I've Seen You Before *Ponyboy/FINISHED*

[thenerdherd]

Cherry gripped the arm of the chair as the movie neared towards the end. There was always a downside to watching the movie rather than the book itself, this one it seemed, was that the book had been turned into a horror movie. The girl willed herself not to shut her eyes as if to take in every action of the movie to add into her report, deciding the movie over a book had to be the stupidest idea she had ever come up with. As soon as the credits began to roll onto the screen and the lights of the theater slowly began to become bright again, Cherry stood up from her seat and walked out of the room that had shown The Haunting which was based on the book her class was assigned, The Haunting of Hill House. Maybe the book wouldn’t have been as terrifying as it had on the screen of the theater if Cherry had actually chosen to read it. She supposed it was karma for taking the easy way out of her assignment.

She exited out with the large group of people, rubbing her arms subconsciously as if to rid her arms of the Goosebumps that had risen during the last few climactic moments of the movie. Cherry wasn’t used to being at the movies alone, usually Marcia or someone of the sort was with her, it was rather strange not talking to someone after something so…frightening. When she stepped out of the movie theater the redhead began down the sidewalk towards home when she heard footsteps following behind her. She let out a squeak of fear and spun around to face behind her when she saw that it wasn’t a ghost that had been following her, it was just another person.

”I’m sorry,” she apologized, ”I let my imagination get the best of me. Hey, have I seen you around somewhere?” Cherry asked tilting her head to the side in wonder, trying to find where she had seen the boy before her.

(ooc:I tried to pick something that Cherry and Ponyboy would both watch, hope I didn’t fail hehe)

[eastsidesunset]

I let out a long, contented breath as the lights came back on and credits rolled down the movie screen. It was a good movie. The book was a lot better, but that was pretty much true for any adaptation. And this one was more an adaptation of an adaptation, so it was good enough for what it was worth. Not terrifying, but it had a good suspense factor. I stood up, as did a lot of the people around me, and headed out into the bright sunlight.

It was a nice day, so I didn't feel like wasting a quarter to call someone to pick me up, despite what Darry said. I didn't mind walking anyway, and there were enough cheerful people on the streets that I doubted the Socs would pick today for a fight. So I walked, just thinking about the movie, a few steps ahead of a red-headed Soc girl from school. She was a cheerleader, in my grade. I think I had a couple classes with her but she was a Soc, so I always stayed clear.

That's when out of nowhere, the girl spun around to face me with a look of terror on her face. I was so surprised I took an involuntary step back, raising my hands in front of my face to show her, hopefully, that I wasn't stalking her or something. Oh, God, I thought, my heart leaping into my throat at the thought, All I need is for some overly-sensitive Soc girl filing a lawsuit on me or something. That'd be it for the tolerance of Social Services...

Before I could think of what to say, the girl apologized and asked me where she'd seen me before. "It's fine," I said in relief, "I go to your school." She was awful pretty, I couldn't help but notice. Which was just one more reason not to stick around. But I did. Maybe it was because she actually admitted to having an imagination. You didn't see that a lot. Especially when it came to Socs.

[thenerdherd]

Cherry nodded at him, yes, that had been where she had seen him. She had seen him in some of her classes and he seemed like a rather nice boy the  few times she had glanced at him. "Right, we have classes together don't we? I could have sworn I've seen you in them before." the redhead told him as she took a few steps closer to him.

Here, Cherry had a fairly good look at the boy and it was apparent to her that he was a Greaser. She didn't care, of course, people were people no matter what side of the city they lived on. How she wished people would just see that! Though, the girl had to admit, the Greasers she had seen around were rather rough and this made her slightly cautious as she took that one last step toward him.

"My," she couldn't help but laugh slightly, a bit of her nerves showing through. "you looked like you saw a ghost before I actually spoke. But I couldn't have looked any better when I heard you." Cherry tugged on one of the stray locks from her ponytail.  

[eastsidesunset]

"Yeah. You're in my Chemistry class, I think. English, too." I shrugged and shifted, almost unconsciously nervous for more than one reason. I was surprised she recognised me at all- I rarely talked in any class, just sat at the back and tried to concentrate. That was easier in some classes than others.

But when she laughed, I managed a half-smile, running a hand through my hair. For a moment I wondered why she, obviously a Soc, was talking to me at all. And like I wasn't a greaser, but just another person. It was strange, because her voice wasn't tinged with that mixture of disgust, annoyance and pity I was used to getting from every Soc that ever spoken a word to me.

I realized I was staring at the ground and quickly looked up, searching for something to say. "So how'd you like the movie?" was the first thing that came to mind. Hey, at least it was better than talking about the weather. All of a sudden I laughed, mostly at myself than anything else. I guess I just wasn't made for conversations. I wasn't any Two-Bit or Soda, that was for sure. I wished they were here, so I didn't have to do the talking.

"I liked the book better," I said as casually as I could. Better stick to boring truths.

[thenerdherd]

"I knew I reconized you from somewhere." she said, "It would have bothered me all night if I never figured it out."

Cherry couldn't help but think the boy was cute. Which would be a mistake on her part, Socs didn't hang out with Greasers at all or on any basis. The redhead happened to be an exception of almost...everyone. There was playing by the rules and then there was being stupid, and in Cherry's opinion Socs were just being stupid. 

"I thought it was absolutely terrifying," Cherry admitted "I'm a bit paranoid and have no idea how I'm going to walk home after that." she pushed the sleeves of her coat up to her elbows, "What did you think about it?" she asked 

The girl looked at the ground in embaressment, "I didn't read the book. I wanted to see why other people do it, I guess I should have read it though. A person who reads the books instead of watching movies," she smiled at him, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Cherry, Cherry Valance."
 

[eastsidesunset]

I shrugged. "It was alright." When you hang around with Dally and Two-Bit and the lot, you saw a lot of movies with more blood and guts than dialogue. This one was tame in comparison. It was hard to think about the movie at this very moment though. Then, before I could lose my nerve, I grinned and told the girl, "I'd offer to walk ya home but y'know as well as I do that that wouldn't be a good idea for either of us."

She smiled, admitting she hadn't read the book, and my stomach did a backflip but I just laughed and said, "Ponyboy Curtis. Nice to meet ya too. And before you ask, yeah, that's my real name." I had to admit, on some days I did come close to hating my dad for naming me something so different. It was hard enough to be a greaser, and having the embarrassment of a weird name just added the salt on the cut. But I liked my name most of the time. It was like I could feel my dad smiling beside me every time I told someone my name. It sounded crazy on paper, but hell, there was no other way of explaining it.

"Aren't you here with someone?" I asked, genuinely curious. Most Soc girls didn't like to go to movies alone. I didn't know why- I hated watching movies with people if it's something I actually want to watch- that was just the way things were, the way I saw it all the time.

[thenerdherd]

Cherry nodded, ”I understand fully. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.” she gave him a small smile, ”That movie wasn’t anything like the book was it?” she asked frowning slightly. By watching the movie Cherry had hoped to save time but then it was adapted and, in movies, most of the interesting parts of the plot were often left out. The girl dreaded seeing that grade when she received her paper again.

”Ponyboy,” she repeated, his name rolling off her tongue. ”I like it, it’s unique. Much more so than Sherri, thankfully my hair color gave me my nickname. It’s a pleasure to meet you Ponyboy.” Cherry gave a small glance around the street to make sure there weren’t any Socs or Greasers(or at least enough to give them a lot of trouble) and stuck her hand out in front of her.

The girl shook her head, ”No, it’s probably not a good thing since I’m walking home either. I just felt like having a day to myself, I suppose, usually Marcia would come with me. That or I‘m just…different.” Cherry shrugged, though she knew she []was[/] in fact different from the other girls she knew. They always traveled in groups wherever they went; the bathroom, the classroom, to another house, the movies, the diner, you think of it the girls were always in a group. The boys too for that matter. ”Aren’t you with someone?” she asked

[eastsidesunset]

"The book's loads better," I told her honestly. "That's true for almost every book-turned-movie, though." It was just that not a lot of people had the patience to read anything these days, what with the truckloads of new electronic stuff these days. Most of which a greaser would never be able to afford. So I guess I was gonna have to stick with the old-fashioned times for now. Which frankly, I didn't mind. If I were to tell you the truth, technology scared me sometimes, the way it was turning kids into zombies. I guess that was stretching it, but you know what I mean.

I grinned and stuck a thumb into my pocket when she said my name was "unique". That was a good way of putting it, a lot better than the comments I usually got, at least. She reached her hand out, and I shook it automatically. Only afterwards did it come to me how odd that should've been. To shake a Soc's hand... a Soc girl at that. It was definitely different. I just hadn't decided if it was a good different or a bad different yet. "Cherry's a cool name too," I said. And I didn't just say it for politeness' sake.

"Nah," I said, shaking my head at her question, "I'm here alone too. Don't like watching movies with other people. Just doesn't feel right." I laughed, and added, "Guess neither of us are as different as we think. Either that or we both are. I like to hope it's the first one though." Then I gazed up at the sky just because I felt like I was staring at her too much and ended up squinting at the bright sun.

[thenerdherd]

Cherry bit down on her lip, ”I guess I didn’t save myself very much time then,” she said, ”I suppose I’ll go home and read the book too. Tryin’ new things out didn’t seem to work out this time.” Ah well, it had been worth a shot. Though, personally, the girl did enjoy the books much more than the movies. So much for being a rebel. Rebel, the way Cherry used the term made her laugh a little, she was defiantly no rebel. ”They are always better than the movies. Movies leave out so many interesting parts, if a book of mine ever got published and it was turned into a film, I swear I would have to be directing the director.” There she went, sounding like a book nerd.

Her smile seemed to grow when Ponyboy shook her hand, part of her thought he wouldn’t have done it. She had met this boy less than five minutes ago and he was already changing some things she thought every Greaser needed to be. He was…different from the Greasers she had heard about or seen. Cherry blushed a bit and looked away for a second before meeting his eyes again, ”Thank you,” she told him pressing one of her hands to her cheek in hopes to have the blush fade.

He was alone too? Well at least she didn’t have to worry about someone else seeing them together, who knew what sort of trouble would be stirred if someone(mainly a stupid boy who had nothing better to do with his life) saw them speaking. ”I know how that feels.” she responded with a nod her eyes trailing to the ground before looking back up when Ponyboy spoke. ”I hope so too,” Cherry watched as he looked at the sun and she tilted her head to the side slightly. She stepped forward and placed her hands on his face before gently turning his head toward her again. ”You’re going to go blind if you stare at the sun for too long,” she told him, the corners of her lips twitching. ”everyone must know that.”

[eastsidesunset]

I listened to her little rant about books and movies, and laughed lightly when she finished. The girl- Cherry, I mean, was definitely not acting like the average Soc girl. It was kinda funny how similar we were, even in opinions and stuff. She seemed surprised I'd shaken her hand, though, and I couldn't blame her. I nearly laughed out loud at the mental image of Dally or even Two-Bit or Soda shaking a Soc girl's hand, of all people, and keeping a straight face.

I really was surprised when she blushed, though. Just because I'd said her name was nice too? Or did I accidentally say something wrong? I acted like I didn't notice anything though, and tried not to think about it too much. "It's true," I muttered, a bit embarrassed for a reason I couldn't quite figure out. 'Cherry' was a nice name... I kicked a stray pebble across the street and itched for a cigarette. I knew it was a bad idea to smoke in front of her though, 'cause despite everything she was still a Soc when it came down to it and I didn't want to ruin whatever understanding it was that caused her to talk to me like I was just another person and not some piece of trash lying on the sidewalk.

I could've sworn my heart literally missed a beat when she touched my face to get me to stop looking at the sun. I did my best to pretend it didn't matter, though (and tried to get my heart to stop pounding like crazy), and said, managing a small grin, "'Course I know. I guess I just forgot. I don't use my head." It sounded more out-of-breath than I'd hoped it'd sound, but I'd done my best. I stared at the ground instead of the sky this time and hoped my face would go back to it's normal colour soon.

[thenerdherd]

Cherry smiled at him, “Just like Ponyboy is really unique. Where’d your parents come up with your name?” she asked, “If you don’t mind me asking that is.” She looked around for awhile, maybe for a bench of some sort to sit on but there was nothing. Well, Cherry would take her chances and as long as Ponyboy didn’t mind neither did she. “Do you wanna go sit in the diner a little from down here?” she asked quietly, “I mean, you don’t have to if you’d rather not be seen talking to a Soc.”[/b] the girl added quickly

She laughed and shook her head, “It gets the best of us sometimes.” Part of Cherry didn’t want to move her hands though she knew she had to, it would be strange for the both of them and, well, Cherry didn’t want to make the boy in front of her uncomfortable. She let her hands fall from his cheeks and she stared at the ground, a few inches away something shiny caught her eye and she walked over to it. Bending over, she picked up a shiny penny. ”Find a penny, pick it up, then all day you’ll have good luck.” she said quietly

Turning her head she walked back over to Ponyboy and reached for his hand, pressing the tiny sliver of copper into it. ”then share with a friend and get good luck all over again.” then she furrowed her eyebrows, ”At least I think that’s how it goes. Or is it ‘once again’?”

[eastsidesunset]

I shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. My dad was a real original person. My mom said something once 'bout Soda- one of my brothers- helping to come up with the name, but I don't really remember... It was a long time ago." I trailed off, trying hard to remember something, anything specific. But I couldn't- there were very few solid memories I had of my parents. Even though it'd only been two years, it already felt like a lifetime ago. Like trying to remember a dream, even. I kicked at the pebbles at my feet and itched for a smoke. I knew it probably wouldn't go over too great with Cherry, though, so I ignored it.

"Sure, 'course I don't mind," I said with a wide smile, then added jokingly, "As long as you don't care 'bout being seen with a greaser." It was strange, having this conversation with a Soc and just not caring about social class for a few minutes, but at the same time, it was nice. Different. But nice.

I was half relieved, half something else I couldn't quite put a finger to when she took her hand off my face. Then she went to pick something up- a penny?- and, quietly saying the rhyme only kids said about finding a penny, put it into my hand. I furrowed my eyebrows a little curiously, then grinned. "Thanks for the luck," I said, and I was only half-joking. I pocketed it, and said happily, "So, you wanna get goin' to that diner you were talkin' about before the sun goes down or what?"

[thenerdherd]

Cherry smiled, ”Your brother helped name you? That’s adorable.” she said, ”He did a very good job at helping, tell him that for me.” she said, ”I don’t know why my parents called me Sherri, I think it might have been after my grandmother.” she shrugged

Her smile seemed to grow a bit more when he agreed to go to the diner with her, ”I think everyone knows I’m a bit different at heart.” she said nodding, ”But you…you aren’t like the stories I heard at all. You’re sweet and not…cold, I guess I should say. I had no reason to be afraid after the movie I guess.” she nudged him a bit with her elbow. Cherry loved this, just talking to another individual who understood her! Someone other than Marica, someone she didn’t have to pretend to like.

Cherry laughed and slid her arm around Ponyboys, ”Anytime, it makes me wonder what all this luck is going to do.” she said, ”Yeah, lets get going, then we can actually sit down instead of standing.” the girl tugged on their linked arms a bit as she began to lead the way. ”I like in the diner, it’s quiet most of the time and the food’s really good.” she grinned and tugged on the rubber band held up hair up, brushing it onto her opposite shoulder so it wouldn’t hit Ponyboy in the face. The aroma of strawberries from her shampoo entranced her and made her crave a strawberry milkshake. ”Strawberry milkshakes, those are the best. And sundaes.” her eyes lit up with the thought about her favorite ‘foods’.

[eastsidesunset]

I laughed. I couldn't help it- "Sweet" was just not the word most people would use to describe a greaser. From nearly anyone else, it'd be pretty close to an insult. From her... I'd take it. At her comment about me not being cold, I said quietly, "The stories you hear 'bout those people... they've got a reason to be. I'm one of the luckier ones. They're good guys if ya get to know 'em." I was thinking about Dally, how he was always so tough and cold because he grew up knowing he had to be to survive. And Johnny, he never knew what it meant to have a family that cared about him. I was lucky as hell, compared to any of them.

I managed a smile as she pulled me towards the diner she had been talking about. Pretty soon we were walking with me just listening to her- I'd never had too much to say. The sweet smell of her hair reminded me of summers when I was a kid and our whole family would go to the local patch to pick strawberries. My parents were busy working a lot of the time, but when we did get to do something together as a family, it was always worth it.

I mentally shook myself back to the present when Cherry talked about strawberry milkshakes, and said with half a grin, "Me, I've always been a chocolate addict. It runs in the family." I laughed, and wondered what she'd say to a bite of Soda's extra-sweet chocolate cake. Before I knew it, we'd reached a place that I guessed was the diner she liked. It wasn't too fancy, thankfully, but not a typical greaser hangout either. Sort of a meeting in the middle. I smiled. "This the place?"

[thenerdherd]

Cherry let out a quiet sigh and her shoulders dropped slightly, “I had figured as much. But your brother, Soda, it doesn’t sound like he’s too bad of a guy.” she said running her fingers through her hair, “I mean, I know there are some pretty bad Greasers out there but we’ve got some pretty bad people too. I’m sure Greasers have as much as a reason as Socs to be. But I’m glad you’re one of the lucky ones.” she smiled at him. If you looked on the outside, Socs didn’t seem to have any reason to be cruel, they had everything. But not everything was always right at home, of course Cherry didn’t approve of them treating others with disrespect but there was nothing that could stop that, as much as she wished the fighting would stop. “Our guys are good too…for the most part.” she let out a quiet laugh that could hardly be counted as one. Some Soc boys were kind though most of the male Soc population was anything but.

The teenager just continued to talk, glad that she had someone to listen other than Marcia. She felt like she was free to say anything she wanted to and he wouldn’t judge her. When she had finally stopped speaking she laughed, “Chocolate addict? Sounds so much more yummy then strawberry.” she said before looking at the building in front of them and nodding. “This is the place, come on, let’s go in.” with a smile she opened the door and pulled Ponyboy inside, nodding her head over to a booth and making her way inside.

Cherry sat on the plastic-covered booth and slid in, smoothing down her skirt as soon as she sat down. It was nice inside the diner, peaceful for the most part. It was fairly empty except for the two of them but Cherry didn’t care about the stares anyway, everyone had their own opinion. Even if their opinion seemed to be against hers most of the time. The thought brought the corners of her lips down slightly , she hated fighting so much.