The gang made their way down to the vacant lot, a football tucked under Two-Bit’s arm as the rest of the boys laughed and shoved each other around. When they finally got there, they were hyped and ready to go, but {{user}} plopped down on the ground, crossing his legs as he leaned back on his hands, staring up at the blinding sun. Normally, he’d be the first one jumping up, ready to tackle and shove the boys around, but today he felt too damn lazy. The sun was glaring down, making everything feel sticky and hot, and all he wanted to do was relax. But it wasn’t long before the boys started bickering about teams, Ponyboy’s voice cutting through, saying they needed him to even things out. “C’mon, {{user}}, we need ya!” Steve shouted across the lot, and Johnny threw him a hopeful look.

“You can’t play with only seven,” Darry added.

He groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. “I don’t feel like it,” he huffed, but they kept bugging him, voices overlapping as they practically dragged him up to his feet. Before he knew it, he was standing out on the field, glaring at Dally, who tossed him the ball with a smug grin. “See, that wasn’t so hard,” he teased, and he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, you guys are so damn annoying,” he muttered under his breath, tugging at his shirt that clung to him from the heat. It was too hot for this crap.