A/N: Sorry for updating slowly! I thought Christmas Break would be less busy…
Song for this chapter: "Save You" by Kelly Clarkson
"Sherry, the phone's for you!" my Mom called to me as I was taking care of Allison, or as Soda calls her, Allie Cat.
"Just a second!" I called back to her. I was in the middle of putting Allie to bed, and she was just starting to fall asleep.
"The person, whoever it is, says it's an emergency!" she replied.
"But I'm putting Allison to bed!" I complained.
"I'll do that!" she told me as she walked in with the phone. "Yes, she's right here. I'll give the phone to her now," she said into the phone. I didn't know what to say to the person even as she handed it to me, so all I managed was a very weak 'hello'.
"Cherry? It's Ponyboy," the voice said.
"Pony?" I asked, wide eyed. I decided walked out of the room so my Mom wouldn't hear us. "Why are you calling me?" I whispered as I walked up the stairs to my room.
"It's Soda, you have to come ASAP!" he told me, talking very fast and stumbling on his words.
"Why?"
"He and Dally had a fight, and… it didn't turn out too well for Sodapop," he explained.
"What do you mean?" I asked, afraid that he was dead.
"He's got the wind knocked right outta him," Pony answered.
"What?"
"He's unconscious,"
"Okay,"
"So you'll come?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm on my way," I told him as I hung up. My stomach suddenly turned to ice… and a knot, too. It hurt, and it felt like I was going to hurl. Sodapop was hurt? Even worse, he was hurt because of Dallas. All I could think about as I sped on the road was Is he okay? and other stuff about him like that. He'd been so nice to me and everything and now he was majorly hurt. I was scared to death by the time I got to the lot. When I pulled up, I instantly saw the gang crowded around something on the ground, most likely Soda. Ponyboy looked up and sprinted over to me, and in no time, he was at my car.
"You're here!" he greeted, trying to be cheerful.
"Where's Soda?" I asked, skipping the small talk.
"Over there," he replied, pointing behind him. I slammed the door and ran. At least I was wearing jeans and not a skirt like usual; I can't wear a skirt taking care of a baby who might ruin it any second. My mom would kill me.
Back to Soda.
When I saw his face, it wasn't that unharmed angel I usually saw on it. I saw an innocent angel attacked by a guilty devil. There was blood all over it, his right eye was turning into a black eye, and his left eye was swelling up.
"Aren't you guys going to call an ambulance?" I asked the obvious thing to do.
"We did," Darry answered, not pulling his eyes from Soda.
Seeing this sight made me angrier than I'd ever been. I was angrier than that night Bob broke up with me, I was angrier than when Dallas turned me down, I was angrier than possible. I was clenching my teeth so much that my jaw started to hurt.
"Where's Dallas?" I asked through my clenched teeth.
"He's gone," Steve answered. "We don't know where the heck he is,"
"I heard he went with a girl," Two-Bit added.
"WHAT GIRL?" I yelled, not taking my glare from Soda.
"I heard her name was Ann or something," Two-Bit answered.
"Ann VALANCE?" I questioned.
"Yeah, that's her," Two-Bit said. Now I was ready to explode. Instead, the conversation ended and I stared at Sodapop. After about five long minutes, the ambulance finally came. They wheeled him in, and I begged to be with him. Darry and Ponyboy said that they'd be able to wait, but it didn't seem that I could, so I went in with him. He stayed unconscious for about five minutes while I stayed silent, afraid to touch his skin. I was staring at the wall when I saw something shift in the corner of my eye. I turned my head quickly. Sodapop was shifting ever so slightly and very weakly.
"Soda?" I asked softly.
"Cherry?" his hoarse, weak voice said. It wasn't right. His voice was supposed to be unharmed and cheerful. Instead, it was harmed, weak, and worst of all, sad.
"Yeah, it's me," I told him. He turned his head and just hardly was able to open his black eye.
"It is you," he said with a smile.
"Who else could it be?" I asked.
"Somebody trying to hurt me,"
"I won't hurt you,"
"I know that,"
"Then why did you think that?"
"Because I thought you were somebody else,"
"Right!" I commented, feeling like an idiot. He tried to hold out his hand but as soon as he tried to move, he flinched and put his hand back, whining. I decided not to make him feel bad and held it myself.
"Thanks," he smiled.
"Your welcome," I told him. "I'll be here for you," I added.
"I know," he smiled, again. "Wanna, I don't know… kiss? Again?"
"Sure," I agreed as I leaned in for him. It didn't last very long since we are at the hospital and it hurt him a little. "I'll have to see you again later," I told him as he was wheeled in.
"Why?" he asked, upset.
"I have to talk to a certain somebody…" I answered. "I love you," I added.
"Me, too," he replied as he was wheeled away and I walked off. I was about to give Ann a piece of my mind…
A/N: Sorry I forgot the last authors note in my last chapter! D: Hope you forgive me!
R&R please!
