「it ended at sonic」 | d.w. + c.v.

Chapter Four.

CHERRY WAS ANXIOUS, to say the least. If her friends were to see her hanging around Ponyboy and Dallas, they'd probably have a heart attack. Bob was dead, so he couldn't exactly protest against who she decided to spend her time with; though that didn't mark off the others. Seeing Marcia's baby blue mustang, her usual soft smile found its way to the corners of her mouth. The two had been best friends for what felt like forever. In fact, Marcia was the only one who knew anything about Cherry's family situation. Dally propped himself on the side of his car, striking a match and lighting a cigarette. He seemed unconcerned with what was going on, though Ponyboy greeted Marcia with a shy smile. He was known for being quiet, much like Johnny had been before the incident, and even just meeting him once or twice you could gather that.

"You comin', Dal?" He waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head from right to left. With a shrug, Pony followed the girls in. He'd probably pick up a few groceries for the house with the spare change he had, even if it wasn't a whole lot. All he could think when they walked in the store was thank God he'd gotten rid of that awful blond hair.

"Where's Bruno these days?" He could swear he felt Cherry tense up as she quickly opened her mouth to say something.

"Bruno's my dog!" She exclaimed nervously, silently cursing herself for not telling Marcia not to tell anyone. She laughed as she met Ponyboy's eyes, trying to sound nonchalant. The curious look on his face sent alarms throughout her mind. He'd probably ask further questions in the car, and if she were honest she wasn't quite sure how she'd answer. Especially with Dally being with them. Marcia looked as though she was going to protest, or maybe ask what the hell she was talking about, but instead she just nodded.

"Yeah. How's he been?"

"As good as he can be." Her answer was speedy, awkward as she nodded along slowly. "Oh, would you look at that. They have cornflakes!" It was obvious she didn't want to discuss the topic, so Pony let it go for the moment. They continued through the store, grabbing random things off of the shelves. As they were standing in line, Cherry turned to whisper about something to Marcia. Ponyboy watched as the brunette quickly made her way to another part of the store, though which part he didn't know.
"See any sunsets lately?" He inquired softly, greenish-gray eyes meeting her gaze. The two had once discussed them. If Pony remembered correctly it had been sometime during their first meeting. Sunsets were one of the more simple things in life, and he loved them to death. It something Ponyboy couldn't really talk about to any of the guys. Soda was more understanding than most, and he'd talked to Johnny briefly about them from time to time, though it wasn't the same as actually speaking to someone who shared that common interest.

"I watched one the evening after Johnny…" She trailed off a moment, biting the inside of her cheek. Death and die were such ugly words; she didn't feel right using them in the same sentence as Johnny. "After everything happened, that is. I remember wanting to see something to make me feel a little at peace." She shook her head slightly, looking down. She'd wanted to see something that was still constant and beautiful in life, and that's exactly what the sight of the sunset provided her with. She still saw Johnny's face in her head sometimes. How he looked, lying in that bed, pale and stiff. How she'd felt such a mixture of things; helpless, scared, hurt. She really did feel guilty about not coming to see him sooner than she did, but she couldn't change that now. The sunset had been something she hadn't watched for what felt like decades. When she was younger, before she got too tangled up with the ways of the Socs, she used to get home early in the night just so she could stare out her window and see it. She figured if she spoke to anyone but Pony about it, they'd think she was strange. She cared about what others thought, a little too much, so personal conversations weren't her specialty. Ponyboy was silent for a moment before he found his voice again.

"I think I saw that one, too." A smile traced along her face, and then it faded as Dally strode into the store. At the same time, Marcia came back with a package of pads and over the counter Ibuprofen. Ponyboy already felt the awkwardness bloom, but he decided not to say anything. As Dallas approached them, his eyes instantly fell on the package.

"I knew you were on the rag, red." He turned to look at Cherry. "That must be why you've been so moody." He gave her a toothy smirk. She gasped in disgust, shooting him a cool stare before avoiding his eyes completely. He sure liked pushing her buttons.

"Just for your information, I'm not. My mom is." Maybe it was too much information, but it wasn't as if Dallas didn't ask for it. It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that. Truth was, she was out of supplies and she needed it for the next time she was on her period. But, it might as well be the truth, her mother was so moody these days. One minute she'd be okay and everything and then the slightest comment, whether rude or not, could just flip her switch. Sometimes she'd come home drunk and decide she wanted to watch a movie or have a girls' night with Cherry. "Anyway," she quickly paid the store clerk and grabbed the bags. Well, the ones she could carry without tipping over. Marcia grabbed her own groceries, having less to grab since she needed to buy just simple things like certain ingredients for meals that her family planned to make during the week. That was one thing. Everyone in her house made their own meals, save for the times she'd maybe share something with Bruno and maybe watch a movie with her mom. Her dad was never really around. Either in his room, at work, or hanging out with some sleazy stripper. Pony helped her with her groceries, much to her thanks, as did Dally, after being forced to, much to Cherry's dismay. Honestly, she couldn't say she didn't trust him, she more or less just knew he'd probably try something. It was, after all, Dallas Winston they were talking about. Not just one of the others, the other guys in their little gang were alright as far as she knew, but Dally was someone who was bound to try something- anything just to rile her up. Surprisingly, he just put the bags in the backseat, shoving Ponyboy in the back as well before anyone could protest, while Cherry and Marcia said their goodbye's.

"So, are you and Dallas a thing or something?" Marcia asked quietly so the guys wouldn't hear. Cherry immediately shot her a look and Marcia took that as her answer, throwing her hand up in surrender at Cherry's glare. "Sorry, I'm just asking. Jeez." After Cherry loosened her glare and turned to glance back at the boys, Ponyboy in the backseat and Dally leaning against the driver side door smoking a cigarette, Marcia looked to her own ride home. "Maybe you are on your period." Marcia murmured, trying not to be heard. Unfortunately, the red head had, in fact, heard her. Cherry shot a glare at her best friend before walking away with a quick goodbye. When the redhead got to the car, going to sit in the backseat, Dally and Pony stopped her.

"Just sit in the front, red." Dallas stated, sitting himself behind the wheel.

"Yeah, there's not a lot of room back here. It'd probably be best if you sat up there." Ponyboy put in. Cherry stuttered for a moment before looking down to Ponyboy.

"Well, why don't you sit in the front? I mean, you did on the way here..." Cherry protested.

"Dally'll kill me if I get these in the front of his car." Raising the bag, he gave her an apologetic smile. He'd bought barbeque pork rinds, and goddammit, he was gonna eat them. Cherry took a deep breath, trying to control her temper. So, she reluctantly got in the front seat, slapping on her seatbelt and making sure she wouldn't fly out if Dally hit a tree or something. Which, with his driving, was a high probability.