I just wanted a break. That's all I ever asked for. All my teachers had decided to pile on the homework this weekend, so I was getting it done. Well, some of it anyway. I was just taking a short little two hour break surfing the net and eventually found myself (as always) reading fanfiction.

I'm skimming through The Outsiders fanfiction, trying to convince myself that it counted as studying because we're reading it in class. I'm not finding any interesting stories today, so I just sit there staring at the screen. I can't even bring myself to sigh, I'm so bored. I play with my average brown hair as my eyes slowly make their way down to my key board. My fingers brush over the ancient keys. I had bought the laptop from some weird thrift shop place, but it was all I could afford. My parents have this whole "If you buy it you'll care more about it and you'll have learned a life lesson" philosophy, so I'm stuck with this old dinosaur.

I notice one key that seems to have no function. I try to figure out what it does, but to no avail. I know, I'll just press it. And I do.

Immediately my world falls away from beneath me, but I'm too surprised to scream. I feel my hair flailing against my face and my arms try to grab hold of something, anything. And then as soon as it happened, it's over.

I'm sitting in a different room. The pink walls and brown carpet are most definitely not mine. I'm sitting at a desk staring into a mirror. I'm wearing a dress that looks like it belongs in the movie Grease. I look at the pictures on the desk, and they're all of someone with red hair smiling in different scenarios with different people. Where I am? I think.

That's when I notice the name across the top of the mirror in sparkles, Cherry Valance. I stare at it for a few moments as a look of confusion and horror appears on my face. That's impossible. Cherry Valance, from The Outsiders.

I turn around as a middle aged woman opens the door and smiles sweetly. "Cherryberry, Bobby's here to pick you up." I just stare at her. My hand slowly comes up to point at my chest in a manner of asking me? She looks at me confused. "Yes dear. Aren't you two going out with Marcia and her boyfriend?"

There's an awkward pause as I begin to nod my head. "Yes. Of Course. Let me just, um, grab my bag." I guess I'll just play along with this weird hallucination.

The boy sitting in the car perfectly matches the description of Bob from the book. There's also another girl whom I assume is Marcia sitting in the back with another guy. "Hey Cherry, ready to ride?" I slowly sit down into the shotgun seat. "Yeah…"

"Hey are you feeling alright Cherry?" The Marcia girl asks.

"What? Oh yeah. I'm just fine. Absolutely peachy." I reply, dropping a bit of sarcasm in.

"Spanking. Let's go then." Bob says as he drives off. We arrive at the movies, and suddenly I think I know where in the book we are. My suspicions are confirmed as Bob pulls out a pack of beer. We're at the part in the story where Cherry and Marcia leave their boyfriends because they've been drinking. Then we go to the sitting area and run into Ponyboy. I already decided to go with the "playing along with it" thing, so I just let him and the other guy drink and drink until they've finished the pack of beer and are still going.

By now they're really drunk and slurring, and stumbling all over the place like idiots. Remind me again, why does Cherry date this guy? Ok. I think they're drunk enough for me to make a stand now.

"Bob. That is IT. I told you I can't stand it when you drink but clearly my feelings mean nothing to you. You have a serious alcoholic problem, and if you continue on the path you're going, you're going to die an early death. Alcohol rots your liver and shrinks your brain. You also have an increase chance of heart attacks. Do you really want to do that to yourself? I would think not. And for what? To get a little loopy? Your tolerance rate is probably very high, but one day you're going to drink too much and pass out, and you're never going to wake up again… But I won't be there to mourn you."

And I turn and start walking away, with all of them staring in shock at me. Maybe I got a little carried away. WAIT A MINUTE! I run back, grab Marcia by her arm, flip my hair over my shoulder defiantly, and try to walk coolly away. Unfortunately it's lost some of its effect.

Marcia is just staring at me too shocked to say anything. Finally she musters "What was that?" I look at her a moment trying to figure out what to say, then finally just settle with "The Truth." Wow, I'm really proud of myself that was so artsy.

So we arrive at the seating area of the drive in movie. Almost no one is sitting here, probably because it's a drive in movie theater, but that's alright because I have a really easy time picking out Dallas, Johnny, and Ponyboy. Marcia seems reluctant when I start walking towards them, especially when the rest of the seats are empty, but I'm trying really hard to follow the plot line.

Before we even sit down Dallas starts making rude comments at us. I'm trying so hard not to punch him in the face, because that would be going against the plot. Then I realize I have no idea what Cherry says to him. Maybe I'll just punch him in the face anyway. No, focus. So I turn around at stare at Dallas in the eyes.

"You sexist pig. Didn't your mother ever teach you manners? Clearly not. If I wasn't in a public movie theater I would smack you in the nose right now. You really are a greaser. When you follow stereotypes because you feel there's nothing else you can do but live up to your expectations, then you're not doing anyone any favors! Maybe if you decided to try hard in school and go to college, I don't know, maybe get a job, you'd be proving everyone else wrong and break the CHAIN! But instead you're weak and afraid so you just live with what you were given, which isn't much." There an awkward silence as everyone in the movie theater is staring at us.

"Oh, and umm, get lost." I silently sit back down at stare forward at the screen. You messed it up again, way to go. I hear Dallas walk away. I think maybe I scared him a little too much.

I turn around to Johnny and Ponyboy. "You gonna start in on us now too?" They both quickly shake their heads in terror. What does Cherry say next? "You don't look the type…um…what's your name?"

"Ponyboy Curtis" Ponyboy answers, sounding scared beyond belief. "How'd you know Dallas's name?" He continues. I don't remember this in the book.

"What?"

"You called Dallas by his name, but he's never even seen you before, and you're a-a Soc." Uh-oh.

"I've um, heard of him, in school. Seen him around campus. Oh, and I'm Cherry Valance."

"Yeah I've heard of you. You're a cheerleader right? We go to the same school."

"Exactly. See you know my name because we go to the same school, and I know Dallas's name because we go to the same school." I add with a smile.

"Dally doesn't go to school. He dropped out." Oh shit.

"Right, but um I knew him from before he dropped out." I think I saved that one. It doesn't look like Dallas is coming back any time soon, so I'll just skip ahead to getting drinks.

"Hey come with me to get a coke?" He looks very intimidated. "Sure." He says reluctantly, with a glance at Johnny.

So I try to start a conversation with Ponyboy about Johnny because I'm 95% sure that's what they talk about in the book at this point. Suddenly a boy about 15ish looking cuts in line right behind us. No one else seems to notice him. His black hair is slicked back with pounds of gel, and he's wearing a leather jacket so he looks like a greaser.

"Hey Ponyboy." I whisper. "Do you know that kid behind us? Is he a greaser?" Ponyboy looks beyond confused. He peers behind my shoulder. "Who?"

"That guy right behind me."

"Cherry, um, there's no one behind us." I turn around but the guy is still there. Okaayy…

So I try forgetting about him and focusing on the Johnny story, when I feel his lips right next to my ear and a chill goes down my spine. "A little lost?" He whispers. I tense up. "No one else can see me right? And everyone thinks you're one of the characters?"

I whip around to face him, but I awkwardly turn inches from his face and now we're just staring intently at each other. Suddenly he steps to the side, just as Bob appears.

"Cherry!"

"Bob?"

"Cherry, I thought about what you said, and you're right. I care so much more about you than some drink and I don't want to die like that. I want to live the rest of my life. With you." My mouth drops five inches, and Ponyboy tenses up behind me and I can tell he's just as scared as I am. The gel guy starts laughing though, so I yell at him "Shut up!"

But Bob thinks I'm talking to him, "What? But Cherry I-"

"No, not you!" I interrupt. Ponyboy starts backing away. "Wait, Ponyboy, don't go I can explain!"

He just keeps looking at Bob in terror, when suddenly Johnny runs up from the seating area. "Dallas is back! Ponyboy, Cherry, um, Marcia kinda left with him."

"What?!" I explain. This isn't supposed to be happening. Then Johnny sees Bob and a wave of pure horror washes over his face. He looks up at Ponyboy and says so quietly I'm sure Ponyboy can't hear him "The rings." But I guess Ponyboy can hear him because he nods his head, and before I can stop either of them they run off into the night. Oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit! I really messed up the plot. This is not good.

Bob takes my hand, "Cherry?" But I pull it away from him, and march right towards the gel guy who's been laughing harder and harder this whole time. "Stop laughing and explain to me who you are!" I yell while pointing accusingly at him.

"Cherry?" Bob looks really concerned right now. I just ignore him.

"Why can't anyone else see you?" He laughs some more.

"Because I'm not part of the story. I'm not a character." He answers.

"Then who are you?"

"A normal person like you."

"Then can you explain how I got here in the first place?"

"I don't know. Everyone gets here differently."

"That's unspecific! How do I get out?"

"Get out? Why would you want to get out?"

"BECAUSE I WANT TO GO HOME!" I scream getting frustrated.

"Fine, fine, you need to reach the most popular fanfiction."

"What?"

"Which I believe is Harry Potter right now."

"Wait, wait you lost me."

"Look, I better go. It looks like you royally screwed up and I don't want to be here when the Editors show up."

"What? Wait no don't-" But I'm interrupted as I hear a commotion behind me. I turn back to gel guy but he's gone. Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn and it's Bob. But he's not alone, there are other Soc guys with him, and I have a bad feeling about this.

"Cherry, let's get you home. You've had a very long day and you must be very tired."

He looks concerned enough, but not the you look tired concerned, but the let's get you to a mental institute concerned.

In a second I make my decision. I rip his hands off me and turn and run for it. I hear a commotion behind me as they scramble to catch me.

Suddenly I realize that I have no idea where I'm going and I've never been here before, and I don't even know where the bathrooms are, let alone the exit. But I see a fence directly ahead of me. If I can just hop it I should be in the clear.

I hear them getting closer behind me, and everyone else in the drive in are either screaming or running away, but I keep going. It's so close I can almost feel the cold metal.

Just as I grab for the fence, I feel someone's hands pulling at my waist, but I just hang on. I kick as hard as I can, grateful I'm wearing heels, and hear an ouch behind me and know I've reached my target.

The hands slip away and I climb to the top as fast as I can. But my heart jumps to my throat as I hear a horrible tearing noise and realize my skirt has caught on the fence. I lose my balance, and the tearing continues as I fall to the ground.