「it ended at sonic」 | d.w. + c.v.

Chapter Nine.

IT HAD BEEN a week since the incident with Tony. She'd been covering her bruises with makeup, as best as she could. Ponyboy had been checking up every so often, but for the most part she felt okay. A part of her feared that he'd come back for her, but her rational way of thinking told her that everything would be just fine if she watched her tongue. Cherry hadn't heard from Dallas since their talk on the Curtis family's porch, she knew he was up to something but she didn't know what. In honesty, she didn't think she could bring herself to face him again. She meant what she said what she'd said to Ponyboy the night she met Dallas Winston. It was a dangerous path she was walking down and she knew it. God, everything had been so simple before she'd met those damn Greasers. "You gotta stop thinkin' like that, kid. You think too hard, all you'll be is a thinker." She jumped slightly at Bruno's voice, turning to face him with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What does that even mean?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hell if I know, kiddo. Hell if I know." She let out a laugh, grinning wildly at him. Her teeth were white, but not movie star white. There wasn't anything shining or sparkly about it.

"You're strange, y'know that?" She reached out to grab her cup of water, taking a sip before sitting it down again. He nodded, an almost identical grin falling over his features.

"Runs in the family." He seemed happy today, content. It was nice, made her feel warm inside despite the fear that Tony would come back for her. With a wink, Bruno stepped out of her bedroom doorway. He was either going out to roam the town, or locking himself in his bedroom once more. Bruno wasn't depressed, but he had a strange urge to isolate himself. He liked being on his lonesome, and that's always something Cherry never understood. She couldn't stand being alone, in any sense. It irked her right to the core. "I'll be back, Sherri!" She heard him call before hearing the door slam.

She blinked. "Roaming the town it is." She then rolled to the other side of the bed, anxious to call Marcia. Last week, she'd sworn to tell her what happened, and hadn't yet gotten to that, considering most of the time she didn't even know how exactly to tell her. Every time she had worked up the guts to do it, too may people were around. Then she'd chicken out or forget how she planned on even explaining it to her. So, she quickly dialed Marcia's number on the wall phone by her bed. Thankfully, she knew for a fact that Marcia had her own phone in her room as well, so no one would be listening to her conversation unless they got on the phone in the kitchen.

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"You can get a sandwich from the kitchen if you'd like." Her voice was as sweet as honey as she spoke to him, a smile gifting her features.

"You razz my berries, Marcia." Two-Bit responded, offering her a sunny beam before heading downstairs. It was his way of telling her she impressed him; he'd meant what he said when they first met. She dug okay, she saw things and she understood. While he was down there, putting mayo on his bread, he heard the phone ring loudly. He thought of answering it, but the thought was diminished when it stopped after the first ring. She sure was eager, wasn't she? It made him wonder just who was calling. Cherry, maybe? That was the only person he'd ever seen Marcia hang out with in school, or anywhere for that matter. Sure, there were male Socs that talked to her here and there, but would they really be calling her? Was she already spoken for? Curiosity was killing him, and finally he let it get the best of him. Carefully, he made his way to the phone, silently picking it up and placing it against his ear.

"It was Tony?" Marcia suddenly burst out into the speaker.

"I didn't even see him coming. 'Thought he was gonna kill me or somethin'." Two-Bit's mouth nearly fell open, his eyes darting to the phone. He couldn't believe his ears, they must've been playing tricks on him. He'd heard of Tony; a Soc, one that was most always drinking. He was a lot like Bob, in a way. In fact, he'd been a close friend of his. He could imagine why he'd be angry at the Greasers, with Johnny having killed Bob, but why on Earth would he target Cherry? He hung up the phone, taking a moment to clear his thoughts.

"You've gotta be kiddin'..." He mumbled slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. He quickly finished making the sandwich, wrapping it in a paper towel before climbing up the stairs. Marcia had hung up the phone by the time he entered the room, no doubt because she'd heard his footsteps. "Who was that?" He questioned nonchalantly, taking a bite of the food in his hand. The brunette shrugged.

"Just Cherry." She flashed him a bright smile.

"Oh, what'd she want?" He tried to sound natural, as if he were merely curious, though a part of him was really hoping she'd tell him the truth. She was a sweet broad, he hoped she could at least be a little honest with him. Her smile faltered, but she tried to keep her expression calm.

"Just checkin' up, that's all." Her voice had the faintest tremor to it, but he nodded, as if understanding completely. Marcia was an awful liar, and he wasn't sure if she knew it or not. She sure didn't look like she did. "So, wanta go to the movie house later on?"

"No, I've gotta split. Another time?" It probably wasn't the best reaction he could've mustered, but he hadn't exactly thought beforehand. His thoughts were too cluttered. He had to tell the other guys, that was for sure. He couldn't hang while knowing she was keeping such a big secret. She forced on another smile, though it wasn't quite as lively as her last.

"Sure." As he walked out, she knew something was up. He had to have figured it out; listened in, or something. He knew, and she had no idea what to do with this knowledge. She only prayed he wouldn't tell the others before she could explain.

Cherry had just gotten off the phone with Ponyboy. She was about to walk out the door, though shortly after coming downstairs she realized she'd forgotten a jacket. She'd left a note on her brother's bedroom door, suspecting he'd be home soon. In the jacket pocket, she felt the cold sting of metal. Probably the switchblade; the guys made her start carrying it around after everything happened, though she knew she'd never use it. She hated fights with a passion, there was no way in hell she'd catch herself in one. It made her feel just a little more secure, though. While they as well, knew she'd never use it, it probably made them feel a little better as well though. So she walked towards the door, about to open it. She was startled, to say the least, when it opened before her hand even reached the doorknob. Cherry jumped back, away from the door as it swung open to reveal Bruno as he stepped inside. "Oh, hey Bruno, how was your walk?" She asked as he walked past her, as if in a daze. He didn't answer her. Just walked to the living room and plopped down on the couch. She stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck, before speaking again. "I'm goin' to hang out with Marcia, I'll be back in a bit, okay?" She lied, but she couldn't trust him not to overreact to her going to spend time with Greasers. Not when he was in this kind of mood. She turned, about to walk out the door but his next words stopped her.

"You know I love you, right Sher?" She snapped her head to look at him, wondering if she heard wrong. He only sat there in indifference, staring at the white tile floor.

"Huh?" She sounded heartbroken, though she was only worried in reality. The last time he'd said those words had been when he took off to join the army. This time he looked at her,  he looked empty, like the day he'd gotten out of the military. He never spoke a word to any of them about what happened to get him out. And every time they asked he'd get angry and walk out.

"I love you, kid, just know that, okay?" She would've screamed had he not looked so peaceful, without conflict or any anger written on his face. And for a moment he looked happier than she'd seen him in nine years. But that didn't stop the feeling of distress from bubbling up deep in her stomach. But, she didn't want to worry him, so she merely smiled at him.

"I love you, too. Anyway, I'll see ya'!" Though looking back now, she wished she hadn't closed that damned door.