「it ended at sonic」 | d.w. + c.v.

Chapter Six.

HER HEAD RANG, she could barely open her eyes without pain striking through her body. Her hands engulfed the snowy white sand under her, trying to steady herself somehow. For a moment, she was unsure of where she was. Then, her head began to clear slightly. She pushed herself to sit up, eyes squinting closed tightly before opening again. The waves were still crashing against the shore, though they sounded harsher than before. Her lip stung, a strong copper taste filling her mouth. She wiped off her hand on her shirt, placing a finger to her mouth and then looking at it. Crimson red slid along her pale skin, causing her to wince. "Oh, man..." She choked out. She knew she had to get somewhere, but if she showed up at the house looking like this, only God knew what Bruno would do. She needed to do something, at least get off this damned beach before Tony came back to maybe finish her off. God knew he'd probably kill her the next time he saw her, and it scared her to death. Besides, she was in hood territory, nowhere close to her own house. Maybe she could ask Ponyboy to help her get cleaned up, maybe even see Dallas, but she knew they'd ask questions. In reality, she didn't know what all happened so she couldn't exactly answer them anyway. It probably wouldn't hurt to see either of the boys. She tried to get to her feet, slowly, so she wouldn't fall on her face. Her footing was shaky, though even so she carried on. Everything hurt; she wasn't sure which parts of her body he'd hit, and which ones he hadn't. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to look in a mirror anytime soon, though she knew at some point she'd have to see the damage that was done. She wasn't sure how close she was to the Curtis household, but she knew she'd make it there eventually. If she could get off this damned beach, she'd be happy. Why had she ever thought this was a good idea? Why had she gone alone? It was quite possibly the worst, most ridiculous decision she'd ever made-and that was sayin' something. She stumbled onto the boardwalk, trying to keep her footing by clinging to the creaky wooden handle. It should only be a few blocks away; then, she'd be safe. When she made it to their door, she looked like a wreck - at least, she imagined she did. Sodapop answered, eyes widening at the sight of her.

"Cherry --" His voice sounded incredulous, instantly opening the door more for her to step in. Cherry would've let herself pass out once again had it not been for that she'd most likely fall down the stairs behind her, leaving her more bruised than she already was. It was a relief when Sodapop put her arm around his shoulders to help her stand, as her legs were visibly shaking from the weight of herself. She was exhausted from the effort she'd put into walking here. God, how she felt like an idiot. Honestly every guy she was the least bit interested in was violent and angry, and always looking for a fight. Bob, Tony, Hell, even being a little interested in Dallas. Maybe this was punishment for going for the 'bad boys'. If she had been in any position to, she would've laughed at herself for ending up like this and never expecting it.

"Who's that?" A tough voice sounded from somewhere, though Cherry couldn't quite figure out where.

"A Soc Pony met at the Nightly Double-" Before he could finish, Darry was all over him.

"You brought a Soc here? What're they even doin' on this side of town?"

"Darry, she's hurt real bad-" He clamped his mouth shut when Darry came into view, the brunet's expression twisted and angry.

"I didn't bring 'er here. You saw that, Darry." Soda nervously ran a hand through his deep golden hair. Ponyboy strode in at this point, eyes moving from Darry to Soda slowly. Their older brother never got onto Sodapop, yet right now he looked madder than he'd ever been.

"What's goin' on?" He was dumfounded. His expression changed when he noticed Cherry, on the verge of passing out. "What happened?" Pony nearly shouted as he quickly made his way to help Sodapop hold her up. They both moved to set the redhead on the couch as Darry finally took in the state of the unwanted Soc. The oldest of the three brothers then went to Cherry's side to see what exactly the hell happened to her. At this point she was having a hard time keeping herself awake.

"What's your name, kid?" Darry asked, pale blue-green eyes wide and shocked at the condition of the sixteen year old. Before she herself could answer, seeing as how she was having quite enough trouble staying awake, Ponyboy did so for her.

"That's Cherry Valance, the girl who came over earlier today." He stated as his worried eyes took in her beaten and tattered form. Never had he ever seen a girl in this bad of a condition, not even a greasy girl. He never thought he would, least of all someone he'd spoken to just hours before when they looked completely fine. Darry gave him a quick glance before turning his gaze back to the forest green-hued girl.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She honestly did try to say something, though, what she was planning to say, she had no idea. Cherry was out cold before she could even open her mouth. Darry sighed, his head falling for a moment before he stood to full height and looked to his younger brothers. "Is there at least anyone we can call that might know something or could take her home to her family?" He asked tiredly, this day was getting longer and longer by the second, and he only hoped he could get a good nights' sleep after seeing this. Whoever or whatever did this, they were certainly outta' their damned mind.

"I think Two-Bit still has her friend's number." The youngest of the three said, forgetting how Keith had thrown it out shortly after she'd given him it. Of course he was talking about Marcia, but Soda nor Darry knew who she was anyway. Darry ran a hand over his face tiredly, nodding.

"Go 'head and call him." Ponyboy looked at Soda, silently pleading with him to make the call. He wanted to tend to Cherry, get her a little cleaned up before Marcia saw her.

"I'll call." Soda said, real low so only Pony could hear him. Part of him wanted to call Steve, his best friend since grade school, but Two-Bit was the one who'd probably be of assistance. He went to the phone, picking it up and wrapping his hand around the cord nervously. While he did that, the redish-brown haired boy went into the bathroom. He grabbed peroxide and a few paper towels before walking back and sitting on his knees in front of her. He wasn't a doctor of any sort, in fact he was quite sure he had no idea what the fuck he was doing. Still, he was going to try anyway. He started with the cut on her lip, noticing how it was still bleeding a little. Whoever had done this sure had hit her good, she looked worse than he had after the rumble on the night of Johnny's death. He half wondered if she'd been jumped, or just attacked by someone who was awful angry at her. Before too long, Two-Bit was walking in like he owned the place. He had some pep in his step, if you know what I mean. Guy was more nervous than Pony had ever seen him. After him, Dally strode in, eyes falling on the scarlet haired girl. He must've picked him up on the way.

"The hell happened to her?" Dally raised his voice, not caring the time of night it was.

"Hey, keep it down, will 'ya?" Soda hissed in a hushed tone. He didn't want to disturb the lady, she'd been through enough that night. Dally hadn't even been aware that he was being so loud, though still he scoffed at the words.

"Ain't nobody gonna tell me what to do." His voice was more quiet now, though, taking a seat on the floor beside the end of the couch. Two-Bit had torn up the piece of paper with her number on it, so he wasn't sure why he even came, but he had. They all would just have to wait until she regained consciousness, it seemed. Maybe after she'd rested she'd be able to tell them what happened, or at least give them a number to call.