of pathetic how people are calling me vulgar names like that when I haven't even had sex with either one of them. Not to mention that I'm only turning 15 in a few days. The only reason I could keep cool through all of the rumors was because I loved Dally and I didn't want to lose him over some stupid rumor about us.

When I reached the concession, I grabbed a small box of candy, knowing that it was Two Bit's favorite. As I stood in line waiting to get popcorn, I had that feeling like I do a lot when someone had their eyes on me. I felt kinda light headed for a second before the line moved a bit and I could grab some popcorn for Two Bit. I looked up, trying to pass the time. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that there was a boy with dark blonde hair staring at me. I didn't want to look at him because then he would have the advantage of knowing I knew.

I sighed silently as the line moved a little. That's when my eyes shifted toward the guy again. To my relief, he was gone. I was becoming really paranoid at this point. The line moved up and eventually I got to the register to pay for my items.

As I turned around to go back to our seats, I was stopped by someone blocking my path. I ended up looking up from his shoes to his head. He had black converse on his feet with white socks, bare knees up until his ripped jean shorts. He was wearing a navy blue tee and a flannel over it, and his sand colored hair was combed back and filled with hair grease.

I almost dropped Two Bit goodies as I made the appalling realization that it was Peter, my ex boyfriend. He smirked at me with his deep brown devilish eyes. He snatched the candy from me obnoxiously, "Hey, baby girl. How are ya?"

He was about to open the box when I slapped it out of his hand, "What are you doing?! Those are for my friend, you pig!" I set the popcorn down and picked up the box.

He smirked, "Who? That little runt, Horseman or whatever?"

I timidly defended my friend, "It's Ponyboy," I stood up with the popcorn and candy in hand, "and no, Peter. It's not." I began to walk away.

He put his arm out in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. I looked at him with that face that tells you that if you do one more thing to piss me off, you're dead.

He put his hands up defensively, "Well, sorry. My bad. I had no idea you were so short tempered."

I spun around, "Maybe you would have known if you were actually there more often than not!" I continued to speed away.

"Well wait a minute, Dani!" He shouted after me. I could hear him getting closer with every step.

I slammed the door shut on him and jogged back down the isle to Keith and Johnny.

"Here ya go," I handed Two Bit his stuff. Damn I forgot Johnny's Coke, I thought, now I have to go back and get one! "Uh, I'll be right back, Johnnycake. I forgot your pop." I quickly rushed away and back down the isle again.

I didn't want to go back, but I had to. I felt bad that I forgot it, especially since it was for my own brother.

I put my eyes up to the glass to make sure that Peter was gone. He wasn't. Shit. But since it was the right thing to do, I just sucked it up.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I immediately saw Peter staring back at me. Again. He then smirked. Again.

I rolled my eyes as he approached me. He licked his lips as he gabbed on, "Wow, looks like your back. I think you just keep coming back to see me now." He glanced around for all of his buddies to laugh at his stupidity.

I crossed my arms as I cursed him. I stood there and avoided his stupid rambling.

"So, I hear you have a boyfriend… and that you've been doing things with him, huh?" He swung on the column polls like an immature child.

I gave him a scowl as I replied, "No, I am not, you sick little creep." I turned away in annoyance.

He chuckled, "Oh yeah? So you have a boyfriend?" He eyed me dumbly.

"Yep. Now you better leave me alone or I'll—" He cut me off.

"What will you do, honey? It's prolly that little wimp you seem to love so much, Unicornman!"

That. Fucker.

WHACK.

"Right across the face!" The crowd snickered, "Holy shit!" They all cheered at me.

Peter fell to floor instantly. I kneeled next to him, pointing my finger in his face, "Don't ever—and I mean ever, say another thing about Ponyboy Curtis like that, you little shit!" I got up and walked out, neverminding the Coke.

I walked back out to see Sodapop and Ponyboy standing directly in front of the door in utter shock.

I nodded at them, "Hey guys." I smiled nervously before walking back to my seat. I had no clue what went over me just then. I had a feeling of pride and victory, while also having a feeling of shock and self-disappointment. I know that things had been rough between Pony and I since I started hanging with Dally and all, but I still cared about him and I still wanted to be friends.

When I got back to my seat, I wasn't wanting to stay put. I wanted to leave, because knowing Peter, he'd have his buddies come after me or something.

"Can we leave? I'm not feelin' so hot." I nervously glanced over to the concession.

Johnny looked concerned as he asked, "Are you okay? You seem kind of on edge." He stood up and walked into the isle.

I crossed my arms timorously and whispered, "Peter's here and…I might have socked him."

"You did what?!" He whisper yelled at me.

I put my hand on my forehead in distress, "Two Bit, let's go."

"C'mon I haven't gotten rip roaring drunk yet…" He said with a frown.

I rolled my eyes, "Keith!" I yanked his arm as I stomped away with frustration.

I dragged him until we were off the premises. Johnny stopped me before I could say or do anything.

"Dani! Calm down, will ya?!" He put his hands on my shoulders as he looked at me. I was hyperventilating like crazy. I was acting like a mentally disturbed being, as Two Bit told me. Once Johnny realized that I wasn't calming down, he shook me…Hard. I still wasn't calming down, so I guess he had to… He then slapped me across the face, paralyzing me.

I sighed as I had unexpected tears running down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said wrapping me in a hug, "but you just wouldn't calm down. I had to, Dani. Don't take it personal or anything, alright?" He kept squeezing me tightly, almost to the point of suffocation. I guess I didn't know that Johnny was capable of hugging someone so tight!

I giggled a little as I replied with tears still running down my face, "I know, Johnnycake. I was acting crazy and I must've scared you. I'm sorry."

He let me breathe as he stepped back. Two Bit just looked entertained at this point. He started to laugh uncontrollably, "Aww, are you two girls gonna kiss now?!"

Being that Johnny was the shyest of the entire gang, replied, "Y-you're drunk Two Bit. And I-I ain't a g-girl!"

I rolled my eyes as Two Bit took another sip of his beer he pulled out from underneath his jacket.

"Hey, y'all want one?" He asked as he glanced at Johnny and I.

Johnny looked at me in question, "Do you?" He asked me.

I shrugged, "I sure as hell wouldn't mind one." Two Bit tossed me one, and luckily I caught it.

As I popped it open and was about to take a swig, I heard someone coming up behind me. Two Bit's eyes gave me a bad feeling about it. I felt around in my back pocket for my switchblade for a second before pulling it into grip, so that if I needed to, I could take it out and use it.

I whispered to Two Bit, "Soc?" He didn't reply, he just unceasingly stared past my head.

I shifted my eyes to the right before feeling someone's arm around my throat, the person standing behind me. I jumped up a little.

"Alright greasers, I want your girl, not your money. Give me that and I'll best be on my way."

I sighed in relief as Two Bit started to laugh his ass off. He moved his arm away as he smirked at me. I crossed my arms and tried to hide my grin as I looked at him, "Really, Dally? I mean really?"

He chuckled softly as he leaned down to my height and gave me a kiss. His lips were still bittersweet, just the way I liked them.

He smiled as he stood back casually, "So, I see you've got a beer…" He tells me, "Buck's got some stronger stuff if you want to…"

"No, Dal." Johnny half yelled. He turned away as Dally looked at him, "D-Dani shouldn't be drinking as it is." He snatched the beer away from me and gulped it down in just a couple of swigs.

I glared at him, "Johnny! He was just kidding…And you had to take my beer away? C'mon, man."

"That's just okay," Dally explained in a whisper, "I'll take you over to Buck's if you want."

I looked at Dally with complete desire of the idea, "Yeah, I'd like that." I kissed his cheek.

Johnny pouted at Dally, "N-no! She's coming home now! Let's go." He grasped for my hand, but I whipped it out of his reach.

"What is wrong with you, Johnny?! I thought you liked Dally…"

Johnny crossed his arms with attitude, "I do like Dally, I just don't think I like this whole ordeal here!" He gestured toward Dal and I.

I screamed at him, "What the hell, man?! You're being a real asshole!"

"I don't care how much of an asshole I seem to be, dammit! I want you two to keep your distance, alright?!" He frowned. He had those lost puppy eyes that he wore on a daily basis.

"You really don't want me to see Dallas?" I asked in shock and disappointment. I felt sick. The one person I thought I could trust to let me make my own decision in my love life…doesn't want me to see the person I love.

Johnny stuffed his hands in his pockets timidly, "I think it would be best…" He looked away once again.

Dally backed up. I stared at him in disbelief, "You aren't seriously listening to him, are you?"

"Look, Dani, he's your brother and I respect him. I don't want him to be angry just because I'm happy, though." He said frankly as I avoided eye contact with him. I refused to look at him. I refused to look at someone who was doing this to me. He tried to grab my arms, "Dani, look at me." I kept pushing him away as he consistently grabbed at my arms. "Dani, look at me!"

I stopped and looked at him with hatred. I couldn't believe this!

"Danielle, I love you." He caressed my cheek with his fingers, causing me to tremble a bit. I am mad, I kept thinking, I'm fucking angry at him!

I pushed his hand away and took off toward the Curtis house to cool off.

I stopped on their porch for a minute and lit a cigarette. I started to replay those past couple of weeks in my head. I also thought about what Dally said. He doesn't give up easily when it comes to girls, so why'd he give me up so easily? It hurt, and it hurt bad. I was madly, deeply, crazy in love with Dallas Winston and I guess he just felt not so much the same way… I decided I was going to avoid him for as long as I could after that. God, my heart ached so bad after that night…

When I finished my cigarette, I went into the house. It was kinda quiet, but not like that one night that that creep came in.

I walked into the kitchen to see Darry making small conversation with some girl. She looked about his age. She had strawberry blonde hair with red highlights in it. She sure was pretty, like Priscilla Presley type of pretty.

"Hey, kiddo. Why aren't ya with the guys? I'd thought you'd gone to the movies." Darry gestured toward me as he leaned up against the counter.

I smirked, "Who's your lady friend, Superman?" I winked at her goofily.

He chuckled at me as he pointed to the girl, "This is Margot, my girlfriend." He smiled at her.

She smiled as she held out her hand for me to shake, and I gladly did. "Gee, Superman, I had no idea you had time for a girlfriend since you work so much."

He snickered, "I should. We work together."

I giggled, "It's really nice to meet you, Margot."

She glanced back at Darry as she said, "You too, I didn't get your name, actually." She chuckled.

I nodded, "Dani," and continued to the couch.

I sat on the couch for a couple of minutes before hearing the front door open. I turned around and saw Sodapop, Steve, and Ponyboy. Soda smiled his movie star handsome smile before continuing to Pony and his' bedroom, Steve following him.

"Hey," Pony said as he sat next to me, "are you okay?"

I half frowned, "Nah, man."

He chuckled lightly, "Why? Is it—Is it Dally?" He grabbed my hand.

I rolled my eyes, "Ding ding ding… We have a winner! I wish it wasn't, but it has to be, doesn't it?"

Pony laughed, "Pff, no. What happened anyway? Did he try something or—"

"Oh my God, Pony. Why does everyone think that he's gonna try something?! He's not a bad guy, ya know?" I stared at the ground, trying avoid eye contact.

Ponyboy sighed, "Well sorry, I was just asking. What happened then?"

I paused for a second, then took a deep breath. I looked Pony deep in the eyes and said, "Johnny wants me to stay away from him. And before you say anything," I held my hand out to stop him, "…he listened to Johnny. So now I guess we're over." I shut my eyes tightly, feeling a tear forming in my eye.

Pony swallowed, "It's gonna be okay, Princess." I smiled as he called me my nickname from when we were little. I had almost forgotten about it since he hadn't referred to me as Princess since we were 12.

I giggled as he explained, "If Dally wants to break my best friend's heart, he can. But he should just watch his back wherever he goes." He punched my arm playfully.

I wiped the tears from my face, "Thanks, Ponyboy," I folded my arms around him into a hug, "and I'm not just your best friend, I'm your little lost puppy, remember?"

He hugged me back, "Of course I do." I sensed that he was smiling like I was. I was happy to have my best friend back. Forget about my love life, I had Ponyboy Curtis as a best friend!

We just sat there for another minute hugging before Darry and Margot walked in.

"Oh, Pony and little Dani! This is so cute, huh babe?" He glanced over at Margot before smooching her.

Pony chuckled, "Nah, Darry, just best friends." He looked back at me and grinned. I grinned too, knowing that that's all it would be. And I loved how that sounded.

"Hey," I smiled at him, "I'll be right back. I gotta use the bathroom."

He chuckled, "Alright, Princess." I laughed a little, too.

When I got to the bathroom, I shut the door behind me and locked it. I didn't really need to use the bathroom, I just needed to clean myself up. I looked like an F-3 tornado hit my face.

I pulled off my jacket and cleaned out my pockets for my extra makeup and stuff. As I searched with my left hand, I was wiping the tornado makeup off with my right. I suddenly came across a piece of paper—an envelope to be specific. I remembered from the night I spent at Buck's finding that envelope, most likely from Sylvia.

I dried my hands on the hand towel by the sink and gently ripped off the tab of the envelope.

It was from Sylvia. I knew they broke up a couple months ago, but this—this was shocking!

May 24, 1967

Dear Dallas,

I'm pleased to hear that you found someone new. This girl may not know what she's getting into, and neither will you. I miss you so much, baby. I'd die to see you again! We must meet again. The one main thing in your life should be the person you treasure most, and last time I checked, you told me that I was. If you want to be with me, come back to me. If you don't, then I won't bother you ever again. If you feel the need to, come meet me at the railroad tracks on June 11 at 2:00 am. I'll be quite devastated if you don't show, I'd like you to know, my love.

With all my love, Sylvia.

I was shocked to see the dates and such because it was currently June 10th in the year 1967. And what did she mean by I didn't know what I was getting into? And how'd she know about me and Dally being together so early in time? I looked back at the night I found the envelope and it was the following day after she had written it. It then hit me that the envelope had been opened. I knew so because of the way it gently ripped off. Dally had opened it…

I put my hand over my mouth as I was ready to scream so loud it'd blow a cow's head off! Sylvia was trying to get him back and now he could go back to her, no sweat. It was a matter of 5 hours before he could make the decision to run back to her.

I took a deep breath and just quickly fixed my makeup before running back into the living room. Darry and Margot were then talking on the couch when I walked in. But I didn't see Ponyboy anywhere. I walked up to Soda and Pony's bedroom door and softly knocked on it.

Steve replied, "Who is it?"

"It's Dani." I rolled my eyes, "Is Ponyboy in there?"

Steve snickered from behind the door, "No, he must've left the house." Shocker, I thought.

"Can I come in," I asked. "I left something in there a while back and I need to get it."

"Nup, ma'am. Lil' girls aren't allowed in here." He teased.

Soda laughed at his statement, "C'mon in, Dani. He's just being…Steve."

I giggled as I opened the door, "Of course he is."

Soda was sitting on the bed, buttoning up his shirt while Steve was in the corner of the room propping his right leg up against the wall coolly.

"So what were you and Pony talking about out there?" He motioned his eyebrows up and down a couple times at me like the goofball he is.

Steve tittered as I crossed my arms, "Well, wouldn't you like to know, pretty boy."

Soda slapped his knee, "Man, I'm just playing, Dani. You know I love ya, girly." He stood up and patted my arm.

"But seriously," Steve stared at me seriously, "what did you guys talk about?" He crossed his arms. Soda looked at him in vexation, "Now, Steve—" He started.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "It's okay, Soda. If he really wants to know, I'll tell 'em." I stepped closer to Steve, "You're not gonna believe this," I leaned in close, "but we were plotting a murder…"

Steve looked weirded out at this point as he asked, "For who? Your parents?"

I tilted my head, "Nope." I glanced around a couple times, "For you."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut up, smart ass." He stomped out of the room in annoyance.

Soda laughed as he sat back down on the bed. He slipped on his shoes quietly. He glanced out to the kitchen to make sure Darry wasn't watching, I guess. What is he thinking, I asked myself.

I just stood there quietly as he kept glancing out the door. I knew Soda and I knew what his situation was.

"Who's the lucky girl?" I snickered with a grin.

His eyes widened as he stared at me, "What? Wh- I have no idea what you're talking about…" He looked away nervously.

I lowered my head in irritation, "Oh, Soda. Poor, silly, foolish Soda, I think we both know you're going out to see someone. She's not a soc, is she?" I placed my hands on my head as I stretched my arms out.

He put his finger to his lips as he said, "Shh, I don't want Darry to hear you!" He whisper yelled.

I sighed in frustration, "What's her name and what's her status?"

Soda started out confidently, "Her name is Gloria and," he sighed, "she's a soc…"

My mouth dropped open, "A soc?! A soc, Soda?! Holy—" Soda jumped in front of me and shot his hand over my mouth.

"Shhh! Don't you understand what could happen if he hears you? If Steve comes back and hears you?!"

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "You mean you haven't even told Steve?" Soda nodded slowly. I snickered, "You're the worst best buddy ever, aren't ya?"

Soda rolled his head back, "Maybe. Just keep your trap shut around him, alright?"

I shrugged, "Whatever, dude. I can keep a secret."