dont get me wrong, i'm all for injecting nuance or alternative interpretations of sandy/soda. but also i think taking what we know at face value also says a lot of interesting stuff about sodas character and about their relationship.
like if we take for a minute that 1. soda and sandy were having sex and 2. sandy cheated on soda.
we also know that soda wanted to marry sandy even before he found out she was pregnant, which means he was probably really serious about her (as serious as he could be at 16 anyway). he didn't brag about her in bull sessions, which i take to mean he took sex with her more seriously and more personally than his random hookups. it meant something to him - not that they weren't having sex.
but also! him still wanting to marry sandy after he finds out she cheated on him? oh he is a people pleaser. he probably ignored a lot of problems or red flags in their relationship for the sake of love. we kinda see this in his relationship with his brothers, too, how pony and darry assume sodapop has no real problems because he's not talking about them and he's busy trying to get them to stop killing each other.
but also - the idea that soda didnt know sandy as well as he thought he did? ow. the idea that their fatal flaw (not talking about their problems or their real feelings) was one thing they did actually have in common? thats so much more interesting to me than just making them a soft wholesome relationship.
