Kaleidoscope- a Cherry Valance fanfic

Spring Formal

"Be safe, alright?" he said as the smoke poured out of his mouth.

"What?" I asked. 

"With Cherry," he explained, "The whole world's not as accepting as Soda and I."

"We've got it all worked out. Don't worry about me, Dal. Plus, Soda's gonna be there. It'll be fine," I reassured.

"Have fun, kid," he said, his voice close to a whisper. His eyes flickered to me quickly but he avoided any eye contact, afraid that this would turn into one of those sappy heartfelt moments he had grown to hate. 

He stepped back inside before Soda peeked his head out.

"Ready to go?" he asked cheerfully, to which I nodded.

I walked back inside and finally got a look at Soda. He somehow looked even more like a movie star. His rented tux was a nice change from his usual flannel t-shirts and the dark colours brought out his eyes more than ever. 

"We're gonna go now," I said to the gang, picking my purse up from a nearby chair.

"Bye," they all said.

"If I find out you laid a finger on her, you're dead," Dally chimed in, causing Soda to laugh.

We stepped out the door and were greeted by sunlight and warmth. With daylight savings having started a couple of weeks ago, the sun shone strongly for 5 pm. We walked with no rush to get to the school.

As we arrived, we saw the socs pull up in their fancy cars and we saw the greasers roll in. The typical greaser girls wore dresses in obnoxious shades of red, seemingly made to match their bold lipstick. Their big eyeliner dragged the attention away from their lips, though. Their dates either didn't exist or wore anything but a tie. Most greaser guys stayed away from this kind of thing unless they wanted to cause mischief. Ponyboy was gonna come later, too.

Soda and I hung around the bleachers, talking to other people from school. It was about an hour later when Pony arrived and joined us. His hair was styled nicely and he was wearing a suit that looked slightly too big, but nothing too noticeable. It was another hour before Cherry walked in. It was as though the entire gym stopped to look at her. Her soft hair was styled to perfection, flowing right over her shoulders. Her dress hugged her curves and the colour literally looked like it was made for her. She truly looked like a princess.

And then there was Bob. God. I wondered how they'd ever ended up together. His eyes were already half-lidded, a sign he was drunk. His arm was wrapped loosely around her waist and he wore a devilish smirk.

"She sure does look pretty, doesn't she?" Pony commented, his cheeks already turning bright red. I felt a pang of guilt. Throughout everything with Cherry, I'd totally forgotten about Pony's crush on her. 

"Yeah," I said, smiling weakly, "I bet her dress costs more than my entire wardrobe."

"Hey, uh, Ponyboy," Soda said, causing Pony to hum in acknowledgement, "I think that girl over there is checking you out, she's cute."

Pony barely even batted an eye in her direction, his gaze still glued to Cherry.

"C'mon Pony, I know you like her but she's a soc. Give that girl over there a chance," Soda pushed.

A scowl formed on Pony's face and he muttered something along the lines of "I don't see why it matters so much," before he walked over to her.

Soda gave me a sorry look.

"You okay?" he asked kindly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, "I just feel bad is all. I totally forgot about Pony's crush."

"He'll be fine, y'know? It's just a crush. She's older than him and probably wouldn't have even known he existed if it wasn't for you. He'll get over it one day. He actually looks like he's doing okay with that girl," Soda comforted.

"Thanks Soda," I said, giving him a short hug before glancing over at Ponyboy. Soda was right, he was smiling and laughing as if Cherry wasn't a couple feet away from him.

Next, I looked at Cherry. To my surprise, she'd been looking at me and we locked eyes. She smiled slightly, clearly trying to hold it back before she nodded her head in the direction of the exit.

"I'll be right back," I said, my eyes still following Cherry as she walked out.

"Use protection," Soda giggled, earning him a playful shove on the shoulder from me.

I walked out of the gym into the hall and immediately saw her walking a few feet ahead of me. I followed her as she turned corners and found the exit to the field. At one point I could've sworn I heard a clinking noise against a locker but when I turned around there was nothing. When I opened the door, fresh air hit me. A gust of wind blew Cherry's dress up slightly, but she kept walking. I followed her all the way to the furthest bleacher. It was now dark out, making it almost impossible for anyone to see us unless they got close. 

"You look gorgeous," Cherry complimented.

"So do you," I smiled.

It didn't take long until we were making out.

"Wait, wait," Cherry stopped.

"What?" I asked.

"Hold on. I brought something," she said, digging through her purse.

She pulled out a tiny pink portable radio and set it down. She tuned it until she found a station playing soft music.

"May I have this dance?" she asked, smiling wildly as she bowed.

"Yes you may," I smiled, putting my hand forward.

She placed a kiss on the back of my hand before putting her hands around my waist. Mine went around her neck and we swayed slowly. Our bodies were soon pressed together and her head was rested on my shoulder. The music crackled softly and although the temperature had dropped, her body heat kept me warm. The full moon illuminated the sky and was our only source of light out in the field. I closed my eyes and felt at peace. It felt as though nothing would ever go wrong if she was wrapped around me.

"I love you, Cherry Valance," I whispered. 

"I love you too, Y/N Winston," she replied, smiling softly.