One Week Later

I was at the Curtis's working on a project with Pony, for our class we had together, "So what do you want me to write down as your career?"

Pony grinned, "I will say I am a writer," he looked at Soda who was sitting on the couch, "How you feel about me and your girl, being married?"

Soda stared at his brother, then came and sat next to me, "Married, you and Pony talking about marriage?"

I nodded teasingly, "You bet." I was actually in the same grade as Pony even though I was younger, when I live in New York, they had pushed me up a couple of grades just because I was smart or something. I like being the youngest senior.

"Not really, Mr. Felder gave us this to do in Economics, Cherry has to pretend to be married to me," Pony read the paper I had been writing on, then started laughing.

I stared at my friend confused, "What's so funny?

"You put Sodapop Curtis down as your husband, instead of Ponyboy," Pony showed me where I made the mistake.

Soda kissed my cheek, "See married to Pony, and you thinking of me."

I erased, and put Ponyboys name, "I wonder what Mr. Felder would had thought if he saw Soda's name instead of your?"

"You have a brother name Sodapop, now I heard everything," Pony did his impersonation of out Economics teacher, "Mr. Felder is this new teacher Soda, all the girls love him."

I shook my head, "Not all the girls." I looked at my boyfriend.

"How about us going for a ride?" Soda leaned in and whispered in me ear, "Just the two of us?"

"What are you doing next to my sister, Soda?" My brother walked into the Curtis house.

"He was helping me think of how much a car would cost Pony, and me since we're married for a week in Econ class," I looked at my brother, then at Soda who was now a good foot away from me, "So you figure $500.00?"

Soda nodded, "How about you, Pony and I drive around, and see the different prices they have at the dealerships?" He looked at his brother.

I looked at my own brother, "Do you mind if Soda drives me, and Pony around to look at how much a car would cost?"

"I would take you, but I got to take Danielle out tonight, she's mad that I don't do nothing romantic for her, I guess you could go with Pony, and Soda," Dally walked up to Soda, "If it's alright with you?"

"It was my suggestion, Dally?" Soda smiled at me, and Pony, "You ready?"

My brother hurried out of the house, and headed to wherever he was going.

Pony looked at his brother, "Drop me off at Darry's, and Mandy's house, you two could drive, and pick me up on the way back to this house."

Soda grinned, "Sounds fine."

After we all got into Soda's car (it use to be Darry's, but he has his wife's car now, and Soda has Darry's car now) Soda behind the wheel, and me in the middle, with Pony on the opposite side of me, we started towards there oldest brothers.

Soda pulled in front of his oldest brothers house, and smiled, "I owe you little buddy."

Pony leaned in the window, "You better believe it," he walked right into his oldest brothers house.

Soda wrapped his arm around me as he started driving, "So what do you want to do?"

I looked out the window, "I don't know what I want to do," I rested my head on his shoulder, "I am just enjoying being here alone without our brothers."

Soda pulled into an abandoned lot, and parked the car, "So what do you want to do?"

I stared up at my boyfriend, and smiled, "What do you want to do?"

He leaned down, and kissed me, he slid his hand around my waist, and pulled me into him a little more, "I want to do exactly what we're doing right now," he started kissing me again.

I smiled into the kiss, then pulled out, "Soda?"

He looked at me for a moment, "What's wrong Cherry?"

"You're great, you know that?" I leaned back in, and kissed him.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I jumped out of Soda's arms, to see who had been knocking on the window, then glared as I rolled down the window, "Two-Bit?"

Two-Bit looked at Soda, "Did you know that Steve is having a party at your house right now?"

Soda looked at me grinning, "You up to a party, beautiful?"

"Sounds great," I scooted over as Two-Bit got into the passenger side, "Hope my brother doesn't show up, though."

"He is with Bridget, maybe he will be to busy with her to come to the party," Soda started back towards the house.

The Party

Soda, and I were sitting in his room, where we knew we could be alone, "How about you let me pick you up from school tomorrow?" He was leaning against his dresser.

I sat in a chair in front of Pony's desk, and stared at Soda, "Sounds great."

My boyfriend came and sat on the bed next to where I was sitting on the chair, "I like being around you, just kissing, and holding you in my arms."

"You don't care about me not being ready to have sex with you?" I leaned in, and kissed him.

He grinned his 'Sodapop-Grin', "I could wait until, you're ready."

I sat beside him on his bed, "I'm lucky to have you Soda," I said between a yawn.

My boyfriend laughed, as he pulled me in his arms, "Want to take a nap?"

I smiled as I closed my eyes, "I was up all night, because Buck was having a party, and it was to noisy to fall asleep,"

"Well it's just as noisy here, and now you start falling asleep?" Soda laughed as he kissed my cheek.

I buried my face in his shoulder, as he held me in his arms, "It's you, I feel relaxed when I am with you," I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Three Hours Later

"Hey kid, we got to get back home to Bucks," Someone was nudging me.

I opened my eyes, and saw my brother leaning over me, "I am too tired Dally."

"She could stay the night here tonight Dally, Pony, and I could sleep on the couch, or in Steve's room," Soda was standing in the doorway.

"Well it does make more sense since she walks to school with your brother, and Bridget," My brother looked at me, "You don't mind wearing the same clothes as you did today, do you?"

I smiled as I closed my eyes., "Pony, and I could go to Bridget's, she wears the same size clothes as I do," I heard my brother leaving, and then waited for Soda to come back into the room.

"He's gone, good thing I had to go to the restroom, otherwise your brother would had caught us sleeping in my bed," He laid beside me, and pulled me into his arms again, "Just go to sleep."

I fell asleep almost as fast as before, as I laid safely in his arms.

Six Months Later

We went to the Nightly-Double, Dally, Danielle, Soda, Pony, Bridget, Steve, Jen, and me to watch some beach movie.

I sat in the back roll behind my brother, and Danielle, Soda sat on my left, and Bridget was on the other side of me, I felt Soda's elbow brush against mine. It's hard sitting next to your boyfriend, and not being able to kiss him or hold his hand. I looked at Soda, who was smiling, "This is hard, we can't even touch each other," I was talking so that only Soda could hear.

Soda talked in the same tone that I had been talking to him in, "Want to go to the Snack Bar?"

I looked at Bridget, "You and Pony want to come with Soda, and me to the snack bar?"

Bridget smiled, as she took Pony's hand, "You want to go with us Pony?"

Pony shook his head.

Bridget just shrugged her shoulders, "I'll go with you two."

My brother looked behind at the three of us, "Where you going Cherry?"

I looked at my brother, "Soda is walking with us to get some refreshments from the snack bar, is that alright, Dal?" I was glaring at him.

"Alright, get me a Pepsi," He dug in his pocket, and handed me a quarter, "Make that two."

"Yeah, yeah!" I started walking away with Bridget, and Soda following.

Soda pulled me into his arms as soon as we got in the line to get our snack, and kissed me, "I hate having to sneak around, I want him to know that you're my girl."

I pulled out of his arms, as I spotted Buck, "Shit Soda, Buck just saw us."

Bridget stared at me confused, "Doesn't he already know though?"

I shook my head, "No, because I know he will tell my brother by accident, thinking my brother already knows," I grabbed two Pepsi's, as Bridget and Soda did the same, then we made out way back to the seats. I handed my brother, and his date there drinks, "Did you know Buck was here?" I asked nervously.

"He made it?" Dally looked at me, "I didn't see him yet."

I smiled as I took my seat next to Bridget, and Soda, "So far so…"

"Hey Dally," Buck hurried up to my brother, "Hey Danielle."

"Hey Buck, you bring a girl?' Dally squeezed Danielle's shoulder.

"Nope," Buck looked at me, and then at Soda, "So how long have you, and Cherry been dating?"

Soda rolled his eyes, "What are you talking about Buck?"

"I saw the two of you …" Buck started, but was cut short when Bridget dumped her drink on him, he glared at my friend, "Watch it will you?"

"You said you saw Soda, and my sister what now?" Dally stared at me, then at Soda, and back at Buck.

"I saw them kissing," Buck hurried off towards the snack bar.

Darry jumped over his seat, and grabbed Soda, "What the hell you doing with my baby sister?"

Soda pushed my brothers arms off his shirt, "She's not a baby. We been seeing each other for months, and as far as I know she is no baby."

"You took advantage of my little sister, she's sixteen," My brother pushed my boyfriend onto the ground.

"All we did was kiss, I never take advantage of any girl," Soda rolled over my brother so that way he was penning my brother down on the ground, "Maybe if you stopped treating her like a baby, you would realize she is not a baby."

My brother looked at me, from where he was penned down by my boyfriend, then he pushed Soda off of him. He looked at me for a moment, like it was his first time seeing me, then glared at my boyfriend, "If you ever hurt her by making her do things she don't want to do, I will kill you." He went, and sat down next to his girlfriend.

I stared at the screen, then looked at my boyfriend, "Well now he know."

Soda smiled a little, "I guess he does," he took a hold of my hand.

I was a little uncomfortable kissing Soda, so I just let him hold my hand, I looked at my boyfriend, he was rubbing his shoulder with his free hand, "Are you alright?"

He looked at me, "Yeah, I think I bumped my shoulder on the chair when your brother penned me to the ground."

I rubbed his shoulder gently, "Maybe I should had told him, when we first started going together," I rapped my arm around his neck, and rested my head gently on his shoulder, then I started laughing, as I remembered Bridget dumping her drink on Buck.

Pony was staring at Bridget, "I can't believe you dumped your drink on Buck."

Dally looked behind at Bridget, then at me, "I hope Buck doesn't hold a grudge on a girl," he was teasing, "What do you think Cherry?"

I looked at my friend, "I wouldn't walk alone if I were you," I teased.

She knew I was teasing, "Don't worry about that, I learned my lesson the hard way," she pointed to the scars on her neck from when the Soc attacked her before I moved here.

"We're not going to let you walk alone anymore," Pony wrapped his girl in his arm, and started to kiss her.

I looked at Soda, he was just staring at the movie screen, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just picturing you in one of those bikini's," Soda noticed my brother staring at him, "I meant Pony."

Pony pulled out of his lip lock, and looked at the screen, "Really, which color would suit me best?" He teased, "I like the blue one."

My brother started laughing, which got my boyfriend to laugh, "I was actually picturing Danielle in the red bikini," he was grinning at his girlfriend.

Danielle just shook her head, "Yeah, I bet that's what your imagining me in."

Soda just laughed as he wrapped his arms around me, he whispered in my ear, "So do you have a swimsuit like those?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I rested my head on my boyfriends shoulder.

He turned his head towards mine, and gave me a quick but still meaningful kiss, "I love you."

"You love me?" I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him back, "I love you to."

He smiled, as he held me in his arms, and we finished watching the movie.

It turned out to be a decent night after all.