Stay By Me

Chapter 27

Cherry was waiting for Diana when she walked into the room, standing there awkwardly.

"You can sit, if you want," Diana said. "I just had some things I needed to say to you."

Cherry looked nervous, and rightfully so. She and Diana had never really ever been on good terms, she was just there because she felt bad for her, as a part of the whole situation.

Diana thanked the nurse, and closed the door before going back to sit down on her bed.

"First off, I'm really sorry about Bob. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, he got what was coming for him, but that doesn't make it a good thing, or happy. Everyone over here only saw one side of him. I know you saw his better side, you wouldn't have been with him otherwise. But, really. I'm sorry for your loss. You don't deserve to hurt because other people made bad choices."

"Thank you," Cherry said quietly. "That means a lot."

Diana thought for a moment. "I think in another world, we could have been good friends. But in this one, I think we're all too similar. I think you saw the same things in Bob that I see in Dallas. Hell, I think you see those things in him too, I think I saw the same in Bob, back all that time ago at the beginning of high school. Dangerous, but charming. Intoxicating."

From the look on Cherry's face, Diana knew she'd hit the nail on the head.

"The worst part is, I think we're gonna get the same ending, too. Bob was reckless, people knew that was going to be his demise. Dally is reckless, we all know he's gonna burn bright and fast too. And I think the end is coming fast. Faster than I'd like. Something about this rumble, it's not like the others. It's the final, biggest, most important, most deadly one. It's not just about Bob, Ponyboy, and Johnny. It's about everything that divides this town. All the hate, the anger, it's killed people before. Tonight is no different."

"You think Dallas is gonna get killed tonight at the rumble?"

"Maybe. His arm is still burned pretty bad. He's got too much pride not to go. He wouldn't care if he died fighting tonight, something to do with the twisted sense of honor in this town. But Johnny, he's still in critical condition. Spine is broken, he'll never walk again. If he dies, Dally does to. I truly think that Johnny is the only think Dally loves. I think he cares about me, some, but he doesn't love me."

"I'm sorry. I can tell you care about him, a lot."

She nodded. "I do. And I think it's gonna be the end of me, too. I don't remember anyone ever loving me, it's simply the way things are. Love scares me a lot. Really, I didn't actually expect to be alive now. I realize now, I was stalling. Because I cared about him. I'm clinging to him, and clinging to life. Without him, what is there left for me here? Terrible. I know. There's good in this world. Just not for me, at this point."

"There's still good in the world, Diana. You just have to look for it."

"I don't know if I want to, Cherry. I just don't know."

The two took a moment to take in what had been said. In that moment, they really were similar. Cherry had already lost something she cared about most, Diana was in the process of losing them. They both had to figure out why they were still living, what or who for. Only hope kept Cherry together, encouraged her to find the good and keep living life, and hope broke Diana apart. She didn't want to keep hoping to find better in life, because she didn't want the soul-shattering agony that came along with finding nothing.

The two understood each other a lot better that night. Cherry was more than a soc, she was a girl who didn't know her place in the world, but she still had a deep understanding of the world. She payed attention to the little things. She was more than her reputation. Diana was more than a girl who never fit in any group in Tulsa, she saw past those labels and fit in with the people.

Diana chucked. "We really are similar, aren't we? You're a cheerleader, I'm a gymnast. As different as the paths we've taken are, I bet we can both turn a pretty good back handspring, and we both drive tuff cars and hate our hair in the mornings. You dig alright, Cherry."

"You dig alright, too Diana. Sorry I didn't take more time to see who you are as a person earlier."

Diana smiled. "Well, I'm glad you are now. Sorry I didn't see you as more than a soc."

When Cherry left, the two weren't exactly friends, but they weren't strangers or enemies. They understood each other, and that was enough for them.

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Diana went and sat with Johnny, before she suddenly shot up like she'd been electrocuted.

"I can't stay here. I can't," she said, a tone of desperation in her voice.

Johnny blinked slowly. "Where're you going?"

"Anywhere but here," she said grimly. "I don't want to rot in the hospital while I can be doing something. My hands are mostly burned on the back, I can use them if I'm careful."

Johnny looked at her like she was stupid. "Diana, are you sure this is a good idea?"

She shook her head. "Absolutely not. But I have to do something, anything. The doctors already put that shit on my hands, they're as good as they're gonna get for a while." She gently flexed her fingers. Her hands were stiff, but they felt like they were healing. The skin pulled, but not to a point where she felt like it would do much more than hurt.

"I'm used to my hands hurting, I'm used to working through pain. I'm not saying I'm going to the rumble, but if it means I can stop someone else from making a worse choice..."

"Diana, you're not here to make other people make better choices, you're here to make your own choices."

"I know. But this is my own choice. I'm choosing to do something. I promise I won't do anything reckless though."

Johnny stared at her for a long second. "Don't do anything that'll hurt you, even if it means someone else isn't. Act for yourself."

She gave him a long look in response. "Stay safe yourself, Johnny. You're fighting your own battles tonight. Don't you dare die on me."

"Same for you."

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