Chapter 8:

Perfect

(Dally)

I look at Cherry, and I realize I've never really looked at her before. I didn't even look at her last night when I was fucking her. But now I look at her, and I don't know how I never looked before. She's sleeping right next to me, and her mouth is open just slightly enough to let out soft, peaceful breaths. There's something about her, especially when she's asleep like this—something that makes her look special, like she's literally a goddamn angel. How could I touch someone like her? Why did I think I could make her mine? No one should ever belong to me, especially not anyone good like her.

I close my eyes so I can't look at her.

You screwed Cherry Valance. So what? She's just another girl who isn't yours, and you aren't hers. This doesn't change anything. She'll never love you. Did you really think she would love you? You're such a goddamn dumbass. As soon as you go back home, she's going to forget you.

I open my eyes and she looks so perfect and so far away from me.

Someone knocks on the door. Grumbling obscenities, I roll out of bed and step into yesterday's underwear. When I yank the door open, I find Soda standing there grinning at me.

"Hey there, Dal. Wasn't expecting to find you here in Cherry's room."

"Whaddya want?" I growl.

He holds up his hands in defense, laughing. "Damn, you're in a real bad mood for someone who just got lucky."

"Shut the hell up and get to the point."

"Just wanted to see if everyone would be interested in going to a theme park today. There's a local one called Dreamland or somethin' like that."

"That sounds fucking stupid."

"Well shit, Dal, I just thought you might like to try something new while we're on vacation. They've got those huge rollercoasters there and everything. I've never seen anything like it."

Soda's got that shiny look in his eyes that he always gets when he's real excited, which is most of the time. Right now, that dumb look makes me want to punch him in the face.

"Can ya just ask Cherry if she wants to go when she wakes up?" he asks.

"Whatever," I say with no intention of asking her. I shut the door on his stupid smile.

Without looking at Cherry, I start grabbing my wrinkled clothes off the floor so I can leave before she wakes up.

Suddenly, a faint, pretty voice says, "I want to go."

My heart starts beating so hard that it hurts. Reluctantly, I turn to look at her. She smiles up at me in this sleepy way that makes her look… I don't know, innocent or something. Like she's never seen or thought anything bad. She looks so damn happy to be right where she is, and I don't understand.

"I haven't been to Dreamland since I was a kid," she continues. "I was always too afraid to go on the rollercoasters back then. Actually, I'm still afraid, but today I feel brave." She sits up in bed, holding a sheet up to cover her tits like I haven't already seen everything. A daring smirk tugs on the corner on her mouth. "I feel brave, and I want to ride on a rollercoaster with you, Dally."

Something hot comes over me, and I forget my bad mood.

In this weird, breathy voice that doesn't sound like mine, I say, "If you were really brave, you'd drop the damn sheet."

I still kind of expect her to slap me for saying something indecent like that, but instead she just laughs and turns as red as her hair. I lean down to kiss her and the sheet falls down around her waist.

You're a fucking idiot, I think as I crawl back into bed.

A few hours later, I'm walking through the glittery entrance of Dreamland. How could I say no to a girl who laid me twice after just one date?

Soda and Ponyboy run up ahead of us like a couple of eager little kids.

"Look at that!" Pony cries, pointing up at a rollercoaster.

Johnny catches up to him and says, "Let's ride it together."

"I hope ya don't puke, kid," I call out to Johnny, but he's looking at Pony and he doesn't seem to hear me.

"Can we go on a different rollercoaster first?" Cherry says. "Maybe one that's not so… tall?"

Pony and Johnny are already walking off without us.

Soda says, "Why don't we all go ride whatever we want then meet up for dinner at five?"

"Okay, we'll meet you all at the hot dog stand."

Soda gives Cherry a thumbs-up before running off with Pony and Johnny.

Cherry takes my hand in hers as she starts chattering about all the rides she wants to go on. I don't really hear any of it. All I can focus on is how small her hand feels in mine. Nothing has ever scared me more than that feeling.

We ride on a lot of rollercoasters all day long. Some are steep, some are fast, and some are both. Cherry screams most of the time, but sometimes she laughs. When we're waiting in line for the next ride, she's always holding onto my hand, I guess because she's scared. It makes me feel like she needs me, but I know I'm not what she needs. I'm quiet for most of the day.

Late in the afternoon, she drags me onto this lame ride called the Tunnel of Love. I only grumble a little because I don't have much energy to protest today.

Once we're seated on a boat that looks like a fucking giant swan, Cherry says to me, "I've never heard you say so little in my entire life."

"Your 'entire life'? You've only known me for a couple months."

"You know what I mean," she says, sounding a little annoyed.

Now that makes more sense. Cherry Valance was made to be irritated by everything I say or do.

Keep this up, Dally, and maybe you'll get rid of her.

As the darkness of the tunnel closes in around us, I begin to understand the appeal of this ride: you can be completely alone in here. It's too bad I don't want to be alone with Cherry.

"I've always wanted to ride this with someone," she confesses in an embarrassed sort of way.

Cherry shifts over so our arms are touching. I think she wants me to put my arm around her or some romantic shit, but I don't move.

"Why?" I ask in a flat voice.

"Because… I think it's romantic."

"Ya know, people just go on these sorts of rides to fuck."

She moves away from me and mutters, "I wouldn't know anything about that."

"So you're gonna pretend to be a prude now, huh? I think we both know that's not who you are."

"What the hell are you talking about?" The question makes her voice shake, like she's so mad she might cry.

That didn't take long.

"I'm talking about how you put out for a piece of shit greaser after one lousy date." My voice cracks like I'm real upset to say that, and my face warms with humiliation. I wasn't expecting this to hurt.

"Why are you behaving this way? After everything we shared last night… how could you just act like it was nothing?"

"'Cause it should be nothing!" I yell. Now I'm so upset that I don't even care enough to be embarrassed about it. "It should be nothing to me, and it should be nothing to you. We can't go anywhere from here! Don't you get that? I thought you were supposed to be smarter than me, little miss honors student Soc."

"I wouldn't have slept with you if I thought we were going nowhere," Cherry says, reaching out to touch my hand. "I want to be your girl."

"You really think you can just be my girl when we go back home? Everyone would hate us. Your boyfriend would try to kill me."

"He's not my boyfriend," she says as if that were the most important thing to take away from what I said.

"Fine. Your asshole ex would try to kill me, and then I'd have to kill him. Dating you would be more trouble than it's worth."

She pulls away from me, and I realize she may never touch me again.

"You didn't seem to feel that way before," she mumbles. "I thought we both felt like we were right together."

"Feelings change."

As our boat drifts through the tunnel's exit, the bright Florida sun lights up her face. Tears run down her cheeks in ugly streaks. Glaring at me, she wipes them away.

"I can't believe I let a hood like you break my heart," she says in a steady but furious voice.

"I can't believe it either." As we step out of the boat, I slip my car keys into her hand. "I'm taking a bus home now. Hope ya have fun here with Ponyboy."

I walk away from her, and she's silent.

I've never heard you say so little in my life, Cherry.

A cold feeling comes over me: sadness. I wonder why I feel sad for something that never was, but then I realize I'm sad for what it could've been.

A/N: WOW I have been gone forever! I am so sorry to anyone who waited to read this (although I'm assuming most people have forgotten about this old fic).. College has eaten me alive so I haven't done much writing in the past year and when I have been writing I've had to make my novel my first priority. Even though I didn't plan to take this hiatus from my fic, something really good actually came from it: I figured out the right way to continue with this story and I figured out the right way to end it. In this new chapter you probably noticed a voice shift I decided to make. I realized that I softened Dally too much in previous chapters so now I'm trying to stay as true as I can to the rough Dallas Winston we all know and love. I hope you all enjoyed him even though he was being an ass..

I'm planning on concluding the fic within the next 3 chapters! I don't know when I'll be able to write them-I may not be able to write this again until summer. But I'm graduating in May, and soon I'll have much more time to write! So if you're willing to wait, hang in there and I will eventually finish this fic for all of you! Thank you so much for your support!