mention how he keeps comparing Cathy to his ex-girlfriend, Angela Shepard. Byron says that although Cathy is innocent, she is gutsy because she is not afraid to speak her mind like most girls.Bryon then comments that his main problem with Cathy is that she only likes him. Byron doesn’t want to be liked, he wants Cathy to be crazy about him. He explains to the reader that he has a very bad ego and wants girls to desire him. However, Cathy is not like the other girls that Bryon has been with because she is very down to earth. Cathy is not overly excited about Bryon, which makes him feel uneasy. Bryon wants Cathy to adore and love him immediately like other girls. 

In Chapter 2, Bryon heads down to the snack bar while he is visiting his mother at the hospital. When he is looking at the menu, he hears a voice say, "Can I take your order?" (Hinton 12). Bryon looks up to see a "really cute chick" that recognizes him. Bryon mentions that she had a big smile on her face and looked familiar, but he cannot remember her name. When Bryon comments that he didn't know she worked at the snack bar, she says, "I just started this week. But you knew I just got back, didn’t you?" (Hinton 13). Bryon simply says, "Oh, yeah" as he continues to try to remember her name (Hinton 13). She proceeds to take Bryon's order, and when she returns, Bryon recognizes her smile and yells, "Cathy!" (Hinton 13). Cathy seems surprised Bryon didn't remember who she was. Bryon then explains that the last time he saw her, she had short hair and braces. Bryon says to Cathy that the only way he was able to recognize her was because she looked so much like M&M. Cathy tells Bryon that she takes his comment as a compliment and says, "M&M is a beautiful child and he has a beautiful smile to match his mind" (Hinton 14). Bryon agrees with her and awkwardly tells Cathy that he would like to talk to her sometime. Cathy says, "All right...we'll talk sometime" before Bryon leaves (Hinton 14).
Bryon's first meeting with Cathy is rather awkward because Bryon does not recognize Cathy at first. Cathy seems very nice and doesn't take offense when Bryon tells her that he forgot who she was. When Bryon attempts to ask her to hang out, he begins to stutter. After their initial conversation, Bryon is upset with himself because he didn't come off as the smooth boy that he typically is.

Bryon develops feelings for Cathy that he never had for Angela or for any other of his previous girlfriends. Cathy is an honest and sensible young lady, genuine and down to earth. Meeting someone like this is something of a rarity for Bryon, and he responds in a positive manner, warming to her winning ways and falling more deeply in love with her.

The same cannot be said of Angela. Bryon's relationship with her is volatile, a never-ending rollercoaster ride of emotions, most of them negative. Veering wildly between making out and fighting, it's clear that this crazy, tempestuous relationship has no future. It's no wonder that, in due course, Bryon comes to feel resentment towards Angela.

If Angela keeps Bryon in a state of extended adolescence, Cathy guides him into the adult world. Thanks to her, Bryon becomes much more mature and responsible, as can be seen by the way he supports Cathy when her brother M&M has a bad drug trip.

Even so, Bryon's relationship with Cathy eventually fizzles out. But at least he can say, hand on heart, that when they were together, he felt for her more powerfully than any of the other girls he'd dated. If they brought out the worst in Bryon, especially Angela, Cathy certainly brought out the best.

Unlike the other girls Bryon had dated in the past, Cathy is an innocent, insightful, down-to-earth kind of girl. In Chapter 3, Bryon takes Cathy to a school dance and when they arrive, Angela, Bryon's ex-girlfriend, approaches Bryon to say hello in the middle of the dance. Bryon offends Angela by asking if she came with Ponyboy Curtis. Angela curses at Bryon then turns around and walks away. Cathy casually asks Bryon who Angela is and sarcastically comments, "Certainly uses nice language...A real lady" (Hinton 25). At that moment, Bryon realizes that Cathy wasn't jealous of Angela at all. He mentions that Cathy was the first girl he's ever dated that wasn't scared of another girl showing her up. Bryon is pleasantly surprised and refreshed to learn about Cathy's confident personality. Bryon concludes that Cathy has more sense than any girl he's previously dated and isn't worried about her liking Mark anymore. 

I think that Bryon's change towards Cathy reflects the challenges of growing up in That Was Then, It Was Now.

Let's start off by tracing what might be Bryon's feelings towards Cathy.  We know that he does have strong feelings for Cathy.  These feelings cause him to become different than Mark.  One way he is different than Mark is because he develops empathy.  An example of this would be how he feels bad for M&M, something Mark does not feel.  The feelings that Bryon feels for Cathy play a large part in his separation from Mark.  

When Bryon has to call the police on Mark, it represents one of the most difficult things he has to do.  He is filled with guilt over what he has done.  As a result, he is not entirely certain that he has done the right thing.   When he testifies against Mark, it cuts the bond between them and Mark will never be able to forgive Bryon.  

Bryon's feelings towards Cathy have helped him develop an emotional identity that he did not have before.  However, as a result of these feelings, he has broken off from the life he once knew.  In many ways, Bryon breaks up with Cathy "to get even for Mark."  Perhaps, we can make the argument that he breaks up with Cathy as a way to show some loyalty to Mark, while he struggles with the fact that he committed the greatest act of disloyalty by turning him in.  

As you can see, little is clear here. Growing up is shown in a very complex manner.  I would say that Bryon still has feelings for Cathy, but he cannot bring himself to loving her because of the pain he harbors for what he has done to his brother.  In this case, hurt is stronger than love.  The emotions he felt for Cathy played a major role in why he did what he did to Mark, so continuing to feel love for her is like a further act of betrayal against Mark.  Feelings like happiness and joy are in the past for Bryon, representative of the "that was then, this is now" idea in his life.

In Chapter 3, Bryon takes Cathy to a school dance, where he runs into his ex-girlfriend, Angela Shepard. Angela approaches Bryon and he dismisses her by asking if she came with Ponyboy Curtis. Angela responds to Bryon's comment by cursing at him while she walks away. When Angela leaves, Cathy asks Bryon about Angela, and he tells Cathy that Angela was someone he used to date. Cathy then makes a sarcastic comment about Angela's "nice language" and refers to her as a "real lady." Bryon is shocked at Cathy's response because for the first time he realizes that Cathy wasn't jealous of Angela at all. Bryon mentions that Cathy was the first girl he's ever dated who wasn't scared that some other girl would show her up. Initially, Bryon doesn't know what to make of it but then decides that Cathy has a lot more sense than most girls.