*The Whole Outsiders Gang*

i stood on the corner of Wallace and Kurf at 2 in the afternoon with Ponyboy, Dallas, and Johnny and waited for Sodapop and Darry Curtis, Two-Bit Mathews, and Steve Randle, a little pissed. you wanna know why i have to wait on a street corner for fictional boys while mad? i'll tell you:

four hours earlier--

"oh, yeah," Ponyboy said. "i should probably tell you that Johnny and Dally and i have to go meet the gang." we were eating breakfast. i gagged and almost choked on my toast. i didnt think i heard him right.

"what?" i asked.

"we have to go meet my brothers Soda and Darry and our friends Two-Bit and Steve. theyre comin today."

"wait, wait, wait," i said, holding up my hand to stop him. "you never told me that Darry, Two-Bit, Soda, and Steve were comin too! golly, Ponyboy! you didnt think it wouldve been smart to tell me this SOONER?" Pony looked hurt, then a little angry.

"well, gee, Amber, you dont have to go yellin at me for forgetting to tell you something!" he abruptly stood up from my kitchen table and walked into my family room. i followed him.

"then dont forget!" i shouted.

"i cant!" he shouted back. "and dont you dare call me dumb."

i walked over to him. we were about two feet apart now. i looked up at him, confused and angry. "i never said you were dumb, Pony!"

he quoted me. "'you didnt think it wouldve been smart to tell me this SOONER?' i AM smart. i just didnt remember!"

"i know youre smart," i said. "but you NEED to remember stuff like this. its pretty important, dont ya think?"

"why are you getting on my back about this, anyway?" he asked, clearly annoyed. i grunted.

"do you know how hard it is to keep track of three 'foreign' boys, from another dimention. you guys dont know what the hell is going on! i have to mentor you, hold your hands the whole way. and now theres four more UNEXPECTED ones coming! am i supposed to not be angry about this?! i think i am allowed to get on your back about not remembering to tell me that your friends are coming."

"ya know," he said, glaring at me. "we ARE 'big boys,' we can handle this ourselves. i dont know why you think its your responsibility to help us, and help ME the most. i dont need your help, so you can just bud out!" i stepped back. my eyes rounded, and so did Ponyboy's. he stepped a little closer to me when he realized what he had just said. i turned away from him and ran into my kitchen. i bent over my sink, tears streaming outta my eyes.

"i did it cause i wanted to help you, Ponyboy," i said, keeping my voice steady. i didnt look at him. i refused to let him see me cry. "i wanted to be a nice person. other people, well, they arent so nice. they dont let people talk. they judge before they get to know them. did you see me do that?! and i thought you were different. i know youre different."

Ponyboy was still being inconsiderate. "why do you care if im different? and why do you wanna help me SO bad? is it cause...c-cause you like me?"

i abruptly turned to him. he saw my tears and his angry face turned to one full of shame. he looked at me with pleading eyes. "no, you idiot! and i dont like you," i lied. that made me cry even more. "gosh, you are so retarted!"

he walked over to me and held his arms out. "dont touch me," i said.

"Amber," he said pleadingly. "im sorry. im sorry i made you cry. please"--

i turned away from him. "just get outta my house."

"what?"

i turned back. "i said get out of my house!" Pony stepped back. he turned away and walked over to my front door. he tried to open it but failed. it was locked. i grabbed my keys and mumbled to myself, "stupid."

"Amber"--

"i got it. i got it," i said. i hurried to the door and unlocked it. he opened the door but before stepping out into the morning sunlight, he turned to look at me one last time. then he walked out and slammed the door. more tears came.

----

i had ran over to Janes's at 1:30 so i could go with the ficyional boys to meet the other fictional boys. when i saw Ponyboy i kinda glared at him and didnt look at him again. we didnt even stand next to each other when all four of us walked to Wallace and Kurf. i stood next to Johnny, on the end, Dally stood in the middle, and Pony stood on the other end.

so here i am, standing on the corner where two streets meet, while the cool summer breeze whisks my hair around. i looked impatiently around on the streets, looking left and right, for an old-lookin car, like a Ford or somethin. it would be Two-Bit's. except i didnt know what his car looked like. then i saw Johnny eyeing my wrist. i looked down at it too.

he was looking at my bracelet. i held up my wrist so he could get a better look. "do you like it?" i asked him. Johnny looked at me nervously, then he smiled.

"yeah," he said. "its really tuff...i mean"--

"its okay, i know what tuff means," i said. "im glad you like it."

"where'd you get it?"

"my friend made it for me. she has one that looks exaclty like mine, except with different colors and a different charm. theyre kinda like friendship bracelets, ya know?"

Johnny nodded. i looked down at my bracelet again and noticed how the sunlight glinted off the shiny chains that were braided together and the one charm that hung. it was a water sign, like the one from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. me and my friend Juliette, who i call Julie, had gotten the idea from the show. so she had made the bracelets, me water, her earth.

the chains were different shades of blue: sky blue, teal, and dark blue. if you could see the bracelet, id know youd love it. Julie is very talented at making jewelry.

i felt Johnny pick up my wrist and examine the bracelet more closely. i looked at him and smiled. he smiled shyly back. "its very pretty," he said. "and very blue."

"blues my favorite color," i said. "and water is my favorite element."

Johnny looked at me, peering into my eyes with his dark, fearful ones. "and so are your eyes. i mean, the blue part." i smiled again.

then i noticed Ponyboy staring at us. he was eyeing Johnny still holding my wrist. then he looked up at my face and saw me watching him. he quickly turned away. for some reason the look on his face was one of...jealousy. hes jealous? i thought. why?

Dally walked over to me. "how much do you know about the rest of us?" he asked.

"oh," i said. "enough."

"a lot? a little? what?"

"it depends on who youre asking about."

"alright. so you know a lot?"

i thought about it. "i guess so. there was a lot of info in the book. in the beginning you all were each given a paragraph to describe you. except you got two, Dally. feel special yet?"

"i do," he said jokingly. i laughed and kept searching the streets. then i saw an old-looking car come driving down the street. it stopped in front of us. four good-lookin guys stepped out of it, all of them dressed funny; like greasers.

a blonde boy who looked about 17, tall and slim, came out first. he was VERY good-looking, "moviestar handsom." he had dark brown eyes that looked reckless at the moment and a wide, gleaming smile. his blonde hair was a shining wheat gold that imagined to be a dark-gold in any other season but summer. it was combed back, long and straight, and molded together with hair grease. that boy was, i was guesssing, Sodapop Curtis.

the next boy was tall and lean. his hair was thick and combed back in complicated swirls. he looked about 19. he was pretty good-looking. i was geussin he was Steve Randle.

the next boy, or should i say MAN, was very muscular and handsom. he was also tall too, about 6 foot 2. he looked 22. he had dark-brown hair that kicked out in the front, and a slight cowlick in the back. his eyes were hazel, the type of hazel that is just blue and green. his eyes were like two pieces of pale blue-green ice. they looked determind too. he must be Darry, i thought. Darrel "Darry" Curtis.

the last boy was tall, maybe 6 foot, and stocky in build. he looked 19. he had long, rusty-colored sideburns and lively grey eyes. also a wide grin that spread across his face. he must be Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews.

the whole gang was here. the whole gang. im gonna meet he whole outsiders gang, i thought. the whole fictional gang. i must be dreaming. either that or i must be going crazy.