「it ended at sonic」 | d.w. + c.v.

Chapter Five.

THE DRIVE TO Cherry's house was pretty uneventful to say the least, save for countless cries of disapproval at Dally's driving. She could swear he did it to rile her up more than anything. Honestly, by the time they reached her neighborhood, she was scared shitless. She nearly kissed the ground when Dallas pulled over. "So the ground gets a kiss, but I don't, even when I was nice and drove you home?" He joked as he leaned against the car, laughing as Ponyboy helped her to stand up.

"I thought you said you're never nice, what happened to that?" She asked, brushing a few hairs from her face. He only shot her his signature smirk as she grabbed a few of the bags from the car. Pony grabbed the rest for her and, realizing that her brother was still home, she quickly said, "Um, you can just sit those by the door. My parents are having some people over tonight, so the house is kind of messy right now. Anyway, thanks for the lift." She tried to act normal, she'd probably done this hundreds of times. It was nothing new to her, which is why it was a surprise when she felt all nervous and shaky.

"Are you sure? I don't mind bringin' them in." She glanced back warily, then faced him once more. Wide smile, she shook her head.

"It's not too much, nothin' I can't handle."

"Well, alright. You need me you call, okay?" He wasn't even sure if she had the phone number of the house.

"Hey, Pony, you got a cancer stick?" Dally called from the car.

"Bye, Ponyboy." Cherry said softly, hand reaching out to give his shoulder a soft squeeze before dropping it. "Thanks, for everything. You're an awfully sweet kid." He gave her a smile that could win a trophy.

"Thanks, Cherry. I'll be seeing 'ya." He turned, walking down the smooth wooden steps before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his cigarette pack, tossing one to Dallas before sliding one between his lips. That was the last thing the redhead saw before she turned and entered her house, hands clasping the bags in her arms.

"Could you come grab these bags off the steps?" No answer. Bruno was the only one home, surely he knew she was talking to him. She sighed impatiently. Stepping into the house, her head shot toward the stairs. "Please?" Hearing the familiar thump of footsteps, she sighed in relief. "What do you do up there all day anyway?" She scrunched up her face playfully. Instead of answering her, he mimicked her expression before grabbing the bags as she'd asked and following her to the kitchen. She came back to close the door, running a hand through her solid red hair. It sure had been a long day; thinking back, not too much had happened. So why did she feel so worn out? Her stomach clenched as her eyes caught the glimmer of the sun beating down on the sidewalk. She had a feeling something real awful was going to happen, though she didn't know what. Maybe it was just one of those days, but whatever it was, it was rubbing her the wrong way.

A few hours later, it was dark and she was walking to the beach. Her car was in the shop, having broken down earlier in the week, so walking seemed like the best resolution. She could've probably called Pony to walk with her, but it was too late for that. She was thinking that maybe she could see the sun rise, if her parents didn't call and order her home before then. Not that they would, they were too wrapped up in their own disputes, but Bruno might. He was like that sometimes, overprotective. It showed he cared, but sometimes, it was just too weird. When he'd entered the army, he'd taken off without saying anything. He was missing for months and when he came back- God, how he'd changed. It was a miracle her mother was even able to recognize him. Though he carried his weight around the house; helped with cleaning, occasionally went out to get takeout for dinner, and always made sure Cherry was safe and sound. Of course, that was when he was there. If a man put his paws on her, Bruno would probably kill him. Though, it wasn't as if she opened up to him about this stuff, anyway. She faintly heard the engine of a car rev, but she decided to ignore it and keep walking. She inhaled deeply; the air was salty, crisp. Her eyes had instinctively closed, only now they flickered open to look at the stars. They were beautiful, mesmerizing even. She hadn't really noticed them before, not to this extent. Had Ponyboy viewed stars this way? Had Dallas? She was so busy thinking that she didn't even hear the car door slam, or the foot steps that followed her. She'd been thinking of sappy sunsets and how the waves crashed against the shore, when something hard slammed into her back. She fell forward with a gasp, the air knocked out of her before her body hit the sand. She gasped, trying her hardest not to let sand in her mouth. Tough hands gripped her shoulders, yanking her toward the face before his weight was pushed onto her hips. She blinked a few times, trying to get her vision to steady to clearly make out who it was.

"This is what you get, you little bitch!" He shouted, his voice sputtering. The whiskey was noticeable on his breath, anger boiling in his gaze. She struggled as his hands gripped her wrists, only this time there were no distractions to loosen his grip. They were all alone, and there was no way she could overrule his muscle.

"Wha-" Before she could get the word out, he socked her. His other hand came up, grabbing her throat tightly. She wriggled beneath him, mouth ajar and trying to catch her breath. Her vision slowly began to blur, and then everything went black.