The night was being wasted on Dally’s unfriendly flirting— she clearly didn’t like it. She cursed him out over and over again, voiced what he truly was but it only fuelled his sick desire. Ponyboy was uncomfortable, who wouldn’t be? He squirmed in his seat like there were ants in his pants; he tried to focus on the dumb beach movie playing on the screen, but his attention kept glancing back to the unsettling scene playing out beside him. He couldn’t take much more. He shot up, subtly making his departure to avoid attracting attention to himself, thankfully, he remained unseen.

The night sky was a calming atmosphere, the stars were like individuals smiles, each one having its own special sparkle that stood out on a crowd in a good way. Ponyboy walked inside the concessions stand, mindlessly looking around at all the food items they had to offer: popcorn, soda, chocolate. He picked up some popcorn and walked into the line, not caring for the food in his hand, just looking for any excuse to stand away from the uncomfortable situation back outside. “Hi! That will be 2.99,” a voice snapped him out of his clouding mind; his gaze shot up instantly, a little startled, before his eyes landed on a young girl behind the counter, smiling widely at him. He was star-struck. She looked around his age, and yet, she stood out like a shining star. “Oh, just this please.” A comfortable silence followed as the girl rang up his popcorn. “So,” Ponyboy started, “Working on a friday, huh?” he attempted to make conversation. “Yeah, I’m filling in for my sister, she’s out sick. We could just use the money.”