Summary: It seemed like Ponyboy always walked in at the wrong time. One day, while at school, he gets dragged into a Soc's excuse to softly break up with his girlfriend. That excuse: the Soc was in a gay relationship with Ponyboy. However, news travels fast as soon the entire school learns about them and they are forced to continue in the act. It was supposed to be for a month or two before they broke it off and went back to their own lives, but they didn't take into account that they would fall for each other.

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Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. I also took a lot of inspiration from To All the Boys I Loved Before.

Warning: This story will contain a lot of terrible slang, names, and sentences that could be really offensive to people. This is only so the story could be as historically accurate as possible.

Also, if you don't like gay relationships, please don't read this story or send me homophobic reviews/flames/PMs. Just click out and read another story. Thanks.

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In the wrong place at the wrong time—that was Ponyboy's catchphrase it seemed. It wasn't like he was fishing for trouble or anything. No, he tried to stay away to the best of his abilities. But sometimes things just happen. This time, Ponyboy accidentally got himself in a situation that lasted for his entire high school career. Heck, it even lasted after that. In fact, the implications stayed with him for the rest of his life.

It all started after he excused himself from class to go to the bathroom one afternoon. The hallways were absolutely empty with no student in sight. It was actually quite eerie. The bathroom was all the way at the other end of the floor, which was quite daunting when you really had to go. It wasn't close to any classroom and it was sort of isolated from any of the other rooms besides the janitor closet and the girls' restroom. But, whatever. It just meant that the bathroom was cleaner because there were fewer people that used it.

When he got closer, however, he heard yelling coming from inside the boys' bathroom. An argument was happening between two people, a boy and a girl. Why they had to have an argument in the bathroom, Ponyboy had no idea. He contemplated finding another bathroom, but then he would have to go to another floor and it just didn't seem worth it to him. He was going in, whether they like it or not. And, besides, what's the worst that could happen? Them telling him to scram?

With that, Ponyboy creaked open the bathroom door, eyes instantly locking onto the two people inside. As soon as he opened the door, they spun around to look at him. Both of them had different reactions to his arrival. The woman glared holes into him with her green eyes like she had always had a grudge against him. She was tall (freakishly so), almost towering over Ponyboy who was short for his age. Her curly red hair was cut short to her ears and her face was caked with makeup. Although she was pretty, she sort of reminded Ponyboy of a clown… more specifically, Ronald McDonald. He wondered if anyone else noticed that before. He had seen her around before and knew that she was quite popular amongst the students. He could see why. Despite being beautiful, she was on the yearbook committee and was friends with some of the cheerleaders.

The male, on the other hand, was also tall. The top of Ponyboy's head only went to his bottom lip. He was fit, but not too much so. The male was also older, maybe by two or three years, and had chestnut brown hair that was shorter on the back and sides and longer and wavier on the top. He was quite handsome, he had to admit. Ponyboy had never seen him before, but that was the least of his worries. Instead of glaring at him like many other Socs do, his lips curled up into a smirk, brown eyes gleaming mischievously.

Yep, Ponyboy should have walked to another bathroom.

He was about to slip back out and act like he didn't see anything when the male grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside the bathroom. Before Ponyboy had time to protest, he wrapped an arm around his waist, causing him to instantly tense up. He looked at the male like he was crazy, trying to struggle out of the hold, but no matter how hard he squirmed, he didn't budge.

"Is this him?" the woman suddenly demanded, hands firmly placed on her hips. If possible, her glare harshened.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy dared to ask. The two ignored him, much to his displeasure. He wanted answers and he wasn't getting any. And why was the Soc holding onto him so affectionately?

"That's right, Olivia. This is my boyfriend," the man finally answered, voice smooth. Ponyboy's eyes widened, snapping his attention to the male. If he had water in his mouth, he would have sprayed it all out.

What? Boyfriend? What the hell was going on!?

Olivia scoffed, looking Ponyboy up and down. "Really? Him? Come on, Archie. You could do better than that. He's a greaser and a he! I don't think gay relationships are even legal, and it shouldn't. It's sick. You can't be serious. You dumped me for him?" the woman complained, jabbing her finger towards Ponyboy.

"No—" Ponyboy started but the male holding him pinched him in the side, causing him to flinch into the other's side.

Archie only shrugged and said, "I like him, and he likes me too. That's what only matters. Isn't that right? You like me too, right?" The last word came out a little forced. He bent down to put his mouth near Ponyboy's ears. His hot breath brushed against his lobe, causing Ponyboy to tilt his head to the side in an attempt to get away as much as possible. His face was beet red, which didn't help his situation at all. He gaped like a fish, unsure of what he should do. His mind felt fuzzy from his embarrassment. But what Archie whispered in his ear sobered him up really quickly. "Back me up, grease, or else you're done."

On a usual case, Ponyboy would have stood up for himself. He could defend himself in a fight. But he felt something cold and sharp against his back. During his mini panic attack, Archie pulled out his blade. A bead of sweat fell down Ponyboy's temple as he pulled up a strained smile. "I like him very much," he stated tightly, eyebrow twitching. How did he even get himself in this situation?

Sensing his discomfort and awkwardness, Olivia raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him. "You don't look too sure. Are you two actually in a relationship? Is this fake? Are you lying to me?"

"We're in a relationship," Archie persisted.

Olivia crossed her arms. "Then prove it."

Prove it? What does she mean by 'prove it'? How were they supposed to even do that? Man, he just wanted this to all end.

"Okay," Archie chuckled nervously. His hand left his back to caress Ponyboy's face, and before he could react, his jaw was forced to the side. Archie leaned forward, causing him to freeze like a deer caught in headlights. Oh, crap! Ponyboy's eyes went wide when Archie's soft lips gently pressed on top of his. Again, his brain went blank and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. So, he just stood there, unmoving. His hands shakily reached up to press against Archie's firm chest, pushing him back weakly, but his limbs felt like jello.

After several seconds, much to Ponyboy's relief, Archie pulled away. He turned his head to smirk at his now ex-girlfriend. "Was that enough proof?"

Olivia's face was red, almost as much as Ponyboy's. She gaped like a fish before quickly regaining composure. She scoffed, looking at the pair with disgust. "You two are disgusting, you know that?" she spat.

With that, she stormed out of the bathroom. As soon as the door shuttered closed, Archie pushed Ponyboy back, who was still dazed. His lips still felt like Archie's were still on it, tingling. His heartbeat was pounding against his chest. It never went that fast. "What… What… Um…" Ponyboy blubbered, unable to form sentences. Finally, he settled on, "That was my first kiss."

Archie raised his eyebrow judgingly. "Your first kiss? Seriously? No wonder why you just stood there. Anyway, thanks for doing that, grease."

Ponyboy shook his head, rubbing at his cheeks. He was only fourteen, what was he expecting? Granted, Archie didn't know his age or who he exactly was. But, man, his first kiss wasn't going to be special like how they are written in books and movies. "I have a name, you know. It's Ponyboy."

"Ponyboy?" Archer busted out in laughter and Ponyboy felt his ears heat up again. "What kind of name is that?"

"Well, Archie, I like my name."

The other male frowned upon Ponyboy saying his name. "Don't call me Archie."

"But, isn't that your name?" Ponyboy looked at him quizzically.

"No. That's what Olivia started calling me. It's Archer."

"Archer," Ponyboy repeated, testing the sound of it on his tongue. It was an original name; a nice, tuff name. But something was telling him that Archer was keeping something from him. He shook his head. It was probably nothing and wasn't his business at all. What did matter though was why he was still chumming up with the Soc that practically assaulted him. Ponyboy crossed his arms, hardening his glare. "Whatever, I need to get back to class."

His need to go to the bathroom had long since been forgotten. Ponyboy spun around on his heel to leave, but before he could open the door enough for him to slip out, Archer slammed and held it shut, corning the younger teen. He towered over him, making Pony feel like an ant and instinctively shrank back, pressing his back against the door. Their eyes locked onto each other, unwavering, for a long moment before Archer said, "Hold on, grease."

"What do you want, Soc?" Ponyboy growled, glowering.

"I want you to continue pretending to be my boyfriend."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Soc was asking to spend more (intimate) time with him? The thought of it made his stomach turn uneasily. "And why would I do that?"

"Well, if I know Olivia enough, she is already spreading the news about us around school. It'll be suspicious if we only stayed in a relationship for just those few minutes. People would automatically assume that our relationship was fake, which would ruin both of us. They will never stop making fun of us. I can't even imagine it." He sighed, pushing away from Ponyboy who let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"I don't care if people make fun of me for being in a fake relationship, but you didn't answer my question. Why should I help you?"

The taller male hummed. "Well, for starters, your status will go up. Being with me will shoot you straight up the ranks."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. Typical Soc being conceited when it comes to popularity and status. "But I don't want that. Besides, your status will most likely go down instead. Both of ours will. Being gay isn't accepted, you know. It's looked down on."

"I'm not gay though," Archer objected.

"Yeah, and neither am I."

Archer scoffed in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe. You always seemed like you like guys to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ponyboy frowned. Gay? Did he really seem gay to people? Maybe it was because he had yet to fully be dunked into puberty.

"Well, you never seemed interested in girls. There were a few girls that tried to get with you, but you brushed them aside without even looking at them."

When was all of this? Sure, some females would talk to him, but he didn't think anything about it. Were they really trying to ask him out? He never felt attracted to them. Sure, they were all pretty, but they never really sparked anything within him. Again, he blamed his slow but steady integration into puberty for that. But, one thing's for sure, he wasn't gay. He didn't want to be. He just wanted to be normal and fit in as best as he could. Life would be easier if he was normal.

They were getting off topic, Ponyboy noted. He just wanted to go and Archer was intentionally dragging the conversation on. "Whatever. I'm not going to do it. I don't want to help you. Spending time with you would be so miserable."

Archer crossed his arms, curving his lips downward and huffing. "Man, you're so negative."

"No, just irritated," Ponyboy retorted through gritted teeth.

Ponyboy wasn't budging, and Archer knew that. He couldn't give up now though. With a sigh, he said, "Look, I know that you don't want to do it. Hell, I don't either. I don't even want to be in the same room as you. We just need to and act like we're in a relationship for maybe a month before we can go our separate ways. Then we never have to talk to each other again."

Pony shook his head. The bell went off, signaling the end of the period. Archer didn't have much time until people start infiltrating the bathroom. He scratched at his hair. He had to wrap everything up. "How about this," Archer continued. "Just think about it. Tell me if you want to continue this fake relationship later. If not, then I guess I can figure something out. But it'll only be for a month, I swear. Then we can break up."

"A month with you? Hurray…" Sarcasm heavily laced in Ponyboy's voice. He pursed his lips. There was something that he was still confused about. "Hey, why did you pretend to be my boyfriend? Why did you break up with Olivia? What was that all about?"

"Because she was psycho!" Archer threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "It was the only thing that was left that would shake her off of me! I tried breaking up with her many times before but she just manipulates me into staying with her! I just wanted her to go!"

"But now both of us have to deal with society thinking that we are gay. People are going to pick on me—on us—as well as our families because of you. We're going to be called names and have things thrown at us. People that we love dearly will get hurt. We will get hurt."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Archer tightly accepted, voice serious and face turning stoic. It was like his emotions were sucked out with a vacuum. It gave Ponyboy chills that sent shivers down his spine.

He shook his head. He couldn't afford anything to happen to him or the gang. They were already walking on a tightrope. "But I'm not willing to. Even though you physically and frugally have more than me, I have way more to lose. I just can't risk anything as you can."

The door suddenly opened and Ponyboy had to quickly step aside to prevent it from slamming into him. A few students stepped inside the bathroom, eyeing them weirdly as they walked towards the urinals. Ponyboy took that as an opportunity to slip out of the bathroom and merge with the crowd of students outside before Archer could grab him again. He didn't look over his shoulder to check to see if Archer was following him.

He rubbed at his cheeks again. Man, his cheeks still felt like they were burning. He hoped that he wasn't red still.

"Just think about it!" Archer called out over the boisterous chatter of the students. Ponyboy kept walking with his head down though. He wasn't going to accept the proposal and that was that. He wasn't going to get more involved in that Soc's scheme.

Ponyboy just didn't know how quickly someone's decision could change.

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Hey everyone!

Tell me what you think about this so far! Do you like it? Should it continue or should I just scrap this right now?

How do you like Archer so far? Yes, he's an asshole, but it's for character development in later chapters.

Also, if any of you have anything you want to add to the story. I'm not promising that it'll go in, but if I like an idea, I just might do so. Within rated 'T', of course.

Till then, stay gold.