Author's Note:

Hi everyone,

In this chapter we get a little bit deeper into the story that Harley is going to write and see more of Pony's and Harley's dynamics when they are living together. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton.

Chapter 3

(Mid-September)

Harley's POV:

Tuesday….

I was still sore from the day before dance lessons and all the choreography Ms. Adams taught us. I'm not a dancer. Sure I dance around in my room when I listen to music but I repeat, I don't have any training to be a dancer. At least I wasn't the only one in the class. There were a few theater majors in the class that put us all to shame. I knew I had to get the hang of it if I was going to do well in the final auditions this year. I also had to work on my voice. I knew I wouldn't be a great singer, who was I kidding, I knew I wouldn't be a good singer, but I needed to do well on this final for this course especially if I didn't want to make a fool of myself in the audition. I'm just hopeful that I could still pass the final and not get cast in the musical. I would stick out like a sore thumb.

The thing that I was looking forward to after classes and my shift at the library was talking with the chemistry, biology, and medical professors about the effects of psychedelics and their effects on the body. The first meeting that I had with the biology and chemistry professors. Some of the talk went over my head since I'm not scientifically inclined. Don't get me wrong, I find it interesting and I passed science with flying colors, but I knew that it wasn't the route that I wanted to take. All the information was about how psychedelics activate serotonin receptors, and increase levels of oxytocin and glutamine. Then I had a meeting with the psychology professors and neurology professors. The one thing that I wanted to know from the psychology professor is why Manson would use psychedelics like LSD. His explanation made total sense. In one word, control. LSD allowed Manson to control his followers because it changed the mood of the user, their behavior, and the way they think. How fun, I thought sarcastically. It was interesting to hear more about the psychological effects of the LSD. It was also interesting to hear about how Charles Manson could have roped people into his so-called family. He took advantage of them and prayed on the susceptible and vulnerable. He made them feel comfortable, and most importantly, emotionally comfortable. This thought made me shutter. I thought about how my own family life before moving to Tulsa would've made me susceptible to that kind of life. Thank god that I had made the gang and was able to feel a part of the family with them.

Before heading home, I also made sure to stop by the library to find some materials about the effects that journalism can have on the portrayal of cults and the people who are involved in cults. I wanted to see how I could be a more well-rounded reporter and be more sympathetic to the people who got wrapped up in them. Then a bright idea popped into my head as I was riding my moped to the apartment. I needed to go to the Manson Family compound. It was in LA and was only 34 miles from campus. I just knew that Pony would not be happy if I went through. He would be concerned no doubt. I had to convince him to go with me, which was going to be a difficult task. I had a thought that could be used to my advantage to get him to go with me.

I bounded up the stairs to the apartment and banged open the front door which startled Pony who was cooking spaghetti on the stove. "Jesus," Pony gasped. "What's got you all riled up?" I just looked at him with a wild smile and a sparkle in my eye. This caused Pony to groan. "Oh no," Pony said with exasperation. "You've got a new idea for your story and you want to go on the warpath." I nodded and kissed him. "You know me so well," I beamed at him. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable and I'll tell you at dinner.

At dinner, Pony was giving me awkward glances. "How was school and track practice today?" I asked Pony trying to prevent him from looking at me like I was losing my marbles. "It was good," Pony said. "Classes were good. Shakespeare and Directed Research for my education degree today." I nodded. "How are you liking them?" I asked. Pony smiled. "I'm liking Shakespeare a lot," Pony said. "Directed Research is allowing me to explore more about what I want to write about. I'm thinking of doing more stories like my thesis that I did about Dally and Johnny." I grabbed his hand and squeezed. "That sounds great," I said. I winced though when I pulled my arm back since I was still sore. "Still sore from choreography yesterday?" Pony asked. I nodded. "I'll show you some moves tonight if you want," I said with a laugh. Pony cracked a smile. "I would like that," Pony said. "How were your classes today?" I smiled back at him. "I had Entertainment Reporting today and Law, Politics, and Society today," I said. "I think that the entertainment course could come in handy with the Sharon Tate aspect of the story, but the law course could help with the other part of the story." Pony nodded and played with his food. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" Pony asked hesitantly. I brightened when he asked. "I think we should go together to the Manson Family Compound," I blurted out. Pony's jaw hit the floor and he looked at me like I was loony tunes. "You what now!" Pony yelled causing me to flinch. "What makes you think that's a good idea?" I blushed and looked down at my plate. "Well, after I talked with the professors about psychedelics and my interaction with some of the members at the Tate house, I wanted to see how they live," I mumbled. Pony just spluttered at me. "I wanted you to come with me," I continued. "You could use it for research for literature and some inspiration for your poetry class." Pony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Plus, you will be there and you'll feel more comfortable with me being there," I continued. "I'll pick you up after practice on Saturday and we can go out there." Pony sighed and nodded. "Fine," Pony grunted. I clapped excitedly, leaned across the table, and gave him a big kiss. "Love you," I said. "Love you too," Pony said with a smile.

After dinner, I followed through on my promise and showed him my theater choreography which he found hilarious. We also belted out "Sweet Caroline", "Space Oddity", "Sugar, Sugar," by The Archies, and "Pinball Wizard." It was always fun to have a little mini-concert with Pony. He was really the only made me feel comfortable coming out of my shell and goofing around. The rest of the gang probably would've teased me for doing this, but Pony wouldn't. After our little concert, I reminded Pony to call home to check in as I went to write a letter back to the gang and my grandmother. I always enjoyed writing letters and sending pictures. In my letters, I talked about how school was going, how track was going for Pony and the story I was going into, and the adventure Pony and I were going to have this weekend. I made sure to include the pictures of Pony and I so far this semester. Duplicates of pictures from the Tate house, Pony at track practice, Pony and I at his track dinner this year (Dorthy had gotten me a new dress again this year that had red geometric shapes on it with a white background), as well as pictures of me trying to learn choreography and one of me and Pony having our singing parties in the living room. After all was said and done, we both worked on our homework and went to bed.

Saturday….

Today was the day that Pony and I were going out to the Manson Family Ranch aka, Spahn Ranch. I had caught myself humming happily during my tutoring sessions that morning while Pony was looking at me worriedly during his shift at the library. Then I had the afternoon shift at the library while Pony had track practice. Dorthy must have noticed the pep in my step at the library because she looked at me with a smirk. "Have a date night tonight?" Dorthy asked me trying to stifle a laugh. I thought for a minute. "I guess you can call it that," I said. "It's our own little creative date night. Going on a little adventure." Dorthy chuckled and shook her head. "You guys are so cute together," Dorthy said with a sad smile. "How long have you guys been dating?" I blushed. "We've dated for two and half years combined, but we've known each other for three years," I said. "We probably would've dated for those three years, but Darry, Pony's oldest brother, had us take a break for a semester until that whole thing happened freshman year." Dorthy nodded. "I hope I find something like you two have," Dorthy murmured. I squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sure you will Dorthy," I said with a reassuring smile. "You'll find that special person, I'm sure." Dorthy gave me a small smile.

After my shift, I rode my moped over to the track to pick up Pony. We decided to leave Pony's moped at home since we were going to Spahn Ranch together. Pony sighed as he put on his helmet and slid onto the seat behind me. "How was practice?" I asked him. "It was good," Pony mumbled. "But I'm second-guessing this whole thing." I chuckled. "You'll love it," I said amused. "It'll be exhilarating." Pony mumbled something under his breath, but I didn't catch it. We sped off to Spahn Ranch, with my heart beating with excitement. I couldn't wait.

About 45 minutes later we pulled up outside the ranch. I made sure to put my moped in a scheduled and hidden area outside so it didn't draw attention and I didn't want to actually drive it on the road going into the ranch. I didn't want to draw attention to us. Pony shivered even though it was only 65 degrees. "You nervous?" I asked him giving him a concerned look. Pony nodded. "This place is giving me the creeps," Pony murmured. "That's saying something, even for me." I nodded. "Darry didn't like that we were doing this," Pony continued. I shot him a look. "Darry is a worry wart," I snapped. "You know that." Pony rolled his eyes. "I know he worries too much," Pony said relenting. "It bothers me too, but I think he has a point. You're stories just stir up trouble." I smirked. "That's how you know your story is on to something," I chided. "If you stir up something." Pony rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "Darry went on a date with the Lila girl on Wednesday and Two-Bit had a third date with Marcia on Thursday," Pony said softly as I snapped some photos from a distance of the compound. "I need to call him tonight to see how it went." I smiled at him. "Let me know how it goes. Those two both deserve someone," I murmured. "How is Soda handling it? It must be driving him crazy." Pony chuckled his mind seemingly distracted from what we were doing. "It's driving him crazy," Pony said.

I started snapping photos as we started to case the perimeter and move closer to the buildings. Then I heard some rustling in the bushes. Pony jumped. "Did you hear that?" Pony asked worriedly. I shrugged. "It's probably just the wind or some critter," I mumbled. "You're too jumpy." As we entered the ranch, there were some buildings with lights shining in the windows. I pulled Pony down low as we got close to one of the building windows and I snuck some photos of the inside. As I looked in, I saw some people lying on couches with the TV on smoking some joints. Pony was shaking like a leaf, but I dragged him to the next building which looked like a stable and we entered to see some horses there and I took some photos of those too. Then all of a sudden I heard a gun cock behind us. "Put your camera away, and then put your hands up," I heard a man growl from behind us. I slowly put my camera in my messenger bag and put my hands up in the air. I tried to slow down my heart rate and prevent my hands from shaking. Pony let out a little whimper and his eyes darted to me. "It'll be fine," I mouthed at him and he nodded slightly at me. Behind me, I felt the man roughly pull my hands and tie them together with a rope. Another man did the same to Pony. They guided us to the house that we had been earlier.

There was a group of men and women looking at us with wide eyes and some of them looked like they were high as a kite. The two men threw us down on the chairs in the kitchen. A sloppy, dirty-looking hippie slowly moved forward. It wasn't Manson but it could've been one of the higher-ups by the way that people were looking at him. "What are you two doing here?" The man drawled. He was looking at Pony and me wearily and untrustingly. "Are you two with the feds that raided us last month?" The hairs on my neck stood on end. "No," I stuttered. "We are just two students from USC." I nervously looked at him begging for him to believe me. The guy motioned for one of the women to give him her freshly lit cigarette. "Why don't I believe you?" The guy said gravely. "How do I know that you were not trained to masquerade as students?" Before I could utter a response he pulled my shirt collar to the side and thrust the burning end of the cigarette into the skin on my collarbone. I bit back a shriek of pain. I wasn't going to let him have the pleasure of seeing me cry out in pain. "Stop it," Pony shrieked. One of the men that had dragged us slapped him hard to shut him up. "I have a student badge in my bag if you want to take a look," I said with a sneer and spat a loogie at his feet. The man sneered at me and this time he lit another fresh cigarette, pushed me forward and pushed the cigarette into the back of my left hand. I bit my lip to keep myself from gasping in pain. I shot Pony a look to tell him not to do anything. While I did this, the other guy yanked out my planner, my ID for the library, and my student ID. "It looks like she is telling the truth boss," the man growled then slapped Pony again in the face for good measure. The man who had burned me just sneered at me. "Never come back here again," He growled. "I'll give you one more reminder before you leave though." Pony looked at me with wide eyes full of fear. The man took another freshly lit cigarette and pushed it against the inside of my elbow then Pony and I were cut free.

Pony and I ran as fast as we could out of there. "What the hell was that?" Pony shouted as we took off on my moped. "Adventure," I said with a grin and a hysterical laugh. "You're nuts," Pony whimpered. I shook my head. "It's all part of the story," I mumbled. Then I drove us to the USC hospital to get the burns treated before they got infected. Even though I hated hospitals, I didn't want to get an infection. I knew my grandmother was going to kill me. As I was getting treated I told Pony to go call home to update Darry and get updates about his and Two-Bits dates. He told me that he would call my grandmother too. I gave him a reassuring smile.

A few minutes later we were on our way back to the apartment. As we got back, Pony pulled me close and kissed me on the forehead. "Let's not do that again," Pony chuckled wearily. I smiled at him. "I can't make you any promises," I said with a smirk. Pony rolled his eyes but chuckled. "That's why I love you," Pony whispered kissing me. "I love you too," I murmured. After that, we went to bed, but Pony decided to crawl into mine with me, even though it was only a twin, but I didn't protest.

Pony's POV:

Tuesday…

Today had been a long day of school, a shift at the library, and track practice. I was also kind of enjoying the alone time that I was having at the apartment with Harley having her meetings with the different professors for her article. She had said something along the lines of the Manson family and psychedelics. I wanted to stay out of that crazy nonsense. Those people seemed nuts. I don't see what the appeal was. I was cooking some spaghetti and tomato sauce when all of a sudden the door slammed shut and startled me. I was so in my head that I didn't even see Harley enter. "Jesus," I gasped. "What's got you all riled up?" Harley looked at me like she was on some type of psychedelic herself. Her hair was all over the place, her eyes were wide with some sort of adrenaline, and she was jittery. Then it hit me, she had some sort of crazy idea. One that spawned from her meetings and she wanted to go and explore a new avenue for her story. Not again, I thought with a groan. "Oh no," I said with exasperation. "You've got a new idea for your story and you want to go on the warpath." Harley nodded and kissed me, which I fully embraced. "You know me so well," Harley beamed at me with the wild look in her eyes still lingering. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable and I'll tell you at dinner." I shook my head in utter disbelief. Harley had wild ideas, but those wild ideas were a part of what made her smart, and what drew me to her. I wouldn't change it for a thing.

At dinner, I was giving Harley awkward glances. I wanted to pry the story out of her and hear her crazy idea no matter how crazy it was, but I didn't want to be pushy. "How was school and track practice today?" Harley asked me. Great going Pony, I thought to myself. You made Harley uncomfortable. "It was good," I said. "Classes were good. Shakespeare and Directed Research for my education degree today." Harley nodded pretending like she wasn't holding a bombshell over my head. "How are you liking them?" She asked. I smiled. She knew I liked talking about my classes, especially my literature ones. "I like Shakespeare a lot," I said excitedly. "Directed Research is allowing me to explore more about what I want to write about. I'm thinking of doing more stories like my thesis that I did about Dally and Johnny." Harley grabbed my hand and squeezed. I gave her a small smile. "That sounds great," Harley said but I noticed the wince she gave when she pulled her arm away. I looked at her in concern. "Still sore from choreography yesterday?" I asked. Harley nodded. I couldn't believe she was sticking out the theater class or even how her counselor talked her into it. "I'll show you some moves tonight if you want," Harley said with a laugh. I cracked a smile. That I would love to see. "I would like that," I said. "How were your classes today?" Harley smiled back at me. She knew what I was trying to do. "I had Entertainment Reporting today and Law, Politics, and Society today," Harley said. Entertainment Reporting, that's probably why her counselor suggested theater. "I think that the entertainment course could come in handy with the Sharon Tate aspect of the story, but the law course could help with the other part of the story." I nodded and played with my food. I still hated that some of the Manson family encountered her there. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" I asked hesitantly. She brightened when I asked. "I think we should go together to the Manson Family Compound," Harley blurted out. My jaw hit the floor and I looked at her like she lost her marbles. I was expecting a wild idea, but not that wild of one. "You what now!" I yelled causing her to flinch. I felt my stomach wring with guilt. "What makes you think that's a good idea?" Harley blushed and looked down at her plate but I didn't care. "Well, after I talked with the professors about psychedelics and my interaction with some of the members at the Tate house, I wanted to see how they live," Harley mumbled. I just spluttered at her. "I wanted you to come with me," Harley continued. Why the hell would she think that I would want to go with her to that God-forsaken place!? "You could use it for research for literature and some inspiration for your poetry class." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. She was trying to entice me. She knew that I wouldn't automatically agree. "Plus, you will be there and you'll feel more comfortable with me being there," Harley continued. "I'll pick you up after practice on Saturday and we can go out there." I sighed and nodded. She had a point. "Fine," I grunted. Harley clapped excitedly, leaned across the table, and gave me a big kiss. "Love you," Harley said. "Love you too," I said with a smile.

After dinner, Harley followed through on her promise and showed me her theater choreography which I found hilarious. It was outlandish and totally what I would have expected from the eccentric professor she talked about. We also belted out "Sweet Caroline", "Space Oddity", "Sugar, Sugar," by The Archies, and "Pinball Wizard." I always loved seeing Harley let loose a little bit. It made me smile and my heart fluttered to see her have fun and be herself. It was nice to bond with her in that way. After our mini-concert, Harley reminded me to call home and she was going to write letters back.

"Curtis house," I heard Darry answer. "Hey Dar," I said out of breath from our mini-concert. "It's Pony." "It's good to hear from you, Little Colt," Darry mused. "Why are you out of breath?" I chuckled. "Harley and I were just letting loose and having a mini concert in our living room." Darry chuckled. "I'm glad you're at least having some fun amongst your busy schedule." "Speaking of busy schedules," I said. "How are you juggling yours?" Darry sighed. "It's busy," Darry groaned. But I could tell he was holding something back. "What's going on Dar?" I asked. Darry sighed. "I asked Lila out on a date and she said yes," Darry muttered. "We're going out on Wednesday." My jaw hit the floor. "Good going Dar," I said with a big smile. "You deserve to focus on someone." Darry chuckled. "Thanks, little buddy," Darry said. "You won't believe this either but Two-Bit is going on a third date with Marcia on Thursday." My jaw hit the floor. "I'm shocked they are still going out," I said in surprise. "You and the rest of the gang too," Darry chuckled. "He and Marcia are going on a double date with Steve and Evie." I shook my head. "You've got to tell me how your date goes and how Two's date goes," I said with a laugh. "Will do," Darry said. "What's new with you?" I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I should tell him about what Harley and I were going to be doing, but I knew I shouldn't keep a secret. "Well," I said hesitantly. "You're not going to like this, but Harley is dragging me on Saturday to go to the Manson family ranch to scope it out for her story." I heard Darry splutter on the other end. "That's a terrible idea," Darry shouted. I rolled my eyes. "That's what I told her," I moaned. "But you know Harley, when she gets a crazy idea she follows it through. That's why I'm going with her." Darry groaned. "Just stay safe, little buddy," Darry said sternly. "Call me when you get back, you hear?" I nodded. "Yes sir," I said.

Saturday….

Throughout my whole shift at the library, I could tell that Harley was super excited about going to the ranch that evening. All I was filled with was dread. I knew this was going to end badly. I just hoped I was wrong. Even during practice, it was biting at me. Even my teammates noticed that something was bothering me and they all knew how worried I was about Harley's antics and her stories. Most of them seemed to love her though. They included her in team activities and incorporated her in the shenanigans. Harley always made sure to capture those activities on camera too, so we had the memories to send back home. After practice and cleaning up, I walked out to the parking lot where Harley was waiting for me on her moped. I had brought my helmet with me as well. Darry would kill me if I didn't wear it.

"How was practice?" Harley asked me as I hopped onto the back of the bike. "It was good," I mumbled. "But I'm second-guessing this whole thing." Harley chuckled. I don't understand how she found this funny. "You'll love it," Harley said amused. I rolled my eyes. "It'll be exhilarating." "Fun my ass," I mumbled something under my breath. The ride there was beautiful, especially along Highway 101. I couldn't complain about that.

About 45 minutes later we pulled up outside the ranch. Harley made sure to put her moped in a scheduled and hidden area outside so it didn't draw attention. I was glad that she had that common sense. I shivered even though it was only 65 degrees. This place gave me the creeps. "You nervous?" Harley asked me from behind. I nodded. "This place is giving me the creeps," I murmured. "That's saying something, even for me." Harely nodded and shifted her weight. Even though she didn't say it I knew she was nervous too. "Darry didn't like that we were doing this," I continued. Harley shot me a glare. She didn't like to be treated like a baby. "Darry is a worry wart," Harely snapped. "You know that." I rolled my eyes. She's got a point though. "I know he worries too much," I said relenting. "It bothers me too, but I think he has a point. You're stories just stir up trouble." Harley smirked. "That's how you know your story is on to something," Harley chided. "If you stir up something." I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. Harley always made a good argument. That is one reason why should be a good journalist and a good lawyer. A double threat. "Darry went on a date with the Lila girl on Wednesday and Two-Bit had a third date with Marcia on Thursday," I said softly as Harley snapped some photos from a distance of the compound. I wanted to distract myself from my uneasiness. "I need to call him tonight to see how it went." Harley smiled at me. "Let me know how it goes. Those two both deserve someone," Harley murmured. I nodded in agreement. "How is Soda handling it? It must be driving him crazy." I chuckled. "It's driving him crazy," I said.

Harley started snapping photos as we started to case the perimeter and move closer to the buildings. Then I heard some rustling in the bushes causing me to jump. "Did you hear that?" I asked worriedly. Harley shrugged. How can she not be nervous about this? "It's probably just the wind or some critter," Harley mumbled. "You're too jumpy." As we entered the ranch, there were some buildings with lights shining in the windows. Harley pulled me down low as we got close to one of the building windows and she snuck some photos of the inside. As she did that I looked around nervously. Then she dragged me to the next building which looked like a stable and we entered to see some horses there and she took some photos of those too. Then all of a sudden I heard a gun cock behind us. I gulped. I knew something bad would happen. Why didn't I put up more of a fight? "Put your camera away, and then put your hands up," I heard a man growl from behind us. Harley slowly put her camera in her messenger bag and put her hands up in the air. I noticed her hands were shaking with fear. I let out a little whimper and I looked at her quickly while I did the same. "It'll be fine," Harley mouthed at me and I nodded. Behind me, I felt the man roughly pull my hands and tie them together with a rope. Another man did the same to Harley. They guided us to the house that we had seen earlier.

There was a group of men and women looking at us with wide eyes and some of them looked like they were high as a kite. The two men threw us down on the chairs in the kitchen. A sloppy, dirty-looking hippie slowly moved forward. It wasn't Manson but it could've been one of the higher-ups by the way that people were looking at him. "What are you two doing here?" The man drawled. He was looking at Harley and me wearily and untrustingly. "Are you two with the feds that raided us last month?" The hairs on my arms stood on end. "No," Harley stuttered. "We are just two students from USC." Harley nervously looked at him begging for him to believe her. I hoped he would buy it. I looked around nervously at the rest of the crew. The guy motioned for one of the women to give him her freshly lit cigarette. "Why don't I believe you?" The guy said gravely. My heart dropped. "How do I know that you were not trained to masquerade as students?" Before Harley could utter a response he pulled her shirt collar to the side and thrust the burning end of the cigarette into the skin on her collarbone. Harley bit back a shriek of pain. "Stop it," I shrieked. One of the men that had dragged us slapped me so hard that my head spun. I gasped for breath. "I have a student badge in my bag if you want to take a look," Harley said with a sneer and spat a loogie at his feet. She shouldn't have done that. That will only encourage him to do that again. The man sneered at her and this time he lit another fresh cigarette, pushed Harley forward, and pushed the cigarette into the back of her left hand. I wanted to fight back but she shot me a glare as a warning not to. "It looks like she is telling the truth boss," a man growled as he held up Harley's ID and planner then slapped me again in the face for good measure. I sputtered. The man who had burned Harley just sneered at her. "Never come back here again," He growled. "I'll give you one more reminder before you leave though." U looked at Harley with wide eyes full of fear. The man took another freshly lit cigarette and pushed it against the inside of Harley's elbow then Harley and I were cut free.

Harley and I ran as fast as we could out of there. "What the hell was that?" I shouted as we took off on my moped. "Adventure," Harley said with a grin and a hysterical laugh. "You're nuts," I whimpered. Harley shook her head. "It's all part of the story," she mumbled. Then she drove us to the USC hospital to get the burns treated before they got infected. She told me to go ahead and call Darry and her grandmother to check in. I called Mrs. Adams first and she thanked me for taking care of her and checking in. Then I called Darry as he requested.

"Hey Dar," I said with a trembling voice when he picked up. "What's wrong?" Darry asked automatically. "We're at the hospital," I mumbled. "What?!" Darry shouted. "I'm not hurt," I reassured him. "Just scared good. Harley got burned by a few cigarettes as a warning to never go back there. I got slapped around a bit for good measure." Darry cursed under his breath. "You guys should never have gone there," Darry chidded. I sighed. "I know Dar," I said with a shudder. "That place gave me the creeps. Remind me about this experience if I say I want to again." This caused Darry to chuckle to my relief. "Thanks for checking in, kiddo," Darry said. "How were the dates?" I asked him trying to change the subject. Darry sighed. "My date with Lila went well," Darry said. "We set up another date for next month. I think Mrs. Adams wants me to bring her to dinner next month too," Darry groaned. I chuckled. "That tracks," I said with a grin. Darry laughed. "True," Darry said. "Two-Bit, Marcia, Steve, and Evie's date night went well surprisingly. Steve said that he wanted to gag when Marcia and Tw-Bit were all over each other. But he did admit that they both shared the same warped sense of humor so it worked." I nodded. "I hope I get to see it in action over break," I said. "I'm sure you will," Darry said. We wrapped our conversation and I went back to Harley.

A few minutes later we were on our way back to the apartment. As we got back, I pulled Harely close and kissed her on the forehead. "Let's not do that again," I chuckled wearily. Harley smiled at me. "I can't make you any promises," Harley said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes but chuckled. "That's why I love you," I whispered kissing her. "I love you too," Harley murmured. After that, we went to bed, but I decided to crawl into Harley's bed with her, even though it was only a twin, Harley didn't protest. I snuggled into her and breathed in her pine-scented shampoo. It put me right to sleep.

Darry's POV:

Tuesday…

I couldn't believe it. I had a date with Lila for tomorrow night. The rest of the guys were teasing me about it nonstop. But, it made me happy. I couldn't wait to tell Pony about it. It made me wonder how he was doing though. Two-Bit had a double date with Marcia, Two-Bit, and Evie on Thursday What I would give to be a fly on that wall. That would be a trip. It would be hilarious to see that interaction. Then all of a sudden I heard the phone ring that dragged me out of my thoughts as I did my homework.

"Curtis house," I answered wearily. "Hey Dar," Pony said out of breath. "It's Pony." What's he out of breath from? Is he ok? I thought worriedly. "It's good to hear from you, Little Colt," I mused. "Why are you out of breath?" Pony chuckled. "Harley and I were just letting loose and having a mini concert in our living room." I chuckled and let out a sigh of relief. At least I knew he was safe. "I'm glad you're at least having some fun amongst your busy schedule." "Speaking of busy schedules," Pony said. "How are you juggling yours?" I sighed. "It's busy," I groaned, but I hesitated to tell him about my date with Lila. I didn't want to get his hopes up. "What's going on Dar?" Pony asked. I sighed. He knew how to read me too well. But, he was my little brother. "I asked Lila out on a date and she said yes," I muttered. "We're going out on Wednesday." I could hear Pony's stunned silence on the other end "Good going Dar," Pony said. I could practically hear him beaming on the other side. "You deserve to focus on someone." I chuckled. "Thanks, little buddy," I said. "You won't believe this either but Two-Bit is going on a third date with Marcia on Thursday." There was a shocked silence again. "I'm shocked they are still going out," Pony said in surprise. "You and the rest of the gang too," I chuckled. "He and Marcia are going on a double date with Steve and Evie." "You've got to tell me how your date goes and how Two's date goes," I said with a laugh. "Will do," I said. "What's new with you?" Pony hesitated. This isn't good if he's hiding something. "Well," Pony said hesitantly. "You're not going to like this, but Harley is dragging me on Saturday to go to the Manson family ranch to scope it out for her story." I spluttered. I knew it was something bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad of an idea. "That's a terrible idea," I shouted. "That's what I told her," Pony moaned. I ran a hand through my hair. "But you know Harley, when she gets a crazy idea she follows it through. That's why I'm going with her." I groaned. Of course, he was. "Just stay safe, little buddy," I said sternly. "Call me when you get back, you hear?". "Yes sir," Pony said.

As I sat back down at the table, I heard Soda walk up behind me. "What was all that yelling about Dar?" Soda asked in concern. I sighed. "Harley came up with a dumb idea for a story," I said with a groan. Soda chuckled. "She always has outlandish ideas," I chuckled. Steve shook his head as he walked in. "What trouble is she getting herself into this time?" Steve said with an eye roll. "She's dragging Soda to the Manson Family compound on Saturday," I moaned. Two-Bit spit out his beer. "That's a funny one, even for you," Two-Bit spluttered. I glared at him. "That wasn't a joke," I said sternly. Soda's eyes went wide. "That's not a good idea," Soda said meekly. "I hope you told him so." I rolled my eyes. "I did so," I said. "I'm not stupid. But, Harley had her mind set and Pony couldn't talk her out of it." Two-Bit chuckled. "That sounds like Motorbike," Two-Bit said with a grin. "Watch," Steve said. "On Saturday they're going to call you from the hospital." I moaned. "I hope you're wrong," I said with a grimace.

Saturday…

My date on Wednesday with Lila had gone so well. Lila was smart, sweet, and a spitfire. She also was a big Oklahoma Sooners fan, so we bonded over that. I couldn't wait to tell the guys. The guys were happy for me and they teased me about it. Especially since it was the first girl I talked about this much in a long time. Two-Bit talked about how great the date was and how Marcia seemed to really get him. Steve just rolled his eyes and made gagging faces the whole time. But, he was a softy at heart. Evie was putting the work in to chip away the hard exterior. It was slowly but surely working. She was good for him. It just left Soda, the stag one of the unusual groups. He probably wouldn't be for long.

It was getting late, and I was worried that Pony hadn't called me that they were safe back at their apartment from the stupid trip. Then I heard the phone ring. I ran to go pick it up. "It's Darry," I said hoarsely into the phone. "Hey Dar," Pony said with a trembling voice. It sounded like he was crying. My heart plummeted. Damn it Steve? Why did you have to be right? "What's wrong?" I asked automatically. "We're at the hospital," Pony mumbled. "What?!" I shouted. "I'm not hurt," I reassured me. I let out a sigh of relief. I was going to kill Harley when they got back from break. "Just scared good. Harley got burned by a few cigarettes as a warning to never go back there. I got slapped around a bit for good measure," Pony continued. I cursed under my breath. "You guys should never have gone there," I chided. Pony sighed. I could hear him roll his eyes at me. "I know Dar," Pony said with a shudder. "That place gave me the creeps. Remind me about this experience if I say I want to again." This caused me to chuckle. Even when scared, the kid had a sense of humor. "Thanks for checking in, kiddo," I said. "How were the dates?" Pony asked me trying to change the subject. I sighed. "My date with Lila went well," Darry said. "We set up another date for next month. I think Mrs. Adams wants me to bring her to dinner next month too," Darry groaned. I chuckled. "That tracks," Pony said. I laughed. "True," I said. "Two-Bit, Marcia, Steve, and Evie's date night went well surprisingly. Steve said that he wanted to gag when Marcia and Tw-Bit were all over each other. But he did admit that they both shared the same warped sense of humor so it worked." "I hope I get to see it in action over break," Pony said. "I'm sure you will," I said with a grin. We wrapped our conversation and I went back to inform the gang what had happened.

"Well," Steve said with a smirk. "Were they at the hospital?" I nodded. "You were right," I moaned. Soda's eyes widened in alarm. "What happened?" Soda exclaimed in worry. I let out a sigh. "Apparently," I said. "They got caught sneaking around the compound and they were questioned by some of the members of the family. Harley got burned with some cigarettes and Pony got slapped around a little bit, but that's all. They're just a little shaken up and Harley is just getting treated so that those wounds don't get infected." Two-Bit's jaw was on the floor. Steve just glared at the floor. "As long as they're safe," Soda mumbled. I nodded in agreement.