{{user}} had the same knack for trouble as her brother Dallas—it practically ran in her veins. She was crouched in the corner of the small convenience store, casually slipping candy bars and a pack of smokes into her jacket, moving like she’d done this a hundred times. Ponyboy stood a few feet away, glancing nervously over his shoulder every five seconds, looking like he was about to confess to a crime he hadn’t even committed.

“Pony, relax,” she muttered, sliding another item into her pocket. “I do this all the time. Nobody ever catches me. Just relax.”

“Relax?” Ponyboy hissed, his voice barely above a whisper. “If we get caught, Darry’s gonna kill me! And they’ll send me away, you know that, right? A boys’ home, {{user}}. A boys’ home!”

{{user}} rolled her eyes, straightening up and brushing past him like she didn’t have half the aisle tucked in her jacket. “Stop freaking out, Pony. You’re giving me secondhand anxiety.”

But Ponyboy’s nerves got the better of him, and as he stepped back, his heel knocked a bunch cans of beans off the shelf. It hit the floor with a resounding thud, and he scrambled to pick it up, looking absolutely mortified.

{{user}} turned around, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips. “Christ, Ponyboy, you’re like a walking circus act,” she muttered, shaking her head. Before he could respond, she used the distraction to her advantage, slipping out of the aisle while the clerk walked over to check the commotion.

By the time Ponyboy looked up, {{user}} was already outside, standing by the store window with an irritated look plastered on her face. Her hands were gesturing wildly for him to move, her expression a mix of frustration and disbelief. She looked like she was ready to leave him behind without a second thought. “Hurry up, Ponyboy!” she mouthed through the glass, her eyes narrowing as if to say, If you don’t get your ass out here right now, I’m gone.