Hey everyone! This is my first shot at fan-fiction, with my favorite book "The Outsiders". Constructive criticism is appreciated, reviews are too. I'll write more if people say that they enjoy my story. I hope you do! Enjoy!

It had been a month. One month since the fire, one month since we saved the kids, one month since Johnny killed Bob, one month since Johnny and Dally died. I walked up to his grave stone. It was hard for me to look at. But I reckoned the one month anniversary would be worth it. We had all chipped in a little for Dally and Johnny to get a little stone hinge. I sat on the grass and just looked at it.

"Hey Johnnycake." I said. Then sighed. "How you been?" I asked him. Even now it was hard for me to get it through my head that he was dead. "I've been doin' okay. My grades went back up, and I'm back on the track team." I told him. I swore I almost heard him laughing.

I looked at the sky, it was nearly sunset, the perfect time for Johnny and me. I turned to Dallas' grave. "There it is Dall," I said. "Johnny wanted me to show you the sunset." Tears formed in my eyes, but I whipped them back with my sleeve. The grease in my hair was cold. But my hair was back. I was happy, I looked tuff again. Their was a little blonde left in it from the bleach, but I reckoned it would be back and tuff by next month.

The whole gang came to Johnny and Dally's funeral. Even Tim Shepard came. Sodapop had said it wasn't weak to cry, so did Darry. But I tried my hardest not to. When we all had met up at the church, it was hard for me to go in. I mean, a church was where he got hurt, it was the reason he wasn't there.

But after the ceremony, when we went to his grave, I cracked into Sodas arms. It didn't surprise me that he held me tightly and started crying too. Darry had the same hard look on his face that he had at mom and dads funeral. Two-Bit was tearing, which was a unique site to see. I looked around at all of us, or at least, most of us. Two of us weren't here. We were all dressed in black, but not fancy black. Two-bit was wearing jeans and a black shirt. Steve was wearing the same. Darry had dressed me and Soda in these Socs like black pants and black long sleeve shirts.

"Hey Pony." She said to me after the cermon.

"Hey." I said as I smoked a weed and looked away.

"How are you doing?" She touched my arm. I looked away. I didn't want to cry in front of Cherry, but I couldn't help it.

"He's gone." I said. "Their both gone." I whispered. I thought she would walk away by then, but instead, she hugged me. She let go of me a few minutes later. She was crying. I didn't like seeing a girl cry much, even when I know I didn't do nothing.

"I'm so sorry Ponyboy," she said. "I didn't know them very well or nothing but-" she cut of mid-sentence.

"Ponyboy," Darry put his hand on my shoulder. "We're gonna go."

"Right" I said. Darry walked away. I looked back and saw Two-bit, Steve, Soda, and Darry waiting for me to walk home. "Shoot, I gotta go." I said to Cherry. "Guess'll see you in school." I told her as I was about to turn around. "Or not." I said as I walked away.

"Ponyboy!" She yelled back to me. I stuck the cigarette back in my mouth. "I'm sorry for avoiding you, but I think that's what's best you know?" I shook my head and turned to walk away.

But then I stopped and turned back around. "Cherry, you actually think that we can just ignore each other still? After all that's happened?" I yelled. I didn't really mean too, I hated seeing girls sad.

Soda patted my back when I caught up to them, and we all walked back to our house.

The sun set over the horizon. It was getting dark. I had sense enough to bring a sweatshirt this time. I looked back at Johnny's grave, waiting for him to pop up behind it and yell "BOO!" it still took me a while to remember he never would. I stood up and turned to walk away.

I took out the pack of cigarettes from my pocket and lit one with a match. Walking down the street was different now. There weren't no Socs tailing us no more. They left us alone most of the time, they stayed one there side of the town. But Johnny had been right, fighting didn't solve nothing. I still caught a Soc beating up some greaser. Most of them who knew who I was didn't mess with me. For now at least. It had been one month since the rumble, and Soda and I had a bet about how long it would be till the Socs came back in our territory again. I said it would be about a month and a half, Soda said about a month.

I got into the neighborhood a few minutes later and tapped out my cigarette with my foot and blew out some smoke trying to make a perfect O to look tuff. I walked up the stairs outside my house and hear a whole lot of laughing and yelling. I closed the door gently (Darry would skin me if I let it fall. Two-Bit slammed it once, it fell off the hinge and Darry chased him out of the house with a hammer) and walked into the house to see Two-Bit and Steve wrestling on the floor.

"God damn it Two-Bit! You'll snap my neck!" Steve yelled from under Two-Bit.

"Common kid, be a man!" Two-bit said. Then, Darry walked into the room and cracked open a beer bottle.

"Hey, no blood on the carpet!" Darry yelled as I passed by and walked into the kitchen. Soda's head was in the fridge looking for something.

"Hey Soda," I said.

"Hey Pony!" he said with a huge smile on his face. It made me smile too. "How're the boys?" he asked me. Soda knew I went to see Dally and Johnny. He went with me sometimes too. I shrugged.

"They're good." I said simply. And that was all Soda had asked me for now on that topic. Soda understood me. He never had to bug me about nothing or ask me dumb questions. "Pass me a pop," I said. Soda threw me one. "What's that?" I asked refusing to the piece of paper in his hand. He looked down. Seeing Sodapop sad was one of the most heat breaking sites in the world.

"A letter from Sandy." He said real quiet.

Sodapop,

I want to start out by saying that I love you. And I'm sorry for leaving you. But it was the right thing for both of us. I know it's hard for you for me to be writing; I wanted to check up on you. The baby's due in August. Were ain't sure what day yet. Writin' probably wont do any good, but I wanted you to know that I still care for you. If you don't write back, I wont write no more..

Love you always,

Sandy

I looked up at Sodapop. The look on his face reminded me of Johnny's puppy dog eyes.