(Darry's POV)

I waited for Kate to get into her apartment building before putting the truck into drive. I wanted to walk her to the door like I had been taught to do with a woman, but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable or insinuate anything, especially considering I had already been in her apartment and it was only our first date, so I just stayed in the truck and made sure she got into the building okay. Once she disappeared behind the door, I started my drive home.

The date had gone well, despite Dally making a surprise appearance while I was getting popcorn and drinks for Kate and myself. The anger that filled me when I spotted him with Kate was a surprise even to me, but I told myself it was justified. Who knows what Dally said or did before I got there? I knew it wasn't only anger; there was some jealousy too. I didn't like seeing another guy with Kate. I was stunned that not only did Kate not immediately want to leave after that encounter, but she was interested about Dally and the rest of our gang. She acted like dealing with Dally, a well-known hood, was nothing. Glory, she really is different from other girls.

During the drive, I tried to recall everything that Kate and I had talked about, trying to cement it all into my mind for our next date. I remembered how shocked she was when I told her she was smart and could go to college, and the fact that she was so surprised by my comment made me feel a little uncomfortable and bad for her.

Kate was always smart, but I wondered if she didn't even realize that about herself. When a teacher would ask the whole class a question, she usually wouldn't raise her hand to answer, but if she was called on, she was always right. I noticed after a while that whenever teachers paired students up for assignments, they'd put Kate with someone who was likely struggling, probably because they knew she'd help get their grade up. They did the same thing with me, especially in math.

It was just the first date, but after just a couple hours with her, I already felt like I had a connection with Kate. It was the kind of thing I never had with any of the girls that I dated in high school, and it was exciting and terrifying at the same time. Talking with her seemed easy, and she never made me feel like she looked down on me like so many other people did. When I was with her, it seemed like I was more than a greaser who lost his parents and was taking care of his kid brothers; I was just a normal guy on a date with a really cool girl.

I realized that even after I parked the truck and started walking up to the house, I was still smiling, and just the thought of seeing Kate again for a second date was enough to make me ecstatic.

I walked through the door, and I was met with several greasers staring at me. It looked like they were playing a card game on the coffee table, some of the guys sitting on the couch, and others on the floor. I shut the door behind me, and I was immediately questioned.

"Why didn't you tell us you were going out with Kate tonight?" Soda asked, jumping up from his spot on the floor, his eyes wide with excitement.

I hadn't told anyone where I was going for the night. Instead, I told them I was going out for a few hours with some guys from work and I'd be back before eleven. That way, they wouldn't ask too many questions or pester me about it. Also, if I messed up the date in any way, I wouldn't have to tell them about it. Unfortunately, they still found out.

I scanned the room with my eyes, and within seconds, they landed on Dallas. He was sitting on the couch next to Johnny. He must've come over here and told the guys about my date. At least none of the others decided to surprise me and show up in the middle of it.

"Dallas, what the hell did you say to Kate when I wasn't there?" I demanded, ignoring everyone else. "And you better pray that you didn't touch her, or so help me-"

"I didn't do nothin' man. I just asked if she wanted to leave with me," he said nonchalantly.

I could practically feel my levels of anger and jealousy spike. Remembering what he was trying to say about Kate the day I got her number just made me more uncomfortable: "So she likes to be difficult… make it a challenge... Those girls are always-"

It took all the self-control I had to refrain from pummeling him as he continued to speak.

"If I would've known she was your girl, I would've left her alone," Dally added. "I don't go after friends' girls. You know I don't have many morals, but I sure don't do that."

I was still fuming, but I slowly deflated. He was right. For as many rules and laws that Dally has broken in his life, loyalty to his friends was something that he actually cared about. He'd never do something like hit on a girl that he knew someone from the gang was seeing.

"Good," I said bitterly before sitting in my chair.

Right when I thought the tension was going to dissolve, Dally apparently felt the need to add one more thing. "She's one tough broad," he said, sounding oddly impressed.

"Don't call her that," I warned, my voice purposely deep and loud. "Just leave her alone, Dallas."

The hood glared at me, but didn't say anything. Finally, he's keeping his mouth shut.

"From what Dally said, she does seem pretty tuff," Soda said softly, like he was trying to calm everyone down. He was always the best at that. "Is she like us? A greaser?"

I shook my head. "No, she grew up more middle-class, between Soc and greaser territory. Now she lives in an apartment by-"

"You went to her place?" Steve asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Well, yeah. I picked her up and brought her home," I explained. What's so noteworthy about that?

"Does she live in a fancy building?" Two-Bit asked. "Is there and elevator or one of those official people at the entrance?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not like that. It's still nice, though. Her apartment was practically half the size of our house."

"Wait, you were in her apartment?" Steve asked, his eyes getting huge. "Shit man, I didn't expect that from you."

"He hasn't dated in a few years," Dally added with a smirk. "Probably has a lot of pent-up energy. And-"

I realized what they were implying, and I felt my face heat up as I jumped to my feet. "You shut your mouth Dallas Winston or I'll shut it for you!" I let my shout resonate for a moment before continuing. "It wasn't like that, and I don't want to hear you all talk about her like she's some girl you can pick up from the corner or at a club, alright?"

The guys all looked surprised from my outburst, but I didn't really feel bad about it. What I did feel bad about was how scared Pony and Johnny looked; both of them stared at me with wide eyes, and they practically shrunk back into the couch. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about Kate or what happened on our first date, but I also didn't mean to scare the youngest members of our gang. I took a breath before talking calmer. "Nothing happened. We didn't even kiss. We just talked and watched a movie, then I brought her home."

Most of the guys seemed to accept my response since they gave me slight nods. Steve even looked a little ashamed about teasing me because he suddenly couldn't look in my direction.

"I'm going to bed," I said, suddenly feeling exhausted and wanting to be alone.

I stormed towards my room, and the moment I got there, I slammed the door shut and flopped onto my bed. Just ten minutes ago, I was smiling and happy as could be, but now I'm pissed at everyone. I really wished the guys' teasing didn't get to me, but it was too late to do anything about it.

A few minutes later, I felt myself calming down a little. Then, there was a quiet knock on the door, followed by someone opening it a little, the hinges squeaking as it moved. "Darry? Can I come in?" Pony's soft voice asked.

I rolled onto my back and took a deep breath. "Yeah."

Pony hesitantly stepped into my room and shut the door behind him. He didn't take another step towards me before he spoke again. "Are you okay?"

If it had been just a few months earlier, Ponyboy probably wouldn't have bothered to check on me. In fact, he may have thought I was angry with him, or maybe he would've been too scared or irritated with my yelling to talk to me for a day or two. As much as I regretted hitting him and causing that horrible week of events to occur, I was glad that Pony and I had a better relationship than before. If only if didn't take me hitting my kid brother and him disappearing for a week to fix our relationship.

"Yeah, I'm alright kiddo," I said, forcing myself to sit up and look at him. He looked worried, and I hoped he wasn't worried about my temper. "Sorry for yelling out there. I lost my cool."

He shrugged, then walked towards my bed. "It's alright. Steve and Dally were outta line. Soda's laying into them right now, tellin' them to lay off."

I hadn't noticed it before, but I faintly heard Soda's angry voice coming from the living room. He must've been trying to be quiet so I couldn't hear though, because I couldn't decipher what words he was saying.

"I don't think they realized how much you like her," Pony said, drawing my attention back to my youngest brother. He sat at the end of the bed, giving me some space, but he was also close enough for me to feel his support. "She's not just some random pretty girl. You like her a lot."

Something about the way he said it told me that my intuitive little brother knew a lot more than I gave him credit for. "How do you know how much I like her?" I asked with a sly grin. I didn't remember talking to him about Kate when I was in high school, mostly because of how young he was at the time so those kinds of things were still foreign to him, but he must've overheard me talking to someone else about her.

He shrugged again, but this time, he had a shy smile on his face. "I remember you talking about her a few years back, but as soon as you saw her at the diner, you had a certain look on your face. It was pretty obvious to all of us that you still had feelings for her. Then when you came back with her number, you were the happiest I've seen you in a long time."

I was slightly embarrassed that my fourteen year-old brother could sense my emotions so easily. I always tried to keep my emotions suppressed when I was around others, and that habit only got more severe after our parents died. I hoped that how I felt wasn't as obvious to everyone else, especially Kate. I don't want her to think I'm obsessed with her or something. Still, it was nice to know that Pony understood me and was on my side, so I knew he wouldn't tease me about my feelings.

"And you know what?" Pony asked, before giving me a knowing smirk. "I think she likes you too."

I felt my skin heat up, but I hadn't turned any of my bedroom lights on, so I hoped Pony couldn't see my blush in the moonlight that came through the window. "You really think so?"

He nodded immediately. "Yeah, I do."

I smiled. I wasn't sure how my brother would know how Kate felt about me, but I allowed myself to believe him. "Thanks, Pone."

Not two seconds later, my bedroom door opened again, and Soda peaked his head in. "Can I come in, Dar?"

My smile stayed on my face. I have the best kid brothers. "Yes Soda, you can come in."

Without wasting a second, he stepped in, shut the door, and moved to sit in the middle of my bed. He was always the brother that needed physical contact or to be in close proximity to someone when something was wrong, so it didn't surprise me that he had to be closer to me than Pony. When he sat on my bed, he put his hand on my knee in a demonstration of love and comfort.

"You okay, Darry?" Soda asked cautiously. He looked concerned, like he had expected me to be in my room crying or something.

I grinned at him. "I'm fine, Soda. Really."

"I talked to the guys. They won't talk like that anymore," Soda said softly, but I could see the stern, seriousness in his eyes.

"You didn't have to do that, Pepsi-Cola," I said. I shouldn't need my kid brother to defend me or Kate, especially not from the guys. I can hold my own.

"Yeah, I did," he said shortly. "They were joking around, but they shouldn't talk like that. Especially not when it's about a girl you really like."

I groaned and let my head fall against the headboard. "Glory, is it that obvious? Am I really that pathetic?"

My brothers both chuckled at that, but it was Soda that replied. "Having feelings for a girl don't make you pathetic, and neither does showing those feelings."

"It's tuff that you like her," Pony added.

I straightened my neck to look at my brothers again. "Yeah?" Both of them nodded, which made me grin again. At least my brothers don't think I'm pathetic. "I just hope Dally didn't bug her too much," I admitted, sounding a little defeated even to myself. "I was nervous that she'd want to leave after dealing with him."

"From what we heard, I don't think you have to worry about that," Soda said. "Dally told us what happened between him and Kate, and it wasn't a lot, so you don't need to freak out. He thinks something is wrong with her because she apparently didn't look scared of him or nothing. She sounds real tough."

"I think Kate likes you too much for Dal to scare her away," Pony added with a smirk. "She knew who he was and even called him a hero, and you know how Dal hates being called that."

I couldn't fight the grin off my face. Kate really is one of a kind.

"So how did the rest of your date go once Dally left?" Soda asked, his voice notably lighter and more excited. Then he pulled Pony with him to sit even closer to me. "We need to know everything."

"Did you see the Paul Newman movie?" Ponyboy asked, his eyes lighting up.

I smiled as I looked at my two brothers. Both of them were sitting with me on my bed, eagerly waiting to hear about the date I had with the prettiest girl I had ever met. It was like the good old days, when I didn't have to act like a parental figure and we could talk about anything with each other. I sure miss those days.

I decided to indulge my brothers, and I told them everything, smiling the whole time.

I just had to add a little fluff.

Please let me know what you guys think so far, I promise things will get more interesting as time goes on :)