Prologue

There were only three things Two-Bit Mathews knew for certain about Virginia Campbell:

1. Her daddy owned Campbell's Sporting Goods in town.
2. She didn't think there could be anyone tuffer than Elvis Presley.
3. She'd look ten times better if she just wore her hair down for once.

He wasn't one to frequent Campbell's, but every once in a blue moon he'd stop in, browse the magazines, look at the tents he'd never go camping in, and swipe a new pocket knife and a candybar. And he'd get away with it too, until the owner's daughter started working the register. He was caught red handed with a "Are you gonna pay for that?" just as he reached for the front door. He was surprised she noticed at all, but with no one else in the store, he faced the girl, crooked a smile, and waggled his fingers goodbye before walking out.

The next time he saw her behind the counter, she cut to the chase, her airy voice already on the defensive. "What are you planning on taking this time?" The voice Two-Bit had heard in a class or two, always upbeat and talking about music or television shows at the back of the room, didn't feel threatening in the least. In fact, he laughed, and sauntered right up to the register. As tauntingly as he could, he reached down and grabbed a pack of Twizzlers, ripped it open, and slowly raised a single piece to his mouth.

What he certainly didn't expect was for the girl to reach over the counter and in one swift move rip the candy rope right out of his teeth.

Two-Bit was once again laughing at the whole situation and how furrowed her expression had become. After that day, the same furrowed brows and narrowed eyes met him whenever they caught his gaze in biology or in the hallway to lunch. It seemed like she even got her girlfriends in on it, the whole group now giving him dirty looks as they went to their cars at the end of the day.

Two-Bit reasoned he'd cool it with shop-lifting at the Campbell's store. After getting on their radar twice now, it was only a matter of time until Mr. Campbell pulled whatever shotgun he had hidden under the check-out counter on the boy just for walking in. Though, that didn't stop him from giving Virginia a hard time with questions of, "You workin' Saturday?" or "Y'all got those shoulder pads back in stock? I'm thinking of tryin' out for the football team."

He liked it best when she'd shoot something back at him like, "Pretty sure they'd haul off a grown man like you for tackling someone on the team." It wasn't the most clever comment he'd gotten about his age for a junior, but he let out a snort at the fact she tried.

Over the next few weeks Two-Bit noticed something about Virginia Campbell: the more she forced herself to glare at him from behind her science textbook, the more the corners of her mouth would actually twitch upwards. Or, how instead of one of her particularly uppity friends spouting off a "Leave her alone, greaser," when they crossed paths, a different friend was now nudging an elbow into Virginia's side when they passed him at his locker.

He couldn't say he minded the change. In fact, he was ready to take full advantage of it.

As luck may (or may not, he wasn't sure yet) have it, Two-Bit found himself heading back to the sporting good's store on an early Saturday morning in April. Some hoods made off with the tires on his sister's bike in the night and his mother was sending him out for replacements. He could pay for them and lug them around, but he'd have to haul the whole thing over to the Curtis's and bribe Sodapop into fixing it for him.

He parked on the corner of Lewis and 1st and walked the rest of the way up the street, his boots clicking underneath with each step. Two-Bit loved window shopping. He took his time looking at the displays until the spring wind became too much for even his leather jacket to put up with. The last view he got was Virginia Campbell putting her hair back up in that girly ponytail and out of her face.

Missed it by a hair, he thought, amusing himself with the internal wordplay.

The door chimed when he entered. He could hear a "Welcome in," ring out behind him, but accounting for the high number of customers and lack of hostility, he knew he was flying under the radar this time.

The people who shopped there were a fair mix of rich and poor. People like Two-Bit, or more so the parents of people like Two-Bit, dressed in their flannels and jeans, came for tools and practical supplies, while richies stopped by to pick up uniforms and balls for their kids hopping on sports scholarships.

Owning your own store while it was placed on the east side of town left you somewhere in the middle of things.

Two-Bit went to the back, maneuvered between the people in the aisle, and hoisted down two skinny wheels. With them tucked under his arms, he headed back to the front, grabbing a coke from one of the small freezers for good measure.

It was only normal for him to get in line to check out with the current subject of his torment. As expected, her cheerful, customer-service worthy expression was forced into a frown when she saw him next in the queue. Despite full hands, he half raised them up in surrender.

"I'm going straight today," he assured her. He knew his track record made that hard to believe. He flashed the price tags on the wheels to further prove his point.

Virginia let out a sigh but gave in. She rang up his soda and got to work on the tires. Two-Bit watched in amusement as she struggled to pull them from him and across the counter to the other end. She shot him a look that said "help" and he feigned ignorance until the last possible second.

"Got any plans tonight?" he asked, making small talk and causing her to hesitate for a moment before continuing her work.

"Not that it's any of your business," she began, refusing to look up at him. She typed the prices into the cash register furiously before finally answering, "Going with some folks to see Girl Happy at the Nightly Double."

"Are 'ya now?" he mused, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. As someone always looking to get up to no good on a Saturday night, she had his attention. "With anyone I know?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if you did," she quipped, now looking up and smirking at him. She hit the final button on the register and it ding-ed with the total. He handed over the cash.

"Maybe I'll have to come check for myself," he challenged all while receiving his change. Virginia completely froze now, not yet dumping the coins into his hands. She sent him a warning look at the suggestion, one that went thoroughly ignored. "When do they start those things? 'Round seven, you think?"

She retreated her hand, not even offering the change over anymore. She furrowed her eyebrows and her cheeks were red.

"Don't you dare," she warned through her teeth, but like with everything, Two-Bit couldn't be bothered. He rolled the tires off the end of the counter, giving a wink before tucking them under his arm once again, and heading out the front door. It was almost like the bells that chimed above the door were mocking Virginia as he exited.

AN: Hey everyone and thanks for checking this story out! I'm still scrambling to write a middle (beginnings and ends come so easy to me, but middles, oof) but I'm very excited about how this is coming along.

Tell me what you think and stay tuned :) Warnings for this story since there's not a tag system on FF - This takes place after the events of the book, starting in spring of 66', and features two specifically big canon divergence things (iykyk) so that I can have the whole gang together. Book typical language, violence, and themes, and possibly some mild adult content coming in the future. I can't imagine any huge triggers will hit this fic, but if they do I'll put a warning at the top of the chapters. Thanks for reading!