#cherrychet

okay so i need to preface this by saying that i am a cherrycola shipper at heart BUT in my head, cherchet does happen post canon and then cherrycola and cherchetsoda are just in alternate universes

chet is soooo jealous when he finds out bob likes cherry

he’s been crushing on her since middle school

and now all of a sudden, bob keeps talking about how pretty she is and chet is like ‘yeah i’ve been saying that???’

while he has such deep feelings for cherry, he also knows that there is a hierarchy here and that bob beats him out and that if cherry was gonna date any of them, it would be bob

so he begrudgingly stays quiet and doesn’t say anything when bob and cherry finally start going out

but he is fuming when trip and brill both also get girlfriends and then are making fun of chet for being single, as if the reason he’s single still isn’t bob’s fault

and it doesn't help that he gets stuck having to watch them be cute and lovey-dovey all the time

not to mention the fact that cherry so obviously loves bob so much and is so happy with him

bob definitely knows chet likes cherry and he does bask in making chet jealous and uncomfortable

like if bob notices chet keeps glancing over at cherry, bob is suddenly VERY LOUDLY going "ugh, cherry, you're just so pretty. i just have *the* prettiest girlfriend. right, guys? isn't she just a beaut?" and he is internally celebrating while chet is just nodding his head along with the rest of the guys while glaring at bob

he does consider not nodding and giving bob that satisfaction but then what if cherry thinks he isn't answering because he doesn't think she's pretty? he can't have that so he unfortunately has to let bob win

when he's at the drive-in, he is going off with paul so that he doesn't have to see cherry be all cute and couple-y with bob

when paul tells him that cherry was flirting with ponyboy at the drive-in, he is soooo upset

while the rest of the socs are blaming cherry for bob's death after the fact, chet is just jealous that cherry apparently cheated on bob and it was with A GREASER?! NOT HIM?!

he is so conflicted when the rest of the socs exile cherry from the group because he wants to go after cherry and comfort her and be there for her

but he also realizes that he would also be exiled from the group if he did and this group is all he has

and also it would look so bad if he went after cherry and what if she thought he was just doing it cause he wanted to get with her (like yes he liked her but he also just genuinely wanted to be there for her)

and what if he does and then cherry doesn't like him, romantically or platonically, and now he's ostracized himself from the group for nothing

so ultimately he stays with the group but he is definitely plotting with marcia behind the scenes to get cherry back

i think after a couple of months, with much persuading from chet and marcia, the group begins to forgive cherry and lets her hang out again, though it is never like it was before everything happened

and he does eventually confess to cherry that he likes her (and has liked her for soooo long) and even though she is not ready to be in a relationship again, they have a very deep conversation about all the feelings that they've felt after bob's death and the guilt they carry

and they have a whole new understanding of each other

and this is when cherry really starts thinking 'hmm okay maybe i could like him'