They Are There For Me (book 3 of Running Towards Home series)

CHAPTER 5

SAM'S POV:

I'm hanging out at the lot with Pony. It's a nice summer day, and the weather is perfect. We're just sitting in the lot, enjoying the day. "So, what's the deal with Dal's cousin?" Pony asks me. I shrug. "I don't know. Kira seems nice though." Pony nods in agreement. "I didn't think Dally would actually let her stay with him," Pony muses.

I have to agree with him. Dally's not always the nicest guy. It wouldn't surprise me if he forced her to stay somewhere else. "I think Dally actually cares about her. I've never heard him talk about his family before." I say. Pony looks at me. "He rarely ever talks about it. We don't even know much about it." He admits. I lean into him, and he holds me.

"I feel bad for him sometimes. He seems lonely." I confide. Pony smiles at me. "He may seem lonely, but he's got the gang. He might not say it, but I think we're family for him." Pony says. I lay my head in his lap, and look up at him. The sun is shining on his face, and he looks peaceful. He loves summer, I've found.

"Pony, whatta ya say we go get a milkshake at the Dingo?" I ask him. "Sure, why not." He says. He helps me up, but doesn't let go of my hand. We walk to the Dingo, holding hands all the way. We chat and laugh as we walk, the journey there seeming short. When we arrive, I order a strawberry milkshake and Pony orders a chocolate one.

"Can I show you something?" Pony asks, and I nod. He's blushing. "What is it?" I say. He reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He hands it to me, and I unfold it. It's a beautiful drawing of me. I gasp, and give Pony a kiss. "It's beautiful!" I say.

"I was watching you when we were talking. I wanted to capture your smile." he tells me. I blush. Pony can get pretty romantic. "I love it." I tell him. Our milkshakes arrive, and we begin to drink them. The cold is refreshing, cooling me down from the summer heat. "Pony, you are the sweetest." I tell him. "Aw, it was nothing." He says, looking at his feet.

"I am the luckiest girl." I say, grabbing his hand. "And I am the luckiest guy." he responds. We're sitting there when Two-Bit comes in. He sees us and walks over. "Hello, friends of mine!" he says, sitting down next to Pony. "Hi, Two." I sigh. "What's this?" he asks, grabbing the drawing. I try to pull it away, but he's too fast. He unfolds it and looks at it. "Aw, that's cute." He says, mocking us. "You're just jealous you don't have a girlfriend." Pony chuckles.

Two-Bit frowns dramatically. "You wound me, Pony." He jokes. "So, whatcha doing here Two, besides ruining our date?" I ask him. "I was bored. Decided to come here." he says. Something seems wrong with that. When Two gets bored, he gets drunk and goes out to cause trouble. He doesn't come to the Dingo to hang out with Pony and I. Pony seems to think the same thing, and says "You get drunk when you're bored. Why are you really here?" Two sighs dramatically, and slouches a bit.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but Darry wanted me to keep an eye on you guys to make sure you don't do anything." He admits. Pony looks mad. "We don't need babysitting. We're fifteen." I say, annoyed. "He's worried that you guys are going to do the deed." Two says, elbowing Pony. Now both of us are blushing. "Two, I swear, if you don't drop the subject now, I will punch you." I say. Two just shrugs. He has no filter, but that's part of what makes him Two-Bit. "We're not doing anything like that." Pony assures him. We only kiss and hold hands. Occasionally we make out, but never go farther than that.

"Hey, I didn't say I was worried about it." Two says, taking a sip of Pony's milkshake. "You know, I could have just ordered you a milkshake." Pony says. Two just takes a loud slurp. Pony and I just look at each other. "You are great at ruining dates." I tell him. He grins. "I've had practice." He says.