When we were back at the Curtis house, I couldn't even step outside without Darry asking me where I was going. I still had my Time Machine in the trunk of my car, and I constantly needed to go outside to try to fix it. I was able to sneak off a few times to swipe as many parts as I could that belonged to the Time Machine that were still in the field, but I was running out of surface area to check.

Tonight was the night of the big rumble, the greasers versus the Socs. They've been talking about it all day. Soda told me that he thinks it'll be the biggest rumble he's ever fought in, and there's no Soc and no gang that isn't in it. The Socs had crossed the line this time, so no one was going down without a fight. He tried to talk me into going, but I just can't bring myself to go.

I know how this ends. Greasers are triumphant, and they come home accomplished and they won't have a cloud of pain over them since Johnny is alive and well. He will probably be a part of the rumble, but he's going to have to be careful because every Soc wants his head since he's the one who killed Bob. But I know that Darry and Dally would never let anything happen to him out there.

I have gone to a couple of the rumbles, and I usually stand with the girlfriends who are cheering on their boyfriends. I don't go to many of them because they terrify me. It's so hard to see my best friends get absolutely destroyed and beat up. They usually win though, but it doesn't seem worth it when they have to deal with broken noses, black eyes, and broken fingers. People get really hurt at these things, sometimes they get killed.

Johnny was supposed to die tonight, almost immediately followed by Dally. I know that Johnny won't, but who's to say that Dally won't do something unbelievably stupid and somehow fall into the clutches of fate? He's still an angry young man. My anxiety over what will happen once night falls was overwhelming me.

I grabbed the phone and dialed Buck's number. I twirled my fingers around the coiled cord of the telephone until someone picked up the phone.

"It's Buck," Buck answered with very little emotion. He's a man of very few words.

"Hey, is Dally there?" I asked.

I heard some murmurs and grunts on the other end until Buck finally asked into the phone, "who's asking?"

"Bri."

More muttering was grumbled into my ear followed by obvious sounds of movement. Then Dally's voice came onto the phone. "Bri?"

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Just getting ready for the rumble, about to get real boozed up. Are you goin'?"

"No, I'm not."

"It's gonna be a real good one. You sure you ain't gonna come?"

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to you."

"Talk to me? Why? W-why would you wanna be talkin' to me?" He rambled.

"Can you meet me at the Lake in a few minutes?" I asked, glancing over at the clock. The sun should be going down pretty soon, and we can't miss it.

"Yeah, sure. I can do that," he promised.

"I'll see you soon," I said and I hung up.

I went into my room to change. I slipped on a pair of straight leg jeans and put on a thin strapped blue and white striped tank top. I used a brown belt to break up the two blues, and I put on my black converse sneakers.

I started my hobble out of the house again, with Darry immediately stopping me. He asked, "where are you going?"

"I'm going over to the lake," I told him vaguely.

"By your lonesome?"

"Dally is meeting me there," I told him.

Darry paused for a moment then asked, "why?"

"I just want to talk to him for a minute. Ask him some questions about the church and all that," I said softly.

The gears in Darry's head turned as he realized that I needed to talk to Dally alone. He understood that we all had a lot of questions that we deserved to have answered. He nodded with a small smile and said, "okay. But be back soon, please."

"I will, I promise."

"See you later."

"See you."

I hobbled out to my car and drove down to the lake. I'm supposed to use my crutch for a few weeks, but I hate it. It hurts my arm, and I'm walking on my foot anyway. I'll just ice it whenever I can and keep it elevated and compressed with the cloth bandage. The lake isn't too far away from home, and it's famous in my time for having the most spectacular sunsets. That's exactly what we were going to need.

When I parked, Dally was already there. I parked my car beside his T-Bird and saw him standing out by the water through my windshield. He was wearing his jeans and jean jacket opened to reveal his bare chest and toned stomach, with no shirt on. He was smoking a cigarette as he was waiting for me.

He glanced over at me after I stepped out of the car and closed the door. He took a final drag of his cigarette and used his spit-covered palm to put it out before flicking it into the grass. He litters all the time and it drives me crazy. No matter how many times I try to shame him, he doesn't stop.

I walked up to him and he shoved his fists in his pockets. He asked, "how's it going? You wanted to talk to me?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" He chuckled and the last of the remaining smoke spilled out from between his pillowy lips. "You dragged me all the way out here just for sort of?"

"I just wanted you to watch the sunset with me," I stated softly.

"What?"

"Have you ever even seen a sunset?" I asked him genuinely. It was an awkward question to ask him, but I had to.

Dally started to laugh the way he does when he's uncomfortable. "What?"

"Have you ever seen a sunset?" I asked again with a little more confidence.

"Of course I have. What kind of question is that?"

"No, I mean have you ever sat down and appreciated it? Like, actually watched it."

Dally thought for a moment. It was like he was going back through his memories and none were ones he was looking for. Finally he sighed and said, "I don't think I have."

I gave him a soft smile. It's not too late. "You're going to tonight."

Dally groaned and let his head fall back as he said, "oh, come on, man."

"Come on," I said teasingly and grabbed his hand to walk him down closer to the water. Like a dog on a leash.

"This is dumb." He is always one for brutal honesty.

"No, it's not."

"You're crazy."

"Come on, please?" I pleaded. "Can you at least pretend?"

Dally's eyes searched mine and his softened, probably when he saw the desperation in mine. He clenched his strong jaw, and finally he agreed. "Fine, whatever."

He reluctantly followed me down closer to the water. I slipped my hand from his so I could sit down on a clean grass patch, and Dally slumped down beside me. He extended his arms back to lean against them and he let air escape out from his puffed cheeks to express his annoyance.

Twilight time began, where the luminous glow of the sun reflected off the shimmering water of the lake. I felt a sense of welcoming as the glorious view of the water met with striking rays of gold and pink. 

"Is this really why you dragged me out here? To watch a fucking sunset?" He asked with judgement in his voice. I expected nothing less from him, he tends to poke fun of things he finds to be too sensitive. But this was something he needed to do.

"Will you stop complaining?"

"Probably not," he stated bluntly. "I don't like wasting my time."

"Johnny wanted you to, okay?" I finally stated. I felt the warm glow of the golden hour on my face.

Dally paused for a moment then he asked, "he said that?"

I nodded. It wasn't a lie. This truly was Johnny's last wish on his death bed. "He has always wanted you to watch a sunset."

Dally stayed quiet. He looked out to the water and a soft wind pushed his fluffy hair back slightly. He seemed uninterested, and kept glancing around at the bushes and the trees rather than the water and the setting sun.

The sun was setting like it was sinking into a bowl of molasses. As daylight faded away, the warm smoldering sun dipped below the horizon line, leaving behind a brilliant show of golds and pinks that made us both pause in nature's golden glow. Dally's bright eyes were bouncing around the clouds and the different colors of the sky. The warm sun was kissing our faces goodbye with the promise to see us both in the morning. The sunset here was stunning, as it always is.

I learned from Ponyboy and Johnny that sunsets to them represent hope, goodness, and innocence that has remained in the world. Those two sensitive, compassionate boys made me learn how to appreciate the natural environment and my inner child. In another universe, Johnny would have died and painted the sunsets for Ponyboy and Dally until they joined him.

"That was... cool," he said softly. The golden glow of the sunset gave Dally's hair a warm hue. He turned to me and asked, "why did Johnny want you to show me a sunset?"

When Dally looked at me, I could see the pain and anger that lingered in his eyes melt away. He gazed at me softly, and it was like everything from the past week was gone. We were young and carefree again. It was just me, him, and the sunset.

"There's still a lot of good in this world," I answered, looking at him. The air was already cooling down. "He just wants you to see it."

I felt like I just accomplished something so great. I got Dally to finally watch a sunset. It might take him a while, but I hope that when he sees them he can see the innocence, and the hope that they represent and can see that within himself. There's still some gold in him. Even if he does die tonight, at least he has seen a sunset.

I saw a twinkle in his eyes. It seems like all it took was a breath and he was transported back to a time where he felt truly happy. When he was young and carefree, and he was able to steal away into that moment for himself. A moment he hopes would have lasted forever. I wish this moment could last forever.

"You know, when I was a kid, I remember every winter my old man would make a huge bonfire at some park near our apartment. We'd gather our neighbor friends and drink beers, laugh, and dance to music... My family was never all that well off, you see. But we never went without. And we were never ones to let money get in the way of good times."

"Do you miss it?" I asked him softly.

"Yeah. And my ma would bake cookies for everyone. A whole stack of 'em, chocolate chip too. She never got the recipe right, but ain't not one of us cared because she put so much love into 'em. Oh, honey, those were the days. It was simple and we were all happy and it was before life got hard."

I feel like I found Dally at last. Underneath that rock hard exterior is just a guy who has been hurt too many times. A guy who deserves to be loved. A guy who lost all hope in the world.

"I'm not sure how much you'd like her, but she'd definitely like you. I don't know anyone who doesn't," he chuckled softly.

The day melted into night, where the golds and pinks turned to blues and purples. I found that Dally was still looking out to the water. He wasn't even smoking to distract himself, he was fully in the moment. Soon, the stunning colors faded to purple curtains that closed to cue the bright stars to take the suns place.

We stayed sitting together for a bit longer. The silence between us was comforting, and I knew he actually enjoyed it. I just hope that Dally makes it a habit to do stuff like this, even by himself.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked gently.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure."

We stood up together and started to walk to our cars. His arm brushed against mine as we walked, and he walked slowly to keep at my slow pace. The breeze had already cooled from the sun's absence so I was getting a little chilly and I was ready to get back to the warm house.

"Thank you," Dally said in a small voice.

"What?" I felt caught off guard.

"I ain't gonna say it again," he chuckled.

"You're welcome. And if you ever want to watch another one just call me. I'm sure Johnny would love to go with next time."

Dally nodded and scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that."

I smiled at him kindly. "Good luck at the rumble tonight."

"I really won't see you there?" He asked, taking a step closer.

I shook my head. "I'm gonna sit this one out."

"I'll go to the house after, so I'll see you then."

"Okay," I said softly.

Dally got into his car and was putting his key into the engine when I walked up to the passenger side and said through the window, "but you have to promise me that you'll be careful tonight."

"What?" He asked with the expression on his face frozen with confusion. I don't think he heard me.

"I said that you—"

I didn't even get a chance to finish. Dally leaned over and popped the door open for me. I opened it wider and swung into the car. I sat in the passenger seat and shut the door. There were empty beer bottles rolling around by my feet and their only obstructions were old fast food wrappers, his leather jacket, newspapers, and even some cigarette butts. I'm not sure how much he has contributed to this mess since it's Buck's car, but that's definitely Dally's jacket. The radio was playing softly, and he had a pack of Kools on the dashboard.

I turned to him and said, "I need you to be careful tonight."

Dally started to laugh. "Why?"

"I just have this feeling..."

"A feeling?" He looked over at me like I was crazy. I probably am.

"I just have this feeling that you're gonna die tonight," I told him honestly.

Dally laughed a little harder. It was like my horrible gut feeling was hilarious to him, or he saw himself as invincible. He couldn't fathom himself dying.

"I'm serious, Dally."

"Why would you think that?" He asked between his spits of laughter.

"I had this dream—"

"You dream about me?" He asked teasingly.

"Dallas," I huffed.

"Relax. I ain't going no where, honey," he promised in a low voice.

"You won't do anything stupid?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He brushed it off.

"I'm not kidding."

"Neither am I."

"You'll be careful?"

"Yeah, man. How many times do I gotta say it? I'll be careful, I swear." He held his pinky up to me. "On my honor."

I took his pinky in mine and shook it gently. This is one of the only things he could do that would convince me that he's telling the truth. The trust I have in this simple gesture is astounding.

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Bye." He held my hand and he quickly kissed my cheek goodbye. I hopped out of his car to get into my own, letting my hand slip from his.

I drove home while he drove back to Buck's. I couldn't stop thinking about how Dally finally watched a sunset. Johnny's last wish he never knew he had was granted.

When I got home, I noticed that most of the guys were over. I kicked my shoes off at the front door and sat next to Soda at the table where he was playing a last minute game of poker with Steve while everyone else was getting ready for the big rumble against the Socs. I put Soda's DX hat on after stealing it from his own head which made him laugh. I crossed my feet as I put them up on the table.

From the bathroom, Pony asked, "Soda, when did you start shaving?"

"When I was fifteen," Soda answered.

Steve was mumbling at Soda while throwing cards at him from across the table, hitting Soda's chest. Soda watched casually, growing more impatient with each card that hit him. It made me giggle.

"When did... when did Darry?" Pony asked.

"When he was thirteen. Why? Growing a beard for the rumble?" Soda asked sarcastically. Steve kept throwing cards that were bouncing off his chest.

Pony came out of the bathroom and said, "you're funny. Readers Digest pays a lot of money for funny things."

"Let's go," Soda grunted at Steve with a fire in his eyes. He propped his elbow up in the table and knocked the cards out of Steve's hand in the process of grabbing it and they started arm wrestling.

"Come on, come on," Steve grumbled as he put all his muscle into fighting against Soda.

"You like fights, huh, Soda?" Pony asked.

"Yeah, I like fights, man." Soda's voice was tight as all his energy was geared toward the arm wrestling.

"You like fights, huh?" Steve teased with just as much strain in his voice.

"How come?" Pony asked.

"It's a contest. It's like a drag race, or a dance or somethin' like that," Soda answered.

"You like to dance?" I asked him with a cheerful voice.

Soda looked at me and flashed his handsome smile. "Yes, miss, I do. You and me'll go dancin' sometime."

I felt myself blush so I looked down and tilted the bill of the hat down a little lower. Soda didn't notice, he was too busy getting his ass kicked by Steve.

"We'll beat those Socs' heads in," Steve muttered. "When I get into a fight, I want to stomp. I like it too!"

After a brief struggle, Soda's arm gave out and Steve pinned it to the table. Steve was breathing heavily as he pointed to me and said, "you're next."

"You'll break my arm. Pass."

"Come on! Don't be a chicken."

"Too late, I forfeit!" I stood up and headed to the living room where Darry was changing into a black shirt for the rumble. All his working on roofs and playing football gave him big muscles and defined abs that he liked to showcase any chance he got.             

"Why do you like fights, Dar?" Pony asked him.

I sat on the arm of the couch and Steve sat beside me. I heard the back door open and Johnny came walking in, closing the door behind him. His big eyes glanced around and he walked over to Pony.

"He likes to show off his muscles," Soda laughed from the table with a dollar bill folded and tucked behind his ear.

"Imma show 'em off on you little buddy if you get any mouthier," Darry said light heartedly and pulled his black shirt on.

Is that a promise? Maybe I should start getting a little mouthier.

Darry is such a good looking guy. For as long as I have known him, he hasn't had a girlfriend. I have no idea how, he's gorgeous and can be really nice. He obviously cares, has amazing loyalty, and is a great cook. Maybe if he would loosen up a bit and wouldn't be wound up so tight. He could show his muscles off on me anytime he wants.

Darry started to loop his belt through his jeans and he said, "hey, Pony, I don't know if you oughta be in this rumble."

"How come? I've always come through before, ain't l?" Pony asked.

"Yeah, but you were in shape before and you ain't looking so good. You're tensed up all the time, you know?" Darry fixed Pony's sweatshirt for him with care.

I glanced at Two sitting in the chair behind Darry, and he was holding his black converse shoe in both hands, trying to balance it on his beer bottle as if it was the most memorizing thing of the hour. I loved that he could find entertainment in the smallest things. He is so unserious.

"Come on, Darry, let him fight. Man, everyone is tensed up before a rumble. It's skin against skin. He ain't gonna get hurt." Soda hit Pony's arm while Darry tightened his belt and slapped Darry's back when he left to stand by the front door.

"I'll grab a hold of a little one," Pony promised. "Johnny and I will stick together."

Soda stood near me and he quietly opened the front door. Everyone else looked like they were ready to go, so they were just waiting on Pony and Darry. Steve was lingering around by the wall. Steve is always usually pretty quiet. I wonder what he thinks about.

"We will need every man we can get, but I don't know..." Darry sighed.

"Look, if it was with knives or chains, it would be different. I'll be okay," Pony reassured.

Darry gave in. "All right, but you be careful. Okay?"

"I will."

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Soda asked me. "It's gonna be a real good one."

"We are gonna put those socies in their place and show 'em they can't come after us no more!" Steve exclaimed excitedly and pumped his fist in the air.

"I think I'll stay here tonight," I said.

"Oh, come on. Please?" He begged. "You gotta come to the party afterwards at least. Everyone's gonna get ripped!"

I sighed softly and looked at him with tender eyes. I wished I could, but I really needed to stay home. It was the only time I knew no one would be there for a while, this may be my only chance. "I'm pretty tired."

His face fell and his caring eyes gazed into mine. "You're tired?"

I nodded and my voice was small, "yeah."

He exhaled gently. "Okay. You and me'll celebrate tomorrow."

I smiled softly. "Okay."

"Okay." He grinned back.

"How come you don't worry about him so much?" Pony whined to Darry while gesturing toward Soda.

Darry began walking toward the door and said to Pony, "that's one kid brother I ain't gotta worry about. This kid can use his head..." he wrapped his arm around Soda while yanking him forward and rubbed his knuckles all over his greased up hair which made the dollar bill fly out onto the floor. I laughed and slipped onto the couch next to Johnny. "At least for one thing to grow hair on! Let's go!"

Darry let go of Soda and started the lead of everyone racing out of the house. Two looked caught off guard when everyone running out the door and he was quick to follow, nearly tripping over the chair in the process. I followed them out, but I stopped by the door.

"Be careful!" I yelled from the front door as they were doing flips and cartwheels in the yard.

"Okay, mom!" Steve shouted back.

"I am a Greaser. I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man, do I have fun!" Soda shouted throughout the neighborhood. They were all howling and bellowing out their battle cries.

"Greaser... Greaser... Greaser..." Steve sang. "O victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!"

"Juvenile delinquent, you're no good!" Darry shouted. He rhymed, he must be happy.

"Get thee hence, white trash!" Two-Bit said in a snobbish voice that made me laugh. I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame, watching them get further away. Loyalty is a big thing for these greasers, and I loved that they were all coming together to support Johnny in this fight. "I am a Soc. I am the privileged and the well-dressed. I throw beer blasts, drive fancy cars, break windows at fancy parties."

"And what do you do for fun?" Ponyboy yelled back.

"I jump Greasers!" Two-Bit shouted, following by an ugly cartwheel. My first job as a teenager was teaching kids how to tumble so I know an ugly cartwheel when I see one.

I don't know when this was, but Darry took a class a summer or so ago and taught the guys how to tumble and do acrobatics and apparently they use those skills while they're in rumbles. In the summer, Two-Bit and Soda got arrested for doing acrobatics around town. I went down to pick them up from the station, and I thought that was the funniest thing ever. Apparently they were doing handstands and walking on their hands down the street, and a bunch of businesses called to complain.

"And who's gonna get their asses kicked tonight?" I saw Soda pump his fist into the air.

"The Socs!" All the boys said in unison.

Johnny didn't say anything, but he kept jumping around, full of energy.

They were getting quieter and quieter the farther away they got from the house, disappearing into the night. Their laughter became so distant. I smiled and shook my head, those boys are crazy. I stepped back into the quiet house and closed the door. It wasn't until the beginning of summer when there was a call from the police station saying that I needed to come bail out seven guys in the morning. It didn't even occur to me that they could get arrested for being in rumbles, and now whenever they go I'm always afraid of getting that phone call again.

I tossed Soda's hat on to the kitchen table as I passed it to get to my room so I could grab the Time Machine. I stashed it under the bed so it couldn't be found. I hid my phone with it, I thought it was a pretty safe place. Before I forgot, I wrote myself some directions on a scrap piece of paper to figure out how to use the Time Machine. I set the Machine to the date and time that I wanted to go to. July 17, 2017 at 2:37pm.

After working on it for who-knows-how-long, I wanted to give up. My fingers were sore and tired, and my brain just wanted to shut off. There wasn't much else I could do at that point. I sat back on my heels and glanced down at the Machine. I didn't even want to look at it anymore. I was so close to just throwing it against the wall and never dealing with it ever again. I collected every piece of it and shoved it back under my bed and let the blanket hang low.

I shut the bedroom door behind me as I walked out into the living room. The house was silent. It feels unnatural now. I glanced over at the clock, they should still be at the rumble. I still have time.

I swept down to grab my black converse sneakers and sat on the couch to put them back on. I readjusted the cloth bandage on my foot so it would fit better in my shoe. I didn't bother to grab a coat. I didn't need my car keys, and I didn't need my wallet so I was all set to go. As soon as I got down the street I realized that I should have grabbed a jacket. It was cold. I could just barely see my breath. Wearing a tank top was not a good idea. By the time I figured I should turn back and get a jacket, I could already hear the fighting.

A couple drops of rain fell on my cheeks, so I lifted my hand up and more splattered on my palm. I really should have brought a coat. It was too late, so I went over the hill and approached the outskirts of the lot. I stumbled upon the iconic rumble, watching it all unfold. The boys were all fighting for their lives, and they were all destroying each other.

First, I saw Darry. He was punching a Soc who was wearing a letterman's jacket in the stomach over and over. His baseball sized muscles were bulging out of his tight black shirt. I later found out that Soc was his old classmate, Paul. Darry talked about how they used to play football together in high school. I'm not sure why Paul would still be wearing his high school letterman's jacket, unless they give those things out in college too. He's probably just someone who peaked in high school. I watched Darry spin around and throw a punch right in Paul's jaw which made him fall straight into the ground.

Johnny was one of the smallest guys there. I think usually the guys try to take on someone their own size, but poor Johnny was fighting someone twice his size. He got socked in the face, leaving behind a red welt on his cheek. He ducked to avoid another blow, and he jumped on top of the Soc's back and just started throwing his fists around all over the guy's face.

Almost in an instant, the rain fell in a heavy downpour. Rain drops were clinging to my dark eyelashes and soaking into my hair. I had to squint just to see what was going on. I looked around and I didn't see anyone else so I got a little closer but I sulked near a tree so no one would notice me. I crossed my arms over my chest, but the rain was drenching my clothes so they stuck to my skin.

I tried to spot Soda, but it was hard to tell who was who from the thick rain. And they were moving around so fast. I caught a glimpse of Soda's red flannel, I saw him running around punching everyone he saw. He kept looking back over his shoulder, so I followed his eyes to Ponyboy. I think he was looking over at him to make sure he was okay.

Soda happened to spin around after clocking a Soc in the jaw and he stopped. His big, beautiful eyes locked with mine as he was shaking his hand out. He looked at me for a moment, then I saw his bright smile, even through the rain. He ran his bloodied fingers through his wet hair to get it out of his handsome face. I was so infatuated with him, I didn't even notice the Soc running full force at him. He didn't notice him either. Like a football player, the Soc tackled Soda and fell on top of him in the mud. It made me flinch, and watching his head ricochet off the ground made my stomach drop. Soda grabbed a hold of the guy's shirt and nearly ripped it trying to shove him off. The guy swung his right fist right into Soda's mouth, and was intercepted by Tim Shepard on the next blow. Tim grabbed the Soc's shoulder and punched him square in the nose. The Soc's hands immediately went up to his freshly broken nose, his blood spewing down his forearms. Soda was able to draw back with his fists together and he rammed them as hard as he could into the Soc's stomach. The Soc doubled over in pain and rolled off of Soda and into the mud. Soda scrambled up to his feet and held his cheek as he spit in the mud. He thanked Tim just before he ran off again.

Steve was wearing a dark shirt and his jean vest so he was easy to spot amongst the crowd of greasers and Socs. He and another Soc were just taking turns slamming each other in the gut. He almost looked like he was having fun. Someone tried to jump on Steve's back but he threw him over his shoulder and started kicking. Mud and rain were splattering up onto both of them. Another Soc stopped him when he struck Steve in the face to get him off his buddy.

Dally still wasn't wearing a shirt, just his dark jean jacket. He clobbered a guy to the ground, and when he tried to get back up he kicked him over into the mud. Two-Bit got hit with one—two—three punches in a row, and took them like a champ. He delivered his own punch, sending the guy flying back into another Soc. Two's thick eyebrows furrowed together and he bared his teeth like a wild animal. His leather jacket was glistening from the heavy rain.

Ponyboy was putting up a decent fight. I watched him jump on a Soc's back, clobbering him with his tight fists and pulling on his hair. The Soc reached back and threw Pony over his shoulder, where he landed flat on his back in the mud. Tim Shepard was fighting right next to him and accidentally stepped on Ponyboy, and I could see his breath leave his body.

Ponyboy is my little brother. I didn't think, I ran closer to the fighting to make sure he was okay. He wasn't getting back up yet, and I was nervous because he really wasn't in the best shape to be fighting tonight. I need to give him an out, let him sit with me for the rest of the night so he doesn't get destroyed out there. Hell, I'll take him back home before he gets that terrible concussion that makes him stay in the hospital for like a week.

Just before I made it to the edge of the rumble, I stopped myself. My shoes squelched in the mud and my hair flew in front of my face. Ponyboy sat himself up and he shook his head around a little. I released the breath I was holding, until I realized someone was coming after me. At first I thought he was a shadow, but I saw the fist flying in my direction so I ducked. The momentum the Soc had made him slip and fall back in the mud. I turned to look at him while stumbling back, and I ran into another Soc. His look of confusion quickly turned into anger and he snaked his arm around my stomach and pulled me into him.

"Hey! Let me go!" I shouted, thrashing around.

He put his bicep around my neck and started squeezing. The damp fabric of his dirty striped sweater pressed against my throat, and I clawed at his elbow, just so he would let me go. That's when I remembered the self-defense moves that Dally taught me months ago. I repositioned my hands on the Soc's arm. I bent my legs a little, and I threw my chest forward while dragging his arm down with me. It worked with Bob that night at the park. What I didn't anticipate, was that the Soc wasn't going to let me go.

I flipped him over my back, which was already difficult given how dense he was, but he kept a strong hold around my neck and he took me down with him. The Soc smacked hard on the ground, and I fell on top of him with a tight yelp. My shoulder crunched into his chest, expelling all the air from his lungs. He groaned, but he didn't let me go. I tried to sit up, but he kept me down. It was hard to breathe. In one last attempt to break free, I threw my head back into his face as hard as I could. The bones in his nose crunched under the weight of my skull. He screamed so loud, it hurt my ears. He finally let me go and brought his hands up to his bleeding face.

I scrambled up to my feet and just started running. My head was already pounding. I dodged fists and scurried out of the way of guys who were fighting like bulls with their horns locked. I didn't even mean to, but I found myself right next to Ponyboy in the middle of the rumble. I put one of my knees in the mud when I got to Ponyboy and I grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Pony! You okay?" I asked.

Ponyboy, still a little stunned, took a moment to look at me and answer. He blinked hard, and his dark eyebrows came together. "Huh? Bri? What are—what are you doing here?"

Before I had a chance to answer, a Soc ran over and slipped in the slimy mud and he body slammed into me. I fell back into the mud, where it covered my entire back and my jeans. I propped myself up on my elbows, and tried to flick the disgusting mud off my palms.

"Ew," I grumbled. My foot and now my knee too were pulsating vigorously. I heard someone screaming nearby, so I looked up just in time to see a Soc approaching me with his fist cocked back, ready to strike. His eyes were dark and wild with anger, I wonder if he recognized me from the park that night. Maybe he blames all three of us for killing Bob. My eyes widened and I flexed my lips in fear of getting punched in the face. Frantically, I rolled over on my stomach and used my arms to push myself up so I could bolt away and back to the edge of the lot, but the Soc grabbed a hold of my jeans and yanked me back down. I landed on my stomach and my cheek got splattered with mud. I propped myself on my elbows to try to wiggle out of his grasp, but the Soc straddled my legs and flipped me around so I was on my back looking up at him.

The Soc looked down at me, breathing heavily. One of his eyes was already swelling, and he was missing one of his teeth so blood was dribbling out from the corner of his lip. I could barely move from under him. Rain was pouring down on my face, slipping down my temples and my jaw. He studied me with his eyes, as if trying to decide where he wanted to hit me first. I lifted my arms up and hit his arms to try to subdue him and protect myself, but that only made him more angry. I didn't have time to blink before his stiff punch landed in my eye.

I froze. My entire vision blackened and white dots danced around in my stinging head. I couldn't breathe, I thought I was going to either cry or puke. It was like I got tased in my eye socket. I had never been in a fight before, so I didn't know what to do. My cloudy vision cleared, and I could see the silhouette of the Soc still on top of me. While I was stunned like a deer frozen in headlights with tears slipping down my face, he leaned forward with my wrists in his grasp, and he pinned my wrists up above my head. My pulse was racing. His entire body weight was put into my wrists, I thought they were going to break. I kicked my legs around as much as I could, but I was stuck.

"Get the fuck off me!" I screamed at him, thrashing my body around to get away. My voice was hoarse. "Get off of me!"

Just as the Soc was drawing his arm back, with an aim that'll either leave me with a black eye or a broken nose, Soda came from out of no where and threw himself onto the guy to get him off of me. They thrashed around, and Soda managed to get on top of him. He kept shouting curse words at him with every punch he delivered until the Soc's lights turned off. His muscles tensed with every strike. I was able to scramble up to my feet and back away from their fight.

"Oh, fuck," I mumbled.

I didn't know if my nose was running, bleeding, or if it was the rain but I sniffed hard and blinked harder. I just wanted to get out of there. My eye was watering, and my vision was blurry on my left side. I could barely keep it open. I wanted to rub my eye to try to rub the blurriness away, but my hands were covered in mud. My eye hurt like hell. I felt like I was stumbling through the rumble, just trying to get out of it. I want to go home.

Someone grabbed my shoulder, so I spun around ready to swing. I was breathing hard and I had my eyes shut from the pain, so that definitely wasn't helping. Despite being here for months, I still felt delicate in this fascinating and violent world of leather jackets and bravado. My assailant blocked my blow easily but held my other shoulder when I turned to face him.

"Hey, hey. It's me. It's just me. Are you okay?" Soda's voice asked, cutting through the haze of the rumble. I opened my eyes and he looked at me with so much concern. His hair was weighed down with mud and water, and his shirt was stained with dirt and blood. He had a couple bruises on his face and a split lip. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms comfortingly.

I relaxed a little, knowing that with Soda I was safe. I sniffed, hoping my eye just felt worse than it looked. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Soda asked. He cupped my face with his hand, keeping his touch light.

I nodded. I felt shaky. "Uh-huh... yeah."

"I thought you weren't coming."

I shrugged and chuckled softly. My voice broke slightly as I said, "I wanted to come support my guys."

A Soc in a green sweater came running up to us, interrupting our conversation. Soda put me behind him protectively and caught the guy's fist with his big hand. He twisted his arm behind his back and shoved him to the ground. When the Soc got up on his knees to try to run off, Soda kicked him in the back so he fell back down into the mud.

Soda turned to me and said, "you should get out of here. They want your head. Go behind that tree back there, so no one can see you. I'll see you when the rumble is over."

"Okay." I nodded small.

"Please be careful."

"You too."

Soda ran deeper into the fight while I ran away from it. I managed to break out of the rumble and I stood far enough away where I couldn't get sucked back into it again. Coming here tonight was probably a terrible idea, I'm a target for those Socs since I was an accomplice in Bob's murder. I used my knuckle to gently tap my eye. I could feel it swelling.

I glanced up and I froze when I looked at Dally. He was facing me, so I think he could see me. I tried to wipe the mud from my cheek. He was squinting up at me, and he wiped the drizzling rain off his face. A Soc came running at him, but Dally scooped him up like he weighed nothing and lifted him over his shoulder and threw him to the ground like a wrestling move I've seen on TV.

A Soc was punching Soda's stomach over and over, then punched him in the face. Soda then grabbed the Soc's shoulder so he couldn't move, and punched him back. I didn't notice the old car—even though it was on fire—until I watched Dally throw a Soc into the side of it like he was a battering ram. Someone tried to kick Dally, but he grabbed his leg and shoved him away.

Greasers and Socs were all rolling around in the thick mud, punching each other and cursing under their breathes. I couldn't barely tell who was who anymore. It was almost like there were no greasers, and no Socs. Just indistinguishable, muddy, angry boys and men. They were fighting like rival packs of wolves, and all I could hear were the brutal sounds of their cries, grunts, the thumps of fits carving into flesh, and the heavy rain.

"Ponyboy!" A voice called out. I think it was Darry. My breath hitched in my throat. I looked around but I couldn't spot him. Was Ponyboy okay?

One greaser who was covered in mud was rolling around on the ground with a Soc and got on top of him. He wrapped his thick fingers in the Socs messy hair and thrusted his face into the mud over and over.

As the rumble went on, everyone was starting to get tired. Fists were swinging aimlessly, and people were getting so exhausted that they were falling to the muddy ground. That was until I heard Pony's cry for help.

"Darry. Darry!"

My head turned toward Ponyboy. One Soc had Pony's arm while another was kicking him in the back, and another was kicking him in the stomach as hard as he could. He yelped out in pain. The muddy shoe bashed into Ponyboy's head and Ponyboy laid there completely limp.

"Oh my god," I muttered.

I got just a few steps closer so I could get Ponyboy out of there, but I stopped myself when I realized that Soda saw it too. He ran over to them like a bat out of hell and tackled the guy off of Ponyboy. He pinned the Soc down in the mud and punched him until he had blood oozing out of every hole in his face. I had never seen him so angry before. I've always known Soda to be a such a friendly, charismatic, and chill guy. He was so different here, but he just proved that his brothers really do mean everything to him.

From the limited amount of rumbles I've witnessed, I've noticed that the boys like to use their almost-nonexistent tumbling skills while they fight. After Steve punched a Soc to the ground, he swung his arms up and did a back flip in the air. Not even a second after he landed the impressive trick, he was tackled by a Soc and they rolled around in the mud.

"They're running!" Two-Bit called out. His grin was spread from one ear to the other. "Look at the dirty pussies run!"

A battle cry could be heard throughout the lot as the Socs started running back to their cars. Greasers were flexing their muscles in triumph. Everyone was screaming, hollering, and patting each other's backs. A few guys slipped in the slick mud. I saw that Tim was pissed off because his nose was broken, again.

I walked to the middle of the lot where my guys were congregating. Two-Bit picked me up and spun me around in the mud. "Look! It's our good luck charm! We did it! We beat them Socs to the ground! Whoo-hoo!"

Two-Bit put me down and I noticed the blood mixing with rain that was streaming down his face, and the blood pouring out of the back of his hand. Excited, he held my head with his hands, he covered my ears with his palms and he yelled once again in my face, "we did it!" before running off to continue celebrating.

Dally grabbed Pony and dragged him out of the crowd. He grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him up to his feet and asked in his ear loudly, "you okay? Huh?" But Ponyboy looked rough, he could barely keep his eyes open.

"We won," Darry announced to our group between breaths with a smile. "We beat the Socs."

Everyone's faces were grotesquely bloodied. Their clothes were torn and muddy, soaking from blood and the heavy rain. Everyone looked bruised and like they were in pain. They clung to each other, everyone helping someone stand up.

"When I said to be careful... this is not exactly what I meant," I said. Everyone chuckled, except for Ponyboy. He was just looking off into space. Darry walked up to Dally and Ponyboy for a moment and took Pony off of Dally's hands.

Dally slowly walked up to me. "You came."

"I had to," I told him.

"God almighty, what the fuck happened to your eye?" He asked, pointing to his own.

"I... um... I got a little tied up back there." I wish he had seen me throw that Soc over my back. I think he would have been proud of me.

"Yeah, no kiddin'. You put that thing on ice when we get home, you dig?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Look at that shiner. How the hell did you get all mixed up in that?" He asked.

"Got a little too close. I thought Ponyboy got really hurt. I know I wouldn't be able to do much, but I just wanted to get him out of there."

"That's tuff."

My expression perked up. "Yeah?"

Dally smiled small at me. "Yeah. Your head hurtin' at all?"

"No." It was hurting a little, but what can you expect after getting punched in the eye?

"Your eye buggin' you?"

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"I'm okay, Dally. Really, I'm okay," I assured.

Dally grunted, I don't think he believed me. He took out a cigarette and lit it. He stuck it in between his lips and took a drag. I glanced at his skull ring and looked back up at him. He let the smoke escape from the corner of his mouth, and he took a step back so the smoke wouldn't blow near me.

"You best say somethin' if it gets any worse," he warned.

"I will."

Gravel crunching under engineer boots made Dally and I both turn to Soda. He walked over to us with a tired, yet relieved grin on his face.

"Hi." Soda grinned at me.

"Hi." I smiled back and turned to face him.

When Soda walked up to us, Dally looked at me with half a smile. I glanced at him, and smiled back but I didn't realize his was a goodbye smile. He took another drag of his cigarette, and he staggered off with one hand deep in his jacket pocket.

"Look at you," Soda giggled. "Think we all oughta get hosed down tonight."

"For a while I could barely tell any of you guys apart, everyone was just covered in mud," I told him.

"The rain is helping some." He used his hand like a squeegee and scraped some of the mud off his arms and his jeans. When he looked back up at me, he said, "you ain't wearing a coat."

"Neither are you," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I ain't the one just standing out in the rain. I'd give you my coat if I had one. We oughta get you home before you catch a cold."

"It's chilly out here," I said. I used the back of my hands to try to get as much mud off my face as I could, then push my hair back so the strands weren't sticking to my skin.

"How's your foot?" He asked.

With all the excitement, I haven't been paying much attention to my foot. But now that my adrenaline was dying down, my ankle was in a lot of pain. I think it was just from all the running, it's overworked and angry. I can't wait to go home and put it on ice.

I took a deep breath and said, "not great. It's my fault though, I shouldn't have been running."

"How's your eye?" He asked, leaning towards me to inspect my battle wound.

"Hurts," I mumbled.

"It's hurtin'?" He asked. He put his hand up to my cheek and gently brushed his thumb along my tender cheekbone.

"M-hm."

Soda leaned in closer, I could hear him breathing through his nose. I could almost feel his heartbeat. He had a bruise on his forehead, and another forming on his cheek. My eyes went down to his pillowy lips, and I saw that his bottom lip had split and blood trickled out of it. I think that's from when he saw me when I first got to the rumble, the Soc that got him punched Soda right in the mouth. I couldn't imagine how bad it hurt, or how much it stung. That one, I felt like was my fault.

"You really are a greaser now, huh? One of us. You got the black eye to prove it," Soda joked.

That made me giggle softly. "Can't go back now."

He scrunched his nose with a big smile. "No, you can't."

"Hey, Soda," Two-Bit called out. We looked over at him, and he was beside Steve who was laying still in the mud. We could hear him groaning from where we were standing. Soda hobbled over to them and he squatted down by Steve's head. He spoke to him gently, I assume he was asking if he was okay. Then, he and Two-Bit hauled Steve up to his feet with one arm slung over each of their shoulders.

Darry was carrying Ponyboy over his shoulder, everyone just wanted to go home.

The walk was pretty quiet, besides the occasional groan and joint crack, but we finally made it home. Steve was dragged in by Two-Bit and Soda. Darry was still carrying Ponyboy over his shoulder, and the rest of us shuffled in after them. We were all drenched from the mud and the rain.

All I wanted to do was kick off my muddy shoes and change into dry, clean clothes. I need to take a shower tonight to wash all this mud out of my hair and off my skin. I walked toward the kitchen just so I could get out of the way of the boys who were setting the limps ones on the couch. The living room lights made me squint, my eye still hurts. I studied their faces, covered in blood, bruises, and grins.

"We beat 'em. We beat the Socs." Two-Bit smiled at everyone.

"Shut your trap, Two-Bit. We know. We were all there," Steve groaned when Two-Bit and Soda got him on the couch. Dally was the last one in, and he shut the door.

"You a few good kicks to your ribs." Dally dragged on his cigarette. His white hair was dark from the rain and mud. Blood dribbled down from the corner of his busted lip and covered the left side of his face but he looked at me and added, "coulda been worse."

Dally is such a bad-boy. He always fights hard, no one can take him down. I don't think he has ever lost a fight. I was drawn to the darkening bruises on his high cheekbones and temple.

"It don't feel like it could be worse," Steve grumbled.

"Bri, will you get the First-Aid kit?" Darry asked. After he set Ponyboy down, he squatted in front of him and examined his face.

"You have a First-Aid kit?" I asked, clearly not knowing where it is.

"It's under the sink."

I went to the kitchen and pulled out a white container from under the sink. It was kinda heavy. While I was near the sink I turned on the faucet and I lathered my hand and arms in soap, trying to wash off as much of the mud as I could. I was careful to wash my face too. Once my hands were clean, I dried them off with a towel and I brought the kit over to Darry and he opened it.

Pony looked like he got the worst of it. His right eye was black and blue, skinned from road rashes, bruises, and blood dripping down his forehead. His blonde hair was all over the place, and his breathing was slow. I was hoping that since Johnny wasn't dying from a broken back and stressing Pony out, he would be able to make it out of that rumble without terrible injuries, but I guess he gets his ass beat no matter what.

Darry grabbed a thick roll of cloth tape and headed over to Steve. He helped Steve unbutton his shirt and he wrapped the tape around his damaged ribs. I think I remember that he ended up having three broken ribs.

"Will you patch Ponyboy up?" Darry asked. I got down to my knees in front of him. I searched the First-Aid kit and found some hydrogen peroxide and a cotton ball and doused it with the liquid.

"Sorry, Pony, this will sting just a bit." I pressed the soggy cotton ball onto his cuts and he didn't even flinch. He just stared at me absentmindedly with his mouth agape. I knew he could probably hear me, hopefully appreciating the warning I gave him.

I barely noticed, but I could see his head moving in the slowest and smallest circles. After I wiped the blood from his forehead, I covered the cuts up with a bandage. I felt that he had a fever when I had to touch his forehead to put the Band-Aids on.

"Is he real bad?" Johnny asked. His fists were jammed into his jean pants pockets with the collar of his dirty jean jacket popped up. He had a few bruises, a red welt on his cheek, and some scrapes along his skin but it wasn't anything too terrible.

"Which one?" Darry asked, finishing with Steve's bandage.

"Don't matter."

"They'll be fine, kid." Dally's dark jean jacket was opened, exposing his glistening abs and the necklace that laid on his chest. He put his hand on Johnny's shoulder in comfort. I adored their friendship, Dally would literally die for Johnny.

Dally likes Pony a lot more than Pony ever thought. Dally just doesn't know how to love and show it. Johnny might be the only thing he can love. I know he's worried about him, even though he will never say it.

"Shit, Two-Bit!" I nearly shouted and ran on my knees to Two-Bit. His hand was dripping blood onto the floor and half of his face was covered in dark blood. I forgot how much he was bleeding.

"Oh yeah, got cut a bit." He shrugged. "Them rings are no joke." I took his hand and spilled the peroxide onto his knuckles. He jolted back and held his burning hand.

"What the fuck, Bri?" He screamed.

"Two-Bit! Shut your trap!" Steve shouted with his eyes closed.

"Gimme your hand." I snapped my fingers at him.

"Hell no!"

"Give," I said more sternly. He reluctantly gave me his hand and I put a little more of the peroxide on it. He clutched his fist and let out a steady breath. "I know it stings, just hang on."

I wrapped his knuckles up with the thick cloth tape and went to his face. He was hesitant for me to put that burning liquid on his face, but he toughed it out. I put some bandages on that too. Pretty much his entire left side of his face ended up covered in gauze and bandages.

"How the hell did you do this to yourself?" I asked, grabbing an alcohol wipe from the kit and wiping their blood off my hands.

"Cracked my hands down on a Socs head. You should see the other guy." Two-Bit grinned.

"I'm gonna take the kid to bed." Darry grabbed the still motionless Ponyboy and hauled him off to his room.

"I oughta be gettin' home," Two-Bit said, rubbing his wrapped knuckles. "My folks are probably wondering where I am."

"I better be going too," Dally said. "Going to Bucks'. After party. Anyone wanna come?"

"No," Steve snapped.

The two left and Darry came back from putting Ponyboy to bed. He slumped down in an unoccupied green chair with his elbows up on the arm rests. He licked the inside of his lip as if it was bloody as he held his hands out in front of him, inspecting the blood on his knuckles.

"Darry, did you notice Ponyboys fever?" I asked.

Darry looked up at me sweetly and asked, "his what?"

"His forehead is really hot."

Darry looked concerned, then he stood up and headed back to Ponyboy's room.

"What happened to your guys' party, huh?" I asked when the room fell silent.

"Ain't gonna happen," Soda snickered and he slumped further into the couch. "Ain't got the dough, or the willpower. Still wanna get soused though."

"Why did the Socs run off?" I asked.

"Someone took out a pipe so the Socs split," Steve responded weakly. "From another outfit."

I felt like an idiot, always asking what stuff is. Such as heater, outfit, and ice box, that I was afraid they were getting suspicious, because they always looked at me like I was off my rocker whenever I asked. I simply stopped asking, I eventually got the hang of it though. Apparently, it means gun, gang, and something that is pretty much a refrigerator.

Darry came back, holding Ponyboy in his arms. Pony looked asleep, or he was so dazed that he was falling asleep. Or rather unconscious. Regardless, he didn't look good.

"Can I crash here tonight, Darry?" Steve asked. He threw his arm over his eyes.

"Sure, kid. We gotta take Ponyboy to the hospital."

"Why?" Soda asked.

"He is real cut up and has a bad fever. I'm just going to take him to make sure he is alright." Darry headed toward the door. "Soda, you stay here. I don't want no more problems going on tonight, understand?"

"Understood." Soda sat up a little straighter and became all fidgety. It was hard for him to see Ponyboy in so much pain.

"Can I come?" Johnny asked softly.

"Sure, you can help me with the kid," Darry agreed. Soda gave him a what the hell look, then stuck his tongue at Darry when he turned his back.

"Drive safe," I said.

"Will do. Be back soon."

Johnny followed Darry out the door and he closed it behind them.

"I wanna go lay down," Steve muttered.

"Ponyboy probably won't be home tonight so you can sleep in our bed," Soda said.

Since I came to town, Pony and Soda would sleep in Pony's room. This left Soda's room usually free since he never slept in it, he just used it as a place to keep his clothes. That's why it became my room. No one slept in their parent's room, Soda did sometimes if he had to. Hell, I don't think I've ever even been in there. The boys don't really go in there either, but sometimes when Darry is in a stress-cleaning frenzy he will go in to vacuum or dust but that's about it. It's been untouched since the day they died.

Steve had gotten a little more alert so Soda was enough to help Steve get to the bedroom without hurting his ribs. Soda came back and jumped back onto the couch.

"Soda, your lip," I said, flicking my own.

Soda touched his lip tenderly and looked at the blood on his fingers, most of it was dried up by now.

"It's not so bad."

"Hold on." I went into the kitchen and grabbed an old dish towel and held it under the cold running water. I came back and sat next to Soda on the couch. His hair was covered in mud and grease and sprouted from all directions, I loved how messy it was but I never really liked the excessive amounts of hair grease in any of their hair.

I thought to myself that if Soda ever came to my time, I'd tell him that hair grease doesn't exist. Sure, there's pomade or hair clay which aren't quite as bad but still. That'll never happen, so I dropped the idea immediately.

I gently patted the gash on his lip with the wet fabric to get the dried blood off. It was coming off with mud that was stuck to his face. There was also a cut by his eyebrow with blood coming out of it still that smeared down to his chin.

"Shouldn't you be on your crutch?" He asked.

"It'll be fine," I promised.

"You really should be stayin' off that foot."

"I will. Shoot... I don't think I can put a bandage on your lip," I chuckled softly.

"Band-Aids ain't tuff enough." He did the lip thing that Elvis Presley does, or did. It was still weird for me to listen to Elvis play on the radio, or hear about his future movies coming out.

"Okay, fine." I continued to pat until the blood was gone, and there was only the clean cut.

"Compared to Two-Bit or Ponyboy. I'm a lucky one. Ponyboy looks sick as a dog."

"I bet Two-Bit will have to get a few stitches," I predicted as I folded the towel to get a clean edge and I started wiping his face to get rid of the dirt that lingered there.

"That don't surprise me none."

"That's a gnarly bruise." I motioned to the bruise on his cheek. When I got the dirt off I smiled at him and said gently, "there we go. There's your pretty face."

"What does gnarly mean?" He asked while he blushed.

"It means... beyond radical or beyond extreme," I responded hesitantly.

I later found out that the word gnarly technically hasn't been invented yet. How does 1965 feel so close to my time yet so far away?

"Sorry, I'm stupid. Guess that's what I get for being a drop out." He rarely talked about dropping out of school. I put some of the peroxide onto the wet towel and patted his lip again. First he jumped a little from the sudden sting, then he got used to it.

"Did a Soc kick a screw loose or something? You are not stupid."

He didn't say anything. He simply stared down at the floor.

"Are you okay? I need you to look at me so I can get that cut cleaned."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed and looked straight at me, it made my heart jump. "It's just that, I can't stop thinking about Ponyboy. He nearly looked dead. I know he ain't, but I was watching him get pummeled by that Soc and I don't think I did everything to stop him."

"You did the best you could. You jumped on top of the Soc and beat the living tar outta him, right?" I asked as I wiped the blood that tricked out of the cut by his eyebrow.

Beat the living tar outta him? I have never said that before in my life. How old am I? Seventy? I've been here for way too long.

"Yeah. I did. You were watching me, huh?"

I smiled. "Of course." I set the bloody towel down. "Sorry, man, but I don't have anything for that bruise."

"It's fine. Makes me look tuff, huh?" He puffed his chest out and held it there, holding his breath.

"The tuffest." I smiled and he did too. I got up and threw the bloody towel away in the garbage can and washed my hands. I don't want anyone's blood on my hands. On the way back I went into my bedroom where I grabbed my glass jar of Vaseline from the desk so I could dab it on his cuts.

I came back into the living room and Soda immediately said to me, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" I asked.

"I ain't been taking care of myself while you were gone. While you and Pony were gone," he said.

"How so?" I asked. I sat down next to him on the couch and put my hand on his shoulder. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"I guess you can say that I was acting like Two-Bit," he said. "But I'm okay now, now that y'all are home safe."

I really didn't know what to say, but I had so many questions I could not have answered. Not tonight, anyway. I didn't know what else to do besides give him my support by resting my head on his shoulder.

"I had to get that off my chest," he said with a sigh.

"That's fine," I said quietly. I opened the jar of Vaseline and scooped a thin amount with my nail as I sat back up. "Don't talk."

"What's that?" He asked.

"Vaseline, it should help your cuts heal," I told him. I carefully dabbed the healing jelly on his cuts, applying it in a thick layer. I gently spread it along his lips, making sure I generously covered his cut too. He was fighting a smile, which made me smile. I smacked my lips together, and he copied me. I chuckled and said, "I put this on every night before bed. It makes my lips soft."

Soda let out a little laugh. "Maybe I should do the same."

I closed the lid to the Vaseline and I asked, "do you want an ice cube or a popsicle for your lip? I think we have some left over from the summer."

"No, I'm okay."

"Before I forget, I think you should get a copy of Gone With The Wind for Pony."

"Why?" He asked.

"Ponyboy and Johnny really liked that book when we were at the church in Windrixville. It got burned in the fire. I bet he'll want it when he gets home from the hospital."

"Good idea," he said. His eyebrows came together and he sat up a little bit straighter and leaned closer to me. Soda put his hand up on my cheek and his fingers brushed my hair out of my face. "Glory, Bri, your eye."

"It's not that bad," I tried to reassure. "It's nothing."

I was definitely just trying to play it off. I got hit in the eye just once, and it hurt like hell. Just moving my eye around hurt. But compared to everyone else, I barely got a scratch. In my defense, I've never been punched in my life so it knocked me on my ass while these guys fight for fun. They're used to it. I wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place.

"Hold on." Soda left me on the couch and he went into the kitchen. He came back with an ice bag that he must have filled with freshly frozen cubes and he gave it to me. "You gotta ice it."

I gave him a sweet, half-smile. I took the ice bag and put it up against my swollen and tender eye. "Thank you."

Slowly, I felt him grab a gentle hold of my hand. He rubbed his thumb gently against the back of it, and I looked him in his kind eyes. "I feel like I can talk to you about anything. You are the only person that has made me feel this way. I always get a hundred butterflies in my stomach. I really like the way I feel when I'm with you."

My good eye widened and I held my breath. He gazed at me lovingly. I wanted nothing more than to tell him the same thing. He reminds me of what it's like to really love life. He makes me forget about all my problems and my worries. He's so young at heart, I admire it so much.

"I'll give you everything I have, albeit it's not a lot, I'll try to keep you satisfied. You can have all of me." He brought his hand up and gently tucked some of my hair behind my ear, and his hand lingered by my jaw.

"Soda," I breathed out.

He leaned forward slowly, closing his eyes and his soft lips brushed his against mine. I dropped the ice bag down to my lap. My eyes fell closed as I began to kiss him back. He had lips like sugar cane, sugar-coating the danger that still remained. He was before my time. If I let myself fall into his arms, I may never get over him.

"Soda," I mumbled again, trying to back away but his lips were on mine like a magnet. I was weak.

He reveled in our passion and discovery of each other. He put his hand on my waist, pulling me closer. My hand rested on his chest, and I gripped his wet shirt in my palm. Our kisses were electric. I didn't want to stop. We were both feeding off the excitement of one another. He has such an investment of liveliness and joy, I know that a relationship with him would be unforgettable.

Soda is so loving and affectionate, I had to really convince myself that we needed to stop. I really didn't want to, I felt so comfortable and loved in his embrace. He is so pure, and beautiful. It wasn't until I relaxed my hand on his chest and pushed him softly that he finally backed up and leaned back on the couch.

"I got your letter," I told him.

There was a look of hunger in his eyes, hunger for me. But the moment I brought up the letter, his eyes softened and his cheeks pinked up. He asked, "you did?"

I nodded and smiled. I looked into his dancing brown eyes that were so easy to get lost in. I let out a small, "yeah."

"You didn't like it, huh?" He asked dolefully.

"No, no, I did. I really did. But... I can't."

"Why not?" He asked.

I couldn't tell him for obvious reasons. However, there was one reason that was good enough that honestly would have been a contender if I didn't travel back in time. And it was Sandy.

Just a week ago, Soda was convinced that Sandy was his soulmate. Or at least that was what he was telling himself. He might still love her. He has such a big heart, he falls hard and fast. I couldn't let him fall in love with me, because I think I just fell in love with him. One of us would end up with a broken heart.

"It's too soon. With Sandy and all," I answered, not mentioning the fact that I didn't plan to stay in this decade for forever.

Soda paused for a moment and said, "oh. I'm not used to a girl telling me that."

I giggled and rested against him again. "There's a first time for everything."

Soda kissed the top of my head, and he said, "just so you know, I've felt this way about you for a long time. From the first moment I saw you... I felt something. And I know you felt it too."

"I did," I replied softly.

"This timing is bad, I know that. But it was always you, with or without Sandy. This might be cheesy, but I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for you. If you want to wait, I can wait a little longer."

I instantly smiled and wanted to bury myself into his chest forever. Honestly, I'm not sure if Soda would have ever broken up with Sandy for me if she never cheated on him. Would he still have offered to raise the child as his own? He's such a sweet guy, I'm very confident he would have still tried to be the best boyfriend to someone so undeserving.

"I'm sorry I kissed you," he said softly.

"It's okay, now I don't need to put on any Vaseline tonight," I joked softly and I rubbed my lips together.

He gently played with my hair and he asked, "are you planning on going to bed soon?"

"I think so. Why?"

"I just need to thank you."

"Why? I fixed your lip just as good as someone like Two-Bit could have."

"For protecting my kid brother up in Windrixville. Not sure if they'd do as well without you there."

Yeah, Johnny would have died. And in this moment, we would probably be running through the rain while we watched Dally die too. And we would all be traumatized.

"Of course," I said. Soda kissed the top of my head again then he rested his head against mine.

I could have fallen asleep in Soda's arms. I felt so safe with him and I think he was falling asleep too. I stirred back awake and Soda rubbed my shoulder. He told me that he was going to try to stay up if Pony and Darry came home in the middle of the night.

He was going to be out there all night, but he's stubborn. He would not go to bed until Pony was home safe. We said goodnight to each other and I was off to take a shower and go to bed. My heart wanted to stay out there with him, but I had to be strong.

I stayed up thinking that something could actually, finally happen with me and Soda. Especially after his letter. I know, it's very weird because of our age difference, but we are currently the same age. Ugh, this time travel junk is very confusing. All I knew for sure, was that Soda is heartbroken about Sandy and right now we are the same age. Well, he thinks I'm older by nearly seven months. If we are going to get technical, he is older by about fifty years... so...

I wish I could save our time together in a bottle, so when I go back, I can make our days last forever. Until then, I'll save every day with him like a treasure. Time is the ultimate thief.

I fell asleep thinking about what I should do about this. Should I go for it? I love spending time with him. I didn't want something to happen between us and I have to leave moments later. I just don't know what to do.