"I don't need to hug or hold you tight
I just want to dance with you all night."

-The Beatles-

"So, what's this Geraldine's tellin' me about you and Sodapop Curtis?"

June furled her brow and peered across at her friend, Stella Moseby, who sat with a broad smirk across her lips in the passenger's side of June's green Chevy. The girl's raven hair blew with the breeze that blew in through her open window, but it never once shielded the obvious grin she had plaguing her rosy lips.

"Ridiculous," June mumbled under her breath as she turned her attention back to the road. "She's been gabbin' on about that to anyone who would listen since the damn rodeo." She turned a left onto Church Street and shook her head. "Nothing even happened, I don't know where she's getting this from."

Stella's grin only grew. "Well, what did happen?"

June blinked and glanced at her friend. "Nothing," she stated. "I was waiting for Terry's last ride and my feet were killin' me from those boots so I went to the practice area and ran into him. That's all there is to it." She could see, even from the corner of her eye, that Stella was still smirking, but she tried to pay no mind as she came to a brief stop. "Quit smilin' like you know something when you don't."

"Oh, come on Juney!" Stella gasped out, turning her body so she faced the blonde. She slapped her knee excitedly before letting out a laugh. "Have you seen that boy? He could make Bobby Rydell look like a heifer. You don't just talk to a boy like Sodapop Curtis. You just can't!"

"Well, I did." June said with a small smile. "And I'd hardly call Bobby Rydell a heifer. Sodapop's a good looking boy but—"

"But nothing. You've lost your marbles. You had him in your hands and you just let him walk away."

June grinned at her friend's dramatics. "If you like him so much, what's stopping you from going after him?"

"Oh, please," Stella grumbled, shifting her body once again so she faced forward. "My parents would kill me if they knew I was commiseratin' with a Greaser. That's why I only ever talk to him at the DX. You know that."

And she did. June knew firsthand how strict Stella's parents were and even though the times were slowly changing, Mr. and Mrs. Moseby certainly were not. The two families had lived next door to each other for years, and June was no stranger to their ways. Sure, they loved Stella to death, but like many people in their area, they still turned their nose up at those from the East side of town.

Even her own loving parents had their moments of ignorance, and she would be the first to admit that maybe she did, too. The divide may have been getting smaller and smaller with each passing day – but it would take years for it to go away completely. If it ever really did.

"Yeah, well." She let the sentence hang in the air, not completely sure of what to say next. Instead, she glanced over at her friend and quietly cleared her throat. "I agreed to go on a date tonight with Teddy Boseman."

The silence that fell over the two girls after those few words had slipped out of her mouth was long and tense. It wasn't until Stella peered across at the blonde that June was even sure she had heard her in the first place. "How did that come about?"

Teddy Boseman was a boy who had worked alongside June's father at the hospital. He was relatively new having worked there for no more than six months, but he had made an impact and all June had been hearing about for the last month was how well-suited the pair would be.

"Agreeing to it was a lot easier than hearin' them harp on about how good he'd be to me." She rolled her jade eyes and glanced at Stella. "He's taking me to a movie down at the drive-in tonight."

Stella winced at June's misfortune. She had heard June's father, Archie, talk for days about Teddy Boseman – a boy two years older than them – who was both extremely smart and witty. "Maybe it won't be so bad." She tried to reason. "Want me to tag along?"

June smirked as she made one final left onto their street. "You wanna come on a date with me?" she asked. "And I'm the one who's lost her marbles."

"Think about it, Juney!" Stella quipped. "I'll tag along with ya, make sure you aren't bored to death and if things between you two get a little heated then I'll be on my merry way! I'm sure I'll run into somebody we know."

The blonde came to a stop outside of their separate houses. "You really would do that?"

Stella grinned and unbuckled her belt. "Sure, I would. So long as you buy the popcorn and you by the drinks." She winked across at her friend. "And maybe we'll throw in a burger next week down at the Ribbon. Do we have a deal?"

June's small smirk turned into a giant grin as she lunged across the seat to embrace her dear friend. "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!" June muttered into Stella's shoulder. "I'll buy you ten burgers, I don't even care. Thank-you!"

"One'll do just fine," Stella laughed. "He drivin' down there?"

"Should be," June nodded and pulled away from the dark-haired girl. "I'll have to phone him and let him know ahead of time that you'll be chummin' along with us. I'll make up some story about you being heartbroken and how you shouldn't be left alone with your thoughts."

Stella laughed. "Sounds about right to me. See ya 'round seven then?" She hopped out of the Chevy and shot the blonde one final smile before crossing their shared lawn to her own house.

June waved the girl off and unbuckled her own belt as the Chevy's engine cut. It had been her brother's truck when he had first turned 16 back in 1958 and though it was a brand new model back then, it had since seen better days. The mileage on it had already been high from travelling across the southern U.S for Terry's Rodeo's and now that June had gotten her hands on it, the range only got worse.

That was half the reason she worked so many of the rodeos. She supposed, in all honesty, she didn't really need to work; the car was still running and despite the mileage, it was in good shape – but saving up for a new car was never a bad thing.

Slowly, she pushed open the doors of the Chevy and hopped out of the truck. She received a small, polite wave from her neighbor across the way and had Edna Fairbanks, a particularly nosy neighbor, even stop to ask about her sister's big win at the rodeo.

"It was good," June uttered back politely. "She did great."

Some more brief small talk was made before she finally managed to push open her front door and head inside. She could smell her mother's infamous chocolate chip cookies cooking somewhere off in the distance and she immediately smiled to herself.

Even if she had nothing else to look forward to that night, at least she would get a batch of those cookies.

"This ain't botherin' you is it? Me sitting on your lap and all?"

Sodapop never did much like the movies, but glory did he love the action that went with them. He was currently sitting in the chairs towards the back of the drive in with Steve, Evie and another light-haired broad named Donna, who had done nothing but grind her pretty little bottom into his crotch for the last hour or so.

Was he complaining? Absolutely not. But hell, did he wish she'd quit teasing him and actually do something. He supposed she might have if Steve and Evie hadn't been right beside them, but he wasn't quite sure how long he could hold out for.

"No, 'course not." He sputtered out, grasping her hips as she wriggled her hips once again. He would need to get her somewhere and fast.

"I wouldn't sweat it there, Donna. Soda's just fine." Steve smirked and looked at Soda who only clenched his jaw as she continued to tease him. "Little tense there, buddy?"

But Soda didn't answer. Instead, he merely lulled his head to the side and shot him a look that clearly conveyed how frustrated he was. Steve didn't bother hiding his boisterous laugh after that. Even as Evie nudged him in the ribs and a few people shushed him, he didn't bother trouncing his amusement.

Seemingly not quite catching onto Steve's hysterics, Donna turned her head to look at Soda whose dark brown eyes were clouded over in what she could only assume to be lust. "You busy after the movie, baby?"

After the movie? Soda thought to himself. He swallowed hard and looked up into the girl's pretty hazel eyes. Could he even last that long?

Before he could give her a direct answer, his eyes caught sight of a somewhat familiar blonde a few yards away. June. She was walking with a girl he had recognized as a frequent customer down at the DX and though the girl, Stella, seemed to notice Soda's presence, June paid no mind.

Even when Stella pointed over in their direction, all the blonde did was glance up and nod at whatever her friend was saying before looking back at the car they had just gotten out of.

"Well?" Donna repeated. "Are ya?"

"What?" Soda muttered, snapping back to the hazel-eyed reality staring back at him. "Oh, um—"

"Ain't that the skirt always at the DX?" Steve asked, looking at the approaching girl with hair darker than night. She was always a pretty little thing but he wasn't dumb enough to say that in front of Evie. However, she had this way of knowing exactly what he was thinking and as he slowly turned to face the girl on his arm, he almost smirked at her glare. "What?" he played innocent. "I was just askin'."

Despite herself, Evie smirked – but not before swatting his bicep rather roughly. "Pig."

"Yeah, that's her." Soda chimed in, looking at the girl briefly before turning his attention the blonde behind her. "Her friend's the one from the rodeo."

Steve furled his brow before looking just passed Stella only to see who Soda was referring to. "Yeah, blondie with the red boots." He said with a slight nod. "She's lucky Two-Bit ain't here."

Donna, who had finally snapped her gaze away from Sodapop, looked forward and noticed the two girls instantly. The darker haired one was nearing closer and closer but it was the blonde in the distance that made her see red. Both girls were pretty and both of them were undeniably Soc's – but the blonde was trouble. At least where Sodapop was concerned.

"Odd seein' you boys without a pump in your hand." Stella said as she approached the group. Sodapop had to tip his hat off to the girl; took one tough broad to approach a couple of Greaser's in the middle of the night.

"Soda'll have to pump a lot more than some gas if Miss Hips doesn't quit bouncin' all over the place." Steve grinned at his friend only to notice that Soda's eyes were focused just beyond the girl before him. Instead, they were focused on a particular blonde not fifty yards away. The hell? "Who ya here with, darlin'?" Steve asked all the while keeping an eye on his friend. "Or just come over here to join the party?"

Stella glanced down at Steve only to notice the pretty girl on his arm. From afar she looked innocent enough but the closer she got, she could see the almost audacious look in her murky eyes. They were dark and she seemed to almost dare her to make a move on Steve.

She suddenly wished she hadn't approached the group. Not without a witness, at least.

"My friend, June." She answered slowly. "Told her I was coming over to say a quick 'hello' but she didn't think it wise her comin' over here."

Donna, who had been silent up until now, looked at the girl and smirked. "Smart girl."

Soda ignored the girl on his lap but gently tapped her on the rear as a sign to get off. At first, Donna remained still and merely glared down at him, but when he raised an amused brow at her persistence, she only huffed and hopped off of his lap.

His amusement, however, dwindled the second a tall man stepped out from behind the truck June had been standing in front of. He seemed to say something to her which warranted a small, well-bred smile to pull up the corners of her lips. It wasn't until his arm fell around her shoulders that Soda looked back at Stella in confusion.

"Who's that?"

Stella, who was midsentence, slowly shut her mouth as her brows pulled together. Slowly, she followed his line of sight only to see his eyes were trained on June and Teddy. "Ah. That's the reason I snuck over here in the first place. That's Teddy. It's their first date."

Steve's brows furrowed as he looked at Soda who continued to look on in bewilderment. Had he missed something? She was a pretty blonde Soc – the last he checked, it wasn't all too uncommon for them kind to go on dates – so why was his buddy so interested all of the sudden?

But even as Stella continued to talk, Steve watched in slight amusement as Soda practically ignored the girl before them to instead watch the blonde's every move. She seemed to be counting some change in her purse before saying something to her date who only nodded and watched her walk off towards the concession stand.

"Stella!" A loud voice cried out from just beyond the group.

The raven haired girl looked up towards a blue Mustang which had just pulled in and immediately grinned upon seeing just who was inside. Seemingly knowing the company, she uttered a quick goodbye before practically running off towards them.

"Thought she'd never leave." Donna quipped before climbing back onto Sodapop's lap.

Quietly, Steve cleared his throat which gained Soda's attention almost instantly. At first, all Steve did was raise his brow in question at his obvious gawking before nodding his head in the direction of the concessions. Go, he silently told him.

Grinning, Sodapop winked at his buddy before tapping on Donna's hips yet again. "I'll be back." He muttered as he stood up to his full height.

"Where ya going?" she asked with a pout as she took her seat once again.

"Just gonna head to the can." He lied, shooting her a small smile before turning on his heel. At first, he did indeed make it look like he was heading in that direction, but the second he was out of sight, he went right to the concessions area and – thankfully – spotted the blonde almost instantly.

At first, she didn't seem to notice him. Even as he walked up directly behind her and began humming a song he had recognized from the radio, she was in her own little world. It wasn't until he resorted to clearing his throat that her unfamiliar green eyes shot up to look at him in confusion. At first, the confusion melted into what he assumed to be shock before a small smirk broke out across her face.

"I should have known when Stella ran off it was on account of you." She said, toying with the change in her hands.

An instant grin broke out across his lips as he took in the blonde's features. She looked different now that she wasn't dressed in her rodeo garb, but Soda couldn't deny the girl's attractive features. Her long blonde hair was waved nicely and pulled away from her face which only made the greens of her eyes pop out all the more so. He couldn't remember her eye colour that night of the rodeo, but now he wasn't sure he could forget them.

On her body, she wore a pale blue dress that came to her knees, belted at the waist with a yellow cardigan overtop. Standing next to her alone was enough to make him almost laugh at his own plaid shirt and jean combination; it was no wonder they were getting such weird looks.

"And here I thought it was on account of wanting to avoid you and Teddy dearest." He quipped back, still grinning ear to ear as they slowly shuffled up the line.

The earned him quite the glare and for a split second he thought she was going to turn on her heel and ignore him, but when all she did was shake her head, he knew he was in the clear. "That's not fair." She grumbled under her breath as she reached around to grab two Coke's. "He's real nice."

"He's real nice?" Soda asked with a laugh. "Real nice is how you describe the weather. It ain't how you describe a date." He looked out towards where he knew she had parked and caught a quick glimpse of the dope she had come here with. He was wearing a plaid madras shirt tucked into a pair of beige pants with loafers to match. He almost laughed out loud. "Then again, maybe real nice suits him just fine."

Despite herself, she smirked but covered it up the second it had crawled across her lips. "Quit bein' mean." She warned, but the lightness in her tone only made Soda's grin grow. "You don't hear me making fun of your date, do ya?"

"Be a little hard to do seeing as how I don't have one." Soda asked, shoving his hands in the back pocket of his jeans.

The blonde cocked her head to the side as she peered up at him. "I suppose the girl bouncin' around your lap a few minutes ago was just my imagination?"

Soda smirked recklessly. "She ain't my date."

"No? What is she then?" June asked, stealing a sip of the Coke in her hand. When all Sodapop did was smirk down at her, she knew she had her answer. "Oh."

The blush that swept up her cheekbones was enough to drive him crazy. "Besides, I don't believe in taking a date to a movie of all places." He said the word like it was venom on his tongue. "But, hey, what do you expect with a guy like that?"

June glowered across at him. "What's wrong with a movie?"

Soda threw a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth and shrugged. "It's no place for a first date."

The blonde handed the correct amount of change to the young cashier and Sodapop followed in suit. "Oh, no?" she asked, stepping out of the way to allow those behind them access to the cash register. "And where would you take a girl on your first date?"

He shrugged and leaned against the wall of the concession. "Depends on the girl." He simply said, eyeing her carefully. "If it was you?" His handsome smile grew as he took in her pretty blonde hair and sweet olive eyes. "Dancing."

The smile he got in return drove him crazy. She had this way about her, this civil and guarded way that he'd seen in plenty Soc's in his lifetime. But the second she smiled, really smiled, all those guards fell down. She had one wild smile and Soda was sure his own must have stretched a mile wider on account of it.

"You'd take me dancing, hmm?" she asked. "A boy like you likes to dance?"

"A boy like me loves to dance. Ain't nothin' better than letting off some steam and dancing sure as hell does that." He shrugged his broad shoulders as a chilly wind blew between them. "'Sides, a pretty dance partner sure doesn't hurt."

A moment of silence fell between them, but the evident smiles on both of their faces was enough to say a million things all at once.

Unfortunately, the moment was sullied as soon as June lowered her gaze to the ground separating them. "I should go." She mumbled under her breath. "I'm sure Teddy thinks I've gone and run off on him."

"Wouldn't be the worst thing." Was all Soda said, earning him one small, final smile from the blonde before him.

She peered up into his dark eyes and slowly let the smile fall from her lips. "I'll see you around, Sodapop."

All Soda did was nod at the girl before pushing himself off of the wall. "Sure hope so." He said as she slowly made her way back to her date.

And glory, did he mean it.

A/N: For as peaches and cream as it is right now I promise you this isn't going to be all 'lovey dovey fall in love without a plot' type of thing. And I assure you, the rest of the gang are going to be in it much more in the coming chapters and throughout the entirety of the story than they have been thus far.

Thanks so much for the alerts and reviews – they mean a lot!

Please keep 'em coming! x