It was the first few days without Soda that were the worst. It was difficult to keep myself from calling him, or going to pick him up so we could drive somewhere. To drive anywhere. All I wanted was Sodapop Curtis to be in the seat beside me, making me laugh as we drive off to wherever we wanted. I was craving him next to me. I needed to talk to him, but he wasn't there. He was never going to be there.

It's cheesy, but at least I know that we were still wishing on the same stars, and looking up at the same moon. He's here... somewhere. He has to be.

I did not know where he was, he said that he would find me but it had not happened. It was driving me crazy. At one point, we were both eighteen. Now, I'm still eighteen and he is sixty-nine. Soda has lived a whole life. Something difficult I had to come to terms with was that Soda probably fell in love with a gorgeous girl from the sixties. Someone that was wonderful for him. I could imagine him with kids, and grandkids. Maybe even great grandkids now. He probably has a giant, loving family, and a beautiful wife he has spent decades with. That's probably why he hasn't come for me yet: he has forgotten all about me. I was in his past, a past he didn't want to dig back up.

Lillian and I did visit two members of the gang, the only two that we knew where they were at. And that was Two-Bit and Steve.

First we visited Steve. Lillian and I drove to the Grease Monkey gas station together and asked for the owner when we got there. Jenni didn't come with us, because she didn't really care for him. I think their age difference kept them from becoming good friends. Plus, Steve and I were not too close either. He was my boyfriends best friend, and part of the gang, so it's not like I never saw him.

We asked the cashier if we could speak to the owner. He said, "one second," and he went into the back office.

"What?" I heard a raspy voice ask from the back room.

"There are two girls here asking for you," the cashier repeated in a monotone voice.

"Gah," Steve groaned. I heard him throw a paper down and he walked out, I assumed it was the newspaper. "Whaddya girls want?" He asked when he got to the main part of the store.

As soon as he saw us, his face lit up like the Fourth of July. His grumpy demeanor completely flipped to an attitude that was more like Steve: happy, childish, and fun.

"Bri? Is that you, kiddo?" He asked, his familiar green eyes squinted at us.

"It's me." I grinned.

"It's been an awfully long time. I never thought y'all were gonna come back," he said with a smile on his wrinkly face.

Steve looked just about the same. Although, his hair was grey and thinning, his muscles were still strong. His aged skin was tan but wrinkly, and he was sporting some grey stubble on his sharp chin. I knew it was Steve because I recognized his arm eagle tattoo he got when he was a teenager. He had a few more tattoos on his arms that joined it throughout the decades.

"We promised we would," Lillian said.

"How are you?" I asked him.

"The DX was trying to close this location down. I ran the numbers and decided to buy the joint myself. Too many memories, you know? And the owner gig is a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. That's why I stayed," he said, probably remembering our last conversation when he told me that he was hoping to leave before that happened. "Oh boy, it's great to see you two again. It's like a small part of the gang is back together."

"It's good to see you too," Lillian said. "Was I part of the gang?"

"Well..." I could hear the uncertainty in his rough voice. "Not the 60's gang."

In other words, she was not part of the gang. She was rarely with the gang anyway. All of her free time was dedicated to the Time Machine. Steve did help her work on the Time Machine a lot, which I think sped up the process and bonded them.

"How are the others?" I asked, changing the topic.

"What others?" The cashier asked, obviously eavesdropping.

"Don't butt in," Steve growled. "Go fix the toilets."

"Which toilets?"

"All of 'em."

The kid groaned before walking off.

"Let's see, I don't really know," Steve continued. "We lost contact a few decades ago. Man, has it really been that long?" He scratched his head. "Time flies."

"What about Darry?" I remember when we visited Grandpa Two, he was about to say something about Darry, but I had to stop him since he was right there.

"I think he is in the hospital right now."

"Why?" I asked with a gasp.

"A skiing accident. Broke his leg."

"That's awful. How is he?" Lillian asked.

"He's skiing?" I asked. I felt bad for not asking how he was first. Lillian was obviously the more concerned friend.

"We still call him Superman," Steve laughed. "But he will be fine, you girls should visit him. I'm sure that he'll like that. We talk about you two all the time. Three counting your kid sister."

"That sounds like a good idea," I agreed, nodding to Lillian who also seemed on board with it.

"Yeah," she said.

"Where is—" I cleared my throat "—um, Soda?"

"Soda?" He scratched the stubble on his chin. "I think you should ask Darry. It's not my place to say."

"Oh." My voice got low. "Okay."

Were they still best friends?

"It was great to see you, Steve," Lillian said as she turned around to leave the gas station.

"You kids are always welcome here," Steve said. I stepped up to him and gave him a hug. He hugged me too, his large hands rested against my back. I slipped out of his gentle hold and started to retreat to the door. I waved goodbye, and followed Lillian back to the car.

Lillian found directions to the nearby hospital, and told them to me as I drove. I'm very bad with directions so she was sure to let me know when to turn far enough in advance. When we got to the desk, we said we were Darry's daughters. We were able to be quickly checked in to the visitors log and were lead to Darry's room.

The nurse knocked on Darry's door.

"Darrel, your girls are here," she said before leaving us alone with him.

After we got past the white wall, we saw an elderly man laying in the bed with his leg in a thick white cast being held up in the air by a white cloth hanging from the ceiling. His face had purple bruising and his arms were yellow and purple. His thick head of hair was completely white like Santa Claus, he still had his muscles, and he didn't have very many wrinkles. His muscles seem to stretch his skin out, like a body builder.

"Hey there, Superman," I said in a soft spoken voice. I did not want to disrupt anyone else who might be close enough to hear. As soon as he heard that nickname, I saw his blue-green eyes light up.

"Bri?" He asked, grabbing a hold of my hand.
"Lillian?"

"That's right." She grinned at him.

"You two are just as lovely as always. You haven't changed a bit."

"And you... have." I laughed, jokingly. Hopefully the years had given him more of a funny bone. Thankfully he laughed too. I recognized him in a heartbeat. He had the same gentle smile.

"What happened?" Lillian asked, gesturing to his leg.

"I was skiiing, and I tumbled down the mountain." He cracked his thick neck. "But I'm just fine."

"I'm still surprised you're still that active," I stated.

"My body ain't failed me yet," he chuckled. He rolled his eyes and said, "after this accident, I bet that the doctors ain't gonna let me do nothing no more."

"Even still... this is really cool," Lillian said.

"It's the good life." He smiled small, reminiscing about the last few decades I'm sure he was excited to tell us all about.

"So, what happened after you guys got back?" I asked.

"It was rough going back to the 60s. I thought it would be easy, but nothing is ever easy. Soda... Soda and I went back to work until Ponyboy went off to college. Got his degree in English, ain't that somethin'? I'm mighty proud of him. With my kid brothers out of the house, I went back to finish my degree."

"What did you get your degree in?" I asked. I realized I never found out what he was going to college for before he dropped out.

"Physical therapy. Met a girl, had some kids of my own. They're all grown now. Grandkids too."

"Are you happy?" I asked him.

He smiled kindly, I could see all of the love in his eyes. He said, "yeah, I'm real happy."

Simply knowing that Darry had a fulfilling, happy life meant so much to me. He and his brothers struggled so much, they all deserved nothing but great things to come their way.

"How is everyone doing now?" I asked, I was eager to ask about Soda, but I did not want to seem like I was playing favorites.

"What's that, darlin'?" He asked, lifting his head up slightly in my direction, as if it'll help him hear me better.

"How is everyone?" I asked again.

"You know, kiddo, I still got a concussion from my fall. My head is hurtin' bad, I can't really think of anything in particular right now."

Of course.

"Ladies—" a nurse came in the room. "You have to go."

That was quick. Were visiting hours already over? It was the middle of the day.

"Okay," I said over my shoulder to the nurse. I turned back to Darry and said gently, "I want to hug you but I'm afraid of hurting you."

"You couldn't hurt me, Bri." He smiled. I gave him a quick, light hug and Lillian followed. The nurse escorted us out of his room, and helped us sign out before we left.

We were cruising down the freeway, trying to figure out what we were going to do. I just wanted to know where Soda was. Even if he is happy with his own family, I want him to tell me all about it. I want to hear all about his kids, and his grandkids. I want to know all about his life. I want to get to know him again.

"Where to now?" Lillian asked. "We still have to try to find Ponyboy, Johnny, Soda, and Dally."

"Let's try to find Soda," I said. "Then we can see my Grandpa. Hopefully he will know what everyone is doing now."

"But we have no idea where Soda is. He could be living in Timbuktu for all we know," Lillian pointed out.

"That's true." I bit my lip in thought.

"Just knowing that Two is your grandfather makes me uncomfortable," Lillian shuddered. We ended up telling her, because Two would crack jokes about it and she got very confused.

"I bet all the boys are grandfathers by now," I said. Even thinking that Soda is a grandfather made me shiver. Then scream, cry, and throw up.

"You know what we could do? We could take a look at the city records. There has got to be something there about the boys. Marriage certificates, that kind of stuff. If they stayed in town, the library should have those kind of articles."

"That's actually a really good idea," I said, calculating in my head how to get to the public library.

"I'm kind of a genius," she playfully gloated. "Off at this exit."

We drove and parked at the library. We walked straight to the city records and old newspapers, starting in 1965.

Surprisingly, it didn't take us long to find everyone. We even found the original newspaper about Bob's murder, and another that talked about the church fire. Lillian read to me what she found, but it sounded like a mumbled and garbled language to me. I needed to see Soda first.

"You're in here," she stated.

That got my attention. "Let me see."

She handed me the file, where my yearbook photo was printed on the front page of the city's newspaper from April of 1966, followed by the title of "MISSING TEEN".

"That's a cute photo of you," Lillian pointed out.

"Thank you," I gushed with a giggle.

"The Oklahoma State Police are requesting the assistance of the public in locating a missing teen. Brianna Jones, 18, was last seen on April 1 in the Tulsa area. For the last couple of weeks, Oklahoma State Police investigators have interviewed family members, friends, and acquaintances of Jones and followed up on all leads but to no avail."

The next paragraph of the article gave my description. It listed my height, my weight, my hair color, and my eye color. I guess Steve and Two had to talk to the police too, because they shared what I was wearing when I was last seen and they were the only ones I saw before I left.

"Jones attended Will Rogers High School. According to family members and friends, Brianna always kept them informed of her whereabouts and stayed in regular contact. Her car was located in the Tulsa area on April 1. The car has been processed by Oklahoma State Crime Scene Investigators but at this time no information is being released. Anyone with any information concerning the whereabouts of Brianna Jones should immediately contact the Oklahoma State Police. A reward is being offered for any information that leads to the discovery of Brianna Jones."

"I'm keeping that," I chuckled softly. I didn't realize that my disappearance had made headline news. The file had multiple newspapers concerning my disappearance, each one with different information. One talked about a candlelight vigil the school put on once I was considered legally dead that was published in 1973, where I saw photos of Ponyboy, Dally, Darry, and Two holding candles and making speeches. I noticed Steve and Johnny too, but they were hidden in the background. They looked so much older, I guess it had been about eight years. I couldn't find Soda, but it was difficult to see the faces of people in the background in these fuzzy black-and-white photographs. It said the entire community attended to support my friends who were mourning me. Another had quotes from people at school I really didn't know very well, pretty much discussing what I was like. They said I was quiet, sweet, and kept to myself, and talked about how I bent societal norms. Another had theories and people claiming that they've seen me around Oklahoma at various bus and train stations, fueling the theory that I had run away. I guess I didn't slip in or out as seamlessly as I had hoped.

I finally found a newspaper clipping dating September 1, 1967. It had a dashing photo of Soda on the front page. Soda has the unique ability to light up any room he walks into, so when I saw this photograph I did not realize it was him. I knew him when he had love and laughter in his eyes. His dark hair was buzzed down and the black and white photo looked like it drained the life out of his eyes. He looked older despite it only being a year later, and he looked gaunt and hollow-eyed. He had a blank, emotionless expression on his angular face. His eyes were lost and empty. My heart sank for him. I barely recognized him. It was a military mugshot.

"Lillian..." I said softly, not knowing what I was about to read.

I moved the newspaper so she could see what I was reading. It was published by Tulsa World in 1967, and in big block letters above the paragraphs upon paragraphs of information said, "TULSA'S OWN PRIVATE CURTIS WINS METAL OF HONOR".

"He won the Metal of Honor?!" We both exclaimed, forcing a woman next to our table to shush us.

I tried to read everything while Lillian mumbled as she skimmed the words.

"Curtis was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Curtis Sr. Curtis lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his elder brother, Darrel Curtis Jr., and younger brother, Ponyboy Curtis." Lillian read out loud, "when asked by fellow soldiers what he was looking forward to when he got home, he said, 'my girl, Bri. She is keeping me strong out here'. According to his brothers, Brianna Jones was Curtis's girlfriend."

"No way." My jaw dropped. My heart skipped at the thought that even though we couldn't be together, he still called me his girl. He was always so positive and optimistic, even in the worst days of his life.

"It says he saved eleven soldiers by running and picking up a kid who had an active bomb strapped to his chest, and attempted to take it off of him to save him," Lillian said softly as her eyes frantically scanned the paper.

"Oh my god." My hand went over my mouth. I could not believe what I was reading. It was like a scary story that I couldn't look away from. My vision blurred from immediate tears.

Lilliana face dropped. "It says that the bomb went off."

"No." I shook my head, praying that it was some sort of mistake. I grabbed the newspaper from her and read those lines over and over.

"It killed him, Bri."

"God. Oh, shit." I bit my lips together to keep them from quivering. The haunting words on the page burned into my brain. I shook my head in denial. "No, no. He's fine. He's perfectly fine."

"Bri," Lillian said gently, rubbing my arm to try to comfort me.

"No, no, no, l-let's keep reading. I bet it'll say he was fine... that he faked his death or something."

I frantically continued to read the rest of the article while tears were sprouting out of my eyes. I put one hand over my heart, feeling like it was about to burst. That's why he didn't attend my candlelight vigil. He was already dead.

"Curtis told his platoon that he was sending letters to his brothers and his girlfriend back home. When they'd ask if she ever wrote back to him, he would say, 'not yet'. It is unclear if Jones knew of this bright young man's early death, due to her highly publicized disappearance seventeen months ago. His funeral is being arranged by his brothers Darrel and Ponyboy, and will be held on September 9, 1967 at Memorial Park Cemetery where he will be buried beside his mother and father."

"At a football game last Friday evening, Will Rogers High School hosted a memorial for all the local Vietnam dead. Everyone bowed their heads as the Lord's Prayer was said, giving strength to all of those who lost a loved one in the war."

"He was a hero." Lillian stood me up and pulled me into a hug, but I couldn't hug her back. I felt like a piece of me died with him. "He was thinking of you every second. He loved you."

I felt water coming out of my nose, I refused to cry. I am not saying that crying is weak, but it would make it true. But now I know why he never tried to come find me. He couldn't. He has been called away, saving lives in sacrifice of his own. I felt like I sent him away just to die. I really will never see the love of my life again. They buried him. I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to him so fast.

I couldn't imagine myself letting go of him. He may have died fifty years ago, but it also just happened. I miss him so much. I have never felt so far away from him. Now that he is in the stars, all I can do is wait to see him again. Maybe I'll see him tonight up in those stars that shine as brightly as he did. I didn't realize until now that our goodbye really meant forever.

We were both seventeen. Now, I'm eighteen and Soda will forever be eighteen. He never got to fall in love again. He didn't have the chance to have kids or grandkids. So many adventures he never got to go on. He never got to grow old. He is forever young.

That was Soda's life. That was his whole life. Working at the DX, messing around with his friends, and just doing what he loved every day. He was happy. He didn't have much time after I left. His entire life was just the eighteen years that he had. I wish I could read his loving letters. Maybe they're in a museum somewhere, or perhaps Ponyboy or Darry kept them for me. They could even be sitting at an antique shop, waiting to be read. I just hope that they're still out there... somewhere.

Sodapop Curtis, I will always remember you with tears in my eyes. I will never kiss your lips again, hear your laugh, or feel your touch. How is the universe so merciless that they took you away? My teen angel. This is not goodbye, I'm still holding onto everything that was us. I'll be grieving you longer than I even knew you. I had only two years of loving you, and many lifetimes to go. I'll catch you in the next one.

I was angry. Angry of how unfair the world is. How is it fair that I lost the only person who truly loved me? We were supposed to have more time. I was supposed to joke about how old he was getting, and he was supposed to tell me all about his life that I missed. Now, Soda is just someone I would rather forget so my heart doesn't hurt anymore. My heart regrets letting him in.

We figured that that was enough emotional trauma for the day, so we walked back to the car and began our slow drive home. I was so numb... I don't even know if I want to feel anymore. I wish he never had to go. I wish I never let him go.

Before I ever went back to the 60s, I knew that Ponyboy was an English professor and he would travel to different middle schools around the state to talk about his book. He must have talked about everyone's life after the events of the book, right? Why would I forget that Soda was dead? Ponyboy must have mentioned it when he came to speak at my school. He was only sixteen when his big brother died, that must have destroyed him. Why didn't I remember? Did I send Soda back just to die?

I refused to talk the first few minutes of our drive, because I knew that my voice would strain and break. I had prepared myself for saying goodbye to him, and knowing that he would have fallen in love with someone else and lived out his life with her, but I never expected him to be dead. Dead before my parents were even born. It was like a punch in the throat.

"I have to go home first, but I want to get something to eat," I said with a sniff. I was trying to act as back to normal as I could, despite the heaviness in my heart. As soon as we get home, I'm going to crawl into bed and never come back out.

"We can go to Dairy Queen or something," Lillian suggested. I knew she was hurting because of Two-Bit, because I am proof of the family he had without her. She shouldn't have gotten attached to him, like I shouldn't have fallen in love with Soda.

"I wish, but I have not been paid yet. I am trying to save my money." I clicked my tongue in frustration. I sniffed again, wishing I had some water to ease the stiff lump in my throat.

"Yeah, we can make it quick," Lillian said softly. "Then we should probably find the others."

We got off the freeway and made the short drive to my house. I headed to the kitchen while Lillian went straight to the couch after we got past the front door. I went to the old freezer in the garage and grabbed a couple hot pockets. I asked Lillian if she wanted one and she said yes.

I remembered reading that he was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, that is in Tulsa. It's not too far, I drive past it all the time. Later today or tomorrow I'll get some flowers in his favorite colors and I'll sit with Soda for a bit. I know that once I see his name etched in the aging stone, I'll be reduced down to tears. I'll tell him how much I miss him, and how he will be in my heart forever. There will be nobody else but him for me.

I was beginning to put our cheesy turnovers onto plates and I set one in the microwave. The doorbell rang, so I asked Lillian to answer it since I was pressing buttons.

"Lillian, will you answer that?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said softly.

"Thanks," I said in a small voice.

I started the microwave and the noise whirled around the kitchen. I let out a little sigh, because missing Soda was harder than I thought it was going to be.

Lillian stood up and walked over to the door. I glanced over to see the look on her face when she peered out the window before answering the door. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was dropped to the floor.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to open the door?" I asked in a gruff voice. I was still hurting. I just wanted to eat my Hot Pocket and spend the rest of my day in bed to grieve.

Lillian opened the door and immediately said, "come in."

"Lillian." I started to turn away from the microwave and prepared to scold her. "You can't just invite strangers into my ho—."

My voice froze mid-sentence. My heart physically stopped beating when I saw seven familiar faces walk into my living room. I don't know when it started back up again, but the shock on my face turned into the biggest smile.

"Wha-what are you guys doing here?" I breathed out, running over to them.

Like a rubber band, I snapped into Soda's strong arms and refused to let go. I gripped at his shirt just to feel it between my fingers. I slid my fingers through his hair and patted his arms to ensure that he was really there and not a ghost or a figment of my imagination.

I pulled away just so I could look into his eyes. His lively eyes, dancing with all the love and energy in the world, looking at only me. My smile was wide, I couldn't believe he was here. I don't think I can ever let him go again. My voice shook as I whispered in disbelief, "you're here. You're here."

Soda smiled down at me, his fingers gently brushing against my blushing cheek. "I'm here."

I looked over toward the stairs, noticing Two and Lillian hugging out of the corner of my eye. I called out, "Jenni! Get up here!"

"What?" She asked from her room downstairs.

"Come upstairs!" I said with a little giggle when Soda pulled me close and kissed my neck.

"Why?"

"It's a surprise!"

I could hear her footsteps trudge up the stairs. When she reached the ground floor, her eyes grew to be as big as saucers when she saw that everyone was back. She instantly smiled and asked, "what is going on?"

"Now that we are all acquainted again, what the hell are you guys doing here?" Lillian put her hands on her hips and glared at the guys.

I could tell that she was elated that Two was back, but they were all really risking everything to be here with us. Not only their own futures, but also the delicate balance of the space-time continuum.

"I'm sorry, Lillian, it was all my fault." Soda looked down at me and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "I just couldn't live without you."

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Not that long," Soda answered vaguely, checking the watch I gave him for Christmas.

"You guys can't stay here," Lillian reminded them in a low voice.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Soda said, still looking at me. It didn't even seem like he was paying any attention to what she was saying. I barely was, I was just smiling up at him like a love-struck idiot.

"Unless..." she tapped her temple and she took her phone out. She poked and swiped a few times before reading to us what she found. "It says here," she began muttering quite fast and mostly to herself.

"Louder, Lillian," Steve said, not fazed by these antics. He flexed his muscles and made his tattoo dance which he was watching for his own entertainment.

"Oh, yeah." She blew a raspberry. "It pretty much says that as long as you did not meet yourself in the future, or know anything about your future self, it would be safe for you to stay. However, if you know, then you have to go back."

"So, that means..." I started saying, looking up at Soda with hope in my eyes.

"Two and Steve..." Darry continued.

"They have to go back," Lillian finished.

I noticed her lip quiver. Two-Bit was the one who had to go back. She was actually pretty good at hiding her emotions, but I can read her like an open book. It was not fair. If he chose to stay, I think I would have been erased from history.

"So, everyone else can stay?" I asked.

"I guess so," Lillian said. "As soon as they decide to stay, their future selves will no longer exist."

"I wanna stay," Soda said, tucking another fly away strand of my hair behind my ear. "Not even time can keep me away from you."

"Soda, this is a big decision," I said, no matter how much I desperately wanted him to stay. I just don't want him to be unhappy here. I can't tell him about what will happen if he goes back, because then he will certainly have to go back. As I played with a button on his shirt, I said, "you really have to give this some thought."

"I ain't never thought that I'd trade bein' a greaser for nothin'... until I met you. I will follow you wherever you go. I have been with you long enough to know that you are who I want to go through time with, and I'm still so foolishly in love with you. From now until forever," he reassured.

"Are you sure?" I asked. My voice cracked, and I spoke lowly. "I don't want you to do something stupid."

"People in love do stupid things all the time."

I looked up at him with hearts in my eyes. My love and admiration for him will never die, and I was elated that he wanted to spend his years with me.

"Guys, come here," Darry said. Soda slipped away to walk over to Darry, where the guys began openly discussing their options.

"They'd still need to go back to pack their stuff," Lillian pointed out.

"I still can't believe they came back." Jenni blushed.

"Me too." Lillian almost sounded mad.

The guys dispersed as Darry said, "we figured it out. Me, Soda, Pony, and Johnny are going to stay here. Dally, Two, and Steve are gonna go back home."

My head snapped toward Dally, who was gazing at me longingly. When our eyes met, he looked down at the floor and refused to look back up at me.

"Why?" Lillian asked.

"I want to stay with my kid brothers, and Johnny wants to get away from his family. Plus, 2018 seems safer for my kid brothers than 1966."

Soda chuckled and shook his head.

I almost felt guilty that Darry decided to stay. When Lillian and I spoke to him at the hospital, he was happy. Really happy. He was really in love with his wife, and was so excited to tell us about his beautiful family. Of course, he doesn't know anything about his future but I can't help but feel like he is losing out on how amazing of a life he was supposed to have. I will never tell him what I know, but I think he would be happier here with his brothers than he would if he went back to the 60s alone. Same with Ponyboy. He grew up, got married and had kids. He became an English professor and he enjoyed traveling around to talk about his book. Now, he will never be able to do that.

"And that is why I am going back," Dally chimed in. "It's too safe here. I like a little danger."

"We all know you do," I chuckled softly. I should have known that Dally would rather go back, but I was going to really miss him.

"Everyone still has to go though," Lillian said. "You can all to pack your stuff and bring it back here."

"I don't think we ever took home the stuff from our apartment," Soda pointed out.

"Oh yeah, we forgot about that," Steve laughed.

"I wonder if it's still there," Darry said.

"Pack all your stuff from 1966. It'll be easier," Lillian said.

"She's right," Darry told the guys. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Lillian stopped them.

"What?" Darry asked. His hand was wrapped around the lever, ready to pull.

"Go to the house first, then get your stuff. Like we did last time," Lillian said.

"Fine." Darry yawned.

I walked them to the door and opened it for them. Two was the first one to the door but Steve slipped out behind him.

Two had fabric bunched up in his hand and he said to me, "before you left us, I found this shirt that I thought you would like."

He handed it to me, and I immediately remembered how he had told me he was excited to give me a gift just minutes before I disappeared. I shook the shirt out and saw that it was a white t-shirt with The Beatles on the top with the band members in a black and white print. Straight from the 60's, it smelled a little bit like Two's sandalwood cologne still.

I couldn't believe he remembered. I will always think of him whenever I wear it, it is such a thoughtful gift. I held it against my heart and smiled at him. "Thank you. I'll treasure it forever."

Two smiled and kissed my cheek goodbye.

Soda gave me a quick kiss before he chased after Steve and Two down the street for the last time, hooting and hollering just like they used to. I promised Johnny I would see him soon, and the last to leave was Dally.

Dally lingered a bit, walking slowly through the threshold of the door. I stopped him when I asked, "you're really going back?"

Dally let out a breathy laugh, like he was expecting this conversation. He slowly turned to face me while rubbing the corner of his mouth with his thumb. He looked to me with soft eyes and said, "there is nothing for me here."

"You have me." I felt my throat tighten. I tossed the shirt Two gave me on a nearby chair.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't have you. I never had you. Soda... Soda has you. And you make that lucky bastard real happy. Real fuckin' happy."

The thought of Dally going back almost made me feel sick. It made sense on why he wanted to go back and he would be so much happier in the 60's than here, and it's what is best, but I hated the thought that I won't be able to see him again. At least the Dally I know and love. If I'm blessed enough to meet him again someday, he will be a totally different person.

I think he saw the tears well in my eyes because he tried to lighten the mood by saying, "besides, I have tattoos that are older than you."

I opened my arms up for him, and Dally hugged me first. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. Slowly, I felt his hands drop but they wrapped around my lower back. I let my arms slip from him and started to pull away, but his hand came up to my face. He brushed some of my hair back tenderly, then he stopped himself when he noticed I started to lean away. He exhaled faintly, and he let me go. Instead, his hand found mine and he held it. Gently, he gave me an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

Dally said softly, "I needed to do that. Just one last time."

"Don't forget me, okay?" I sniffed.

"How could I?"

"I love you, Dal. I'm really gonna miss you." My voice was tight.

"I love you too, Bri. I'm gonna love you until the wheels come off."

I learned that what he said is a prison term that expresses loyalty. It means 'until a prison clique disbands'. Dally ran off, his hand slipping from mine, and I watched him disappear around the street corner. Never to come back again.

It scares me that there is a very good chance he won't be alive anymore. It would break my heart. A lot can happen in fifty years. He is one of my best friends, I don't know what I'm going to do if he is truly gone.

I slowly closed the door as Jenni asked, "are Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally coming back?"

"Nope," Lillian answered.

"We didn't get to say goodbye," Jenni pouted.

"Yes, we did. The first time they left. So drop it," Lillian snapped. She stormed off to the bathroom and shut the door.

"What did I do?" Jenni whispered to me.

"You didn't do anything," I reassured. "She is just mad that Two-Bit has to go back to 1966."

"Oh."

It was just a few minutes later when the doorbell rang. Lillian had come out of the bathroom but she was rummaging through my kitchen, and I was sitting on the couch just waiting. Jenni answered it this time, and it was the guys.

"That was fast," Lillian stated in a monotone voice.

"Fast? That took forever," Pony groaned dramatically.

I gazed at my boys, finding that the gang will never be complete again. Two, Steve, Johnny, and Dally were missing. I was going to miss them all so much, they had been such a big part of my life for so long.

Wait... Johnny?

"Where is Johnny?" I asked.

"He decided to stay with Dally," Darry explained.

"Oh," I sighed softly. I should have expected that Johnny was going to be wherever Dally went. Maybe they will move away together and never look back at Tulsa. I hope Dally stays for Johnny.

My eyes landed on Soda. When I looked at him, it was like nothing else mattered. He walked up to me and greeted me with a kiss. I giggled and said, "hello, again."

"Hello, darlin'. I missed you." He smiled.

"I've missed you too. You guys better set up in your apartment again. I don't think anyone knows you left."

"We already took care of that," Ponyboy said.

"Here." Darry handed Lillian the Time Machine before running out the door with three large bags on his back.

"Where is he going?" I asked.

"We have to unpack our stuff," Soda explained. "I better go, help get the rest of our stuff into our house. We are trying to move back in there."

"That's exciting!" I said. It would be so incredible if they lived in their old house rather than an apartment.

"Darry was tryin' to get a hold of it back before we knew we had to go back to the 60s, so they were pretty close with gettin' to an agreement. It ain't bad, considering it was foreclosed. It'll be a whole lot better than the apartment, that's for sure. I'll be back." He ran out the door after Darry.

Lillian headed out to the backyard with the Time Machine and a sledgehammer. In a matter of seconds, she destroyed it. She destroyed the Time Machine, and she ripped up the plans.

No one was going to time travel ever again. For real this time.