When I came to again, I was in a different position and I felt something on my shoulder. It was Cherry and again she was hunched up like she was cold. I moved the quilt up to where it covered her. Just that little movement though made me cringe with pain and I must have made a noise because she came to.

"Damn what a nap." I heard her say and then she looked over at me. "Do you feel like trying to stand and take a little walk?"

I wanted to say no only I knew better as the stuffiness of the air inside was getting to me so with a squinted up smile I let her pull me up to my feet. "Lean on me and I'll help you as we try to take a few steps first." After a few painful steps she looked over at me. "Do you feel like going some more?"

"More then ever." I said through clenched teeth, and I let her lead the way to the opened doorway at the back of the church.

As soon as we got outside and down two steps I collapsed onto the top one and leaned against the doorframe. "Would you like to try a bottle of pop?" I heard her ask then and I could only nod my head as I was trying to get into a position where the pain wasn't that bad.

"Here try one of these." She handed me a pill. "The doc said that it would help." I swallowed the pill and chased it with the pop that was surprisingly cool. "I found a way to keep the pops cold." I heard her say then as if reading my mind and I looked over as she was pointing to a water pump. "The water is ice cold."

"How did all of this happen?" I finally asked after another long pull on the pop as I saw her light up a cigarette before setting down next to me.

"Well to make a long story short I was at the right place at the right time." She said before holding the cigarette to my lips and letting me have a draw off it. "You see Dally I finally said enough was enough and decided to get the hell out of Tulsa." I saw her take a drag also and then throw her head back before exhaling the smoke. "I was on my way out of town but I had to make one last stop to see Johnny and that was when I ran into you."

"Here's," I went into a cough. "Here's what I last remember." I said finally and added. "I went to the hospital to see Johnny and they wouldn't let me see him. So I took off before the cops could get there . . . " another cough. "I went to that store around the corner and just I don't remember what I did but I took off and heard gunshots behind me." Again the cough. "Then I made the call and you know the rest." I went into a real coughing fit then before adding. "I just couldn't take it you know, they wouldn't tell me about Johnny or anything, I thought he had died."

I felt her pull my head to her shoulder. "No need to say anything else Dally, just take it easy." It felt good with me there in her arms Sylvia never could make me feel like that. "Johnny is going to be okay." I heard her say then and before I could ask she added. "Two-Bit said that he had gone in a coma earlier that night when I called them."

I must have fallen asleep then because when I came to I saw her standing on the ground and I was leaning against the wood of the doorframe once again. Words cannot describe how she looked to me then with the sunlight coming over from the front of the church and catching her hair in the right way. She smiled when she saw me and right then I thought it was an angel that was before me.

"I know something else about this place now." I heard her say and then before I could ask what she walked up to me. "Here look at this."

She laid a piece of wood in my lap and I saw the words as she read them aloud.

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her Early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

Dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

"Robert Frost wrote that." I heard Cherry say and then I looked and something else was there but before I could say it she did. "It says Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade was here."

She looked at me and I winced as I tried to get adjusted before I said. "This is where they came and hid out the week they needed to get away because of Johnny's parents and when they ran into . . . " I let the other part hang cause I wasn't sure how she was about Bob being killed.

"Oh," I heard her say as she pulled out another cigarette. "So they came to you that night and you sent them here." I started coughing then before I could answer and I felt her grab me up saying. "We've been out here too long already let me get you back inside."

She kind of half-carried me back in the old church, I didn't realize just how weak I was and again as if reading my mind I heard her say. "I'm going to make some soup after I get you laid down."

I felt my feet hit something then and I started down taking her with me. When I landed, she was on top of me again her arm softening the contact of my head with the floor. Again we were face-to-face and only inches apart, her hair flowing onto my chest. She mesmerized me with her green eyes so I didn't see it before her lips came in contact with mine. It was a quick kiss and yet soft also, and she pulled away just as quick.

"I need to get that soup going." I heard her say and then I went out again.

Chapter One

“Funny Thing Happened on My Way to The Park”

Okay here it is. I love "The Ousiders" Movie and Book. I also love to write and have a vivid imagination. I love to read fan-fiction and when I started out found there was very little if any concerning Cherry the 'Soc.' The one part of the movie/book that always popped up in my head was where she told Ponyboy if she ever saw Dallas again she would fall in love with him. So with that being the case I decided to expand on that for my first ever fan-fiction. It was and is published on fanfiction.net but I decided to bring it over here also. I hope you like it.
Now lets get the disclaimer out of the way
Disclaimer: All of the characters of 'The Outsiders' belong to S.E. Hinton, I only claim the story as mine. In later chapters there will be original characters of my own, you will know them when they come into play.