Gone. Dead. Shot.
Sherry woke up, once more, drenched with sweat. Two weeks had gone by since that damned night, but yet she couldn't take away from her head the picture of Dally lying on the ground, shot by a pair of cops. Every night, as soon as she managed to fall asleep, her dreams were haunted by the same nightmare. She tried to save Dally, yelled at him not to pull out the gun...he just looked at her, whispered something and took the gun off. What had he whispered? Was it a "I love you?" Had he ever loved her?
Sherry remembered by heart every moment they had seen each other, since the day they met, at the drive in. He sure wasn't the kind of guy she'd thought as a partner for life, and obviously wasn't the kind of son in law her folks approve of, but...Yeah, she was in love with him. She knew it from the very moment he looked at her. She would have faced whoever and whatever to be with him. Those damned gang fights...how many lives had been lost because of them...Bob, Johnny...Dally. But...what did he think of her, really? Was she just a soc, a posh, spoiled girl from the high part of town, or had he been able to see beyond her class? Yeah, she had told him she would support Ponyboy and Johnny if a trial was held against them, but would he have believed her?
Trying not to make any noise, she got up from bed. Through the window, she could see the full, bright moon. With a surprised sigh, she went out of her house and crossed the lonely street, to a car parked just in front of her house. She knocked twice at the window..
-Randy...
-I can't sleep, Sherry. Not after all this. You know, I feel guilty about Dallas and Johnny's deaths. Who would say, huh?-and he let go a bitter, dark laugh- We used to think we deserved everything and that the greasers were just scum, and well...who is the scum here? I'd give anything to turn back time...I have thought of apologizing to Ponyboy for what we did, but I am sure he wouldn't listen. God, this is such a mess!
The night at the fountain, when it all began. There had been trouble before, between socs and greasers, but it had never been so strong. Damned proud, of all of them.
-He will, trust me. And...I'd want to ask you something, as a friend. Will you take me tomorrow to the cemetery? I...I need to talk to Dally.
Randy looked at her in a way he never had...
-Yeah...you know, in fact, I was trying to be brave enough to go to his grave. I need to apologize to him, too.
Randy looked at his watch. Five thirty.
-It's late, Sherry, your old man must be about to wake up. You'd better go home...see you at school.
She went out of the car and got into her house, silent as a cat. As she went back to bed, she couldn't but think that was the first time in years she had seen the real Randy. "Goodnight, Dally" she whispered.
Two hours later, her alarm clock rang.
There had been no more nightmares.