"Hello, is Cherry Valance available?" I heard a familiar voice coming from the front door.
"Yes," I heard Micah answer. "May I please tell her who you are?" Micah was always the one in the family with the manners.
"Could you please tell her that Ponyboy Curtis needs to speak to her?" Ponyboy answered with just as much courtesy.
"Yes, please hold on."
I heard the front door close and Micah's footsteps running to my bedroom.
"Cherry, a boy named Ponyboy Curtis needs to speak to you. He is waiting for you at the front door. I think he's really nice!"
"Thank you Micah," I replied as I got up off of my bed and set my magazine down on my nightstand.
"Hey Ponyboy!" I said as I reached the door.
"Hi Cherry."
"What's up?" I asked pulling the heavy oak door shut behind me so that no little eavesdroppers could listen.
"I just wanted to talk to you. You never talk to me at school, and I missed having the instant connection between us. I know you're a Soc and I'm a greaser, but no one else understands me the way you and….Johnny did." His voice got real quiet at the end of that last sentence, and that's saying something since he's already a quiet person.
"I'm sorry Ponyboy. It's just, I've been having a real tough time since Bob died. Someone spread a horrible rumor that I was going to break up with Bob and I didn't miss him at all. By the time I heard the message, it even included that I'm glad he's dead."
"That horrible!" he exclaimed softly, and his eyes looked really sad.
"I know….Is there anything particular you wanted to talk about? Because it's getting dark and….wait a second, did you walk here all on your own?"
"Well, yeah….I really wanted to talk to you…."
"Oh Ponyboy….Do you know how dangerous that is?" I realized just then how much I must mean to him. He walked all the way to the Westside by himself just to see me….
"Listen Cherry….Ever since that night at the movies, I've sensed that you've been hiding something from me but that you want to tell me…"
So he knew. He knew I wasn't spilling. I owe him, though. If he walked over here just to talk to me, then I owe him enough to tell him my secret.