Disclaimer: The Outsiders does not belong to me.. tear, tear.
Chapter Five- Not There, Never There
Previous Chapter: "Cherry, baby, you're on the wrong side of town."
Cherry's jaw fell open and she looked up at Dally. Her cheeks felt like fire and she took a moment to think of the right reply. She glared at him the whole time, searching every corner of her mind for something humiliating to say back.
"So?" was all she came up with and immediately wished she'd taken longer to think about it. Ponyboy looked up from his book at Dally who was laughing at Cherry's unimpressive come-back. Cherry kept her eyes fixed on Dally, trying to seem as cold and mean as he was.
"You can get hurt on this side of town, doll. You should watch out." Dally flashed one more mischievous smile in Cherry's direction before turning and walking toward the kitchen. Cherry thought about getting up to leave, but decided against it. She had come here to eat dinner with the Curtis', not argue with Dally. She sighed and twisted a piece of her red hair in her hand. Ponyboy returned to his book and flipped a page.
"May I turn on your T.V.?" Cherry asked quietly. Ponyboy nodded an approval and Cherry clicked on the remote. Various television shows were on about cooking, a few were infomercials, and there were some cartoons on, too. Cherry flipped through the channels, not really looking for anything. She clicked the buttons, staring at the television screen, but her mind was somewhere else. She couldn't figure out why it was that she wasn't able to act so unbelievably tough around Dallas Winston.
"Hey, turn that back!" Two-Bit's voice startled Cherry and she looked at him confused. He was holding a beer in one hand and a piece of bread in another.
"Huh?" Cherry wasn't sure what he was talking about. Two-Bit walked into the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the T.V.
"Mickey Mouse was on, turn it back two channels." Cherry obeyed and clicked the remote a few times before setting it down on the end table beside her. Two-Bit laughed and laughed for a full fifteen minutes, causing Cherry to try her best to pay attention to the show, for hope of something she could laugh at too. Nothing Two-Bit laughed at, though, seemed funny to her. She wished she'd brought a book with her, Ponyboy looked so content reading.
"Okay, dinner's ready. If you want it, come and get it," Darry yelled from the kitchen. Soda, Johnny, Dally, and Steve were already seated at the tiny table in the kitchen. Cherry smiled and stood up, brushing her skirt down in the back. Ponyboy began walking out to the kitchen, Cherry following him. Two-Bit didn't budge.
"You can just bring it in here for me, buddy. There won't be enough room out there anyway." Two-Bit's eyes were still locked on the screen, and Cherry couldn't help but laugh. He looked so ridiculous sitting there on the floor like a little kid.
Darry walked into the living room and turned off the T.V. Two-Bit's head shot up to look at him. Darry just simply turned back and walked into the kitchen again. "Hey, I was watching that, you know. That was a good part, too!" Two-Bit complained, slowly walking into the kitchen. Cherry sat herself down at the end opposite of Dally. She unfolded the napkin beside her plate and placed it on her lap.
"Gosh, Cherry, you're eating with us, not the Queen of England," Soda said gawking at her polite manners. Cherry blushed and then picked up her fork. She glanced at Dally, who was staring coldly at her. Almost by instinct, she looked back down at the table, to see a plate of steak be placed in front of her.
"Wow, Darry, this looks wonderful," Cherry said enthusiastically. Her parents always went out to eat or stocked the refrigerator with jelly and peanut butter for sandwiches. She definitely wasn't used to meals like this. Darry smiled, pleased. He liked it when people complimented his cooking.
"Yeah, wait 'till you taste it, you might change your mind," Ponyboy said jokingly as he stuck his fork into a piece of steak. Cherry smiled and stuck her fork into a steak as well.
Dinner went by fast, and before she knew it, it was 10:30. She knew she'd better hurry up and get home, maybe her parents were actually worried about her. She doubted it, but none the less said goodbye and got into her car. She had fun that night, despite Dally not saying one word and not taking his eyes off of her. For a second she thought he might actually like her, but she quickly knocked the thought out of her head. The last thing she needed was for her to start believing things that weren't true.
"Mom, Dad? Are you home?" Cherry slammed the heavy door behind her as she entered the house. There was no reply. "Dad? Hey, mom, you home?" she called again. Still no answer. Cherry sighed and began climbing the steps, her parents probably decided to stay in Texas a little longer. Of course they wouldn't try to let her know.
Cherry flopped down on her bed the moment she got into her room. She was so tired, the softness of the mattress just seemed to float under her. She closed her eyes and let it take her away. She loved this bed, it was so soft and fluffy.
"Hey, where were you yesterday?" Maggie said as she ran up to Cherry in the hallway. "I tried to call you three times." Cherry shrugged. She looked preoccupied, but Maggie wasn't going to ask.
"I was…out," was Cherry's answer. She tried to cover the smile that slowly came to her lips by turning to face the other direction, pretending she was looking for someone. Maggie watched Cherry, confused. Cherry always told her everything, but today, she could tell Cherry was hiding something. "My parents are staying in Texas longer than they said," Cherry said when she turned around again. Maggie nodded.
"I'm sorry," Maggie whispered and then looked at Cherry. "They won't get to see you on Friday. They won't get to see you in your dress will they?" Cherry shook her head and stared at the tile floor in front of her. The two girls continued walking down the hallway in silence. Sometimes, Cherry hated her parents, they never seemed to be there. Sometimes she wondered if they'd even bother to show up to her own wedding, if she ever had one.
Wow, this is extremely short, and it's not my best. I haven't written a chapter in a while though, i've been so busy. So here's one to hold you over until I get the next one up. I swear, the next one will be both long and good.