dance in the sun 〖 the outsiders 〗

the reasons

Today was not the best day.

It started pretty well, I didn't have work today and took some time to pamper myself. I took a nice long bubble bath with candles and flowers and did my toes pink with little forest green polka dots. I chose the dark green to put on my fingers and just left it plain, I got lazy after too long. Sherri and me did little face masks as well, we laid with cucumbers on our eyes and talked for a while.

"So, Lena, I'm hearing that you've got your eye on someone," she teased.

"Now who'd you hear that from?" I ask, chuckling and feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. I felt like a little girl talking to Cherry about a crush, the last guy was my old boyfriend Paul and that was a little over a year ago. It felt different, the way I was feeling about Johnny.

"Well I notice you're a little more giddy these days and I've heard once or twice of one of your friends saying you've got you a little crush."

I would've looked at her but we had cucumbers on our eyes, instead I just shrugged , she couldn't see it but I did it anyway. "Yeah, I've been talking to that guy Johnny lately, he's so dreamy, I mean he's just got the cutest little eyes and smile and he's been coming by the shop a lot."

"I remember Johnny, never did get to see him smile too much but I do remember him being pretty cute, I'm sure he's even more after the last year or so since I've run into him."

I remembered that whole deal, starting with Dallas Winston at the drive-in. Cherry told me everything when it was happening, she would tell me how bad she'd felt for the boys having to go through so much because of Bob and Randy. A lot of the socials haven't been the same since Randy died that day; I couldn't care less, really, he was always rotten to me, especially when they were drunk. Ever since we were kids Randy and his friends would tease me and call me names but they always were really sweet to Sherri and they'd only act decent to me when she was around. Not to mention how they treat my friends. I always knew that one day one of them would've got theirs and it just happened to be Randy. You can't just try to drown somebody for no good reason, just because you feel like it. It sucks he had to die but actions have consequences.

Cherry felt very differently, I knew they were good friends and spent lots of time together so it was understandable to me that she could hardly think about Johnny without thinking about how it felt when she heard the news. And Bob, Randy was his first friend when he moved here when they were thirteen from Maine or one of those New England States. He took it pretty hard too and even after all the dramatics with the rumble and what not he still rides around harassing greasers, they just don't beat them up anymore.

"Are you still upset at him?"

She was quiet for a moment, I'm sure she hasn't thought about this in a while, it's no surprise she doesn't know what to say next. "Not upset, just don't know how to feel about him. After so long I know it'd be silly to keep being mad or let it get me too down, I know what Randy did too."

"Well one day I might bring him home for dinner, so I gotta make sure it won't be too awkward, he's already a quiet one."

"Wow, Lena," Cherry said, I could hear the smile in her voice, "You really like him, huh?"

"Well, it's only been a few weeks, well more like a month or so now, but yes," I say, smiling myself, "I do like him."

"Well I'm happy for you."

❁

After our little girl time we watched a couple episodes of Dick Van Dyke before Marcia and Angie came to get Cherry for whatever they had planned for the night. I told her to have fun and stay out of trouble, and she said the same to me. It was six-thirty.