Anywhere:

CHERRY: For the way it happened, I wouldn't have thought that that kiss between Ponyboy would have left me so uneasy. Nothing had really changed between us; we were still close, and for a few days, the kiss never came up in any of our conversations. But still…I'm sure we both thought about it constantly…at least I know I did. Sometimes if I thought about it long enough, I'd find myself…touching myself…in places I shouldn't. I could feel him on me sometimes…kissing me, holding me…sometimes I could imagine him doing more. I'd been with a guy before; Bob had been my first. He'd sort of rushed me into after the first couple of months after we'd started dating, but I'd been just as willing as he was. It was nice, I suppose. Bob was pretty rough with me at times, but it wasn't anything too terrible. All in all, he'd actually been very sweet about the whole situation. He'd set out a big blanket by the old oak tree and snatched a bottle of wine from his parent's liquor cabinet for us. Once we were done, he'd just held me there…letting us both soak up the moment. The only thing that wasn't right about the whole thing was I didn't love him. I'd thought that making love to him that night would have made me realize how much I cared for him, that I'd come to love him as much as he loved me. But in the end his drinking was too much for me, and I'd decided to end it between us. That was the night I'd decided to go to the movies with Marcia, where I'd met Ponyboy and his friends. The night Bob's drunken haze made him imagine things that weren't true and made him go after Pony and Johnny…and it had cost him his life.

I shivered at the memory of the police coming down the street of our neighborhood, something that was almost never seen. I had had a feeling it had something to do with Bob and his friends, but I could have never have imagined what really went down that night. Bob's parents had been devastated, obviously, but I think his mother took it the hardest. She didn't even want to know who killed her son, but rather, she simply asked her husband to pack up their things and let them move as far away from Tulsa as possible. That was the last any of us saw of them.

But Ponyboy…he wasn't anything like Bob was. He could never be. He'd grown up differently…seen things that none of us had. Part of me was glad I never would have to know what he went through, but the other wanted more than anything to know more about his world. I wondered what Pony saw when he looked at me. I knew little rich girl was written all over my forehead, but Pony didn't see people that way. He saw people for who they were, not what they were. The thing was, I didn't know who I was in the first place. I'd always been told what to be, what to do. My mother had been a cheerleader in high school, so naturally I went into it as well. When the question of college came up, it was never actually asked directly towards me but to my parents, seeing as they were always the ones to answer. Personally, I'd never really thought too much about what I wanted to be or where I wanted to go to learn about being it. Yet somehow my parents had made it up in their minds that I was to attend Brown University and become and English major. Then I would go on to marry a successful doctor or lawyer and move to some upstate city and have numerous children while being the perfect housewife. All while my two proud parents can retire in peace knowing their daughter is well provided for. The whole idea made me sick to my stomach. Who were they to try and plan everything for me? I knew they only wanted me to have a good future, but really?

I'd been lying in bed with my thoughts for a while when I turned over to reach for my personal phone and proceeded to dial in the Curtis house number. Darry (or I guess it was Darry) answered on the third ring, his deep voice echoing through the receiver. I cleared my throat timidly before asking to talk to Ponyboy. Darry didn't ask who I was or what it was I wanted, only grunted a response and handed the phone off to someone else.

"Hello?" It was Pony this time. I smiled to myself at the sound of his voice.

"Hey, Ponyboy," I said, twirling the cord of the phone around my fingers. "It's me, Cherry."

I could hear him let out a chuckle on the other line. "Oh hey, Cherry. What's up?"

I leaned back against the headboard of my bed and sighed. "Nothing much, just wondering what you were up to. I didn't call you too late, did I?" I glanced at the clock sitting across from me on my dresser. It was only 8:30, but who knew with Pony?

"Nah, you're fine. I don't go to bed until I get sleepy. So what've you been doing lately? I haven't talked to you in a while. You still want to meet up this weekend?"

I shifted slightly on the bed, crossing my legs underneath myself. "Yeah, that's fine. Umm…look, Ponyboy, I kinda wanted to talk to you about…well, about that kiss." I held my breath for a few seconds as I heard him go still, the quiet vibration of breath on the other line my only assurance that he was still there. It was a few moments before he spoke up.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Well…I've been thinking about it. A lot, actually." I laid my head back on one of my pillows. "Ponyboy…?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…I mean, do you ever…think…about me? That way, I mean." I tried to think of a better way to say things. "I mean…do you ever think about me as more than just a friend?"

There was yet another long pause as he soaked in my words. His voice was husky and deep when he answered me. "Of course I do. Why you think I kissed you in the first place, Cherry?"

I felt my heart leap up into my throat, and I did my best to push it back down. "Oh. Oh, okay. Umm…well…"

"Hey, Cherry?" he said, releasing me from my ramble.

"Yes?" I squeaked, my hand curled tightly around the head of the phone.

"You think we could meet up at the lot again tomorrow?" he said, making me blush with excitement. "We could talk more there. I've kind of got an audience here, if you know what I mean? It'll be a lot easier then."

"S-sure. Sure, that sounds great. I'll come by to pick you up around noon?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Okay, I'll see you later. Night," he said, the rustling on the other end letting me know he was about to hang up.

"Good night," I breathed, staying on long after the click and hum of the other line had signaled his departure. I let the receiver slide from my cheek as I put it back in the cradle and I curled up underneath the covers. Tomorrow…we'd be together tomorrow…I could only hope I'd be able to wait till then.

PONYBOY: I hung up the phone and sighed, surprised that she had called me in the first place. Weren't guys supposed to call girls, not the other way around? I guess it didn't matter really, but still…

I ran my hands through my slick hair and went back to mine and Soda's room, pulling off my clothes and falling into bed. I made myself comfortable and gazed out the window above the bed, the moon just barely visible through the blinds. There were a lot of things that I'd tried to compare to the brilliance of the moon, but none of them really seemed to match up. Cherry, though…she was the one thing that I thought more beautiful. She was everything to me, even though I'd never let her know that. Not now, anyway.

Soda came in a few minutes later, sighing and sitting down on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes and pants. "I tell you what, Ponyboy, you're lucky you don't have to work yet. Better enjoy it while it lasts." He stretched his arms out over his head and yawned, lying down in the bed next to me. He smacked me on the arm, breaking me from my trance. "You in there, Pony? What you been thinking?"

I shrugged, rolling over on my side to look at him better. "Nothin', just thinking. You know what I mean? When you're not really thinking about anything in particular, just letting things kind of flow through your head. That's what I've been doing lately."

Soda chuckled and rolled over on his side away from me. "Yeah, I do. Do it all the time, little brother." He glanced over his shoulder at me. "You wouldn't happen to be lettin' your head start thinkin' bout Cherry Valence, would you?"

I sighed and curled myself up into a ball, closing my eyes. "No. No, I wouldn't let myself think about things I can't have. Not like her, anyway."

T.T.T.T.T.T.T.T.T

CHERRY: School couldn't have drug on any slower. I'd tried to pay attention in Pre-Calculus and Government, but the rest of the day seemed to be a blur. I vaguely remember saying hi to Marcia and Randy in the hall way, and Patty asking me if she could borrow my tan sweater for her date with Jeremy, but nothing else really seemed to matter. I couldn't stop thinking about Pony…and that kiss. God damn it to hell that kiss! It was driving me crazy. If I couldn't kiss him again soon, I'd go into a fit. I'd never been so anxious over anything in my life, not even the time I slept with Bob. And all I was doing was meeting him at our trashy lot. Besides, we'd never promised anything more…just talking. That WAS what this was about, wasn't it? Just talking? I felt my hands shake as I opened the school double-doors to leave that afternoon, my body suddenly feeling puny and weak from simply pulling them. Something told me that my subconscious knew Ponyboy and I had more on our mind than "just talking," and if that was true, then I really did have something to be nervous about.

PONYBOY: I was leaving class when I saw her rushing down the hallway, her hair like a flash of fire across my face. I frowned and followed her out the school doors, but I didn't call out her name. She made her way through the strings of teenagers crowding around the steps, keeping her face to the ground and clutching her books tightly to her chest. I pushed my hands into the pockets of my jacket and trailed on after her, keeping my distance at the same time. I don't think she knew I was behind her, but if she did she didn't let on. She pulled her keys out of her purse and unlocked her car, slipping inside and starting the engine, pulling out of the parking lot with a screech. I was close enough behind to catch a glimpse of her eyes in the rearview mirror as she sped away, my stomach sinking. I sighed and turned on my heels back towards the school. Two-Bit would pick me up, but once we got home, I'd meet up with her again.

CHERRY: I'd seen him when I'd left the school, that solemn figure standing alone in the crowd. He'd been close enough that I could see his eyes…those clear gray, storm clouds covered by dark brows. I'd almost lost control of the wheel when I'd seen him watching me like that, and I could only think that the sooner I got to our lot the better. I drove down the road in silence, not even bothering to turn on the radio. My mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions, and I could feel my heart pumping blood through every vein in my body. I gripped the steering wheel anxiously, trying to smooth out my nerves. It was just Ponyboy. He was my friend, nothing more. We enjoyed talking to each other, having fun with one another. There was nothing wrong with that, so I had no reason to be nervous. I wouldn't have any reason to be nervous if that really were the case, I told myself bitterly.

It was around four when I pulled into the familiar lot, almost welcoming it's loneliness. Ponyboy wasn't anywhere in sight, though. I slammed the car door shut as I furrowed my brow and shoved my hands into my coat pockets, searching the lot for him. He should have been here by now, I thought gloomily, shivering as the wind picked up.

"Hey."

I spun around to meet Pony's eyes, his face only inches away from mine. "Oh, Ponyboy, it's you! You startled me." I smiled brightly at him, my body starting to shake all over again. "So, what'd you want to talk about? I've been wondering all day."

He grinned at me before reaching out a hand and pushing the wind-blown hair out of my eyes, making me hold my breath in surprise. He tucked the stray hair behind my ears and stepped in closer to me, the light of the setting sun highlighting the gold of his hair. The corners of his mouth pulled together in a smile, making me smile back at him. "Just that I don't want to ever leave you…I don't want to ever have to not see you, Cherry. And 'specially not because of some stupid reason, like I'm a greaser or you're a soc. That kind of stuff doesn't make sense." His eyes grew murky as his emotions shifted. "Johnny and Dally didn't die because they were greasers…and Bob didn't get killed cause he was a soc…they all died the way they did because of the choice they made." He glanced away from me for a moment, and I thought I saw a trickle of a tear fall from one of his eyes. He blinked it away and brought his gaze back to mine, his eyes softening. "If we have to learn anything from their deaths, it should be that life's too short to worry about whether or not you've got nice things or you live in a rundown neighborhood." He cupped his hand around my face, his thumb running along the line of my jaw. "I don't want to waste whatever time I have wishing I could have something I can't. Cherry, you're all I want…god, I know that sounds cheesy, but it's the truth. And if I can't have you, I don't want anyone else."

I gazed up at him for a moment, swallowing and trying to think of something, anything, to say to him. I let out a shaky breath before closing the small distance between us with my lips, pressing myself against him.

PONYBOY: There was a flood of relief when she kissed me, one that made me weak and strong at the same time. I held her to me and cradled her head in my hand, my fingers tangling in her hair. I could feel her hands on my chest, moving up my arms and around my shoulders, her breath sweet against my skin. She smelt like nothing I'd ever smelled before…a mixture of some kind of flower and powder. I never wanted to lose that smell. Cherry broke away from me for a moment to look up at me timidly.

"P-Ponyboy…"she breathed her mouth less than an inch away from my chin. "Do…do you w-w-want to…" She nuzzled the small notch in between my neck and my collar bone, raising goose-bumps over my skin.

"Yes," I whispered, my hands resting on the frame of her hips. I looked down at her and nodded my head. "Yes…if…if that's what you want—"

"It is," she said, cutting me off in a hurry. I gave her a small smile as her brown eyes danced over my face. "I've wanted to ever since you kissed me that first time." She grinned, her teeth flashing in the setting sunlight. "God, that sounds cheesy," she teased, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, no worries," I said, pulling her back to me and kissing her full on the mouth once more. "I'm used to things like that." At her welcoming smile, I took her hand and led her into her car.