I had heard the same tone a million times. Greaser, greaser, greaser. I'm half scared of Socs. Cherry Valance from swim talked about she helped some of the special Ed kids. "Sped-ed kids" made me think of someone who didn't do well in school at all and didn't do much outside of school.-it didn't fit me at all. It fitted some of my greaser friends perfectly, but you could hardly say it about me. Not only that but we looked younger than we are. One time at a nail salon, Johnny told me that the nail salon worker thought she was fourteen. Johnny looked fourteen and she knew it. It didn't bother us a lot. Cherry told me that I wasn't like the other kids with disabilities. Once people get to know me they'd like me. "Sure" I said "we're young and innocent" I said referring to me and Johnny. "No" Cherry said "not innocent-you've seen too much to be innocent. Just nit dirty…" But I take up for my buddies. You do that no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't stick up for them, you stick together, make like family. It isn't a gang anymore. It's a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering pack like the Socs in their social clubs. People think I'm nice once they know me. And that is true. At first I was mean to the other greasers and I couldn't explain exactly why I did. Don't ask me why, I don't know why.

Two-bit said something smart so it made me laugh.

But I don't mind getting called greaser by another greaser, its kind of playful then.

We don't play rough. Socs are rough. Us greasers usually stick together. And Dally deserves what he gets.

Our one rule besides stick together is don't get caught. If we needed them tomorrow, they'd show. If they needed me tomorrow I'd show.

Two-bit was funny but also a great friend. She sure put things into perspective good. She sure understood things.

I had been with the Socs before. One time we were at this dance audition and it felt weird as if I shouldn't be with her or something. You don't see a greaser and a Soc together very often. But Randy didn't notice. I don't like to talk or think about what happened that day, but I did to people at school the next day.

It was almost 4 years ago. My cousin and I were auditioning for a dance crew I had been on the previous year. At this point in time, I was in recreational dance, she wasn't. Anyway, we practiced the dance a bunch and she was telling me about how nervous she was about weather or not she would make it. I tried to say something-I was really into motivational videos, but I wasn't much help. But they did let me stand outside the door and watch her. When she was done, she came out of the audition room with tears streaming down her cheeks-some of her other Soc friends were there and so was another adult when we went back to the practice room. They had asked her if she wanted to go again-but then my age group was called and after I had auditioned she was going home anyway. I just didn't get it-she was a Soc and she was anxious. But I think it strengthened our relationship that I mean. In some of the previous times of her being a Soc, she was kind of a brat.

When Cherry and I were talking about Socs, she had told me that not all Socs are brats. "Sure" I said sarcastically. She went on. "Anyway, you think the Socs have it made-well I'll tell you something and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something? Things are rough all over." "I believe you." I said.

Two-bit and I both had the same scatterbrained sense of humor. For a second I quit worrying about everything and thought about how nice it was to have my friends.

I figured it was alright to be sitting with some Socs. Even if they did have their own troubles, I really didn't see what Socs would have to sweat about. Good grades, good activities-man, I thought, if I had worries like that I'd consider myself lucky. I know better now.