*Another Addition*

after the boys caught up with each other i instructed Two-Bit, Soda, Steve, and Darry to pile back in the car. but Steve was debating with me.

"why?" he asked me.

"cause i ব্যক্ত so," i ব্যক্ত with my arms crossed across my chest. "just get in the car, Randle."

"why should i listen to YOU? youre a baby."

"im a BABY?" Steve was wasting my patience.

"yeah. ya know? the youngest. i mean, CLEARLY আপনি are. look at how short আপনি are." Two-Bit and Soda were chortling in the car. i looked at Darry. he was getting impatient with Steves clowning around.

hes making fun of my shortness! i thought. im not THAT short. sure, im only 5' 3" and am (soon) going to be 15 but so what?

"so what?" i asked Steve. "just get in the car, will ya, smartass?!" but he didnt budge. i grunted. Dallas stepped in from behind me.

"man, just get in the damn car," he said, "or i'll beat the tar outta you!" Steve stepped back a little.

"sure, Dally. no problem," he said. i smiled. he hurried over to Two-Bit's car.

i turned to Dally, who was standing পরবর্তি to me. "thanks, Dal," i said. "im glad আপনি stepped in. youre so persuasive."

"i know i am," he said. he flipped the মণ্ডল of his brown leather জ্যাকেট and lit a cigarette. "anytime."

"anytime?" i asked, bewildered.

"yeah," he ব্যক্ত with a তিক্ত grin. i bet he didnt mean for it to be bitter, i thought. hes probably প্রদত্ত so many grins like that out that the bitterness is permanent. he looked down at me. "if আপনি need me, i'll help you. anytime."

"oh," i said. then something hit me. "youd help ME?"

"sure. a little doll like আপনি needs someone to look out for her."

i smiled again. "thanks, Dally." then i thought of something funny, something that was gonna tease him. "youre really a nice guy."

he stopped the long drag he was taking on his cigarette. "wait," he said, turning to me. "im WHAT?"

but i didnt answer. i walked over to Two-Bit's car. i leaned in the passengers window, where Darry was sitting. "hey, Mathews," i said. "do আপনি have a piece of paper?"

Two-Bit searched his car. "i have a napkin," he said. i reached for it.

"a napkins fine. what about a pen?"

he searched again. "damn, girl, youre so needy." he pulled out a pen from under his seat. i took it and wrote down Janes's address on the napkin. i gave them both back to Two-Bit.

"alright," i said, "just follow this road until আপনি see Waverly Street. then আপনি take a right, a left, another right then আপনি go staright for a while then আপনি take another left. আপনি should arrive at that place on the napkin. its a big house surrounded দ্বারা fields. আপনি cant miss it. its where youre gonna be staying for however long youre gonna be here. now, if আপনি beat us there, us meaning Ponyboy, Dallas, Johnny, and i, just wait in the car on the road. and i mean it. do exactly as i say. alright Two-Bit, Soda, and Steve? no getting out of the car if we arent there yet."

"hey, what about Darry?" Two-Bit asked.

"what about him?" i said.

"you didnt tell HIM to do anything. আপনি only scolded me and Soda and Steve here."

"i dont need to. HE is an adult."

"so are we--pretty much," Soda encountered.

"yeah, but at least he acts like one," i ব্যক্ত with a smirk.

"how do আপনি know how we act?" Two-Bit asked.

"aint it obvious, Two-Bit?" Soda ব্যক্ত jokingly. "shes from Tulsa but she follows us. she watches us. thats how she knows our names and knows we dont act our age."

i turned to Ponyboy. he was standing a couple feet behind me. he was smiling. i turned back to the car and looked at Sodapop. then i said, "sit on it, Soda."

a car horn honked. i looked up. it was coming from a car behind Two-Bit's. "hey, cool it, pal!" i shouted at the driver, who was a middle-aged man with black and grey hair mixed together on his balding head. "theyre driving!" with that, Two-Bit sped off.

the driver flipped me off. i gasped. Dallas came charging. oh great, i thought. Dally took his বিয়ার bottle that he had and smashed the end of it on the ঘোমটা of the car. বিয়ার went splashing everywhere. some got on my clothes. Dally held the neck of the bottle in the drivers direction. the driver pressed the button to roll down the passenger sides window.

"nice boyfriend আপনি got there, honey."

"hes not my boyfriend, jackass!"

an then the car was gone. i turned to Dally. "now, Dallas, that wasnt very nice."

"im never nice," he said. "and what about you? youre the one who called him a jackass!"

i rolled my eyes. "sit on it."

i walked over to Ponyboy, who was standing পরবর্তি to Johnny. they both were being so quiet. i guess thats how they usually are. "im sorry," i ব্যক্ত to him.

"for what?" he asked.

"for swearing so much. i know আপনি hate it when girls swear and act too tough for their own good. i was just a little mad."

"its fine," টাট্টু said. "at least আপনি werent swearing in every single sentence আপনি spoke." i laughed.

"okay," i said. "now lets go beat the boys to Janes's. then, when we get there আপনি GUYS can tell them theyre from a book. ive had enough of doing that."

"someones gettin lazy," Dallas said. i laughed again.

"come on, greasers." then i stopped. i looked at Ponyboy. "its okay if i call আপনি guys that, right? i mean, as a joke." i was remembering that Ponyboy didnt like being called a greaser. only দ্বারা fellow greasers and hoods; then আপনি knew they were just messing around.

"yeah, its fine. we dont mind," টাট্টু said.

i smiled. "alright," i said. "lets go!" i began to walk but then i saw Johnny wasnt moving. he was staring at the ground. he looked out of it--i mean, like he was spacing-out. i walked over to him. he didnt notice me, so i grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"come on, Johnnycake! lets go!"

i started running but slowed down after we got ten feet in front of টাট্টু and Dallas. then i started thinking about what Dallas had ব্যক্ত before: "if আপনি need me, i'll help you. anytime"..."a little doll like আপনি needs someone to look out for her." that was a sweet thing he had said. but then i thought, wait. i thought Johnny was the only one he really looked out for. i mean, yeah he looks out for the gang alot but...ugh. u know what i mean. so why did he say hes gonna look out for me from now on? weve only known each other for two days and the first time we met he was a total "playboy-jerk" to me. i guess ive grown on him. i guess he likes me and i guess he respects me.

im sure that hes gonna still look out for Johnny. of course he is. he loves Johnny. i guess im just another addition to the people he wants to protect.