The young lovers ( ponyboy fanfic)

8: working with steve

Today, I find myself taking up some serious cleaning. Only because they either can't do it or won't do it. Either way, I'm gonna do it.

I stand outside with a basket full of damp sheets and other clothes. I clean off the clothesline and begin hanging things up with wooden pins. I feel a little strange doing this. I haven't done much laundry in my life, let alone do it like they did in this time. It's kinda fun once you get started. After a while though, I'm sure it becomes work.

"Looks like you finally found something to do," Two-Bit says. I look beside me to see him leaning on the fence.

"Hey, Two-Bit," I answer cheerfully.

"What are you up to?"

"I figured if I'm gonna stay here, I'm gonna help out instead of bum around like you," I tease. "You should try working some. It might be good for you."

"Hell, if I did that, everyone would die of shock." I laugh.

"I bet they would."

"Oh, you still owe me one," he says.

"Remember when you and Johnny snuck back in?"

"Yes."

"You owe me for keeping my trap shut."

"What were you thinking?" I ask.

"I don't know just yet. We'll have to see."

"My, my. You got me scared," I say sarcastically. "Anyway, have you seen Ponyboy this morning?"

"Yeah. Him and Johnny went somewhere. Those two are attached to the hip at times," he answers.

"Sometimes. So I guess that pretty much leaves me and you."

"I guess so."

I start to make my way inside. He follows me around the fence and comes through the gate. We go inside together and I take the basket back to the laundry room while he sits in the floor watching the TV.

Hey, Two-Bit?" I call from another room.

"Yeah?"

"What's your real name?"

"I never told you?" he asks.

"No." I hear the icebox open and bottles clanking together. I hear a pop and I know he's found himself a beer.

"It's Keith," he says.

I come back into the main room to see him watching cartoons with a beer in his hands. I stare at him with my arms folded across my chest.

"Thanks,and is that all you do?"I ask him.

" yep it's all I do, well that and drank ."

We both started laughing after he said this. I took a seat over on the chair that Darry always sits on when the door swings open and Steve walks in. I wonder why he's here.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Two-Bit asks.

"Thought you had work," I add.

"Yeah but I'm doing a favor for someone. I know Two-Bit ain't about to help me though," he replies.

"Told you, kaylee,"he says beside me. I shoot him a glance but quickly replace it with a smile.

"Kaylee,will you come help me with this car for a minute? It won't take long," Steve says. I shrug. Why not? I follow him outside to see a car parked out front. He walks to it and pops the hood. He asks me to hold it since the rod to do that is broken. I stand there while he works on the inside.

"You're close to Soda, aren't you?" I ask.

"Yeah. We're good buddies. What about you?"

"I don't know who I'm close to."

"I think you're pretty good with Soda's kid-brother and Johnny," he says.

"Everyone says that."

"Cause it's true."

"I guess so. And you work at the DX, right?"

"Mhm. It's the place to be when you're kinda car crazy. But it makes it bad when a nice looking car has a bad driver."

"What do you mean?"

"Socs, man. They have the Mustangs and Corvairs, the tough cars. But they're bad people with good things."

"Most of them are that way," I tell him.

"Yeah? Well no matter what it takes, we'll still be here and they'll still be there. Fighting won't help none. Socs will still be socs- the rich kids. Greasers with still be greasers- the tough kids."

There's a moment of silence as he continues to work on the car. Things hit and click as he works. "But whatever. They ain't worth wasting my breath over," he says.

"Are you almost done?" I ask. He nods.

"Just this one last... Alright." He pulls the hood back down and shows me his hands. "This is what I deal with everyday," he says.

"That's gross, man." He smears some on my forehead. I try to pull away as he goes to put some on my cheek.

"Gross now, isn't it?" he teases.

"Ew! Stop!" He finally does after several attempts. I successfully fought him off. But this is nasty. We both go inside and clean the grease off his hands and my face. Two-Bit watches as I make weird faces to get the stuff off.

"What are you looking at?" I ask him.

"I don't know. Something weird, that's for sure," he says. I roll my eyes at him.

"Very funny."

"Hey, I'm gonna go back to the DX. Two-Bit, wanna walk with me?" Steve asks. Two-Bit looks to me to make sure I'll be alright here by myself. I nod, letting him know it was okay.

"Sure. Kaylee,you'll be alright won't you?" he asks.

"I'll be fine."

"If anything happens, you come find one of us, alright?"

"Alright. Bye, you two!" I tell the boys. They step out the door and I'm left in the silence of the house. I sit on the couch, wondering what I could be doing.

( hey guys like I said I would have to start making these chapters way shorter so instead of having our regular 3000 something words there is 1000 and I will have the chapters a little more longer maybe it's just today I was super busy so I did not have time but I still wanted to post so yea anyways carry on)