We studied the Outsiders in school, so had to write lots of work based on it. As they are practically fanfiction anyway, I thought I'd upload them here. So here's the first installment. For this, we were told to write a diary entry for Cherry Valance on the night that she first meets the greasers at the drive-in. I ended up getting a little carried away, so it's quite long, but I thought that, for those rare few Outsider-fans out there, I'd upload it anyway.
The Diary of Cherry Valance
Dear Diary,
Tonight was . . . weird. Totally weird. And strange. I'm still not entirely sure how things came around. That's how weird it was.
I guess it kind of started when Bob and the guys suggested we all go up to the drive-in. The film was lousy, but Marcia came too, so I thought it would be okay. God, I was wrong. I've told all the guys, again and again and again, what happens when they get drunk. For a start, it's totally against the law, then all the arguments, the fights . . . I can't stand fighting. It scares me, and if people whip out their knives . . . I just don't like getting involved. Neither does Marcia, much. So, when they brought out the drinks, I was adamant. As I've told them before; it's us or the booze. They went for the booze, so we moved. The guys got angry, and left. Marcia and I sat in a huff. Did I mention how much the film sucked? Not my type, but Marcia seems to enjoy them.
They they came. The greasers. The annoying graces, who was everything a typical greaser was supposed to be and the other two. Strange greasers. Not like normal ones. They actually seemed to respect us, instead of taking advantage of two girls out alone. Either that or they were scared. Or shy. But a shy greaser? They actually seemed, well, nice. But the greaser they were with was a pain in the neck. He was everything I'd heard or ever thought about greasers. From the moment he sat down right behind us, I knew what was coming.
I tried to ignore him. I really tried. At first, he sat and talked. Talked just loud enough for us to hear. Though he was talking to his non-responsive greaser friends, it was totally obvious that we were the object of his attention. And he got worse. He went on and on, and the further he went on the worse he got. It got to the extent that Marcia turned slowly scarlet and even the other two greasers seemed embarrassed. I vaguely heard one make an excuse to get up and go briefly out the drive-in. Then, he blew the final straw. That greaser dared, actually dared, to stick his feet up on my chair. And that was all it took.
I spun around to shout at him. The greaser didn't seem to care. He was getting me irritated just for fun. What really got on my nerves was that he still had the cheek to sit there, oh, so casually, looking at me very much like my boyfriend had just before. I mean, how can a greaser look so . . . so infuriatingly calm, and get on my every last nerve, but yet – and I guess I had to admit it – be so good-looking too? And he probably had a knife on him somewhere as well. I swear, it was such a relief when he got up (to buy us Cokes, no less) and left. Marcia and I immediately turned to the remaining greaser, expecting the same. But as soon as I looked at him, I knew he wouldn't.
Ponyboy Curtis. That's what he told us his name was. I liked it. An unusual and individual name. He looked younger than the other greaser. I was pretty certain I'd seen him somewhere before. He looked familiar, and totally embarrassed. Though they hang around together, I could tell they had their solid differences. When the other non-annoying greaser returned, he seemed nervous. He was called Johnny. Johnny Cade. The name vaguely rang a bell, though I wasn't too sure from where. He looked the same kind of age as Ponyboy, though apparently he was two years older. Strange really. He's got these huge, great big, black eyes, that are always darting around everywhere. I got the feeling Ponyboy was sort of unconsciously on the lookout for Johnny, and wondered if he had a bad history or something. Now I know he does. He does, and I kind of wish I hadn't found out.
Then he came back. I needn't go into detail. His name's Dally. This time he had the sheer nerve to come and sit right beside me and give me a Coke. I chucked it right over him. However, instead of getting annoyed, he just laughed. Then tried to put an arm around me. But surprise of all surprises, Johnny stopped him. Johnny, the one who seemed scared of everyone and everything. Dally looked simply stunned, and I had the impression that he wouldn't have taken his arm off me if it had been anyone else. I shot a glance at Ponyboy, whose mouth had dropped open and whose eyes were wide. This must have been a completely different side of Johnny. To stand up to Dally must have taken some courage; it obviously didn't happen often as the greaser appeared to give in and stalked out. There was an uncomfortable silence. I was pleased to see the back of him, whereas I noticed Johnny now looked slightly more scared, and Marcia had accepted and was still drinking the Coke that Dally had given her, pretending to concentrate on the movie.
Marcia glanced at me. I could see the distress in her eyes, so understood when she asked Ponyboy and Johnny to sit up with us. They looked surprised, then shyly consented. I liked the way that they both sat down, Ponyboy between us, Johnny on my left, neither of them commenting, or putting an arm around us or trying to do anything Dally would have done. I had trouble remembering that they were even greasers – they were just so different. It was fun talking to someone nice for a change. Apparently Ponyboy had got moved up a year at our school – a smart greaser? Makes a nice change from the rumours we hear – whilst his brother had dropped out. I'd seen him working at the gas station. He was extremely good-looking, and I could see the family resemblances clearly. Sodapop, Ponyboy'd said his name was. I like the way both their names were so unusual. A family thing that was original. Different, but in a cool way. Sodapop and Ponyboy. It made me wonder why my parents ever called me Sherri.
Then I got the shock of my life. Another greaser – how many was I going to meet tonight? – turned up. Two-Bit Matthews, Ponyboy told me his name was (or nickname rather). He shocked the life out of Johnny too. By this time I'd learned not to judge greasers too quickly. He seemed nice, with a witty tongue, but I wasn't sure if he'd turn into a monster suddenly like Dally or not. He climbed into the seat beside Marcia, who seemed rather amused by him. Uncertain, I asked Ponyboy to go to buy some popcorn with me. Immediately that we were out of earshot of the others, I double-checked. Ponyboy reassured me that Two-Bit was fine. I was glad, seeing as I'd left Marcia alone with him and Johnny. Which reminded me.
I asked Ponyboy if anything had happened to Johnny. He instantly tensed up. Hesitantly, kind of painfully, he told me. He told me about the kind of life he was forced to endure at home. About the father that beat him. The mother who ignored then yelled and screamed at him. And then about the Socs. Oh, Gods. I listened in absolute horror as Ponyboy told me about Johnny, already suffering so much, getting jumped by the Socs. It was terrible. People, my class of people, probably people I knew, who'd driven up in a blue Mustang. He told me Johnny's desperate version of the tale that they'd scraped out of him when they'd found him, lying, probably presumed dead on the floor. Of the Socs who came out the car. Of the Soc with heavy rings on his hand that cut his face so brutally. I was stricken by how anyone could do that to a guy, no matter where he came from.
When we returned to the film I looked closer at Johnny, understanding. Here was the reason behind his self-conscious air. This was his history, his terrible past that made him what he was like. I felt sorrowful, great pity at what he'd had to endure, as if it had been my fault. Then I glanced at Two-Bit. I saw that he too, despite being locked in some mad conversation with Marcia, also had the same unconsciously-watching-out-for attitude as Ponyboy. I saw too, that this was what greaser gang life was like. The bond ran deeper than just the mates that us Socs saw. There was a strain in them that actually cared. Cared a lot. They were more like brothers, each knowing exactly what the others needed, or what they didn't or did like. Their lives revolved around each other as one family group that needed each and every one of them. There was a deeper feeling that ran in them than any Socs I'd ever known. But I guess, without the luxuries of the life we had, maybe this was how they'd survived alternatively. I felt that greasers were so different to what we'd been taught to think. Maybe they weren't so inhumane after all.
The movie over, we started to think about how we'd get home. We'd driven up with the guys who'd left, so now had no transport. But, very gallantly – that's certainly not what we're told Greasers are supposed to be like – they offered to walk us home. However, the idea of possibly being spotted by anyone, (especially our boyfriends if they came back to pick us up, feeling guilty,) walking down the street with three greasers – it wasn't something a Soc was supposed to do. On the other hand, the greasers looked tough, which probably reduced our chances of getting mugged or jumped. Then again, if Dally returned to them . . . Perhaps it was safer just to call and ask our parents to pick us up. Two-Bit is incredibly persuasive though, and before we knew it, Marcia and I were being walked down the road towards Two-Bit's house so he could drive us home.
With Marcia and Two-Bit waffling on on some completely wild conversation and Johnny, quiet, shy, with his big, dark eyes, Ponyboy fell into step beside me. I can't really remember what we talked about. Just random things I suppose. I told him more about myself; the way I just try to fit in with my friends, even if it means doing things, going to places, that I don't even want to . . . like coming to the drive-in. I'm not really sure why I decided to come. The film wasn't anything I might have liked, but I still went along. And met the Greasers. In return, Ponyboy told me about his family. About his other brother, Darrel, who doesn't like him at all. It's funny, but Ponyboy and I, we have had such different upbringings, we live such different lives, we are about as different from each other as any two people can be. Yet we have some things about us that are so similar. We both like to sit back, once in a while, just to admire the sunset. Strange. Completely different lives, in completely different places, yet we see the same sunset. The same sunset that shows all across the world.
Then down the road came a blue Mustang. We froze. It passed us slowly. I turned around, not wanting to look at it, even though I knew exactly who was in it. The Mustang passed, and we breathed out. We carried on, whilst the Greasers started arguing over something. None of us noticed when the Mustang returned. They noticed us and got out. I glanced at the Greasers. Two-Bit was up, ready for a fight, Ponyboy was expressionless. He looked tough. Then I looked at Johnny. Johnny looked terrified. After what had happened, I could understand why he was always alert. But this, this was pure terror. His hands were clenched into tight fists and he'd gone white. I could practically see him shaking. Two-Bit cracked a joke that no one laughed at and I turned back to my boyfriend. And Marcia's boyfriend. And the other guys in the blue Mustang. Blue mustang? I whipped my head around to stare from Johnny to the car. Could it be? Then, knowing exactly what I'd find, my gaze slid to Bob's hand. Large, heavy rings. Like he always wore. Oh Gods, I thought. Blue mustang, rings, Johnny . . . it couldn't have been!
In the end, Marcia and I rode home with them. I didn't talk to Bob or any of the others at all. I had too much on my mind. Because it couldn't have been them. Could it?
Well, I hope you found that interesting . . . needless to say, I don't own the Outsiders or the events that happen in this fanfic. It's the same as in the book, just from Cherry's perspective. Next will be Cherry's Diary Part Two.