To clarify, yes, Tehsylvania, Angela Shepard was named as the sister of Tim and Curly in the not-exactly-a-sequel-but-it-kinda-was, That Was Then, This Is Now. And, yes, it is highly recommended.

And,of course, special thanks to the fellow New Yorker, Liz.

Now, this is a flashback chapter. This does not take place right after Chapter Six, but before the entire story.

"You know, Angel, I think I might love you."

I giggled; he usually said that about once a day. The first time he was serious, after that he would say it with a knowing smile. That smile was different from any I had ever seen. And I knew it was different from any he had ever given.

That was a smile specially reserved for me. Just like I had a smile for him, he had a smile for me. A smile that we had never smiled until that day when we knew we loved each other. A smile that we would never smile at anyone else; it was our's. I owned his and he owned mine. It was none others.

"You know, Pony, I think I love you too."

Same response, every day. Sometimes its in the morning, sometimes in the late afternoon before we both have work, sometimes during lunch, sometimes when we're sprawled on the porch in the sweltering heat. But I always know I'll hear it. Sooner or later he'll say it, and sooner or later I'll respond.

"I'm gonna miss you when I go to school."

"I'm gonna miss you, too. Especially when I know there are gonna be young college girls who are dying for a handsome husband flocking around my gorgeous boyfriend." I said, with a smile at him.

"They'll run as soon as they find out I'm from the East Side of Tulsa." He responded, laughing.

"I doubt they've heard about the greasers from Tulsa all the way in New York. This isn't like you're going a few towns away, Ponyboy, this is different. No one's gonna know anything about you. You're starting over; it's a new life. All they know is that you're smart and handsome."

"Greasers are greasers all over the place, Angel. They're not unique to Tulsa."

"No…but what makes you think they'll know you're a grease?"

"Same way we can drive two hours and pick out the greases with no problem."

"Its gonna be different, Pony. You won't be a grease there, you'll just be another kid."

"Must be nice."

"Yeah, it must be. Let me know what its like."

"I wish you could come with me, Angel."

"That'd be nice…just you and me.

"We'll do it someday, live just the two of us."

"A house of our own?"

"Just our's. And we'll be happy."

"Yeah, we will be happy."

"Hey, Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you be happy living in Tulsa forever?"

I paused for a second before answering. Truth be told, this city had handed me a lot over the past years; it hadn't always been kind. But as much as I tried, I couldn't imagine myself living outside of this world that I had become so accustomed to. "Honestly, I don't think I could be happy anywhere else."

"You know, Angel, I used to think that all I wanted was to get out of this town. I wanted to leave the place where there were socs and greases, and not have to deal with it all anymore. But the closer I get to leaving, the more I can't believe that I'm not going to be a grease, and I might miss it. Its gonna be scary not always having someone to call, always having someone who will come and have your back no matter what. There's not a guy in all of East Side who wouldn't fight with me, as long as it was against a soc. And I don't think I'd be happy without that."

"Well then, Ponyboy, I don't think we're gonna have a problem deciding where to live."

"I guess not, Angel."

"You think your brothers will get used to me after a while?"

"They're already used to you."

"You know what I mean…You think they'll start to like me?"

"Angel, my brothers love me, and they've seen me unhappy a lot in the past few years, and I know they know me well enough to see that I'm really happy for the first time since Mom and Dad died. And how could they not love the person who caused that?"

"I think you're exaggerating again."

He sat up off the front porch that we were lounging on, and took my hands and pulled me up so we were facing each other.

"You don't think you changed my life?"

I wasn't quite sure how to respond. God knows he's changed my life, but I never really thought about it the other way around. Did I really change his life? Did I really manage to make him happier? Could the sister of the two toughest hoods in town satiate the one boy from the East Side who truly didn't belong there?

"I guess I never thought about it."

"You should, Angel." I love his eyes; the way he watched me; the way he told me how much he meant what he said by the way he cast those eyes on me. "Maybe then you'd realize how important you are."

"You know you've changed my life, too, right?"

"I do now."

"You know, Pony, you're the first person who ever loved me that didn't have to. Tim and Curly, they have to love me, you know? But you don't…and you do anyway. it's a nice feeling."

"Yeah, Angel, it is."

With that, he stood up and pulled me up with him. It was such a hot summer, and this day had to be one of the hottest. The house was so stuffy that we could barely breathe and had taken to laying on the shady porch all morning. There was no wind that day, no relieving breeze to come by; just solid heat that made everyone feel like they were locked in a oven. I don't ever remember a summer like this in all my life; the heat was so oppressing, yet I never felt as free as I did that summer.

I knew that we'd be together forever, but even if we weren't, I would never forget a second of that summer. The summer when I had fallen in love for the first time, the summer when I knew what it was to be needed, the summer when I knew that it was possible for me to be happy forever, as long as I had him.

That summer of 1970 would be the most memorable one of my life; I would be able to recall every word, every whisper, every touch. I would remember every ice tea kiss that was shared after lunch. I would remember every time that I got sprayed with an ice cold hose after Pony claimed I was complaining about the heat too much. I would remember every time he picked me up and carried me into his room and kicked the door closed, even though no one else would be coming home. I would remember every time that we laid in his small twin bed after making love and were as close together as possible, regardless of the suffocating heat.

Every one of my senses would take away a memory from that summer. My ears would remember his voice when he would whisper to me, soft and sleepy, the ticking of the lawn sprinklers across the street, the tinkle of the ice cream truck as it slowly rolled down the pavement. My lips would remember the taste of ice tea, of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, the taste of his lips on mine. My sense of smell would remember cedar chips and fresh soap and orange slices. My skin would remember his every touch, every caress, every time his body brushed against mine, it would remember every time I leaned against the wooden porch, every time I felt the plush grass under my feet as he chased me through the yard. And my eyes…my eyes would remember the noon sun shining in through open windows, the way he would always come off the porch to greet me in the morning, the look of his eyes when he told me he loved me.

I'll be on my death bed and these memories will never fade from me. I will always be able to recall every scent, every feeling, every sound, no matter what happens to me. He is someone that I will never be able to erase from my mind.

No season will ever affect me or change my life as much as this one did. I found someone who changed my entire life with a single 'I love you'. I found a man who can protect me, and whose protection will never waver. I found a person who will love me regardless of my past, and who will want to be a part of my future.

Nothing can separate us now.

I know it; we'll always love each other.

We'll be together forever.