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The stone of the fountain was cold to Cherry’s touch. Wind whispered through her hair and the pink pleats of her dress. Bob’s varsity jacket was draped around her shoulders, but it did little to keep out the evening chill. It still smelled like him. But, the scent of leather and shaving cream made her more sad than anything.
Why did it have to be him? There were other guys there besides Bob that fateful night. They were all drunk. They were all looking for a fight. So why did it have to be him?
Something crooned in the back of her mind. He was asking for it.
“No. Stop,” Cherry muttered out loud. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
It had been about a week since the incident at the fountain. Everyone in Tulsa was on high alert. The police were searching high and low for the culprits. Paul tried to make her testify to the cops, but she wasn’t even there when it happened. Ponyboy and Johnny were still on the run. Everything was just a mess.
She didn’t believe it when Beverly told her that Johnny had stabbed Bob. She had just seen him and Ponyboy at the drive-in a few hours before. They seemed friendly enough. To add insult to injury, she had also broken up with Bob that night at the drive-in. She was angry, but still cared about him. Now, her ex-boyfriend was dead, and the two of them were still on the run. I guess that’s what happens when you back someone into a corner.
Cherry was fully crying now. She didn’t even have it in her to pretend she was okay anymore. She swiped a thumb over the blood-stained stone, her tears dripping down her face.
Then, someone put their hand over hers.
“Mind if I join you?” they asked softly.
Cherry’s eyes were blurry from the tears, but she could still make out clear as day who was there. It was Marcia. Good-ol’ Marcia. She sat beside her on the edge of the fountain, donning her signature checkered green dress and cardigan.
Cherry brushed the tears out of her eyes. Marcia reached into her sweater pocket and offered her a handkerchief.
“Thanks,” Cherry offered meekly. Marcia just nodded.
“I saw you out here, and I didn’t want you to be alone in the East Side,” Marcia added cautiously. “It is awfully dark out.”
She was right. Their only sources of light were the moon and a handful of dim streetlights. Cherry sighed.
“So…” Marcia twiddled her thumbs together. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I-” Cherry got choked up.
“He killed him,” she whispered. “He took a switchblade knife and ran it through his gut. I was so angry at Bob that night, but I never wanted it to end like this,” her voice cracked.
“The boys were drunk, and it was a five on two fight. What were they thinking? That boy was probably scared out of his mind!” Cherry bit her lip.
“Everything seems like it’s my fault. I broke up with Bob that night. I convinced him to go to the drive-in. I was the one who got him angry,” Cherry looked away.
“Why did it have to end like this?” She twisted her promise ring anxiously on her finger.
The two of them let her words hang in the air. The chirps of crickets filled the silence.
“Cherry, it’s not your fault,” Marcia said calmly, but firmly. “You were standing up for yourself. You knew how he got when he was drunk. He got violent. No one knew what was going to happen after we left the drive-in that night. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. You can’t blame any of this on yourself.”
“Come here,” Marcia pulled Cherry into a tight embrace.
“You are the strongest person I know,” she whispered into her ear. They stood there for a good minute before parting.
“I got snot all over your cardigan,” Cherry laughed dryly.
“Never mind that. Let’s go get a Coke. It’s on me,” Marcia squeezed her hand.
And off they went into the night.