Chapter 1

Prologue

Jane Taylor Thompson. JT for short. A couple months ago, I was sent back into the 1960's to figure out what the heck I needed to change about myself. I lived on the east side of town with the greasers. More specifically, Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry Curtis, Johnny Cade, Two-Bit Mathews, Steve Randle, and Dallas Winston. These boys grew to be my brothers. After I got in a few fights, jumps, and near-death experiences, I found myself reading a letter from my mother after my dad died. I decided to catch a train to Texas to go see her, well actually, go back in the future where I'm from. Luckily, the boys chased me down before I left forever without a real goodbye, and now here we are about a month later. After all that drama that went down, we're all perfectly, uhm well, not exactly perfectly. We're all... pretty close to happy! If that makes sense...

Well if you didn't read my previous story, I'll catch you up on my appearance and stuff. I mean, I haven't changed much since I was 13 years old. I'm 15 now, and I've got bright blue-green eyes, dark brown hair that's almost black, and it falls in a silky cascade about halfway down my back. I'm kinda tall and well built. I was kicked out for a bad grade by my dad. He recently died of cancer that came back. My mother currently lives in Texas if I was actually back in my own time, but I'm here for... I guess forever.

I've made best friends with these seven boys, and I probably couldn't live without them now. They've protected me from countless socs and have put up with me for as long as I've been here. I'm not even sure how long it's been. I guess that's pretty funny too. Anyway, I hope my life permanently here is alright. I guess we'll all find out.

Now I'm turning sixteen, (Oh joy!), and the boys decided to drag me to some "party" for this celebration. So we're all at Buck Merrill's in a crazy blur of a night. I'm not exactly sure what's going on right now, but I kinda like it. I'm probably too drunk to handle right now, but I really don't care. I'm just having the ultimate time of my life.

•••

Chapter 1

"Ponyboy," I slur. He smiles at me crookedly. "I still love your stupid face." I take a drink from my bottle as he laughs a little.

"You already told me that," he says, stumbling on his words.

"But I really-" I hiccup. "Really mean it."

"Do you really?" he asks incredulously.

"Yeah. I always have."

"Prove it."

"You're really drunk, you know that? What are you talking about, P-Ponyboy?" He steps towards me with a devilish smile forming on his face. The dark lighting makes him look different. He looks tougher, scarier... It doesn't look like the Ponyboy I know.

"You're drunk too."

"So what? What do you want me to prove?"

"C'mon. Show me," he taunts again. I begin to go along with his game a little, catching on to the idea, but I add my own rebellion.

"First, you have to tell me your secret." I smile dangerously. He looks a little confused. "Tell me what I want to hear."

He leans down. I feel his breath tickling my ear and neck, giving me chills. He wraps his arms around me in a careful way.

"I love you," he says gently.

"That's what I thought. Let's get out of here." I grab his hand and lead him away from the noise of the party.

•••

"What the hell is going on?" I groan as I sit up from leaning against a window. I look around and blink to clear my headache. I'm in a truck...

"You got too drunk," Dally says from the driver's seat.

"Why are you driving then? Where's Darry?"

"Oh him? He got drunk too. He was running around like crazy. Man, he was the life of the party."

"Darry was?" I ask. He nods. I lean back and slump down in the seat. "Dal, I don't feel so good."

"Yeah I know. You said that in your sleep. You talk a lot when you're drunk."

"Tell me later," I mumble, resting my forehead on the cold window. My face is burning up. My ears feel like they're on fire, and I'm thirsty. Holy crap. What kind of party did I just go to?

Dally pulls up to the house. He helps the boys inside before coming back and retrieving me. I'm too tired to even stand. I almost collapse as he tries to prop me up on my feet. Dally gives up and carries me like a hungover bride after the party after the wedding. Boy, do I feel like one.

He sets me down on my bed and covers me up with the sheets. "What time is it?" I ask.

"It's four in the morning." I mutter a curse to myself.

"Why aren't you drunk?"

"Because I was too busy keeping up with Darry there that I never sat down for a beer myself."

"Where're the others?"

"Asleep like you need to be. Goodnight and happy birthday."

"Thanks, Dal."

•••

I wake up with a pounding in my head. Images of last night flood through my mind. I don't remember a whole lot, but it was fun. I can't believe I missed out on Darry being drunk though.

I groan from the pain in my head as a door slams somewhere in the house. I try to roll over to get comfortable. I feel myself falling and open my eyes to find myself in the floor. It kinda feels nice here. The floor is cool and dark and quiet.

I stand up and wrap myself in the extra quilt thrown on me while I was asleep last night. I glance at the clock. It's too early for anything. I only got about five hours of sleep.

I stumble into the kitchen, still in my party clothes. I shrug it off and eat a piece of leftover birthday cake from the party before the real party. Wow. That really made no sense.

My stomach growls. I roll my eyes. I'm starving. I could probably eat like all seven boys combined, and my head feels light. My body is sore, which is strange, and my eyes burn. I feel like I caught some sort of virus. That's weird.

I push the plate away and lay my head down on the table. I don't feel good at all. Then Ponyboy walks in. He looks a little surprised by my presence, but he remains quiet.

"Good morning...?" he says in more of a question. "Man, you don't look too hot. Are you alright?"

"No... I feel like I'm gonna die." He places his hand on my forehead.

"You're kinda warm. Are you sick?" As soon as he asks the question, I get up and run to the bathroom. He follows behind to make sure I'm alright. I bend over and collapse on my knees. I throw up, reminding myself of the last hangover I had.

Ponyboy rubs my back to try to comfort me. He then gives me a wash cloth to wash my face if I wanted. He walks out and closes the door. I look at my reflection in the mirror, gripping tightly to the sides of the sink. My image blurs a lot as tears cover my sight. Oh my gosh. I drank way too much last night.

I walk out and plop down on the couch beside him, propping myself up with my elbow. Two-Bit looks up from sitting in the floor.

"I thought you crashed here...?" I ask.

"Yeah. I must've been so out of it that I got up and slept outside," he says. "Boy, that was some party, wasn't it?"

"You're telling me."

"Yeah. And guess who got drunk last night?" Two-Bit asks. I raise an eyebrow. "Darry did. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Even Ponyboy did."

"Yeah. Don't remind me," he says. I stretch out my arm and place my head on Ponyboy's knee. He playfully pats my head.

"Be careful. Don't get too close to my hair. It might eat your hand off," I say. Both boys laugh as I smile at my own joke that's probably true. He continues to play around with my hair anyway. I wonder why.

"Good morning," Soda says, walking into the kitchen. I know he didn't drink anything last night. He doesn't have to. I mean, it's Soda for crying out loud.

"I think I'm gonna make breakfast. Darry probably won't get up and do it," I say. I get up and walk into the kitchen. I look at Soda. "If you cook, you'll probably catch the house on fire."

He opens his mouth to defend himself but thinks for a second. "You're probably right." Steve walks in rubbing his head.

"JT, no more parties or birthdays for you," he says.

"Someone got a little too drunk," Soda tells him. Ponyboy, Steve, Two-Bit, and I all groan.

"Don't even talk about it," I tell Soda. He shrugs.

"What's with all the noise?" Dally asks, coming from another room.

"Where the heck did you come from?" Two-Bit asks.

"That room..." he replies, pointing to a bedroom. I begin cooking breakfast for everyone. They begin complimenting that it smells good and that it's probably gonna get rid of their hangover. I laugh.

"Oh Johnny!" I say in a sing-sing voice. He looks at me with those black glassy eyes and a crooked smile. "Did you drink last night?"

"No," he says.

"Aw man, you're lying. I saw you drink some!" Two-Bit accuses.

I place my hand on my hip and point my spoon at him. "Johnny?"

"Yeah," he answers with a guilty smile.

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, how are you so happy all of a sudden?" Dally asks.

"Yeah. Does it have something to do with a girl's head or something?" Steve adds.

"Do you want me to stab you or something?" I ask.

"No! I was just wondering."

"Alright then. I don't know why," I answer. "Hey, someone go wake up Darry."

"I'll do it," Soda offers. I make the plates, and they both come back. I laugh at his appearance. He's got a half tucked in shirt, his hair looks like mine probably, and he pretty much looks like he just went through a tornado. I stifle a laugh.

"Darry, you were crazy last night, man," Two-Bit says.

"It's never happening again so enjoy the memories while they last," he answers. I hand him a plate. He sits at the table. "Thanks, JT."

"You're welcome. Anytime you have a hangover, I got ya covered," I answer. He laughs. Everyone else comes to fix a plate or grab whatever they want.

"Are y'all working today?" I ask Soda.

"No. It's a Sunday," he replies.

"Good."

"Yeah. And besides, after last night, none of us could survive a day of work." I smile and agree.

"Hey, Dal. You never told me what I said," I tell him. He looks over his shoulder as he goes back to the couch.

"You told me to save it and tell you later," he replies.

"Tell me."

"Uh... You said something about ducks and being convinced you were in a dream."

"Ducks, huh, JT?" Two-Bit asks.

"You also said you loved me for driving you home. You probably don't remember that part."

"Because I never said it!" I defend. Everyone laughs.

"Alright, alright. You even told me that I sneezed like, get this, like a 'cute, fluffy, baby bunny,'" Dallas finishes.

"You asked Ponyboy there if he was a Shetland pony or something," Steve tells me.

"I remember that," Ponyboy says with a genuine smile growing on his face. I can't describe how contagious his smile is. It makes me feel all giddy inside.

"Oh... Well okay then," I reply. I feel my cheeks burning. My stomach cramps a little, but I brush it off. I'm still sick from all that drinking.

"Hey, JT. You ought to tame the beast you call your hair. I think it's growing," Two-Bit says. Laughter fills the room.

"Hey, Two-Bit. You ought to tame the beast you call your face. It's getting uglier," I reply sarcastically.

"I think we just found Two-Bit's twin," Soda says.

"Whatever. He's right anyway. I'm gonna go shower. I smell like a bar," I tell them. I grab clothes to change into and bring them with me. I lock the door and start the water.

As I look at my reflection again, I realize how tired I really look, but I still have that glint of danger and adventure in my eyes. Or have I gained that? Either way, my eyes say I'm young. My appearance says something of the opposite.

After showering and changing, I walk back into the living room. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready to start my day. I look at Ponyboy and realize something I should've a long time ago. He's so nice, and I'm not just saying that. He genuinely cares about people. I mean, Dally wasn't the only one crying when I tried to leave. They all freaked out when I almost died. Ponyboy just... I don't know. He's different. The others are too for that matter. It's just something about him. I guess I'm being a little ridiculous.

I go into the kitchen and begin doing the dishes. Ponyboy brings a bunch of them and places them in the sink.

"Did their legs break or something?" I ask, referring to their laziness. He smirks a little.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"So you got drunk? I think I remember." He nods. "Cool. Way to go. I bet none of us we'll ever do that again. Of course I say that now, but it'll happen again. Hell, that's what I said last time Two-Bit decided to let me go at it."

"You're right. It'll probably happen by next week knowing him." I laugh a little.

"Probably."

"Hey, what do y'all wanna do today?" Two-Bit asks.

"Oh my gosh. Do you ever stop talking?" I ask.

"No ma'am." I roll my eyes and smile. Sometimes he gets on my nerves. I just don't admit to it. It's plainly obvious though.

"We should just mess around and play some football or something," Steve suggests.

"JT can be our cheerleader," Dally comments. I glare at him coldly.

"Good luck with that," I tell him. Ooh, I really am moody. Sheesh. Must be that time... That awkward time no lady wants to mention.

"Alright then. We'll meet you at the lot in a little while," Darry says. Everyone runs out the door while Darry, Ponyboy, and Soda go change. I sit at the kitchen table, tapping my fingers aimlessly, and I begin thinking about last night. What really happened? I should probably ask, but... That may not be the safest idea.

"Alright, JT. You ready?" Darry asks, accompanied by Soda and Pony close behind.

"Sure. Let's get going," I answer. I get up and follow out the door. We walk towards the lot. That place carries some sweet and horrible memories. I remember talking to Johnny there. Then it started raining so we snuck back in the house. Two-Bit kept his trap shut. Then it all went downhill from there. More recently, I almost died here. Woo-hoo, emphasizing the sarcasm.

Ponyboy walks beside me while the other two walk in front. I bend down to tie my shoe. He stops and stands over me, waiting for me.

"Hey, Ponyboy. I've got a question," I tell him seriously. "Come here." He bends down to eye level with me.

"Yeah?"

"What happened? I know something did. Don't try to hide it either. I barely remember it."

"Uh..."

"Wait. Did you tell me you loved me?" I ask.

"Well, yeah. You told me first, and then you asked me to tell you what you 'wanted to hear.'"

"That's messed up. What else happened? Did we...?" I give him a look, implying exactly what I mean. He shyly nods a little. Immediately, everything comes back to me, and I remember things that happened. I remember what happened between me and Ponyboy.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone, alright? Darry'll have my head."

"No. I won't tell. I just couldn't remember."

"You know," he says, sounding a little embarrassed, "I wasn't lying." I smile at his honesty.

"Neither was I. C'mon. They'll think we ditched 'em or something." We hurry to the lot. I sit and lean against the tree. Ponyboy offers to be the odd man out since there's seven of them. He sits beside me, and we talk like we always do.

I hope we can put this whole thing behind us. I mean, it was a one time think. We were drunk out of our minds, and it just happened to be that way. I don't regret doing that, but who really cares? No one's ever gonna figure it out. Especially not Darry. He'd kill both of us.

I guess I'm scared I'll be kicked out again. They wouldn't do that though. They'd all choose being dead than leaving me behind, apparently.

I think about this as I close my eyes and lean back further. Ponyboy's hand touches mine. I look at him and smile. I think it just made us closer than before. We won't forget it, but it won't happen again.