This Isn't Where You Kill Me, Is It?
Soda noticed that Darry and Pony were acting weird when he went into the kitchen to get cash for the pizza. Darry had said he was trying to convince Pony and Elsie to quit smoking, though they were usually a bit more whiny when he did that. Soda just shrugged it off and took the cash Elsie was handing him. While he was paying the pizza guy, he noticed a familiar red t-bird pull up in front of the house. A smile grew on his face as he watched the one and only Cherry Valance walk through their front gate. As the pizza guy turned and left, Soda called out to Cherry while holding a stack of four pizza boxes. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I think you might be lost. The west side is about twenty blocks that way.” He teased with a grin.
Cherry grinned back, “Ha Ha.” She said sarcastically as she walked up the porch steps.
Soda grinned, “Are you looking for Marcia? I think Two-bit said she was coming by later to give Elsie a house warming gift or something.” Soda noticed Cherry’s grin was starting to falter a little. She looked almost nervous, but he wasn’t sure why she would be. They had hung out a few times in a group of friends. He liked it when she was around. Steve and Two-bit kept hinting that he should ask her out but part of him feels like that might ruin things. He liked just talking to Cherry, not flirting or putting on his wild man persona. When they spoke to each other they were just Soda and Cherry. If Soda started treating her like a potential date, that would all go away.
“Um, No, actually, I was looking for you.” Cherry responded. Steve and Two-bit
Appeared in the doorway.
“Pizza here?” Two-bit asked. “Oh hey Cherry, what are you doing here?” He said with a smirk when he saw who was standing on the porch with Soda.
“You delivering pizza, now?” Steve added cheekily.
Cherry let out a small chuckle, “Oh no, I just needed to tell Soda something…” Two-bit and Steve exchanged a look but didn’t say anything. Soda handed them the pizzas and told them he would be inside soon.
Soda grinned at Cherry, “So what’s going on?”
Cherry looked nervous again, but she didn’t break eye contact. “I was down at the stables and I think I saw someone you know…” Soda didn’t say anything, just furrowed his brow, so Cherry continued. “I was cleaning my horse’s hooves after a ride-”
“Cassie?” Soda asked. He remembered her telling him about her horse last time they saw each other.
Cherry nodded, surprised he remembered, “Yeah, and this girl came up and started petting her and we got to talking. She looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t quite place her and after a while she told me she had just returned to Tulsa from her staying with her aunt for a while, and then she told me her name and it clicked. It was Sandy.”
Soda nodded slowly. He had no idea how to react or even what to feel. He was angry and frustrated and confused and a bunch of other feelings he couldn’t name. He forgot Cherry was standing in front of him, and all of a sudden screamed out, “FUCK.”
As he said it, Curly Shepard stumbled past them from the side of the house. “Well fuck you too, then, Curtis!” the boy slurred. Soda and Cherry stood for a moment and watched the boy stumble towards the lot.
Soda looked back at Cherry with a reckless look, “I have to get out of here.”
Cherry nodded in understanding, “I know the perfect place.”
“Wait. I should tell Darry. Ever since Johnny and Dally died, he gets nervous when one of us runs off without saying anything.” Cherry nodded in understanding and Soda opened the front door, nodding for her to follow him. They walked into the living room and it got eerily quiet. It was hardly ever quiet in the Curtis household, especially when everyone was home like they were now. They know, Soda thought. He didn’t know how they knew Sandy was back but he could tell they knew. “Hey Dar, I’m heading with Cherry for a little while. I’ll be back later,” He kept his voice as even and neutral as he could.
“Okay, little buddy. But we, uh, need to tell you something first… Earlier when Elsie answered the door and you all thought it was the pizza… it was actually –”
“Sandy.” Soda finished for him. She came to the house? He thought. Why would she do that? He noticed everyone staring at him and realized they were confused about how he knew she was back. “Cherry just told me she saw her at the stables… So, I guess she’s back.” Soda shrugged trying to seem as casual as possible.
“You okay, Pepsi?.” Darry asked.
Something inside Soda twinged at the use of his dad’s nickname for him. Darry and Steve were the only two who used it now and usually didn’t mind, but it made him wonder what his dad would think of this whole situation. He looked around the room and noticed everyone’s looks of pity. He couldn’t stand it. He didn’t say anything, he was sure if he did he would end up yelling at everyone. Cherry must have realized he didn’t want to say anything, because she answered for him, “He will be.”
He gave her a grateful smile and started to head towards the door, then remembered the Shepherd kid.,“Oh and Pony,” Soda added over his shoulder, ““I saw Curly stumble over towards the lot. You might wanna go check on him. He looked a little blitzed.” WIth that, he grabbed Cherry’s hand and led her out the door.
Neither of them spoke as Cherry drove, they just let Dolly Parton fill the silence. Soda still didn’t know where she was taking them, but he didn’t care. He was a little surprised when she pulled into a rail yard near the outskirts of the city. He looked over at her as she parked the car, “This isn’t where you kill me, is it?”
Cherry smirked at him, “Not yet. C’mon.” She got out of the car and Soda followed her lead.
They walked along the railroad tracks in silence for a moment. Soda was curious why she chose to bring him here of all places, but he didn’t ask. Instead he asked, “Did she seem okay?”
Cherry didn’t have to ask who he was talking about, “Yeah, I guess, a little nervous.”
Soda nodded, “I don’t know why I care. She didn’t even bother to open my letter before she sent it back to me, and now she’s showing up at my house?” He shook his head, it didn’t make any sense.
“Why did she leave?” Cherry asked softly, she had heard rumors but she had learned that one story always had many different sides. That and that most of her Soc friends were full of shit.
Soda stopped walking and turned to Cherry. “You heard the rumors.” He knew that a lot of those rumors weren’t true, but it was hard for him to say the real answer. That she didn’t love him enough to stay.
Cherry locked eyes with him and raised an eyebrow, “Oh? So it was true that her parents caught you two having sex in their bed and sent her to a convent in Texas?”
Soda scoffed, “I forgot about that one. No… they didn’t catch us, and she was in Florida, not Texas.” He paused and took in the redhead’s stubborn expression. He sighed, “She was pregnant… I offered to marry her… but her parents didn’t like that idea, and I guess she didn’t either.”
Cherry reached for Soda’s hand, he reluctantly let her take it. “Ya know, my dad is a lawyer, he could help you get custody if–”
Soda cut her off, “It wasn’t mine. I still would have married her… but all that means is that I’m a damn fool.” He was looking away, refusing to make eye contact until Cherry grabbed his chin and made him look at her.
“No.” She said in a voice that was fiercer than what Soda was used to. “It means you're a good man.”
Soda looked at her, shocked by her stern grip. “What would you know about good men?” It was a harsh thing to say. But if Bob was her idea of a good man, good enough for her to date, then he didn’t really think her opinion on the matter could be trusted.
She dropped her hand from his face but kept eye contact, “Not much.” She turned away from him, watching as a train began to be heard in the distance. “Sometimes when Bob and I used to fight, I’d come out here by myself to get away from him, and our friends who made excuses for him. I would stand here and wait for the train to come, and when it did and was at its loudest, I screamed.”
Soda watched her, wishing he could see her face, “Scream?”
“As loud as I could.” She responded. “I would scream and shout all of the things I wanted to say to him, but couldn’t because good girls from the West side don’t say things like that. Especially to the man they love.” She turned to face Soda, “You should try it.”
Soda had never seen Cherry like this. She was usually composed and controlled, but right now he could see an almost manic glint in her eye. It scared and excited him, “I should scream? When the train passes us?”
Cherry nodded, “Yes. When the train passes, shout what you want to say to Sandy as loud as you can.” She saw the apprehension on his face and could hear the train getting closer. She grabbed his hand and turned so that they were both facing the train. “I’ll do it, too. When the train comes, I’ll yell at Bob and you yell at Sandy. As loud as we can. Okay?”
Soda looked at her too much in awe to say anything, so he just nodded and faced the train tracks, still holding her hand. The train got louder and as it passed them they screamed. Soda yelled, “WHAT THE FUCK SANDY???” And at the same time Cherry yelled, “ROT IN HELL BOB!!!”
The train passed and it suddenly got very quiet. It seemed quieter than before they started screaming. The two teens turned to face each other and Soda wrapped Cherry into a tight hug. She let him hold her for a while, knowing that he needed this. When he let go, he just stared into her green eyes before asking, “Do you like to dance?”
That wasn’t what Cherry was expecting him to say, but she grinned, “Yeah. I do.”
“Have you been to Wendall’s?” Soda asked, his eyes were glassy but a small grin was tugging at his lips.
“That dance hall downtown? Once, yeah.” Cherry responded. Her and Marcia had been there before when they were mad and Randy and Bob, but it wasn't a popular Soc hangout.
“Let’s go.” Soda said simply as he grabbed her hand and began running toward her car. Cherry almost tripped but caught herself, running to keep up with Soda and laughing. When they got the car Cherry tossed Soda the keys with a wink. He grinned and opened the passenger’s seat door for her. She slid in and he went over to the diver’s side. He started the car but before he put it in gear he looked at Cherry. “Thank you.” He said with a sincere look.
Cherry smiled at him, “Of course. We’re friends.” Soda smiled back at her and started driving towards the Dance Hall, feeling a lot less angry than he had been.