Chapter One

Pony POV

"Keep going, keep going, keep going."

My legs were pumping, the crowd was yelling, and I wasn't looking back. The earth shook beneath my feet. I wasn't backing down. The finish line was in sight. I urged my body to go. Go. Go.

Once I crossed the finish line, I threw my arms in the air and then collapsed on the track, but I was smiling. I couldn't believe it. I just won the state championship. As a sophomore.

The race was in Oklahoma City. I looked around and scanned the crowd. I saw them to the left of the bleachers. They were all yelling and clapping. Except Steve, who was just giving an amused look, which I knew meant he was proud of me.

After getting my medal, I hopped off the podium and ran to them. Soda met me first, throwing his arms around me and spinning me in a circle.

"Ponyboy, I'm so damn proud of you!" I laughed.

"Sodapop, Soda! Put me down!" Soda laughed and put me down, and then right after that, Two-bit did the same thing.

Steve gave me an amused look and said, "Great, now the kid's really gonna think he's the shit." I rolled my eyes.

I turned to Darry, who I couldn't tell what he wanted when he looked at me.

"So, Darry? How'd I do?" He looked strange to me. Then, just like he had at the hospital after I got back from Windrixville, wrapped me up in a giant hug. I hugged my brother back tightly. He finally pulled away and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Mom and Dad would be so proud of you, kiddo. I know I am." I gulped and looked at Soda, who gave me a sad smile.

We went out for a celebratory dinner, and didn't make it back to the house until after midnight. Steve and Two-bit had gone back to their own houses. When we got back to the house, I motioned for them to go on inside. Soda stopped and looked back at me.

"What's up, Pone?"

I pulled out my pack of smokes and a book out of my backpack. Soda smiled.

"You ain't dog tired?" I laughed. I hadn't laughed as much as I had tonight in a long time.

"I'm still running off of adrenaline. Go on, Soda. I'll be in soon." Soda smiled, but it was strained. He looked behind him to make sure Darry was out of sight and then came out of the screen door. Soda looked uncomfortable, but then started talking to me in a low voice.

"I know that you're going to wait a few minutes to make sure Darry's asleep and then leave, Pone. You've been doing that." I evaluated Soda. I had known he knew. I swear, it amazed me that he always called himself dumb when he clearly wasn't. Soda took a breath.

"Just tell me what you're doing." He nervously chuckled a little and ran a hand through his greasy hair. "I know I don't usually pull the "big brother" card, but… You are only 15, Ponyboy. I have to make sure you're okay and not getting into trouble."

Even though I was a little annoyed at this, I couldn't help but give a little smirk.

"Can I just say to trust me?" Soda gave me a look. I sighed.

"I'm not leaving the block. I never do. I literally go to the lot. That's it. No park, no other side of town, I don't even go to the store a few blocks away." Soda looked at me quizzically and slowly nodded. He leaned against the porch railing with his arms crossed.

"Okay, but why? What're you doing that you can't do here?"

I looked away, hoping my face didn't give anything away.

"It's something I'm not ready to tell you about." Soda looked disappointed in my answer. I knew he was hurt I hadn't told him something. I tried to backtrack. "I just… I want to make sure it's a sure thing before I tell you. Any of you. I'm just feeling it out a little, you dig?"

Soda looked at me a moment, and then after processing what I said, a slow smile spread across his face.

"Ponyboy Curtis, do you got a girl?"

"What, me? No." Despite myself, I grinned. Soda laughed.

"Ponyboy, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think you'd be into girls for a while. Be home in an hour. I'll be listening for you." Soda shook his head and went through the screen door.

Though I was happy he hadn't made it a big deal, I knew that was temporary and that I'd have to spill it now.

It wasn't that I didn't want my brothers to know, I told Soda the truth. I wanted to make sure this was the real thing and not a fling before I told them. At least, that's what I told myself when it first started. That was 6 months ago. It definitely wasn't a fling at this point.

Knowing now that I only had an hour, I made my way down to the lot. The lot was a little bit more cleaned up than it used to be. They had cleared a lot of it so that the kids in the neighborhood could play baseball. The kids ended up taking pretty good care of it, and they made it look real nice for this side of town.

There was still a section of it where people built fires, hung out, drank beer, all the things. There were still mornings we found Two-bit passed out here. As I approached the lot, I saw the figure waiting on me by the area where fires are made. I whistled long, the signal that me and my friends still used. Her blonde hair twisted as she turned.

She ran to me and grabbed my hands in hers.

"So, how did it go?" Her green eyes burned into mine. I smiled bigger than I think I ever had.

"I won." She smiled, did a little scream, and threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, picked her up off the ground, and spun her around. She laughed and laughed.

I put her down, though our arms were still around each other.

"I'm so damn proud of you, Ponyboy." I stared at her a moment and dipped my head down, kissing my girlfriend. She pulled away, honestly disappointing me and turned away, dragging my hand behind her.

"So, tell me everything. I was getting worried and was going to have to go home soon before Beth told on me."

I smiled. We sat down against a fence and I told her how the race went and then about going out after and that that was why we were so late.

I then decided to come out with it.

"Soda knows…" She looked at me confused.

"Well, I hope so. He was there." I rolled my eyes.

"Not about the race. About us…" She cocked an eyebrow at me, reminding me of Two-bit.

"Okay, and?" I gawked at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Ponyboy. You act like it's the end of the world. I've told you that you should tell them for a while. They are your brothers." I shook my head.

"You don't understand." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"You've met my parents, sisters, and my brother. They all love you." She lost some of the fire and hung her head. "I've been wondering why it is that you're ashamed of me." I balked at that.

"I'm not ashamed of you!" She uncrossed her arms and her shoulders slumped.

"It feels like it…" She looked so defeated in that moment. I turned serious.

"Look at me." She didn't move for a moment. I turned to completely face her.

"Wendy, look at me." She turned her eyes to me. I put my hand under her chin.

"I'm not ashamed of you. No way in hell. I'm more worried about… Well…" I didn't want to say it, but I did. "They're so overprotective, I don't know how they'll be at first. I think they'll be really guarded and worried about it."

She slowly nodded her head.

"Honestly, I understand, but I'm kind of glad that it may be coming out. I'm not sure how much longer we could've hidden it at school from Steve and Two-bit."

She was right about that. Two-bit had nearly caught us once when we were behind the school. And we weren't just hanging out, we were making out.

One of the reasons I had waited to tell them once we became serious was to prove a point.

I knew Darry. I knew one of the first things he would say was that a girl would be too much of a distraction from school and track.

I'd been with Wendy for 6 months. My grades were better than ever, and I just won the state track meet. Darry couldn't pull that as an excuse.

I also knew that, even though Soda had seemed cool with it, he would have his reservations due to Sandy. She still had messed him up something awful to where he didn't date. He had fun, but it was never serious. Wendy pulled me out of my daze.

"I've got to go. Beth will eventually close the window and I'd be caught for sure." She smiled and brushed my hair from my face. "We want you to stay on my parent's good side." She continued combing her fingers through my hair and then said quietly.

"I know your brothers will be hard to impress. I know that. You're their whole world, they want to protect you. I know that it's a possibility that they'll hate me at first. But, if we don't try, they never will accept me."

I was lying back on the ground at the point. She laid the top half of her body over me, face directly above mine.

"I love you, Ponyboy." She leaned down and kissed me. She pulled away and I smiled, putting my hand against the small of her back.

"I love you, Wendy."