Chapter Two

I don't have much to say. I do want to thank the people who gave me a review and followed/favorited this story. It means a lot!

If one saw Korey and Cherry Valance standing next to each other, they wouldn't be able to guess that they were related. Sure, they were cousins, but they didn't even look like that. Red hair ran in the family, but Korey missed out. Korey was still quite the looker, however. She had long brown hair and the most beautiful blue eyes that could be noticed from across a dark room.

Cherry, however, never really envied Korey. Her cousin was a force to be reckoned with. She had done it all. Shoplifting, fighting, drinking. Cherry once heard a rumor that Korey's friend once jumped off a bridge, and Korey had followed. Cherry was a good girl for the most part, and she liked it that way.

The redhead hadn't seen her brunette cousins since a family gathering three years prior to Korey's arrival in Tulsa. Cherry and her family had taken a long trip to New York where the rest of her extended family resided. She hadn't seen any of them since. Not until Korey and her family decided to make the equally long trip to Tulsa for a more permanent visit, so to speak.

Cherry didn't know what to expect after three years of being away from her cousin. People don't change much in three years. Cherry thought. Boy, was she wrong.

••••••

Korey saw a shock of red hair walking down the street and knew immediately who it was. There had to be tons of redheads in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but Korey recognized her cousin without a doubt. Cherry was the only red head she knew who would dare wear orange.

Korey headed in Cherry's direction, both of their smiles widening. It had been a while.

Cherry hadn't changed at all. Same hair, same posture, same freckles. She looked so similar to three years ago, whereas Korey had transformed drastically. She was no longer a girl, but a woman. Curves in places Cherry didn't know could curve, long hair braided down her back, and quite a few more inches in Cherry. Then again, the redhead had never been that tall.

"Cherry!" Called Korey, waving at her cousin while picking up pace

"Hey!" Responded Cherry as they neared until they embraced. It had been only three years, but it had felt longer than that.

The hug lasted only a moment, for Korey wasn't all too fond of hugs. She pulled away and looked at Cherry, sizing her up. Maybe she had changed a bit. While everything had stayed the same physically, she seemed more confident and carefree then she did before. Korey smiled at this realization. She knew what it was like in Cherry's shoes, and it wasn't always pretty.

"How have you been Korey?" Cherry asked as the walked back in the direction of the home.

Korey looked at the house and sighed. "Busy. I've been really busy."

"You seem like you need a break." Cherry said, looking around the street to look for any familiar houses or faces. "Why don't I take you out for lunch and show you around town?"

"Cherry," Korey started, biting her nails. "I would love to, but you know my parents. They won't let me leave till we've finished unpacking."

"Cmon Korey, I'm sure they'll understand. I'm your cousin, for Gods sakes!"

"Okay, okay, I'll ask."

Korey made her way back inside her new home, leaving Cherry outside to wait. It hadn't been more than a minute when Cherry felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see not her cousin, but a tall, blonde girl dressed in messy yet stylish clothes. Cherry labeled her as a hippie. She had recognized this girl, but she wasn't able to put a name to the face.

"Hey!" The girl exclaimed. "You must be Korey's cousin!"

Cherry shifted uncomfortably. "I am, yeah. And you are…"

"Oh, right, sorry. I am Cynthia. I live next door to Korey. We talked a bit this morning when she arrived."

"Well that's good. It's nice to see she is already making friends around here." In that moment, Korey came rushing out of the house towards the two girls. She wore a big smile.

"Good news! I can go!" She looked over at Cynthia. "Hey! Do you want to go to lunch with us?"

Cynthia nodded before turning to Cherry. "If it all right with you."

Cherry smiled at Cynthia. "Yeah, of course. I called my boyfriend this morning. He is coming too. He is also being a friend. The more the merrier, I guess."

And off went the group to go eat lunch

••••••

Ponyboy was sat with Johnny in a booth at their favorite diner, the one with the good milkshakes. The pair had ordered milkshakes and sat silently waiting for the girls to show up.

It was quite easy for Pony to convince his friend to go the diner, surprisingly enough. Then again, Johnny never seemed to be doing much and always took the opportunity to go out with his friends, even if there were going to be strangers.

The girls arrived shortly after the waitress showed up with the boys' drinks. Pony noticed another girl with them. He recognized his girlfriends cousin from the pictures that she had shown him. Beauty seemed to be a common trait in the Valance family. The third girl was equally beautiful, but Ponyboy had no clue who she was.

The group sat down across from Pony and Johnny. Pony gave a smile to his girlfriend, followed by "Hey!"

"Hey, babe!" Cherry said with a smile. "Korey, this is Ponyboy. Pony, Korey. Oh, and this is his friend Johnny." Johnny waved. After this, everyone diverted their attention to Cynthia. "Boys, this Cynthia. She's Korey's neighbor."

"Hi!" Cynthia said with a smile.

The waitress came back and took the girls orders. Afterwards, everyone proceeded to talk. They talked about Korey's life in New York, how she liked Tulsa, school, summer, and everything in between.

It seemed like hours had passed through conversation. Everyone got along well, like they were old friends reuniting after time away. Even shy Johnny got into the conversations, growing particularly fond of Cynthia.

After milkshakes, they walked through the city, showing Korey all the best places to hang out, eat, watch movies. They stopped by the DX and said hi to Soda and Steve.

The journey around town lasted nearly into the nighttime, in which the girls decided it was time to head back to their homes. With a peck in the cheek, Cherry turned away from Pony and head back in the direction they had came.

Pony smiled. The day had gone better than he had expected. He was happy that his girl was happy. He was happy that Johnny was happy. The day couldn't have gone better.

However, this single interaction was the start of something that Ponyboy wouldn't want to get himself into. If he knew what was to come, he would have never met Korey Valance.

I hope you enjoy chapter two! Make sure to check out my Two-bit/OC fix "Strange Things Will Happen"! Please review, follow and favorite. Thank you!