"So, the judge declared you a legal adult?" Soda asked when I told him and Ponyboy the results of the trial. "That's great!"

I nodded in agreement. "And as soon as I turn eighteen, I'm going to start looking for my own place. I'm sure the three of you would like to have the house to yourselves again."

"Will you be able to afford your own place?" Darry asked. "It's not easy to keep up with bills and other expenses."

"I'll manage," I told him.

"You need things for an apartment like furniture and dishes," Darry pointed out.

"I can get dishes at a thrift store and people put furniture that they no longer want on the curb all the time," I replied. "I can't stay here and I think we all know that."

Soda touched my shoulder. "I understand, Steve. Now that this mess with your father is over, you want to start over."

I nodded. "Yes, and I want to start building my own life. I'm not going to pack my things and leave right away. It could take a while to find my own place. But when I do, you're all invited to come over at any time."

The front door opened and Uncle Joe walked in followed by Brenda and Two-Bit. "So, is everyone ready to go out for dinner?"

"Yeah, Mr. Adult," Two-Bit said to me. "Your Uncle told me about the trial. How does it feel to be a legal adult?"

"You're one, shouldn't you know?" Ponyboy asked Two-Bit.

"Don't get mouthy, Pony," Darry said, but everyone was laughing. It's no secret that Two-Bit likes acting like a kid although he can also be very serious at times.

"Maybe you should tell him what it's like, your more mature than him," I whispered to Ponyboy. He looked at me in surprise while Two-Bit pretended to glare at me.

"Well, are you guys hungry or not?" Brenda asked. "I know I am."

All of us went out to the truck and Two-Bit's car since we couldn't all go in the same vehicle. Soon, we were heading for the restaraunt. When we got to the restaraunt, Uncle Joe led the way inside and told the hostess that he had made reservations.

"Follow me," The hostess said. She led us to a large booth in a corner and handed each of us a menu. "Enjoy your meal."

"Can I get you anything to drink?" The waitress asked when she came up to the table. "Steve? Is that you?"

I looked up from the menu, straight into the familar brown eyes of Evie. "Hey Evie, how have you been?"

"If you didn't ignore me, you would know," Evie replied.

"You're the one who wanted to break of the relationship," I reminded her. "You wanted to see other people."

"At least she had enough respect to do that instead of going behind your back with some other guy," Soda mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Soda. I forgot," Evie said softly. "You don't hear from Sandy, do you?"

Soda shook his head. "I used to write to her, but she alwas returned my letters unopened."

"I heard from her the other day. She had a healthy little girl," Evie said. "She refused to tell me who the father was. Although I have an idea of who he is."

"Did you say anything about me?" Soda asked her.

Evie nodded, causing her brown ponytail to bounce up and down. "I told her that she had hurt you when she left. That she broke your heart. But she didn't give much of a reply."

She took our orders and returned a few minutes later to talk some more. "How have you been, Steve?"

I told her about my father and the trial. "And since I'm a legal adult now, we're here to celebrate."

"I'm happy for you, Steve," Evie told me. "Your father always scared me a little."

"I don't think he would have hurt you," I told her.

"Maybe, but I know how you were always upset by how he treated you," Evie said.

"Is that why you broke up with me?" I asked.

Evie shook her head. "No, I was bored and wanted to see other people, just like I said when I broke up with you. But, I'm not seeing anyone now."

"I want to focus on getting my life together now," I told her. "But maybe we can do something together as friends sometime."

"I'd like that," Evie said. She looked at Ponyboy. "I swear everytime I see you, you look more and more like Sodapop. How have you been? I don't think I've seen you since Johnny and Dally's funeral."

Johnny and Dally had a joint funeral. It was Pony's idea because the two of them couldn't go on without the other for reasons none of us could truly understand.

"I have my days when it's hard, but I'm okay," Ponyboy told her.

Evie smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear that. Sylvia had a hard time, too from what I've heard. She's going out with one of the Brumly boys now."

"You kids have a lot of information, don't you?" Uncle Joe asked.

"I should go see if your food is ready," Evie said. She walked away and returned with our meals. "Enjoy and I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes. I have to take care of a few more tables now."

"I take it she's an old girlfriend?" Brenda asked.

I nodded. "You met Evie before. She just wasn't wearing a waitress uniform and her hair was down."

"She also had on more make-up," Brenda said.

Soda was busy pushing the food around on his plate. He had been upset when Sandy had told him that he wasn't the father of her baby and he was just reminded of that.

"Hey, are you okay, little buddy?" Darry asked.

Soda sighed and nodded. "Part of me just wishes that Sandy's little girl was mine. I loved Sandy, I could have loved the baby as if she were my own, too."

"Soda, you're still young," Darry said. "You still have plenty of time to have kids."

"I don't know, Darry," Soda said doubtfully. "They're doing a draft for the war and I'll be eighteen in the fall. They could draft me after my birthday."

"You don't know that," Uncle Joe pointed out.

"I could get drafted, too," I said. "But, we could also get lucky and stay home."

Soda shook his head. "I just have this feeling that I'm going to be drafted shortly after I turn eighteen. And I don't know what's going to happen, but I also have a feeling that I will never have kids of my own."

"I wasn't drafted," Two-Bit said seriously. "Steve's uncle is right. You don't know if you'll get drafted."

"Even if the two of you do get drafted, I'm sure you'll both return home safe," Brenda said. "And when you do, we'll all go out to celebrate again."

Soda sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right. Besides, we're supposed to be celebrating Steve's new freedom now."

I exchanged grins with Soda. "That's better. Let's not talk about the draft anymore, okay? Let's just focus on life here in good old Tulsa."

Even though I was trying to help get Soda's mind off the draft, I was just as worried as he was. After all, I had just as much of a chance of being drafted as he did. And it was the one thing that both greasers and socs were worried about. I even knew of few guys from school who had already been drafted. But, I didn't want to spend my time worrying about the possibilty of getting drafted.

I wanted to try to get on with my life now that the mess with my father was cleared up. For the first time in my life I felt like I didn't have to worry about something my father could say or do. I was finely free from his words for good and the ones I was still holding on to, I could finally start letting go of as I continue to talk to my counsilor and have the support of the Curtis brothers. Soda and Ponyboy had both compaired me to a car, and I knew now that just like the cars I fixed, I could also be fixed it was just going to take some time.