The sound of laughter, giggling and whispering filled the air around her as Cindy walked quietly along the hallways of the high school. Her thoughts engulfed her, making her unaware of the actual things that were being said and laughed at. Her thoughts brought her under a small wave of sadness as she reflected over what had happened the previous weekend.

How could she have been that stupid to think that he actually cared about her? How could she be so ignorant to think that she was any different from all the other girls that were attracted to him? Apparently to him it was just a game and she had fallen right into that game and become a pawn for him to play with. Sighing in disgust as these thoughts cascaded repeatedly through her mind, Cindy slammed her locker shut and turned around, her back pressing against it.

Before her, she could make out the happy and joyful faces of the other students that attended the school. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for them and if it wasn't, they certainly could hide it well. As her eyes flickered amongst the happy expressions, her eyes caught sight of her cousin heading toward her. Uncertain of what to do, Cindy pushed herself off the locker and began to head nonchalantly in the direction of her first class. She was hopeful that Cherry wouldn't recognize the back of her head. However, hope seemed to be failing her an awful lot recently.

"Hey, Cindy!" her cousin called out. Cindy listened to the quick footsteps behind here which merely informed her that Cherry wasn't about to stop and let her get away. If Cherry wanted to talk then there was nothing left for Cindy to do but talk.

Trying to convince herself that everything would go well, Cindy came to a stop and turned around to look at her cousin. "Hey, Sherri…" she said, a weak smile appearing on her lips as she watched her cousin take a deep breath.

After Cherry had regained the breath she had lost in the chase, she let a smile appear on her lips. Apparently it was her intention to cheer her cousin up, however, as she looked at Cindy she wasn't exactly certain how she was going to do that. It was obvious to her that Cindy was still shaken up a bit over what had happened at the movies and ever since that night Cherry had been trying to think up a way to repay her cousin for the pain and humiliation she had had to go through.

Unfortunately, Cherry had yet to come up with anything and therefore found herself playing it by ear as she walked along the hallway with her cousin. "So, how're you today?" she questioned, hoping the jaded question wouldn't bring out too loaded of an answer. She didn't want to push Cindy's mind back to the pain if she didn't have to.

Cindy, though, only shrugged in response as she passed between a group of football players. "Fine, I guess. Just trying to keep busy, you know?" she said, glancing at her cousin briefly before stopping to wait for a couple of people to pass by. "How about you?"

"Busy," Cherry admitted as she bit her lower lip. She realized the conversation was going worse than she had previously thought it would; however, she couldn't give up just yet. "Did you see the poster for the dance coming up?" she questioned.

"Yeah…"

"Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know. Are you?" Cindy questioned, glancing at her thoughtfully.

Cherry merely shrugged in reply as they stopped outside a classroom. Her eyes flashed through the window in the door before she sighed, realizing it was the class her cousin was about to attend. "I guess you'll have to find that out later," she said teasingly as she watched a small smile appear on Cindy's face. "I'll see you after school."

Without another word, Cherry headed down the hallway toward her next class. Sighing as her cousin disappeared from view, Cindy entered into the classroom and took her usual spot near the front of the room. As she pulled out her notebook and placed it before her on the desk, her mind began to wander back towards the weekend. Was it possible that she had made a mistake in thinking his flirting meant something or was he just trying to prevent himself from getting too involved? The questions, once again, began to flow through her mind as the teacher's monotonous voice began to lecture.

Sodapop rested motionlessly beneath a car, his eyes staring blankly above him. He had been in the same position for a few hours now and not once was he able to make himself start working on the car. How was he supposed to fix something else when he couldn't even fix problems with himself? Sighing in frustration, the Greaser pushed himself out from beneath the car and headed toward a work bench nearby.

Resting back against it, the glazed look remained on his face as his mind wandered back a few days. The scene at the movies played itself over and over in his mind and continually he watched himself make the same mistake over and over again. Growing annoyed with himself and the memory, Soda shook his head slowly before pushing himself away from the wall. There was only one thing for him to do and he knew what it was. Tossing down the rag that he had been using to clean his hands, he left the garage.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of another torturous day in school. As Cindy headed toward her locker, she had to admit that the day seemed to go by faster than usual and yet she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Slowly slipping into a debate with herself over whether it was a good thing or not, she entered into the bright sunlight and started to walk in the direction of the trees.

She knew that Cherry would be standing around wondering where she was, but Cindy had to take a break. She had to stand still and breathe. She had to think. As this conclusion came to her mind, she fell back lightly beneath the tree and closed her eyes, resting her head against the hard bark. Slowly the thoughts that had been haunting her all day ceased to run through her mind and the events from the weekend stopped tormenting her. She was finally at peace. Unfortunately, Cindy found that peace couldn't last for long.

"Hey…"

As she took in the familiar voice, a look of surprise appeared on Cindy's face. Her eyes flashed open and as she looked up, she couldn't help but let a small smile appear on her face.

"Hi…"

"Can I sit?" Soda questioned, his eyes glancing toward the ground beside her before he looked back towards her.

Cindy nodded slightly as she watched him fill the empty space next to her. Uncertain of what to expect at this point, she was beginning to feel a bit nervous when she felt his hand on hers. A look of surprise appeared on her face as she glanced toward him questioningly. No doubt he was trying to express something to her but at this point Cindy wasn't certain she wanted to hear.

Unable to tear her eyes away from him, though, Cindy waited for his words to come. Yet, none did. Soda merely let a smile appear on his face as he gazed into her eyes, apparently having not found the words he wanted yet.

For a few moments they sat looking at each other, neither of them breaking the silence or the gaze between them. "Something wrong?" Cindy asked quietly after a few minutes, deciding it was time to break the silence and move on with the conversation before her cousin wandered over to shoo him away.

Sodapop shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers as the smile remained in place. "I…I just wanted to apologize for how I acted…" he began, noticing the look that appeared in Cindy's eyes. Apparently the topic was still a sore spot for her and he didn't blame her. He'd hate himself too for what had happened.

"I see…"

"Yeah, that aint the way I usually am…" he began again, becoming a bit hesitant at this point in time. "Ya gotta understand that."

"I get it."

"No ya don't," he sighed, feeling her hand slip out of his. "I'm sorry, alright? I know it aint much but I am…"

Cindy nodded slightly, her eyes turning away from his face as she let a small sigh escape from her lips. "It's fine," she replied after a few moments of silence. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold the grudge against him forever. "It's just, I misunderstood things, that's all."

Sodapop sighed, shaking his head slightly as his hand moved to her cheek. Turning her face towards him, he smiled slightly before leaning in and pressing his lips firmly against hers. Smirking slightly against her lips, he pulled away a bit earlier than he wanted to. However, as he turned his eyes towards hers again, he found she had gotten the hint. The anger seemed to have ebbed away slowly.

"I…" Cindy began, biting her lower lip as a smile began to appear on her face. Unfortunately, at that moment, they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching and before the person could come into view, Sodapop jumped up.

"I've gotta go…"

"I figured that," she replied, smiling slightly as she rested back against the tree trunk again.

A look of remorse appeared in his dark eyes before he glanced in the direction of the approaching individual. "I'll call you sometime…" he said, turning to look back at her sincerely before heading off in the opposite direction.

Smiling to herself, Cindy nodded before she glanced in the direction of the approaching person. Within a few moments, her cousin had come around the trees, causing Cindy to groan slightly. "It's just you…"

"Just me? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry…"

"Yeah well…" Cherry began but stopped, noticing the smile on her cousin's face. "What happened?"

"Nothing…"

"You're lying."

"Maybe I am," Cindy replied as she rose from the ground and passed her cousin. "But you aren't going to find out," she joked as she headed in the direction of the car. As she passed through the school grounds, Cindy couldn't help but let her mind wander. This time, though, the thoughts were a lot more enjoyable.