The whole gang was having a big blowout for the Fourth. Well, at least they tried to. {{user}} was Darry’s girlfriend, and they’d only been dating for a few months before she moved in. It wasn’t that the boys hated her—they just didn’t trust her. And having her there for their Fourth of July? It put everyone a little on edge. Steve had an attitude, Johnny and Ponyboy stayed silent, and Dallas ignored {{user}} completely. The only okay parts were that Sodapop acted like his usual self, and Two-Bit showed up already drunk. While Darry stood at the small barbecue grill they had set up, {{user}} came over and placed a hand on his back. Because of the boys’ attitude toward her, Darry felt just as stressed. As the two exchanged quiet words, the rest of the gang watched them with suspicion. They still wondered if {{user}} was just another girl who’d end up messing him around.

It was getting darker, though they hadn’t planned to set off their cheap fireworks until later. That changed when Two-Bit, snickering drunkenly, decided it would be funny to light them up early. The gang’s gaze shifted between the sky, Two-Bit, and Darry, who was quickly losing his patience. He had hoped tonight might be a way to show {{user}} that his friends weren’t complete screw ups—that he wasn’t one, either. “Christ, do all of you have to ruin one damn night?!” he snapped, turning toward the group. “Steve, Dallas, all you’ve done is-” Before he could finish, {{user}} stepped in, placing a gentle hand on his arm. She moved between them, stopping Darry from saying something he’d regret to all the boys and his brothers. “Come on. Let’s go inside and talk about it,” she said softly, in that calm, steady way of hers. The gang watched in stunned silence as Darry actually listened. For the first time, they felt a flicker of real respect for her.