"Glory, Red, you got enough shit?"
"Yes, and if you were a gentlemen, you'd carry it for me."
She had just stepped off the bus, and was officially welcomed into our outfit, shaking every one's hand except for Two-Bit. He had kissed the back of her hand, which now carried the lingering stench of his beer-for-breakfast binge. She didn't care, though, right about then. She later told me, I didn't have any cares. And after all this time, it seems to have never worn off, her laid back style. Dally had introduced her as Jolene, Jo and Red being her nicknames. We all took to her real quick, probably because we all had something in common. Steve had a conversation about the piece of junk he called his Camaro, buying it from the junkyard and fixing her up.
"It's a beater, but I'm trying to turn her into a dragster."
"Really? I'm great with cars, you should let me help."
"Ha, ha we'll see, girlie. We'll see."
It was so obvious that everybody was trying to pick her up. But Jolene looked like the kind of girl who dealt with that a lot. She passed off our lines with laughs and smiles. It was almost like a dream.
"So you guys used to live on a farm, huh?" The guys had all gone home and I was walking Red around the park.
"Yeah, I still can't get used to living here, all the noise and stuff. So what do you guys do for fun around here? Do you ever go to sock hops? I love to dance, Pony."
"Yeah, Darry taught me how to dance. I've never actually gone out though."
"We'll have to do something about that now won't we?" Just as she had finished her sentence she stumbled on the porch step. Then she did the most incredulous thing, and started laughing. She flushed, and my cheeks burned from smiling so huge, too.
"Night, Ponyboy." She reached for the back doorknob. I reached out meaning to stop her hand, but instead, ended up awkwardly holding her fingertips.
"Meet me at the park? I'll walk you to school." She laughed. Her eyes sparkled and crystallized with joy.
"Of course." The walk home was the best I've ever had, it being ten o'clock anyway, but I could've skipped home that night.

Disclaimer: I only own the character Red in this story.





Eyes, eyes is what Red had decided to focus her art portfolio on. I had chosen the color red, the inspiration being her defining waves. I was having trouble catching the shade of her hair in this light. I sat propped up against the window sill, sprawled out on the bed. Her ankles were crossed, resting on my shins and she sat perpendicular to me as I sketched hastily.
"You're getting charcoal ashes on your nightgown," I informed her. Maybe it was the nightgown distracting me, not the fact that we were drawing by moonlight. The gown was white cotton with lace trimming, and of course she looked beautiful.
"Mhmm," she responded, implying that she was in the midst of drawing.
"Ponyboy, lean here. I need to see your eyes." My moving wasn't fast enough for her, and she moved to sitting on my knees Indian style and resting her pad on my chest. That was when I could see her hair just right, but I didn't have the strength to look away from her eyes. Just then, the telephone rang, and without looking away she gingerly placed it between shoulder and cheek, quickly finishing the green hue of my eyes. I knew who that phone call was from, and so did she.
"Yes, Darry, I'll send him home. G'night."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, Pony."
"Can I have a kiss goodnight?"
She smiled. "So many questions!" And with that I was promptly kissed goodnight. I don't remember how long it lasted, or if I kissed back. But it made my mind propell into a flashback, as I was ushered out the window, down the TV fixture, and across the baseball diamond that separated our houses, to the day I first laid eyes on the girl who now had a wild obsession with painting them.