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Cherry reminds herself that she's here for the greater good. She's here because it's the right thing to do. Because she, in a way, started the whole thing.
Last week, if someone had told her that she'd be sneaking out to drive deep into Greaser territory in the dead of night, she would've called them crazy.
She takes a deep breath and kills the engine.
Her feet have hardly touched the ground when wolf whistles pierce the air. She freezes, pulling her sweater tighter around her. A few of the boys across the way mirror her, pulling their leather jackets close to their bodies.
She shoves the car door shut with her foot and swallows hard, eyes flitting between the boys across the lot. She counts about eight of them, silhouetted underneath the streetlight and all suddenly still at the sight of her. Some of them whisper, some of them call out, and her cheeks burn as they look her up and down.
Her shoes click quietly against the pavement as she takes in the scene in front of her. A tough looking boy with brown hair suddenly reaches in his jacket, and the light dances off what she can only assume is a switchblade. Cherry takes her hands out of her pockets and holds them out, trying to show that she's not hiding anything.
"I know it's not their fault." Her voice echoes across the lot.
A boy with a shock of blonde hair steps forward and Cherry nearly stumbles. She narrows her eyes, refusing to breaking her stride until the two of them are an arm's length apart. Dallas raises an eyebrow.
"Why should we trust you?"
Cherry crosses her arms. "I didn't exactly come over here for kicks. We're in the middle of a turf war."
He scoffs. "I've noticed."
"I'll testify," Cherry says quickly. "Tell the court what really happened. I want to help."
"I think you've helped enough already," he says.
"I could be useful."
"Pretty thing like you, I'm sure you could be."
This comes from a boy Cherry doesn't recognize, dark eyes and a look that's more a baring of teeth than a smile. His cigarette burns bright as he takes a short drag, eyes raking over her body. Cherry fights the sudden urge to step back, to shift and make herself small. Behind the two boys, Cherry can make out Two-Bit pushing to the front of the group, his arm wrapped protectively around his stomach. Her shoulders lower slightly.
"I want to talk to him. Two-Bit," she corrects.
The dark haired boy grins, twisting the pale scar across his face. "Is that so?"
"Tell you what, Cherry," Dallas interrupts. "You agree to grab a Coke with me at the Dingo, and you get to talk to our pal over here."
Her eyes narrow. "Get bent, Winston."
She shoulders by the two boys, wedging herself between them to get by. A vice-like grip clamps around her wrist, whipping her around and placing her chest to chest with Dallas' friend. He keeps a hold on her arm, wrapping the other firmly around her waist.
"Where do you think you're going?"
They're close enough that she can taste his cigarette on his breath. She writhes against him and they go stumbling backwards, Cherry nearly losing her balance. Her free arm wedges between them, sinking her nails into whatever she can find.
He swears and shoves her away, pulling a hand to his neck. The other shoots out to grab her and a taunting shout comes from behind them. Cherry lunges to the side, whipping herself around and placing her back where she started.
The boy has moved his hand, exposing the angry red crescent moon on the front of his throat. He covers the spot where his shoulder meets his neck, where Cherry can bet there are four more marks.
They're both breathing hard. Cherry rubs her wrist, focus shifting from the two boys directly in front of her to the group still behind them.
A few snickers break the silence. Cherry's heart skips in her chest.
"I said I want to talk to him." She hates the tremor that creeps into her voice.
"Really?" The dark-haired boy next to Dally tilts his head. "You realize a few of yours jumped him earlier today?"
Cherry frowns and squints at Two-Bit. She can just make out a bruised eye under the shadow of the street light.
"You know anything about that?"
The boy takes a step towards her, and she steps back, keeping the the distance between the two of them. She tries to flatten the panic that tightens in her chest.
"Tim." Two Bit's voice rings out like a warning.
"I didn't know," Cherry says quietly.
Tim tilts his head. "You didn't know," he echoes. His voice is low and falsely sweet. A breeze ripples through the lot; a low, howling whistle. Goosebumps erupt across Cherry's body. Dally puts a hand on Tim's shoulder.
"You know what I think?"
Cherry notices some of the other boys have begun to crowd around them. She remembers how Paul and Brill would talk about seeing the fear in someone's eyes, like it was a hard-won challenge.
She wonders if Greasers are the same.
Cherry raises her chin. "Quite frankly, I don't care what you think."
Dally's eyes narrow.
"I think you need to learn some respect."
The anger and fear coursing through Cherry is frighteningly familiar. This boy throwing caution to the wind, speaking carelessly, as if it's his only chance to be heard. She takes a breath.
"And I think your head is so far up your ass, you can't tell night from day. Now move. I didn't come here for you." Cherry says forcefully.
There's a bark of laughter from behind them.
"Y'know, if Darrel's kid brother were here, he might vouch for you," Dallas says slowly. "But unlucky for you, he's in the wind."
She takes a step to her left, and Dallas does the same, a sly smirk spreading across his face.
Cherry's heart jumps into her throat.
"I told you to move."
He takes a step towards her and she shoves him in the chest. The both stumble backwards, Cherry out of force and Dallas in surprise. His eyes go wide for a split second before steeling his expression into a dangerous glare.
"Y'know what?" Dallas starts, storming towards her. "You can–"
The lot erupts in shouts. Two-Bit rushes over, grabbing Dallas from behind before he can reach her. Cherry barely has a second to recover before there's arms around her waist, whirling her around and pushing her to the ground. She rolls a few times, gasping as she rushes to her feet. Someone grabs her from behind, wrenching her elbows together.
Dally and Two are staring at each other, and she can make out their silhouettes panting in the dim light.
Tim looks at her cooly, switchblade in hand. "I say we teach her a lesson."
"I didn't do anything!" Cherry cries.
"You're so far East, I don't think it matters."
"Hey! Hey! You try anything, you lose us for the rumble." Two Bit's words come out in a rush, shouting across the lot. Dally lets out a shout of protest and Two smacks him in the chest.
"You don't mean that," Tim says.
"You think Soda or Darry would fight at your side when they hear about this?"
Tim stills.
"She didn't do anything," Two-Bit calls.
"I disagree."
Dallas opens his mouth, ready to say something, but quickly decides against it. Two-Bit carries on.
"C'mon, man, let her go. She came here to help, she didn't attack us or nothing. 'Sides, you can't be starting shit, 'specially not with her."
Tim doesn't turn around. He takes another step towards Cherry. "She's Bob Sheldon's girl, ain't that enough?"
"I mean it."
There's a tense silence, and for a moment, Cherry thinks the two boys are going to fight.
Then Tim nods, and Cherry is shoved forward. She tugs on the sleeves of her sweater with shaking hands and brushes the hair from her face. Her heart is hammering so loud that she's surprised none of the boys can hear it.
"She's not your kid sister, Mathews." Tim's voice is cold. Two-Bit quickly closes the gap between them, holding himself tall despite the defensive arm he keeps around his middle.
"Yeah? And she's not Paul or Chet or any of those other guys neither, so cool it."
They stare at each other for a moment, expressions unreadable. Two-Bit turns to the blond boy beside him with a pointed look. Dallas lets out a heavy sigh.
"Back off, man. We'll get this sorted." Dally glances at Cherry, then back to Tim. "I can fill you in later."
"Dallas–"
"Go check on your folks." Dally says forcefully. "Then I'll buy you a beer and tell you everything."
This seems to satisfy Tim, who gives a curt nod, turns on his heel, and leaves, followed by the five or six other boys that had come with him. It's not until they've left that Two-Bit finally breaks the silence.
"Cherry Valance, you may be the boldest girl I've ever met."
She looks at him incredulously. He reaches a hand to her shoulder and Cherry, without thinking, steps backwards.
"Don't touch me," she grits. Her cheeks are warm. Two-Bit shoves his hands in his pockets. Dallas looks nearly bored of the whole thing.
"I–" She stops suddenly. The words "can't believe you" dance on her lips, but she knows the thought is wrong as soon as it races into her mind. Cherry's not surprised by Dallas Winston, not when he acts exactly like–
She shakes her head.
"I should've known," she says finally.
Two-Bit's face falls.
"Look, they shouldn't have acted like that. Even with–" he pauses, "–everything going on. There's no good excuse for it."
He elbows Dallas between the ribs, causing him to groan. Dallas straightens, looking her dead in the eyes.
"Cherry Valance, I apologize for your less-than-warm welcome to the East Side," he says flatly. "I'll keep it in mind next time we have a murder rap turned turf war."
She glares at him.
"I meant what I said." Cherry pauses pointedly after each word. "I came here to help and I plan on testifying on their behalf at the hearing."
The two boys seem to be at a loss for words.
"And I figured," she continues, "that I could keep you guys updated about what my--the West Side is saying about rumbling."
Dallas argues that they've already arranged a rumble. Cherry very quickly points out that anything she overhears could help give them an upper hand, even if it's just knowing how many people plan on coming.
"Or, whatever else happens at these godforsaken things," she adds bitterly.
Dallas looks at her, and she can't quite read his expression. "What's in it for you?" he asks.
"Does it matter?" Cherry says tiredly.
Two-Bit places a hand on Dallas' shoulder. "This is mighty brave of you, Cherry Valance."
The air rushes out of her chest.
"It's all I can do." Her voice catches in her throat. "There's nothing more for me to lose."
The wind howls. They quickly arrange a time to meet the next day, settling on a local drugstore as a safe enough spot for Cherry to visit. She commits the address to memory. Cherry has turned around and walked halfway way to her car when Dallas calls her name. She pauses.
"I don't know what the hell happened on the West Side, Cherry, but I've found that even at rock bottom, you always have something to lose."
The thought sends a chill through her body. She shakes her head.
"Look, I know you blame me." Her voice is cold. "And I can live with that just fine. But if you want to point fingers so bad, why did Ponyboy and Johnny even talk to me and Marcia in the first place, huh?"
"Nobody made them–" Dallas starts.
Cherry doesn't bother to look over her shoulder. "Sure, Dallas."
She starts walking again and doesn't speak again until she's reached her car. "I'm here because I thought it would be the right thing to do. Anything I lose now was never worth having in the first place."
There's silence across the lot. She throws open the door, puts the key in the ignition with shaking hands, and drives away without a second glance.