A/N: I have every intention of continuing my Pony/OC story, but I've struck inspiration with another story as well! Hope you like it!

The sun was hot and the air was thick for late September. While the entire week had shown signs of an early autumn with its high winds and ever-changing leaves, today felt more like it belonged in late June; too muggy and too hot to be considered fall.

However, despite the raging sun and high temperatures, the Open Ranch Rodeo had opened its rusted gates for its fortieth season – and glory, were the grounds shaking.

People of all ages had come from all over Tulsa to watch the Rodeo. It may not have been the only rodeo in town, but it was by far the most exciting with its various events including barrel racing and calf roping. But possibly its most rousing event was the Daredevil competition – an event that included both bull and bronc riding – that event was what drew the biggest crowd.

And today was no different.

Even under the hot Tulsa sun, the crowd that gathered to watch the first slew of bronc riders was bigger than ever. There were at least two hundred people, all cheering and hollering whenever a rider was flung from his horse. For most, it was purely entertainment, but to some it was much more than that.

For Sodapop Curtis, watching the riders and the horses, watching any of the events really, was nearly hypnotic. He had never fully outgrown his love for horses, not in all the years since Mickey Mouse, and coming to rodeos and watching each event made him feel at home.

"Woo-ee," Steve whistled as a smaller rider practically flew across the grounds. "D'ya see that one, Soda? I tell ya, I don't know how they ain't broke every bone in their back by now."

Soda smirked and took a sip of the Coke bottle he had been holding onto most of the day. It was hot enough for a beer but he knew the fuzz was out patrolling and he was not about to risk getting booted from the one event he had been dying to see all because he had been drinking underage.

"Shoot, what'd he last? Four seconds?" Two-Bit asked, taking a sip from the half-assed attempt of his hidden whiskey bottle. "That's worse than you, Steve-O!" He howled with laughter at his own joke causing his booze to jostle out of the bottle and splash all over not only his lap, but the girl to his left.

"Hey!" She screeched, patting down her short skirt. "Watch it, would ya?"

Her name was Lynn Munroe and though Soda hadn't been too familiar with the brunette, he had seen her around when he and Sandy had been going steady. She was a friend of Evie's and when Steve had told them that she would be meeting them down at the rodeo, he wasn't too shocked to see the two other girls had tagged along. They were nice enough, sure, but Lynn was always a bit of a loud mouth. The other girl – Stella - she was alright, though.

Soda grinned at his friends antics and took another small sip of his Coke. Two-Bit might have been underage as well, but he had a horseshow up his rear when it came to slipping out of trouble. Nobody knew how he did it, but he managed to swindle his way out of any altercation with the fuzz. It was a gift.

Rather than commenting on Two-Bit's obvious jab, Steve simply smacked the back of his rusty head and muttered a few choice words beneath his breath. The group had been sitting in the stands directly beside where the bronc's were held and though there were much better seats to be had, they were more than content to stay where they were. Not only was it a decent view of the riders, but Glory did it offer a good sweep of the girls circling the event. Soda had already seen a few that had caught his eye, but he had only shot them a smile. He wasn't interested in that tonight, tonight it was about the rodeo.

But as a pretty redhead walked by with three of her friends, he found his eyes wandering down her slim body and immediately smirked to himself. Tonight may have been about the rodeo, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the view.

The crack of the gate slamming behind a rider as he rode out atop a bucking bronc snapped Soda out of his reverie and he immediately allowed his eyes to find the rider. The man, whoever he was, was good. Much better than the other few had been and as he continued to ride amidst the chaos the horse offered him, Soda found himself nearly slack-jawed.

"Jesus, ya see this guy!?" Steve barked, his expression quite similar to Sodapop's.

As if on cue, the man finally caught one harsh buck that sent him flying off the horse, but even then he seemed to land much more gracefully than any of the other riders. Whoever he was, he was good. Damn good.

"And that folks was our Tulsa native Terry Parker with the lead so far! A whopping eighty-two points for his twelve second run!"

"Eighty-two," Soda repeated, slowly shaking his head in shock. "That's one of the best I've seen."

"I think I remember him from last year," Steve agreed, taking a seat back beside Evie who merely continued to converse with Lynn as Steve draped his arm over her shoulders.

But Two-Bit wasn't listening, not completely anyway. Instead, his eyes were focused in on a girl a few yards away. She was leaning against the fence watching the event take place with a wide grin on her pretty face and, judging by the clothes she wore, she had been working the rodeo. He had seen a few girls dressed like that over the course of the day, each selling packs of Camel's to those dumb enough to buy a slightly overpriced pack of darts.

But none of them looked as swell in the uniform. Not a damn one.

She was wearing a white short-sleeved blouse neatly tucked into a thigh-high black skirt and wore a red kerchief around her neck with pair of red cowboy boots to match. To top the uniform off, she wore a black cowboy hat overtop her long blonde hair which had been neatly pulled off into two braids.

She looked like something straight out of a pin-up and Two-Bit was sure his smile couldn't get any wider.

"You boys got some change?" He slurred with a wild grin. "I've got an itching for some Camels."

"Since when in hell do you buy your own joints?" Soda joked, turning his head to look at Two-Bit who was much too focused on something else to even notice.

Evie craned her neck around to peer at Two-Bit only to follow his line of sight. With a quiet chuckle, she hit Steve on the chest and shook her head. "Since the girl sellin' 'em looks like that."

Despite the action going on before him, Sodapop glanced at Two-Bit and followed his stare only to find the source of his sudden need of Camel's. He couldn't blame him, though. The girl, whoever she was, was a looker – he didn't have to see her up close to tell that much. She was leggy and she was blonde – and she had Soc written all over her.

Not that Soda particularly cared all that much – any girl was fair game, but this one was alone. He never was too hot on the idea of speaking dirty to a girl without a few friends around her. Situations like that could lead to trouble, even if it was all harmless banter. Besides, today was meant to be about the rodeo, about the parties afterwards – not about picking up broads. Even if they did look like that.

"Eh," Soda waved his hand in an attempt to dismiss the blonde. "Leave 'er alone, she's workin'."

"Besides, she's going to take one whiff of you and smell the booze all over you. Your pants included." Lynn reminded them, crossing her arms over her chest as she observed the girl from afar.

"Well she can take 'em right off if she has a problem with them." Two-Bit howled, hopping down from the stand onto the dusty ground. "You won't hear a peep from me!"

Before any of them could think to stop him, Two-Bit Mathews marched down towards the blonde and shoved his hands inside of his pockets. Despite the alcohol coursing through his body he still managed to look tuff as nails and agile as a fox approaching its prey. It was almost impressive.

"Hey baby," Two-Bit uttered from behind her.

The girl instantly turned on her heel and glanced at Two-Bit. She seemed to just look at him for a few moments before hesitantly shooting him a small smile. "Hey." she muttered, throwing a look over her shoulder to the competition still taking place.

"You wouldn't happen to have some more of those Camel's on you, would ya darlin'?" He asked, leaning against the rail she had previously leaned upon. "Saw a few of you sellin' em earlier."

The girl shot him a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Wish I could help, but I sold out a few hours ago." Thinking that was it, the girl turned on her heel to continue watching the event but noticed the man didn't budge. Slowly, she looked back at Two-Bit and then back to the group he had originally come from. "Maybe your friends have some extra sticks they could give you."

"Ya think so?" Two-Bit asked, following her gaze back to his group of friends. "You heard her! Any of you punks have a cig?"

Steve was grinning ear to ear as he brought out a pack from his own back pocket, waving them at Two-Bit's face tauntingly just as Soda pulled one out from behind his ear. "Seems so." He called out, enjoying the shocked face of his friend maybe a little too much.

Two-Bit could have killed them. Busting his balls like they had the right!

Finally, a rather genuine smile pulled at the blonde's lips as she looked back at Two-Bit. "Well, seems so is right." She teased with a hand on her hip. "Lucky you for havin' such good buddies."

Despite himself, Two-Bit grinned at her words and sipped from his booze. "You got a name, baby?"

The blonde smirked and though she was still weary of the rusty-haired man before her, she nodded her head. "I do, but baby ain't it." She could hear one of the boys behind her chuckle but she didn't dare look at just who it came from. Instead, she eyed the one before her for another moment before clearing her throat. "You might wanna get back to your buddies before the girl you were sittin' with gets the wrong idea."

"Who?" Two-Bit looked at Lynn and swatted his hand in her direction. "Naw, that ain't nothin'."

"Mhmm," was all she said before pushing herself off and away from the wall completely. "Well, even if I believed that, I should be going anyway." She fixed her skirt and glanced at Two-Bit and the rest of group just behind him. "Enjoy the rodeo!" She said somewhat stiffly, though the small smile on her face looked to be pretty genuine.

Before Two-Bit could even think to say something that could stop her, the blonde turned on her heel and walked away leaving a smirking Two-Bit in tow. "I think she liked me." He teased, walking up the stands to take his seat beside Lynn once again.

The sun was long gone as the night once again claimed Tulsa but the festivities at the rodeo were still a go. The crowds were rowdy, the drinks were flowing and the competitions were still underway.

It had cooled some too, thankfully, and as a rather chilled breeze blew throughout the dusty grounds, June Parker shivered but rejoiced all the same. It had been too hot for September but this was perfect. This she could handle.

With a subtle hand, she adjusted the kerchief around her neck and looked around at the massive crowds around her. There were people of all ages still circling around the lot but she had noticed the crowd had definitely gotten older as the night wore on. She could spot more people she knew, more people her age, most had somehow swindled alcohol into the event but she wasn't about to stop them. She had even seen her best friend, Stella, along with their group of friends drinking down by the barrel racing event. She may have even partaken if she hadn't been working.

She had been doing these sorts of events for as long as she could remember, but the older she got, the jobs varied in description. When she was younger, she was helping with the horses and farm hands, when she got to be a little older she was in charge of saddling and now that she was eighteen, she had somehow been talked into selling Camel cigarettes.

The outfit might have been a little revealing, but the money for what she was doing was worth it. If walking around the rodeo selling cigarette's was all it took to bring in a few extra dollars, so be it.

"Hey, Juney," A voice called out from behind her. Slowly, she turned on her red boots only to find her older brother Terry walking towards her. He was wearing a beige button-down shirt tucked idly into his Wrangler jeans, but it was his infamous brown cowboy hat that had caught her attention. He only ever wore that hat during his rides. He must not be finished yet, she thought. "You seen Geraldine anywhere?" he asked.

Terry was twenty-four and had been riding in rodeos practically his whole life. From the time they were kids, their parents – Martha and James Parker – had insisted they familiarize themselves with all things equestrian, it just so happened that Terry and their younger sister Geraldine were the ones to truly take the bait. Terry rode the broncs while Geraldine, their thirteen year old sister, leaned towards barrel racing.

And they were damn good too.

"No, not for a couple hours. Have you checked by the stables? Her event is up soon, I'm sure she'll be there." June muttered, flashing a rather large smile to a man obviously interested in buying a pack of cigarettes. When the man walked on without a purchase, her smile fell slightly as she looked back up at her older brother. "You got another ride or somethin'?" she asked, flicking up the brim of his hat. "You look real goofy, by the way."

A wry grin graced Terry's lips. "Says the pin-up. I almost knocked one of the other riders out the way he was talkin' about you."

"It's a gift," she replied airily, waving her hand playfully. "But do you? Have another ride, I mean?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "In about forty minutes or so."

"Alright," she nodded, "I'll be over there to watch. I'll round up Geraldine before hand, too. She missed your first few rides."

He simply nodded his head. "S'alright, I suppose. I missed hers too."

June opened her mouth to retort but stopped upon seeing a group of girls just behind her brother's back. They must have recognized just who he was and she almost smirked when they began to point and talk amongst themselves. "Seems you've got a couple fans there, cowboy."

With a quick glance over his shoulder, Terry caught the group of admiring girls and immediately smirked to himself. "See you later, Juney. Wish me luck."

She didn't bother with a goodbye as he was halfway to the group before she could even think to open her mouth, but she waved him off regardless. "Good luck you horn dog." She mumbled under her breath. She wandered around the grounds for another few minutes after that, hoping for a sale or two to make the time go by a little faster. She could see Geraldine off in the distance with a few girls her own age and made a mental note of the location to ensure she could find her again come time for Terry's final ride.

Another few minutes ticked by before she finally called it quits. There were at least four other girls all patrolling the rodeo selling the same cigarettes as she – there was no need for her. Or at least that was what she told herself as she hung the apron full of cigarettes back in the tent before walking over towards the practice grounds. She had a good twenty-five minutes or so until her brother's last ride of the night and she wasn't about to spend it throwing elbows trying to find a seat. She would watch it by the gates like she had done so many times before.

Besides, she had dealt with crowds all day and as she took in the near empty region of the practice area, she felt her body relax.

Slowly, the blonde took a seat on the stands and stretched out her long legs as she slowly began to unbraid her hair. In the distance, she could hear the galloping of hooves on the dirt floors before her and it immediately brought on a sense of calmness.

She had spent her entire childhood with these animals, and though she hadn't quite made the impact her two siblings had in the equine world, she still quite liked being around them.

"Thought I was the only one crazy enough to be watchin' a practice run."

June snapped her head in the direction of the voice only to find a boy around her age standing a few feet away. She recognized him immediately from the little altercation she had had with his buddy a few hours back, but he hadn't said anything then. He was a good looking boy; she had noticed that right off the bat. He had one of those faces that belonged in Hollywood – one that could have given James Dean a run for his money.

"I'm only here to avoid work," she half-joked as she placed the cowboy hat on the bench beside her. "What's your excuse?"

A slow, lazy grin tugged up the corner of the boy's lips as he continued to stand a few feet away. "Walkin' around looking pretty doesn't sound too hard. Not near hard enough to avoid doin' it."

A small smile pulled at her lips. "And yet, here I am." She said as she finished unbraiding her hair. "Did your friend ever get his Camel's?" she asked, leaning back on the palms of her hands as she turned her attention back to the rider circling the field.

"Naw," He told her. "Kept sayin' that you broke his heart. Turned him right off of the damn things."

Her smile grew as she slowly turned to look back at the dark-haired boy. "That so?" she asked, allowing the cool breeze to blow through her hair. A moment of silence passed between them before she gestured down to the bench. "You gonna sit down or were you waiting for an invitation?"

"More or less," Sodapop joked, but took the stands two rows at a time until he reached the blonde. "What's a girl like you doing at the rodeo by herself now, anyway?"

June glanced at him and took in his red plaid shirt that he wore overtop of a grease-stained white shirt. All signs pointed to this boy being a hood, but she stood her ground. She'd wrestled a calf once as child when it tried to escape from their old farm, she'd handle him too if he tried to get fresh.

"My brother and sister are participants. And I," she gestured down to the uniform, "am workin'. Or should be, anyway." She chanced a tiny smirk. "You caught me at a bad time, I guess."

Soda smiled and rolled up the sleeves of his raggedy old plaid shirt. "And earlier? That a bad time, too?" he teased, casting a long sideways glance at her as she fiddled with the kerchief around her neck.

"I was on my break," she affirmed. "'Sides, my brother was riding. I had an excuse."

Brother? He thought before realization dawned on him. "Wait, your brother is Terry Parker?"

To those who actually followed the rodeo circuits around Oklahoma, Terry had earned quite a name for himself. Over the last few years especially she was finding that that particular question had been popping up more and more the better her brother got. "The one and only."

"Gee, you must be quite the rider yourself, then!" He exclaimed, his eyes still wide. "I'm Sodapop, by the way. Sodapop Curtis."

The girl looked at him properly this time around the second his name had rolled off of his tongue. She had heard that name many times from Stella; she was always talking about how handsome the boy at working down at the DX was. Little did June know just how true Stella's words had been.

"Sodapop, eh?" she asked. She watched as he seemed to take in a long breath of air, obviously expecting a series of questions about his name like he had probably been getting from the time he was old enough to answer them. So, instead of asking him about it, she simply shrugged and looked back at the practice runs. "But to answer your question, no. I don't ride much these days. And I'm certainly not up to par with Terry."

He seemed to consider this for a few long seconds before he too turned his attention back to the riders. "You got a name yourself? You never did answer Two-Bit earlier."

Two-Bit? She repeated in confusion. What are with these names? "June." She finally said. "Like the month."

Sodapop looked back at the girl and noticed that her eyes were still cast ahead at the action before them. June, he repeated to himself. The name suited her for whatever reason. Whether it was her still sun-kissed skin from the summertime or her dark blonde hair blowing around like wheat, something about the girl reminded him of summer. And it was in that, that the name suited her just fine.

"So, what really brings you to this area, hmm?" she asked, leaning forward so that her hands curled beneath the bench as she tilted her head forward to peer at his face. "Can't tell me you were that bored."

Soda shrugged. "Not bored, no. Maybe I saw you comin' up here, and wanted to talk to ya." He raised his brows as if to let her know he was only teasing, but she smiled slightly nonetheless. "Or maybe, I just like horses."

"Must be the first one." She joked, spotting Geraldine from a mile away. Somehow, somewhere in the Parker gene pool – there was a redhead. And whoever it was all those years ago, had given her little sister hair brighter than fire itself. She stuck out like a sore thumb in a family full of blondes.

The youngest Parker was walking over towards the pair with a candy apple in hand and a few medals around her neck. She could see even from her viewpoint the odd look her younger sister gave her upon noticing just who she was sitting with.

"Friend of yours?" Sodapop asked innocently, watching the younger girl approach them.

June looked at him and chuckled quietly. "My little sister, actually."

Soda took in the younger girls slight frame and then glanced down at the heavy medals around her neck. "She rides, too!?" he asked in shock.

"Sure does," June stood up to her full height and brushed off her skirt. "Barrel racing."

Slowly, Soda joined the girl in standing before gazing down at her. She was tall, that much he had already established from the legs she had poking out from beneath the black skirt she wore, but he was still a few inches taller than her. "Family full of rodeo stars. You sure you don't ride?"

She had this way of smiling just slightly. Just enough to show him that his playful jabs had not been in vain. "Quite sure of it, actually." She told him. "I wasn't built for the rodeo." Was all she said before scooping up her black cowboy hat. "It was nice talkin' to you, Sodapop."

Before he could think of saying a quick goodbye of his own, she was off. He watched her go and nearly laughed out loud when her little sister gaped at Soda from below the stands. But June never once looked back, simply just continued to walk with her little sister before sliding her black hat on her sisters red hair.

"Who was that?" Geraldine asked, looking over her shoulder every three seconds at the handsome stranger. "Was he a hood?"

"Maybe," June answered with a shrug. "Just a guy who liked horses is all."

Geraldine considered this for a second before looking up at the blonde. "Ya think he's cute?"

With a quiet scoff, June peered down at her sister and shook her head. "What I think is if we don't hurry up, we're gonna miss Terry's ride." She shot her sister a look. "That's what I think."

A/N: Just a heads up, the idea of June's uniform is inspired from a picture I had seen of a drawing from the 60's and is indeed of the times. I also realize that in the books, Soda has blonde hair but I can't picture anyone but Rob Lowe as Soda and it's for my own selfish ways that he's a brunette in this story! Hope this doesn't offend anyone, haha.

Please review! Tell me how you're liking it (or not liking it…? Haha) it definitely inspires me to update a little faster.