It's been a week since the break-up and everything has changed. I don't enjoy school as much, cheer sucks because, Aj's there (even though the girls hate Aj not me), Randy's no longer in life to make me smile or feel special, the gang's been stepping around my feelings, Soda and I never go out any more, I'm in my room a lot, and I think Soda's avoiding me, but I keep on smiling because, if I don't I'll cry.

I walk down stairs in the morning like I always do, but Dally doesn't smack my butt or make a comment at how hot I look, I don't wake up Ponyboy he wakes up me, Soda doesn't joke with me, I don't say good morning to Darry, I don't bet on who's gonna win the arm wrestle with Two-bit, I don't rush upstairs to get ready then come back down announcing the time I have left, I don't ask Steve or Two-bit who's coming, I don't say goodbye to everybody or hug Sodapop, and I don't  smile a real true happy smile, not even once. 

"Are you okay Lucy?" Steve asks as we walk to school.

I nod as I smile a big fake smile, "I'm okay."

He stops in his tracks and grabs me lightly by the shoulders looking me in the eyes, "I know your not. It's okay. You don't have to be strong around us." He pulls me into a hug where I sob into his chest.

"It just hurts so bad," I cry. "Everything's changed and everything hurts. Soda and I aren't even that close anymore."

"I can fix that if you want me to," he whispers into my hair.

"Please," I cry.

Steve turns to Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-bit (we all go to school now because, they want to protect me) "I'm gonna take her to the DX, I'll be back soon."

"Okay," they nod as they walk off.

Steve carried me on his back to the DX as I sobbed into his back. When we get there he hugs me and sends me in. Sodapop looks up, "oh my god Lucy! Are you okay?"

I shake my head as I sob, "Sodapop."

He runs over hugging me, "what happened doll? What happened?"

"Are we still best friends?" I ask him as I sob into his chest.

He pets the back of my head as we hug, "of course doll. Why wouldn't we be?"

"The whole gang is treating me differently, like I'm broken glass and if they do something wrong I'm gonna shatter. I miss how it used to be when you joked with me every morning, when I bet with Two-bit, when Dally smacked my ass, when things were normal. I miss my best friend treating me like they used to," I explain as I cry.

"I can fix that," he says as he hugs me tightly. "I promise tomorrow will go back to normal."

Sorry this sucks. It's a filler. I hate fillers. Will things actually go back to normal? Why is everybody treating her so differently? How did everything go down hill so fast? Are they really best friends still? Why was Sodapop shutting her out? Stay gold. Do it for Johnny!

-Beth