I don't know how or why this idea popped into my mind, but it did. I wasn't planning on publishing this; I've never written a story based on the Socs, and I very rarely write in the third person POV. This took me out of my comfort zone and I don't know how I feel about the outcome (I personally think there is a dialogue overload), but I feel like Marcia, Randy, and Cherry are really underrated characters. Especially Marcia. Like no one talks about Marcia! Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Marcia reluctantly makes her way downstairs when her mother calls her down in the morning. She finds both of her parents in the kitchen, tears in her mother's eyes, and the daily newspaper in her father's hand.
"Sweetheart, we have something to tell you." Her mother leads her to the breakfast table and sits her down. Her parents kneel down next to her like she is a child.
Her mother sighs and grabs her hand. "We don't want to be the bearers of bad news but Bob Sheldon, well- there was an incident at the park last night. He and Randy got into some trouble. And-" Marcia's mother couldn't seem to find the words she was looking for. Her father, always the blunt one, stepped in
"Bob was killed last night. Some hood stabbed him in the park."
"We are very sorry honey." Her mother squeezes her hand. Her eyes are somber and Marcia's father pats her on the back. They aren't sorry. Not really. They don't know the whole story. They don't know anything.
Marcia pretends to be upset. She pretends to be shocked. But she already knew. She knew before her parents did. Before the reporters did. Before the cops did. She knew an hour after it happened.
Someone is knocking on her window. Marcia rolls over and hops out of bed, surprised to find Randy crouched down on her porch roof. She lets him into and he collapses onto the ground. She sits next to him, and the smell of vodka and smoke finds its way up her nose. He buries his head in her lap and begins to sob. It takes an hour to get the full story out.
He and his buddies had gone to the park. They ran into the two kids Cherry and Marcia had met at the movies. They jumped them. The dark-haired one stabbed Bob. Everyone ran.
"He's dead, Marcia. Bob is dead."
Randy falls asleep with his head on her lap. She spends all night trying to process the news. The quiet kid, the nice one from the movies, killed Bob. Randy's best friend was dead. Cherry's boyfriend was dead. Cherry probably didn't know. She would probably find out from the newspaper. What a terrible way to find out your boyfriend is dead.
Marcia runs her fingers through Randy's hair. She wonders what it would be like to watch your best friend die. She would never want to watch Cherry die. She would never want to watch Randy die. And even though she wasn't fond of Bob Sheldon, she wouldn't want to watch him die either. This was a mess. And Marcia knew this mess would take a long time to clean up.
"Is there anything we can do for you, sweetie?" Her mother asks.
"No," she whispers, "I just want to be alone."
"Whatever you need," her father tells her and she goes back up to her bedroom.
Maybe if she hadn't asked the kids to sit with Cherry and her this wouldn't have happened. If she had just said 'thank you' for saving them from Winston and then ignored the kids they wouldn't have started talking. Or gotten to know each other. Two-Bit wouldn't have joined the four of them; he would've only joined Ponyboy and Johnny. Then he would never offer to drive them home. Marcia wouldn't have convinced Cherry to ride with him instead if call their parents. If she had let Cherry call her parents, they wouldn't have been walking with the boys. Their boyfriends wouldn't have seen them. They wouldn't have a reason to want to jump the kids in the park. They wouldn't have known if Marcia had just let Cherry call her parents. This was her fault. Bob Sheldon was dead and it was Marcia's fault. Marcia knew that. And she had never felt more terrible about herself in her entire life.
Mrs. Valence is the one to open the door when Marcia arrives. She gives her a sad smile and tells her that Cherry is in her room. Marcia walks through the familiar hallways and knocks twice on Cherry's door. The only reply is a sniffle, and she takes it upon herself to walk right in. Cherry is sitting on her bed, hugging a throw pillow tight to her stomach. Her eyes are red and her hair is a mess. She is still in her pajamas.
Marcia didn't want to go anywhere, but when Mrs. Valence called her house saying that Cherry requested her company, Marcia got dressed and dragged herself away from the comfort of her bedroom. She didn't know why Cherry wanted her there. Maybe she didn't realize yet that her boyfriend was dead because of Marcia. Cherry was good at reading people, she could see right through them, and Marcia hoped Cherry wouldn't be able to see the guilt she carried in her heart.
She sits down on the bed next to Cherry and places her hands in her lap. She doesn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," is all she can come up with.
Cherry wipes her eyes and fakes a smile. "Thanks."
Marcia had never experienced death. She didn't know what she was supposed to say in a situation like this. So, she just went with what her parents had said earlier that day. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Cherry shakes her head and they sit in silence for awhile. Marcia hates sitting still, so she gets up from the bed and slowly walks around the room. She runs her fingers over the massive book collection, looks through all the records, stops by every picture and studies it. There's one that she remembers taking. It was at homecoming last year. Bob was holding Cherry bridal style and she was kissing his cheek. Bob had his eyes closed because the flash of the camera had scared him. Randy was standing behind Bob, holding a peace sign above his head, and both of the guys were laughing like they were the funniest people to ever walk the earth. Marcia may not have been in the photograph, but Randy was focused on her; he was looking slightly above the lens of the camera. Right into her eyes.
Marcia jumps when a hand lifts the frame off the bookshelf. She hadn't realized that Cherry had been standing right behind her; she wonders how long she had been there. She watches Cherry stare at the picture. Her eyes are still watery, but she isn't crying. Instead, she gives the photo a real smile. "He was a good guy," she whispers. Her voice is scratchy from all the crying, quieter and more somber than Marcia has ever heard it.
"He was," Marcia agrees.
"I mean, he wasn't perfect. But who is? He made me feel special. Like I was worth something. You know?"
Marcia knew. Randy made her feel like the most important person on the planet. Before she was just Marcia. Then he asked her out and she was Randy Anderson's girl. Out of all the pretty, funny, smart, cheerleading girls at Will Rogers, he chose her. And that made her feel the most special of all.
Cherry places the picture back on the shelf. "It still hasn't sunken in. That he's gone. That I'll never see him again. I keep thinking he'll be picking me up tonight to go out. That he'll drive me to school and walk me to class on Monday. It's like if I pick up the phone right now and call his house, he'll answer. I can't believe that he's gone."
Marcia wraps an arm around Cherry's shoulders and leads her away from the bookshelf full of pictures. Full of memories. She sits her down on the bed. "That's okay. You don't have to accept it yet. Things like this just take time."
Cherry sighs and leans her head on Marcia's shoulder. "Too much time. I can't believe I found out from a newspaper headline. His family didn't even call. My dad was just reading the paper during breakfast. He coughed up his coffee. He told me and then went on to call those kids a whole bunch of things. I think the paper was lying. Johnny seemed like such a nice kid. He wouldn't just kill someone for the fun of it, would he?"
Marcia bites her tongue. She doesn't tell Cherry that Randy told her everything. How his friends and him were piss drunk and almost killed Ponyboy by drowning him in a fountain. How the dark kid only stabbed Bob out of self-defense and to save his friend. How he figured that Bob had it coming all along. Instead, he just shrugs. "I don't think so. But you know reporters, they have to keep things interesting. It's more story than it is facts."
Cherry nods and then sits up quickly as if she had just remembered something. "Have you talked to Randy? Is he okay?"
Marcia nodded. "He came over after it happened. He snuck out of my room around five this morning. I haven't talked to him since."
"You need to go see him, Marcia."
She shakes her head. "But you need me. I'm not going to leave you here all alone."
"I'll be fine. Randy was his best friend. You're Randy's girlfriend. He needs you more than I do."
"Bob was your boyfriend, though. This is worse for you. You guys were in love. You guys-"
Cherry places a hand on Marcia's knee. "Stop, Marcia. I didn't love him. I liked him, sure. But I didn't love him. I don't even know what love is. But you do. You have that with Randy which is why you have to be with him right now. What if he needs you and you're not there? Won't you regret that?" Cherry's green eyes stare into Marcia's, daring her to refuse to leave one more time.
Marcia's mouth hung wide open. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Cherry didn't love Bob? But Marcia thought they were perfect for each other. They were always laughing and joking around and happy. Well, not always. Recently, they had been fighting more than anything. Marcia had ignored it. She never liked confrontation, especially when she had to watch it, so whenever things got heated between Cherry and Bob, she had tuned them out. Maybe she just thought if things were so great for her and Randy, then things would be great for everyone else too. Maybe she was just a horrible person.
"Are you sure you don't need me, Cherry?"
Cherry nods. "Positive. Thanks for coming. You really are the best." Cherry walks with Marcia to the front door and hugs her before they depart. As Marcia walks down the sidewalk to her car, she wonders how dumb Cherry really is. She wasn't the best. She never was and never will be the best. People who don't know how to help the people they love aren't the best. People who give their numbers to a guy they barely know while they are in a relationship aren't the best. People who leave their friends alone in their grief aren't the best. People who cause murders aren't the best. They were the worst. They would be the type of people Marcia hated. How did she let herself become a person she hated?
Marcia and Cherry were sitting on the hood of Randy's car waiting for him to get out of class and drive them to the Tasty Freeze for lunch. He had science with Mrs. McKeen before lunch and she was one of those "the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do" teachers, so Randy was always late.
It was sunny out, not a cloud in the sky, and Marcia could feel the warmth of the car hood through her skirt. Cherry wasn't talking much. Instead, she had her eyes fixed a group of greaser on the other end of the parking lot. Marcia shaded her eyes with her hand and tried to make out the figures. There was a dark-haired guy and girl who she didn't recognize, along with a blond that she believed was named Kathy. Two more figures appeared and Marcia immediately recognized them as Ponyboy Curtis and Two-Bit Matthews. Marcia almost lost her breakfast on Randy's hood. She hadn't seen Two-Bit since the night at the movies, which was strange because everyone knew him and he was known to be everywhere at once. She knew Cherry didn't know what she had done, but she had been holding it in since that night, and she had to tell someone.
"I have a confession."
Cherry keeps watching the group of greasers for a minute before she turns to Marcia, eyebrow raised. "What would that be?"
"You know Two-Bit Matthews? Ponyboy's friend?"
Cherry nodded. "Who doesn't?"
"Right. Well, that night, when we were walking home from the movie, I gave him my number."
Now both of Cherry's eyebrows were raised. "Why in the world would you do that?"
Marcia shrugs. "I don't know. He was funny. Easy to talk to. I just thought…" Marcia didn't know how to explain herself.
"Thought what?"
"I don't know."
"What about Randy?"
Did Cherry really think that? She of all people should know Marcia wasn't that kind of girl. "It wasn't like that, Cherry! I wasn't trying to hook up with him. I just wanted to talk. He seemed like a good person to talk to. I thought we could be friends or something."
Cherry shook her head, making Marcia feel stupid. "People like us and people like them can't be friends."
If this conversation was being held a couple of months ago, she wouldn't be saying that. Cherry had grown cold in the months since her boyfriend's death. Marcia felt like she was losing her. "Well, why not?"
"Because Marcia. They're different than us. Don't you know this? They're greasers. We're Socs. We don't get along."
"I thought you were friends with Ponyboy," Marcia pointed out.
Cherry snorted. "Barley. He only talks to me if he is forced to. I tried to be nice to him. It didn't work. It just showed me that what they say is true. We can't get along. They don't like us. We don't like them."
"Months ago you would've said that people should try harder to get along. That the whole social class thing is dumb."
"Months ago, I was stupid. Now I get it. Socs will always be Socs and greasers will always be greasers. We can't mix. It upsets the majority."
Marcia threw her hands up in the air. "Who cares about the majority? Things won't change if the minority doesn't do anything. Right?"
"Wrong. The minority are of little importance in this society. Look, you can't and never will be able to change it, so don't begin to try. There isn't anything you or me or anyone else can do."
Marcia was surprised Cherry was saying all of this. Neither of them had ever been very fond of greasers, but neither of them hated them like most of the other Socs. Marcia always felt that poor or rich, everyone should be treated the same. She thought Cherry did too. At least she used to. "That's so dumb! Why does how much money a person has effect their social status? Why does any of it matter anyway?"
Marcia could tell Cherry was getting annoyed. Her eyes were angry and her lips were set in a firm line. "I don't know, Marcia! I didn't make the rules. All that I know is that giving Matthews your phone number was a stupid idea and you shouldn't have done it."
Marcia sighs and leans back on the windshield. "It doesn't matter, anyway. It's been a couple of months and he hasn't called me. He probably lost it. Or threw it away."
"Who threw what away?" Marcia sits up at the sound of a familiar voice. She can't help but wonder how much he heard. She hopes not much.
"Hey Randy," Cherry greets. There's still fire in her eyes, but she smiles at him, even though Marcia can tell it's fake.
"Hey, Cherry. Hey, babe," he kisses Marcia on the cheek. "So what were y'all talking about?"
"Nothing important," Marcia tells him. "Cherry and I are meeting up with George, James, and Sheila after school to hang out at the Ribbon. Wanna come?"
"Sorry, I have a lot of homework. And a history test to study for."
"Can't you do that later," Marcia pleads. "We'll only be out for a couple of hours."
"I can't. This test is worth half my grade."
"You already have an A. It'll be fun, right Cherry?" Marcia turns to her friend hoping she'll help convince Randy.
"Actually, I just remembered I have a ton of homework and offered to babysit for the Smith's today. I can't come. Sorry." She isn't really sorry, and Marcia despises the snobby tone in her voice.
Randy stands there awkwardly before suggesting they get something to eat.
"I'm gonna have to take a rain check. I forgot I was eating with my other friends today. See you later, Randy." Cherry hops off the hood and swaggers back into the school.
"What was that about?" Randy asks, concern in his voice.
"Nothing. Let's just go," Marcia whispers and gets into the passenger side of the car. Randy turns up the radio and Marcia leans her head against the window. She can see her reflection in the mirror and the silent tears falling down her cheeks.
Cherry had said she didn't love Bob, but his death made her bitter. She had defended the greasers in court, yet she said she didn't like them. She had always been the strong one in their friendship, but now she was weak. And she covered her weakness up with bitterness and lies. How could the death of a person she didn't love, change Cherry so much?
Marcia felt like she didn't even know Cherry anymore. Every time she invited her over, she came up with an excuse. Every time they had plans, she ignored them. Every time they tried to talk, she was never truly there. Guilt began to creep its way back into Marcia's mind, and she knew that if she had let Cherry make one phone call, none of this would've ever happened.
There is a knock at the front door which makes Marcia look up from setting the table. "Get that honey, will you?" Her mother calls from the kitchen.
Marcia sets down the stack of plates and opens the front door to find Randy standing there. "Hey, Randy."
He's staring at his shoes. "Hey, Marsh. Can I talk to you?"
"I was just about to eat dinner. Do you wanna eat with us? My parents won't mind."
He looks up at her and shakes his head. "I need to talk to you now. In private."
"Oh. Okay." Marcia closes the door and steps out onto the porch. She sits on the front steps and Randy sits down next to her. "So, what is it you need to talk to me about?"
Randy picks his nails, a habit that Marcia hates. "I- I..." He takes a hold of her hand and looks into her eyes. "I leaving."
Marcia raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean- you're leaving?"
"I'm getting out of Tulsa. I'm headed out right now. But I couldn't leave without telling you."
"What? Why? What's wrong with Tulsa?" Marcia couldn't think of one thing that would drive him away. It was the middle of the school year. He was the most popular guy in school. He had a ton of friends. His family was amazing. He had her. He had it all.
"It's like the past is out to get me. Everywhere I go his name pops into conversation. Everywhere I go there's someone or something to remind me of him."
Oh. That. He had it all, but he didn't have that. His best friend. His death hit Randy like a truck. Everything had gone downhill after that. But Marcia thought things were getting better. He was smiling more. His laughter was once again a common sound. Maybe he was putting on a show.
"But things are getting back to normal. People aren't talking about it anymore. Everything will be fine." She tried to sound optimistic. She wanted to help him. She didn't want him to leave.
"No. Everything will not be fine. I can't do this anymore. Really, I can't."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He lets go of her and buries his head in his knees. His voice is shaky and comes out in a whisper. "Everything reminds me of him. Of that night. I can't be within a mile of the park without remembering every last detail. Mustangs remind me. School reminds me. Football reminds me. Knives, leather jackets, my neighborhood, rings, movies- you. You remind me." He sits back up then, his eyes watery. "I feel like I'm suffocating. If I don't get out of here, I'll drown in a sea of memories and drift off, not so peacefully, into death. I can't do this anymore, Marcia. I have to get out of this city."
Her mouth hangs open as she sits there in shock. "So this is done? Me and you, we're over?"
He holds both of her hands in his. He leans in close. She stares into his eyes. The big brown ones that she fell in love with years ago when they were in Junior High. "You're a great girl, Marcia. You're smart and funny and kind and beautiful. I know that there is some guy out there who's ready and waiting to be your Prince Charming. But it's not me. God knows it's not me. I can't give you anything, Marcia, and you deserve it all."
But it was him. It was always him. From the time she was thirteen-years-old she was his and only his. She never wanted anyone else. "No, I deserve you. I want you! I-"
"Stop! You don't deserve me. I'm a jerk. An asshole. I can't even look at a glass of water without being reminded of what I did. What I was involved in. I can't stay here in Tulsa. I have to get out."
"Where are you going?'
He shrugs. "I don't know."
"Well, how long will you be gone?"
He shrugs again. "Couple weeks. A month. Years. Maybe even forever. All I know is I need to go, and you can't be here waiting for me."
But she wanted to wait for him. She had to wait for him. She needed him. "I'll wait for you. I promise I will."
He shakes his head and a lonely tear falls down his cheek. "Marcia, you can't. What we had was great, but I can't keep loving you. I can't love anybody. I need to go now. I'm sorry." He lets go of her hand and rises from the steps. She watches him walk down the sidewalk to his car. She can't watch him leave.
"Randy wait!" He turns around and she runs up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kisses him with everything she has, with more love than she ever has before. He kisses back, but it's hesitant. She wishes he would kiss her like his used to. Back when he loved her. She pulls away but doesn't let go of him. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."
He holds onto her, running his hand up and down her back. "I'm sorry, Marcia. I really am." His lips rest on her forehead for a second before he lets her go. He opens the door of his car and stands there for a second, looking at her with sad eyes and a sad smile. He ducks into the car and fires up the engine, driving off into the unknown.
Marcia waves even though he can't see her. She can feel warm tears roll down her cheeks as she watches him leave. Leave Tulsa. Leave his family. Leave school and his friends and his reputation and Bob and everything. Leave her. Alone. With no one to blame but herself.