Diner was an idea I had, loosely based on good friends of my families who went through something similar to this. This is my first outsiders Fanfiction, so any constructive criticism is welcomed.

This chapter is to get the ball rolling. Having written the first 8 chapters in advance, I can guarantee you 2 chapters a week for the next couple of weeks. As long as you update that is:)

Groggily playing with my napkin, I sat in a booth, staring at the people outside of the window I was next to. Everything was different in Oklahoma City. Tulsa was calm, collected. It was a small town, everyone able to coexist without problems.

Well…at least Socs coexisted with Socs and Greasers coexisted with Greasers.

Oklahoma City was full of life. Kinda like a bee hive. There were hundreds of people, living their life without anyone to tell them anything different.

"What can I get for you?" a voice asked me. I glanced up to see a girl about my age. Nineteen…twenty tops.

"Um... coffee please." I said, flashing her a weak smile.

She looked just about as tired as I was. Maybe a bit worse. "Coming right up." She said, and she flew to the back. She came back moments later, bringing me my coffee. "Anything else?"

"I think I'm good." I glanced around the room, noticing that I was the only one here. "Really busy, huh?"

She sighed. "I should be upset about it, but truthfully, I'm relieved. It's been a nonstop flow of people, and this is my second shift today. So what's your excuse?" she asked, placing the coffee pot on the table.

"My excuse?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You look as tired as I feel. Long day school? How old are you anyways. Senior year in high school?" she asked, putting her finger to her lip in thought.

I smiled slightly. "Try junior year of college."

"Wow. You're older than I thought."

"How old did you think I was?" I ask.

"Eighteen or Nineteen. Twenty tops."

"Well you were right. I'm turning 20 in a couple of weeks, June 16."

She looked at me in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Really, really."

"How did you manage that?"

"I skipped a grade, and did a lot of college classes in high school." I shrugged. "No big deal."

"I was going to start college this year, but…"

"Life happened." I guessed.

She nodded. "That's about right. So I'm guessing from your look of exhaustion, that its finals week."

I laughed. "You're a good guesser."

She sat down across from me. "But a smart guy like you, they must be a piece of cake."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like my brothers."

"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Her really pretty blue eyes stared at me. "What are your brothers like?"

"I've got two of them. Darry's my oldest brother. He's really tough, and doesn't take no for an answer. It has to be good enough. But he does care, just has to be the tough one for me and my brother. He's a bit of an ass sometimes." I trailed off. "But he's been a lot better lately."

She laughed. "I think I like the sound of Darry. Is that his real name?"

"Naw, is real name is Darryl. Though Darry isn't anything. My other brother's name is Sodapop."

"Now you're messing with me."

"I swear on my parents graves."

She winced. "That was deep."

I nodded in agreement. "Yea, maybe a bit too deep. But it's true. My brother's name is Sodapop. We call him Soda."

"Now what's Sodapop like?"

"Well Soda is the best. One of my best friends. Nicest guy you'll ever meet. He dropped out of school when he was 16 with Steve and they worked at the DX for a couple of years. They started a business of their own a couple of years ago. It's going really good." I took a sip of my coffee.

She laughed. "Sounds like your picking favorites."

"Naw, not really. I've always gotten along better with Soda that with Darry. Soda's just that kinda guy. And Darry had to become a parent when I was only 15, and I couldn't stay out of trouble if my life depended on it." I trailed off. "Sometimes my life did depend on it."

"Sounds like an interesting life."

I nodded. "Now what about you? You have somehow managed to smuggle out my entire life story. I'm impressed."

She sighed, resting her head in the palm of her hand. "I like you. Plus, I hold an amazing conversation." She shrugged. "It's a talent."

"Now I don't even know your name."

She smiled, showing me her perfectly straight teeth. "It's Anna Wicker."

"Anna." I said, tasting the name on my lips. "It fits you."

"I would hope so. It is my name. And for a fifteen minute conversation about your life, I missed your name also."

"Ponyboy. Ponyboy Curtis."

She looked surprised. "It's an original name."

"My dad was an original guy."

She smiled. "Well I grew up, went to high school, and live in Oklahoma City with my daughter."

I was shocked. But I masked my expression. "How old is she?"

"She's turning four this July." She said, smiling fondly. "She's the smartest kid I

ever met. She can count to 100, and can speak great." She trailed off. "Well kinda. She's working on pronouncing most things."

I smiled at her. "She's a momma's girl, huh?"

She frowned slightly. "Well her daddy hasn't been part of her life since she was 3 weeks old. So yeah, I'd say she was a momma's girl."

I quieted. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I just get mad at him, you know? He's just left, and I was all alone."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She said, standing up from her seat. "I'm not, you know? Except for

that asshole leaving me, but Ellie is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"She sounds like a nice girl."

Anna beamed. "She is."

I looked at my empty cup and I sighed. "I better be going."

Anna took my coffee cup and gave me a warming smile. "Come back here after finals. I want to know how you did."

I felt myself flush. "What time do you work?"

"Monday through Friday, four to eight."

"Thank you. I would really like that." I watched her go before I paid my bill and left a happy bonus.

Ok, there it is. Thank you for reading, and I really appreciate any reviews. Thank you all!