The Life She Left Behind
Chapter 1
A roll of thunder echoed through the grey streets of New York. When most picture the city, they only see the perception of the glamorous parts that the media has created. No one imagines the abandoned allies where rumbles occur or the dusty bars where drunks stumble out during ungodly hours in the morning. No one pictures the hunched over thugs with layers of grease holding back their hair. Although, these parts do exist, even if they aren't first in the thoughts of people who think about New York City.
In one of those older bars was a young woman, of about seventeen. She was bustling around, mixing drinks behind the protection of the glass counter and then sliding the alcohol to the immensely loud male customers. She worked fervently, ignoring most of the wolf whistles but winking at some of the younger men.
It was easy to see why the men were checking out the bartender. Her denim mini skirt just barely brushed her upper thigh, revealing her golden statuesque legs. The tight black tank top with the bar's name, The Dark Corner, emblazed across the chest flaunted her hourglass figure and showed her cleavage in a suggestive way. With her fiery red hair done up in a bun with curly strands occasionally falling into to her face and the thick eyeliner surrounding her emerald eyes, she gave off the impression of a prostitute. The excessive smoky eye shadow and bright red lipstick only added to the effect.
She was doing well at managing the overcrowded bar, even though it seemed like she was the only person working. Once the many consumers were momentarily satisfied she leaned against the counter and sighed.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" An older man of about thirty approached her. His dark eyes scanned over her appearance and he smirked in a pleased manner. She didn't even glance in his direction, but instead pulled a form out of her back pocket and began filling it out on the corner. She angled her body in a way where he could ogle the skin exposed by her risen up skirt.
"I'm saying goodbye to the city." The man raised his thick eyebrows, making the disappointment etched into his features known.
"Why are you leaving babe?" He leaned forward and snaked his arm around her waist. She pushed his hand off of her hip halfheartedly, completely engrossed in her work.
"It's time for me to head home." She scribbled one more thing on the paper before folding it and shoving it in her pocket. She flashed the disgruntled man a smile before strutting back behind the bar to assist the couple who had just walked through the Dark Corner's doors.
Early the next morning, the last drunk regulars staggered out and a muscular man emerged from his office. His beady eyes investigated the wiped down tables and the empty washed glasses before falling on his bartender, standing in the middle of the bar with a form held in her outstretched hand. He narrowed his hazel eyes further.
"What is this?" He stepped forward and took the form from her hand and examining it thoroughly.
"My resignation form." Frowning, the man raised his eyes back up to the girl's hopeful expression. He could clearly remember the first time the woman had stalked into this bar. Although she had obvious beauty, she looked like someone who had been through a hell of a time. She had desperately asked for a job. After turning her down multiple times because he didn't have a job opening, she had roughly shoved him into his office and kissed him vigorously. After the best hour of his life, he had proclaimed her his new bartender.
Now, he didn't understand why she would want to leave after seducing him into getting a job she so obviously wanted. Lord knew she was making enough money with her high requests.
"Where are you going?" He asked, stepping toward her and placing his hand on the small of her back. He pulled her close to him, his breath smelling of alcohol and cigarettes. She twisted out of his grasp continued wiping down the already cleaned counter.
She clearly didn't like him, despite her endless flirting to keep her job.
"I need to get back to Tulsa. I've had enough time here." She pushed the rag on the shelf under the counter.
"You can't quit!" He protested as she gathered her purse that she stashed near the rag bucket. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey and popping the cap, she shrugged her thin shoulders at him.
"Watch me." Taking a swig from the bottle, she slung her purse over one shoulder and loped from the small bar. She left him standing along open mouthed and wondering what the hell he was going to do without his only bartender.
"Soda, you do realize that ALL of those girls are staring at YOU?" Steve grumbled, glaring at his glassy eyed best friend. The entire gang had shown up at the DX to visit Soda and Steve for lunch. Everyone but Darry and Two-Bit were present, munching on the burgers that Dallas had suspiciously picked up. Darry was working and Two-Bit was with Marcia. The two had been dating for a year. A year after the incident that is.
"Are they?" Soda replied to Steve, his voice uninterested. He didn't even peek at the group of giggling girls across the lot. Dally rolled his eyes irritably.
"And are you really still hung up on that broad?" Dallas had been extremely difficult lately. He was still moody for the scare that Johnny had given him when those burns from the fire nearly took his life. He had been getting into more and more fights with the Socs. They had backed off, but since Dally kept picking fights Darry was predicting that they were going to keep giving them trouble for a while.
But recent news had suggested that the Socs felt like they weren't even with the Greasers either, them losing two and the Greasers losing none.
This remark from Dally made the gang go quiet, since everyone knew that Soda was still hurtin' over Sandy.
"Anyway, what's going on this weekend?" Ponyboy butted in after noting his brother's discomfort. He had just finished his Pepsi and now was trying to sip some of Johnny's without the boy noticing. He got away with it since Johnny was still scrutinizing the girls Steve had mentioned.
"I think I have a rodeo. Are you still banned Soda?" Dally said in his lame attempt to cheer up Soda.
"Of course he is. Darry is as wound-up tight as ever." Steve answered for him. Dallas cursed and tossed his burger wrapper into the newest trashcan, cursing again when he missed.
"Great, the Socs will beat us for sure." He grumbled. Johnny sighed loudly as he noticed half of his Pepsi had disappeared. When he saw Ponyboy's sheepish expression he slugged him in the arm, making the two erupt in chuckles. Steve rolled his eyes and muttered something about "children".
The gang watched as the girls, after realizing that Soda wasn't going to approach them, left in a huff. A few carloads of Socs came and went. Each of them gave the boys dirty looks, especially aimed in Dally's direction. Dallas didn't seem to notice and just continued sharpening his pocket knife. This was enough to make the Socs leave without advancing on them or making any remarks.
The hot Oklahoma sun beat down on the friend's backs. It was a normal day, but even the ordinary days felt strange to them after the incident with Bob had turned all of their lives upside down.
"Now that's a tuff car if I've ever seen one."Steve commented as a slick black Mustang pulled up to one of the gas pumps. Dallas flicked his pocket knife closed and sat up straighter. The entire gang was brought to attention, especially when the car door opened.
One six inch stiletto rested on the pavement, followed by another. Two long black skinny-jean-clad legs emerged. It soon became apparent that the owner of the car was a girl, of about their age in fact. The boys gawked as the leather jacket that opened to show a form fitting black top suggested that this girl was in fact a Greaser. As the sun reflected off of her generous sized cork screw curls, the color was shown to be red. When she took off the colossal sunglasses that obscured her face, Ponyboy gasped out loud.
"It's Cherry." Johnny's eyes widened when he made the connection Pony spoke out loud. The rest of the group squinted at the girl who was now filling her car's gas tank. Then they blinked when they realized it was indeed Sherri Valance.
She did look different and had a different mood to her; with her pastel color clothing traded in for all black, her usual light or no makeup gone and replaced with heavy eyeliner, eye shadow, and lipstick, and her red Stingray turned in for that black Mustang. She smelled faintly of alcohol and was just lighting a cigarette. Drinking and smoking was never something she had fallen to before.
"She looks like a Greaser!" Soda explained, forgetting his sulking and staring open mouthed.
"And like a prostitute." Dally murmured mostly to himself. They all gaped in shock. Cherry had been missing in action ever since a year ago when she declared that she would be a spy for the Greaser. No one had known where she had disappeared too, or why.
"I'm going to go talk to her." Ponyboy stood and Johnny followed his lead. As they began walking toward the car and Cherry, the rest of the gang exchanged a silent agreement before following.
Cherry was leaning against her car with the cigarette hanging out of her red lipstick lips. She stood up straight when it registered that it was Ponyboy and his friends. She hadn't recognized the boys at first, since it had been a year since she'd seen them. Her eyes skimmed over all of the boys, pausing briefly on Johnny's dark eyes before quickly avoiding them. She felt a pang in her stomach, but she pushed the unwanted feelings away and smiled at them.
"Long time no see." Cherry mentioned casually. Ponyboy's grin spread across his face as Cherry leaned in to give him a hug. Dallas scowled, glaring at the Soc that had turned him down such a long time ago. He had to admit, she was even more of a looker now that she was actually showing off what she had.
"Where have you been? You disappeared off of the face of the Earth." Soda asked jokingly. His joyful demeanor was back.
"You didn't hear? I moved to New York, to be on my own for a bit." She let out a puff of smoke, licking her lips entrancingly and batting her eyelashes in Ponyboy's direction. "I was working in a bar as a bartender. It was a blast." She smirked in Dally's direction.
"I think I was in the same area you were in Dallas." She addressed him, pointing her cigarette at him in a slow exaggerated manner.
"Oh really." Dally drawled, his voice managing to sound uninterested.
"So you're a Greaser now?" Steve blurted. Johnny gave him a dirty look. Most of the others knew that calling a girl a Greaser was unacceptable, since most of them preferred to either be called a 'greaser's girl' or nothing. The guys took it as a title, but the girls took it as an insult.
But Cherry just shrugged, taking one last drag on her cigarette before dropping it and stomping it out.
"What happened to your Stingray? That was a cool car, but this one's pretty sweet too." Soda asked, leaning forward and leaning one hand against the silky coat of the car. That movement brought him only a couple of inches from Cherry's face. Ponyboy made a growling voice under his breath, only loud enough so Johnny next to him looked at him sideways.
"Well, Bob's mom gave me his old car." Cherry's tough act slipped for a moment when she paused at Bob's name. Johnny stiffened.
"I painted it. It looks better black." She added as an afterthought, simpering prettily. Soda gave her one of his movie star smiles before drawing back from his close proximity to her. Ponyboy instead neared toward her. Cherry twirled a portion of one of her huge curls around her finger before pulling Ponyboy closer to her side and whispering something in his ear. Her lips brushed his ear while she talked. When she with drawled Ponyboy nodded (beaming) and she giggled.
He slung an arm around her shoulders and Cherry smirked. Dallas narrowed his eyes at Ponyboy's flirty behavior.
Ponyboy opened his mouth to explain to the others when he saw their dumbstruck expressions, but a loud engine caused everyone to turn their heads as Two-Bit's car pulled up. Two-Bit had his arm around Marcia in the seat next to him and Darry was sitting in the backseat looking particularly aggravated.
Everyone chuckled when they saw Two-Bit's open mouth as he stared at Cherry's ride. He hopped out of the car and to Marcia's side, opening her car door and taking her hand before walking over to the rest of the gang. Darry followed, grimacing.
"Well I'll be. Whose car is this?" He stroked the paint with his free hand, awe-struck. Marcia just scrutinized Cherry. She knew that the girl looked familiar. But it couldn't be.
"Cherry's." Steve answered, flicking his thumb toward Cherry next to him.
"Hey Marcia." Cherry said to Marcia, who dark eyes had now widened to the size of dinner plates. Cherry hadn't even told her best friend when she was leaving, she just disappeared one day. Marcia figured that she would never see Cherry again. But here she was, changed for sure, but still the same girl.
"Where'd you go?" Marcia squealed, forgetting Two-Bit's hand as she threw her arms around her best friend. As Cherry herself explained to Marcia, the other's explained to a very shocked Two-Bit and a mildly surprised Darry. Even though his girlfriend was right there, Two-Bit couldn't refrain from checking out Cherry's new look.
"So anyway," Ponyboy cut in when the girl's amiable chatter died down just enough so the boys could hear their own thoughts and when Two-Bit and Darry had a satisfactory explanation.
"Cherry suggested we head to Nightly Double. Are yall in?" His arm snaked around Cherry's waist, making Darry's eyes bulge in an I'm-about-to-become-an-angry-parent-figure way. Dallas didn't look to happy either.
"It's a school night." Darry disagreed instantly. Ponyboy frowned, but Dally smiled lightly to himself.
"Does that mean I can come?" Soda asked, his brown eyes glittering with hope. Darry contemplated this, since he knew that the Socs had become a lot more vicious lately since the last time Two-Bit, Dallas, and Steve ganged up on them. Yet again, since the precious missing Cherry Valance was apparently not so missing anymore they might not be so relentless.
"Who else is going?" Darry asked, his eyes scanning the rest of the group. Steve and Dallas raised their hands, causing Two-Bit and Marcia to crack up for some unknown reason before raising their own.
"Soda why don't you come home." Darry decided, knowing of those three boy's tendency to get drunk. He knew Johnny wouldn't, but Johnny didn't seem to want to be around Cherry anymore then he absolutely had to be. Dally had seemed to notice this briefly, but was more interested and irritated in the fact that Ponyboy still had his hands all over Cherry.
"But Darry!" Soda whined, letting out a long stream of protests. While he and Darry argued and the others watched with amusement, Dallas motioned for Ponyboy to follow him to the side of the now only moonlight lit gas station.
Ponyboy followed Dallas, looking unsure until they stopped out of the sights of the others.
"Look Pony, I don't know what you're thinking putting your hands all over her." Dally said, his expression stricken. Ponyboy narrowed his eyes at him.
"What are you talking about?" He asked suspiciously.
"She just came into town, and she's not the type you can go around flirting with." Dallas scoffed. Ponyboy looked confused for a moment before realization lit in his eyes. Then he laughed shortly.
"I see. This is your way of telling me she's yours, isn't it?" Dally blinked, looking absolutely shocked at the boys revelation. He opened his mouth to reply but Ponyboy continued. "I knew you liked her from the beginning, but now that she's a Greaser gal it's just obvious in your mind that she's perfect for you."
"What the hell are you rambling about? I'm saying you shouldn't be so forward because she's turned into a 'tramp'. She's not even being subtle about it, but it's all an act. With all that money her daddy gave her, it's no doubt that she'll come around and report you the second you do the wrong thing. She's a Soc and always will be." Ponyboy shook his head, grinning at the ground.
At first he had seemed annoyed and confused by Dally's behavior, but now it was dawning on him the reasons. He stared at the tough hood who claimed to love nobody but himself, but he knew that that was already proved wrong when Johnny nearly died. It seemed like he was just going on a rare streak of vulnerability that he tended to show in stranger ways.
"Whatever Dally. You know, the life she left behind is awful different from the ones she's living now. You'll get it at some point." He smiled at him before sauntering off and leaving a bewildered Dallas behind.