𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁- 𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣

35. 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

— I   ROCKED   MY HEAD BACK AND FORTH TO THE   RHYTHM  OF THE   SONG

"I fucking love this song!" I yelled to Dallas over the song  that was blasting in the car, which was Cherry Bomb by The Runaways. The year was now 1976, and me and Dal were out of Tulsa. After I was shot, I had to do some physical training to regain my strength as I was shot close to my spinal cord. If it hadn't missed by a couple of inches, I would have been paralysed. Now, I was thankfully okay.

Me and Dal had moved out of Tulsa and into NYC. Dal wanted to go back for a vacation during the summer to reminisce and see old friends. Turns out we'd be there for a few extra years instead.

Dally had gotten a job down at a bar that he had now owned. I decided to start making music, and sure enough it hit off. I wasn't a part of the big names or anything, but I was well known within the city. After a while, we scraped up enough money to open a night club and sure enough, it became one of the biggest in the city after only a few months. It did more than get the bills paid and me and Dal owned a beautiful apartment on the richer side of the city. I occasionally played gigs there every once and a while, which always brought in customers.

Me and Dally finally felt free. We didn't felt so claustrophobic and held up in the rotting town of Tulsa. Thankfully, me and Dal weren't the only ones who got out.

Ponyboy became a New York Times best selling author from a book that he wrote called, The Outsiders. He wrote it about us and the gang, everything that had happened from meeting me to me then getting shot. It was originally a piece that he had written for english class, but the teacher made him turn it in for the english writing contest and it won. Not only did it win, but it was noticed by a publisher who was present at the event. Years after, Pony got married to a girl who's name was Carla— she was a real sweetheart, and a beauty too. They now have a baby girl who's name is Lilith, who occasionally comes over for dinner whenever Pony is in town for a book tour.

Johnny ended up becoming a therapist. He thankfully got out of that awful home situation once he turned eighteen and decided to make changes in his life. He began to work hard in school and eventually got his diploma as well as a scholarship. Johnny believed in helping those in need, and he found joy in giving joy to others. He understood what it was like to struggle, and him being the caring person that he is, he wanted to help those who were struggling as well. He lives a couple blocks down from me and Dal in a small studio loft, which allows him to come over when we aren't busy. Johnny got married to a girl whom he had met at a party in college. Her name was Stacy, and although she already had a kid, that didn't matter to Johnny. They now raise Stacy's son together, also having another baby on the way.

Sodapop married the girl of his dreams, who is a Soc girl named Ayla. He met her when she swung by the DX one day when they flirted with each other all day up until closing time. They had instantly hit it off, and eventually after she graduated and they both turned 18, they decided to get married. They now have 3 children, two girls and one boy. The girls being twins who are Daisy and Lily, the boy being Jackson. Me and Dal have only met their kids a couple of times, but they both share their parents beauty and charisma.

Steve ended up marrying his long time girlfriend, Evie. They decided to wait a little after high school to get married as they didn't want to rush it, but once the time was right, Steve got down on one knee. Steve being Steve decided to open his own car dealership in California where Evie's grandparents were located. After they got married, she ended up getting pregnant and they decided it would be best to move environments for not only themselves, but for the child. They had a little boy, his name being Curtis after his life long friends.

And last, but certainly not least, Darrel. The man who got us through it all, the one who was always there. He got married many years later. She, was also a Soc and also happened to be Ayla's sister. One night, when Soda brought Ayla over to introduce her to the gang, she mentioned her sister, Vivian, to Darry. And thank god she did, because Darry and Vivan clicked instantly. They were the perfect match, even though they seemed to be polar opposites. Darry never had kids, similar to me and Dal— reasoning being that he had been taking care of us practically all of his life, so in a way, we were his kids.

We all occasionally get together, a couple times a year for holidays and such. Seeing everybody always makes me feel complete. It's as if the gang is a missing piece of the puzzle, and in order to find it, all I have to do is look for the light. They were the fuel to my fire all those years, and i'm so so grateful that I had met them.

As me and Dal continued driving down the road, he looked over at me and twirled one of my faded red highlights.

— "YOU'RE   STILL   A   CHERRY BOMB   BABY"

A/N

Hey guys! This is the first ever book that i've ever written and also completed and i'm so excited that it is finally finished! I hope you guys are satisfied with the ending. I understand that it was a bit rushed and I am very sorry for that! but honestly I like it better than Cerise dying (which was actually my original idea *cough*). But I hope you guys enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all your support! Stay Gold!