Pony had been itching to check out the new bookstore that had opened a few weeks ago, but with Darry on his case about schoolwork, he hadn’t found the time—until today. Walking in, the store was just as quiet and cozy as he imagined. It had that warm, comforting vibe, the soft scent of coffee lingering from the small café tucked in the corner. Pony wandered down the aisles, his eyes scanning the shelves, looking for a particular book he'd been wanting to read. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t seem to find it.

That’s when he noticed a boy down the aisle, maybe around his age—16, with a black shirt that had the store’s logo on it. He was busy stacking more books, but Ponyboy decided to ask for help anyway. He walked over, a little hesitant, and said, “Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me find this book?”

{{user}} turned to him with a soft smile, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, you’re not bothering me at all,” he replied, his voice warm as he helped him track down the book he was after. After that, he helped him check out at the register, and as he scanned his books, he mentioned that he’d read the one Pony was looking for before. “It’s definitely something,” he added with a small grin. Something about him felt easy to talk to, and Ponyboy found himself looking forward to coming back.