Kaleidoscope- a Cherry Valance fanfic

Fall Break

Fall break had finally arrived, and you could tell that the members of the gang that were still in school were ecstatic. All Ponyboy talked about was how he was gonna go to the movies and the drive-in as often as possible. Dallas was looking forward to the groups of schoolgirls that would be able to party every night. On the other hand, I was still sad about my falling out with Cherry, we still hadn't talked.

The day after it had begun, I met up with Chris for a movie. When we exited the theatre, the sun was setting, giving the street a golden glow. We found a nearby bench and sat down.

"So," Chris lead off.

I stopped munching on my leftover popcorn and turned to give him my full attention.

"What're your plans for break?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm probably gonna hang out with the gang most of the time. Why?" I answered.

"Well, I thought that since you were off school, you'd be spending most of your time with me," he admitted.

"I thought it'd be nice of me to spend it with the people who have been letting me stay in their house, ya dig? Plus, I haven't gotten much time with Dal," I said.

"Yeah right, like Dallas is gonna spend his time with you. Dallas is either gonna spend it in the cooler or fucking some broad he picked up off the side of the street," he scoffed.

"That's different, I'm his sister," I said.

"Okay, keep believing that, honey," he laughed. The pet name brought chills to your spine, not in a good way. It felt wrong and dismissive coming out of his mouth.

"I don't like the way you're talking about my brother," I said. I didn't want to start a fight, so I was trying my best to keep from exploding.

"You've got to be out of your mind to think Dallas Winston is gonna choose to hang around you instead of a hot chic," he snorted to which I rolled my eyes in response. 

I got up off my seat and was about to start walking when I heard Chriss call me back.

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked, harshly grabbing my arm.

"Home," I answered angrily.

By now, the streets were virtually empty and the sun had fully set, the only illumination coming from the faulty street lights the city didn't bother fixing. The temperature had dropped significantly, and the slight breeze from before had become stronger. Now, the wind howled and fallen red-orange leaves were being blown around the street.

"Let me go!" I yelled, through the wind. Chris's grip only got tighter.

"No!" he yelled in response, standing up to face me. He towered over me now,  and the light cast shadows all over his face. I could barely see his eyes but was able to make out the way his brows were furrowed in anger and how his eyes stared directly at mine.

"Why don't you tell me what your plans actually are for the break, huh?" he interrogated.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I already told you what I was doing," I said, clearly confused.

"You're lying to me. Everyone lies to me. I know you're fucking lying to me. I bet you're cheating on me. I bet you're cheating on me like the fucking whore I know you are," he exploded, yelling through gritted teeth. As he spoke, his grip around my wrist got so tight that I wanted to start crying.

"I'm not fucking cheating on you! Who the hell do you think you are, accusing me of something like that? I'm done with you," I yelled back, tears brimming my eyes.

He finally removed his hand from my wrist and my other hand immediately dropped the area that was surely red.

"Don't talk to me like that," he said sternly. He raised the same hand that had been gripping my wrist and placed a brisk slap on my cheek. The area began to sting and heat up, some areas hurting more because of the hard, cold metal of his rings.

"We're done. Don't ever come anywhere near me again," I yelled, harshly shoving. his chest, causing him to stumble back and fall back.

I began to run back home, slowing down when I knew Chris was nowhere near me. I sniffled as I fought to hold the tears in. I brought my hand up to my cheek but quickly dropped it when I felt how much it hurt. The cold air was better. I noticed I was near the park where I had first met Ponyboy and Johnny. I took a seat on the bench and decided to let out my feelings. 

Better here than at home, I figured.

First, it was a couple of tears. Next thing I knew, I was bawling. I wasn't only crying because of the events that had happened not even an hour earlier, but because of everything. Everything I had bottled up was coming out. When I had calmed down, I got up and continued the path to the Curtis home. I had hoped that a) everyone would be asleep, and b) that the temperature would keep my eyes from puffing up and my wrist and cheek from bruising.

Thankfully, at least one of my prayers had been answered. When I arrived, the house was dark and nobody was in any of the common areas. I let out a breath of relief before taking off my pants and throwing myself onto the bed. I fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.