30I have started 'That Was Then This Is Now' by S.E. Hinton, its really great.
Soda was now sitting in the passenger seat of Cherry's car. His head was still swimming and his bare feet were blistered from his run from his house, or what use to be his house. He didn't know what to say to her or why he had flagged her down. He just knew he was running away from everything and when he saw her car it was like a light house, a miracle. He had been looking for someone to help, someone with all the answers. Cherry may not have all the answers he wanted, but she was someone who could ease his mind. That didn't make since either, hadn't she been one of those who had lied to him and added to this whole mess? But when he saw her car he realized there was still part of his heart that loved her. He loved her in the kind of way that it didn't matter his she loved him or Bob, he loved her and that was enough. He wanted to be close to her, so he found himself in her semi wrecked car, sitting on a curb exchanging a strange expression with her.
It was a long moment before either of them could find words but at last she broke the silent.
"Soda, I'm-"
What she was, probably sorry, was lost to infinity; for Soda gave her a crazed, angrily look; like he would like nothing better than to strangle the life out of her, but also so calm and personally offended, that it broke her heart.
"So I'm Soda now huh?" He said after a moment of silence.
He covered his face with his hands and laughed into them gazing straight ahead. Cherry couldn't reply. She felt guilty about the part she had plaid. She realized then, that this was part of Randy's plain all along; he had known when Soda finally found out the inescapable truth, he would be distorted from the inside out. But had Randy know the effect it would have on her? There was no use in apologizing, what she had done was too big for that. She thought about just laying her hand on his leg, to reassure him. But what would she be reassuring him of? Nothing good, a long and awful lie that had torn his family apart and that was currently tarring him apart, so she reframed and just stared at him.
Soda removed his hands from his face and turned to face Cherry when he started to speak, "Ya know, it's all startin' to add up now. No pictures of me, the clothes being too big, knowin' I couldn't have ever got you but you being there anyway, them not fighting back at the drive-in, Pony huggin' me the way he did. He's just a kid Cherry, what happened to Bob wasn't his fault, and we already paid for it with Johnny and Dallas. You remember them? That wild trouble makin' hood, and Johnny, the quiet one who wouldn't hurt a dog if he could help it! Do you remember them? I do, now." As he added the last part he put his hand over his eyes again in a frustrated way and faced the window.
Cherry started to tear up, and she couldn't look at him anymore, he was right, she looked down. There was nothing she could say to defend herself, there was no way she could justify what she had done. She felt her heart breaking though, she wanted to ball, but she knew she had no right to so she sucked it up and stayed silent.
"Was anything you said ever the truth Cherry?" Soda asked seriously looking back at her.
His eyes were wet too; at least he had a good reason. She let tears fall silently and looked at him apologetically before she could speak.
"Yes, I meant it from the bottom of my heart, I love you Soda." She said, her crying was starting to get the better of her before she finished.
Soda did kind of a double take when she said his name, his real name. The name she had said only hours before when they were kissing on Randy's couch. He opened the car door and turned to step out. He felt better, lighter, after his rant. Cherry tried to stop him from leaving by grabbing his arm, but Soda pushed her away.
"Not now Cherry." He said, then got out and walked away.
Thanks for reading.